You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 244 Xun Yu Returns to Luoyang

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Just as Zhou Chen finished practicing the Emperor's Conferring of Gods Technique, Cao Zhengchun walked in.

"Your Majesty, Minister Xun of the Ministry of Revenue has returned to Luoyang and is currently requesting an audience outside the palace," Cao Zhengchun reported.

Oh!
are you back?

Zhou Chen's spirits jolted.

Previously, Zhou Chen issued an imperial decree ordering Xun Yu to measure and survey the land of the entire realm.

After Xun Yu finished measuring and surveying the land within the jurisdiction of Luoyang, he left Luoyang and began measuring and surveying the land of various prefectures and counties.

In Zhou Chen's view, the land problem in the Great Zhou was becoming increasingly serious and had reached a point where it had to be resolved.

The first step in solving the land problem is to know how much land the Great Zhou Dynasty has, how much is occupied by ordinary people, and how much by powerful families.

Therefore, the task of measuring and surveying land is of paramount importance.

However, the situation in various places was in a state of disarray, and seven or eight out of ten officials came from powerful and wealthy families. These families had never taken the imperial court seriously, so how could they possibly cooperate with the court to measure and count their land?

Therefore, Zhou Chen entrusted this arduous task to Xun Yu.

Several months have passed since Xun Yu left Luoyang.

Although the Eastern Depot has sent back news that Xun Yu's land surveying and accounting is nearing completion and he will soon return to Luoyang.

But Zhou Chen didn't expect Xun Yu to return so quickly.

"Summon the Minister of Revenue."

Zhou Chen felt a sense of anticipation.

He wanted to see what Xun Yu had accomplished in the past few months and whether he had successfully fulfilled his orders.

"According to the order."

Cao Zhengchun bowed and left.

moment.

Cao Zhengchun then led Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your subject Xun Yu greets Your Majesty."

Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xun Yu bowed to Zhou Chen, who was seated on the dragon throne.

"Wenruo, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhou Chen looked at Xun Yu, whose face appeared somewhat haggard than before, and said, "Wenruo, you've had a tough time. You must have endured a lot of hardships while traveling!"

"Your Majesty, I am not tired."

"As long as I can share Your Majesty's burdens and contribute to the prosperity of the Great Zhou, I do not feel any hardship."

Xun Yu bowed and said.

In Xun Yu's heart, as long as he could share the emperor's worries, serve the Great Zhou, and seek happiness for the people, he would never feel hardship; he would only feel that the hardship was not enough.

Zhou Chen looked at Xun Yu and nodded slightly.

"How's the land survey going?"

"If Wenruo returns to Luoyang, the land surveys and statistics in various places should have yielded results by now, right?"

Zhou Chen didn't say anything more and went straight to the point.

Xun Yu nodded; "Yes, Your Majesty."

"The Ministry of Revenue has completed the survey, measurement, and statistics of the land in all regions."

"However, there was a slight accident on the way back to Luoyang."

"Some officials from the Ministry of Revenue were intercepted and killed when they returned to Luoyang, and the results of land surveys and statistics in some places were lost."

"On my way back, I was also ambushed and killed by men in black."

Xun Yu said with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

On the way back to Luoyang, it wasn't just Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, who was ambushed and killed by men in black.

Officials from the Ministry of Revenue who were surveying and counting land in other places were also ambushed on their way back to Luoyang. Some of these officials were carrying land survey data from other places, which were subsequently lost.

Fortunately, Xun Yu had made two preparations in advance.

Otherwise, if the results of these land surveys and statistics were lost, Xun Yu would have to conduct a new investigation and statistics.

what?
Upon hearing Xun Yu's words, Zhou Chen frowned immediately.

"However, Your Majesty can rest assured, I have made two preparations in advance."

“The results of those lost land surveys and statistics are all on file at the East Depot’s stronghold.”

"Supervisor Cao Shaoqin has already ordered that the various local Eastern Depots secretly send these lost statistical results to Luoyang."

Xun Yu changed the subject and quickly added.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen's furrowed brows relaxed again.

However, Zhou Chen's expression was somewhat cold and stern.

"In broad daylight, someone actually dared to intercept and kill a government official. It's incredibly audacious."

Zhou Chen, his face cold, looked at Cao Zhengchun, who was standing beside him; "Who were those people who intercepted and killed officials from the Ministry of Revenue?"

"And who is the mastermind behind this?"

Zhou Chen never expected that someone would dare to so blatantly intercept and kill an official of the imperial court; they had incredible audacity.

This is clearly an attempt to disrupt the imperial court's process of measuring and surveying the land throughout the country.

Cao Zhengchun immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, those who intercepted and killed the Ministry of Revenue officials were assassins and outlaws from the martial arts world."

"The people behind it are some of the wealthy landlords who escaped the net during this land survey and accounting."

"The Eastern Depot is already hunting down these people."

The Eastern Depot now covers all parts of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When the Ministry of Revenue officials were ambushed and killed, the Eastern Depot received the news immediately and began to hunt down the assassins and the remaining fugitives behind them.

"Are they just some escaped members of aristocratic landlord families that were wiped out?"

"Is there no trace of other aristocratic and wealthy families?"

Zhou Chen asked with some doubt.

Cao Zhengchun shook his head and said, "We haven't found any connection with other powerful families or wealthy clans yet."

Cao Zhengchun naturally understood Zhou Chen's meaning.

However, the Eastern Depot has only found some fugitives so far, and has not yet uncovered any clues involving other powerful and wealthy families.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen said nothing more.

Since the Eastern Depot is already hunting down these people, if there are other powerful families involved behind them, the Eastern Depot will definitely be able to find out.

We can settle accounts later.

Zhou Chen looked at Xun Yu; "Tell me about the situation regarding the investigation of local land!"

Zhou Chen said.

"Your Majesty, I have traveled to various places to investigate the land, but the powerful families and clans in these areas have either paid lip service to me or acted insincerely, delaying in every way possible. They are simply unwilling to cooperate with me in measuring and counting their land, and some of these powerful families have even given me arbitrary figures..."

Zhou Chen listened to Xun Yu's words without any expression on his face.

Zhou Chen would find it strange if these powerful and wealthy families didn't drag their feet and pretend to comply while secretly going against his wishes!

"However, I had anticipated these things. In order to find out the land owned by these powerful families, I have taken a two-step approach."

"On the surface, it is the Ministry of Revenue officials headed by your humble servant."

"Secretly, I had the Eastern Depot investigate the crimes of some local minor officials and have these officials provide the Ministry of Revenue with specific information on the land owned by the local powerful families."

"With the information provided by these minor officials, I can then have the Eastern Depot take action, which will make the investigation and measurement process much easier and faster."

“Especially after the news of victory came from the border regions, the powerful families became much more obedient…” Zhou Chen found Xun Yu’s words somewhat amusing.

Xun Yu may seem like a gentleman, but unexpectedly, he can be quite cunning.

However, Zhou Chen liked this method.

Being too upright and virtuous is not necessarily a good thing.

Especially in officialdom, those who are too upright and virtuous often do not have a good ending.

It's not that Zhou Chen thinks upright gentlemen are bad, but rather that he believes people should learn to be flexible.

Different methods should be used depending on the type of person.

Zhou Chen looked at Xun Yu and asked, "How is the land inventory and statistics going?"

Xun Yu immediately said, "Your Majesty, the land conditions in various regions are simply appalling!"

"Aside from the results that were temporarily lost, this is a summary of all the land survey and statistics compiled by your subject."

"Your Majesty, please review this."

Xun Yu took out a thick memorial from his sleeve and held it in his hands.

Upon seeing this, Cao Zhengchun, who was standing nearby, immediately took the memorial from Xun Yu's hand and presented it to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen took the memorial from Cao Zhengchun's hand.

Upon opening it, Zhou Chen's brows immediately furrowed.

The memorial contained details about the specific land conditions in various regions.

When the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded, 70% of the land in the country was in the hands of the common people, and 30% was in the hands of powerful and wealthy families.

Duty-free for wealthy and influential families.

However, even so, with the tax revenue from 70% of the land, the Great Zhou gradually reached its peak and prospered for a time.

However, in the memorial Xun Yu now submitted, apart from the missing pieces, the statistics showed that in all parts of the Great Zhou, the people owned less than 20% of the land.

The remaining 80% of the land all fell into the hands of powerful and wealthy landowners.

What a shocking number this is.

Previously, the results of the surveys and statistics within the jurisdiction of Luoyang Sili were already shocking enough for Zhou Chen.

However, Luoyang Sili was the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, home to many imperial relatives, nobles, and ministers. Zhou Chen felt that it was understandable that most of the land within Luoyang Sili was in the hands of these people.

After all, the Luoyang Sili region was home to a large number of imperial relatives, nobles, and ministers.

However, Zhou Chen did not expect that this place was even more shocking than the area within the jurisdiction of Luoyang.

Currently, the Great Zhou Dynasty relies on the tax revenue from less than 20% of its land to maintain its operations.

Zhou Chen's face was extremely ugly.

He had considered that the land annexation in the Great Zhou Dynasty was very serious.

Otherwise, the tax revenue of the Great Zhou Dynasty could not have decreased so drastically every year.

But Zhou Chen never expected that the land annexation situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty had reached this point.

This is beyond what the word "serious" can describe.

This is on the verge of collapse.

"Your Majesty, during the process of investigating and measuring the land, the Marquis of Donghuang was very cooperative, and the Langya Wang family was also very cooperative..."

Xun Yu listed all the aristocratic families that were relatively cooperative with the Ministry of Revenue.

In fact, Xun Yu knew that even without him saying it, with the Eastern Depot around, Zhou Chen was fully aware of the Ministry of Revenue's land survey and statistics.

"I understand."

Zhou Chen was paying close attention to which of the four major clans and the remaining three of the seven great families were fully cooperating, and which were secretly causing trouble.

Xun Yu glanced at Zhou Chen's grim face and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the land annexation in various regions has become so serious that it is beyond control. If this matter is not resolved as soon as possible, there may be a crisis that could topple the world."

"Why not clear out a group of powerful and wealthy families first? That way, some land will be available..."

Xun Yu knew that Zhou Chen had the Ministry of Revenue measure and survey the land throughout the country in order to solve the land problem.

Land consolidation is now so severe in various places.

To solve the land problem, the only option is to target the powerful and wealthy families.

No matter which prestigious or wealthy family it is, none of them have a clean record.

Especially in the matter of annexing and seizing land, many powerful and wealthy families have engaged in acts of forceful acquisition and plunder.

If the imperial court were to take action in this way, it would definitely be able to eliminate a large number of powerful and influential families.

This is currently the most effective and fastest way to solve the land problem.

"inappropriate."

Zhou Chen shook his head slightly.

The issue of land consolidation is not solely due to powerful and wealthy families.

Even if a group of powerful and wealthy families are indeed eliminated and the vacant land is distributed to the common people, new powerful and wealthy families may be born again in a few years or decades.

The problem of land consolidation cannot be solved by simply eliminating a particular or certain aristocratic landlord family.

Zhou Chen knew this better than anyone else.

Cleaning up powerful and wealthy families can only provide a temporary solution; it cannot solve the problem permanently.

In fact, Zhou Chen knew that this was a problem that every dynasty in history had to face. No ruler in any dynasty wanted to solve it, but no one had an effective solution.

Because this issue involves too many things.

Even Zhou Chen, whose power is currently at its peak, does not dare to act rashly.

To be precise, Zhou Chen cannot move.

The reason is simple: the Zhou imperial family was the largest landowning family in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

All the powerful and influential families in the Great Zhou Dynasty were essentially the wings of the emperor, the head of these families.

The emperor granted them land and wealth, and these powerful families submitted to him.

The Zhou imperial family and these powerful and influential families thus formed the modern Zhou dynasty in a hierarchical manner.

The two are bound by fate and are closely intertwined.

This is also the fundamental reason why rulers throughout history have been helpless in the face of land annexation.

Because if the emperor really wanted to solve the problem of land annexation, the first person he had to solve was himself.

Therefore, the problem of land annexation existed in every dynasty, and it became more and more serious as time went on, but no ruler was able to solve it.

People are selfish.

This is especially true for emperors.

If it comes at the cost of sacrificing one's own interests, I believe no one would be willing to do so.

However, this does not mean that Zhou Chen completely denied Xun Yu's meaning.

Zhou Chen will not let those powerful and wealthy families who forcibly seize and occupy other people's land go easily.

But this is not the real solution to the land problem.

Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, his mind racing with thoughts.

The most direct way to completely solve the problem of land annexation is to reclaim all the land in the country and make it state-owned.

But Zhou Chen knew that he did not yet have the power to reclaim all the land under heaven.

If Zhou Chen really dares to do this now, the consequences will directly overthrow the Great Zhou Dynasty, and all the achievements he has worked so hard to make will instantly vanish.

Therefore, Zhou Chen's most important task at present is to reform the land system and increase tax revenue, rather than taking over all the land that belongs to the country and making it state-owned.

In particular, the tax exemption rights of wealthy and powerful families must be addressed.

(End of this chapter)