Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1335: The Emperor's Gift

Although the Tang army had not yet launched a direct attack on Wuzhong, the damage and adverse effects brought to the Three Wu regions by the war had become increasingly serious.

Through the unremitting development of the Southern Dynasties and the hard work of the people of the Three Wus all year round, the people's livelihood in the Wuzhong area has also been greatly developed, and it can be called a land of fish and rice with abundant resources.

However, the development of the region could not benefit every citizen in Wuzhong evenly. In particular, the Southern Dynasty had one biggest disadvantage compared to the Northern Dynasty. That was that it did not carry out a profound reform in the land system, and the land distribution system had great flaws.

The Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties had a very distinct era feature, which was the migration of scholars and common people from the north to the east of the Yangtze River. These outsiders did not have land assets in the east of the Yangtze River, and it was difficult for them to find land and houses, but they enjoyed certain political privileges, which led to the phenomenon of enclosing mountains and swamps, occupying a large amount of mountain and swamp land as private property, and prohibiting ordinary people from entering to cultivate and make a living.

During the same period, the Northern Wei Dynasty implemented the equal-field system, which formulated a relatively fair policy for the distribution of land, allowing naturalized citizens to engage in farming and weaving and earn income.

Although the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties had been pursuing the policy of Tuduan, it was merely a household registration policy that incorporated overseas residents into the counties where they lived, but there was no further land distribution policy. Overseas residents were naturalized but had no way to make a living, and the phenomenon of the upper class dignitaries sealing off the mountains and swamps became more and more serious.

The rich had farmland and land that stretched across states and counties, but the poor had no place to live. Many people in the Three Wus did not have permanent businesses or assets, and had to make a living by renting or working as laborers.

In recent years, with the development of trade between the north and the south, the scale of production in the gardens of these powerful people in Wuzhong has been gradually declining, and a large number of idle laborers have been released into the countryside. These people have no industries to make a self-sufficient living, so they can only wander around the countryside, begging for a living, or gathering together to cause trouble.

Now the dark cloud of war looms over the Three Wus, and inevitably all industries are declining. In addition, a large number of young and strong men have been conscripted to the Linchuan Palace in Changcheng County to guard against the enemy and prepare for war, while other places in the country are full of bandits, and the women, children, the elderly and the weak who are left in their respective villages not only have a harder life, but their safety is also not guaranteed.

As time went by, not only did the people in the wilderness suffer, but even the lives of some powerful and wealthy families gradually became stretched and no longer as comfortable as before.

Wuxing Wukang County is the hometown of Wuxing Shen's family, and Wuxing Shen is the most powerful family in the entire Wuxing County. They are famous for their literary and martial arts, and have many figures in the court and the opposition. For example, Shen Ke, the chief officer of Zhenzhou, who is now relied on by Linchuan Wang Chen Qian, is from Wuxing Shen's family. Chen Qian's wife, Princess Shen, is also from Wuxing Shen's family.

Wukang Xiaxi is an excellent water town with fertile land and smooth canals. There are many gardens owned by wealthy families. Located in the middle reaches of Xiaxi, there is a manor with an excellent location and the largest area, covering hundreds of hectares. It is the property of Shen Yue, a senior official of the former Liang Dynasty and a famous writer and historian. Shen Yue has passed away for many years, and the current owner of the manor is Shen Yue's grandson Shen Zhong.

The Shen Yue family was well-known for their elegance and uprightness, but their hometown was also very powerful. In the Xiaxi manor alone, there were two to three thousand clansmen and disciples living together. The scale of the manor was even larger than that of Wukang County.

In this vast estate, many fertile waterside farmlands have been abandoned and have not been cultivated for several years, but they are still enclosed by fences and patrolled by farmers on a daily basis, and outsiders are not allowed to enter at will.

The building complex located in the center of the manor is where Shen Zhong and his family live. The houses are lined up one after another and it looks very prosperous, but the villagers walking among these buildings look pale and listless.

In the hall for receiving guests in the manor, the host Shen Zhong was sitting in the hall and talking with the visiting guests, and sitting in the guest seat was Zhenzhou Chief Clerk Shen Ke.

"Zhong Weng lives frugally in his hometown, practices thriftiness, and has a noble character. He is truly admirable!"

Although Shen Ke and Shen Zhong were from the same clan, their relationship and friendship were just average. When he saw that Shen Zhong's robe was patched and there was no colorful decoration in the hall, he first complimented him and then said, "I am ordered by King Linchuan to invite Zhong Weng to the king's residence to discuss important matters. Zhong Weng is the most important person in the village. If he is willing to help with important matters, the villagers will definitely be more willing to go and protect their hometown more confidently!"

Chen Qian now has a lot of influence in the county, but not all villagers unite around him. There are still quite a few local scholars who choose to stay in the village, and Shen Zhong is one of them.

During the Hou Jing Rebellion, Shen Zhong returned to his hometown and led his former righteous troops and more than 5,000 villagers to rescue Jiankang, which shows that his hometown is strong. Last year, he was captured and sent to Chang'an from Jiangling. After living as a foreigner for a few years, he was able to return to his hometown. He was originally serving as the Minister of the Central Secretariat in the court, but when the first lord died and the King of Linchuan seized power, he was dismissed and sent back to his hometown. Because of this old grudge with the King of Linchuan, and because Shen Zhong had different views from the King of Linchuan on some things, he did not respond to his call, but chose to stay in his hometown. At this time, facing Shen Ke's invitation, he just waved his hand and said: "Now all the heroes in the village have gathered under the King of Linchuan. I am just a corrupt old man. Even if I go, I can hardly help. I am sorry to trouble you to run a distance. It is really difficult to accept the king's kind invitation!"

"Zhong Weng is too modest. Now that a powerful enemy has crossed the river and is about to invade our hometown, it is a major event that has not happened in hundreds of years. All of our fellow villagers cannot stay out of it. Zhong Weng also experienced the disaster in Jiangling in person, and was even kidnapped and wandered outside for several years. Can you bear to see your fellow villagers suffer the same disaster again?"

The Tang army had been waiting for a long time without making any move. The long and boring wait had made the local volunteers gathered in Changcheng County lose their will and become demoralized. They needed someone like Shen Zhong who had a high reputation in the village to rally them together, so Shen Ke gave them earnest advice again.

However, Shen Zhong was not fooled. He shook his head and said, "Resisting foreign invasion and preventing the homeland from suffering is what the highly respected King Linchuan and the Chief Clerk should work hard on. All I can do is to discipline my students and make them abide by the law and be cautious. If they still cannot avoid being captured by the enemy, I can only blame my own fate and not blame King Linchuan for his inability to resist the enemy."

Seeing his unyielding attitude, Shen Ke felt helpless. As things were urgent, it was not convenient for him to stay here for long, so he could only get up and say goodbye with resentment and regret.

After seeing Shen Ke off, a servant came in to report that it was time to prepare dinner. Shen Zhong quickly stood up and went to his own warehouse. He ordered his children and servants to wait outside the warehouse, and he went into the warehouse himself. He used a wooden bucket to weigh out the grain one bucket at a time, and then had the servants take it away to cook. One meal used more than ten stones of grain.

This number may seem like a lot, but it is the total consumption of two to three thousand people in the entire manor, and even less than one liter per person. Even so, Shen Zhong still felt distressed. Looking at the servants pushing the food away with a cart, he suddenly remembered something and said loudly: "Wait a minute, I remember that several boys left home early in the morning. I think they didn't make it home in time for dinner, so they will have to pay a few buckets!"

As he spoke, he quickly stepped forward and used a wooden bucket to measure out a few buckets of grain from the grain bag, and personally delivered it back to the granary, and then locked the granary door with his own hands. The reason why he refused to accept the courtesy of King Linchuan was not only because of the previous grudge and his disapproval of King Linchuan, but also because he wanted to take care of this family business.

It is true that the shadow of war made it difficult for the people of Wuxiang to make a living, but the Wuxing Shen family, especially the Shen Zhong family, was not one of them. His family had many properties, including several gardens and villas, and as many as 20 to 30 granaries for storing grain, which was enough to feed thousands of people in the family for two or three years with some surplus. The reason why he lived so simply, even weighing the grain for his meals every day, was purely because of his stinginess.

"Now the world is changing. The Tang emperor is a man of great talent and strategy, and has taken over most of the country. The King of Linchuan only occupies a small corner of Wu Township, and his talent is not outstanding, so it is impossible to be his enemy. However, the north and the south have been alienated for a long time. Even if they are unified by force, there will inevitably be chaos. It is unknown when the world will be in chaos. The best strategy is to store grain and prepare for famine. There is no point in gathering with the vagrant countrymen under the King of Linchuan and doing something stupid like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

While having dinner in the evening, Shen Zhong looked at the children of the family again and said with a serious expression.

He was not optimistic about the future of Prince Linchuan, but he also did not think that the Tang Dynasty would be able to quickly quell the unrest in Jiangdong, because he had spent several years in Guanzhong. Although the Tang Dynasty had not yet been established at that time, the series of political reforms of the Bafu made him wary and resistant. He also judged others by himself and thought that the Wuxiang local tyrants would probably not obey the Tang Dynasty's policies.

The tribesmen held the bland soup in their hands, sipping it while seemingly listening carefully to Shen Zhong's teachings, but their thoughts had already drifted to where to get some food in the evening to supplement their increasingly emaciated bodies.

Several young men who had gone out to work returned home in time for dinner, which made Shen Zhong's plan to save a few buckets of grain come true. He had not planned to give them extra meals, after all, making a fire to cook would not only waste food, but also firewood. However, the good news they brought back made him very happy, so he made an exception and asked the kitchen to prepare another meal and send it up. Of course, he had to go to the granary to weigh it himself.

"Uncle, I have found out everything! The Tang army is indeed searching for hemp cloth on the west bank of Lake Tai. It is said that there are several private bases of the King of Linchuan there, with a lot of money stored there, which has been taken by the Tang army. The Tang army also brought hundreds of millions of good money from the northern country from Jiankang, and announced that after the army enters Wuzhong in the future, the people of Wuzhong can bring money to the military market to buy and sell!"

Several young men sat down exhausted and reported the news they had obtained to Shen Zhong with happy faces.

"The Tang army is really hurting people's hearts and sowing discord this time. Now Wuxiang has been fighting against the enemy, and all the people are in poverty. But the King of Linchuan hid a lot of money, which was also seized by the thieves. How can people not feel resentful?"

Shen Zhong sighed after hearing this, and then said with emotion: "In ancient times, people spent thousands of gold coins to buy horses, and now Tang people spend hundreds of millions of coins to buy hemp. Although the situation is different, it is the same. I am afraid that the King of Linchuan will cause chaos without fighting. You should go to bed early after dinner tonight, and leave home tomorrow morning to transport goods for sale. There are more than tens of thousands of pieces of ramie and hemp accumulated at home. They were originally waste, but now they can be exchanged for good money in Jiangbei. The Tang Emperor has given it to you, so hurry up and grab them!"