Shuhan

As the carriage sped along the official road, Liu Feng's thoughts drifted back to the days and nights when he was farming.

The obstruction of the soldiers and the nobles, and the expectant and worried eyes of the people, all appeared before his eyes one by one.

He clenched his fists and vowed secretly in his heart that he must ensure that the land transfer project went smoothly.

I don’t know how long I walked before the majestic outline of Luoyang City appeared in the distance.

Liu Feng's heartbeat quickened involuntarily. He knew that he was about to face Liu Chan, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. His own fate and the future of Dutian might be decided during this meeting.

The gates of Luoyang City were wide open, and Liu Feng's carriage slowly drove in.

The city is still prosperous, with heavy traffic, hawking sounds, and laughter intertwined.

But Liu Feng had no intention of appreciating all this at the moment. His eyes were fixed straight towards the direction of the imperial palace in front of him.

The imperial palace, the palace that symbolizes supreme power, radiates golden light under the sunlight.

Liu Feng got off the car in front of the palace gate, straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and walked towards the palace gate with firm steps.

The guards at the door were dressed in bright armor and holding spears, standing majestically. Their eyes fell on Liu Feng with a hint of scrutiny.

Liu Feng passed through layers of palace gates and finally arrived outside the hall where Liu Chan was.

He paused, calmed down, and then said loudly: "Your Majesty, I, Liu Feng, request to see you."

The sound echoed outside the empty palace.

"Announce Liu Feng to come to the court for an audience."

A eunuch's shrill voice came from the hall.

Liu Feng walked steadily into the hall and saw Liu Chan sitting on the dragon throne, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, a crown on his head, with a majestic face and wisdom and calmness in his eyes.

Liu Feng took a few steps forward and knelt down to salute: "Long live your majesty!"

His voice was loud and firm.

Liu Chan raised his hand slightly and said, "Stand up."

Liu Feng stood up, holding the land measurement report in both hands and handed it forward respectfully.

A eunuch took the report and presented it to Liu Chan.

Liu Chan opened the report and read it carefully, his brows gradually furrowed.

The report recorded in detail the various obstacles encountered in the land measurement process, including resistance from military officers and nobles, difficulties in land measurement, and doubts from the people.

Liu Chan's expression became more and more solemn. He raised his head, looked at Liu Feng, and asked in a low and powerful voice: "Liu Feng, the resistance to this land survey is so great. Do you have any plan to deal with it?"

Liu Feng knelt down again, his eyes showing determination and sincerity, and said: "Your Majesty, land measurement is the key to the rejuvenation of our Han Dynasty. Although I am facing many difficulties, I will never back down. I beg Your Majesty to support me so that I can continue to implement the land measurement."

As he spoke, he raised his head slightly and looked at Liu Chan, his eyes full of expectation.

Liu Chan pondered for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrests of the dragon throne, making rhythmic sounds.

There was silence in the hall, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the emperor's decision.

After a long while, Liu Chan said, "I understand your intentions. The land survey is related to the prosperity of the country. I will fully support you. But you must also pay attention to the methods and try to avoid causing greater conflicts."

Although Liu Chan's voice was gentle, it carried unquestionable majesty.

Liu Feng was delighted, and he thanked him excitedly, "Your Majesty is wise, I will do my best to live up to your trust."

A relieved smile appeared on his face and his eyes sparkled.

Liu Chan looked at Liu Feng, nodded slightly, and said, "Get up. Tell me, how do you plan to implement the land measurement next?"

Liu Feng stood up, cleared his throat, and said, "Your Majesty, I intend to start with the military officers and nobles who took the lead in resisting, and persuade them with reason and emotion to make them understand the importance of land measurement to the country and the people. If they still refuse to change, I beg Your Majesty to allow me to take tough measures."

Liu Chan listened, thought for a moment, and said: "Well, it's feasible. But you must not act too hastily, so as not to provoke a popular uprising. You must remember that what I want is long-term peace and stability. The land measurement must achieve the goal and stabilize the people's hearts."

Liu Feng nodded quickly and said, "Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered in my heart."

Afterwards, Liu Feng discussed in detail with Liu Chan some details of the land measurement, including how to better appease the people and how to supervise the land measurement officials.

Liu Chan put forward his opinions and suggestions from time to time, and Liu Feng listened carefully and wrote them down one by one.

After coming out of the palace, Liu Feng felt as if he was reborn.

The sun shone on his body, making him feel warm. He looked up at the sky, his heart full of hope.

With the support of His Majesty, he believed that although the task of measuring the land was difficult, it would definitely be successful.

Ten days later.

When Liu Feng returned from Luoyang after meeting the emperor, the sky in Yecheng was exceptionally clear, without a single cloud in the azure sky.

He rode a tall horse, wearing silver armor, and behind him were thousands of elite soldiers. The team was so powerful that it raised a cloud of dust.

The soldiers were dressed in black, holding spears, with firm eyes and orderly steps, exuding a murderous aura.

As soon as he returned to Yecheng, Liu Feng continued to vigorously implement the land measurement and household registration system for the people.

With the assistance of elite soldiers, his orders were quickly executed.

Under the protection of soldiers, the clerks in charge of measuring the land went deep into every corner of Yecheng, carefully measuring the land and checking the population.

Those new nobles and landlords who had originally hoped to get away with it and try to conceal their land and population had to cooperate obediently under the intimidation of the soldiers.

In Yecheng alone, after a lot of intensive work, hundreds of thousands of acres of land were added and the population increased by tens of thousands.

Looking at the account books recording the results of the farming, a gratified smile appeared on Liu Feng's face.

He knew very well that these achievements were hard-won, the result of the hard work of countless people, and an important cornerstone for the prosperity of the Han Dynasty.

However, the newly-emerged nobles and landlords in Yecheng who suffered losses in their interests were secretly gnashing their teeth.

They gathered together, in a luxuriously furnished room, sitting around a huge round table, their faces as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

There was an oppressive atmosphere in the room. The candlelight flickered in the breeze, illuminating their distorted faces.

"This Liu Feng is simply a heartless person, and has no regard for our old friendship at all!" An obese nobleman slammed the table and shouted loudly, with the fat on his face trembling with his movements.

"Yes, he is so tough that we have taken away all our interests." A middle-aged man dressed in silk echoed, his eyes revealing cunning and viciousness.

"We can't just let this go. We have to think of a way." Another person whispered, with a hint of chill in his voice.

Everyone discussed it one after another, and finally came up with a cruel plan - to assassinate Liu Feng.

They immediately began to look for assassins, and soon found two suitable candidates, one open and one hidden. On the surface, they chose a charming beauty.

The beauty has skin as white as snow, eyes as bright as stars, and a graceful figure, like a fairy walking out of a painting.

She was wearing a long red dress, the hem of which fluttered gently with her steps, like a blooming rose.

She had a charming smile on her face, but there was a barely perceptible coldness in her eyes.

Secretly, they found an assassin who looked honest but had great martial arts skills.

The assassin was of burly build, with a simple and honest face, but his eyes shone with sharp light.

He usually makes a living by selling vegetables. No one would have thought that under his ordinary appearance, he hides such superb martial arts skills.

After being carefully dressed up, the beauty was sent to Liu Feng.

She successfully entered Liu Feng's mansion on the pretext of serving him.

Seeing that she had a pretty face and good manners, Liu Feng did not doubt her too much and kept her by his side.

The assassin, however, was lurking in the dark, patiently waiting for his chance. As the days passed, Liu Feng was still busy with the follow-up work of measuring the land and registering the people, and had no idea that danger was approaching.

Finally, one day when Liu Feng was traveling, the opportunity came.

It was a sunny day and Liu Feng, with his guards, was preparing to go outside the city to inspect the farming situation.

He rode his beloved white horse, wearing light armor, looking heroic.

The guards followed closely behind him, observing their surroundings vigilantly.

When the team reached a narrow street, the assassin lying in ambush in the dark moved.

He jumped down from the roof like a black lightning, holding a sharp dagger in his hand, and stabbed straight at Liu Feng.

Seeing this, Liu Feng was shocked and quickly drew his sword to resist.

At the same time, the beauty revealed her true face.

She pulled out a dagger from her sleeve and stabbed Liu Feng in the back when he was not prepared.

Liu Feng was unable to dodge and was stabbed by the dagger, and the blood instantly dyed his armor red.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers of the guard surrounded the assassin and started a fierce fight with him.

However, the assassin was so skilled in martial arts that the soldiers found it difficult to subdue him.

Liu Feng endured the severe pain and joined the battle. Just when everyone was fighting fiercely, the assassin seized an opportunity and rushed towards Liu Feng again, stabbing his dagger into his chest fiercely.

Liu Feng stared at the assassin with eyes wide open, his eyes full of anger and unwillingness.

He used up his last bit of strength, swung the sword in his hand, and slashed at the assassin.

The assassin was unable to dodge and was hit by Liu Feng, falling to the ground.

Liu Feng could no longer hold on and slowly fell down.

For a moment, Yecheng was greatly shaken.

When the people heard the news that Liu Feng had been assassinated, they were shocked and saddened.

Those people who supported Du Tian were filled with anger. They spontaneously organized themselves and demanded severe punishment for the murderer.

The news of Liu Feng's assassination was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing a huge wave in Yecheng.

And on this panic-stricken night, an even more terrible disaster quietly arrived.

The night fell like a thick black cloth, weighing heavily on the sky above Yecheng.

The moonlight was faint, as if it was also frightened by the depressing atmosphere, hiding behind the clouds and refusing to show up.

The government office located in the center of Yecheng, which is usually a symbol of majesty and order, was now shrouded in an inexplicable fear.

Inside the government office, the lights were bright and officials with solemn faces gathered together to discuss the various matters to be dealt with after Liu Feng was assassinated.

Their voices were low and anxious, echoing in the empty hall.

"What should we do? With the death of General Liu Feng, the land measurement project will fail." An elderly official frowned, with deeper wrinkles on his face. His voice trembled slightly, as if he was telling a fact that was hard to accept.

"Yes, those nobles will definitely not give up. Who knows what kind of trouble they will cause next."

Another younger official echoed this, his eyes showing anxiety as he paced around the lobby.

Just then, a pungent smell of smoke wafted in.

A yamen runner rushed in and shouted in panic, "Oh no! There's a fire! The warehouse to the east seems to be on fire!"

When everyone heard this, they were all shocked and stood up with horror on their faces.

To the east of the government office is the warehouse where the land and population registers are stored.

The warehouse was a brick and stone building, where precious documents and account books were usually stored.

At this moment, the flames spread rapidly from a corner of the warehouse like a greedy poisonous snake.

The fire grew stronger with the help of the wind, and in the blink of an eye, the entire warehouse was engulfed in flames.

The officials rushed to the warehouse to organize fire fighting. As they ran, they shouted: "Quick, quick, get some water! We can't let the fire burn the land register!"

The yamen runners also took action, some carrying buckets of water, some holding fire-fighting tools, and rushed towards the fire scene.

However, the fire was too big. The flames jumped up high and made crackling sounds, as if they were protesting to people.

The heat wave was overwhelming, making it difficult to get close.

There were limited wells in the government office, and the speed of drawing water was far behind the speed at which the fire spread.

Bucket after bucket of water was poured on it, but it was like a drop in the ocean, and it could not stop the raging fire at all.

"How did the fire spread so quickly? Did someone set it on purpose?" an official said angrily, gasping for breath.

But at this moment, no one had the mind to explore the cause of the fire, everyone was desperately trying to find a way to put out the fire.

Inside the warehouse, the land register was being licked mercilessly by the fire.

The bamboo slips and papers that recorded the hard work of countless people and the hopes for the future of Yecheng gradually curled and blackened in the flames, and finally turned into ashes.

The officials watched all this happen but were powerless to do anything, and their hearts were filled with despair.

"It's over, it's all over..." An official collapsed on the ground, his eyes empty and tears welling up in his eyes.

Looking at the raging fire in front of him, he seemed to see the collapse of the land measurement and household registration system.

The fire burned all night long, and the entire Yecheng was illuminated red by the flames.

The people stood at their doorsteps, looking at the flames rising from the direction of the government office, their hearts filled with worry and fear.

They knew that the fire not only burned down a warehouse, but also burned down their achievements and future.

The next morning, when the fire was finally extinguished and people rushed to the government office, the scene before them shocked everyone.

The once majestic government office is now only a ruin.

The warehouse had been burned beyond recognition, bricks and stones had collapsed, and charred beams and pillars lay scattered on the ground.

The air was filled with a pungent burnt smell that made people cough.

The officials stood in front of the ruins, their faces full of fatigue and helplessness, some even burst into tears.

"All our efforts for such a long time are gone just like that..." A young official, holding his head in his hands, squatted on the ground and burst into tears.

The people also gathered around, looking at the ruins in front of them and talking about it.

"What should we do? If we lose the land, how are we going to live in the future?" said a white-haired old man, leaning on a cane, with a worried look on his face.

There was confusion in his eyes, as if he had lost the direction in life.

"It must be the work of those nobles! They were unwilling to see their interests compromised, so they came up with this cruel method." A young man said angrily, clenching his fists.

There was anger burning in his eyes, and he wanted to find out who was behind it immediately.

At this time, the sky over Yecheng was gloomy, as if it was also mourning for the disaster.

The project of measuring land and registering people as equals the people, after a brief period of glory, was suddenly destroyed.

Yecheng fell into chaos and despair, and the road ahead became more difficult and confusing. (End of this chapter)