I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 701: Farsighted and Experienced

"I never thought that the Zhang family, a small family that has only risen for a hundred years, could have accumulated such a huge wealth." Wang Ling couldn't help but sigh.

"It shows how deeply they have plundered the local area. The local people have suffered from it for a long time." Lu Bu also shook his head.

These noble families in the Central Plains obviously know how to exploit others better than those in his hometown of Bingzhou.

In response, Su Yao sneered:
"The masses of the people are living in poverty, suffering from hunger and cold, while these so-called pillars of society are becoming extremely wealthy."

"With such a world like this, how can the world not be in chaos?"

After saying that, Su Yao waved his hand and ordered the warehouses to be opened to release grain to help the people in the city. Then, except for a portion of the grain needed to maintain storage, all the grain was taken to Hongnong and confiscated for use.

As for those fertile fields, Su Yao would not waste them, but he did not take them for himself either.

Su Yao knew very well that doing so would only create another way to oppress the people and monopolize resources, and would not be of any benefit to social and economic development.

I am not a local rich man who occupies a mountain and acts like a king. I must look at the whole country.

By encouraging the economy, breaking the monopoly of wealthy families and powerful people, allowing wealth and resources to flow back into the hands of the people, and promoting local development and prosperity.

In this way, he could naturally control local wealth and manpower through taxation.

Instead of being like a local rich man, taking care of every detail personally.

So, Su Yao looked at the Zhang family's asset information and immediately ordered Wang Ling to select those soldiers from the army who had performed well in the military's "night school" education and had accumulated a certain cultural level.

They formed a special working group to continue to investigate the Zhang family's land properties in the local area.

On the other hand, they are also responsible for accepting reports and investigating Zhang's crimes.

Wang Ling and others will find the people who were previously persecuted by the Zhang family and lost their land through violence and various means of coercion, and return the land to their original owners.

All land properties whose original owners had been persecuted to death, or whose original owners were unknown, as well as all kinds of land properties acquired by the Zhang family through formal channels, will be confiscated first.

Part of these public lands would be used to reward meritorious soldiers. They would be distributed to soldiers who performed bravely on the battlefield in the form of military merit grants as a reward for their service to the country.

As for the other part, Su Yao managed it by setting up a special land management agency under the organization of the county governor's office.

This agency was supervised by the county governor and was in charge of the land official, and was responsible for supervising and managing the allocation and use of land.

On the one hand, the agency will supervise local grain prices and land transactions, design red lines for arable land, and monitor to prevent land from being monopolized on a large scale again.

On the other hand, public land owned by the government will be rented to local people in the form of low-rent land, and they will continue to cultivate it.

However, compared with the life of serfs in the Zhang family, or the 30:70 or even 20:70 ratio of the good land for the tenant farmers, Su Yao stipulated that the ratio of low-rent land should be reduced to about 50:50.

Su Yao encouraged the people to accumulate wealth and store food for famine preparedness, and also allowed them to have priority in purchasing the land they leased in the future.

"In this way, we can not only guarantee the basic living needs of the people, but also stimulate their enthusiasm for production and promote the prosperity of local agriculture."

Wang Ling clapped his hands and praised:

"Your Excellency's action is truly a great kindness!"

"Where is this?"

Su Yao laughed:
"Although the world is in chaos, since we have conquered a place, we must ensure that the people there live in peace and prosperity."

"Only in this way can these people support us, provide us with a steady supply of money, food and soldiers, and establish a close relationship with us."

“To this end, not only must the land be divided, but road construction must also be put on the agenda as soon as possible.”

Su Yao glanced at the mountains in the north and said in a deep voice:
"The reason why the Zhang family has grown so big and become a local bully is that the road between this place and the county town is difficult to travel."

"Building roads?"

Wang Ling was slightly stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect Su Yao to come up with such an idea.

Building roads is not an easy task.

You have to know that in troubled times, warlords were fighting for power everywhere, wars were frequent, and roads were often destroyed and dilapidated, making them difficult to pass.

Moreover, road construction requires a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources. For Su Yao's current power, this is undoubtedly a considerable burden.

"Do it no matter the cost!"

Su Yao patted Wang Ling on the shoulder and interrupted:

"Xiao Ling, do you know why Hongnong County is located in the heart of the Central Plains and is an important county at the throat of the two capitals, but has never been associated with the rich places in the world?"

Wang Ling frowned, thought for a moment and replied:
"Although Hongnong County connects the two capitals, it is located in the mountains, with complex terrain and inconvenient transportation. This should be a major reason why it is difficult to develop."

Su Yao nodded and praised:

"You are right. Inconvenient transportation is indeed a major bottleneck for the development of Hongnong County."

“But it’s not unchangeable.”

"As long as we can build a road connecting Hongnong County with the outside world, so that merchants and materials can flow in and out unimpeded, the economy of Hongnong County will surely develop greatly."

"Moreover, building roads will bring another benefit, which is to strengthen our control over the local area."

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"Once the roads are completed, our troops and officials will be able to reach various places more conveniently, maintain public order, crack down on tyrants, and ensure the peace of the people."

"From now on, every time we recapture a place, the first thing we must do is to ensure that the roads are open."

"Only in this way can the local forces not dare to have the intention of separation again."

"And the current road to Hongnong is even more important for us to control Guanzhong in the future."

“Therefore, no matter what the cost, this road must be repaired as soon as possible.”

After Su Yao finished speaking, he chuckled again:
"However, this matter was indeed difficult, but now with the Zhang family's contribution, we don't have to worry about the money and food needed to build the road for the time being."

"As for manpower, there are still a lot of idle people here who have strength but cannot be put to work in the fields. Sending them to build roads, either to do hard labor or to assist in supervision, is the best use of their talents."

Wang Ling was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized:

"Are you talking about those assassins of the Zhang family?"

Su Yao nodded, a sly look flashing in his eyes:
"Yes, it's those assassins."

"Although these assassins had committed many evil deeds for the Zhang family before, they were very happy to kneel down this time. Now that we are in great need of manpower, I will not lump them all together and execute them all."

"In addition to those assassins, there are also those henchmen and loyal servants recruited by the Zhang family. They can all be put to use this time."

"After all, these people were once loyal to the Zhang family. With the fall of the Zhang family, their situation has plummeted from the clouds to the bottom. They must have deep resentment in their hearts. We cannot completely trust them."

"So, sending them to build roads can, on the one hand, consume their physical strength and wear down their spirit, and on the other hand, it can also allow them to reflect on their mistakes during the work, turn over a new leaf, and contribute to our great cause."

"As for the supervisors, we can select some loyal and reliable people from our army to take up the post and ensure that they will not take the opportunity to cause trouble."

"Of course, although I have gained a lot this time, I am not going to take on the entire road construction project by myself."

"Aren't there still many noble families in Hongnong County?"

"Whether it's the Yang family or the Liu family, they are just following the trend this time. Although there are many people who have joined the army, just look at the rich Zhang family and you will know that they are just a drop in the bucket."

After saying this, Su Yao's eyes flashed:
“Let them do the hard work!”

"Now that we have the Zhang family's case, they are the biggest beneficiaries of my road construction. I don't believe they dare not pay me a little!"

When Wang Ling heard this, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

He has always been by Su Yao's side and has long been aware of the bravery and prowess of this young prince.

But now, after hearing Su Yao's clear arrangements and ideas, he was even more impressed by his great talent and foresight.
"Your Excellency has a far-sighted vision, and I admire you very much." Wang Ling bowed and said with sincerity.

Su Yao waved his hand and laughed:
"Alright, alright, stop flattering me. It's already daybreak, why don't you act quickly? My sword is thirsty for energy!"

(End of this chapter)