I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 802: The people of Anyi City celebrate, the general pushes the military restriction order

The next day, there was laughter and joy in Anyi City.

It was past noon, but the streets were still crowded with people.

The faces of the people were filled with long-lost smiles, children were chasing and playing in the streets, and the elderly were sitting in front of their doors basking in the sun, talking about the thrills of the past and the peace of today.

In front of the granary in the east of the city, there was a long line that stretched as far as the eye could see. The people, holding their household registration cards, were collecting food in an orderly manner.

From time to time, officials would beat drums and gongs and loudly read out Su Yao's notices to reassure the people, attracting many people to stop and listen, with endless exclamations of admiration.

"Great General, how kind!"

A white-haired old man was leaning on a cane and speaking tremblingly:

"If the general hadn't opened the warehouses to release food, we old bones wouldn't have survived this winter."

"Yes, yes. The general not only suppressed the rebellion, but also brought benefits to our people."

Next to the old man, a middle-aged woman gestured excitedly:

"My husband registered yesterday and actually said that our family is eligible to receive public land - that's a full 200 acres of land!"

"Oh my God, how many years have I not heard of the government distributing land?"

Another young man who was about to register to claim the land exclaimed.

As they gathered, the woman holding the child next to him also sighed:
"When we come back and have our own land, we must plant it well and produce more food. We can't let the general down."

Such conversations can be heard everywhere in the streets and alleys.

Thanks to Su Yao's series of measures to pacify the people, Anyi City has regained its vitality, like a dead tree coming back to life in spring.

If it weren't for the bloodstains and traces of war damage that had not yet faded on both sides of the street, the scene before them would be impossible to associate with the tense and desolate Anyi City before.

All the taverns, teahouses, cloth shops and grain stores in the city were open and crowded with people.

Especially the time-honored "Zuixianlou" in the city, which was deserted yesterday due to the war and could only provide porridge and water, but today it is packed with people and bustling with activity.

"Good guy, good guy!"

At the entrance of the hotel, the young man named Zhang stared at the noisy tavern in front of him, slapped his thigh and exclaimed:

"Boss, I just went to the east of the city to queue up to get some food. Why is the situation here so different?"

"Yesterday, it was hard to get you water, but today, there is wine on every table. It's really strange."

"Of course, this is all thanks to our great general!"

The innkeeper came forward with a smile on his face, wiping his hands on his apron and saying:
"Don't say you don't know. I've been doing business for most of my life, but I never thought it would be like this today."

"Our great general is kind and righteous. Not only did he open the warehouses to release grain to the common people, he even sold the fine wines and goods in the mansions of those noble families on credit to merchants like us without interest, allowing us to reopen our business."

"The only request is that we supply them at a fair price and not make money from the people against our conscience. Everyone remembers the good things about the general, so they naturally abide by the rules."

The shopkeeper's face was full of sincerity, and his words were full of respect for Su Yao. There was no trace of the gossip he had yesterday. The diners in the restaurant also drank and sang, praising the general for his wisdom, benevolence and righteousness.

The young man named Zhang was infected by the warm atmosphere and also came forward, asked for a glass of wine, and shouted at the top of his voice:

"The general is wise! May the general bring great blessings and protect the people of Hedong for years to come!"

When he shouted, the cheers in the tavern became louder and louder, and the sound almost blew the roof off.

These cheers excited Sima Lang, Guo Jia, Xun You, Wang Ling and others who were celebrating with wine on the second floor, and they all expressed their feelings.

Sima Lang raised his wine glass and looked out the window at the bustling and lively streets, and couldn't help but sigh:

"In the past, I only felt that people's livelihood was complicated and trivial, and it was difficult to improve it. Now, I see that the series of measures taken by the general can make Anyi City look brand new in such a short period of time, and the people can live and work in peace and contentment. This is really a blessing for us and the Han Dynasty!"

"What Boda said is absolutely right."

Guo Jia gently waved his feather fan, his eyes full of smiles:
"I originally thought that the general was just a brave man with the strength to pull up mountains, but I never thought that he also had such experience in governing." "He promoted equal distribution of land, opened warehouses to release grain, and checked the land, all of which were done for the benefit of the people. This is why he has won the support of the people today."

"Now that we have won the hearts of the people, why should we worry that the land of Hedong, and even the entire Han Dynasty, cannot be revived?"

Guo Jia's sigh immediately resonated with Wang Ling and others. They all raised their glasses and drank together, and for a while they were quite in high spirits.

Xun You was filled with admiration when seeing this scene, and he thought that the young people were truly formidable.

You know, although Sima Lang came from a prominent family, he was just a newly crowned censor.

Now, he has been able to rise to the top of the Censorate so quickly, serving as the deputy Left Censor-in-Chief, assisting Huang Wan in leading the Supervisory Office.

This appointment shocked everyone, including Sima Lang himself.

As for Guo Jia, he was originally recruited into the General's Mansion as an exception, and now he has become the deputy of the Right Censor-in-Chief, assisting Zhong Yao in managing the Audit Department.

It is unheard of for a person from a humble family to be promoted like this!

In comparison, Cheng Zhong, the small county magistrate who surrendered, was favored by Su Yao and directly appointed as the Secretary of the Household Department, supervising the Ministry of Revenue. It was just a horizontal transfer between officials of the seventh rank with a salary of 600 stones, and it was not so eye-catching.

But of course, the promotions of these people were not for nothing, they all came with missions.

Sima Lang was ordered to thoroughly investigate the long-standing malpractices in the Sanhe officialdom, and to dig out those officials who were hiding in the dark and colluding with local tyrants, as well as those noble families who took advantage of the chaos to quietly accumulate power, privately store armor and weapons, and expand their military might.

That’s right, one of the important tasks Sima Lang shouldered this time was to implement the “military restriction order” that Su Yao prioritized in the areas under his actual control, especially in Sanhe.

This decree not only reiterated the prohibition on private possession of weapons and armor by civilians in the existing laws of the Han Dynasty, but also further stipulated that all armor, bows and crossbows, spears and other heavy weapons privately possessed by civilians must be handed over to the government within a time limit. Violators would be charged with treason.

Ordinary people were only allowed to keep light weapons such as daggers, short swords and sticks for self-defense at home.

The implementation of this policy was naturally aimed at weakening the armed forces of local tyrants and aristocratic families, preventing them from becoming independent and threatening the rule of the imperial court.

At the same time, it is also to ensure the safety of the people and avoid the proliferation of civilian weapons during wartime.

Sima Lang knew the difficulty of this task, especially when facing those entrenched aristocratic families, and the slightest mistake could cause a backlash. However, he also understood that this was Su Yao's trust and test of him, and it was also an opportunity for him to realize his ambitions for the country and the people.

So Sima Lang took Su Yao's order and began to patrol the Sanhe area.

He first came to Wen County in Hanoi County, the ancestral home of the Sima family and the base of his family. Sima Lang knew that if he wanted to successfully implement the "arms restriction order", he had to start with his own family.

As soon as he entered Wen County, Sima Lang summoned the elders of the clan and conveyed Su Yao's "military restriction order".

As soon as this order was issued, the entire Sima family was in an uproar.

Several respected elders in the clan hurried over and surrounded Sima Lang.

The old man in the lead was the Second Master Sima Lang. He had a white beard and an angry face as he scolded:

"Boda, what do you mean? Our Sima clan has been rooted in Henei for many years. We have hidden weapons and armor for self-protection. Yet you want us to hand them over?"

Sima Lang looked determined, bowed deeply to the elders, and said, "Uncle, the Han Dynasty is in turmoil now, and local tyrants are raising their own troops, and the people are suffering terribly."

"The general is committed to rectifying the administration and restoring peace. Privately storing weapons is against the law. As a prominent family, our Sima family should set an example for the people and other families."

The old man was so angry that he blew his beard and glared: "How can you be so confused, kid! Those weapons are the foundation of our ancestors, not just your father Sima Fang's credit."

"Now you can just hand it over if you want to. How can it be so easy?"

"Which noble family that has survived to this day doesn't have some outstanding people? Do you think you're the only smart one?"

"Let's not talk about the increasingly serious civil unrest in recent years, just look at the trivial disputes and conflicts over water use in daily life."

"If we pay and others don't, and we have no means of self-defense, what will we do if something unexpected happens?"

"This is an act of self-destruction, it is absolutely unacceptable!"

(End of this chapter)