The prince is more stable

Chapter 489: Establishing a County and Relocating People
Zhao Xiaoqian has always been close to the common people. To be honest, his attitude towards the common people is much better than that towards the powerful.

Having lived two lifetimes, he could only empathize with the people at the bottom of society, simply because he was also at the bottom of society in his previous life. It could not be said that he was struggling to make ends meet, but his life was indeed very tight. Until he traveled through time, his life could only be summed up in one word: "poor".

Born into a poor family, when he lived his life over again, his words, actions and thoughts unconsciously stood on the side of the lower class people.

So when faced with an invitation from a powerful person, Zhao Xiaoqian might refuse, but if he were to meet ordinary people, he would be happy to do so.

In the afternoon, Mr. Ge came to the Prince's Mansion.

Niao Niao personally went out to welcome him in. Old Man Ge stood in the front yard, looking at the magnificent main hall, but refused to go in. Niao Niao tried to persuade him for a long time, but Old Man Ge still stubbornly stood under the pillar. He even rubbed the soles of his shoes awkwardly, as if he was afraid that his shoes would dirty the floor of the Prince's Mansion.

Niao Niao was helpless and told him over and over again that His Royal Highness the Prince was approachable and did not care about conventional etiquette, and although it was okay for him to sit in the main hall, Mr. Ge still refused to come in.

He walked down the stone steps outside the main hall and squatted down, curling up into a ball. Then he looked up at Niao Niao and smiled innocently, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Niao Niao had no choice but to stand beside him and chat with him.

This was the scene Zhao Xiaoqian saw when he walked to the front yard.

Old man Ge, wearing a worn and patched coarse cloth garment, squatted at the foot of the stone steps, while Niao Niao stood aside with a helpless expression. Old man Ge chatted with Niao Niao carefully, and even when a servant passed by him, Old man Ge subconsciously stood up, bowed to the servant and put on a flattering smile.

After entering the Prince's Mansion, Mr. Ge behaved very humbly, so humbly that it made people feel distressed.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked quietly for a while, then slowly walked closer.

When Zhao Xiaoqian went on a secret visit, he had a face-to-face chat with Ge Laozhang for a while. Now when Zhao Xiaoqian approached, Ge Laozhang recognized him at a glance.

"Oh, you are such a noble man, so great! I kowtow to you." Mr. Ge immediately stood up, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian hurried forward and supported his arm to prevent his head from hitting the ground.

"You can't do that, father-in-law. If you kowtow like this, the King of Hell will deduct at least one year from my life span." Zhao Xiaoqian said with a warm smile.

Old Man Ge smiled timidly. He knew that Zhao Xiaoqian was joking, but he didn't dare to refute him. It seemed that in his opinion, everything the noble said made sense, even jokes. If a poor commoner like him dared to refute him, it would be a great rebellion and he deserved to be beaten to death.

"We can't continue chatting squatting here. Let's go into the main hall and sit down to talk." Zhao Xiaoqian invited warmly and helped Ge Laozhang up with one hand.

Just as he was about to walk into the hall, Mr. Ge began to struggle, his old face flushed red.

"No, no! I dare not! I am sorry for embarrassing myself. This is the palace hall, where the most important people sit. I don't have that kind of luck. This is the place. It's bright and spacious here. It's very nice."

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but turn his head and look at the main hall of his house, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

What the hell is this "palace palace"? It's just a big house that was bought on a whim, and the main hall is no different from that of an ordinary wealthy family. How come he can't see the appearance of a palace palace?
Seeing that Mr. Ge was very determined and refused to go in even if beaten to death, Zhao Xiaoqian was helpless.

Perhaps in his humble opinion, this "hall" is just like the Hall of Hell, where you will die once you enter, completely dead.

Zhao Xiaoqian did not force it. The class concept of that era was deeply rooted. Ordinary people like Ge Laozhang did have a natural awe and fear of the powerful.

So Zhao Xiaoqian helped Ge Laozhang to sit on the stone steps outside the hall. He didn't care at all and just sat down, shoulder to shoulder with Ge Laozhang.

Niao Niao was very sensible and quickly asked the servants to bring a low table in front of the two of them, with tea prepared on it.

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned and waved his hand, saying, "What's the point of having a bland soup? Let's have some more snacks, they're thick and filling."

The servants quickly brought over several plates filled with thin steamed buns, pickled vegetables, large vegetable dumplings, etc. It was indeed a large amount and very filling.

Zhao Xiaoqian did understand the common people at the bottom. As expected, Ge Laozhang's eyes lit up and his throat moved unconsciously a few times.

Zhao Xiaoqian grabbed a big vegetable bun and stuffed it into Ge Laozhang's hand. He also took one for himself and ate it in big mouthfuls.

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Prince had started eating, Mr. Ge finally stopped being reserved and started eating as well.

Zhao Xiaoqian ate with a smile in his eyes. For some reason, the big vegetable bun tasted particularly delicious today.

Old Man Ge also ate happily. He was originally cautious, but Zhao Xiaoqian did not seem to have any airs of power and his attitude was as friendly as a village neighbor, so Old Man Ge gradually relaxed a little.

Niao Niao stood by for a while, her beautiful eyes tenderly watching the official and Mr. Ge sitting on the stone steps, eating and chatting, her expression gradually becoming proud. The official was indeed different from other powerful people. He was full of compassion for the people, like a bodhisattva.

"Mr. Ge, how are things in the village recently? Are the local baojia and county officials still collecting taxes from you farmers?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked with a smile.

Old Master Ge smiled naively, "No, no, life is getting better and better. I heard from the village teacher that the imperial court exempted Zhending Prefecture from taxes for three years. We don't have to pay a single grain of grain for three years."

"It seems that there are special officials from the government office who come to inspect the countryside and ask farmers from time to time whether taxes have been collected. The county officials dare not move, for fear of being accused of something wrong and punished."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily. The so-called officials sent by the government office to conduct inspections were actually from the Imperial City Administration and were appointed by Zhao Xiaoqian himself.

In order to implement the three-year tax exemption policy, the nine counties under the jurisdiction of Zhending Prefecture must have a special supervisory department. The original local supervisory departments were the Tizhusi and Tixingsi.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian did not trust the local officials very much. He himself was a bureaucrat and was well aware of the tricks used by officials to deceive their superiors and subordinates. So he had no choice but to use the Imperial City Bureau to inspect the villages in the nine counties under its jurisdiction from time to time.

The Imperial City Bureau is directly under the emperor and is an independent department outside of all government offices. It has no deep interest ties with local officials. Although the Imperial City Bureau cannot be used to monitor the implementation of court policies for a long time, three years is enough.

"Three years of tax exemption isn't too long, but it's enough for farmers to catch their breath. During these three years, you should cultivate the land well and store up any surplus grain to prepare for years of famine or disaster, or convert it into silver and save it. There's a saying that goes, 'With food in hand, there's no need to worry.'"

Old Master Ge's eyes lit up and he smiled, "As expected of an educated gentleman, your words are different. It's true, 'With food in hand, there's no need to worry'. That really captures the thoughts of us farmers."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "When I first came to your village, I said, 'Give me a little more time, and perhaps I'll give you a day to look forward to. Have I done what I promised you now?'"

Mr. Ge stood up immediately, but his knees went weak and he was about to kneel down again. Zhao Xiaoqian and Niao Niao hurriedly supported him.

Old Master Ge said gratefully, "At first, I was blind and didn't recognize the greatness of Mount Tai. I didn't realize that I said many taboo things to your face. I never thought that you would keep your promise. I heard from the officials that the decree of three years of tax exemption was obtained by you from the court. You have saved the lives of the people of Zhending Prefecture, and I owe you a deep gratitude."

Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand and said, "Don't talk about the grace of saving your life. Although the tax is exempted, you still have to cultivate the land yourself. I am the prefect of Zhending, and it is my duty to work for the benefit of the people. This is my duty, just like you farmers cultivating the land. It is natural and right."

Seeing that the two refused to let him kneel, Old Master Ge gave a wry smile and said, "Many families in the village have already set up longevity tablets for you, offering incense and offerings day and night. We are poor people, and we have no way to repay you for your kindness. We can only pray that you live a long life and be blessed with many blessings..."

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head: "Let's not talk about this. The government may redistribute the land in the future. A group of officials were arrested in the past, and they have a lot of land in their names. It will all be redistributed to the people..."

Mr. Ge said excitedly, "Someone has called for the land distribution. I heard that a group of officials from the imperial court have arrived and want to relocate many farmers in Zhending Prefecture."

"The official said we should move out of the village and relocate hundreds of miles north to build a new village and fort. He also said we should be given land. I heard that the land to be distributed this time is very large, perhaps 20 mu per household."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment, then quickly remembered that Li Qingchen had sent a messenger to tell him about this matter.

The imperial court has sent a group of officials to survey and divide the newly occupied land north of Zhending Prefecture, to re-establish a new county and build a basic government structure, from the county government to the township and village headquarters, and to relocate local farmers and refugees from other places to build new villages and forts.

Of course, after rebuilding the village and fortress, the important thing is to distribute the land.

From Zhending Prefecture to the north to Feihu Bingmasi, there are more than 400 miles of newly occupied territory. After these lands were conquered by Zhao Xiaoqian, the imperial court must have digested them immediately.

Relocating farmers, establishing new counties, building villages, distributing land, etc., this is one of the means by which the court digests the new land.

All wars throughout history have been fought for profit. What is profit?
These newly occupied lands are the benefits a country gains and the dividends it deserves after victory in the war.

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed immediately.

The imperial court relocated local farmers and refugees from other places, regrouped them, and divided the villages and land. This was naturally a good thing for the people, a great thing.

These farmers who migrated there were the original shareholders of this land. Although it was a bit hard for them to set up villages and build houses when they moved there, they got the most land, and the court would definitely give them certain subsidies.

Not only that, if nothing unexpected happens, the court will exempt them from taxes and even continue to subsidize them in the next few years.

After all, it is not something that the imperial court can do overnight to digest a newly occupied piece of land. The process will take at least several years, and it also depends on the hard work of these farmers to cultivate the land and produce food. Only then will this land gradually truly belong to the imperial court.

"Oh, that's great news, Mr. Ge. Congratulations. If you can have more children and more acres of land in the future, your descendants may become wealthy landlords as long as they are not lazy." Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Mr. Ge's expression darkened for a moment, but then he smiled brightly again, nodding his head repeatedly: "Thanks to you, my noble friend. I can't count on you, but I hope that after a few years of farming I can save a little money and buy a working ox for my family. Then we can live a prosperous life."

(End of this chapter)