Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 38 Planning
Li Qianhe was shameless. When he saw that Li Xiangming was alright, he packed his bags and went back to Pushui Market. Before leaving, he even told Li Xiangming to take good care of Li Xiangzhen.

For his father's sake, Li Xiangming could not turn a blind eye to his younger brother.

However, it was inconvenient for Lee Sang-jeong's mother to live here.

After thinking it over, Li Xiangming decided he couldn't separate the mother and child. Since he wouldn't be staying there permanently anyway, he simply gave up the courtyard, packed a few frequently used items, and went to Changtai Township.

Changtai Township is very large, with hundreds of villages, each with a population ranging from several hundred to several thousand.

Among them, there are about 30,000 households with the surname Li and more than 6,000 households with other surnames, totaling 170,000 people.

So many people, densely packed in the hills west of Danggui Mountain, have long exceeded the two-hundred-mile limit.

However, the so-called "two hundred li of Danggui Mountain" refers to the range of influence of the spiritual vein.

This does not mean that the Li family can only own two hundred li of land.

In fact, the area around Dangui Mountain is a desolate wasteland with no owner. Anyone can take as much as they want without anyone caring.

Upon arriving in Changtai Township, Li Xiangming went to see Li Qianbai first.

Li Qianbo has not been recalled to the family for more than half a year, which shows how much the branch of the family dislikes him.

"The Accounting Office?"

Li Qianbai was clearly unaware of this newly established organization and looked astonished. He nodded blankly after hearing Li Xiangming's explanation.

"Uncle Qianbai has been stationed in Changtai Township for several years. Has he encountered any special circumstances?"

"No, they're just a few monsters. We can just drive them away."

"In that case, why not join the Household Department and lend me a hand?"

"this."

Li Qianbai pondered.

Taking the opportunity, Li Xiangming said enticingly, "Don't underestimate the Shangji Office just because it's not well-known. It's an organization personally established by the family head and has a bright future."

Li Qianbai, who was middle-aged and had been ostracized for many years, had long since given up on pursuing a better future. Hearing Li Xiangming's words, he reacted indifferently.

Seeing this, Li Xiangming unleashed his trump card: "Even if we don't achieve anything significant, the Shangji Office is now registered in the outer court. We can go back to retire there, which is better than staying here, right?"

Sure enough, Li Qianbo couldn't contain himself after hearing this.

He had wanted to go back to Tailai Peak for a long time; even if nothing else, seeing his wife and children would be nice.

"I'm afraid my family won't allow it."

"How will you know if you don't try? If you're willing, I'll write an application."

Li Xiangming didn't offer many guarantees, although he felt the chances were quite good—the Shangji Office was currently stationed in Changtai Township, and Li Qianbai's joining would not only help Li Xiangming but also take care of the security of Changtai Township. One person doing two jobs, he didn't believe Li Qianxiong wouldn't be tempted.

After bidding farewell to Li Qianbai, Li Xiangming went to see Li Jiong, the head of Changtai Township.

Li Jiong was an ordinary man, over sixty years old, with a complete family of children. It is said that he used to be a wealthy family in Hao County. He was the first to respond to the Li family's call and moved his whole family to Pu County, whereupon he was appointed as the head of the township.

But in reality, the village head had little power. Thanks to the protection of the Li family, the area enjoyed favorable weather and no wars. The people lived in peace and prosperity, and their only worries were whether their three meals a day were plentiful and whether their incense offerings were plentiful.

And none of this requires the intervention of the village head.

Another point is that the people of Changtai Township did not all migrate from one place in Hao County at once, but were selected through a certain process. The people who migrated were mostly between the ages of twenty and fifty, and most of them were couples.

This means that more than 80% of the people in Changtai Township are young and middle-aged laborers.

They banded together for mutual support, and the hundreds of villages that spontaneously formed became self-sufficient in just two or three years.

The village head was therefore of little importance to them.

However, from the Li family's perspective, the village head was still very important, serving as a mouthpiece and the authority to collect taxes.

Indeed, as a price for accepting protection, the people of Changtai Township had to pay a certain amount of taxes to the Li family every year.

These taxes would be delivered to the village head in the form of grain, and the village head would then notify the Li family to send someone to collect them.

Considering that the land in Pu County was difficult to cultivate, the Li family set a very low tax rate, with a land tax of only one-thirtieth. However, that is all in the past.

After the establishment of the Shangji Office, the first thing Li Xiangming told Li Jiong was to raise the land tax in Changtai Township to one-tenth of the total tax.

"Raising the price so much all at once will probably be hard for the people to accept."

Li Jiong said cautiously.

"It's alright, just convey my decree."

Li Xiangming said calmly that the people of Changtai Township all migrated from Hao County, and it has only been a few years.

The taxes they paid in Hao County were much higher than they are now. They not only had to pay land tax, but also three separate taxes: one to the Li family, one to Hengyue Gate, and one to Hengguo.

In addition, household tax, poll tax, corvée labor, and various surcharges are all normal phenomena.

Now that we've arrived in Pu County, over 80% of the taxes have disappeared. We only need to pay a small amount of poll tax and land tax, and there's no more corvée labor. We can plant whichever piece of land we want, and no one will fight over it.

Such a happy environment is all thanks to the Li family. How foolish it would be to rebel against the Li family for a little bit of food.

In order to implement the new tax standards, Li Xiangming personally went to the villages and, accompanied by Li Jiong, met with the village chiefs.

In just half a month, the entire Changtai Township knew that things were about to change.

At the same time, Li Qianbai finally received his family's approval to join the Shangjifang.

Li Qianbai was not alone; he brought two helpers: his eldest son, Li Xiangshuo, and another branch cultivator, Li Xiangqi.

Li Xiangshuo was around twenty years old and had the cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining. He had been helping his family cultivate spiritual fields. This time, Li Qianji took pity on him and squeezed him out of the Spirit Plant Hall.

Li Xiangqi had just turned fifteen and was working for the family for the first time. His cultivation level was also the lowest, only at the second level of Qi Refining.

At fifteen years old, Li Xiangming knew without asking that he was a person with five spiritual roots, and one of the worst ones at that, with no hope for his future path in cultivation.

However, in Changtai Township, cultivation level is not important; simply holding the identity of the Li Family Immortal Master is enough.

Upon seeing the three, Li Xiangming was delighted; the Shangji Office could finally operate.

In his capacity as acting head of the department, he appointed Li Qianbai as deputy head of the department, and Li Xiangshuo and Li Xiangqi as assistants.

"We alone would probably find it difficult to shake Changtai Township."

Li Qianbai expressed his concerns.

Although the four people present were all cultivators with the ability to fly and escape, governing a region was not about fighting and killing, but about putting in real manpower and effort.

The Shangjifang was clearly too small.

Li Xiangming was aware of this, but at the same time he also knew that it was almost impossible to get anyone else out of Li Qianji.

Li Qianxiong goes without saying; appointing himself as a commander without any troops—is that something a human being would do?
"The only solution now is to expand the authority of the village head and make him the agent of the accounting office."

Li Xiangming spoke up, saying that this was also his established strategy.

It's generally not good for monks to have too much contact with mortals; maintaining a certain degree of mystery and dignity is more helpful for the work of the Imperial Accounting Office.

"Li Jiong."

Li Qianbai hesitated slightly.

Li Xiangming knew what he wanted to say. Li Jiong was getting old, and he didn't know if he still had the same courage as before, or even if he did, he might not have enough energy.

"After all, he has made contributions, and we cannot simply kick him aside."

Li Xiangming pondered for a moment, "Let's choose one of his sons who is obedient to succeed him as the head of the village."

In order to enhance the prestige of the new township lord, Li Xiangming also decided to reinstate the corvée system, conscripting a group of laborers and entrusting them to Li Qianbai for training. Some of them were to be used by the new township lord, while others were sent to guard the fortified outposts outside Changtai Township, which relieved Li Qianbai of any worries.

In addition, Li Xiangming granted Xinxiang the power to adjust the taxes levied on each village.

The announcement of this move caused an uproar in Changtai Township.

(End of this chapter)