Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 68 Scorched Earth and Enticed Corruption

After the deterrence comes reconstruction.

Chen Ye gave these former regime forces no chance to breathe and directly issued an order to fortify the city and scorch the fields.

Dozens of anti-bandit squads, composed of elite veterans and newly promoted junior officers, combed through the mountains, forests, and deserted villages surrounding Luoyang several times.

All bandits and mountain thieves were wiped out, their leaders were beheaded and their heads displayed to the public, and their followers were sent to work in the mines.

In a short time, the bandits who had been entrenched for many years were eradicated, and peace was quickly restored to the area around Luoyang.

After the ruthless and iron-fisted approach, came the gentler methods.

Chen Ye implemented sweeping reforms to the tax system, reducing taxes and levies, and abolishing the various exorbitant taxes imposed by the Liang Dynasty.

At the same time, he opened up trade routes and encouraged trade.

The people who survived the war finally had a chance to catch their breath after receiving land and a stable environment.

New green shoots sprouted in the barren fields, and the long-lost cries of vendors echoed through the streets and alleys once again.

The lifeless city of Luojing has finally been revitalized.

However, those former nobles who had survived Chen Ye's first wave of purges and whose families still held power felt a lump in their throats as they watched Luoyang gradually recover.

This land originally belonged to them, but now Chen Ye, a peasant, is riding on their heads. How can they tolerate this?
Inside a secluded mansion, several richly dressed middle-aged men gathered together, their faces grim.

“This young man is ruthless, yet he understands the people’s hearts. If we let him continue like this, we will have nowhere to stand!” A family head surnamed Wang said in a deep voice.

“A direct confrontation won’t work; Du Yong is a cautionary tale.” Another person shook his head and sighed. “Chen Ye is a monster capable of taking on ten thousand men, and now he commands a large army. Who can touch him?”

"Since martial arts won't work, let's try civil methods." A sinister glint flashed in the eyes of the Wang family head who spoke first.

"What you mean, Brother Wang, is..."

“My Wang family has a legitimate daughter, who is sixteen years old and has an exceptionally beautiful appearance. Tomorrow I will send her to the governor’s mansion.”

The head of the Wang family sneered, "Then prepare another ten thousand taels of silver and a number of rare treasures. I don't believe that someone from a humble background can withstand it!"

Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Yup!

If I can't kill you, I'll corrupt you!
We'll immerse you in a life of pleasure, eroding your ambition, and then slowly plant our people in your ranks to undermine your power.

Once you become a useless person who only knows how to enjoy life, won't Luoyang still be our territory?

Immediately, everyone responded, each calculating which daughter to give away and how much of their family fortune to contribute.

The next day, inside the governor's residence.

Chen Ye looked at the row of beauties kneeling below, each with their own unique charm, and then at the mountain of gold and silver jewelry piled up beside him, his face expressionless.

Wang Xing stood aside, eyes downcast, seemingly oblivious to his own thoughts, but inwardly cursing these old foxes for being so damn rich.

"My lord, this money is a small token of our appreciation for the army. As for these women... they all come willingly because they admire your divine might. Please take them in." The speaker was none other than the head of the Wang family.

He was all smiles, bowing and scraping, his attitude extremely respectful.

"A sentiment?" Chen Ye smiled, then walked up to a woman and reached out to lift her chin.

The girl's delicate body trembled, her pretty face streaked with tears, so pitiful that it could make any man feel pity.

"what's your name?"

"My daughter's name is Wang Ruolan," she said in a voice barely audible.

"Good name." Chen Ye nodded, released his hand, and turned back behind the desk. "Wang Xing."

"The humble position is here!"

"Gold and silver jewelry, all of it, will be put into the treasury to repair the city walls and to compensate the wounded and injured soldiers. As for these women..." Chen Ye paused, his gaze sweeping over the tense beauties below.

"Our household happens to be short of maids to sweep the courtyard, do laundry, and cook. Let them do it."

Upon hearing this, the Wang family head, who had been all smiles, froze.

He had intended to use his female charms to win over Chen Ye, but he never expected to end up like this.

The women were agitated upon hearing this, and some even began to sob.

Especially Wang Ruolan, who looked at the head of the Wang family with teary eyes, "Father, I don't want to do the laundry and cooking..."

The head of the Wang family forced himself to speak to Chen Ye, saying, "Sir, these women are too weak to lift heavy objects, how can they do those rough jobs? If your household is short of maids, I can have someone send some over right now."

"No need," Chen Ye interrupted the man, then said calmly.

"Didn't you just say that they all admire me and that's why they came to me willingly? If that's the case, then it's normal for me to have them do some work. As for not knowing how... no one is born knowing everything. They'll learn more and they'll be fine."

Upon hearing Chen Ye's words, the head of the Wang family nearly ground his teeth to powder, but helplessly, he had no choice but to accept the loss and leave dejectedly.

When the news got out, the former powerful families who had been plotting against each other were all dumbfounded.

Moreover, Chen Ye meticulously categorized the account books and letters found in the confiscated mansions of the Du family and others, clearly identifying which of the prominent families in Luojing City were allies and which were mortal enemies.

He then exploited the conflicts between these powerful families, employing a divide-and-conquer strategy.

Win over a group of relatively law-abiding individuals, grant them some trade privileges, and then let them suppress their enemies.

As a result, these former nobles started fighting amongst themselves.

Chen Ye seized this opportunity to reclaim all the monopolies, and with stable tax revenue, Luojing's development progressed rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, a year has passed.

In the capital of the Great Yong Dynasty, when those powerful figures who had predicted that Chen Ye would be forced to leave in disgrace within three months saw the report about Luo Jing, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The report stated that Luoyang is now a prosperous commercial city with a population 30% larger than before the war, and its grain reserves are sufficient to support the entire city's military and civilians for three years, making it a truly wealthy place.

How could a peasant possibly transform a ruined city into this state within a year?

Where did he get such superb skills?
Inside the Meng residence, Meng Yi listened to his nephews' heartfelt reports and stroked his beard with a smile.

While the court of Dayong was shaken by Chen Ye's actions, in the training ground of the Jiedushi's mansion...

Chen Ye was shirtless, his bronze skin revealing bulging muscles like a dragon, and each breath he took carried a wave of scorching heat.

He didn't use any special moves; he simply threw a punch.

call!
The force of the punch was so strong that it compressed the air and produced a muffled explosion. Then, a boulder weighing several thousand kilograms in front of them cracked and shattered into pieces.

For more than a year, apart from handling government affairs, Chen Ye has devoted all his time to ascetic practice.

The results were quite gratifying.

First, the Po Jun Xiaowei job level has reached lv4. Second, all skills have increased dramatically, and the strength has undergone a tremendous change compared to a year ago.

Chen Ye could sense that the next job change was not far off.

This also slightly relieved his sense of urgency.

He knew very well that with the stabilization of Luojing, the remaining forces of Daliang were no longer a threat; the real threat would come from Dayong.

After all, his current performance is too dazzling, which will inevitably arouse the suspicion of some people.

However, Chen Ye was not afraid. On the contrary, as his strength increased, a subtle thought arose in his mind.

Chen Ye continued to practice diligently, and finally, one day six months later, after exhausting his last bit of energy and completing an extreme training session, the long-awaited notification appeared before his eyes.

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(End of this chapter)