Chapter 7 People's Livelihood

  It's not just the equipment on his body, even his mount Liu Xuan wants to give a complete makeover to the Feathered Forest Riders. This change is not just about making the mounts stronger like the Tiger and Leopard Riders, but a real transformation.

  According to Zhang Liao's current definition and training of the Youlin Riders, Liu Xuan thought of another direction, that is, 'air strike' force.

  To attack the enemy while preventing them from attacking oneself, apart from relying on the horse's speed to quickly escape the opponent's range, there is also the advantage of being in a superior position - however, this kind of situation was usually achieved through terrain in warfare during that era. But Liu Xuan thought of another direction: flight!

  He had a flash of inspiration and wanted to give the Winged Lin Rider a new outfit, making it look more attractive. Suddenly, he thought of the 'Flying Horse' species in his mind.

  "The bloodline of the flying horse is still preserved in my hands, but to merge it with ordinary horses and eventually cultivate a breed that does not exist on earth is not something that can be done overnight."

  Although the difficulties were numerous, Liu Xuan still had a great passion for this, especially when thinking of a large group wearing magnificent armor and sitting on flying horses in the sky shooting arrows downwards...

  "After becoming a Feathered Forest Cavalryman, let's work hard in this direction!"

  He took a look at Zhang Liao and patted him on the shoulder, finally saying this.

  Zhang Liao had no idea what kind of picture Liu Xuan had in his mind, and he was still worried about how to keep the Youlin riders' combat effectiveness while also looking majestic.

  Of course, if the emperor's prescription is effective, then letting the imperial guards wear armor upside down doesn't matter, at worst they can just wear light armor.

  That day passed in Zhang Liao's ceaseless pondering and Liu Xuan's wild fancies about the future, until on the second day, Liu Xuan specially summoned Xun Yu into the palace.

  "Now that the northwest region is under the control of the imperial court, as the Minister of Revenue, what ideas do you have for governing the people?"

  This issue has been discussed in the imperial court, but most of it is old news and nothing new can be seen. Truly useful suggestions are mostly raised in private and then discussed before being brought to the imperial court for decision-making on whether to implement them.

  After all, the matters to be handled in the imperial court are all major events, and most of them need to be decided on the same day. This kind of problem that has no result after discussion is not suitable for discussion in the imperial court.

  Liu Xuan has been on the throne for two years and has gradually become clearer about these things. Today, he called Xun Yu to discuss the people's livelihood.

  "First, in accordance with Your Majesty's instructions, encourage the people to open up farmland and provide sufficient assistance, including providing farm tools and oxen!" Originally, the courtiers suggested exempting the northwest provinces from taxation.

  After all, these places have been ravaged by Li Jue and Guo Si for several years. Now they have gone through war, farming has been neglected, and it will take at least one to two years to recover. During this period, the common people are struggling to make ends meet, and if taxes are still collected, I'm afraid the people will all flee their homes and run away to other places.

  But Liu Xuan did not nod. The emperor disagreed, and these ministers could not do anything about it. However, Liu Xuan was not really ruthless enough to exploit these ordinary people, but instead issued a new decree: "Take out all the grain in storage to fill the needs of various counties, ensuring that no trouble will arise due to food shortages."

  Because of the two consecutive years of bumper harvests around Chang'an, the imperial court now has a lot of grain in storage. Liu Xuan felt that leaving these grains was also a waste, so after keeping the necessary part, he transported the grains to various places to relieve the 'disaster victims'.

  As for the issue of taxation, Liu Xuan only said one sentence: "Taxes can be reduced but not exempted!" and made a summary. The officials in the court listened to it and felt that this seemed to make little difference, but since the emperor had spoken, they followed suit.

  Especially since the previous case of Ma Zhi being beheaded by Liu Xuan, the current court officials have more or less understood Liu Xuan's temperament. They know that this emperor is not old, has a bad temper, and likes to do things straightforwardly without regard for others. If he gets angry, he will really kill people. Moreover, this matter was originally not a big deal, at most it was just a few young scholars who had read too many books and were chattering on about how the emperor was too cruel and did not implement benevolent policies, which is not auspicious for the court.

  These remarks would naturally reach Liu Xuan's ears, but the Han Dynasty was quite free in its speech, and Liu Xuan didn't need to bother with a few idiots - of course, if these guys really provoked him, then Liu Xuan wouldn't mind emulating 'Zu Long' and digging a big pit to bury them all.

  Xun Yu was also puzzled by Liu Xuan's actions, but he didn't ask any more questions and instead offered his own suggestion: "Nowadays, the common people have suffered from several wars and in recent years, they have experienced consecutive natural disasters. The common people have gone through many hardships and are eager to have a peaceful and stable life. Your Majesty only needs to achieve this, and the hearts of the people will be won over."

  The imperial court's reputation has not been good in recent years, especially after the harm caused by the previous two, and the common people are struggling to make ends meet. As for the ruler of this world, the Han dynasty naturally does not have a good impression - otherwise, there would not be such a large-scale uprising as Zhang Jiao's, with tens of millions of followers.

  So although the imperial court controlled Yong and Liang, it had lost the hearts of the people...

  Of course, Liu Xuan also understood that it's easy to win people's hearts these days. If you can let them eat their fill, dress warmly and have a place to live that can shield the wind and rain, then that's enough.

  The problem of food, Liu Xuan has already started to solve it, and he even began to implement the ration system in the northwest! Because Tianshui and other counties have just been taken over, there is no stored grain, and the people simply have nothing to eat. Now it's also the harsh winter, the most difficult to get through, while the imperial court has sufficient reserves, taking out a portion to first ensure that all the people can survive, after passing the winter to start recovering agriculture and so on, let the people have something to do, then this place is considered stable.

  The problem of eating has been temporarily solved, and after the grain is sent out, the people in the northwest will not have to worry about their food problems next year. Now Liu Xuan doesn't need to do anything else, just wait.

  The next headache is what to wear and where to live.

  The problem of clothes is easy to solve. Let the imperial court distribute some warm clothing to the poor people, and they will be able to get through this winter.

  But the problem is...

  The weather in the north is cold, especially in winter, and countless people have frozen to death. Xun Yu was also powerless against this - it's a fight against heaven, and human strength seems so small at this time.

  If it were an ordinary day, Xun Yu could have just ignored him, but today was different. He was someone who understood the ways of the gods, so couldn't he solve such a simple problem?

  Liu Xuan indeed has many ways to solve this problem, whether it is to let the whole nation practice and improve the physical quality of the people, or to use various means to create a warm environment that can isolate the cold.

  These methods are not effective immediately, perhaps the simplest way is to bring out the kang, a northern winter "weapon".

  But this method actually solves the problem of warmth and accommodation for soldiers and some large families with a good foundation, so that soldiers will not suffer unnecessary casualties due to the cold winter, and those wealthy families can spend their winters more comfortably.

  "In this way, let the garrison soldiers in each county build a large house in every pavilion. There is no need for anything else, just build this kind of stove, and let the nearby residents take shelter from the cold to spend the winter!"

  Originally, this kang should have been popularized to every household, but at that time, people couldn't afford to burn so much firewood, let alone the materials needed to build a kang were not something ordinary families could gather.

  So it's better to stick with the centralized system, although it's a bit bitter, but it gives these ordinary people hope, and they have the motivation to hold on - don't underestimate human survival instincts. In the past, everyone thought there was no hope, so many people simply gave up on survival. Now if they see that they can live, nobody wants to die.

  Even if the large tent-like hut that was built couldn't accommodate everyone to warm up, as long as they had a chance to get in, they could make it through the most painful period.

  What's more important is that with a house like this, everyone has something to do and they need to go around looking for firewood every day. This activity is also better than sitting idly in a draughty home.

  "In short, it is to let the people have something to do, have a hope, and let them experience it personally. As long as they put in their own efforts, they will be able to taste the sweetness. Over time, the northwest region will once again flourish!"

  Xun Yu also agreed with the emperor's words, actually these are very simple truths, but the Son of Heaven is not old and has never lived outside, he can understand these, it's really not easy.

  Especially the suggestions put forward by Tianzi, in fact, should all be considered by grassroots officials. Unexpectedly, the emperor actually thought of these things. Xun You couldn't help but glance sideways several times. Fortunately, Liu Xuan didn't mind his subjects being too casual in front of him.

  After another conversation with Xun Yu, the matter of the people's livelihood finally had a settlement. The final tone was set as follows: get through this winter, and after the spring begins next year, immediately resume farming, and the goal for the whole of next year is to restore grain production in the northwest region, and then consider other things.

  In this way, Liu Xuan's plan to improve the technical level of his territory had to be postponed again, but he couldn't help it.

  With this tone, Xun Yu knew how to do his job, and Liu Xuan also made some miscellaneous suggestions, although they sounded a bit confusing, but after sorting them out, they could be used.

  "Now that the grain stores are full, shouldn't Your Majesty consider the currency system?"

  Liu Xuan suddenly remembered that the economic system of the Han Dynasty had long since collapsed, and the coins minted by the imperial court were not circulating at all. The common people recognized grain as currency, while slightly wealthy families also recognized some precious jewels and gold and silver.

  After some thought, since all economies have been abandoned, why not just establish a new one from scratch.

  "Gong Da thought, 'How about using gold and silver as currency?'"

  Still owe one chapter, must pay it back tomorrow!