Chapter 36: Those Who Have Constant Property Have Constant Heart (Part 2)

  Since ancient times, peasant uprisings have never been without the slogans of "equal land distribution" and "reduction of rent and taxes". The most famous and successful one is Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant uprising army at the end of the Ming Dynasty. With the slogan "The Shun King has arrived, no need to pay taxes", Li Zicheng's soldiers became more courageous in battle, eventually capturing Beijing and establishing the Great Shun regime. If not for the Qing dynasty entering the pass, it might have really established a new dynasty.

  Our policy of "attacking local tyrants and dividing the land" was not just empty talk, relying on this policy alone, I don't know how many people were mobilized, how many ordinary folks, in the end drowning the enemy in the vast ocean of people's war.

  The meaning of Zhuge Yu's words is obviously to tell Zhou Wenbo that since you have agreed on my strategy of going to Jiangnan in the future, what is the point of keeping so much land in Zhao Guo Gongfu? Why not divide it among the people and use it to recruit soldiers, which will surely be successful.

  Zhou Wenbo sank into deep thought.

  The land of Zhao's public house was mostly the land of the royal family of the Liang Dynasty after the destruction of the Liang State, and it was located not far south of Luoyi, which can be considered as good fields.

  Under the command of Zhao Guo Gong, 5,000 personal soldiers also received not small fiefs, adding up to tens of thousands of mu, and many of their family members also moved from present-day Shanxi to gather in several villages.

  This land is of great importance, and if Zhou Wenbo gives away the land belonging to the Zhao State's official residence without compensation, even as a respected national public figure, he will not be able to convince the masses. Moreover, he has just inherited the title of national public figure, and his every move is being watched by countless people.

  But this thing must be done.

  Zhou Wenbo deeply understood the importance of military power in a chaotic world, no matter how great the obstacles were, he had to work hard to promote it, because as long as this thing was done, it meant that he had firmly controlled an army completely loyal to himself, although it was still just an empty idea for now.

  Zhou Wenbo finally agreed to this matter.

  The Zhuge family was also a prominent clan for generations, with many acres of land in their household. He naturally knew the pros and cons of his own suggestions. However, under the current critical situation, the Zhao State Duke's mansion had suddenly lost all its power and pillars. If they couldn't fill it up quickly, it would be a dead end, and disaster would strike sooner or later. Therefore, they had to give people some benefits in order to recruit strong troops; there must be sacrifices before gains could be made.

  He was very satisfied with Zhou Wenbo's decisiveness and sense of responsibility.

  The two men chatted happily and Zhuge Yu also talked about his own views and suggestions on many matters, which gave Zhou Wenbo no small inspiration.

  As night began to fall, Zhou Wenbo wanted to invite Zhuge Yu to stay overnight, but was politely declined.

  Since Zhuge Yu had agreed to go down to Shu, he naturally wanted to make early preparations. He first went home to inform his relatives and made proper arrangements before coming to the Zhao State Duke's mansion.

  "I want to appoint Yun Yang as the military governor or chief secretary, but I don't know what Yun Yang thinks about it?" Zhou Wenbo considered for half a day and finally handed over the decision-making power to Zhuge Yu.

  The Palm Secretary is an official position similar to a recording secretary, appointed by local officials such as the Jiedushi, Guanchashi, and Fangyushi, who are in charge of the confidential secretaries of the military and civil affairs agencies on one road. It is a very important and noble position, second only to the Deputy Jiedushi, the Military Affairs Commissioner, and the Judicial Officer, and this official position is more inclined towards civilian officials.

  The predecessor of the Xingjun Sima was the Military Governor, also known as the position held by Guo Jia under Cao Cao at the end of the Han Dynasty, equivalent to the Chief of Staff of the army. Since the late Tang Dynasty, many Xingjun Simas have also commanded their own troops, truly a powerful and prestigious position, making this official a military officer.

  Zhuge Yu knew that this was Zhou Wenbo conferring a title on himself, expressing his appreciation and respect for him, but he was unwilling to rise to the position in this way.

  "When you first entered the imperial court, you suddenly held a high position. How can you convince the masses? Wait until you enter Shu and return, establish your achievements, and then promote him again. Please ask Zhong Yu to temporarily take over as the military counselor for me." said Zhuge.

  "Then let's first appoint Yun Yang as Xuanjie Colonel, and wait for him to return after making achievements, before granting rewards. How about that?"

  Zhou Wenbo and Zhuge Yu slapped each other's palms and made a vow, the two looked at each other and burst out laughing, indeed having the feeling of a monarch and his subject being well-matched.

  Note: The position of Jianjie Jiaowei is a military official of the eighth rank.

  The second day after bidding farewell to Zhuge Yu, Zhou Wenbo went to visit Lü Shi.

  Mrs. Lü, although she had suffered several setbacks in recent days, looked thinner, but her eyes were brighter than ever, and the whole person seemed to be filled with a strong fighting spirit.

  After some small talk, Zhou Wenbo hesitated, as this matter was of great importance and extremely difficult to handle, and for a moment he didn't know how to broach the subject.

  "What's wrong? Is there something difficult that needs me to speak up for you? Now that you're the esteemed Duke of Zhao, you should take some responsibility and not be wishy-washy. I think who dares to be hypocritical!"

  Although Lü Shi had many differences with Zhou Wenbo, since he made the decision to let Zhou Wenbo inherit the title of Duke of Zhao, he now fully supported him and cleared the way for his actions.

  This kind of magnanimity made Zhou Wenbo extremely admire him. How many men can be so decisive and put the overall situation first?

  "Mother, the Zhao State Duke's fief has 50,000 mu of arable land, but now only over 20,000 mu are being cultivated, with nearly 30,000 mu lying fallow. As our Zhao State Duke's personal army was defeated in Shu, suffering heavy losses, to recruit new troops and revive the prestige of our Zhao State Duke, I plan to use the strategy of dividing up land to recruit refugees from nearby counties to fill the ranks of the new army. What do you think, Mother?"

  Zhou Wenbo finished speaking and handed over his hastily prepared plan book from last night.

  This plan book for Lü's review has just over a thousand words, only an outline of the plan, and it is not necessary to elaborate on the specific content, clear and logical, enough to convince people.

  "How much land was allocated to each soldier?" Lü asked further.

  "A strong general has 40 mu of land, a chief general has 20 mu of land, and an assistant general has 10 mu of land."

  Lü was also from a landlord family and didn't understand other things, but when it came to farming the land, she was an expert. Zhou Wenbo's plan left her somewhat perplexed.

  The yield of these lands is enough for one person to eat, but not enough for a household. However, if strictly implemented in this way, with an average of 30 mu per person, the 30,000 mu of wasteland can only recruit about 1,000 people.

  As if seeing Lv's confusion, Zhou Wenbo explained: "If we recruit soldiers from the refugees, they will necessarily be mostly young and middle-aged men, with very few family members."

  Moreover, the land that was allocated was barren. The following spring, the army would be stationed there and the land would be allocated according to household. In name, the land was allocated to individual households, but in reality, military law was strict, and someone was responsible for unified farming. After taking away a portion of the crops as military rations, the remaining crops were then divided among them according to their respective acreage.

  Moreover, our army officers and soldiers suffered heavy casualties, leaving many widows at home. After the remnants of the army returned, we arranged for some of these widows to marry these new soldiers, who naturally settled down.