Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 330 - 225: The Era is Becoming Unintelligible (9000 Words Seeking Monthly Pass)_3

Chapter 330: Chapter 225: The Era is Becoming Unintelligible (9000 Words Seeking Monthly Pass)_3

At this time, it was early spring, and the crops were growing hearteningly well. Several farmers were working in the fields, sweating profusely as they busied themselves with weeding and irrigation.

A carriage driver approached the field and slipped a few copper coins to one of the farmers, calling him over.

"My master has a few questions for you."

The farmer, unaware of Wen Jun’s true identity, but seeing that this master was dressed lavishly and carried an extraordinary presence, knew at once he must be an official and hurriedly spoke with great respect, "What would you like to ask, sir?"

Wen Jun pondered for a moment before asking, "I hear that these few mu of land you have are all on a green seed loan?"

The farmer nodded, "That’s right."

Wen Jun frowned, "The green seed loan carries an interest of two percent, which is already high. Officials will inevitably enforce apportionment and raise the interest rate, will you still be able to afford it then?"

The farmer was somewhat taken aback, "Why do you say that, sir?

"Two percent interest, how can that be considered high? If we were to borrow from wealthy households, I fear we would have to pay at least seven or eight percent!

"The green seed loan is something we farmers voluntarily took on, otherwise, in times when we run out of green and yellow crops, without seeds to sow, wouldn’t we just have to pawn our fields and become tenant farmers if the harvest fails?

"As for the loan interest, thanks to Sir Trot, the weather has been favorable this year. After paying off the state taxes, repaying the green seed loan, and covering the exemption money, we should still have a good amount of grain left.

"Without the new Exemption Law’s green seed loan, we would have no choice but to resort to the usurious loans of the rich, and even with a bountiful harvest, I’m afraid we would still end up having to pawn our fields in the end.

"Moreover, thanks to Sir Trot’s use of the green seed loan funds to build irrigation works, our fields have benefited from irrigation, and our grain harvest has also increased."

Wen Jun was still not convinced, "But what if there’s a year of disaster and famine, then what?"

The farmer was even more puzzled, "In the event of a natural disaster, the green seed loan can be postponed or completely waived, similar to the relief offered by the original Changping Warehouse. Do you not know this, sir?"

This time, it was Wen Jun’s turn to be flabbergasted.

Based on what the farmer said, the new policies were actually being implemented to the letter? And the local farmers were actually quite grateful?

Was this reasonable?

It turns out that Wen Jun, who had been secluding himself with his writing, seemed a bit out of touch with the times.

Wen Jun fell silent for a long time, finally returned to the carriage, and said to the driver, "Let’s go to the next place."

He was not convinced and wanted to see more farms and obtain more information from other old officials before he could finally believe it.

...

Above, clouds whirled across the sky and time flowed onward.

Across the lands of the Qi Dynasty, a series of new policies passionately promoted by dozens of influential officials were in full swing.

At the beginning, there were many worries among the common folk, who were quite resistant to the new policies.

On one hand, these farmers were very aware of the nature of officials. Upon hearing of new policies, instinctively, they associated it with the introduction of a new kind of state taxation, and hence naturally resisted it.

This was a simple wisdom amassed over a long history of being governed.

On the other hand, the wealthy households and old party officials were constantly creating public opinion against the new policies and blackening their name, further reinforcing the farmers’ concerns.

But soon, the new party officials dispelled many of the farmers’ worries with their actions.

A two percent annual interest that remains unchanged? No apportionment? Strict punishment for those who distort the new policies? And within three years the policies gained the support of the farmers?

To Wen Jun, each issue seemed a fancy tale.

Yet, that’s exactly how bizarrely these issues were dealt with.

Although there were some backlashes along the way, they were quickly reconciled with the joint suppression from the emperor and Wang Wenchuan, employing unprecedentedly severe strategies.

What made the old party officials even more furious was that the emperor seemed to truly become a hands-off ruler.

No matter how they submitted memorials to criticize the new policies or impeach Wang Wenchuan, the emperor had only one reaction: I haven’t seen anything!

The memorials submitted to the emperor, it seemed, he never bothered to look at; at the imperial court, there was no chance for the old party to speak, it was always Wang Wenchuan perfunctorily making reports, after which the emperor would casually wave his hands, evidently bored, and dismissed the court.

Though the old party officials all hoped for a "Holy Emperor reigning by doing nothing", but... not like this!

Wasn’t this just handing over the governance of the state to that treacherous Wang Wenchuan? The emperor doesn’t care about anything anymore?

Not afraid of party strife? Not afraid of being sidelined?

The old party officials cursed in anger, accusing Wang Wenchuan of betraying the country, but in the end, the emperor looked at them as if they were idiots, then drove them out of the court.

Within five years, various reforms were carried out systematically.

The players first seized all powerful official positions from the top down, then within three years promoted the Green Seed Law, the Exemption Law, and reorganized the local bureaucracy, initially establishing trust in the new policies among the people.

Then, they proceeded with bureaucratic reform, reducing redundant officials, and further promoted the new policies by constructing water conservancy projects and surveying lands throughout the country.

In the fifth year, a severe drought struck Da Ming Prefecture, but as preparations had been made in advance by the players, disaster victims received relief, preventing any major upheaval.

Thereafter, as land surveys eventually concluded, the expropriated lands hoarded by the wealthy were recouped, providing the court with new sources of taxation, enriching the state treasury.

While promoting the new policies, the Ministry of Industry was also continuously innovating equipment.

Yu Jiaxuan was even more so put to use early on, being charged with the construction of the Flying Tiger Army. Whatever requirements there were, the court met them all, even allocating the newly developed equipment from the Ministry of Industry to fully arm the Flying Tiger Army.

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