After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 775 - 765 Sending Gifts (Mo Yan, Come Back)

Chapter 775: Chapter 765 Sending Gifts (Mo Yan, Come Back)

Wang Yifeng and Wang Xuan took their personal soldiers ahead, while the troops and supplies requested by Zhao Hanzhang were left behind.

Initially, not many officials were willing to obey Wang Yifeng and Wang Xuan’s orders. The two were too young, and most importantly, they both carried the Wang surname.

Humph, anyone with the Wang surname is no good. One Wang Cheng wreaked havoc in Jingzhou; now they send two more Wangs to take over, as if Jingzhou’s officials and gentry are easy to fool?

Thus, officials at all levels acted independently, colluding with friendly gentry, building Wu Castles, and seizing refugees, essentially opposing the Inspector Mansion.

Of course, all these were done secretly. If they were to rebel, they couldn’t just tattoo "I dissent" on their heads, right?

During the bustling period, two thousand Zhao Family Army soldiers, accompanied by thirty students, supplies, and equipment, arrived at Jiangling in Southern County, which is the seat of Jingzhou. People brought by Wang Cheng during his appointment were also here.

Because Jingzhou’s officials were uncooperative, Wang Yifeng directly employed the thirty students she brought to let the Zhao Family Army take over Jingzhou’s military, raising the Zhao Family Army flag to quell the rebellious refugees.

Students from the school accompanied them. They had done this many times, and the school had specially trained them, so they were quite proficient.

The methods of the Zhao Family Army and Zhao Hanzhang in rallying refugees are renowned throughout the world, and this is one reason why the rebellion in Jingzhou erupted quickly and suddenly.

They really couldn’t bear Wang Cheng, the Inspector, and the local government offices, so they wanted to leave Jingzhou for Yu State.

Anyway, refugees and immigrants heading to Yu State can receive land allocation, get seeds, and the government will reduce taxes. As long as there are no natural disasters, they can survive.

So everyone flocked to Yu State.

Wang Cheng did not care, but he started restricting Jingzhou’s people from going to Yu State a year ago. Last year, taxes couldn’t be collected, and many people abandoned their land and wandered, eventually entering Yu State as refugees.

Besides going to Yu State, many refugees chose to become bandits. Didn’t Zhao Ju go to Jiangxia County last year under the guise of bandit suppression?

After that, Wang Cheng set up checkpoints at the borders to guard against Zhao Ju and prevent people from flowing into Yu State.

Yet, he only blocked people and did not address the refugee issue, neither gathering nor appeasing them. Those caught either became slaves or were conscripted into the army.

Under such lazy and negligent governance, the refugees rebelled, simply trying to break through the checkpoints to Yu State.

Oh, some already broke into Yu State, recently Yu State welcomed many refugees entering from Jiangxia County.

But Jingzhou is vast, and more refugees were stopped at checkpoints and couldn’t cross. A while ago, Wang Cheng used an iron hand to kill more than eight thousand people, most of whom were refugees, with some locals mistaken for refugees.

But refugees were essentially transformed citizens; they abandoned land, hid their names, and did not pay taxes, hence becoming refugees.

Yet they are still Jingzhou people, with relatives and friends all in Jingzhou.

This slaughter by Wang Cheng directly chilled the hearts of Jingzhou’s people.

Therefore, upon hearing that the next Inspector was Wang Cheng’s niece, still a Wang Family member, the rebels were resentful, emanating an attitude of complete non-compliance.

Until the army came bearing the Zhao Family Army’s flag.

They worked so hard, fought so desperately, wasn’t it just to live under Zhao Hanzhang’s rule?

If they couldn’t reach Zhao Hanzhang, did she come to find them?

The students came forward to persuade them to surrender, stating that the newly appointed Inspector Wang Yifeng was once a secretary under Governor Zhao, cultivated by her personally, and she became an Inspector due to Governor Zhao’s recommendation...

At the same time, the news that Wang Yifeng had a big argument with Wang Cheng upon her arrival spread throughout Jingzhou.

The agitated and resentful Jingzhou slowly calmed down, the atmosphere wasn’t as tense, Zhao Family Army leading Jingzhou’s troops divided into several routes, persuading rebels to surrender.

And Wang Yifeng stayed true to her word, distributing some grain to the surrendered rebels, letting them return home to farm the land. For those without land at home, she allocated them land and reduced part of their taxes; due to this year’s natural disasters and human calamities, summer taxes were waived.

Not only could the surrendered rebel refugees reduce taxes, but the entire Jingzhou also saw tax reductions, even if just a thirty percent reduction, which was sufficient for the people.

The rebellious situation in varied areas slightly simmered down.

Even Jingzhou’s officials were speechless, though some felt this was inappropriate, questioning each rebellion’s result leading to tax reductions, was this not buying off the citizens?

What if in the future they rebel whenever there are unsatisfactory aspects?

But thinking of Wang Cheng, the officials who felt inappropriate suppressed their thoughts, well, Wang Cheng was in Jiangling, after all, and Wang Yifeng was indeed Wang Cheng’s niece, should he oppose and Wang Yifeng follows Wang Cheng’s lead of disregard, then it would be catastrophic.

The Wang Family had traditions in such matters, inciting fear.

Wang Yifeng directly acted under Zhao Hanzhang’s banner, embedding all thirty students into the Inspector Mansion and various county governments.

Jingzhou is vast, comprising twenty-two counties and states; placing one student in each would utilize twenty-two, yet many County Magistrates and even Prefectural Governors died, were injured, or fled during this rebellion.

Wang Yifeng newly appointed individuals accordingly, these thirty students were practically insufficient for the task.

Moreover, they could only start at the bottom, being secretaries in the Inspector Mansion, chief clerks in the Governor Mansion, and small officials such as County Magistrate in county government offices.

This was also Wang Yifeng’s path to promotion.

Zhao Hanzhang had stated that one must start from the bottom to understand people’s hardships and their needs.

Like Wang Cheng parachuted in as Inspector, truly having self-absorption with disregard for people’s sufferings.

All students from the school also bore this deeply in mind, after Jingzhou’s rebelliousness subsided, they took office in various places.

Merchants and travelers previously trapped in Wuchang and Jiangxia could finally leave.

With spring wheat harvested, drought-resistant crops such as soybeans planted, summer solstice approached, Zhao Hanzhang began preparing gifts for Yun City.

Presenting gifts to the Emperor naturally involved money, as the Emperor wasn’t affluent.

Hence, Zhao Hanzhang instructed people to bring basket upon basket of money, all new currency.

In more than a year, Zhao Hanzhang’s new currency had penetrated markets in Shu Territory, Jingzhou, and Jiangnan, even Yan State had quite a lot of new currency.

Primarily because whenever the court requested money and grain from Zhao Hanzhang, Zhao always sent new currency.

Though the new currency was lighter than the old, the court, to sustain expenses, had to turn a blind eye to spending equal amounts, and with the assistance of Zhao Ming and Ji Yuan, everyone knew, though lighter, Zhao Family’s new currency was equivalent in value.

This time, Zhao Hanzhang again sent new currency.

Indeed, this new currency couldn’t be casually minted and used; money had to be endowed with value. Zhao Hanzhang, upon newly harvested wheat, exchanged it for new currency.

Oh, trading to the Ministry of Industry, converting private to public, resulting in losses only borne by Zhao Hanzhang.

After loading everything onto the carts, Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "Why do I have to dig into my own pocket to send gifts to Your Majesty?"

Zhao Ming said with a straight face, "Didn’t you say you wanted to curb such practices, that no public funds should offer gifts to powerful leaders? In my opinion, you shouldn’t send gifts, how perfect it’d be to go empty-handed?"