Chapter 22: The Sky of History: Han Chunyun! Land Reform Begins

Li Yunlong’s gaze was drawn to a familiar figure.

He focused his eyes.

Good heavens, it was an acquaintance!

"Isn't this Han Chunyun from *Sky of History*? I never expected to see her here," Li Yunlong thought, feeling quite surprised.

Surprise aside, however, Li Yunlong did not dwell on it.

Looking at the timid women before him, Li Yunlong spoke in a clear, resonant voice: "Ladies, from today on, you are free."

"Liu Dequan made a career of tyranny in Jinsui Town, bullying the people and committing countless murders. He has now been officially executed by our New First Regiment."

"You are all free to leave this place and go lead lives of your own!"

Upon hearing Li Yunlong’s words, hope and excitement bloomed on the faces of the women present.

"Thank you, Eighth Route Army..."

"It really was the Eighth Route Army that saved us. This is wonderful!"

"The Eighth Route Army is here; we are truly free!"

"Thank you, officer..."

The women spoke up one after another, sincerely expressing their gratitude to the soldiers of the New First Regiment.

Soon after, the women left the Liu residence to return to their homes.

Only Han Chunyun did not leave with the others. Instead, she walked slowly toward Li Yunlong.

Seeing this, Wei Dayong, who was standing beside Li Yunlong, immediately stepped in front of his commander, his face full of vigilance. "What are you doing?"

Li Yunlong shook his head helplessly and pulled Wei Dayong aside. "She has no ill intent. Can't you see that?"

Li Yunlong then looked at Han Chunyun and asked tentatively, "Is there something you need?"

At that moment, Li Yunlong had a premonition that Han Chunyun would become a member of the New First Regiment. After all, in *Sky of History*, she was a young woman with a strong sense of justice and a desire to serve her country.

Sure enough, Han Chunyun took a deep breath and looked at Li Yunlong with firm eyes. "Commander Li, I want to join the Eighth Route Army. I want to join your troops."

"If it weren't for you, I fear I would be living a life worse than death by now."

"You saved me and gave me the hope to go on living. I am willing to repay the Eighth Route Army with my life!"

Li Yunlong raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can you tell me about your situation?"

Although he knew a bit about Han Chunyun’s background, he still felt it necessary to ask—partly as a way to maintain the facade of his identity as a transmigrator.

Han Chunyun sighed softly and whispered, "My family fell on hard times, and I had no choice but to work as a maid in my uncle's house."

"Everything was normal at first, and I could earn some money working as a maid."

"But just yesterday, that man Liu Dequan set his sights on me and forcibly dragged me away from my uncle's place."

"He hadn't had a chance to do anything to me yet before he received the invitation from your New First Regiment and left."

"And after he left to attend your meeting today, he never returned."

After listening to Han Chunyun's account, Li Yunlong felt that truth was indeed stranger than fiction. It was likely that once Liu Dequan learned of the New First Regiment's invitation, he had been too nervous to follow through with his predatory intentions, despite his outward calm. Otherwise, Han Chunyun would certainly have suffered last night.

After getting a general idea of her situation, Li Yunlong nodded. "Judging by your speech, you are clearly from a cultured family. You must have had some schooling."

"Since you are willing to join the New First Regiment, we certainly won't refuse. Welcome to our ranks."

"Thank you, Commander Li, for your grace," Han Chunyun said, her face lighting up with joy as she expressed her gratitude.

"You're welcome," Li Yunlong said with a wave of his hand, his expression turning serious. "However, since you have joined us, you must abide by the rules of the New First Regiment."

"The Eighth Route Army has strict discipline that must never be easily violated."

"As you are the only woman in our regiment, you shall stay by my side for now to assist with relaying orders and clerical work; you are educated, after all."

"But you must participate in daily military training as well. You need to improve your personal military skills and conduct. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Han Chunyun replied firmly.

...

Three days later.

Shen Quan had finally finished consolidating and organizing the land holdings of the landlords in Jinsui Town, making the division of all land areas crystal clear. He found Li Yunlong to report the progress.

After listening to Shen Quan, Li Yunlong made a decision immediately.

"Since the land consolidation is complete, we can now formally implement land reform across all of Jinsui Town," Li Yunlong said softly, lost in thought.

"I am putting you in charge of this. Gather all the people of Jinsui Town, carry out the land distribution uniformly, and make the tax policies clear as well."

"Yes!" Shen Quan accepted the order immediately.

Subsequently, the land reform led by Shen Quan was officially put into action.

In the central square of Jinsui Town, Shen Quan had sent soldiers from the Second Battalion to invite all the townspeople. The square was packed to capacity.

Standing on a raised platform in the center, Shen Quan addressed the crowd in a loud voice: "Fellow townsfolk, I am Shen Quan, commander of the Second Battalion of the New First Regiment."

"We have gathered you here to implement the land reform policy issued by our regimental commander."

Hearing this, the people grew spirited, eager to learn what the policy entailed. Everyone had heard about the New First Regiment inviting the landlords; those arrogant men had returned from the Qiuyue Restaurant looking completely deflated, clearly cowed by the regiment. The people found the sight deeply satisfying.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shen Quan continued: "I won't hide it from you—our New First Regiment has confiscated all the land previously held by the landlords of Jinsui Town."

"This land reform means that these lands will be distributed among all of you according to your family size. You will become the masters of these fields and be the masters of your own destiny."

"The fruits of your labor will be yours alone."

"Our New First Regiment will provide you with protection. You only need to contribute 10% of your annual harvest to us, as our soldiers must eat too."

"Of course, if any family has surplus grain, our regiment will purchase it at a fair price. We will never let the people suffer!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd became excited and began to murmur in amazement.

"The New First Regiment is actually distributing land to us? Am I dreaming?"

"My goodness, not only is the Eighth Route Army giving us land, they are protecting us and only taking a 10% tax. This is truly a conscientious army."

"Isn't it? Before, we had no land of our own. We worked ourselves to the bone, but all the money and grain went to the landlords. The New First Regiment confiscated all their land and gave it to us—they are truly thinking of us!"

"I support the New First Regiment! I wouldn't even mind if the tax were 20%."

"We finally have our own land! This is wonderful!"

"Long live the Eighth Route Army! Long live the New First Regiment!"

The atmosphere in the square was incredibly fervent, and support for the New First Regiment soared.

From there, land reform was carried out with great momentum throughout Jinsui Town and the surrounding villages. This solidified the New First Regiment's foundation in the region.

...

After witnessing the process of the land reform, Xu Hu found Zhou Weiguo to report the situation.

Once he understood what was happening, Zhou Weiguo remarked with heartfelt emotion, "Xu Hu, our decision to join the New First Regiment was truly the right one."