Chapter 26: It Is Time to Wield the Three-Foot Sword!

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The excitement of the crowd and Liang Xiao’s grave, resolute expression told Zhongli Xiu one thing beyond all doubt.

This was real!

The promise Liang Xiao had made on the day he took office was already going to be fulfilled the very next day!

The poorest people in Pei County earned barely three or four hundred coins a month, and even that assumed they could find work every month.

After setting aside enough grain to feed their families, almost all the money left went toward taxes. At times, they were forced to pay those taxes while their own stomachs were empty.

The harsh levies imposed by Yuan Bailong had indeed amounted to around five hundred coins, crushing the people of Pei County beneath their burden.

And today, they had simply been abolished?

Zhongli Xiu rubbed his eyes and stared at the official notice posted beside Liang Xiao, checking it again and again.

The official seal was stamped clearly upon it. There could be no mistake!

“Father, look at that! They really have reduced the taxes…”

Zhongli Wanxue tugged at her father’s sleeve. She appeared pitiful on the surface, but inwardly she was blooming with joy.

Zhongli Xiu said gloomily, “With taxes reduced this much, he still intends to recruit two thousand soldiers. Where… where is he going to find the money?”

“Obviously… from the stolen funds~” Zhongli Wanxue replied.

Stolen funds?

Only then did Zhongli Xiu remember that Liang Xiao must have deliberately underreported part of Yuan Bailong’s ill-gotten wealth.

Could it be that he intended to use it to maintain an army?

“No…” In an instant, Zhongli Xiu seemed to awaken from a dream. His thoughts raced. “If too much of the stolen money is reported, it will inevitably be handed over to the imperial court. After passing through layer upon layer of hands, won’t it end up in the pockets of the officials in the capital anyway?”

At that moment, he seemed to understand Liang Xiao’s predicament.

Could it be that Liang Xiao was trying to ensure that this life-saving money belonging to the people of Pei County would not be plundered by their superiors?

Coming back to himself, Zhongli Xiu glared irritably at his beloved daughter. “Be quiet for now…”

It was all this girl’s fault! She was forever speaking up for that young man, causing him to keep thinking in ways that favored him as well.

With an innocent, guileless look, Zhongli Wanxue slipped behind her mother and secretly peeked at the tall, commanding young figure on the platform, her heart overflowing with delight.

Once the people had quieted down, Liang Xiao spoke again from the high platform.

“Furthermore, Yuan Bailong concealed Pei County’s population for years. He deserved death! The county’s true population exceeds one hundred and forty thousand!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire crowd erupted.

A county with a population of one hundred and forty thousand?

“Wouldn’t that make it nearly as large as some remote commanderies?” Zhongli Qingfeng exclaimed.

Zhongli Xiu was equally dumbfounded.

Yuan Bailong had publicly claimed that Pei County contained only seventy thousand people.

As a powerful local clan, the Zhongli family naturally knew that the county held many hidden households and displaced refugees, but they had estimated that its total population was probably only around one hundred thousand.

Who could have imagined that the true population exceeded one hundred and forty thousand?

“My husband, in that case, recruiting two thousand soldiers—and dismissing some of the redundant troops—does seem reasonable after all…” Qin said with a sigh.

Zhongli Xiu’s old face flushed red, and he remained silent.

A wise man knew when to pretend he had heard nothing and seen nothing.

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Otherwise, where could he put this old face of his?

A county of one hundred and forty thousand people, situated on the northern frontier—recruiting two thousand soldiers was indeed imperative!

Looking at the people below, who were exchanging uncertain glances, Liang Xiao said, “Pei County has a large population, including many displaced refugees who nearly became hidden households. Some were even sold by Yuan Bailong and his accomplices to the south of the Yangtze as slaves and servants! After Yuan Bailong’s years of extortion and embezzlement, the people’s lives have been reduced to misery. Merely opening the granaries and distributing grain will not solve the problem at its root!”

The soldiers and civilians below the platform immediately fell silent and dispirited.

Even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice.

That was the cruel reality. Without money, any attempt to improve the people’s livelihood was nothing but wishful thinking.

“The county magistrate has already reduced our taxes. We are deeply grateful!”

An elderly man below wept bitterly, his forehead striking the ground.

“This humble commoner is eternally grateful!”

Countless people knelt and kowtowed to Liang Xiao in thanks.

Liang Xiao waved his hand. “This matter is not entirely without remedy. Listen well, honored elders and fellow countrymen. Beginning tomorrow, the authorities will issue a recruitment order: relief through work. Laborers will be hired for three hundred coins a month to repair the walls of Pei County and expand the urban district. Meals will also be provided!”

Three hundred coins a month? And meals included?

The entire crowd cried out in astonishment.

“Is such a wonderful opportunity really possible?”

“Expanding the city district and extending the walls—what does he intend to do? Provide shelter for the refugees and defend against bandits?” Zhongli Xiu exclaimed.

Zhongli Qingfeng could not help saying, “Father, as long as it benefits both the state and the people, that is all that matters.”

“You be quiet too…” Zhongli Xiu shot his beloved son an irritated look. The latter was left speechless.

Zhongli Xiu pondered from every angle, then finally exclaimed in amazement.

“Relief through work… relief through work… Brilliant!”

Three hundred coins a month was not especially generous, but meals were included, and the government itself would provide the funds. At the very least, no one would need to fear delayed payment, and the offer would be more than enough to attract the unemployed.

Even without giving it much thought, he knew that, in order to keep such a job, the laborers would surely give everything they had, willing to build Pei County’s walls with their sweat and blood.

It would provide the county with a reliable workforce while effectively resolving the plight of refugees and the poor. Fewer idlers would also mean better public order in Pei County.

Three benefits from one measure!

It was a stroke of genius.

At that moment, Zhongli Xiu finally saw the young man on the platform in a new light.

Setting aside his position and the dangers he faced, Liang Xiao’s courage and methods alone were enough to qualify him for the office of county magistrate.

“To make this young man merely the magistrate of Pei County is a waste of his talents. He ought to be a commandery governor,” Zhongli Xiu praised sincerely.

Zhongli Wanxue secretly watched Liang Xiao. Hearing her father’s praise, she felt dissatisfied.

Only a commandery governor?

She refused to believe that was all he could achieve.

“As for the fields and residences seized from Yuan Bailong, the authorities will sell them off as quickly as possible. All proceeds will be placed in the public coffers, and the amount will be announced openly. Any fertile fields that cannot be sold may be converted into government farmland and cultivated by tenant farmers. Whatever the harvest, the government and the people will divide it equally. If the harvest fails next year, the authorities may reduce part of the tenants’ rent.”

Once again, Liang Xiao’s announcement shook the entire crowd.

“An equal division?”

The people could scarcely believe their ears.

Liang Xiao smiled. “That division applies when the tenants use the government’s oxen and farming tools. If they use their own, the government will receive forty percent and the people sixty.”

“Sixty percent for the people? It has always been sixty or seventy percent for the government, with the people receiving only forty or thirty! Can such a generous arrangement truly exist?”

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The entire crowd was deeply shaken, and the farming families’ eyes shone brightly.

They were even torn by conflicting hopes.

Should they pray that the fertile land would be sold, allowing the county magistrate to obtain money for improving the people’s lives?

Or should they pray that it would remain unsold, giving them a chance to cultivate it themselves?

Zhongli Xiu was completely stunned. Afraid that his children might laugh at him, he fiercely pinched the flesh of his thigh beneath his sleeve.

The searing pain told him that he was not dreaming.

“Every one of this young man’s policies is genuinely intended to bring blessings to the people of Pei County…”

He suddenly began to suspect that the praise he had heard along the road that day might truly not have come from voices Liang Xiao had hired.

Zhuo Zifang silently observed the reactions of the crowd below, secretly delighted.

Such popular support was like water flowing downhill—once the tide had gathered, who could restrain it?

Without question, after today the people of Pei County would wholeheartedly support their new county magistrate.

That would effectively prevent a popular uprising.

Zhuo Zifang’s vision extended even farther.

Once Pei County’s policies spread, the people of the surrounding commanderies and of the territories ruled by Western Qin would certainly not remain unmoved. They would flock to Pei County and settle there.

That was why Liang Xiao had decided to expand the city district and strengthen the defenses.

He was preparing for trouble before it arose.

And then there was the matter of military recruitment…

The crowd gradually quieted again. Every person gazed eagerly at the county magistrate on the high platform, afraid that he might suddenly vanish before their eyes.

Seeing that the moment had arrived, Liang Xiao finally made his announcement.

“From this day forward, Pei County will recruit at least two thousand new soldiers. Anyone ultimately accepted into the military register will be exempt from all corvee labor and head taxes—not only for themselves, but for all their blood relatives. Afterward, we will assess every soldier in the county and retain only the qualified elite. From then on, they will follow me in protecting the frontier, keeping the people safe, and defending Pei County. Each man will receive a monthly allowance of at least three hundred coins. Those who kill enemies and earn merit will receive additional rewards of gold, silver, and fertile land!”

Under the joyful gazes of the young men in the crowd, Liang Xiao stood solemnly and spoke with passionate conviction.

“Pei County lies on the northern frontier. There will be no shortage of battles in the years ahead! I have something to say, and I hope all of you will hear it!”

“A true man born into this world should wield a three-foot sword and accomplish deeds unparalleled beneath heaven! To have one’s name endure in the annals of history, to win honor for one’s wife and children—what greater joy could life offer?”

Liang Xiao spoke with heartfelt sincerity, and his words struck the crowd like a peal of thunder.

“Well said! ‘A true man born into this world should wield a three-foot sword and accomplish deeds unparalleled beneath heaven!’”

At the back of the crowd, several wandering swordsmen could not help applauding in admiration.

Zhongli Wanxue stared fixedly at Liang Xiao with her beautiful eyes, her heart secretly given to him.

“Why is Father not reacting?”

Puzzled, Zhongli Wanxue quietly stepped forward and glanced at her father—then froze.

At that moment, Zhongli Xiu was gazing at the passionate figure on the platform. His lips moved, his throat trembled, and his eyes had grown faintly red.

In a daze, he seemed to see the spirited young Zhongli Xiu of years gone by.