Chapter 244: Chapter 182 Chu Xiong’s Observations !

Translator: 549690339 I

The reform in North City was unstoppable; although spring had not yet arrived, the reform announcements had already plastered every city under North City’s jurisdiction, and North City’s military was paving the way.

When the common people heard that North City had proclaimed itself a sovereign nation, they were overjoyed, as it meant the North Prince had formally taken over North City.

However, their happiness soon faded when rumors spread that the North Prince intended to reclaim all land in North City for the North Prince Mansion, leaving the common people with only the right of use, and no ownership rights.

For most commoners, land was their lifeline. Seizing the land all of a sudden, how could the people feel secure?

The commoners flocked to where the announcements were posted, listening intently to the Jinyiwei Guards explaining the reform measures.

In order to make the common people of North City understand the benefits of reclaiming the land use rights, Lu Chen mobilized the majority of North City’s military might.

Besides the Black Cavalry and artillery camp, both the Brocade Guard and North City’s soldiers were called to action.

This reform was extremely important for North City and for Lu Chen, but he was not trying to establish a world of equality; rather, he was preparing for the industrial development of North City.

As a modern-era transmigrant, Lu Chen was well aware of the importance of land. If the problem of land annexation was not solved, a dynasty could not last long, and land annexation would severely hinder future industrial development.

For instance, if you wanted to build a road and it was on private land, you would have to spend a substantial amount of money compensating others, but now the situation was different.

By law, all lands of the North Country were deemed property of the North Prince; henceforth, no one could obstruct road construction by the North Prince Mansion, nor dare dispute over land when the North Prince Mansion decided where to develop any industry.

Yan County.

Today, like in previous days, Yan County’s city gate was crowded with people, and under the control of North City’s soldiers, only a main thoroughfare to the city inside was left open.

Without the control of North City’s soldiers, the main entrance to the city would probably have been blocked by the commoners.

At that moment, an elderly man with white hair arrived at the city gate. He had originally come to Yan County by coach, but seeing so many commoners gathered at the city gates, he grew curious and told the coach to go on without him while he joined the crowd at the city gate’s announcement board.

Then, a Brocade Guard dressed in black and red clothes stood on a table beside the announcement board and loudly read out, “Under the expansive sky, all land is the king’s; to the edges of the realm, all are the king’s subjects. Effective today, all land ownership rights within North City legally belong to the Prince, and no person shall sell the land ownership rights…”

Upon hearing the Brocade Guard’s words, Chu Xiong’s heart trembled.

Such a bold move!

It was the first time he heard the saying, “Under the expansive sky, all land is the king’s; to the edges of the realm, all are the king’s subjects.”

He originally thought the Sum Emperor was radical enough, given that the Sum Emperor had been determined to undermine the Aristocratic Families, but unexpectedly, his own grandson was even more radical than the Sum Emperor —reclaiming all the land and thus cutting off the roots of the Aristocratic Families completely.

Although there were no major Aristocratic Families in North City yet, with the North Prince’s policies in place, the possibility of the emergence of Ancient Families like those in the Great Xia was almost nil.

At this moment, Chu Xiong’s expression turned gloomy, and his emotions were incredibly complex. He had actually been supportive of his grandson becoming Emperor, yet it had never occurred to him that his grandson would be even harsher on the Aristocratic Families.

If the Sum Emperor were to step down and his grandson took the throne, his grandson would likely be more intent on eliminating the Ancient Families than the Sum Emperor.

Chu Xiong couldn’t help but wonder if he had been mistaken?

Was pledging allegiance to Prince Lu Shuyun the right choice?

After all, Prince Lu Shuyun was on the side of the Aristocratic Families of the South; if Prince Lu Shuyun ascended to the throne, he would probably have few conflicts with the Ancient Families, and it would continue to be a world governed by both the Prince and the Ancient Families.

But his grandson was different. Looking at his grandson’s policies, it was clear he aimed to prevent land annexation and the formation of powerful families in North City.

Without land, Aristocratic Families were like fish without water, unable to last for long.

Thinking this, Chu Xiong sighed deeply in his heart.

Despite feeling somewhat distressed, Chu Xiong decided to meet with his grandson.

After all, they were related by blood, and his grandson had called him grandfather when he was little.

At this point, the crowd started to grow restless, and a commoner shouted, “How can the Prince do this? If all the land is taken back, how will we commoners survive!”

As these words were spoken, the crowd instantly became noisy and agitated.

“Exactly! We cleared that land ourselves, by what right does it belong to the North Prince Mansion!”

“The Prince is too overbearing! I absolutely will not hand over my own land.” “Whoever wants my land will have to fight me for it!”

Facing the impassioned common folk, the expressions on the Jinyiwei Guard’s faces were very calm. They had been disseminating the news for several days now, and the initial reactions of the commoners were all like this; they had grown accustomed to it.

At this moment, one of the Jinyiwei Guard said, “Since the day the Great Xia Dynasty was founded, the lands of Great Xia have belonged to the Emperor. Now, the Emperor has granted North City to the North Prince, so the lands of North City should rightfully belong to the Prince. The Prince is merely enforcing the laws strictly to prevent the arbitrary sale of land.”

“The land that you originally possessed will still belong to you for use. The Prince has no intention of taking back your rights to use it.”

“Furthermore, the Prince has said that from now on, all agricultural taxes are to be waived. Whatever you harvest, you will keep!”

“Not only that, but next year the North Prince Mansion will also distribute seeds for high-yield crops. I believe you all have already heard about the North Prince Mansion having grains that yield several thousand pounds per acre, have you not? Just give it one year, and none of you here today will have to worry about hunger or cold again.”

Upon hearing the Jinyiwei Guard mention the exemption of all agricultural taxes, the common folk immediately became incredibly excited.

“Is that true? Is the Prince really going to waive all agricultural taxes?”

“Is this policy permanent?”

“The Prince wouldn’t be deceiving us, would he?”

“Where do we go to receive the North Prince Mansion’s grain seeds?”

For a moment, the entrance to Yan County was a clamor of voices.

Chu Xiong squeezed out of the crowd alone and watched the excited commoners from a distance.

He found it incredibly unbelievable. The policy of waiving all agricultural taxes was simply too radical, almost equivalent to legally determining land ownership to be under the North Prince.

Was this idea his own grandson’s, or did it come from the Sum Emperor’s wishes?

The Sum Emperor, as a traditional ruler, although he held immense hatred for the Ancient Families, would he have ever come up with a policy like waiving all agricultural taxes?

Agricultural tax was an important source of revenue for the national treasury. Without this tax, the Great Xia Dynasty might not even be able to pay its officials’ salaries.

Initially, Chu Xiong had begun to wonder if his grandson could truly be a pawn of the Sum Emperor, but as soon as this policy was announced, he immediately felt his grandson had no relation to the Sum Emperor whatsoever.

The waiving of the agricultural tax would have a very negative impact on the rest of the Great Xia’s territories. In the future, when the commoners see that North City has waived the agricultural tax, they would surely think, as people of the Great Xia, if North City has waived it, why should they not have their taxes waived as well?

This could lead to instability within the Great Xia, and over time, it would inevitably result in discontent among the commoners, so the Sum Emperor would never allow such a policy to come into effect.

At this moment, Chu Xiong’s mind was full of questions. He felt he could only unravel the doubts in his heart after seeing his own grandson.

He did not linger any longer and headed straight for the city gates.

Just then, a lavishly decorated carriage passed by Chu Xiong. A gust of wind blew, lifting the curtains of the carriage. Chu Xiong’s gaze just happened to meet the eyes of the woman inside the carriage.

He did not recognize who the woman in the carriage was, but he instantly discerned from her aura that she was a Grandmaster.

After the carriage passed him by, Chu Xiong frowned as he looked at the emblem on the back of the carriage.

“Mysterious Moon Palace? Could the woman inside the carriage be the Palace Master of the Mysterious Moon Palace?”

“It seems the situation in North City is more chaotic than I imagined..”