PFC Chapter 92: Mass Production
Chapter 92: Mass Production
Li Sheng watched his retreating figure with a deep gaze.
This person's reminder was timely.
He knew perfectly well that dividing the land would cut him off from the powerful clans; he had thought of it from the very beginning.
But if he doesn't first firmly grasp the common people, how will he build up his base and deal with the powerful clans? As for those aristocratic families... he already has a backup plan, but he doesn't need to reveal it all to Gu Yong, whom he's meeting for the first time.
The work of dividing the land proceeded intensively in the days that followed.
By the fifth day, the first batch of land deeds had been distributed.
Taiping soldiers were given priority. Based on military merit and rank, each person received between thirty and eighty mu (approximately 2.7 to 3.3 hectares). Those who had followed Li Sheng since Siyang Township received the most. Liu Lu received sixty mu, Li Feng fifty mu, and Li Shi also fifty mu. Even Chen Ergou, who joined later, received thirty mu.
The moment they received the land deeds, those men who had killed without blinking an eye on the battlefield all had tears in their eyes.
The morale of the troops has been completely stabilized.
By the tenth day, the hidden households and tenant farmers who were dependent on powerful families also began to divide the land on a large scale.
Chenjiawubao was the first to open its granaries, distribute grain, and release its tenants.
When these people received the land deeds, some cried, some laughed, and some stood there speechless for a long time.
An elderly tenant farmer in his sixties had farmed for the Chen family for forty years, from his youth to his old age, and had never owned a single plot of land.
He held the piece of hemp paper, his fingers trembling violently, his lips opening and closing, but he couldn't utter a single word.
The person next to him asked for him.
"This land...is it really going to be given to us? No rent?"
Li Feng patiently explained it again.
"The first year is tax-free, and the second year you only need to pay 40% rent. The Taiping Army doesn't collect miscellaneous fees or impose levies. Whatever you plant and whatever is left over is yours to keep."
The old tenant knelt down with a thud, his forehead hitting the muddy ground, covering his face in mud.
"Your Honor, Your Honor..."
Behind him, a sea of people knelt down.
The sounds of crying, shouting, and kowtowing blended together, making one's eardrums ache.
Zhou Chang stood aside, watching the scene in silence. He had spent most of his life as a registrar, witnessing countless instances of powerful figures collecting rent and officials levying taxes, with the common people kneeling before whips and swords. But today, the common people were kneeling before a piece of paper.
A piece of hemp paper with a few lines of writing on it.
On the fifteenth day, the distribution of land throughout the county was basically completed.
Zhou Chang delivered the compiled figures to Li Sheng's desk, his voice hoarse.
"General, a total of over 5,800 households of powerful and hidden families, with a population of over 23,000, have been identified throughout the county. Including the original self-cultivating farmers and tenants, a total of 86,000 mu of land has been distributed. Of this, the Taiping Army soldiers received 21,000 mu, and the common people received 65,000 mu."
Li Sheng stared at those numbers and remained silent for a long time.
"You have all worked hard. I will have someone provide you with sufficient money and provisions. The things you have done for the people of Xiapi will surely be remembered by them."
Upon hearing Li Sheng's words, this seasoned official, as if injected with adrenaline, beamed with joy. His eyes welled up with tears, and he bowed deeply.
"No, these are just minor things done by my subordinates. The people are truly grateful to the general and the Taiping Army."
Li Sheng nodded, picked up the land register on the table and flipped through it, then suddenly changed the subject.
"The land distribution is complete; next, it's time to conscript soldiers. This matter is urgent and cannot be delayed."
Zhou Chang was slightly taken aback.
"Once the people have land, they have something to protect."
Li Sheng raised his eyes to look at Zhou Chang, his tone softening.
"This matter will require the assistance of Registrar Zhou to lead the statistics. You have the land allocation register in your hands; you know better than anyone how many people are in each family and how many acres of land they own. You know exactly how much to collect and from where to collect it, according to the register."
He paused, then continued.
"You can't handle this all by yourself. I'll have Li Feng and Liu Wu each lead a group to assist you. They'll go down to each village and household, and I need to see a preliminary list within three days."
Zhou Chang took a deep breath and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Your subordinate obeys."
"This needs to be done quickly. We should start by recruiting from the tenants and unregistered households who have been allocated land. These people used to not even have their own lives, but now that they have land, they are most afraid of losing it and are most willing to fight to the death. If we can recruit three thousand people, I will have confidence; if we can recruit five thousand people, no one can take Xiapi away from us."
"promise!"
Immediately afterwards, Li Sheng ordered the conscription of soldiers from the people of each village and hamlet: each household shall send one able-bodied man, aged sixteen to forty, who shall bring his own weapons, to be incorporated into the Taiping Army.
Those who join the army will have priority when land is distributed later.
This was said bluntly, but no one thought it was wrong. If you were given land, it was only natural that you should send people to serve in the army.
In just five days, the Taiping army swelled from over a thousand to five thousand men.
Li Sheng mixed these 5,000 men together, scattered the old brothers from Siyang Township, and assigned them to various battalions and teams as squad leaders and platoon leaders.
In this way, new recruits had mentors, veterans were promoted, and the power of each village and neighborhood was completely broken up, making it difficult to form independent factions.
At the same time, news of the change of ownership of Xiapi County spread like wildfire.
The first to receive the news was Siwu County in the east.
When the magistrate of Siwu County heard that Xiapi had been occupied by a group of "Taiping Army", he was so frightened that he almost fell off his chair.
He immediately sent people to investigate. The scouts returned and reported that the Taiping army had not only occupied the county town, but also distributed land, opened granaries to distribute grain, and the people were eating and drinking.
The magistrate of Siwu County remained silent for a long time before finally uttering only one sentence.
"This is going to be a big change."
This is not an exaggeration.
Previously, the Yellow Turban rebels had attacked and seized cities and territories, and the capital of Xiapi had fallen. The allied forces of various counties had finally managed to eliminate the Yellow Turbans and thought that they could finally settle down. However, just a few days later, the large county of Xiapi fell into the hands of the rebel army.
The city changed hands several times, bandits rose up everywhere, and government troops were repeatedly unable to suppress them. All of this told the world just how weak the Han Dynasty had become.
What will those lurking in the shadows, those who were originally just observing, think when they hear this news?
The news continued to spread.
Within a few days, refugees from Huaipu, Huaiyin, Xuyi and other counties flocked to Xiapi with their families in an endless stream.
They heard that there was a Heavenly King Li in Xiapi who distributed land and granted household registration to people, and did not collect heavy taxes; he was a true upright and just official.
For those who can't go on living, this is paradise.
Every day, hundreds of migrants from other counties arrived in Xiapi County, requesting to join the Taiping Army.
Li Sheng stood by the window, looking at the dense crowd, his gaze calm.
"Li Feng".
"exist."
"Expand the army. Recruit another two thousand. Incorporate them into the new battalion and train them rigorously."
"promise!"
Seven days later, the expansion was completed.
The number of Taiping soldiers surged to over seven thousand.
The group of seven thousand people stood together, a dark mass that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The surge in strength brings not only confidence, but also immense pressure.
With seven thousand mouths, how much do they eat every day?
Military camp outside the city, central command tent.
As dusk settled, seven or eight oil lamps were lit in the tent, casting flickering light on everyone's faces.
Li Sheng sat in the main seat, with a grain register spread out in front of him.
Li Feng sat to his left, Liu Wu to his right, and Chen Yuan sat below him, head down, seemingly lost in thought.
Li Feng spoke first.
"General, we're running low on supplies."