Longzang

Chapter 1168 Out
Northern Qi was located in a corner of the Nine Kingdoms, with the Liao people to the north and east, and only a small section in the southeast facing the ocean, where it would occasionally encounter raids from the Haili. However, the Haili's main targets were Southern Qi and Wu, so they did not pose a significant threat to Northern Qi.

On the northern Liao side, those facing the Northern Qi were scattered small tribes. This area was arid and had little rain, mostly endless desert, making it difficult for the Liao people to survive, and the population was sparse.

Therefore, the Northern Qi Dynasty had been confined to a corner of the country for many years. In addition, Xu Shuhe had been living a low-key life for more than a hundred years as he approached his death, so there was little news of any major events related to him.

In Wei Yuan's eyes, such a country should be developing quite well. After all, there are few wars around it, and its own strength and resources are only average. Under such circumstances, focusing on development is the best course of action. Unlike the Western Jin Dynasty, which is bordered by the Liao people to the north and the Wu region to the west, and has always been the main target of the Wu people's attacks, it has been constantly losing blood over the centuries. Moreover, the Xu and Lü families, two powerful clans, occupy the best locations in the country. Under such circumstances, even if a god were to become the King of Jin, he would probably be powerless to turn the tide.

Li Zhi and Wei Yuan disguised themselves as two ordinary cultivators, strolling slowly along the main road. They used the most basic Shrinking Earth Technique to walk, each step covering dozens of feet. Even when they encountered Dao Foundation Ancestors along the way, the Ancestors remained completely unaware.

As they walked, Wei Yuan quickly noticed something was amiss.

The surrounding area is full of barren fields, which look like they haven't been cultivated for a long time. Only the remaining traces such as the field ridges indicate that this place was once cultivated.

Wei Yuan's figure flashed, and he was already standing in the middle of a large wasteland. This large field was neatly shaped and flat, its only drawback being that it was somewhat far from a water source. It was a typical dry field in the Northern Qi region, covering nearly 10,000 mu.

However, the ground is compacted and overgrown with weeds, and the land has been abandoned for more than just a year or two.

Although this field is far inferior to Qingming's, Wei Yuan believes it can still yield two harvests a year, each weighing over two hundred catties. This is more than enough for the farmers to support themselves, so why is such a large area being left uncultivated? He hasn't heard of any major natural or man-made disasters in Northern Qi in recent years.

Wei Yuan looked up with a puzzled expression, his divine sense instantly covering hundreds of miles around. He saw that many villages were almost deserted, with dilapidated houses. The county town was also desolate, with hardly anyone to be seen on the streets. However, a small river flowed through the town, and the water level was still relatively high.

"How is this going?"

Li Zhidao said: "Many years ago, the Northern Qi implemented a new policy that incorporated the poll tax and corvée labor into the land tax. The poll tax was also converted into land tax. The Northern Qi was arid and had little rain, and most of the land was poor, but after years of cultivation, it had become fertile land, and people could still make a living. However, after the new law was implemented, the harvest of one mu of land could not even cover the poll tax and corvée labor. People had to pay extra to grow their land, so naturally they abandoned their land and fled to other places."

Wei Yuan frowned and asked, "What about the local powerful families? Don't the Xu and Li families want to take these lands?"

"Farming is a tough job. The great immortal clans have taken over the fertile lands, so why would they bother with these other lands? They find them too troublesome. These are the lands that mortals can actually farm, and most mortals in Northern Qi rely on them for survival."

"What about the local gentry?" Wei Yuan asked again.

Li Zhi said meaningfully, "The factional strife between the Nie and Li factions in the court is extremely fierce, and the two factions have long been fighting to the death. In the past, farmers could sell themselves to the gentry in exchange for exemption from corvée labor. But this new law was proposed by the Left Chancellor Li Duan, and it is aimed at suppressing the Nie faction. Naturally, we will not let them play the trick of protecting Tibetans again."

Following suit, the Nie faction launched a nationwide crackdown. As a result, the people had nowhere to hide or escape, leaving them with no choice but to abandon their land and flee. With so many abandoning their land, local officials couldn't collect taxes, so they had to pass the burden onto those who remained. Consequently, even those who stayed couldn't survive and were forced to flee as well.

"Almost half of the land in the entire county is abandoned. Doesn't the county magistrate report this? Don't the imperial censors and officials from the capital know about this?" Wei Yuan asked.

"The report was submitted, but no one listened. Those who came on patrol saw it, but pretended not to see it."

Wei Yuan frowned: "Why?"

"Factional strife! The Nie and Li factions are now only seeking to defeat each other; whoever loses will die without a burial place. Naturally, they will stop at nothing in the struggle, investigating each other to the death, so that they cannot allow their opponents to peacefully support the farmers. As long as these lands are not their own, what does it matter if the land is barren?"

Is it just partisan strife?

Li Zhi said, "Of course it's not just that, but the others are all minor issues. For example, when Prince Qi wanted to build a palace, the Imperial Household Department quoted ten million taels of silver, but after being added up layer by layer at the local level, it would be eighty or ninety million taels. Then, when the Imperial Household Department actually built the palace, it might only have spent one or two million taels. Anyway, it's just a small matter, isn't it?"

Wei Yuan said slowly, "Without ordinary people, this land can't produce anything. Those officials just want to be corrupt. How can they be corrupt if there's nothing left? Don't they understand this simple principle?"

Li Zhi sighed, “Those who can become officials are all intelligent people. How could they not understand such a simple truth? There’s only one bunch of chives in the field, but there are seven or eight people watching it. If you’re a little slow, you’ll have nothing left. So no one is willing to think long-term; they only care about the present.”

Wei Yuan asked, "Did you bring me all the way to Northern Qi just to see these things?" Li Zhi replied solemnly, "Because Northern Qi is the best example. Ji State is in turmoil, Zhao State and Western Jin border you and are deeply influenced by Qingming. Southern Qi is unusually wealthy and powerful, and Wu State has exclusive control of the sea route, all of which are special. Only Northern Qi, with external enemies but not strong, few border wars, and its King of Qi lived long enough and was incompetent and foolish enough, is the best example."

I just want you to see what kind of life ordinary people lead, without any special circumstances.

In truth, Wei Yuan understood the logic perfectly. It was simply a matter of how to divide the rice among all the people in the world, since there was only one bushel of rice. At present, princes, noble families, powerful clans, county magistrates, clerks, and local gentry all wanted a larger share, while the rice growers were left out of the table.

Naturally, the final result will be that only a share will be left for those who grow rice, just enough to barely keep them from starving, so that they can produce something year after year through their labor.

Throughout the process, if any link in the chain were to be slightly over-regulated, a large number of ordinary people would starve to death. If no one starved, the rice growers wouldn't notice. At that point, the highest-ranking official would issue a decree of self-reproach, and then, layer by layer, loosen their grip slightly, allowing the rice growers to survive.

Once enough people are planting rice, the same thing will happen again.

Natural history is not so simple. Foreign races, natural disasters, immortals, extraterrestrials, and various other factors may interrupt or distort this process, but the final course is still the same.

Li Zhi brought Wei Yuan to Northern Qi to show him that this was not just a theoretical concept, but a reality, and a widespread one at that.

"So?" Wei Yuan asked.

Li Zhidao said, "I believe the root of the problem lies here."

He took out a jade seal and handed it to Wei Yuan. The design of the jade seal and even the words engraved on it were very familiar: "By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous."

“Since we are ordained by Heaven, no one can stop us, so we can do whatever we want. The thrones of the Nine Kingdoms are untouchable, so how can we not act recklessly?” Li Zhi spoke without any restraint at this moment.

Wei Yuan repeated the words "I am ordained by Heaven" several times, then pointed to the sky and said, "Don't forget, in this world, the Heavenly Dao is conscious."

“Then I will be the one who receives the mandate from Heaven, and you will be Heaven.”

Wei Yuan was also taken aback. He looked at Li Zhi seriously and asked, "How did you suddenly become so bold?"

Li Zhi said, "Brother Wei, if we were ordinary people, we would be nearing the end of our lives. Over the years, I've been thinking about the transformation from a cocoon to a butterfly. Are butterflies and insects still considered the same kind of creature?"

“Of course it counts,” Wei Yuan said. This is common knowledge in the outer world.

Li Zhi nodded: "Then why do cultivators in the world not treat mortals as human beings?"

Wei Yuan had pondered this question long ago and had countless answers, each of which was partially correct and not entirely correct. For example, if you were to dissect an immortal, they would be completely different from ordinary people, inside and out, in every single way.

"What do you plan to do?" Wei Yuan asked.

Li Zhi said, "Let's do what I'm capable of first: take the State of Ji."

“Prince Ji is a man of great strategy and should not be underestimated,” Wei Yuan warned.

Li Zhi said slowly, "No matter how well the King of Ji can hide his talents, the state of Ji is now rotten to the core from top to bottom. Unless he kills all the people in key positions and replaces them with new people, the state of Ji is like a sick body. If all the rotten flesh is removed, then he will die. So in this game, the King of Ji is out of the game, just like the Western Jin Dynasty."

Wei Yuan finally nodded.

(End of this chapter)