Tiger Guards

Chapter 216 Reform and Improvement
In Jinyang, as the closed-camp training got back on track, the camps in various places also began to take turns to rest.

There is one day of rest every five days. The military camps are divided into five parts and take turns to rest.

On rest days, the military market outside the camp becomes bustling.

But during each rest period, only one-third of the officers and soldiers could leave the camp and purchase some daily necessities in the military market.

During his rest period, Zhao Ji would enter the camp and give lectures to military officers, senior officers, and outstanding squad leaders.

Every time there were seven or eight hundred people listening to the lecture, they would sit densely packed together so that they could hear Zhao Ji's words clearly.

On the wooden platform, under the green umbrella.

Zhao Ji took a sip of water to moisten his throat and continued to talk about his reform ideas, starting from the two major aspects of politics and economy, and then explaining in detail the differences between the rich and powerful and the poor and common people in terms of distribution levels.

Only by starting from the political system and analyzing various unfair phenomena can we understand the various adverse consequences.

And contemporary people are suffering from these consequences and struggling hard.

Most military officers and soldiers lack a sense of empathy for political injustice, but the sons of poor families and powerful families can empathize with it.

So the main focus is on the economic aspect, and the key is paying taxes and serving in the military.

There were many things Zhao Ji hadn't studied before, but he had, after all, experienced systematic indoctrination. Based on current phenomena, he reasoned and summarized, his voice high and fiery as he recounted: "Most of you have become tenants or hidden households, not because your ancestors were lazy. If they were lazy, they would have starved to death on the roadside, and you wouldn't exist. It's the fruits of their hard work, exploited by evil officials and powerful people, leaving their families penniless, and with debts accruing to their children, they find it difficult to repay, so they pawn their land or even sell themselves to pay off their debts!"

"The powerful and wealthy families avoid taxes and military service, and generation after generation have numerous wives and concubines, children thronging the land, and their clans flourishing. This is how they accumulate wealth and grain, pass down poetry and literature to their families, and ultimately become officials. When their sons become officials, talking to these tax-averse people about patriotism, loyalty to the emperor, and diligence and love for the people is like talking to a cow."

"A patriotic person must first pay taxes. Paying taxes is a public virtue. If one lacks public virtue, no matter how good one's personal morality is, one is nothing more than a thief guarding one's home. What benefit will it bring to the country and the people?"

"Only when the government treasury is full can there be money to maintain the army, and only when the officers and soldiers are well-equipped can we suppress the barbarians, eliminate bandits, maintain peace in the counties, and enable the people to work peacefully."

"But let me ask the heroes and ministers of the world, have they paid taxes according to the law?"

Zhao Ji pointed his right finger at the sky and glared at the military officers listening to his lecture. "In my opinion, anyone who doesn't pay taxes is a parasite to the country! They are gnawing at the flesh and blood of the country, and this flesh and blood comes from the taxpayers. It's like they are eating the flesh and blood of the people! People who are disloyal to the country and don't love the people are traitors to the country and the countryside. They don't deserve to be officials. They should be imprisoned and forced to work in the mines, doing the most dangerous work. Only in this way can they atone for their sins!"

He spoke incessantly, pointing to the east bank of the Fen River. "A few days ago, I was speaking about this at the Yicong camp, and one of the Yicong asked me if the slaves in my Pingyang Marquisate were required to pay a head tax. I explained that Hedong had been tax-free for ten years, so the official slaves in Pingyang Marquisate naturally didn't have to pay a head tax. But what about my grandfather's Jinyang Marquisate?"

"He didn't ask about this, but I explained that the official slaves of the Jinyang Marquisate are subject to a head tax as per the rules! This head tax is divided into four parts, each with its own purpose. However, it hasn't been collected yet this year. Traditionally, the tax begins at the end of August and ends in the first month of the following year."

"But is this all that's needed?"

Zhao Ji asked these people, pointing to a military officer who was listening attentively, "What do you think?"

The surrounding military officers' gazes turned to him. The unfamiliar Jiezonghu Ben stood up and spoke hesitantly, "I believe that official slaves belong to the marquisate and are returned to the governor. They are public property and should not be subject to head tax. If they are the household slaves of the Marquis of Jinyang, perhaps they should be subject to head tax."

"That's not right. I believe that not only official and private slaves should pay the head tax, but also the nobles and officials, unless there is a pardon or a huge once-in-a-century profit like in Hedong. The Wei family's treasury is where the Wei family has been exploiting the common people of Hedong for generations. Now that it has been confiscated and put into the government warehouse, it should benefit all people. That's why I submitted a petition to the court to exempt the head tax for ten years."

Zhao Ji gestured for the other party to take a seat and continued, "I believe that the powerful families own hundreds of thousands of acres of land and have thousands of servants. While paying taxes in accordance with the law and human nature, it is not in accordance with the Way of Heaven. The long-term nature of Heaven is to take from the surplus and give to the deficit. The powerful families should be taxed at a higher rate to supplement the national treasury! When the national treasury is full and the world is peaceful, the powerful can also enjoy peace. This is not a grievance. It is better to be a dog in peacetime than a man in troubled times."

"The turmoil under heaven has reached this point, isn't it because the powerful and wealthy, using the imperial court as leverage, take what the common people lack and supplement what the wealthy have? At the slightest natural disaster, the common people, unwilling to starve to death, rise up in rebellion, preferring to drag their families, the elderly and children, and perish alongside the powerful rather than become starving corpses or dried bones on the roadside."

Zhao Ji took a sip of water and continued, "As the saying goes, those who seek the best will only get the middle, while those who seek the middle will only get the bottom. Those of us who are determined to reform should seek the highest quality of Heaven's will. In this way, we can ultimately create a new world where rich and poor alike pay taxes, the treasury is full, disaster relief can be provided in peacetime, and brave men can be recruited to quell rebellions with generous rewards in wartime!"

"In this world, there is only one emperor, a few dukes, over ten princes, hundreds of princes and ministers, and thousands of county magistrates. It's clear that there are few nobles, but many common people. The will of the people is the will of heaven, and a court that causes the vast majority of people to suffer has clearly lost the favor of heaven and is doomed to perish!"

"To the nobles and aristocrats, we are but commoners, no better than cattle and horses, not even as good as a horse. Now we have gathered here, with over three thousand artisans forging armor, spears, and halberds for us. We should march forth in full armor and wield our mighty might, annihilating the traitors of our clan and eradicating the accumulated evils, so that we, and our descendants, may live in peace and prosperity for the rest of our lives."

Zhao Ji sat on the stage to preach his ideas and made beautiful promises to the officials who were listening.

Regardless of whether they believe it or doubt it, what Zhao Ji has to do is to fulfill his promise step by step, so that more people can gather around him and follow him forward.

While he was explaining, Wei Ji, Zhang Zan and others took notes in shorthand. When they copied it later, they had to consider the words according to the context and their own understanding, and record it in a more concise way.

Writing words has its costs, and carving them on stone has even higher costs.

When lecturing or debating, I will definitely explain in detail and give examples, but when recording, I will try to be as concise as possible.

The army will be expanded in the future, and Zhao Ji will no longer be able to preach the concept of reform. Now we need to compile it into a book so that future military officers can study and understand it. Reform is just the beginning. If reform is difficult, then revolution will be carried out.

During the Xinmang Rebellion, Confucian scholars were able to openly mobilize public opinion to force the emperor to abdicate and cede the throne; since the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, natural disasters and man-made calamities have occurred one after another, and Confucian scholars have also begun to doubt themselves.

After the ancient and modern factions merged and their conflicts decreased, many people had more time to reflect.

Under this trend of reflection, heretics emerged in large numbers.

Not to mention the people and the army, it was also common for people in the court to discuss the demise of the Han Dynasty.

It was not a direct rebellion, but an advocacy of reform.

Since reform failed and this outdated court could not be led forward, what's wrong with starting a revolution again?

Zhao Ji advocated the theory of reform with confidence, and the people below listened attentively and did not think there was anything wrong.

After all, the most difficult military remonstration for the reform has been achieved. Now the reformists are in power, living in harmony with the old nobles, and seeking a way to make specific reforms and reforms.

Reform cannot be just talk, we must change the law and try it from the institutional level.

Wei Ji took note, he did not want the reform to succeed; after it succeeded, he did not think the army would maintain its current cohesion.

The reform was successful, and the government and the country were full of vitality... No one wanted to fight, and many people lost the courage to resist.

If the old nobles fight back to seize power, the reformists will inevitably suffer heavy casualties and bear a bad reputation.

It’s not that Wei Ji has a dark mind, but what he has learned, as well as his current experiences and reflections, make him very resistant.

The people who want to kill the former nobles the most now are not Zhao Ji, but Wei Ji, Wei Gu and others.

On the wooden platform, Zhao Ji began to let the military officers in the audience ask questions, and he answered them.

Through mutual communication, lower-level military officers can understand his spirit and will.

Zhao Ben himself can also constantly polish, improve and consolidate his cognition in the process of collision of ideas.

To suppress human nature with the law of nature is the righteous cause of reform, revolution and rebellion.

This sentence can be translated in an alternative way: preserve the laws of nature and eliminate human desires.

Now that so many troops have gathered in Jinyang, the training time will be at most a hundred days.

In Zhao Ji's opinion, three months is just enough to complete the basic drill training for new recruits.

How easy is it to achieve ideological unity?

If we can keep the vast majority of people relatively obedient and neutral, this year's mission will be accomplished.

If there really were 30,000 troops sharing the same ideals as him, he would dare to fight a decisive battle with Yuan Shao right now.

In his eyes, the Jinyang army was always a mob.

It is impossible for him to command the entire army this time. Such a big fire would be dangerous no matter where it is.

Therefore, before going on an expedition, he had to stabilize the morale of the army as much as possible so that he could lead a small number of elite troops to fight against high-ranking officials.

Shangdang must be fought, he did not think Yuan Shao would give in voluntarily.

If I give in, I will no longer be Yuan Shao, and it will be unworthy of a leader like him.

The eldest brother can die, but his dignity cannot be lost; if his dignity is damaged, the eldest brother will have a hard time living.

(End of this chapter)