Transmigrating Through the Heavens: Starting with the Silly Pillar of the Courtyard

Chapter 344 The Dragon King's Uprising

The Tartars could defeat the Songjiang Prefecture garrison in succession, but when they encountered the Black Dragon Army, which was even more ferocious than the Tartars, the entire Songjiang Prefecture was no match for them.

The Dragon King's good reputation for treating the people well had already spread widely throughout Songjiang Prefecture.

Therefore, the people in the city, as well as the public officials in the city, were not very enthusiastic about resisting the Black Dragon Army.

This is the strategy of winning hearts and minds proposed by Wu Tao. As soon as he took over Cangzhou Prefecture, he began to arrange for people to go around telling people how the Dragon King treated the people well.

At that time, people didn't really understand what hype was. One person said it, and others followed suit, and then everyone started talking.

And everyone firmly believed that what they heard was true, which made Wu Tao's good reputation spread widely in Songjiang Prefecture.

So much so that they gradually began to look forward to the Dragon King's army arriving soon.

After all, in this chaotic world, people would only feel at ease if they had a master who could treat them well.

The Black Dragon Army's offensive was also fierce, and the Tartars defending the city couldn't stop them at all.

Furthermore, few of the people in the city were willing to help the Tartars, and in the end, the Tartars found themselves in what seemed to be a desperate situation.

With unstoppable momentum, in just three months, there were no more Tartars in the vast 600,000 square kilometers of Songjiang Prefecture.

At the same time, the government offices and official residences of the Great Yan Dynasty were also destroyed, all of which changed with the arrival of the new regime.

In its place came a new Dragon King, and the new political structure was a complete copy of the Great Yan Dynasty.

The Dragon King is the highest-ranking official, followed by cabinet ministers, and then the Six Ministries.

The Dragon King Palace army has now reached 100,000 people.

Two divisions form an army, with one army commander and two deputy army commanders. Including the personal guard company, an army has about 10,000 men.

Above the army commander is the governor-general, and Qian Hu was the first governor-general. He was responsible for leading the army and conquering all directions.

At the same time, all the government offices in Songjiang Prefecture were replaced. Wu Tao arranged for the people to elect some qualified county magistrates and prefects to manage government affairs.

Wu Tao's actions naturally attracted the attention of others, and at this point, there was no longer any way to hide them.

Both other rebel armies and the Tartars knew that Wu Tao had already started an uprising in Songjiang Prefecture.

However, because Wu Tao's momentum was too strong, and they were also busy seizing the inland areas, Wu Tao's place was unusually quiet for a long time.

Wu Tao also instructed his subordinates to work hard to revitalize the economy, and the land was redistributed to ordinary people.

Even the tax system was changed to a one-tenth tax policy, meaning that whether you're farming or doing business, you only pay one-tenth of the tax.

Compared to the countless exorbitant taxes and levies of the past, the one-tenth policy was absolutely applauded by everyone.

The people could receive five mu of land per person, and they could apply for loans in advance for livestock or tools.

As long as you repay it over a five-year period, the interest rate is extremely low and fixed.

Much of the land in Songjiang Prefecture was abandoned. In the past, no one dared to go there, partly because they were afraid of the Tartars, and partly because they were afraid of being persecuted by the government.

With the Black Dragon Army stationed on the border and the government offices clean and honest, everyone's enthusiasm is naturally different.

Even the merchants in Songjiang Prefecture lived a very comfortable life. The Dragon King was exceptionally open-minded towards the merchants, even allowing them to participate in politics.

They were encouraged to offer suggestions for the country and advised to boldly move forward.

Now, the Great Yan Dynasty is in chaos and war, but Songjiang Prefecture, which was the first to be captured by the Tartars, has become a paradise.

Wu Tao knew that the enemy didn't have much time left for him. The Tartars were powerful now and would get rid of him sooner or later.

They will probably have to send a large army to besiege them. Both sides are now hesitant to act rashly, and both are confident that they can defeat the other.

So they pretended not to see each other, waiting for their own strength to grow before eliminating the other.

Wu Tao was happy to let things remain peaceful; the longer it dragged on, the greater his chances of winning would be.

Expecting those Tartar bandits to govern the country well is wishful thinking. Even if they conquered the world with their powerful military force, they would still encounter all sorts of problems.

Moreover, he is now like a beacon, attracting countless talented and extraordinary people from the Great Yan Dynasty to come and join him.

Compared to the brutal and tyrannical Tartars, people seem more willing to gamble on a future with Wu Tao.

Although there were capable people among the Tartars who wanted to emulate Wu Tao's approach, their established systems made it difficult for them to treat the Han people fairly.

Songjiang Prefecture is certainly not large compared to the millions of square kilometers of the Great Yan Dynasty, but its development speed is very fast.

Whether in agriculture or commerce, Songjiang Prefecture has ushered in a rare period of rapid development.

At the same time, Wu Tao expanded the army again, with the city guards numbering 100,000 and the directly subordinate legions numbering 100,000, in a 50/50 ratio.

The old garrison system remains in place, with one garrison commander in charge of five regiments, totaling approximately five thousand men.

Twenty guards were responsible for protecting the security of the entire Songjiang Prefecture area.

The 100,000-strong direct-command army was divided into two major legions, one in the south and one in the north, stationed on the border at any time to resist or attack other forces.

Wu Tao didn't think that the more troops the better; two hundred thousand was already enough.

Songjiang Prefecture now has a population of over five million, and as time goes on, it is possible that it will exceed ten million, twenty million, or even one hundred million.

With over 200,000 troops, we are now ready to launch a counterattack at any time, whether from within or outside the country.

The city guards can also provide support to the directly subordinate legions at any time, since there are constables and yamen runners in the city responsible for maintaining order.

The Black Dragon Army was in high spirits and was not afraid of any challenge.

After repeatedly besieging and killing the Tartar troops, the Black Dragon Army never felt afraid of them.

Unlike other Han Chinese troops who would flinch at the sight of the Tartars, in the Black Dragon Army, everyone regarded the Tartars as points of merit.

Everyone knows that following the Dragon King will lead to great achievements, so why not give it your all now?

The Dragon King is very generous; whether it's rewarding them with gold and silver or promoting them to higher positions, this might be their best opportunity.

The Black Dragon Army is currently expanding rapidly, and anyone with military merits is being promoted.

The youngest commander of the Black Dragon Army is only in his twenties, a situation that can only occur in this special era.

Now, the Black Dragon Army is not only not afraid of fighting, but they are even looking forward to the enemy's arrival.

The daily training on the drill ground was more tiring than going directly to the battlefield.

In addition, the Heilongjiang Army was known for its strict discipline and clear system of rewards and punishments. The troops were also highly unified in their thinking, and Wu Tao's prestige was deeply ingrained in the hearts of the soldiers.

Everyone knows that the good life they and their families enjoy today is all thanks to Wu Tao. Look at what the outside of Songjiang Prefecture has become.

Leaving aside the fact that the Tartars killed and confiscated property, those who claimed to be restoring the Han dynasty were no good either.