A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Reform is a matter of great importance, and it must be done step by step."

"Only when the previous reforms are successfully completed can the next step of reforms be carried out."

All I can say is that the previous reforms were all aimed at strengthening the Han Dynasty's rule over the entire territory and paving the way for the final reform.

What is the final step in the reform?

Wang Mang did not say.

But everyone understood the unspoken agreement and proceeded with the distribution of fiefdoms.

With the Liu and Wei families in the country, it's extremely difficult to reach the top.

The Wang family was already the largest aristocratic family in the country, with no room for advancement. Wang Mang, as the contemporary leader of the Wang family, found a way out for the Wang family by granting fiefdoms.

He then used this to persuade the Wei family, but the Wei family put forward considerable conditions: before the enfeoffment, the stability and strength of the Han Dynasty must be maintained to prevent the Han Dynasty from collapsing after the enfeoffment.

This is the whole story that the court officials imagined in their minds.

Then they were left with only one question: what were the criteria for granting fiefdoms?

Who can go out and establish a kingdom? And how big of a kingdom can they build? The quality of the initial conditions determines the speed of the kingdom's future development.

Rapid development doesn't guarantee longevity, but slow development certainly means a short lifespan.

Soon, the widespread public ownership of land spread throughout the world.

All the major clans in the land were being constrained by the feudal system, so naturally they dared not offend Wang Mang at this sensitive time.

Without their sabotage, the local powerful clans would have been no match for the iron fist of the Han Dynasty.

With the help of powerful families to spread the word, the people of the land quickly learned about the superiority of this system and realized that it was a policy promulgated by the imperial court for their own good.

With the strong support and endorsement of the Wei family, the people of the land no longer had any doubts and flocked to local government offices to change the nature of their land.

Some people whose land had been previously confiscated have regained land to cultivate.

Those local powerful families had tried every means to persecute them in order to buy their land at low prices.

Now the land belongs directly to the state and cannot be bought or sold privately.

Without buying and selling, there would be no harm. Local tyrants would naturally not go to the trouble of bullying the common people without seeking any profit.

Of course, there were objections. Some local powerful families knew that it was almost impossible for them to be among the enfeoffed, so they were naturally unwilling to give up their interests.

Even some small aristocratic families, especially those misers in the south, only cared about their own little plot of land and tried every means to obstruct the court's policies.

So Wang Mang took advantage of the others urging him to drink, hoping to get information out of him.

"I also want to start the next step of reforms as soon as possible, but the fact that certain counties and families are inciting the people to resist the government's policies makes things very difficult for me."

Then, within a few days, the patriarch of the family came to Chang'an to apologize, expressing his willingness to promote the implementation of national policies.

Furthermore, he donated half of his family's land for the people to cultivate.

Those who know best how to deal with powerful and influential families are often the powerful and influential families themselves.

You don't have to want to improve, but don't stop us from improving.

This is the common will of all the major families.

Families of founding heroes such as the Xiao, Zhang, and Xiahou families, who have consistently served as the frontline gatekeepers since the early Han Dynasty, as well as aristocratic families like the Wei and Huo families, which were prominent in previous dynasties but later faded into obscurity.

They all mobilized their hidden forces to re-enter the court, intending to restore the dynasty to its peak and gain an advantage in the enfeoffment process.

Therefore, they worked extremely hard to promote these policies, which displeased the prominent families in the Northern Dynasty. They said, "You old guys have already retired to the second line, and now you want to compete with us young people for opportunities."

They have absolutely no sense of public morality.

Roll, hard roll.

These families automatically banded together and started to form a united front.

The founding meritorious group of the early Han Dynasty, with the Xiao and Zhang families at its core, may have declined somewhat, but it still has a profound heritage. What is a family? It still has a strong sense of kinship.

The Han Wu aristocratic family group, with the Wei and Huo families at its core, is in a limbo. In terms of historical foundation, it cannot compare with the founding heroes, and in terms of current status, it cannot compare with the powerful aristocratic families that are currently in power.

Fortunately, they had the foundation laid by Huo Guang, which enabled them to contend with the two.

The Wang family, with the Wang clan at its core, is the most prominent force in the current dynasty. With the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister as its leaders, it holds the power of enfeoffment and is the third largest power in the world.

The second most powerful force in the land was the Liu clan of feudal lords. Although they also had fiefdoms, they did not control the army or the politics of the country. Only the taxes collected by the entire country were used to support them.

Therefore, they were the most proactive and had the greatest advantage in the process of going abroad to assume fiefdoms and establish states.

The most powerful force in the world is naturally the Wei family; the other forces don't even dare to think about competing with them.

Even if they team up, they might not be able to win.

There were also other groups such as the Xuan Emperor's faction, the former dynasty's maternal relatives' faction, and the Hundred Families faction...

This group of aristocratic families was extremely powerful; some of them were even able to come directly to the Wei residence to inquire about Wei An's views on the enfeoffment.

With the entire Han dynasty's powerful families, the imperial court, the Wei family, and the vassal kings all working towards the same goal, the reform of the royal land system was rolled out at an extremely rapid pace.

In less than two years, the land reform of the entire Han Dynasty was completed.

At the court assembly that day, many officials in the imperial court were replaced.

Some powerful families that had once dominated the court have once again gained a pivotal position in the court.

Wang Mang publicly announced the good news that the land reform had been successfully completed.

And amidst the eager gazes of many ministers, he announced the next steps in the reforms.

"The state-owned slave system shall be abolished. All Han citizens, except criminals, shall not be registered as slaves."

"If you want people to serve you, you must hire servants or use foreign slaves."

"All slaves of the major noble families must be registered and become part of the Han population."

The court was instantly abuzz with discussion, as even when they went out to establish their own fiefdoms, they would still need a large number of people.

Slaves from one's own household are naturally the first choice, as they are trustworthy and their abilities are generally reliable.

Because they were slaves of these powerful clans, many of them received professional education in order to better serve their families.

Now that slavery has been abolished, it seems like nothing has changed.

These people have almost no jobs, and they don't even know how to farm.

It's just a matter of replacing slaves with employees and giving them some money.

After they were granted fiefdoms, they would naturally take these people with them.

Those who know the local indigenous people well and have received professional education are naturally the best choice to rule them.

When the time comes, they will naturally be promoted to managers; it's impossible for them to be managed as slaves.

Based on this calculation, it seems that the impact on them is not significant.

Even if they remained in the country, they could still hire these people.

They just give out money every now and then; money is the last thing they need.

Those dirty and tiring jobs are done by foreign slaves, right? I've heard that the people on that Japanese island to the east are pretty good; they're born slaves, their servility is ingrained in their bones.

We'll figure out a way to get a batch back for use later.

It's impossible to get them to agree so easily; Wang Mang needs to be able to release more valuable information.