Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

"By order of the Prince of Jingbei!"

Liu Yidao reined in his warhorse in front of the fortified village, his voice like the clang of metal, "The powerful Liu Quan, colluding with officials, oppressing the good and honest, seizing land, concealing taxes, and defying the law, is guilty beyond redemption!"

"His Highness has given the following order:"

"First, Liu Quan and his core cronies are hereby captured and await their fate."

"Second, open the fort gates and hand over all land deeds, account books, and illegal gains."

"Third, all the land that has been seized shall be immediately returned to its original owner or redistributed by the government."

"You are to open the gates and surrender within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and the innocent people inside the fortress will be spared the death penalty."

"If the price doesn't drop by the deadline, there may be resistance—"

Liu Yidao drew his broadsword from his waist, shouting, "On the day the fortress falls, not a single chicken or dog will be spared!"

"boom!"

Five hundred iron cavalrymen behind him drew their swords simultaneously. With a clang, the bright light of the blades illuminated half the sky. The intense killing intent made the private soldiers on the fortress turn pale and tremble with fear.

"General Liu... General Liu!"

Standing on the fortress wall, Liu Bancheng forced himself to remain calm. "There must be some misunderstanding! I am willing to offer half of my family fortune to compensate the government, only begging Your Highness for leniency!"

"A stick of incense."

Liu Yidao remained unmoved. "Start the timer."

Time passed by, bit by bit.

The fortress was deathly silent, save for the heavy breathing.

Outside the fortress, five hundred iron cavalrymen stood like five hundred statues, only their blades reflecting the cold light of the sun.

"The time has come." Liu Yidao's voice was like a death knell.

"No! I surrender! I surrender!"

Suddenly the fortress gates opened, and a group of terrified private soldiers and servants dropped their weapons and ran out crying and shouting.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

Liu Bancheng roared in despair, but his trusted confidants also began to have their eyes gleaming.

"Break down the door!" Liu Yidao pointed his blade forward.

"Boom!" Dozens of cavalrymen dismounted, carrying hastily made ramming blocks, and rammed them hard against the iron-clad fortress gate.

Meanwhile, the crossbowmen on the wall used precise bursts of fire to suppress any resistance fighters who dared to peek out from the fortress.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" After three bangs, the fortress gates were flung open!

"Kill!" Liu Yidao charged ahead, rushing into the fortified village. Behind him, his iron cavalry surged in like a tidal wave.

Resistance was minimal. Most of the private soldiers had already lost their will to fight. The battle quickly turned into a one-sided mopping-up operation.

Liu Bancheng was dragged out of the cellar where he was hiding and thrown into the courtyard of the fortified village like a dead dog. His sons and trusted henchmen were also captured one by one.

Night Owl and the officials of the Household Department quickly took over the fortified village.

In the basement, hidden walls, and secret rooms of the fortified village, mountains of gold, silver, copper coins, jewelry, and silk fabrics were found.

The ledgers show that the Liu family illegally seized as much as 38,000 mu of farmland!

The case involves more than ten murders, and countless people have been driven to death or forced to sell their wives and daughters by usurious loans.

"Confiscate all family property and put it to public use."

Liu Yidao coldly ordered, "Liu Quan, his three sons, and five core henchmen are guilty of heinous crimes. They shall be immediately taken outside the town and beheaded as a warning to others! The remaining accomplices shall be severely punished according to the law. Female relatives and servants who are found innocent after screening shall be released."

"No! Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me!"

Liu Bancheng, now completely devoid of his former arrogance, collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "I'm willing to offer up all my wealth! Everything! I only beg Your Highness to spare my family's lives! I'll serve Your Highness like a slave!"

"Now you know to beg for mercy?"

Liu Yidao looked down at him. "What were you doing all this time? Drag him away!"

"yes!""

Moments later, at the execution ground outside Black Mountain Town.

The heads of Liu Bancheng, his son, and his cronies rolled to the ground.

The onlookers were silent at first, then erupted into thunderous cheers!

"Long live the Prince!"

The cry of "Heaven has eyes!" echoed through the sky.

"All the land seized by the Liu family shall be registered and recorded."

Liu Yidao addressed the gathered crowd, saying loudly, "Original landowners can claim their land first, based on evidence or neighbor testimonies. Land that is unclaimed or cannot be identified will be distributed by the government to local landless or land-poor farmers, as well as newly arrived displaced people!"

"The new land deeds will be issued by the Household Affairs Department within three days!"

"Thank you, General! Thank you, Your Highness, for your great kindness!" Countless people knelt on the ground, their eyes filled with tears of emotion.

Among them, some had their ancestral land taken away, and some were driven to the point of losing their families and lives. Now, they have finally seen justice and hope!

The destruction of Liu Bancheng in Heishan Town was like a violent storm that swept across the entire territory of Hanyuan.

All the powerful figures, clerks, and military leaders who were still observing, hesitating, or even secretly conspiring to oppose the new land title policy were terrified upon hearing the news.

They finally understood that this time, the prince was serious and wanted to completely eradicate them, these malignant tumors clinging to the body of the Cold Abyss!

In a short time, powerful local families took the initiative to declare their hidden land, voluntarily paid back taxes, and even generously donated some of their land in order to save their lives and the rest of their family businesses.

The implementation of the new land title policy became incredibly smooth overnight.

In just one month, the entire territory of Hanyuan was remeasured and registered, and 500,000 new land deeds were issued.

The investigation uncovered over 800,000 mu of hidden farmland! This could increase tax revenue by hundreds of thousands of strings of cash annually!

More importantly, hundreds of thousands of people truly owned their own land, and their recognition and support for the Hanyuan government reached an unprecedented level.

"Your Highness," Han Lie said, holding the thick book of land deeds, tears streaming down his face, "from now on, the land taxes of Hanyuan will be based on evidence, the people will have a reliable foundation, and the foundation of the nation... will be as stable as Mount Tai!"

"yes."

Standing on a high point in the Prince's mansion, Xiao Chen looked into the distance, as if he could see the plots of land that had just been distributed to the people and were about to be planted with new seeds.

"Land is hope."

He said softly, "We have given the people hope, and they will repay us with their sweat and loyalty, making the abyss even stronger."

"This is the true, inexhaustible source of power."

The land title storm is not only an economic and political transformation, but also a profound social reconstruction.

It completely destroyed the old land annexation system, laid the social foundation of "land to the tiller" in Hanyuan, and provided the most stable rear and the most abundant manpower for Hanyuan's future large-scale military operations and national construction.

After this storm passes, the sky over the Cold Abyss will be clearer, and its foundations will be more solid.