Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

"That's right. The reason why powerful families can amass land is because land is treated as a commodity. As long as you have money and power, you can buy and sell it. If the people of the world could reach a consensus that their own land must never be sold, and if you dare to buy my land, I will fight you to the death, and my neighbors around me will also help me fight you to the death, then what would be the point of buying it?"

"Yes, this is a good idea."

"This is an important governing principle for my Huang Chao army in the future, and we must make more people aware of it."

"In the coming year, let Yan Hongxin oversee our strongholds and businesses in Suizhou, Mr. Wang recruit soldiers in Hebei, and Dou Jun run the Yangzhou Bank in Jiangnan. The most elite troops of my Huang Chao army can then be brought to Shandong and personally led by me to completely eradicate the powerful and the poor in Qi. This is the main task of our Huang Chao army in the twentieth year of Zhenguan."

"Uncle, you and Chao Yang will stay with me. Shao Kang, you should first return to Luoyang and Chang'an to hand over the affairs of Huinong Bank, and then return to the Shandong coast to handle the saltworks."

"Alright, I'll set off now."

"No rush, no rush, we can go after the Lantern Festival."

……

Finally, the person Li You summoned for discussion was Chao Yang, who was extremely busy.

Proofreading and printing books requires constant adjustments to the typeface, which is very mentally taxing and not an easy task.

However, Chao Yang worked very hard, and his hard work came from the bottom of his heart.

Because he knew what the books he was printing meant to those poor people who thirsted for knowledge.

Upon entering, before Li You could ask any questions, Chao Yang made his own request.

"My lord, there are too many books to print, I am really too busy, we need to carve a few more sets of movable type."

"Hmm, good. I'll have the artisans in the mountain stronghold make three to five more sets and send them to you."

"Also, I can call on my drinking buddies to help print the book."

"Oh, are they willing to join my Huang Chao army?"

"They'll definitely be willing to do something so convenient for students everywhere. If they're not, then kidnap them!"

"What? Mr. Chao, you've changed. You used to absolutely refuse to tie anyone up."

"My lord, the matter is too important, and I am anxious, so this is the only way. My friends may not be particularly talented, but they are broad-minded, trustworthy, and come from humble backgrounds. They certainly won't blame me after they know the truth."

"Okay, then invite all your friends over as well."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Chao Yang then introduced the names of his several friends to Li You.

Li You asked, "Mr. Chao, are all your friends from humble backgrounds?"

Chao Yang nodded: "Yes, just like me."

"How much land do they own?"

"Zhao Kun's family owns three thousand mu of paddy fields and... an estimated five or six thousand mu of dry land. Fan Juxing's family owns five..."

Around a thousand mu (approximately 667 hectares), I'm not sure about the dry land. Some of Li Ji's relatives were merchants, so they owned even more land; their branch alone had tens of thousands of mu (approximately 667 hectares) of paddy fields, and their dry land combined probably amounted to tens of thousands of mu (approximately 667 hectares).

Indeed, many of the so-called "poor scholars" came from very well-off families and lived far more comfortably than ordinary people, which is why they had the leisure to study and make a living.

"Mr. Chao, how much land do you own?"

"To my shame, I don't own much land. There are only two brothers in my branch. My younger brother, Chao Gang, is much smarter than me. He is good at managing and owns 4,500 mu of paddy fields and 7,000 mu of dry land."

"I was so focused on my studies that I sometimes even sold land to socialize with friends. So right now I only have 800 mu of paddy fields and 2,000 mu of dry land, which my younger brother is now managing for me."

"In that case, your Chao family can be considered a large family."

"Actually, not really. The total number of people in the same clan is only about two hundred. Even including other members of the Chao clan, it's only about five hundred. Speaking of which, my Chao family had the opportunity to grow into a prominent family, but unfortunately... sigh, never mind..."

Chao Yang himself didn't want to talk about it, but Li You's appetite was whetted.

"What happened to your Chao family?"

"During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Western Han Dynasty, the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu launched a rebellion under the banner of 'purging the court of corrupt officials.' Emperor Liu Qi had no choice but to execute the minister Chao Cuo. My Chao family was implicated and exterminated, with only five or six members of a collateral branch escaping. Forced into a corner, the Chao family had no choice but to change their surname to 'He' and migrate elsewhere to eke out a living."

"After the fall of the Han Dynasty, the surnames were changed back. Nowadays, there are three Chao families: one in Yuzhou, one in Luzhou, and one in Xuzhou. Our branch of two hundred people is the Chao family of Xuzhou."

"You're actually a descendant of the famous minister Chao Cuo?"

"That's right, Chao Cuo, the Imperial Censor of the Western Han Dynasty, was my twenty-eighth generation ancestor."

"No wonder, no wonder... I heard that Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, had no choice but to execute Chao Cuo. After Zhou Yafu quelled the Rebellion of the Seven States and the world was at peace, Emperor Jing of Han did not offer any compensation to your Chao family?"

"Sigh, what compensation? Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. The most ruthless family is the imperial family. In the end, it's good enough if a few people are left alive. It's also my ancestor Chao Cuo's fault. Why did he meddle in the internal affairs of the Liu imperial family? If he could have been wise to protect himself back then, my Chao family would be a prominent family like the Langya Wang family, if not one of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families."

According to Chao Yang's description, the Chao family was indeed in a very bad situation.

There were many similar families in ancient times, such as the Ying family, the royal family of the Qin Dynasty, which was slaughtered by the anti-Qin rebels and almost none of their descendants survived.

Families that have survived to the present day almost all have a set of wise and prudent strategies for navigating life, which is why they have been able to weather crises and harsh times.

Li You then spoke with Chao Yang about the plans to be implemented in Shandong, hoping to hear his opinion.

"Land cannot be bought or sold?"

"Indeed, this will greatly curb the behavior of powerful families encroaching on the land of ordinary people. Moreover, we should continue the strategy we used at the beginning of the rebellion, investigate the land of powerful families, and distribute it to the displaced peasants. In this way, we can quickly gain the trust of the people of Shandong for my Huang Chao army."

Chao Yang said, "My lord's move is more thorough than the imperial court's equal-field system. As far as I know, Guanzhong has little land but a large population, and it is also the capital region, so the imperial court's laws are strict, and land sales are greatly restricted. However, apart from Guanzhong, although there are laws restricting sales in other places, no one abides by them. To my shame, my younger brother Chao Gang's many properties were purchased from the people at low prices during famine years."

Li Youdao: "Are there many people like your brother?"

"It's become a common practice; all the rich people do this. It's a great bargain, so why not take advantage of it?"

"Mr. Chao, didn't you pick it up?"

"I...actually, I'm also a little envious, but I'm not as clever as my younger brother, who likes to make deals with people."

Li You paused, then posed a probing question: "Mr. Chao, would you be willing to share your several thousand acres of land with the people back in your hometown?"

Upon hearing this, Chao Yang was struck dumb.

He stood there stunned for two or three minutes, his expression changing several times, before finally letting out a heavy sigh.

"The question raised by my lord is truly perplexing! When I discussed the equal distribution of land among aristocratic families with you, I was filled with righteous indignation and had the world at heart; but when it came to the equal distribution of my own family's land, it felt like a sharp knife cutting into my heart, causing me unbearable pain. Shame on me, shame on me! I, Chao Yang, am nothing but a despicable and two-faced man!"