novelSusiti Chapter 139 Virtuous Cycle
Chapter 139 Virtuous Cycle
Neither Xun Yu nor Jia Xu, who had been deliberately left behind, spoke immediately.
They rarely find themselves in a dilemma regarding any given situation.
This Li Zhao neither provokes trouble nor lacks the ability to defend effectively. Crucially, he also prevents them from finding any reasonable reason to attack.
It's really troublesome!
"Wenhe, you speak..." Seeing that neither of them spoke, Cao Cao took the initiative to call on Jia Xu.
Jia Xu's heart skipped a beat; it seemed he was truly anxious.
Normally, no matter what we're discussing, we rarely ask him to speak.
"My lord, this is just what I'm thinking..."
"Just say what you think, no need to beat around the bush!"
"..."
Jia Xu paused, then reluctantly changed his words, "This Li Zhao's strength is unfathomable, and he currently enjoys great prestige in the north."
"The key is that he has grain in his hands and makes everyone believe that there is no problem with grain in his possession."
"This alone is enough to attract countless people. If we make a move now, we will inevitably become the target of everyone's criticism."
"In my opinion, the best approach is to maintain the status quo with him and profit from trade based on the conditions Guo Jia brought back."
"Although this would allow it to develop unchecked, we can also stabilize the situation, find ways to increase food income, reclaim wasteland for farming, and bring peace to the people."
"As for the future, things that haven't happened yet, I don't think it's necessary to think about them too deeply!"
While saying this, he also raised a question that Cao Cao could not make up his mind about.
That is, how to formulate a reasonable distribution plan for the taxes paid by the people!
The old rule was that people paid taxes per capita; the more people there were, the more taxes they paid, regardless of the harvest that year.
However, with the appearance of Li Zhao, this method could no longer be continued.
If no measures are taken to improve the people's situation, Li Zhao's advantages will become increasingly apparent.
and so.
This was the first time he publicly supported the suggestion of collecting taxes based on the harvest.
Xun Yu agreed without any hesitation!
Cao Cao remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing to the plan.
At the same time, citing Guo Jia's poor health and need for rest, Jia Xu was gradually put in charge of all matters with Li Zhao...
……
Ye City.
outside the city.
Lü Bu personally led his men to escort the convoy of wagons loaded with grain towards the nearby villages.
As per Li Zhao's request, they were to distribute a sufficient amount of grain to the nearby villagers on a regular monthly basis.
When Li Zhao first arrived in Ye City, he established rules that all the local people would be responsible for reclaiming wasteland and farming, and their expenses would be borne by the governor's office.
This pattern will continue until the new grain is harvested.
At first, naturally no one believed it. After all, when have the words of these adults ever been effective for ordinary people?
It's not like they keep changing their policies every day; it's already quite good if they can keep them fed for a few days.
However, as time went on, Li Zhao and Yuan Shao's people became different.
Not only did they deliver at least a month's worth of grain, but every month at the appointed time, someone would also deliver the grain.
After establishing sufficient trust, all the villagers in the vicinity mobilized and spared no effort to cultivate the wasteland and take the seeds to plant.
This is about their future hopes, and everyone is full of enthusiasm.
Lü Bu was always in charge of distributing grain, and these small, initial tasks were not something he needed to handle personally.
But whenever he had free time, he would go out with his men and personally distribute the grain to ordinary people.
Because it was Li Zhao who used this method to make him understand the hardships of people's lives and the feeling of doing good deeds.
The process of distributing the grain was the same as before, and many people were moved to tears.
They had never been treated like this before; the officials of the past had never taken ordinary people like them seriously.
The way they were taken care of so meticulously is incredibly touching.
Emotions are contagious, and this time is no exception!
All the soldiers who came with Lü Bu were moved to tears by the scene before them.
They are all human beings, and they all have parents and friends. Imagine how wonderful it would be if someone in your hometown did the same thing.
"Since I started following the lord, there have been more and more of these exhilarating scenes." A familiar voice came from beside me.
Lu Bu turned his head and saw that Zhang Liao, dressed in civilian clothes, was following beside him at some point.
"What are you doing here?" Lu Bu asked curiously.
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
Zhang Liao turned around and cupped his hands in greeting.
"There are no lords here, only Lü Bu!"
"I..." Zhang Liao hesitated for a moment before explaining his recent situation.
Inspired by Li Zhao, he has recently been doing things related to the common people.
In any case, the situation is currently stable, and a war is unlikely to break out easily.
Doing more things related to the common people, just like Lü Bu did before, does bring different insights.
Lu Bu understood this feeling and didn't delve into it further.
He looked at the people who had received the grain and were constantly bowing and paying their respects to them, and said softly, "In the past, we collected grain from these people, but now it's the other way around."
"You tell me... how many places in the world are like this?"
Zhang Liao shook his head. "I'm afraid there's nowhere else that can do this except here."
"Collecting less grain is already a great act of merit!"
"Look at us now! The people have no worries about the future. They are working hard to cultivate the wasteland, and they have more and more fertile land, which means they are harvesting more and more grain!"
"I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of?" Lu Bu turned to look at him.
Zhang Liao remained silent, his eyes flickering as he looked at the people who were both crying and laughing.
He didn't want to ruin the atmosphere!
Given such a favorable situation, given enough time, many people will inevitably want to get involved.
What if... what if we can't hold on?
This question lingered in his mind and he couldn't shake it off no matter what.
Lu Bu seemed to see through his thoughts and calmly said, "Actually, you and I are the same. We have never had such a favorable situation before."
"When you have something good, you naturally fear losing it. But if that day ever comes, I believe everyone will do everything in their power to protect these precious things!"
"I believe..." Zhang Liao picked up a bag of millet and walked towards the distant village.
As they distributed the food along the way, many of their original ideas and perceptions changed.
When he returned to the military camp, Lü Bu wanted to invite Zhang Liao for a drink.
But just then, news arrived from Bingzhou.
Zhang Liao deliberately kept his distance and stood guard nearby, while Lü Bu, after reading the contents, immediately smiled.
After waiting for so long, the right opportunity has finally arrived.
"What are you looking at?" Li Zhao's figure suddenly appeared from not far away.
……