8mi Chapter 93 Epilogue 2
Chapter 93 Epilogue 2
June 8th.
Gaoyang County.
The construction of the new city is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it is a long-term process. Five days have passed since the day the Qi family faction was completely wiped out, but all that has been done is to take stock of all the gains and take over a large number of the remaining industries.
The entire Gaoyang County has been completely transformed, but apart from the county government office and the buildings in the inner county, the rest of the area is still visibly dilapidated and low-lying, consisting entirely of self-built adobe houses.
With gangs and powerful clans working together, coupled with the collusion of officials in the county government and the fact that the imperial guards turned a blind eye, the wealth and resources of Gaoyang County were being concentrated and annexed in a frenzy.
This has created a small group of people who live in extravagance and debauchery, while the majority of people are impoverished and destitute; it's practically hell.
This result was certainly not good news for the people of Gaoyang County, but it was very good news for 014. It meant that he had the vast majority of resources in his hands and no longer needed to waste energy collecting them.
Under 014's deliberate orders, the outer county has been reduced to ruins. The reason given was quite high-sounding: to pursue rebels. But in reality, it was to demolish illegal buildings at the lowest possible cost.
When the people from other counties who had been driven out by the county soldiers returned, all they found was ruins; their homes were gone.
Impoverished households were naturally happy to accept the notice of work-for-relief, since their houses were just a few planks nailed together, with a few stones around them as foundations, and a layer of straw on the roof to topple over.
Many people still had some money and lived in mud-brick houses. Although the living conditions were poor, at least it was their own house. And now it's all been demolished?
However, they dared not voice their grievances, because the poor households relied on cleaning up waste and tidying up the land to make a living.
Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents; what's more, if you forbid them from doing it, you're cutting off their lifeline. This isn't just a matter of getting angry; it's a matter of getting seriously injured.
On the other hand, at this critical juncture, the corpses were being transported out by horse-drawn carts. Who would dare to go to the county government office to reason with the officials? They would be arrested and beheaded as soon as they entered, just like any other remnant of the Qi family faction.
However, 014, as the new magistrate of Tianguan County, came down with a mission: he had to consider the ecology of the entire county and even the surrounding areas.
We need to retain people and foster a sense of belonging in order to enhance the nation's vitality, generate labor force and consumption power, and create a virtuous cycle.
If the government destroys people's houses without any explanation or justification, it will sow seeds of distrust in people's hearts that the government is worse than powerful clans and gangs. That would be a real disaster. After all, no matter how ruthlessly gangs and powerful clans exploit people, they still have a safe haven to hide in.
The government simply pushed the family away.
We must come up with a plan as soon as possible and make arrangements for these people first. This is a top priority, and no matter how busy we are, we must set aside some energy to manage this.
014 had the idea of temporarily settling those people in the manors of powerful families such as the Qi family and the Li family.
However, these spoils do not belong to 014 alone, and he also needs to sell these properties to fund the Gaoyang County redevelopment plan. Of course, 014 can use his power to swallow all the spoils.
But this approach won't work. Without property, there is no perseverance. Even someone as powerful as Emperor Wu Hong, who could tread on the sun and moon and pluck stars from the sky, still managed to create so many military, police, and secret agents.
Eliminating the cancer with swift and decisive measures is fine, just like surgery. But surgery also requires a recovery period; you can't just haphazardly stitch up a few stitches and call it a day.
We must maintain a certain market ecosystem, distribute the benefits and responsibilities, act according to the rules, develop infrastructure and protect people's livelihoods. Only in this way can we attract talent and livestock. 014 is still hoping to expand Gaoyang County into a base of the Great Zhao's national defense line.
Although it can't quite be called a regional lord or local government yet, it has to move closer to that level.
As a test taker, 014 certainly knew that choosing Gaoyang County as the exam paper was not so simple. Otherwise, why would Da Zhao choose this place among so many counties? It's because this area is expected to become an important transit point for Da Zhao's future national defense front.
With the capital city of Yingtianfu as its core, and supplemented by numerous transit stations distributed throughout the country, a vast array encompassing the entire territory is formed, sealing off and allowing all the national fortune to rise and form clouds in the sky.
At the same time, the construction of imperial roads and the excavation of canals were carried out simultaneously, completely connecting Da Zhao (Da Zhao) and Da Zhao together.
In this way, no matter where the war breaks out, the rapid mobility of the roads and canals can be used to quickly move combat troops to any location within the Great Zhao region, and with authorization, the omnipresent aura of the heavenly clouds can provide corresponding support.
At that time, there will be no need to maintain such a large military, police, and secret service. Perhaps they will still be maintained, but then they will be waging wars of expansion abroad, rather than maintaining domestic stability and engaging in meaningless internal strife that depletes their own strength.
It sounds simple, but it's incredibly difficult to do, not to mention the terrifying energy consumption of building such a massive formation and the technical challenges involved.
If the Prime Minister and Emperor Wu Hong really manage to create this national defense line, then every sect within the Great Zhao territory will have a sword of some kind of Bodhidharma hanging over their heads, which they can take whenever they want.
Would these sect leaders, who are used to being granted land and titles and wielding power, agree to this?
Therefore, even though Emperor Wu Hong was a man of great talent and ambition, with boundless vision, 014 felt that he would not see the completion of the national defense line in his lifetime, but this did not prevent 014 from advancing recklessly in this direction.
After undergoing the hellish education at the Abyss Academy, 014 already knew that if the situation continued to develop, in at most three or four hundred years, the Great Zhao Dynasty would be in the same situation as the previous dynasty. This was even assuming that Emperor Wu Hong had boundless personal power and a long lifespan.
At the 014 level, which is part of the dynastic machine, one must take a long-term view and look at problems with a different mindset.
We need to play... change.
The people from other counties who depend on the local government have three choices.
The first approach was naturally work relief, which was straightforward. Everywhere was in dire need of development, so all you had to do was sign up and become a servant.
The second point is that 014 will provide compensation. Everyone knows the standard of self-built houses. After registration and verification, each household will receive corresponding compensation in silver, which is equivalent to buying your house.
This part of 014 was outsourced directly to the Fishermen's Mutual Aid Association, who are professionals in this area.
The third one... is quite interesting; it's living beyond one's means.
People who were driven out and then returned could receive newly built houses and the right to live in Gaoyang County without having to undergo work relief.
But I need to buy...
Bonds.
The Qi family and other factions monopolized the transportation of supplies for the people and martial artists. Almost all the necessities in Gaoyang County were transported by them and then wholesaled to merchants in the county.
014 fully adopted Qijia's routes and resources.
This is why he tolerated it for so long, and even after the other party killed the Tiger Rider, he still endured it.
When cleaning up a house, you should also preserve as many of the bottles and jars that the other party has accumulated as possible. That's what cleaning is all about; otherwise, it's just destruction.
Necessities, plus monopolies.
Therefore, 014 would have... the right to issue currency.