bookcurios Chapter 128 Li Zhen's Ambitions Are Very Large
Chapter 128 Li Zhen's Ambitions Are Very Large
Zhoujia Town was captured just like that. When the soldiers of the Dragon Tiger Camp broke through the heavy gate of the Zhou family compound, they found only an elderly man sitting in a grand chair in the middle of the courtyard. This man was none other than the current head of the Zhou family, Old Master Zhou.
Looking at the soldiers of Li's army swarming into the courtyard, Old Master Zhou said with a wry smile, "I ultimately underestimated Li Zhen's courage and ambition. I didn't expect him to disregard his career in order to achieve his goals, or perhaps he has much bigger ambitions. Hehehe... Since things have come to this, let's leave it at that for now."
After speaking, he slowly raised the crossbow in his hand and fired an arrow at the Dragon Tiger Camp soldiers who were rushing in. Although the crossbow was very powerful, the soldiers, who had been prepared in advance, simply dodged it by slightly turning their bodies.
These soldiers didn't care whether you were the head of the family or not. Old Master Zhou was instantly riddled with bullets. Anyone who dared to resist, regardless of age, was killed on the spot. This was a military order and also the rule of survival on the battlefield.
After Qian Dazhuang and the others came in, they looked at the lifeless Old Master Zhou and actually joked, "They say old people are shrewd, but you old stubborn man, land reform is an inevitable trend, you've just wasted your life."
A soldier ran over to report: "Report! A secret passage has been found in a room. The rest of the Zhou family must have escaped through the passage. Should we go down into the passage and give chase?"
Qian Dazhuang glanced at Battalion Commander Wei, pondered for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Forget it, let's not pursue them. Send men to block the secret passage, and then screen the other families in the town. Anyone who participated in today's resistance should be taken back to the county jail."
The news of the Zhou family's downfall spread throughout Neihuang County overnight. Those who had been observing the situation instantly declared their full support for land reform, sending their land deeds to the county government early the next morning. Even the powerful families who had initially sided with the Zhou family changed their tune, realizing that Wang Juren was the truly shrewd one, now possessing the mining rights to a coal mine.
Not only that, after Qian Dazhuang remeasured the land, one-third of Zhang Ju's land was returned to him. As a result, many more local gentry and wealthy families followed suit immediately, since even a powerful family like the Zhou family had disappeared overnight, and they believed their strength was inferior to the Zhou family's.
Of course, there were also some who were unwilling to cooperate. They liquidated their family's assets overnight and fled towards Lin'an with Zhou Bingwen, who had escaped from the Zhou family.
The rest was much simpler. With the help of Mr. Bad Guy, Qian Dazhuang conducted a household registration for the entire Neihuang County, and issued identity certificates to everyone. In addition, the land was re-divided according to the local population, and villages were established. Each village elected a village head who was responsible for maintaining security and stability throughout the village.
In each village, Qian Dazhuang assigned two professionally trained soldiers to garrison the area and help the villagers establish a security team. The county provided the weapons and equipment, as well as the team's expenses and training costs. These soldiers were specially selected, and their military skills and ideology were entirely loyal to Li Zhen. Therefore, during their free time, they would tell the villagers stories about Li Family Village and Li Zhen. It was from this point that the people of Neihuang County developed a strong interest in Li Family Village, which became a sacred place in their hearts.
With the land reform progressing smoothly, Battalion Commander Wei and his soldiers did not return to Lijiazhai, but stayed to suppress bandits in various places. Qian Dazhuang gave him another 500 soldiers and ordered him to thoroughly survey all the mountains and hills in Neihuang County, wiping out all the bandits, big and small.
For a time, the entire Neihuang County became the safest place. People could light their lamps at night without worrying about thieves following the light to break into their homes.
After finishing his business in Neihuang County, Mr. Bu Liang hurried to Anyang Prefecture. Because Li Zhen had lifted the commercial tax policy, countless merchants from other places flocked to trade there. These people needed food and lodging, and the inns in Anyang Prefecture were quickly overflowing with people.
After these merchants sold their goods, they purchased a large quantity of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and other condiments from the grain and oil department of Anyang Prefecture. It should be noted that Erguotou from Anyang Prefecture is a highly sought-after commodity in other prefectures and counties.
Looking at the bustling market outside the city, Bu Liang chuckled and said to Li Zhen, "My lord's idea is indeed excellent. Although we no longer have commercial taxes, we still collect a lot of market management fees. Compared to the previous commercial taxes, the management fees are more cost-effective, and the inns and meals where these out-of-town merchants stay also bring in a considerable amount of income."
Hearing the unflattering praise, Li Zhen said with some pride, "We need to look at the long term. This is all small change. In a while, I will organize people to build a new city on the east side of Anyang City. It will become a permanent commercial city. What do you think about us renting out all the houses in those prime locations and then using our Li Family Army to set up Li's Logistics?"
Although he was quite unfamiliar with the word "logistics" mentioned by his lord, as if looking at flowers through a fog, he was not very clear about it. However, his wicked mind was as clear as a mirror, knowing that his lord was quietly laying out a grand scheme. At that time, he chose to follow Li Zhen because he believed that Li Zhen would definitely achieve great things.
In Bu Liang's eyes, Li Zhen's actions were like playing chess. Every move he made was carefully considered, and every step carried profound meaning. Bu Liang knew that although he didn't understand the intricacies, he had to closely follow his lord's steps, because in this game of chess, everyone was a crucial piece, collectively weaving a glorious chapter that would rewrite history.
Li Zhen is an ambitious young man from modern times. He knows the power of trade wars, and he's only just getting started. He plans to take advantage of the severe drought in the north this year to sell off large quantities of grain and other supplies. One reason is to help the poor people, since they don't have enough money to buy overpriced grain from unscrupulous merchants. The other reason is that Li Zhen wants to use Cui Dake's military background to control the entire grain market in the north.
In this way, he could obtain a stable income from gold, and with the support of time travel and space, he could continuously transport low-priced grains from the future to this place. If possible, he even wanted to use the grains to disrupt the financial system of the Song Dynasty.
It's said that very few people in the Song Dynasty understand finance these days. If his brother-in-law were to be so clueless, he'd be more than happy to see the Song Dynasty in even greater chaos. As for the Jin Dynasty, that goes without saying.
If Li Zhen weren't currently too small in power, he might even have considered issuing paper money or a new currency to replace copper coins and silver in this era. He thought about it, but he knew that doing so would be tantamount to declaring war on both the Song and Jin dynasties simultaneously. The Song and Jin might turn a blind eye to his existence, but establishing a separate state was tantamount to rebellion.