Chapter 970: The Magnificent Power of Han (Ninety-Four)

The weather in July was extremely hot. The scorching sun hung under the sky without a single cloud, casting its fiery rays down. The air was filled with heat and there was no wind. Even the cicadas on the roadside trees that used to chirp non-stop had stopped chirping and lay under the small shadow of the leaves, shaking their wings weakly.

The shade of the trees was crowded with merchants on their way. In such weather and at such a time, it was really not suitable to walk under the sun. The crowded crowds of people who were resting delighted the vendors who had set up stalls on the roadside. Various snacks with a pot of cold tea could satisfy hunger. It quenches thirst again. There are many customers in front of each stall, and the farmers who come out to do some small business are so busy that they are smiling.

In such weather, it is definitely not possible to work in the fields, but hardworking people are always busy. They tidy up at home, boil a big pot of herbal tea, and make some local snacks. They can make money by bringing them to the roadside.

Thanks to Hanwang, farmers like them who set up a small stall on the roadside temporarily do not have tax differentials to collect taxes. It is very different from previous years. Even at this season last year, they set up a stall for a day when passing by, and the final income was not enough for a day's meal. But this year is different. Collecting one is considered to be making one profit.

The merchants on the road were also full of joy, no matter they were large caravans or small vendors, in the territory of the Han Dynasty, there were no endless checkpoints in various places. After you paid taxes in one place, no matter where you delivered the goods, as long as you showed the tax payment receipt, no officials would come to trouble you, and no corrupt officials would blackmail and exploit you. This greatly reduced the cost of goods. Although the price of goods dropped, the merchants made more money. This also made them more generous along the way. After drinking and eating, they would often give the vendors a few copper coins as tips, earning a burst of gratitude and compliments from the boss for smooth sailing and making a fortune. Both sides were happy. Great joy.

When you go out, you always want to have good luck!

It has been more than half a year since the King of Han ascended the throne. During this period, the entire Han Empire has undergone earth-shaking changes, and the biggest beneficiaries are farmers and merchants.

Basically all landless farmers have their own land. Although they still owe the government a sum of money, compared with the value of the land, this amount of money is really nothing. Every family is calculating how long it will take to pay off the interest-free loan given by the government and make the land truly their own. The farmers who are used to calculating carefully have finally understood this account and no longer stay at home during the slack season. Instead of staying at home, they go out and try to make some money to supplement the family expenses or repay the loan. The sooner they pay off the loan, the sooner they can feel at ease. Now there are more ways to make money. Businesses in the city are hiring people everywhere, and there are many who need short-term workers like them. The roads and ditches being built by the government also need a lot of manpower.

It’s good for the new king to take the throne. In the past, there was no salary for this kind of work. It was corvée sent by the government. Every household had to send people. But now, if you are willing to work for a day, you can get a day’s salary. If you don’t want to work, no one will force you. Of course, for them, of course, it’s necessary. Go to work, the wages are generous, and there is free sour plum soup to drink on the construction site. Although no meals are provided, you can still eat a full meal by bringing some dry food from home and drinking sour plum soup.

In addition to farmers, the second beneficiary is the merchants. First of all, their political status has been greatly improved. Because of the existence of trade all over the world, the merchants of the Han Dynasty have their own spokespersons in the court, who can seek benefits for them. Although the commercial tax has increased a lot compared with the past, there are fewer miscellaneous taxes, bridge fees, and extra expenses for handling affairs, and extortion by local powerful officials. The cost has dropped significantly. The domestic economy of the Han Dynasty has been greatly improved. , building roads and bridges on a large scale. The improvement of roads has accelerated the circulation of goods. In the past, it took one or two months to get from Jishi City to Jicheng. But now, although the road is still being repaired in sections, the time has been saved by one third. It is roughly estimated that after the longest highway in the Han Dynasty is completed, the distance of the trade route will be shortened by half. For merchants, time is equal to money.

The second benefit is the influx of a large amount of funds. Because the national policy of the Han Dynasty did not allow individuals to own a large amount of land, the former big landlords of Yan State had to sell their land to the state in accordance with the state regulations. Land, the large amount of money obtained has nowhere to go, so it can only be invested in business. The influx of a large amount of funds has made the competition in business more intense, but it also allows businessmen to have sufficient liquidity. Many large landowners who are not good at business have chosen to invest in those large businesses and enjoy dividends and profits every year.

In short, everything in the Han Dynasty is undergoing earth-shaking changes, everything is thriving, and vitality is bursting everywhere.

This is the most intuitive feeling that Dong Zhuang has had along the way.

Dong Zhuang, just returned from the three eastern counties a month ago. He is a battalion commander of a combat battalion under the command of Chen Bin, the third division of the first army of the Northern Group Army.

Two years ago, he was an ordinary soldier of the former Yan State's new army. After the battle of Yuyang, the Yan State's new army was defeated by the Zhengdong Army. He was taken prisoner and escorted to the Hetao area. It was this experience of being a prisoner that completely changed his life. He was spotted by his current boss Fu Xiao and became a soldier of the Zhengdong Army. Then, he fought with the Zhengdong Army in Hetao and Donghu for two years, and was promoted along the way. Now he has become a field battalion commander commanding thousands of soldiers.

He was originally from Tianhe County. After settling the troops and handling all official duties, he asked for leave from his boss and took ten guards with him, galloping all the way to his hometown.

Fine clothes and furious horses, full of vigor and vitality The momentum is like a rainbow, compared with the miserable and miserable people who joined the army because of hunger, how different is it? If you become rich in one day, if you can't return home with honor, isn't it like walking in the night in brocade clothes? The Dong family was one of the poorest families in Dongjia Village because of the large number of children. Dong Zhuang also wanted to be proud of himself when he returned home this time.

Ah! Dong Zhuang reined in his warhorse, and the horse stopped with a long neigh. The ten guards behind him also reined in their horses at the same time. These were all his personal soldiers, a group of elite soldiers who had fought out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The cooperation between them was also to the extent of telepathy. They could understand each other's movements and eyes.

"Boss, what's wrong?" A guard rode forward and looked at Dong Zhuang. He saw endless confusion in his eyes.

"I, I seem to be lost!" Dong Zhuang murmured, a little embarrassed.

"Lost?" The guard opened his mouth wide, "Boss, you have only been away from home for two years, how come you can't recognize the way home?"

Dong Zhuang scratched his head and pointed to the end of the road in the distance, "I remember that there used to be a muddy road leading directly to Dongjiazhuang, and our Dongjiazhuang was also a famous poor village, with some thatched houses and a mess. But now look, how can it be like my hometown?"

Everyone looked in the direction of his finger. At the end of the road, there were rows of blue brick and tile houses. They were neatly arranged, not the miserable state that the boss had described to them before. Everyone had a puzzled look in their eyes, "Boss, you were telling us a joke before, right?"

"Bullshit!" Dong Zhuang said angrily, "Am I a person who talks nonsense? It was because there were many people in my family and I had a big appetite. I ate enough to feed several people, so I had to join the army."

"Just go and have a look, and ask!" said another guard.

"Let's go and have a look!" Dong Zhuang pulled the reins and rode forward slowly.

On both sides of the road, the crops were half a person deep. Although the sun was blazing in the sky, the crops were still very energetic. The reason was nothing more than... On both sides of the road, there is a ditch extending into the distance, with clear water flowing in the ditch. Every few sections of the road, there is an opening that separates a thin stream of water to irrigate the crops along the way.

The further he walks, the more familiar scenes appear in front of Dong Zhuang's eyes. Scenes from the past come to his mind. His hand unconsciously holds the reins, and the horse walks slower and slower.

"Boss, is it really not?" asked a guard behind him.

"No, it should be, it should be." Dong Zhuang murmured. He is now sure that this is his home, Dongjiazhuang, where he was born and raised. Only two years have passed, and Dongjiazhuang has become as unattractive as he is. I dare not recognize him.

There was the noise of children in front. No matter where they were or what season it was, the children were always so energetic. Although the sun seemed to be scorching everything, the children were still happily chasing and playing in the village.

The sudden appearance of the knights obviously frightened the children. Seven or eight children crowded together and looked at these warriors riding tall horses with swords on their waists with some fear.

"Little kid, don't be afraid. Is this Dongjiazhuang?" Dong Zhuang rode forward and tried to soften his tone. He knew that his appearance was not very good now. When he captured Helin, his face was full of anger. He was stabbed, leaving a long cut from his brow to his ear. The wound healed later, but it left a permanent scar.

Sure enough, when the children saw Dong Zhuang's face, they were even more afraid and retreated. Dong Zhuang had no choice but to look back at his guards, wanting to find a kind-looking guy to ask questions. He never thought that the guys behind him looked ferocious and even worse than himself.

"Are you the eldest brother of the Dong family?" After a while, a slightly older girl poked her head out of the crowd and asked timidly.

"Yes, yes, I am, I am, the Dong family with a big pine tree outside the door, Dong Zhuang !” Dong Zhuang was overjoyed and shouted.

“It’s Big Dong!” The kids obviously remembered who was in front of them, cheered, and ran towards the village.

“Big Dong is back!” Everyone shouted in unison.

A group of guards looked at each other and looked at Dong Zhuang together, “Boss, it seems that you don’t have a good reputation among them!”

“What’s not good?” Dong Zhuang said a little embarrassedly: “I didn’t have enough to eat at the beginning. Sometimes I was so hungry that I just looked for these kids to cheat some food.”

Everyone was stunned at first, and then laughed out loud. Everyone could imagine that scene, the big bad wolf and the little white rabbit! (To be continued)