"Hey, hey, have you heard? We don't have enough food in the city! "A commoner whispered to another commoner.
"Not enough food? That can't be! Where did you hear this news? His Royal Highness Sage King shouldn't be short of food. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given us such a low tax! "Another commoner said in surprise. One must know that Liu Mang's Army's taxes in Shouchun were very low. It was only a trifling 30% of the taxes. Liu Mang's Army should not be lacking in provisions to be able to pay such taxes. Otherwise, how could he feed his army?
"You don't have to ask. You can see for yourselves. How much food did you get yesterday?" The commoner said disdainfully.
"Two buckets!" The commoner still didn't know what was going on.
"You also know that it's two buckets. At first, each of us had four buckets and the children had one. But now, it's changed from four buckets to three buckets. Now, it's two buckets and the children have half a bucket. Who can eat their fill like this? This doesn't mean anything! "
Indeed, when the commoners entered Shouchun, Liu Mang's Army did give them four buckets of food. When everyone was full, they could even leave some for themselves. But now, there were only two buckets left. How could two buckets be enough? This wasn't the modern world where there were so many dishes, so people ate less. This was a chaotic world. Everyone was mainly eating. The dishes were not something that rich families could afford, so the consumption of food was huge.
"Two buckets is already not bad. At least we won't starve to death. We'll survive!" An old man spoke up for Liu Mang's Army. He was an old man who survived the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Naturally, he knew what it was like when people did not have food to eat. It was simply cannibalism. There were corpses everywhere. Although there were only two buckets of food in Shouchun, they would not starve to death.
"It's over just like that? Old man, you don't know. Let me tell you. I heard that in a few days, there won't even be two buckets left. In order to block Liu Bei's Army outside the city, it's said that the food will only be given to those who participate in the defense of the city. They want to cut off our food rations, and ordinary people can only go to the battlefield to eat food! "The seemingly simple farmer continued.
"Only the people on the city wall can eat it?!" The old man frowned. If this was the case, it would be fine for the young people, but what about the old people and children like him? What about the women and children? Could it be that they had to go up the city walls as well? Not to mention fighting, climbing up the city walls was more or less the same. Looking at the old man's frown, the man continued to speak ill of Liu Mang's army, saying that they should give the spoiled food to the people and so on.
"Why are you being so picky when there's food to eat? Do you want to wait for Liu Bei's army to break into the city and slaughter us?!" Another citizen couldn't stand it anymore and retorted.
"Who told you that Xuande Guild is massacring the entire city? Let me tell you, this is all fake and a joke. What kind of person is Duke Xuande? He is the Left General of our Great Han Dynasty and the Emperor's uncle. He is incomparably benevolent and righteous. If you don't believe me, go and ask the people from Xuzhou. When the Left General left Xuzhou, how many people were willing to follow him?! "The man began to praise Liu Bei again.
"Yes, yes, I am from Xuzhou. Duke Xuande is a living Bodhisattva. He saved Xuzhou from being massacred by Traitor Cao!" Pang Tong's spies weren't the only ones who said such words in the crowd. There were also real Xuzhou citizens. The Xuzhou citizens were now grateful to Liu Bei.
Many people began to waver when they heard the crowd chime in like this.
The man struck while the iron was hot and said, "The Left General even held a banquet outside the city. If you don't believe me, you can go and take a look. He said that he will let bygones be bygones. He is only following the Emperor's orders to crusade against disloyal subjects. It has nothing to do with us!"
"Crusade against disloyal subjects? Shouchun belongs to His Royal Highness the Sage King. How is that disloyal subject?! "
"You don't understand. His Royal Highness the Sage King has been deceived. For example, the military counselor Xu Shu and the envoy Yang Hong. Don't tell me you don't know them? They were Yuan Shu's counselors. He was Yuan Shu's traitor!" "Yang Hong's reputation among the common people is really bad. Because in order to let Yuan Shu ascend the throne and have enough provisions for the army, he plundered a lot of common people. The common people hate Yang Hong to death. But who knows that Yang Hong is just a person who follows orders?!
"You mean?!" This place is Yangzhou. This is Shouchun. How long has it been since Yuan Shu became the Emperor? The moment he became the Emperor, the entire Yangzhou was destroyed. Shouchun, which used to be half of the country's capital, was reduced to less than 10%. Such a miserable ending was all because of Yuan Shu. Now, Yang Hong, who instigated Yuan Shu to become the Emperor, is also here. Maybe Yuan Shu will really become the Emperor of Shouchun. When that time comes, it will be over. These people still remember the miserable state of Yangzhou.
"What about taxes? What about the fertile land? " What the commoners truly cared about was their own petty profits, because these were the foundation of their existence.
"Lord Xuande said that as long as we take Shouchun, it will only be to crusade against disloyal subjects. As long as we kill these disloyal subjects, His Royal Highness the Sage King will abide by His Royal Highness's words and give them to us!" The man continued. His words were Pang Tong's trick. 30% of the taxes? Don't laugh! Even if Liu Bei was virtuous, he would not dare to take 30%. If it was 30%, what would he use to raise the army? What would he use to pay salaries and recruit soldiers? One had to know that Guandu was coming to an end. If he wanted to dominate the Central Plains, he needed a strong army. Therefore, he could only expand the army. The reason why he said this was to appease the people first. After he took Shouchun, all of this would be explained. After they took Shouchun, naturally, the taxes would return to the original state. After that, the people would riot and curse Liu Mang. This was the tax set by Sage King Liu Mang. In this way, not only would Liu Bei get the original taxes, but Liu Mang's reputation would also be ruined. Only by winning the trust of the people could he gain the support of the people. If he could not, then there was only one outcome, and that was to be cursed on the streets!
Now that the man had said this, the people in the city started to talk. Many of the commoners became more cautious. They were just ordinary commoners. Naturally, they would not be diehard loyal. They only thought about their own small family and did not think about Shouchun. Everyone thought that if Liu Bei's words were true, then as long as they did not massacre the entire city, then everything would be fine. At worst, they would just have to change their parents.
To these commoners, it didn't matter who became the prefect! It was not just the people inside the city. Even the temporary garrisons on top of the city walls were restless. Liu Bei's Army had said that as long as they do not resist and throw down their weapons, they will let bygones be bygones.
"Haha, the military advisor is really a god. If this goes on, Shouchun will be broken!" Seeing that everyone was discussing this simple and honest man, he immediately changed into a cunning expression. He changed his outfit and went to the other districts to continue spreading rumors.
"Captain, should we take him down?" The man left, but he did not know that he was already being watched.
"No, at least not now!" This captain was the intelligence officer that Yang Hong left in Shouchun. They already knew that Pang Tong's spies had infiltrated Shouchun, but they could not find them because there were millions of people in Shouchun. With so many people, how could they identify them one by one? It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But now, Pang Tong's plan had exposed all of them. However, now was not the time to catch them all because the main leaders had not yet been found. They could only wait for them to come out and deal with them together.
Seeing that a riot was about to break out, the White Horse Cavalry began to ride their warhorses and shout loudly, "All the people, listen up! The corrupt official, Xie Wen, is about to be executed at the market in the east of Shouchun City! Everyone can go and watch. The military advisor will uphold justice for you! "
"Execute the corrupt official? What's there to watch? I'm not going, I'm not going. Why would I go to such an unlucky place? " Some people did not want to go, but then they wanted to go again because someone shouted, "Granary official? What kind of official is that? "
"Stupid, you don't even know this. The granary official is the official who gives us food!" Some people belittled their companions to improve themselves.
"The official who gives us food is corrupt? Is it because of the food? "
"Everyone, go and watch. The military advisor said that he will uphold justice for us. He may give us food!" Not only did Pang Tong have intelligence officers, but Liu Mang's spies were also promoting the distribution of food. With this, the people who were not willing to go were willing to go. Those who were willing to watch the fun even followed.
In a small courtyard in Shouchun, a woman was frowning. "There are only two dou of food?" Even with her husband's share, it was only four dou. If it was before, it would be fine. At most, she would eat a little less. But now, she was pregnant. How could four dou be enough? If it really didn't work, she could only pawn the jewelry that Brother Wen gave her. This way, she could still get some food back.
It was noisy outside, but the woman did not care at all. She was a woman and should not go out. Not to mention, she was worried about food. The woman didn't want to go out, but there was a reason why she had to. It was because two other women rushed in.
"Sister Xie, go quickly. Go to the East Caishikou!" A woman shouted while panting.
"Go to the East Caishikou?" The woman called Sister Xie was stunned. What was the point of going to the East Caishikou? It was just a beheading. What was there to see? Not only was it unlucky, but there were also many people. She was pregnant and needed to rest at home. Why would she go to the market? "Liu family's sister-in-law, why are you in such a hurry? Come slowly and drink some water!" Xie family's sister-in-law handed a bowl of water to the woman who reported the news.
After drinking a mouthful of water, Sister Xie of the Liu family felt really comfortable. "Come on, Sister Xie, let me tell you. Go to the East Caishikou. Your husband, Xie Wen, Xie Wen!"
"What happened to Xie Wen?" Hearing someone mention her husband, Sister Xie was a little anxious.
"He is going to be beheaded. Go quickly!"
"What!" Sister Xie of the Liu family was stunned when she heard the news. "Impossible! Impossible! How could it be?" Could it be that Liu Bei's army had invaded? How could it be? Although Xie Wen had lost an arm, he was an old man in the Lvbu Army. He had lost an arm for the Lvbu Army. How could he be beheaded?
"Is Xie Wen the grain officer?" Sister Xie of the Liu family continued. Sister Xie of the Wu family nodded. "That's right! Those soldiers on horseback are shouting that they want to execute Xie Wen at the East Caishikou. They want to seek justice for our people! "
"Take me there! Take me there!" Sister Xie of the Wu family panicked because the Liu family's wife was talking about Xie Wen!
Sister Xie of the Liu family was afraid that something would happen to Xie of the Wu family because she was pregnant, so she asked her husband and her brother to take Xie of the Wu family to the East Caishikou. Before the four of them reached the East Caishikou, they saw a sea of people. With the help of two men, Sister Xie of the Wu family and Sister Xie of the Liu family squeezed to the front of the East Caishikou.
"Make way! Make way!" Just as everyone was looking forward to it, a group of cavalrymen led the way, followed by a prisoner carriage. The armless man in the prisoner carriage was Xie Wen, the grain officer!
"Xie Wen! Xie Wen!" Sister Xie of the Wu family wanted to shout, but no one responded. There were too many people in the crowd. How could a weak woman like her, who was pregnant, respond? Her voice was soon drowned out by the noise.
After a while, the prisoner carriage arrived at the East Caishikou. Xie Wen was escorted out of the carriage and knelt in front of the East Caishikou. Xu Shu of Shouchun was sitting on the execution platform. Beside him was a personal guard. Zhao Yun had returned to the walls of Shouchun. Zhao Yun was needed to guard Shouchun and prevent Liu Bei's Army from launching a surprise attack.
"Everyone, quiet! Quiet!" A man who looked like a scholar walked to the front of the stage and gestured to the crowd to quiet down and listen to Xu Shu. But what could a scholar do? Just as the scholar didn't know what to do, Xu Shu stood up.
He walked to the entrance of the East Caishikou and Xie Wen knelt in front of him. Xu Shu took a deep breath and opened his mouth. It sounded like a tiger's roar. "Silence!" Xu Shu was also a warrior. His roar had some power. It made the people in the front row feel uncomfortable in their ears and no longer spoke. The people in the back also quieted down because the people in front of them didn't speak.
Xu Shu sighed in relief when he saw that everyone had quieted down. His injuries were not as bad as before. After a while, Xu Shu opened his mouth and said, "Fellow countrymen and citizens of the Han Dynasty, this humble one is Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi, a subordinate of His Highness the Sage King. I am indebted to His Highness the Sage King for giving me the position of Military Advisor. I have always been cautious and conscientious, afraid of making any mistakes. His Highness the Sage King also used the common people as a foundation. For the sake of the common people, he has shown great benevolence by allowing everyone to pay only 30% of the taxes and be able to live and work in peace and contentment. This is for the benefit of the Han Dynasty and the common people." Xu Shu began to recite Liu Mang's benevolence. People have a heart of gratitude. However, most of them have a heart of forgetfulness. No matter how good you are to a person, once time passes, they will naturally forget. Xu Shu wanted to find this heart of gratitude again.
"Yes, yes, His Highness the Sage King is a good person. He gave us thirty percent of the taxes and several mu of land for free. He even gave us more land for our children in the future. He is really a living Bodhisattva, a saint!" Ancient China was a history of war, and at the same time, it was also a history of agricultural civilization. The small farming economy had always occupied the main position. For the common people, land was the capital to settle down. With good land, they would no longer have to worry about not having enough to eat, and 30% of the taxes would no longer let them not have enough to eat. This was a real benefit, and they would not be unable to see it.
Xu Shu was very satisfied with the gratitude of the common people. He had given them so many benefits, if they didn't think about the kindness, then they would really be beasts. "But some people don't think so. A few days ago, Liu Bei coveted the richness of Yangzhou and wanted to occupy Shouchun. He even wanted to confiscate all of your land and increase the taxes to fifty percent like Yuzhou. Don't you think such a person is very hateful?" Xu Shu continued to launch his speech offensive.
"Yes, yes!" The common people responded with one call. Why did they come to Shouchun? Wasn't it just for the land? If their fields were taken away, how were they going to make a living? There was also a 50% tax. To be honest, it wasn't a lot in this chaotic world. However, one had to look at what it was compared to. It was like eating rice all the time. Would you be able to stand it if you were suddenly forced to eat grass and tree bark? The huge contrast would definitely make you angry.
Xu Shu wanted to stir up the anger of the common people and vent it all on Liu Bei's Army outside. Didn't Liu Bei want to beautify himself? Xu Shu wanted to worsen his image and say that he was a heinous devil who came to rob everyone of their land and not let them eat.
"You liar!" Seeing Xu Shu's words provoking the hatred of the common people, the hidden spies of Liu Bei's Army couldn't stand it anymore. If the people of Shouchun were united and hated Liu Bei to a certain extent, then it would really be over. Not to mention whether they could capture Shouchun or not, even if they captured it, Liu Bei would be helpless against the common people. He stood up and pointed at Xu Shu and angrily said, "Left General Xuande Gong came to suppress rebellious ministers. How could he take away everyone's land and let everyone raise taxes? This is all your side of the story! You are slandering us! "
Everyone's eyes were attracted by this person. Xu Shu also saw this person. His face was expressionless, but his heart was sneering. He wanted to see clowns like you. "I don't know who you are!"
"I'm not your excellency, I'm just a commoner from Yu Province. In Yu Province, the commoners worship Lord Xuande and thank him for his kindness. It's not just us, the commoners of Xu Province are the same. Lord Xuande was driven out of Xu Province because of Traitor Cao, but the commoners of Xu Province still followed Lord Xuande to Yu Province! How could such a saint take away our fertile land and raise our taxes?! Xuande Gong also said that as long as we surrender, he will let bygones be bygones. You are humiliating Xuande Gong like this because you want us to help you defend the city. You want us to die for you! "The man who stood out said righteously.
The man's words made the common people below boil again, especially those who really were from Xuzhou. They were really grateful to Liu Bei. The common people didn't care whether they had a new lord or a new governor. They just wanted a stable life. If Liu Bei outside the city had the same conditions, then it would be better to subdue Liu Bei! For a while, praise for Liu Bei poured out, making the man very proud.
"Who is this?!" After the man stood out, the intelligence personnel of Liu Mang's army who had been closely monitoring everything in the city also looked at him. No one knew this man, and he wasn't among the people they were monitoring. This man should be a leader among Pang Tong's spies.
"Hehe, brother, I'll call you that for the time being. You said you are from Yuzhou, right? "Xu Shu looked at the man indifferently.
"Yes, I am from Yuzhou!" The man repeated.
"Good! Men, take him down! "Xu Shu pointed at the man and shouted. Two guards obeyed the order and went to take the man down.
Seeing the arrival of the guards, the man didn't panic. "What? Are you not going to tell the truth? Do you want to silence me? Or did I say something that hurts you? If that's the case, then come! Even if you kill me, you won't be able to shut the mouths of the masses! " The man's eyes were full of provocation. He was betting that Xu Shu wouldn't dare to kill him. If Xu Shu killed him, then it would prove that Xu Shu framed Liu Bei.
"Kill you? Hehe, I'm afraid of dirtying my hands. I, Xu Shu, have always disdained to kill cowards! "Xu Shu showed disdain for the man, which made the man feel ashamed and angry.
"You said that you are from Yuzhou. You said that Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, is a rare saint? Then let me ask you, if Liu Bei is so good, why did you come to Yangzhou and come under the rule of the Sage King? "Xu Shu directly asked a few questions. Didn't you say that Liu Bei is good? Well, if Liu Bei is so good, why did you come to Shouchun and come to Yangzhou? Isn't this indirectly saying that Yuzhou is inferior to Yangzhou?
"I, I …" The man was speechless.
"What? You have nothing to say?" Xu Shu asked indifferently. The people below were scrambling to talk. Yes, yes, this man came to Yangzhou from Yuzhou, which meant that he didn't have a good life in Yuzhou. Otherwise, why would he come to Yangzhou? The people began to lean towards Xu Shu again.
"Hmph! I came to Yangzhou to study. I want to pay my respects to the Sage King's style! I want to see if our Lord Xuande is also a saint! "The man was not stupid. He refuted Xu Shu's question. He came here to study. Naturally, he didn't come here to live. He just couldn't go out because of the war.
"Good, good study!" Xu Shu didn't expect this man to be so good at talking. However, would Xu Shu let him go? The answer was no. "Good, since you are a student, you naturally know some geometry. Then let me ask you, how much is the tax in Yuzhou?"
"Yuzhou's tax, this, this …" The man was really speechless. Yuzhou's tax was sixty percent. This was a fact.
"If you don't want to say, I will tell you! Yuzhou's tax is sixty percent, which is double our tax. Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, is a despicable person. He attacked Yangzhou because he didn't want us to maintain thirty percent of the tax. He didn't want the people to have their own land. Because of our tax, the people of Yuzhou came to Yangzhou and came under the Sage King's command. Liu Bei couldn't see the people living a good life. He also couldn't see his own people leaving. So he was jealous and sent troops. He used the excuse of eliminating the Emperor's evil officials. He used the banner of crusading against the rebellious officials to annex Yangzhou's land. He wants the people to return to sixty percent of the tax. Everyone, tell me, isn't this person a hypocrite? "
"Yes, yes, yes!" The eyes of the people turned red. Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, wanted to steal their land. He wanted them to return to sixty percent of the tax. This was not good. The land was the lifeblood of the people. How could they give it to him?
Pang Tong wanted to drive a wedge between the people of Shouchun and Xu Shu wanted to use benefits to tie the people to Shouchun.
"For the good of the people? For the good of the people, how can you only give them two dou of grain and let them not have enough to eat? Your army has no more provisions. In order to protect Shouchun, you can only let the people starve to death. Today, it is two dou. Tomorrow, it will be one dou. Even the day after tomorrow, you will rob the people of their food. Everyone here, even if they give you good land, even if they give you thirty percent of the tax, can you last until the autumn harvest? There is no more food in Shouchun. In a few days, you will all starve to death. A bad life is better than a good death. Open the gates and welcome Lord Xuande's army. They will let you live and not starve to death in Shouchun. "The man continued.
This time, the people fell silent. It was an objective fact that Shouchun did not have any provisions. They had really gone from four dou to three dou to two dou. If that was the case, the good land was good. Thirty percent of the tax was also good. However, that would have to wait until next year. If there was no food to eat in a few days, they would starve to death. No matter how good the land was, no matter how good the tax was, it was just an illusion. In the end, one's life was more important. A bad life was better than a good death. This was the true portrayal of the ancient people. If it was not for the fact that there was no way to survive and no food to eat, how could they rebel? Look at the Tang Dynasty. If there was a rebellion, not to mention the officials, even the common people would drown you.
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