"What?!" Yi Ji was stunned for a moment. It was 80% tax just now, but now it was 60%. Even if it was reduced by 20%, it was still a huge number. Jiangling was not like Jingzhou and Xiangyang. There was a lot of fertile land there, and it was suitable for farming. There was originally Huarong Road near Jiangling, and such a big swamp had led to a lack of arable land. In addition to Jiangling's terrain and its good defensive terrain, one of the consequences was that the fertile land was even more scarce.
In the past, Jiangling's tax was only 40%. Sometimes, when there was a disaster, it would go up to 20%. Even if the tax was not paid, the Xiangyang Government would still allocate money to subsidize Jiangling.
Sixty percent tax. Although this year's harvest was good, it would still cause resentment among the people. This would be detrimental to Liu Bei's hard-earned support. If Cao Cao relied on his strength to attract talents, then Liu Mang relied on the name of the Saint King and his Yangzhou Examination to attract talents.
Then our Big Eared Liu Bei is relying on his reputation. Without his reputation, Liu Bei is nothing.
The Benevolent Lord Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, was devoted to the people. This was the reason why the people supported him. If he were to collect 60% of the taxes, his good reputation would be ruined.
Without this good reputation, how could he compete with Cao Cao and Liu Mang?
Because of this, Yi Ji was anxious. This Lord Liu Bei was destroying his own city wall.
"Uncle Ji, calm down. Why are you so anxious?" "Yi Ji, the eunuch is anxious but the Emperor is not." Liu Bei smiled at Yi Ji.
"Lord Xuande! You! " “
Before Liu Bei could say anything, a familiar person that Liu Bei brought from Yuzhou spoke. This person was Liao Hua. "Mister Yi Ji, 80% tax was set by our Military Advisor. Our Lord did not set it. Our Lord and the Military Advisor even argued for 20% tax. This is enough to show our Lord's benevolence!" “
"This!" Liao Hua's words made Yi Ji stunned. Originally, Yi Ji wanted to pay 20% of the taxes because Jiangling Prefecture had always paid 40% of the taxes. Although paying 20% may make Huang She unhappy, but he could still argue for it. 20% tax was enough to make up for Liu Bei's sacrifice.
But now, he didn't expect that our Xuande Gong would pay all the taxes to him. Paying 40% of the taxes and 10% of the taxes would be a loss. But now, it seems that not only it is not a loss, it is also pleasing Huang She, the potential ruler of Jing Province. Most importantly, it made Lord Xuande's reputation more popular among the people.
This made it harder for Huang She to win the hearts of the people in Jiangling. Originally, Huang She delayed the rescue of Jiangling, causing Jiangling to suffer from the chaos of war. This caused the people to have a grudge against him. After that, he did not care about Jiangling, which made the people even angrier.
Now that there was an 80% tax, the people of Jiangling were seething with resentment. Now, Liu Bei had come out to play the role of a savior and exempted 20% of the tax.
Liu Bei had played with the masses for many years. He knew the temperament of the common people. An 80% tax meant that the common people had to die. The common people would definitely rebel. Since they could no longer survive, they might as well rebel. However, a 60% tax was not enough to fill their stomachs. At the very least, they would have no problem surviving.
Although the people had complaints, at least they would not rebel.
Who was the one who agreed to 60% tax? It was Lord Xuande. Huang She did not let the people live. Therefore, the people's hearts naturally leaned towards Liu Bei.
Liu Bei paid the full tax, which made Huang She satisfied. He gained more trust from Huang She. At the same time, Liu Bei also satisfied his 20% tax. After paying 40% tax, he still had 20%. The third was to win the hearts of the people of Jiang Ling's generation.
Killing three birds with one stone, why not?
Yi Ji was not a completely idealistic person. He was also not a person who treated loyalty as an absolute principle, like Guan Yu and Pang Shanmin. Yi Ji was a bit disdainful because Liu Bei's actions were not what a benevolent person should do.
In the past, Yi Ji also thought that Lord Xuande was a righteous person. But today, it seemed that this was not the case. But so what? The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Yi Ji was born in a poor family. He understood the benefits of power and also the hardships of being at the bottom.
There was no justice in this world. The only thing that existed was benefits. If he helped Lord Xuande conquer the world, then he could also let the people live a peaceful life. This was also a righteous cause.
Yi Ji did not hold a grudge against Zhuge Liang because of this matter. Instead, he became more and more certain that Lord Xuande was a person who could achieve great things. After all, a person who could deceive the people of the world. Wasn't this a skill? Even if those people knew Liu Bei's nature, so what?
While Yi Ji was observing Liu Bei, Liu Bei was also observing Yi Ji. Looking at Yi Ji's relieved expression, Liu Bei nodded with satisfaction.
This Yi Ji was a talent. Liu Bei wanted to use him more. If Yi Ji was a pedantic person, then Liu Bei would have to get rid of him.
He could also eliminate the threat before it sprouted.
"Lord Xuande is wise!" Yi Ji cupped his fist and said to Liu Bei.
"This is just a small trick!" Liu Bei was not being modest. This was the truth. Compared to his previous disguise, this was nothing. Liu Bei was able to deceive Lü Bu and Cao Cao. This was true ability. These people were just a bunch of fools. "It's my honor to be able to get Uncle Ji's help!"
Just as the two were praising each other, a subordinate suddenly rushed in.
"Reporting, reporting to Milord! There is … "The guard was about to speak when he saw Yi Ji close his mouth.
Yi Ji knew that the guard had something important to discuss. He said tactfully, "If Lord Xuande has something important to discuss, I will take my leave first." “
Liu Bei also wanted to let Yi Ji leave. However, he still needed to win over Yi Ji's heart. Yi Ji only stayed in the Peach Brothers' group because he saw his own future. It was still far from making Yi Ji completely loyal. If there was a better development, Yi Ji would definitely leave.
Liu Bei's military affairs were not as good as Cao Cao's, and his knowledge was not as good as Liu Mang's. However, he had something that the two of them could not compare to. That was his grasp of people's hearts.
At this time, not only could he not avoid Yi Ji, but he also had to pull Yi Ji into the discussion. Otherwise, Yi Ji would feel distant because he did not treat Yi Ji as one of his own.
Liu Bei's eyes turned and his expression immediately changed. "If you have something to say, just say it! There are no outsiders here! "
"This!" This guard was also a clever person. He had been around Liu Bei for a long time. When he heard Liu Bei's words, he immediately understood.
He nodded. "Milord, Mr. Yi Ji, there is news from Xiangyang. The Cai Family and the Kuai Family have sent people to invite Milord to the banquet!"
"The Cai Family and the Kuai Family?" Liu Bei was stunned. Liu Bei really did not have any contact with the Cai Family and the Kuai Family. Liu Bei even saw the Cai Family and the Kuai Family as potential enemies.
Liu Bei wanted to take over Jingzhou and replace Huang She. Not only did he have to deal with Huang She, but he also had to consider the opinions of the Cai Family and the Kuai Family. If the Cai Family and the Kuai Family worked together, Liu Bei would not have a chance.
It was precisely because of this that Liu Bei sometimes helped the Huang Family offend some small aristocratic families that were related to the Cai Family and the Kuai Family. He also knew that after Huang She became the Lord of Jingzhou, power had confused his mind. He no longer wanted the three families to complement each other. Instead, he wanted to monopolize Jingzhou. This way, his relationship with the Cai Family and the Kuai Family would not be good. By offending the Cai Family and the Kuai Family, Liu Bei was telling Huang She that they had nothing to do with the Cai Family and the Kuai Family.
It was precisely because of this that Huang She was willing to give Jiangling to Liu Bei. He was worried about giving Jingzhou to the Cai Family and the Kuai Family. Jiangling was like a chicken rib in his hands. It would be a waste to throw it away. Therefore, he might as well give it to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei did not understand. He was stepping on the Cai Family and the Kuai Family to gain Huang She's trust. Why would the Cai Family and the Kuai Family invite him to the banquet?
Could this be a Hongmen Banquet? This was Liu Bei's first thought. But then, he smiled. He was not qualified to have a trap set up for him. This was something that the Overlord of Chu, Xiang Yu, had set up for his ancestor, the King of Han, Liu Bei.
When he thought of the King of Han, Liu Bei couldn't help but feel jealous of Liu Mang. What did Liu Mang do to deserve the title of King of Han?
However, Liu Bei still did not understand why the Cai Family and the Kuai Family would invite him.
"My Lord, could it be that the Cai Family and the Kuai Family are afraid of us and are here to greet us?" Liao Hua asked.
In the past few days, they had provoked many small forces under the Cai Family and the Kuai Family. They had even punished the eldest son of a nobleman under the Cai Family. The eldest son had even threatened Liu Bei, saying that the Cai Family would avenge him. However, Liu Bei did not take it to heart. After that, the matter was left unsettled. The Cai Family would not completely fall out with Liu Bei over a small nobleman.
"Impossible!" Liu Bei rejected the idea. Although the Cai Family and the Kuai Family were no longer as powerful as they were when Liu Biao was alive, they were still not to be underestimated. Nanyang County was now completely under the Cai Family and the Kuai Family's control.
The Cai Family and the Kuai Family also had thirty thousand elite Jing Province Navy. This was something that Liu Bei coveted. In addition to the Cai Family and the Kuai Family's private soldiers, it would not be a problem for them to gather fifty to sixty thousand. Even Huang She was not willing to become enemies with the Cai Family and the Kuai Family, let alone Liu Bei.
If the Cai Family and the Kuai Family were afraid of him, he would not believe it.
"Lord Xuande, Yi Ji has something to say, but I don't know if I should say it!" Yi Ji said.
"Uncle Ji?" Liu Bei also turned to look at Yi Ji. "Uncle Ji, why are you treating me like an outsider? Just say what you want to say. “
Yi Ji nodded. Liu Bei was very satisfied with how much he valued Yi Ji.
"Lord Xuande, could it be that the Cai Family and the Kuai Family are doing this because of our military advisor?" Yi Ji asked Liu Bei.
"What do you mean?" Liu Bei was also a smart person. He seemed to understand something from Yi Ji's words.
"Hm?" Although Liao Hua was somewhat talented, he had not reached the standard. He did not understand what Yi Ji and Liu Bei were talking about.
However, Liao Hua was not in a position to question them. It was not because Liao Hua was shy, but because if it was a secret, then Liao Hua would be talking too much.
However, Liao Hua did not feel good if he did not ask. His heart felt like it was being scratched by cats.
Liu Bei also saw Liao Hua's actions. He was actually very concerned about Liao Hua. It could even be said that among Liu Bei's subordinates, Guan Yu was the number one person. This was because Guan Yu was not only skilled in martial arts, but also had the strength of a refined god. He was also a talented commander. As long as there were no monsters, Liu Bei would be able to hold his own.
The second person was Zhang Fei. In the past, Zhang Fei's life and death were unknown. Liu Bei did not care about him. Now that Zhang Fei had returned, although he had changed his appearance, he was still back. Now, Zhang Fei's strength was even stronger than Guan Yu's. He had actually reached the pinnacle of the refined god realm. Liu Bei did not understand what it meant to have extreme yang and extreme yin. However, he knew that with this pinnacle of the refined god realm, Liu Bei's army would be like a sharp sword that could pierce the enemy's body.
The third person was Liao Hua. Liao Hua used to follow the Yellow Turban Bandit Liu Pi. After Liu Bei finished using Liu Pi, in order to curry favor with Zhang Xiu, he killed Liu Pi. However, he kept Liao Hua because Liao Hua was able to use infantry to fight against heavy cavalry.
Although Liao Hua's martial arts were not high, he was still a second-rate warrior. Although he was not a strong commander, he had no problem commanding a battalion of soldiers. This was especially true after Chen Dao's death. Liao Hua was now Liu Bei's personal guard. This person was very flexible. For Liao Hua, Liu Bei was like a teacher. Liu Bei wanted Liao Hua to shine brightly in the future.
This was because Liao Hua was still young.
Thus, when he saw Liao Hua's puzzled expression, Liu Bei was very kind and was willing to explain to Liao Hua.
When Liao Hua grew up, he would become a great force.
"Liao Hua, do you know who the Jingzhou Provincial Governor is?" Liu Bei asked with a smile.
"Jingzhou Provincial Governor?" The position of Provincial Governor was established by the Han Dynasty. Now, only Cao Cao had this title. This was because he represented the Ten Orthodoxies. The other provinces all called themselves Provincial Governors. This was because there was a big difference between Provincial Governors and Provincial Governors.
"Is it Liu Biao?" Liao Hua asked.
Liu Biao had addressed him as Provincial Governor. Before the Great Han Dynasty collapsed, Liu Biao was already the ruler of Jing Province. Thus, he addressed him as Provincial Governor.
"No." Liu Bei shook his head. He looked outside the door. The previous Provincial Governor was surnamed Wang and his name was Rui.
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