After a tough statement and a direct threat, the two brothers-in-law left with the answer.
Ning Yi sat in the pavilion for a while …
The ancient trees beside the pavilion were dense, and the water on the Pool of Mahākāśyapa was calm. As the center of the southwest, at this moment, Chengdu was rippling with auspicious and prosperous light in the night.
After defeating Zong Han and Xi Yin's Jin Kingdom's Western Army, the Huaxia regime had been kind and had been recuperating in this place for more than a year. Although the core ideology of the Hua Xia military sounded radical, including its attitude toward the Confucian school, which made most people feel disgusted with it, and there were even predictions that it would be easy to break, in the past year or so, the Hua Xia regime's pace could be considered steady by anyone.
A large number of teams entered the grassroots, stabilizing the people's hearts, supporting farming, building water conservancy, and opening their doors to do business with all sides of the world. They forcefully absorbed countless gold, silver, and materials, and prospered the market. Sichuan was originally a prosperous country. Under such stable cultivation, the Huaxia army established the political framework of the people's congress, using grand actions to attract the attention of all sides of the world. They even did not hesitate to shoot a large number of Jurchen war criminals, leaving all the detractors speechless …
During this period of time, all sides of the world outside the southwest seemed to be in a terrible state.
Dai Mengwei did her best to stabilize the situation, even relying on a large number of human trafficking to eat and maintain basic dignity.
Zou Xu, as the traitor of the southwest, was at the heart of the struggle. He begged everywhere to develop himself, hoping to survive the upcoming storm.
Liu Guangshi sold everything he had to win the favor of the southwest, wanting to recover Bianliang, take Zou Xu's head, and turn things around.
Wu Qimei and Tie Yan had only been attacked by one or two of the factions of the Fairness Party, but they were already like an arrow at the end of its flight and were besieged on all sides.
The new court in the southeast was brave and radical. All kinds of political and economic reforms had offended the original base, and they were almost in an awkward situation where they would either advance or retreat.
And even the mightiest and most powerful faction, the Fairness Party, which had swept through Jiangnan in two years, had a body full of empty air and countless hidden dangers. Thus, He Wencai was anxious to hold a meeting in Jiangning. But compared to the calm and unhurried Southwest Meeting of last year, this Jiangning Meeting of his was truly much more confusing. It was lively, but the road ahead was bleak.
In any case, other than Jin, which was too far away, the government of the southwest could be considered the undisputed number one in the world in every aspect. Whether it was military, economy, people's livelihood, or stability, they were all displaying an admirable vigor. Even those who loved to curse the southwest could not find too many problems to criticize at this time.
Because it was really too stable.
Ning Yi sat in the pavilion and looked at the peaceful scene.
The concept of land reform had always been embedded in the discussion of the Four Peoples ever since it had been tossed out. Compared to the radical discussions of "eradicating Confucianism", "opening wisdom", "investigating things", "capital", "human rights", and so on, it did not seem to have much weight.
This was because the Huaxia army had a relatively small footprint in the beginning, and Ning Yi could use a strong attitude to maintain the relatively incorruptible egalitarianism. After arriving in Liangshan, the Huaxia army borrowed the land and could not possibly preach about land reform to the surrounding Ni people. And after unifying the southwest, the Huaxia government's promotion of the concept of investigating things and the promotion of capital became the most important part of its work.
After a large amount of resources entered Chengdu, countless working groups went to the countryside, bringing many material products to everyone. The most people expressed in their propaganda was the prospect of material abundance after the development of investigating things. As long as there was material abundance, people who could not live well in the countryside would naturally be able to enter the workshops and factories of the big cities to earn money and become people above the masses. At this stage, this prospect was in itself quite reliable.
The concentrated development of industries near the big cities like Chengdu and Zizhou temporarily delayed the conflict over land in the other non-core areas. When the Huaxia army first left Liangshan, some people were worried that the Huaxia army was equal and wanted to kill the rich, and many people even ran away. But after the end of the southwest war, the Huaxia army gave preferential treatment to the landlords and squires who cooperated with them, dispelling most people's doubts.
It was only after the price of land near the big cities skyrocketed that some merchants and the surrounding landlords had a few small-scale conflicts, and it had not reached the point of being irreconcilable.
But in retrospect, many people also knew that the Huaxia army's discussion of land reform was mostly related to "equal land rights", "land to the tiller", and even "land is owned by the state". In academic discussions, even the "one-line whip method" and "letting people into households" were considered to be small frivolities.
The sudden development of the Great Congress this time caused many people to be slightly stunned.
In the modern society of the future, when many people heard the concept of land reform, they would feel that it was glorious and grand, but on the other hand, they would feel that it was a little ordinary. People would think that as long as such a grand concept was sold, it would naturally gain the support of most people. However, this was a barrier that no one in the millennia of feudal society had been able to break through.
Even in the vigorous modern history of another world, Mr. Sun was the first to propose the principle of equal land rights, and it received the support of countless later generations. But in the decades that Mr. Chang, the Northern Leg of the Forest, had led the Fruit Party to do as they pleased on the mainland, this naturally glorious and grand consensus concept had almost never made any decisive progress.
This was because the basic members of the Fruit Party were the local virtuous and elites who were entrenched in various places and held enormous power in their hands.
At that time, another party with red blood flowing in their veins had reached an understanding with the Fruit Party in 24. They believed that since they had begun to cooperate, they would be able to push forward the correct ideas without any hesitation. Thus, they carried out the land reform boldly and began to realize the "people's livelihood" theory that Mr. Sun had advocated. Then, in 27, came the "412" and "715" massacres. The Great Revolution had failed.
Land was more than just land.
It was the core production resource at the end of the largest power in the entire society, and it was also the most obvious indicator of who this enormous power belonged to. The prerequisite for the success of the land reform was the meticulous control of this enormous power system. Once this power was grasped, the things that could be done were far more than just distributing the land to the people.
This matter had already involved a large net similar to that of the Confucian School.
Ever since the Huaxia army leapt out of Liang Mountain, no one in the Chengdu plains and Sichuan could oppose them. After the Huaxia army defeated the Jurchen Western Army, the few landlords and virtuous villagers left in the southwest no longer dared to defy them. Compared to the Jurchen army that had swept through the world, the so-called Confucian scholars, landlords, and virtuous villagers all seemed weak. The enemies on the surface were the easiest problems for the Huaxia army to deal with.
However, land was something that concerned the way everyone in the world lived. If they wanted to change this way of living and governance, they would face the "consensus" and "subconscious" resistance in everyone's hearts. The giant net of corrosion would pounce on them in the opposite direction. It would reduce the efficiency of the governance structure that wasn't firm enough, and it would cause the people to seethe with resentment. In fact, even if there was a problem with the entire structure, the people wouldn't even realize that it was caused by the land reform.
Had they made sufficient preparations? Had the lower-level officials and retired soldiers been tempered enough? They might be able to defeat the enemies on the surface, but when the land was turned into profits, would they be able to resist the corruption within? Could the tides of the left and right be contained? After so much rectification had been carried out, could it be made even more stringent?
Even taking a step back, was there a need to carry out the land reform now?
Just as Su Wending had said, the strong rules of capital would create a path for itself, and the privatization and free movement of land would provide a breeding ground for its bloody growth. Following this path and then carrying out a certain amount of manipulation to promote the awareness of the people and the emergence of civil rights was already a relatively appropriate framework for development. The pursuit of profit by capital would destroy the feudal system of production in all aspects, because the net of profit as the core would be even more powerful than that net. It was woven by laws and was far stronger than the strength of human strength.
Was it necessary for him to touch the net of the virtuous villagers first?
Was it really a hundred percent necessary?
In fact, Ning Yi himself also had such doubts.
There were many reasons for both the positive and negative directions.
In the positive direction, there were naturally many benefits to the land reform. Once it succeeded, the Huaxia Army's control over the lower-level forces would directly leap to a new level. Compared to all the other powers in the outside world, the Huaxia Army would be like stepping into a new dimension. In such a battle, the core enemy was still the distortion that had appeared within the system. If they could overcome this, they would become a reliable training ground for dealing with the Confucians in the future …
But in the negative direction, the advancement of a major power would need to properly distinguish between the primary and secondary contradictions. Once unexpected problems appeared in this land reform, such as the intensification of the left-right line and internal strife, and the root cause of the reform halfway through, the Huaxia Army's power might not be able to contain the wild sprout of capital. A failed land reform might not directly cause the Huaxia Army to fail, but if it failed in the future, such a move would inevitably be like a bundle of straw on the camel's back …
At present, the Huaxia Army only controlled the southwest, and they had overwhelming control over Sichuan and Shu. On the surface, the enemy would not be able to stir up too much trouble. In the short term, forceful land reform could be stopped, but the real worry was in the long term and the changes within the organization. Once the Huaxia Army charged out of the southwest and swallowed up the world, if the land reform was not carried out, they might not be able to formally mention this matter in the future. This was its positive urgency …
However, each era had its own original considerations. In the great era that he had lived in, that country that had experienced hardship had lost the advantage of capital and the first mover in things. Land reform and mobilizing the masses was a magic weapon to recover their advantage. But in this era, if they already had the first mover in things and capital, was land reform still so urgent and necessary? Were his actions also, to a certain extent, controlled by the perceptual thoughts of dogmatism and pure respect?
These considerations had been circling in his mind for a very long time.
Even he himself couldn't come up with a definitive answer.
In such a complicated matter, the few people from the Su Family were just some of the most insignificant details in the middle.
For a long time, whether it was Ning Yi or Su Tan'er, they had always been very strict with their family members. Even though it was not to the extent that the water was completely clear, it was only a matter of one or two years for them to play a bit of edge ball in the southwest and obtain some land benefits. If Ning Yi asked directly, they would not even dare to have any obvious benefits under their names. Only a portion of the landlords and squires would give them some benefits in exchange for them to inquire or eavesdrop on some information at a crucial moment.
And even these two brothers-in-law, who already had a certain status, could not play the role of a supporting character in the upcoming matter. The reason that Ning Yi had engaged in such a long conversation with them during this period of time was, admittedly, to cultivate the people at his side, and also … because he was constantly calculating and pondering in his mind.
Perhaps this kind of hesitation and doubt would continue for a very, very long time. Even in the future, when the dust had settled, he might ask himself again and again. But thinking could be cautious. He could deduce, he could summarize, he could reflect, but when things came to a head, his choice had to be firm.
For the time being, he had already made his choice.
As always, Ning Yi had chosen the more difficult path.
Before the end of the Grand Assembly, or even a month or two after, he might still have a chance to change his mind. But he knew that the chances of him calling a halt were already extremely small.
In the deep autumn, the waters of the Mahākāśyapa sparkled. He stood there in a daze for a while.
The peaceful days were about to pass.
Occasionally, he would raise his head and look at the twinkling stars in the night sky. He would also think of other lively places on this land. The war, the Grand Assembly of Heroes, the confrontation between Liu Guangshi and Zou Xu might be very interesting, and He Wen of Jiangning must have encountered a very complicated problem …
To him, such news would often arrive. To him, this was already an extremely relaxing pastime …
He really wanted to change positions.
No matter who it was, it would be like starting from scratch again …
How interesting would that be …
If only I didn't know Qin Siyuan …
…
He then thought of Xiaoning Ji's Jianghu journey …
He didn't know where she was roaming, but she should be very happy …
Fine, fine. His brain had spasmed and he had wasted his entire life …
Children should play for a few more days …
In the future, he wouldn't scold him anymore …
…
The middle-aged man named Ning Yi sighed.
— — Digression — —
This chapter is very complicated and strange. I pondered for a long time, but I still decided to publish it. There would definitely be people who would say that it was fake. It doesn't matter, I will publish a big chapter tomorrow.
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