The northwest had always been poor, and it was also the border between the Xiongnu people and the neighboring countries.
Every winter, the Xiongnu people would come to rob grain.
When the people of the neighboring countries had bad harvests, the soldiers of the neighboring countries would pretend to be bandits and rob.
Even if the Imperial Court sent soldiers, it was fine for a day or two, but not for a long time.
Moreover, the Xiongnu people and the neighboring countries had spies. When the soldiers did not come, they would come again after the soldiers left.
The people of the northwest already had a tough life due to the bad environment. When the harvest was bad and they were robbed, it made things worse for their poor families.
Since the government could not provide protection for them, they would do it themselves.
The people of the northwest also did not rely on the government and developed a fierce character. They also developed a character that did not listen to the government.
Only after Baize forced the Xiongnu people to retreat did the northwest reluctantly acknowledge the government.
However, this acknowledgment was only for Baize. As for the Imperial Court, the people of the northwest did not trust it.
Hence, the officials of the northwest were all appointed locally. If they were sent far away, it would mean that they were banished.
Back then, because Su Nie advocated for reform, he was sent far away.
Although there was no news of Su Nie's death, there was no good news either. Hence, everyone thought that Su Nie had destroyed the fierce culture of the northwest.
However, who would have thought?
Although the people of the northwest were fierce, they were forced to do so by life. If things were peaceful, who would be willing to carry this burden?
Since Su Nie had just gone to the northwest, the locals naturally did not buy it like the other county magistrates.
However, Baize ordered people to take care of them. After the local soldiers went to befriend Su Nie a few times, the locals saw that Su Nie was a good friend of Baize and reluctantly acknowledged his existence.
If one said that Baize's men helped Su Nie gain the recognition of the locals, then Su Nie's following policies helped him gain a foothold.
Su Nie valued agriculture and commerce. After learning that the harvest was not good, he exempted taxes and even opened the granary to help the people get through the winter.
In the spring of the next year, he took the initiative to distribute seeds and start the spring planting.
Following which, he invited people from outside to develop suitable planting methods and crops for the northwest.
As Su Nie had the support of Bai Sujiu's grain shop, his policies spread very quickly.
In two years, the county that Su Nie was in charge of changed.
It was not that everyone was well-off, but at the very least, everyone could eat their fill.
Compared to the surrounding counties, Su Nie's county was like heaven.
Su Nie's reforms were only a small part of it. If all the changes he proposed were implemented, the whole country would become rich and powerful.
Su Nie recounted everything he had done in the Northwest without exaggeration. Then, he stood where he was and looked at Jiujiu with admiration.
Back when he was sent to the Northwest, Su Nie had been depressed. He had even thought of compromising with reality and not reforming.
It was Jiujiu who persuaded him and told him that he was not wrong and that she would help him fulfill his needs.
It was easy to talk about merits, but it was extremely difficult to implement them.
The valiant nature of the people in the Northwest was not something that could be summed up in one or two sentences. More often than not, the other party would only reciprocate with a little bit of sincerity.
This kind of hardship was not enough for others to understand.
Although it was difficult, when he thought of his elder sister, Su Nie clenched his teeth and persevered.
Fortunately, he had persevered.
Now that his elder sister had ascended the throne, it was time for his reforms to blossom.
Su Nie's achievements in the Northwest were enough to shut up all those who had doubts.
Jiujiu directly appointed Su Nie as an imperial envoy and exempted him from the responsibility of training the people sent to the Northwest.
This batch of people sent to the Northwest would be responsible for civil reforms in various parts of the country, helping the farmers to increase their grain production, and other agricultural issues.
As for the people sent to the Northwest, they were the knowledgeable people that Jiujiu had selected from all over the country over the years.
These people were born poor and had noble sentiments that worried about the country and the people. It was naturally best for them to be the pioneers of this reform.
As for the issue of taxes, Jiujiu no longer collected taxes according to the previous rules. Instead, she adjusted the taxes according to the local situation. If the local people were in trouble, the imperial court would not only voluntarily waive the taxes, but would also distribute free food and seeds for the next year to the people.
The farmers were most concerned about the problem of having enough to eat. Jiujiu directly solved the problem of having enough to eat the moment she took over. Moreover, with Bai Sujiu laying the foundation for Jiujiu, Jiujiu, the empress, instantly gained the love and respect of the poor people.
After the issue of the farmers was resolved, Jiujiu directly abolished the previous classes of scholars, farmers, businessmen, and so on.
She raised the status of merchants and abolished the rule that the children of merchants could not become officials. From today onwards, not only could the children of merchants be literate, they could also participate in the imperial examinations and become officials in the Jin Dynasty.
The merchants collectively celebrated and praised the wisdom of the empress.
After changing the status of merchants, Jiujiu changed the issue that Su Nie had raised about the subsidies for scholars.
In the past, as long as one was a scholar, they could receive money and food from the government every month until they died of old age.
However, Jiujiu directly changed it to that if the family had a scholar, they could receive subsidies from the imperial court every year for five years. This lowered the cost of literacy.
However, if one was a scholar and could not become a Juren within five years, all subsidies would be canceled. If a Juren could not become a Jinshi within ten years, all subsidies would be canceled.
It was not easy to be a scholar, but everyone's talent was different. The height that they could reach in the future was also fixed.
In the past, there were very few scholars because many people could not send their children to study. However, now, as long as they sent their children to study, they could receive subsidies. This had unknowingly lowered the threshold for studying.
However, the subsidies for scholars would be canceled because they could not advance further. This had unknowingly increased the cost of continuing to study. It was better to be lenient and strict in spending.
In the past, because of the subsidies from the imperial court, many scholars would bite the bullet and continuously hit the wall, just to be able to become a scholar.
However, in reality, their talent had already determined the height that they could reach in their lifetime.
Although this was somewhat cruel to those scholars, life was like this. Only by constantly innovating and innovating could a better future be created.
Since they could not reach a higher level in their lifetime,
Why not just give up and choose a more suitable path for themselves?
The status of scholars, farmers, businessmen, and businessmen was already close to the same. As long as they could make a name for themselves, why should they be restricted to the path of literacy?
Jiujiu's bold and decisive reforms naturally affected the interests of some people.
South City's Prince Nan directly used the banner of restoration to rebel.
He originally thought that, as a woman, Jiujiu was the emperor, there would definitely be a lot of people who disliked her. As long as he suggested it, there would definitely be a lot of people who would respond.
However, he did not expect that there would be no response at all.
The reason why those people rebelled in the past was not because they cared about who was in power, but because they did not have enough food to eat and clothes to wear.
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