Chapter 189

What about the next generation?

What about the generation after that?

Many, many things must start laying their foundation now!

Therefore, the price of paper must come down!

Even though it is still very profitable now, it must come down!

Handan Commandery!

In fact, the situation here is far more complex than Yu Yu Huatian reported!

What Yu Yu Huatian reported was merely a small conflict that occurred half a month ago, when Zhang Liang and Huang Chao first arrived here and clashed with the local nobility!

And as Zhang Liang and Huang Chao continued collecting taxes, the resistance they encountered was extremely fierce!

Now, ten members of the garrison army are already dead!

Moreover, the local nobility has even formed an army of five thousand people to resist the tax collection!

"Mr., why do the people here resist so fiercely?"

"Especially among those resisting the tax collection, there are countless commoners!"

"Why is this?"

"Could it be... that these commoners do not know that the land tax is beneficial to them?"

Outside the suburbs of Handan City, a garrison soldier, while bandaging his wound, asked Zhang Liang!

He was very puzzled and confused!

Collecting taxes from the nobility, while facing resistance in other commanderies, is welcomed by the vast majority of commoners!

Some commoners even pointed the way for them, telling them where the nobility had hidden their grain!

But... upon arriving here, the commoners and nobility actually stood united, all sharing a common hatred, and together resisted Zhang Liang and Huang Chao!

This resulted in immense pressure on tax collection!

Zhang Liang glanced at that person and asked:

"How old are you this year? Where are you from?"

That garrison soldier replied: "I am sixteen years old this year! I am originally from Yan!"

Zhang Liang made an "Oh" sound: "No wonder!"

He then proceeded to explain:

"This is the former land of Zhao Guo!"

"Because of the Battle of Changping in past years, when Bai Qi buried the surrendered soldiers alive, Zhao Guo was left with almost no adult males!"

"Therefore, anyone who was a person of Zhao back then especially hates the Qin people!"

"And the nobility are using this point to stir up public resentment, recruit private armies, and thus resist tax collection!"

"Although the land tax is good, under the spark of hatred, it is still difficult to dispel the resentment in this place!"

The garrison soldier angrily said: "The new Emperor treats them so well, yet they still resist the new Emperor. If I were the new Emperor, I would send General Li Yuanba over and slaughter the entire Handan Commandery!"

"Uh..."

Zhang Liang was stunned, then shook his head and said: "It cannot be done like that; doing so would create boundless killing karma and further tarnish the new Emperor's reputation!"

The garrison soldier worriedly asked: "Then what should be done? Should we just let the commoners resist paying taxes?"

Zhang Liang said: "The commoners are ignorant, and the nobility are cunning; they use the hatred from past years to blind the commoners' eyes. Furthermore, the imperial court has not treated the commoners here well in recent years, making them completely unable to believe that the imperial court will treat them well!"

"Therefore, they will resist like this!"

"To resolve this hatred, post proclamations, write them in vernacular so everyone can understand, and read them aloud loudly, telling the commoners here the benefits of the land tax!"

"In this way, even if the public resentment cannot be completely resolved, they will not resist the imperial court!"

Zhang Liang spoke patiently.

Then, for the following days, no taxes were collected; instead, a thousand garrison soldiers shouted the benefits brought by the land tax all over the streets!

Even the two thousand peasant soldiers brought by Yu Yu Huatian joined in to shout!

And... these peasant soldiers also displayed their characteristic as farmers, going from street to street and alley to alley chatting, telling everyone about everything the new Emperor has done since ascending the throne, none of which was not for the benefit of the commoners!

The results were extraordinary; only five days later, when Zhang Liang and Huang Chao collected taxes again, there were clearly no commoners helping on the streets!

Only the five-thousand-strong allied army of the nobility resisted!

This scene made Huang Chao furious; he warned all the nobility:

"If you continue to resist, and this army of five thousand is defeated, I will slaughter all the nobility within Handan Commandery!"

"The Imperial Sword is here!"

"No one can escape!"

He roared angrily.

Hearing these words, the nobility were terrified!

Huang Chao!

How fierce is this person?

How many noble families did he slaughter in Xianyang City?

Even the descendants of Bai Qi were killed by him until only one young child remained!

The people present already knew Huang Chao's notorious reputation!

At this very moment, although they were afraid!

They still resisted desperately!

Huang Chao had nothing more to say.

Huang Chao directly ordered the army to attack!

The two thousand peasant troops brought by Yu Huatian, together with the thousand garrison troops of Huang Chao and Zhang Liang, would fight the five-thousand-strong noble coalition army!

095. Uniting the nobles, the Hundred Schools of Thought, the Hundred Yue, and the Xiongnu! Rise against Qin together!

Handan Commandery!

At this very moment!

One side was fighting to collect taxes, the other to resist them!

The two sides clashed head-on!

And although the gap in numbers between these two forces was rather large.

Still, the thousand garrison troops led by Huang Chao and Zhang Liang were elites after all; even though the two thousand peasant troops were no match for the noble coalition army!

Even so, at this moment, the two sides were locked in a bitter stalemate.

And Huang Chao even took on the role of General, directing the battle on one hand and leading the charge himself on the other!

Under Huang Chao's lead, three thousand men fought five thousand, and for a time actually gained a slight upper hand.

However, just as the two sides were locked in a life-and-death struggle.

A man wearing a silver mask appeared not far away, just like that!

He stared at the battlefield for a while, and before long confirmed his target!

Huang Chao!

The nobles wanted to kill both Zhang Liang and Huang Chao.

However, because of Zhang Liang's relationship with Weizhuang.

Weizhuang did not want to kill Zhang Liang!

And so Huang Chao became the sole target!

Kill Zhang Liang, and the Flowing Sand would establish deep cooperation with the old noble houses of Qin!

Both sides' forces would join together to kill Ying Su!

He mulled over this entire plan!

And on the other side, Huang Chao's army actually gained an overwhelming advantage over the noble coalition army!

Watching on, the noble coalition army was about to be defeated!

But just at that moment, suddenly, a sword Qi slashed straight toward Huang Chao!

"Who goes there!"

"How dare you?"

At that instant, Huang Chao had not yet reacted, but Yu Huatian did!