Chapter 394: Xu Lianyue's Proposal

When the Lai brothers were being tormented by Cheng Chu Mo and Yu Chi Bao Lin, they lamented not having taken the second path earlier.

Inside the county office, Chen Yan summoned all his key subordinates; besides Du Gou, Fang Yizhi, and Ma Zhou, there were three newcomers, including Li Yifu, and the exceptionally capable Xu Lianyue.

"Alright, no more words. Here are your appointment edicts; take a look first." Chen Yan pulled out three edicts and handed them over, "After you've read them, we should discuss what to do during this period."

Li Yifu swallowed a mouthful of saliva, carefully opened the edict, and after seeing its contents and the seal beneath, felt even more reverence for Chen Yan.

To have obtained three appointment edicts in just one day—what kind of person is that?

The background is massive.

Dai Zhide was unsurprised; he didn't even glance at the edicts, just silently put them away.

Zhang Wenguan was deeply moved, solemnly stored the edicts, and sat upright.

Chen Yan read their expressions, poured tea for them himself, and said, "How's the land acquisition for the shops near the library going?"

Xu Lianyue replied immediately, "Ninety percent done; the remaining ten percent is trickier. I think it's unnecessary to waste time on them—they're just greedy petty folk."

"If we proceed to build the commercial street as planned, we'll have plenty of chances to deal with them; no need to rush."

"Finally, I've recently been in touch with many rich merchants of all sizes; they're interested in our proposal, but since the land is in our hands and we hold the initiative, they have no guarantees, so they've asked for some preferential treatment."

"If, as you say, we need to levy a commercial tax, we can work on that and grant them some tax reductions."

Chen Yan's face remained impassive, but he was already regretting that he should have summoned Xu Lianyue last year.

She handled the half‑month's affairs so splendidly; she truly has great ability in this area.

Du Gou raised a question: "According to you, they need to fund the construction of shops per our plan to improve the commercial street. They are the paying side, which carries risk, and the land remains in our hands, giving them no guarantee."

"Moreover, we still have to collect commercial tax; are they really willing to invest money?"

In other words, the merchants aren't fools; why would they engage in such a loss‑making deal?

"Because opening shops near the library now is like filling a burlap sack with money; the library sits at the intersection of two streets, with heavy foot traffic, and Lord Chen has deliberately been directing people there since taking office."

"For example, the honeycomb coal shop you launched last year, the cheap white wax shop, the cotton‑clothing shop, and so on—combined with the Imperial Examination drawing countless scholars to the library, the shops there have been making a killing lately."

"For profit‑driven merchants, profit is paramount; taking a small loss is just a matter of earning more versus less, and it's better than earning nothing at all."

Du Gou thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "I have no further questions."

"Then, let's discuss the commercial tax," Chen Yan said calmly. "Making money isn't our primary goal; from the moment we arrived in Weinan County, we've been paving the way for the new law."

"All our arrangements must start from implementing the new policy."

"As for how to levy the commercial tax and at what rate, we must decide based on the situation of the major merchants in Weinan County, so you will need to investigate this matter next."

The others nodded in understanding.

"Alright, set the commercial tax aside!" Chen Yan immediately raised another matter. "Next is the land issue, gradually implementing the prototype of Labor-to-Land Redistribution."

"You should have been clear on the situation yesterday; now tell me how we should take the first step."

Everyone present was instantly invigorated by the words; apart from Du Gou, who understood the prototype of Labor-to-Land Redistribution, the others were all exceedingly excited.

Labor-to-Land Redistribution! Though the risk is enormous and it's only a prototype, if we succeed, the people of the world will be blessed, and at the very least it could greatly alleviate the problem of land annexation.

"I think we should thoroughly investigate the lands!" Fang Yizhi asserted, "Weinan County's proximity to Chang'an is both a blessing and a curse. Chang'an is the foundation of the great families, and the surrounding vast lands have long been hidden and annexed by them through various means."

"The lands currently recorded in the county office's registers are definitely not the entirety of Weinan County's fields; it's even hard to say whether six percent exists at all."

"If even families don't know how much land they own, how can we talk about implementing the prototype of Labor-to-Land Redistribution?"

Du Gou: "I second the motion!"

"The line of thinking is correct," Chen Yan affirmed Fang Yizhi's idea, then raised a more crucial question, "But how exactly should we investigate? Where do we start? We can't go door‑to‑door asking, 'How much land does your family hide?'"

"We need a foothold, a breakthrough that can pry open a gap."

The scene fell silent for a moment as everyone fell into thought. This first step truly is the hardest.

"Going in openly won't work; it would alert them and provoke desperate resistance."

"But perhaps we can start with the 'people'."

"Oh? Please elaborate," Chen Yan said, interested, his expression solemn, leaning slightly forward, not dismissing Xu Lianyue because she is a woman, and giving the strategist due respect.

"Great families annex land, and eventually they need people to farm it; the tenant households and retainers attached to them are the informed parties," Xu Lianyue analyzed, "We can, under the pretext of reforming household registration and verifying the population, secretly seek out these actual cultivators."

"They work the fields year after year; they know which plot is cultivated by whom and who originally owned it, keeping mental accounts. With the right approach and promises, we might be able to pry their mouths open."

Li Yifu suddenly spoke, adding to Xu Lianyue's suggestion: "If so, we can't overlook the county office's old archives."

"The historical land contracts, transfers, and dispute case files may hide clues; some seemingly ordinary voluntary transactions might reveal inconsistencies in dates or parties, allowing us to follow the trail."

"Excellent, let's do it!" Chen Yan, a man who values efficiency, found the method matched his expectations, so he ordered immediate execution.

"But let me add, the ones who know Weinan County best are still the generations of locals who have lived here for ages."

"Our reputation is currently excellent; the people already trust us greatly. You might send people to make visits; surely there will be pleasant surprises as well."

Seeing no objections, Chen Yan scanned the circle, his gaze cold: "One more thing!"

"Weinan County, it's time to clean out the termites!"

"......"