Chapter 474: Scholar, Farmer, Artisan, Tenant, Slave

Xiong was speechless for a moment, merely pondering the feasibility of this method. Baifeng was very satisfied with Changle's answer, but still asked: "Then how will you make them get the real Bomb at the start instead of the fake ones? If the fake Bomb is thrown and doesn't explode, won't it fail to achieve the effect?"

Changle said without thinking: "Our Bombs are all packed in boxes. We just need to put the real ones in the top layer and the fake ones in the bottom layer. They couldn't possibly use the bottom layer first, could they?"

Baifeng was very gratified and wanted to pat Changle's head to show his appreciation, but Changle was currently having a growth spurt, and it would be strange for Baifeng to pat his head, so he rested his hand on his shoulder and patted him twice.

After thinking for a while, Xiong said that this method was truly excellent.

Baifeng did not pick up on this topic, merely saying: "Even if Baoxi is recovered now, he won't be foolish enough to attack other tribes in Winter. At the very least, he must wait until Spring, after they have enough food. What's more, the Suiren clan's grain has already been taken away by many of those tribes that split off. They are having a very difficult Winter this year, and they won't be attacking the four tribes anytime soon next year either."

"As for us, let's just take it easy this Winter and get these ten thousand people settled. With so many people, we can't let them all be Slaves, otherwise, it will be detrimental to the development of the entire Huaxia. We also can't let them obtain Citizen status so easily. What do you all think should be done with them? Should we establish yet another class?"

To tell the truth, this problem really stumped Baifeng, and this issue would become increasingly prominent in the future because Huaxia was now beginning to expand comprehensively. The population absorbed through various means would be even greater, and class contradictions and class interest issues would intensify. How to handle this was a headache.

Xiong was already very clear about his own intelligence, so he did not express any opinion and left the matter to Baifeng and his son.

Changle didn't have any ideas either. Establishing a new class was, on a certain level, a regression of Huaxia's system, because doing so in the past required a transition. Having finally transitioned over, there should be better ways now, rather than following the old path.

Baifeng actually already had an idea in his heart, which was to issue currency, but this was a very difficult and hard-to-manage task. With his current team of officials, they did not have the ability to handle it well. It had taken a long time to gradually straighten out the taxes; a currency system would only be even more difficult.

Baifeng had been thinking of waiting until the new generation had finished their studies before slowly starting to prepare for this matter, but plans could never keep up with changes. Perhaps, he was now being forced to take this step.

They were not far from the city, and as they chatted, they arrived. The Soldiers on the city wall cheered loudly after seeing that so many captives had been brought back, and the cheering grew even louder when they saw that Baifeng was actually in the group as well.

Baifeng naturally went back to get a good sleep first. With Yulong presiding over the Government Affairs Department, he didn't need to worry too much. He lay down on the heated kang and fell asleep immediately; he didn't even notice when his daughter was rolling around on his stomach.

The next day, after doing enough mental preparation, Baifeng took a hot bath in the middle of Winter and then went to the Chaotang in high spirits. Bai Yulong had already vacated the seat belonging to Baifeng and returned to his own inconspicuous spot on the side.

Baifeng immediately convened a grand meeting because these major events had occurred during this period and had to be handled well. Although Yulong already had the ability, Baifeng was, after all, still young and strong, and he couldn't leave everything to his son.

After everyone had arrived, Baifeng first glossed over his journey. After all, he couldn't say he hadn't found the road. He had to say the journey was too arduous and the risks were too high, and since he could no longer find the trail of Xuanyuan, he had returned for the sake of everyone's safety.

Afterwards, Xiong summarized his actions and stated that there was no need to continue further. The distance was too great, and what they would face were no longer the tribes that had split off, but the villages of the Suiren clan. They were scattered, had small populations, and the returns were not proportional to the effort; it was unnecessary.

Baifeng expressed his approval of Xiong's opinion, and then their operation against the Suiren clan was considered successfully concluded.

The Ministry of Revenue stated that the number of people who had arrived this time was truly too large. First was the issue of status; they didn't know how to count them. Bai Yulong couldn't make up his mind either, so they were still scattered and settled in several Threshing Grounds and had not been processed. Added to those who arrived yesterday, the Old City no longer had the capacity to accommodate them.

Their team of officials was also completely insufficient, and they had no way to conduct a census of their skills and identities. They were currently in a state of panic, and now that Baifeng had arrived, they placed all their hopes on him.

But when Baifeng heard this problem, his brows were also tightly furrowed. It was truly difficult to solve, so he first asked the assembled officials who had a good idea, telling them to speak freely.

Everyone did not hold back; one after another, they expressed their opinions, but almost all of them said to treat them directly as Slaves and let them follow the previous promotion system, or to re-enable the status of "freeman," between Slave and Citizen. Not a single person suggested letting them directly obtain Citizen status; they still cared very much about the interests of their own people.

Bai Yulong, who usually wouldn't speak at such times, also voiced his own thoughts. Baifeng had once told him that in the future, Huaxia might have classes like "Scholar, Farmer, Artisan, Merchant," but this had never been told to anyone else; it was a secret of the Royal Family.

Now, after thinking about it, Yulong decided to propose this plan: "Father, I think we can now divide the population of Huaxia into the classes of 'Scholar, Farmer, Artisan, Tenant, Slave.' There is no priority between Farmer and Artisan. 'Tenant' is the status of these newcomers; we don't give them land or houses. If they want them, they sell their labor. Whether they work for the government or for our Citizens, they can earn rewards and rely on this to survive. 'Slave' remains a Slave, the lowest level. What do you think of my idea?"

Baifeng had thought Bai Yulong would directly say "Scholar, Farmer, Artisan, Merchant." He didn't expect him to have his own ideas. Baifeng had to applaud, because this was something he hadn't thought of, and it was a plan more suitable for the current situation. It was better than issuing currency now, and issuing currency would only solve the contradiction of interest distribution, not directly solve the identity problem of these people.