Chapter 11: Blood of the Commoners

A scorching sun hung overhead, baking the earth.

Yet, the rolling heat waves could not drown out the fiery spirits of the people of Yancheng.

"Li Yuan, is it true that the Prince Mansion is recruiting tenant farmers?"

On the official road south of Yancheng, a group of refugees surrounded the young man who had just returned from the city.

They were all people who had lost their land, and they were unwilling to be beasts of burden for the Rich Clan.

"It's true, I pressed my thumbprint on the contract; I'm going to collect my land tomorrow." The young man spoke with great enthusiasm, showing the contract to those around him.

But how many of the people in Yan Commandery were literate?

Everyone looked at one another, "What does this say? I don't understand it; we haven't been tricked, have we?"

"There's no mistake, I begged three scholars to help me look at it, and they all read it the same way." Li Yuan carefully folded the contract and tucked it into his waistband like a treasure.

Upon hearing this, the others felt their hearts race with envy.

Ignoring Li Yuan, they swarmed toward Yancheng.

When they arrived at the gates of the Prince Mansion, they saw a sea of people, so crowded they could not even move.

"Oh no, it's all our fault for being so hesitant. What do we do now? I'm afraid it's not our turn anymore." A middle-aged man slapped his thigh in anxiety.

"We were originally afraid that Yan Wang would be the same as the rich gentry, but I never expected Yan Wang to be a good man."

"That's right, the heavens have truly opened their eyes to send us a Yan Wang to our Yan Commandery."

"..."

At the entrance of the Prince Mansion.

Zhao Xu stood behind Qin Zhangfang, and every person who received a contract would respectfully bow to him.

They had already learned that the youth at the entrance was Yan Wang, and out of gratitude, their bows were spontaneous.

"Qin Zhangfang, how much land is left?" Zhao Xu asked.

In the blink of an eye, the Prince Mansion had almost been crushed by the crowd.

Now that the news had spread, more people were gathering toward the Prince Mansion.

Taking this opportunity, he felt he should seize the chance to interact with the people of Yan Commandery, to let them understand that Yan Commandery was no longer the world of the Zhang Family.

"Replying to Your Highness, forty thousand mu remain." Qin Zhangfang wiped the sweat from his large forehead.

Zhao Xu nodded.

He had checked the Household Register of Yan Commandery; the current total number of households in Yan Commandery was three hundred and eighty thousand, one-third of which were gathered near Yancheng.

For this distribution of land, he was doing it by household, meaning one household could only receive six mu of land.

In this way, sixty thousand mu of land would be enough to distribute to ten Battalion Commander.

In ancient times, the yield per mu was very low; it was good if one mu could harvest two or three hundred catties of grain, so six mu was not much.

At the same time, he did not follow the Rich Clan in using contracts to turn the people into his slaves.

Generally speaking, besides farming and paying grain, the contracts of the Rich Clan also required people to perform labor services arranged by the gentry and to serve as soldiers during wartime.

He had crossed all of these things out.

The reason was simple: the Rich Clan did this to squeeze the people to the limit, while he did it to win their hearts.

As long as the hearts of the people were with him, it was far better than those who unwillingly served as vassals to the Rich Clan.

As for why he did not return the land to the people.

He had his reasons for that as well.

The people were a vulnerable class; they could not protect their own property in front of the Rich Clan. Only by keeping the land in his name would the Rich Clan not dare to reach out their demonic claws.

This was the logic behind why he had the Prince Mansion own the land and let the people farm it; it was actually a disguised form of state-owned land.

While it was said that the people attached to the Prince Mansion were tenant farmers, they were actually just free people living under his protection.

The eyes of the people were sharp, and the fact that so many people had come today was proof of this.

"Don't hold me back, I want to join the Personal Guard Army."

While Zhao Xu was deep in thought, a burst of noise caught his attention.

A youth of sixteen or seventeen, ignoring the dissuasion of a woman, squeezed in front of Chang Wei.

The land distribution and the military recruitment were happening at the same time.

To his left was Qin Zhangfang, and to his right was Chang Wei.

"Huzi, are you not listening to your mother anymore? Isn't it better to just honestly take the land and go back to farm? Why become a soldier?"

"I want to avenge my father and go kill the Northern Di." The youth said with a stubborn face, "Besides, with three taels of Silver, I can support Mother and my little sister."

"You can support us by farming too." The woman pulled on the youth and would not let go.

"What's the use of just farming? When the Northern Di come, they'll just loot everything clean. Mother said Yan Wang is a good man; if no one becomes a soldier, who will protect Yan Wang? If the Northern Di come, can the Yan Prince Mansion stay in Yan Commandery? Then we'll have to go farm the Rich Clan's land again." The youth pushed the woman's hand away and pressed his thumbprint on the register in front of Chang Wei.

Hearing this, the hearts of those around them were moved.

They had been oppressed by the Rich Clan and the Northern Di for too long; now, the appearance of a Yan Wang had brought them a glimmer of hope for change.

For this glimmer of hope, they were willing to gamble their lives; perhaps there would really be a different life in the future.

Thinking of this, some of the able-bodied men who had originally come to receive land moved into the line for military enlistment.

Chang Wei looked back at Zhao Xu, his eyes filled with a different kind of emotion.

When he learned that Zhao Xu was charging such low rent, he was astonished for a long time.

It could be said that in the Great Song, no one would ever do this.

Even those famous scholars who claimed to establish a destiny for the people would still take at least fifty percent in rent.

But now, he seemed to understand Zhao Xu's intention.

He had indeed collected less rent, but he had collected the hearts of the people.

In Yan Commandery, compared to the vicious Rich Clan, what the Yan Prince Mansion was doing was undoubtedly earth-shattering.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood; naturally, hot-blooded young men are willing to shed their blood and sacrifice their lives for such a Yan Wang.

And this time, he truly admired Zhao Xu, feeling that he had indeed turned a misfortune into a blessing and followed the right person.

"What is your name?" After clarifying the sequence of events, Zhao Xu was moved.

In this place of Yan Commandery, the lives of the common people were too miserable.

He had not expected that he would be so appreciated by the common people just for doing a few small things.

"This is His Highness the Yan Wang," someone reminded.

"Replying to Your Highness, this commoner is Chen Hu." The youth looked in surprise at Zhao Xu, who was not much older than himself, and hurriedly bowed in salute.

Zhao Xu nodded; Chen Hu was wearing a tattered short shirt, and his dark face was dirty.

But his eyes were exceptionally spirited.

It was not just Chen Hu; most of the common people were in this state.

Basically, they were in rags, with gaunt faces.

"No need for formalities." Zhao Xu patted Chen Hu on the shoulder, "You are a tough man, but you are the only son in your family and have lost your father, so you should still be cautious and take better care of your mother and younger sister."

Chen Hu looked toward his mother, his eyes dimming for a moment, but he still insisted, "Your Highness has just arrived in Yan Commandery and likely has not seen the cruelty of the Northern Di. The Northern Di raided the year before last, and my father and older brother were killed; they came again last year, and my older sister was abducted, her life or death still unknown."

Choking up slightly, he continued, "If the Northern Di come again this year, perhaps it will be my mother and younger sister who meet with misfortune, so even if I am unfilial, I must go to the battlefield to protect them and keep them safe."

Upon hearing this, the woman wept like rain and sighed deeply, "Huzi, Mother will not stop you anymore; go."

Then she bowed to Zhao Xu and asked, "Your Highness, forgive this common woman for her rudeness, but please tell me, will Your Highness's Personal Army protect the people of Yan Commandery and resist the Northern Di?"

"They will!" Zhao Xu answered decisively, "As long as I am here, the Northern Di shall not be allowed to run wild in Yan Commandery!"

He said these words not only for Huzi's mother to hear but also for the young men who had joined the Personal Army.

Zhao Xu's words instantly made the eyes of the many young men light up; they were too desperate for someone to lead them to a good life and drive away the barbarian enemies.

Whenever the Northern Di arrived, the Rich Clans and officials of Yan Commandery would only shrink into their own Fortresses to protect their gold and silver treasures, not caring about their lives at all.

And entering the Fortress was not easy either; it meant working like cattle and horses for them, farming land where they took seven or eight out of every ten parts, and having to guard their Fortresses when the Northern Di came.

Chang Wei nodded in appreciation.

He had never been one to serve merely as a general of the Personal Army.

It was more to lead the Personal Army to drive out the Northern Di.

"His Highness the Yan Wang is mighty!" A surge of hot blood rushed up, and he shouted loudly.

As the saying goes, like general, like soldiers; naturally, the soldiers under Chang Wei were all true men, and they shouted along as well.

"The Yan Wang is mighty."

Infected by the emotions of Chang Wei and the others, Huzi and the young men who had joined the army shouted along.

Waves of sound surged straight into the clouds.

Zhao Xu's heart twitched.

Looking at the people of Yan Commandery who placed their hope in him, he suddenly felt his shoulders grow heavy.