When the first ray of morning light shone on Handan City, the people outside Handan City were already working.

Donggeting is an inconspicuous small village outside Handan City.

There are more than thirty households in the village.

In front of the village, there is a small stream flowing through.

The biggest landowner in the village is named Wang and is in his forties.

His family owns more than 300 acres of land.

There are several families in Donggeting who rent their land for farming.

The thing that Lao Wang is most proud of is that last year his eldest son was successfully selected by the government and entered the list of guards. This year he will go to Chang'an to show the emperor's gate.

This is the ultimate honor!

Even the villagers and tourists came to express their congratulations.

Because the current Han system stipulates that the chief of the pavilion and the village officials should be selected first among the retired soldiers.

To put it simply, now, well-organized and ranked officials such as Qiangfu and Youyou are selected through examinations and appointed by the central government.

The rural officials and pavilion chiefs under Qiangfu and Youyou must be selected first from veterans, especially disabled soldiers.

It is necessary to wait until there are indeed no veterans in the local area before the vacancies can be filled by others.

This first article still has strong local resistance.

But the second one has become an iron rule.

The lieutenants, military commanders, and noble ministers from all over the world all take this very seriously.

And the local people also expressed their obedience to this.

After all, retired soldiers are more or less fellow countrymen.

Nothing will be done too much, nor will it be too harsh.

Some people even teach villagers how to use various new technologies and equipment.

For example, the current waterwheel in Dongge Village was installed by the pavilion director who retired from the army the year before last.

Except for the main parts, which were purchased from Yantie Yamen, the rest of the items were made by the pavilion chief, organized by the carpenters and young people in the village, and then assembled with his own hands.

Ever since we had that waterwheel, we no longer had to worry about water for irrigation of our land.

Not to mention, the pavilion chief also led the big guys to build roads and dig ditches.

So much so that some people are curious.

So I asked: "Which army did you serve in?"

He replied: "Ba Shangjun!"

"Then how come you know this?"

"Because when I was in the army, my tribe was ordered to go to Longshou Canal to supervise the construction..."

All right……

The army can be used as workers.

Today is also unique.

But the changes he brought about were real.

Now, under his leadership, Dongge Village has basically eliminated those outdated wooden and stone farm tools in the past.

The chief of the pavilion, through some unknown means, obtained a batch of bronze farm tools that had been eliminated in Guanzhong and some old iron farm tools from outside at very cheap prices.

Although the people in Guanzhong no longer care about these things.

But this Dongge Pavilion in Handan is a magic weapon!

Last year, Donggeting's corn yield per mu exceeded three shi.

This was unimaginable before!

Therefore, the pavilion chief immediately gained the support of the entire pavilion.

However, Lao Wang is not included.

As usual, when Lao Wang was working in the fields, the pavilion chief came over again and started chattering: "Uncle Wang, look, can you give me an answer to what I told you last time?"

Already?"

"Uncle Wang, now, for the landowners in Guanzhong, the land rent has been reduced to 30%, but you still receive 60% of the highland rent... This is not good. They are all fellow villagers. They look up and don't see you when they look down. Don't you think so?"

Lao Wang stubbornly refused to answer.

But he knew in his heart that he couldn't resist for much longer.

Recently, a high-ranking official from Chang'an parachuted into Handan City.

It is said that this high official was once the minister next to the emperor today.

He was highly valued by the emperor. After serving as a minister for three years, he was sent to Handan County, where he became the director in charge of people's livelihood.

This Lord's surname is Gu and his given name is Ni Rou.

It is said that his uncle is still a Qianhu Hou!

The relationship is tough and the background is terrible!

As soon as Bo, the Gu master, took office, he lit the first fire.

This fire is rent reduction!

He summoned all the Qiangfu, Youyou and postal supervisors in Handan together and issued the order.

Land rents for all landlords will be reduced.

At first, everyone thought that the boss from Chang'an might have had his brain burned out or broken.

How dare you lower the land rent!?

Everyone is waiting to see his jokes.

However, no one would have thought that he would not give others a chance to laugh.

This Gu Master Bo started from the grassroots level and visited township after township to understand the big landowners with reason and affection.

Although this is not the case.

On the surface, everyone promised well, but in fact they still went their own way.

Anyway, a boss or something like that can't kill people or ransack homes!

Who is afraid of whom!

Everyone's ideas are very good.

But it's a pity that he was sent by the emperor, has strong connections and a big background.

He actually invited the censor of Handan County...

Although the censor of the county cannot control the civil affairs of Handan.

But I can only take care of the scholars from Handan to Chang'an.

Now, Gu Lord Bo has issued an order: Those who do not pay land rent will have their children banned from taking exams.

They actually listed the children of the landowners in Handan who owned more than a thousand acres of land.

Whoever fails to pay land rent will have all the children of that family unable to take the imperial examination.

There is no other way, so the big landowners can only hold their noses and lower the rent.

Of course, it's just a symbolic reduction.

It probably means that the land rent has dropped from 50% to 60% to 55% to 45%.

Everyone said privately that it was to give face to the emperor and to reduce the burden on the villagers and elders.

However, the landowners did not expect this.

This Gu Master Bo is not satisfied with such a decrease at all.

He hopes to reduce land rent to 40%.

Therefore, he resorted to a trick. He sent people to contact the generals of the various field legions of the Han army, and then persuaded the Handan-based team leaders and above-mentioned officers to go home.

Let these officers do their parents' work.

Anyway, the excuse is great and upright. Today, the Emperor loves the people as sons, and the public and others are all local celebrities. Elders, why don’t you follow the Emperor’s edict? It’s convenient for the people, and it’s convenient for yourself.

This frightened the big landowners.

They were afraid that their nephew's future would be cast into a shadow because of themselves.

As a result, the big landowners, some of whom served in the army, lowered the rent and worked hard all their lives, just to give future generations a better future?

Not to mention, even their nephews betrayed them and took the initiative to join the ranks of persuasion, presenting facts and reasoning, and publicizing the benefits of doing so.
To be continued...