After Luo Youdu captured Kuizhou, he was not in a hurry to continue his troops. Instead, he implemented benevolent policies in the local area, abolished all the systems and policies of Meng and Shu that oppressed the people, and brought the Central Plains system into Kuizhou.
The people of Kuizhou, near Jingxiang, longed for life in the Central Plains.
Now Luo Youdu came in person and abolished the system that absorbed their blood one by one.
The people of Kuizhou were grateful to Luo Youdu and shouted long live as if they were celebrating the New Year.
Luo Youdu listened to the praise, but felt a little unhappy in his heart. He said to Lu Duoxun, Han Wei, and Zhao Jizha who came with the army: "The people are so easily satisfied, I am a little ashamed."
He knew deep down that the tax rate of the court under his rule was not low.
Because he doesn't want to be a keeper.
The court in charge of Luo Youdu had a strong enterprising spirit. It was almost an open matter to restore the old land of the Han and Tang Dynasties and to conduct a northern expedition to Khitan.
Recovering the lost territory required war, and the northern expedition to Khitan, going deep into the grasslands of the North and the jungles of the Northeast, required a lot of money and food support.
Where does this money and food come from?
It has to be obtained from the people.
It's just that Luo Youdu has a certain bottom line. First of all, he must meet three points: enough food, not freezing to death, and a little bit of money left over to save, either for medical treatment or to improve his life during the New Year.
As for a well-off life, in this feudal era, to be fair, it was almost impossible.
Don't talk about the prosperous Song Dynasty. People in the Song Dynasty lived a comfortable life. That was because the Song Dynasty used the wealth of the country to support the city of Bianjing.
It is only the people of Bianjing who are living well.
The Song Dynasty had three problems: redundant officials, redundant soldiers, redundant expenses, poverty and weakness. By the end of the Song Dynasty, it had never been solved.
When Zhu Xi evaluated this dynasty, he said unceremoniously: The ancients' methods of carving and peeling are all available in this dynasty.
Jinshi Lin Xun also said: "The amount of the two taxes in this dynasty increased to seven times according to the Tang Dynasty."
In the more than three hundred years before and after the Song Dynasty, there were more than 430 peasant uprisings recorded in historical records. On average, there were one every year, the highest number in all dynasties.
Therefore, no matter what dynasty it is, be it Han, Tang, Song or Ming.
The common people are very satisfied if they can maintain food and clothing.
The taxes of Luo Yu's new dynasty only satisfied this point, but the people of Kuizhou actually had this reaction.
Luo Youdu felt ashamed, but also felt a little sad.
Lu Duoxun flattered and praised: "Your Majesty is kind-hearted and should be a model for the saints of the ages."
Zhao Jizha said with emotion: "When I entered the Central Plains this time, I saw a prosperous scene, and I knew what a wise king and a wise master are. The people of Bashu can finally get rid of the enslavement of the Meng family..."
As he spoke, he squeezed out a few tears to show that the reason why he rebelled against Shu was to protect the people of Bashu from slavery and that he had a righteous heart.
Luo Youdu didn't like Zhao Jizha in his heart, but there was no disdain on his face, but a look of approval.
A gentleman uses it in a gentleman's way, and a villain uses it in a villain's way.
Zhao Jizha's character was indeed not good, but he had been an official in Shu for many years, and he was still very effective in destroying Shu this time.
Han Wei was born in a poor family, and he also suffered hardships before Han Tong became successful. He said: "What the people want is just food and clothing, but how many people can do this? It is particularly difficult for your Majesty to take care of both."
What's more, if you care about your own livelihood and don't pay attention to military preparations, in the future when bandits come in, no matter how rich the world is, how can you defeat the barbarian butcher's knife?"
Luo Youdu smiled and said: "That makes sense. We should pay equal attention to civil and military affairs in order to achieve long-term peace and stability."
While he was talking, Luo Youdu received news that Meng Xuanzhe had sent General Shi Kai to march eastward with 30,000 troops.
"It's finally here!"
Luo Youdu smiled and said: "It seems that my face is much better than that of Gao Huaide."
This time to destroy Shu, Luo Youdu divided his troops into two groups.
The Northern Route Army, with Ma Renyu and Kang Zaiyu as the front and Gao Huaide as the Xichuan camp capital, led 30,000 troops southward.
And he led 20,000 land and water troops into Shu from Jingzhou West Road.
He only captured Kuizhou along the way, but because of Wang Zhaoyuan's relationship, the Northern Route Army captured Xingyuan Prefecture in Hanzhong in one fell swoop and seized nearly 250,000 hu of grain.
It was obvious that the Northern Route Army had greater momentum, but Shi Kai marched directly eastward and headed towards Kuizhou.
Giving enough face...
But here Luo Youdu is waiting for him.
"Mr. Zhao Ke, what happens next is up to you!"
Luo Youdu patted Zhao Jizha on the shoulder.
The guest envoy was an official appointed by Luo Youdu to Zhao Jizha.
Zhao Jizha had done this kind of work when he was in Bashu.
This is a position for receiving envoys from all directions and foreign nations.
In the past, before Bashu was forced to surrender by Luo Youdu, the main task of the Hakka envoys was to appease the ethnic minorities within the territory.
The largest ethnic minority among them is the Ba people.
Of course, tracing back to the origin, the Ba people are considered local indigenous people. Because Qin Shihuang destroyed Ba, and for thousands of years, people from the Central Plains continued to enter Sichuan to avoid the disaster of war, the Han people became the dominant people in Bashu.
This is the inevitable result of the general trend.
Some of the Ba people have assimilated with the Han people, while another part of the Ba people live in the mountains and forests, leading a poor life.
More Ba people will choose to go into the mountains or live among Han people because of local political power.
The Ba people under Meng Chang's rule naturally chose to go into the mountains to avoid exorbitant taxes.
They are quite a force.
Luo Youdu won the hearts of the people in Kuizhou in order to recruit the Ba people of Shu.
Zhao Jizha was flattered and said: "My lord, I promise to complete the task."
Watching Zhao Jizha leave, Luo Youdu smiled and said, "Now I'm just waiting for Shi Kai to take the bait!"
Lu Duoxun continued to flatter the horse and said: "You will reap the fruits of what you sow. Your Majesty is like a god with his troops, and I admire you!"
Luo Youdu smiled leisurely.
He did not move his troops, not only to gain the support of the people, but also to let the Bashu army suffer the consequences.
Meng Chang used the land of Bashu as his capital, so the closer he got to Chengdu, the more popular his people were in Shu.
On the contrary, the further away from Chengdu, the harder the people lived and the more they hated the Shu officials.
He calculated that Meng Shu would not dare to engage in a head-on battle with him, and that the enemy would only dare to hold on to the city, taking advantage of the geographical advantages of Shu's steep mountains and rivers to fight a war of attrition.
This war of attrition targets resilience and the hearts and minds of the people.
Instead of going deep into the hinterland and giving them a chance to clear the country, it is better to pull them out and fight.
Lengthening the front of Meng Shu...
The Northern Route Army is enough for the attack.
As an emperor, Luo Youdu is now very Buddhist and has no intention of competing with Gao Huaide.
Shi Kai had an ominous premonition after he led his troops on the expedition.
Luo Youdu's Eastern Route Army's thunderous thunder and raindrops were too abnormal.
With the strength shown by the Central Plains Army's attack on Sanhui and Wushan's two military strongholds, and the navy's attack on Fengjie's defense line along the river, the state capitals of Anzhou, Kaizhou, and Wanzhou were unable to resist the Central Plains army.
Shi Kai's original plan was to resist the Central Plains army at the Jiangzhou defense line, but now he has received letters asking for help from the governors of Anzhou, Kaizhou, and Wanzhou one after another, and he is in a dilemma.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Thank you book friend Shuang Feng Sheng Huo for the hundred rewards, thank you for your support!