Back in the city, Little Bell took his younger brother to change his mud-stained clothes, greeted his father, and went back to play.

Lu Bu sent someone to find Chen Gong and Xiao Ji, and told them what he had seen and heard when he went out today.

After hearing this, Chen Gong showed a solemn look on his face, and sighed: "I don't want Yanzhou's tax to be as high as this. ”

Lu Bu thought so, turned around with his hands behind his back, and looked solemn: "So I want to change the policy, reduce the original seventy percent land rent tax to thirty percent, and as for the imperial court tax, I will reduce it separately." ”

Chen Gong nodded and said, 'Lord Wise'.

He clearly understood that the main culprit that led to the famine of the people was mainly the exploitation and oppression of the local families. Only by cutting off the majority of the family's head can the people have a new way to live.

At this time, Xiao Ji on the side expressed a different opinion, and he said with good words: "Lord, we have just taken Yanzhou, and the foundation is not yet solid. Now the blatant infringement of the interests of the Yanzhou family is no different from turning the other cheek, I am afraid that it will estranged them from the lord and is not conducive to local governance. ”

Lu Bu glanced at Xiao Ji thoughtfully, and the latter continued: "What's more, the land rent tax is a clause voluntarily made by the wealthy family and the people. Wouldn't it be nice for us to forcibly intervene from the middle? ”

Xiao Ji is reasonable, and he can't find anything wrong at all.

Over the years, he has followed Lu Bu to conquer the south and the north, and has made many contributions to both local governance and advice. At the same time, he also received a lot of benefits secretly.

These gold, silver and jade, fertile fields and tiles, were secretly given to him by families from all over the world, the purpose was to hope that Xiao Ji could speak for them at a critical time and strive for some benefits that could be fought for.

Among the four strategists under Lu Bu's command, the best person to speak and the most understanding is none other than Ji Ji.

"Then let me ask you, where does the family's land come from?" Lu Bu's voice sank for two minutes.

Xiao Ji 'chuckled' in his heart, and suddenly had a very bad premonition, and replied cautiously: "Naturally, it is the shadow of the ancestors and passed down from generation to generation." ”

"Brother Yuantu, what you said is not quite true."

Chen Gong obviously had a different opinion on this, he twisted his chin beard lightly, and said slowly: "As far as I know, the expansion of the powerful family in recent years has relied on war and riots, hoarding, and wanton annexation of land, forcing tens of thousands of people to die. These lands are all unscrupulous, robbed by unscrupulous means, and forcibly seized by tyranny! ”

Xiao Ji was speechless for a while, and he didn't know what to argue.

At this time, it was Lu Bu's turn to speak.

He smiled, as if to say something pleasant: "I am not an unreasonable person, as long as the existing land of the family does not cause trouble, I will not touch it." It's just that now I want them to take a step back, collect less taxes, and leave a way for the people to live. ”

In this chaotic world, all the people want is food and clothing, and a trace of peace, in order to survive this catastrophe.

When Xiao Ji heard this, his face was embarrassed: "Lord, I'm afraid it's difficult to make the local family nod, if it is reduced to fifty percent, there may still be room for negotiation."

"Discuss? Who is to consult with them? ”

Lu Bu sneered, and then his voice suddenly became cold: "As we all know, I, Lu Bu, have never relied on any kindness, what I rely on is the hundreds of thousands of Zheng Zheng's sons under my command. As long as I say a word, I can uproot all the Yanzhou families in an instant! You tell me for me, if anyone refuses to back down, don't blame me Lu Bu for being ruthless and not recognizing people. ”

Seeing that Lu Bu was angry, Xiao Ji didn't dare to argue anymore, and answered 'yes', saying that he would make a plan later.

The family can be alive without those taxes, but the people will die. The lives of the lords of the family are fate, but the lives of the people are not?

Lu Bu asked himself, in addition to protecting the country, being a soldier also needs to reassure the people.

"In addition, I also checked the household registration of various counties and counties in Yanzhou in recent years." Lu Bu returned to his position and sat down, and spoke in a deep voice.

Yanzhou has a total of 8 counties and 79 counties, nearly 400,000 households, and a population of 2.12 million.

That's nearly two million fewer people than it was 30 years ago!

The Son of Heaven was deaf and greedy for pleasure, the moths and thieves were in rebellion, bandits were everywhere, the princes fought for territory, and natural and man-made disasters were all important factors that led to the sharp decline of the people's population.

Chen Gong took over the topic and sighed: "Not only Yanzhou, but also the population of other states and counties is also greatly reduced. ”

Guanzhong is strategically located and is rarely affected by the war, but the drought in the first two years was enough to choke and many people died.

As for the annexation of the state, it was originally a poor and remote country, and the population was sparse. However, after Lü Bu defeated the Xianbei people, he gradually settled down, and the Qiang people moved in, and the state pastor Yanxin paid attention to the development of people's livelihood and agriculture, and in recent years, he established Hu City, and traded with the countries of the Western Regions, but the development was impressive. Last year, the population also broke the million mark.

"Do you have any good advice on population growth?" Lu Bu asked.

In fact, if you want to increase the population, the easiest and most direct way is to let the people reproduce more offspring. But in this world, the people can't even support themselves, and even if they give birth to children, it is almost difficult to survive in the world.

Chen Gong thought about it for a while, and soon had an idea: "Can the lord know the strategy of King Goujian?" ”

Lu Bu shook his head, "I would like to hear about it." ”

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Gou Jian was defeated and captured, and he tried his courage for several years, and set a national policy called "ten years of recuperation and ten years of rest". Chen Gong said slowly, almost reciting the historical records: "One of them is to encourage population production. The decree stipulates that the strong man shall not take an old woman, and the old man shall not marry a strong wife, and if a woman does not marry seventeen, her parents shall be guilty, and if her husband does not marry thirty, her parents shall be guilty. If you are exempted, the public doctor will keep it, give birth to a husband, two pots of wine and a dog; gave birth to a woman, two pots of wine, and a dolphin; gave birth to three people, male and female; gave birth to two people, and the husband was hungry with them. ”

The meaning can be roughly interpreted into two ways:

One is to advocate early marriage and early childbearing, women are 17 years old, men are 30 years old, if they do not get married, they will be questioned by the government.

The other is to advocate the quality of the population, and if there is a huge age difference between men and women, marriage is not allowed.

When a woman in Vietnam is about to give birth, she has to report to the government, and the government will appoint a doctor to come to the door to guard and deliver the baby free of charge. If you give birth to a male baby, you will be rewarded with two pots of wine and a dog, and if you give birth to a female baby, you will be rewarded with two pots of wine and a pig. If she gives birth to three children, she is obligated to nurse them.

If a prostitute gives birth to a child and does not want to raise it, the state can raise it for her.

Lu Bu held his chin and thought about it, although Gou Jian was a historical figure six or seven hundred years ago, with a long history, and the government decree was somewhat in conflict with the current situation, it was still a good policy that could be improved and emulated.

As long as Yanzhou is stable, after two or three generations, the population will naturally grow back.

"My lord, my subordinates also agree with the opinion of the military advisor."

Xiao Ji expressed his support, and at the same time made a suggestion: "There are many soldiers in the army who have not yet married a family, and the lord can also take this opportunity to arrange a large-scale blind date activity, so that unmarried women from all over the country can come to Yanzhou for a blind date." If you like it, you can register directly and go back to prepare for the marriage. ”

In this way, it can not only contribute to population growth, but also solve lifelong problems for the officers and soldiers in the army, and consolidate the hearts of the people in Yanzhou.

It can be said that it kills three birds with one stone.

"Well said!"

After listening to Xiao Ji's speech, Lu Bu laughed heartily and the drummer praised him.

Regarding Xiao Ji's acceptance of bribes, Lu Bu knew in his heart, but he thought that Xiao Ji had followed him for more than ten years, and he had outstanding ability. So as long as it doesn't involve issues of principle, even if he collects some remuneration in private, Lu Bu has always turned a blind eye.

Subsequently, the three of them carefully discussed and formulated a new policy in the hall, which was ready to be promoted in various parts of Yanzhou in the near future.

Soon, Chen Wei walked in from outside the hall, holding a sealed bamboo slip in his hand, respectfully handed it to Lu Bu, and said softly: "Lord, Chang'an has a letter." ”

Lu Bu, who was discussing with Chen Gong and Xiao Ji, interrupted for the time being, took the bamboo slips, and examined them carefully.

As time passed, Lu Bu's brows gradually furrowed, and he locked into the word 'one'.

Seeing that Lu Bu's face was not good, Chen Gong asked tentatively: "Lord, but what happened?" ”

Lu Bu, who had read the letter slip, handed over the bamboo slip, so you can see it for yourself.

Chen Gong took it with both hands and browsed it with Xiao Ji next to him.

There is a lot of content in the letter, and it is almost full of denseness.

The thin and clear handwriting looks like it is written by Xi Ce himself.

The letter mentioned that the courtiers argued endlessly in the temple about Lu Bu's title of king, and finally the Son of Heaven named Yan Wei as the king of Yong'an, and the matter came to an end.

Zhang Yuan and the others were not afraid of the Son of Heaven, but wanted to know what Lu Bu meant, whether to give in, or whether to continue to fight.

In addition, it was also mentioned that Lu Zhen picked up Wang Yue.

Wang Yue became famous in his youth, and after fighting the world's masters at the age of twenty-five, he disappeared and disappeared without a trace. After an all-round investigation and investigation by the School Affairs Bureau, it was finally found out from the personnel records of the palace that after Wang Yue disappeared, he entered the palace and became the general of the Huan Emperor Liu Zhi, responsible for the security of the guards.

Later, Emperor Liu Hong ascended the throne and transferred Wang Yue from light to darkness in case of accidents.

Until the seventh year of Guanghe, that is, the year of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Wang Yue was sent out of the palace because of a trivial incident that angered Liu Hong, as for where he went later, it is not recorded in the book.

According to this speculation, with Liu Hong's violent and impermanent temper, if Wang Yue really angered the Son of Heaven, he would definitely be killed by Liu Hong on the spot, and how could he let him leave safely.

So the joke ordered the eyeliner placed in the palace to inquire around, but because of the rebellion of the ten permanent servants that year, after He Jin was killed, the eunuchs in the palace were purged by a large number of Yuan brothers, and there were very few people who knew the clues about Wang Yue.

Therefore, Xi Ce believes that Liu Hong Jiucheng is taking advantage of this layout to send Wang Yue out of the palace to perform some kind of task.

Liu Hong is an absurd and domineering faint king, but he is not a fool.

Lu Bu was deeply touched by this.

"What do you think?" Lu Bu asked the two most relied on advisers in the hall.

The two pondered carefully, and Xiao Ji was the first to express his opinion: "According to the subordinates, Wang Yue's matter may be a well-designed conspiracy...... But I can't guarantee that it is really the eldest prince who is blessed to his soul, and he has this opportunity. ”

Not~

Lu Bu groaned, having a swordsman like Wang Yue to guide the swordsmanship of the seal, it would be a blessing for the eldest son. But if this is a trap set by others, it will also be a dangerous product that will explode at any time, and it is extremely dangerous.

Before finding out the truth of the matter, Lu Bu decided to wait and see what happened, let Wang Zheng of the school affairs department increase his efforts, and at the same time sent secret guards to keep an eye on Wang Yue.

Wang Yue's matter was put aside for the time being, and the topic returned to the theme of 'sealing the king'.

Chen Gong hesitated, looked at Lu Bu, and still said: "Lord, I thought it was too early to say that the matter of sealing the king. Although the lord is famous in Jiuzhou and has made outstanding achievements, he is not allowed to be crowned king with a different surname, which is also a rule set by the previous emperors of the past dynasties, and it is easy not to be violated. If the lord is obsessed with this, he may be criticized by the people of the world and lose the hearts of the people. ”

"The military advisor is ridiculous!"

Xiao Ji refuted on the spot, arguing with reason: "Just imagine, the lord is conscientious and conscientious, and he has been born and died for the Han family for many years. Now, the lord defeated Cao Cao and recovered Yanzhou, such a great achievement, the court actually only rewarded the lord and wife as Yong'an Jun, but did not reward the lord and princess, which is simply unfair! ”

Not to be outdone, Chen Gong asked loudly: "Do you want the lord to bear the infamy of disloyalty and injustice!" ”

Xiao Ji snorted coldly, and a cruel light flashed in his eyes: "Since the court and the Son of Heaven are not kind, why does the lord need to talk to him about loyalty, simply take the Han Dynasty and see what the Son of Heaven can do!" ”

"Enough!"

Lu Bu raised his eyebrows, shouted, interrupted the two who were still arguing, and at the same time glared at Xiao Ji, and warned: "Yuan Tu, don't say this again in the future!" ”

Just by taking the Han dynasty from the Han Dynasty just now, according to the Han law, it is enough to destroy his family.

Xiao Ji knew that he had touched Lu Bu's bottom line, but there didn't seem to be much panic in his eyes, he bowed down and said 'yes'.

"Stand down, I'm tired."

Lu Bu waved his hand and motioned for the two to retreat.

After the two left, Lu Bu sat in his position and rubbed his slightly swollen head with his hands, looking a little tired.

Crowned king.

He doesn't have such big wolf ambitions at the moment, maybe Lu Bu hasn't thought about this at all. Now he is already a very popular minister, even if he is crowned king, in addition to the false titles of many princes, more people are still scolded.

The higher you climb, the farther you get from your original intention.

Lu Bu suddenly understood why Cao Cao, who was in the previous life, would rather be scolded as a thief by the princes than return the power in his hands to the Son of Heaven.

It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.

Once the power is returned, it is equivalent to becoming a fish on the chopping board, and the Lu family will be destroyed but the command room.

Even if it is passed on, it can only be passed on to his own son.

Thinking of this, Lu Bu sighed slightly, the height is unbearable!

I don't know how Qingshi will write me in the future?

Is it loyalty, or is it treachery?

Forget it, let's leave it to future generations.