Fu Tinghan saw that the people gathered outside the courtyard were looking at Zhao Hanzhang with both admiration and excitent mixed with worry and timidity, so he couldn’t help but smile and said to the students who had co to help, "In the future, when you go to guide the workers in digging the water channel, you can tell them why we are urgently conscripting labor at this ti."
Soone puzzledly said, "Mr. Fu, our teacher says that the people are ignorant, just tell them what to do, there’s no need to explain the reason, otherwise it will beco increasingly troubleso."
Fu Tinghan said, "That depends on the situation."
He said, "Indeed, there are many ignorant people in the world, so they need enlightennt. The matter of forced labor is closely related to them, letting them know the reason not only can increase their knowledge, making the community more enlightened, but also allows them to better understand the reasons for Hanzhang and the county governnt’s conscription of labor."
"Facing doubts due to lack of understanding, leading to resentnt due to doubts, and eventually, disputes," Fu Tinghan said, "This is a very dangerous situation, so we need to prevent it from the source."
The students felt he made sense, so they agreed.
The next day, heavy rain fell from the sky, and everyone couldn’t go out. Zhao Hanzhang sat under the eaves watching the rain, resting her chin on her hand. Fu Tinghan sat beside her, rarely having leisure, gazing at the rain in a daze.
A group of teenage boys couldn’t sit still and ran with raincoats to neighboring villager’s hos to play, mainly teaching so children to read and do arithtic.
Influenced by the teachers at the school, the teenagers also loved teaching people who couldn’t read or count.
So young adults and elders watched enviously on the side, occasionally speaking to them, and by the way, inquiring about the conscription matter.
"Like today’s heavy rain, we didn’t go out to work, does it count within the thirty days?"
A teenager said, "Of course it doesn’t count."
He said, "It only counts if you’re working, otherwise if there’s continuous heavy rain for ten days and everyone hasn’t gone to work, does it still count as ten days of conscription?"
An elder beside them glared sideways at that elder and said, "Don’t overreach, with other governors, you’d have to dig mud even in the rain, that’s what’s tough."
"Not just tough, it could be fatal, haven’t there been fewer people who’ve died because of conscription before?"
"Sigh, building waterworks is like this, I’ve only dug the mud for two days and my arms can barely lift, it’s far more tiring than working in the fields."
Working in the fields, you can occasionally stop to rest, but building waterworks isn’t like that, if you slow down, the governnt official will urge you and even whip you.
The students overheard, and couldn’t help but look at each other; a young girl softly said, "Although it’s a bit difficult now, we can save lives in the future."
She said, "While in Luoyang, the governor received guidance from a sage who could observe celestial phenona, predicting abnormal weather in the coming years with unpredictable droughts and floods, with so places experiencing severe drought, so the governor urgently wants to build waterworks."
A young gentleman beside her imdiately nodded and agreed, "That’s right, otherwise why would the governor suddenly put in so much effort for us to dig dikes and water channels?"
"This is not sothing that can be completed in two or three months; it takes at least two to three years to prevent problems before they happen. If there’s a flood, the dikes and water channels can divert it, and if there’s drought, it can store water for irrigation, people might rely on it to survive."
The villagers were startled after hearing this, "Is there going to be a major disaster in Yu State? Shouldn’t we offer sacrifices to the River God and Dragon King in advance?"
"Right, more offerings might eliminate the disaster."
The teenagers froze, clearly not expecting this solution, but they instinctively knew it was wrong.
If gods were useful, wouldn’t the governor’s prayers be more effective than theirs? The governor has never ntioned praying.
But the inexperienced teenagers couldn’t find the words to refute, so they helplessly looked around and then saw Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan standing in the doorway.
The teenagers were surprised and quickly stood to salute.
Zhao Hanzhang waved nonchalantly. The rain had almost stopped by then, but the courtyard was filled with water, so she avoided several puddles as she walked forward and smiled at the villagers, "Don’t tease these kids too much, they’re young, if they believe it, it won’t be good."
The villagers imdiately shut their mouths, but thoughts were whirling in their heads. What they said was true, but the governor said it wouldn’t be good if the students believed it, so praying to the River God and Dragon King is useless?
Zhao Hanzhang told them, "These water channels and dikes are being built for you, benefiting the local populace. For a few years, you’ll endure hardship, but future generations will have it easier, and their chances of surviving disasters will be higher."
The villagers responded with a low acknowledgnt.
Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said, "Currently, the land you have been allocated hasn’t been formally registered to create land deeds yet, correct? Once we’re over this busy period, I’ll have the governnt officials register and prepare land deeds for you, establishing Eternal Fields, which will be yours to cultivate forever."
The villagers brightened at this news.
Zhao Hanzhang said, "Except for extrely special circumstances, Eternal Fields cannot be bought or sold, so rest assured, no one dares to seize your land; this land will always be yours, and the water channels and dikes you built with your own hands will be for your use."
The villagers imdiately responded loudly, and so directly knelt and kowtowed to Zhao Hanzhang, their eyes and faces full of excitent.
Fu Tinghan had been watching her; when settling refugees, they had this plan, but because the governnt staff was insufficient, and paper was quite expensive at first, they simply divided the land without registering or creating land deeds.
He didn’t expect that choosing to announce it at this ti would have such an effect.
Zhao Hanzhang nodded to the arriving village chief, smiling and said, "Spread this news, let everyone share in the joy."
The village chief imdiately asked, "May I ask, governor, is it only our village, or the whole county?"
Zhao Hanzhang said, "The entire Yu State, including Luoyang, all under my governance, will be like this."
The village chief’s eyes lit up imdiately, and he bowed in response.
Zhao Hanzhang said, "Additionally, after the conscription period, any wasteland, if soone cultivates and plants it for three years, and adheres for three years to pay taxes based on the cultivated acres, the farmland will belong to them, and beco Eternal Fields. Among them, in the first year of cultivation, the rent tax is halved."
The villagers silently cheered, all looking at each other excitedly.
Zhao Hanzhang said, "I will issue an official docunt for this order, all under my governance will be like this."
The village chief and villagers responded loudly together.
As Zhao Hanzhang turned and left, the villagers lost their resentnt for forced labor, all getting excited.
With the land deeds, the land would truly belong to them forever, no one could take it away.
They could truly settle here.
The news here, the words Zhao Hanzhang spoke to the students, spread quickly after Zhao Hanzhang left, not only among this village but also others, even other counties and states received the news.
Under the promotion of those with intentions, the people’s emotions rose day by day, digging mud at the river daily without feeling tired anymore.
The official docunt signed by Zhao Hanzhang also reached each county and state, and all the county governnts announced the registration and creation of land deeds to the people.
Of course, at this ti everyone was busy building the basic infrastructure, temporarily not having ti for this task, but the paper workshops began bustling.
They began to clang away at making paper, including special paper suitable for housing deeds, and the governnts placed orders with the paper workshops.
The paper workshops imdiately made a good profit, and since the counties lacked money, they reported to the Inspector Mansion for funds.
Indeed, paper is expensive, with so much to do at once, it’s quite paper-consuming, doesn’t it require additional expenditure?
The accounts from the paper workshops had just reached Zhao Hanzhang’s hands, yet before they ward, everywhere started requesting money, so the money just made a quick round in her hands.
But along with the paper, various books were also transported, especially the newly compiled Thousand Character Classic, which was much loved by young children learning to read everywhere.
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