Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 460: Rumors Spread
They looked at each other and saw the understanding in each other's eyes.

No wonder they were all called here suddenly. It turned out that it was the man from Guandu who made the order and submitted a memorial.

Yu Wenzhi and Pei Ju were even more relieved.

No one knew better than them what kind of terrible damage would be caused to the Sui Dynasty if the emperor really wanted to conscript so many civilians - and no one knew better than them what would be the fate of the Sui Dynasty after doing so.

After the contents of the memorial were circulated among the people, everyone's eyes were filled with shock. It was not that they were unwilling to do what was said in the memorial, but rather they were shocked at the authenticity of the "explosives" mentioned in the "memorial".

According to the memorial, the Mohists invented an item called "explosives". Although it is said that it was invented by the Mohists, in fact it is more like it was invented by the Mohists and Taoists together.

Perhaps the only family in the world that could unite these two schools of thought is the Chen family.

"His Majesty."

Yu Wenzhi's mind worked quickly. He looked at Yang Guang in front of him and said, "Is the explosive mentioned in this memorial real? Is its power really that great?"

It’s not that Yu Wenzhi didn’t believe Chen Zhan, but what was written in it was too exaggerated!
It splits mountains and rocks, destroys the sky and the earth.

If this thing is real, then it can only be a magic weapon of immortals, and not something that ordinary people can see!

Now it appears in the secular world?
He couldn't help but think of the "rumors" about the Chen family that were circulated among the people, such as that the ancestors of the Chen family were real gods, that the "rain-praying talisman" used by Zhang Jiao of Dayu during the uprising was given by the Chen family, and that most of the children of the Chen family could live forever, etc.
Yang Guang nodded slightly, his expression equally complicated.

The appearance of such a powerful "divine object" instantly restored his sanity, which had been somewhat lost due to the headache, and he stayed very quietly in the cage called "obedience".

He couldn't imagine where these explosives would be used if he didn't listen to Chen Zhan's "advice".
Is it used to assassinate him or to be used on the battlefield?
If Chen took action, he would have no hope of continuing to sit in this position, and if there were another thing like explosives, I'm afraid the world would really change.

Yang Guang sighed: "The Tiangong Division has already received the finished product, and I have personally witnessed their experiments. I can only say that Mr. Chen's words are not exaggerated at all, and are even a little too restrained."

"Do you remember the sudden deafening noise a few days ago?"

Pei Ju reacted quickly: "Could that be it?"

Yang Guang nodded: "Yes, that is the sound of explosives exploding."

He pointed at the memorial and said, "The explosives issue is not important. I think the three provinces can study the idea proposed by Mr. Chen about replacing labor with employment."

"After all, this is the first time that Lord Chen has made a proposal to the court in many years."

The meaning of Yang Guang's words is easy to understand. After all, it is the first time, so it is difficult to refuse. He also secretly emphasized the power of the "explosives", which is also a clear indication - you'd better not refuse, otherwise it is not certain who will be hit by the explosives.

Pei Ju and others naturally understood the meaning of this and sighed immediately.

Whether from a political perspective or from another perspective, they probably had no room for refusal. They just hoped that the "hire" price proposed by Mr. Chen would not be too high, otherwise the court might not be able to afford it.

After carefully reading the "hiring instead of labor" initiative, the three of them fell into deep thought.

If this is the case, then it seems that it is not a big loss and the pressure will not be too great.

Pei Ju was the first to raise his head. After calculating all the numbers, he immediately said, "I second Mr. Chen's proposal. If we use hiring instead of labor service, the people will complain less, and the construction of the Grand Canal will be much smoother."

"Plus, with the existence of explosives, the excavation of the Grand Canal."

He did a simple calculation and said, "It will probably save a lot of time, and the casualties in digging the Grand Canal will be minimized."

Yu Wenzhi and others also nodded quickly.

Yang Guang heaved a sigh of relief and said, "In that case, let's do as Mr. Chen said."

The second year of Daye.

The emperor ordered the construction of the Grand Canal and conscripted laborers.

But this conscription is very different from the past.

When the people heard the news of the conscription of laborers, they all groaned; but when they heard the rules of this conscription, everyone was dumbfounded.

Everyone is thinking about one question.

This isn't a liar, is it?

Why is there such a reaction? This has to do with the current corvee system.

The corvée system was a unique political system in ancient times. Its purpose was to make the people provide military service, labor service and other miscellaneous labor to the court. Under this system, civilians not only did not receive wages, but also had to bring their own food.

Therefore, under the corvée system, there were heavy casualties.

Because on the one hand they were reluctant to bring too much food, and on the other hand there was not much food to bring - or even that much food could not be brought.

And this time.
In the countryside, an old man stood there, looking at the messenger who came to read the emperor's decree with a confused look on his face.

"Sir, is what you said true?"

He said tremblingly: "We don't need to bring our own dry food. The court will provide meals and pay us some wages every day?"

The messenger also carefully supported the old man. After all, in ancient times, an old man of this age was a symbol of "auspiciousness". Old men over 60 years old did not have to kneel when they saw the emperor, and the court would also distribute some food to them every year.

"it is true."

He said seriously: "This is what Lord Chen proposed in his personal letter to Your Majesty, and the casualties from the corvée this time should not be very large."

"I heard that the Mohist School led by Mr. Chen's brother invented something that can split mountains and rocks, so there is no need for a large number of manpower to dig."

The messenger explained why this corvée was so "special", but the people only heard a few brief words.

"Mr. Chen proposed"

They were instantly relieved.

All of a sudden, a group of people fell to the ground, with countless tears in their eyes.

For thousands of years, since the dynasties and rulers of this land, when did corvée laborers receive money? When did corvée laborers receive meals and did not need to bring their own dry food?
For thousands of years, apart from the Chen family, has there ever been anyone who cared about these peasants?

Countless people bowed their heads on the ground to express their gratitude to Chen.

Guandu
Chen Zhan sat there. There was no one else in the courtyard at this time.

He just looked quietly in the distance, with a hint of sadness in his brows.

Over the past few days, good news has continued to reach his ears, but it cannot make him happy or excited at all. He just keeps blaming himself in his heart.

Are these things really worthy of such rewards from the people?

He finally realized what a great path the ancestors had walked.

Rumbling--

In the dim space, countless thunders exploded instantly, and the gloomy and floating air currents of unknown origin slowly gathered together, and then dissipated again in an instant.

This place is filled with nothingness and grandeur, and all feelings seem to have disappeared here.

A long, bright silver river with no beginning or end is suspended in the air. Countless figures gather in this river, and countless historical events take place.

It was in a very strange state: half of it looked very new, and the other half looked very old.

The new side is strangely filled with an old, silent and dead atmosphere, while the old half seems to be pregnant with countless vitality.

The front half of it is old, but that antiquity reveals a new lease of life.

The second half of it is novel, but the novelty is tinged with deadness.

In the first half, a seemingly small but actually extremely huge figure suddenly appears. He stands next to another person, who is sitting under a dim light and seems to be saying something.

If you listen carefully, it seems to be saying "Fa".

Then, behind this figure was an extremely magnificent altar, on which stood a man who seemed to be "claiming the throne".

A huge and magnificent country emerged, that was "Qin".

Suddenly, a huge figure stood on top of Mount Tai, performing a Fengshan ceremony.

His figure was majestic, and his face had an unmistakable arrogance.

"emperor!"

A roar like the creation of the world appeared.

Then, smoke of troubled times rose up, and in the vast atmosphere of fireworks, a man walked out of his humbleness and poverty, but that man suddenly changed. He was wearing the Qin-style three-rank official uniform, and the person he was facing also changed.

In the original trajectory, he was facing the "King of Qin", but in the transformation of nothingness, he faced Emperor Wulie of Qin, Ziying!

A larger country emerged, it was named "Han".

It was as if an explosion had occurred in the long river. Countless stars appeared brightly in the sky, hanging there quietly.

This is a vast expanse of brilliant galaxies.

When the galaxy was about to dissipate, a tiny figure appeared. He should have failed, but at the last moment he made a deafening sound. He shouted, "In the year of Jiazi, the world will be blessed with good fortune," and "The blue sky is dead, and the yellow sky should be established." Then a huge country appeared.

Countless heroes once again sang a tragic song.

In the fusion of the new and the old, the figure of "Emperor Yang of Sui" appeared. He stood there. He was no longer "Emperor Yang of Sui" but "Emperor Daye". With a wave of his hand, a long river running through the north and south appeared.

The most surprising and shocking thing about the river was that a group of tiny ants appeared on the river.

Although they are small, they stand there fearlessly.

Their figures appeared for the first time, and a system shone brightly, occupying a large space in this blend of new and old, and it was imprinted in history.

"Employment instead of service."

Great! Great! Great!

The emergence of this system completely rendered Chang He powerless, and completely fixed all the history before him and made it impossible to change.

Chen Ye slowly appeared in the endless illusion. He opened his eyes that seemed to have no emotions, and then smiled faintly: "The changes in thoughts and systems are the biggest changes."

“When we say we want to change history, what we want to change is never the so-called change of dynasties—because the rulers are always the same.”

"What needs to be changed is the thinking of the people who lived in this piece of history, what needs to be changed is the system they experienced and the suffering they endured. So when the system of hiring people instead of doing labor appeared, even if it was just a prototype and was only used in the construction of the Grand Canal, it was a powerful shock that changed this piece of ancient history."

There was relief and pleasure in Chen Ye's eyes. He had finally waited for this day.

This is the history he wants to change, and this is what Chen has been trying to do for so many years.

What was the most fundamental and most exploitative system in ancient China?
It must be the corvee system.

Not even one.

As for the so-called feudal system that eats people?

In any era and at any time, rulers, the powerful, and even the rich will all be cannibalistic, and it is basically impossible to change this because no ruler can always be a saint.

But the corvée system, a "root system" that has existed in history, is different.

He can be changed, and changing him means that people can live a better life.

Why?

Because there was money for performing corvée labor and one did not have to bring one's own food - it was like a job.

If the system of hiring people instead of labor continues to develop, sooner or later another class will emerge - the working class and the peasant class.

Chen Ye slowly closed his eyes and continued to wait.

He still has a long time and a lot of patience to continue waiting.

The second year of Daye.

The Grand Canal excavation site.

"boom--"

A loud explosion was heard, and a huge gap was blown open in the front. The workers quickly moved forward and began to move away the boulders and other objects.

This is much simpler and easier than before. It only requires a little effort, and two people can do it together. There are even "cars" invented by the Mohist School and the Tiangongsi that can be used.

When the sun was at noon, someone rang the big bell.

The workers stopped and walked towards the "canteen".

"Hey, you know what, since that black bastard was killed, our food has improved a lot, and we can even eat meat once a month."

A big man touched his head and said, "That's right."

"I can have a little bit of meat every few days."

"Mr. Chen is still the best. He knows what those bastards are, so he lets the Chen family members supervise the excavation in various places. If there are any corrupt people, they will be killed directly."

"Your Majesty, that's fine. Your Majesty is also willing to let Chen's people supervise it."

"It means that someone has deceived Your Majesty in the past. It's all the fault of those bastards."

Unconsciously, Emperor Daye's reputation seemed to have improved a lot.

辽州
Li Shimin sat in the courtyard, holding the book "Miscellaneous Talks" in his hand and continued reading, while the "sprout" in his heart was also slowly growing.

He is still young and growing slowly.

"Ji Lang, that guy is here again."

(End of this chapter)