Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

The common people and Tiger Guards around who witnessed this scene were all moved.

The corruption of the imperial court had long accustomed the people to the existence of corrupt officials, and they had even gradually ceased to hold much hope.

But the scene unfolding before their eyes, where Marquis Li Ji, a nationally renowned pillar of the state, draped his cloak over an unknown old man, brought tears to the eyes of all the common people and soldiers.

The reason for their emotional response was not only due to Li Ji's attitude, but more importantly, Liu Ying, kneeling in the snow, was a microcosm of the countless people in this Central Plains who had grievances but nowhere to turn.

The source of the chaotic world is often just the simple phrase "land annexation."

But within it lies the devastation of countless families, their homes destroyed and their families scattered.

Losing land is tantamount to losing hope of survival for the common people.

Not to mention the surrounding people, even the Tiger Guards who had followed Li Ji for some years felt their eyes involuntarily heating up.

After all, a small half of the current Tiger Guards are still Qiao County people who followed Xu Chu and Liu Bei back then. Seeing Liu Ying, also from Qiao County, receive Li Ji's attention and courtesy, they naturally couldn't suppress their emotions.

"The Marquis is benevolent."

Someone shouted, which led the Tiger Guards and the common people to spontaneously shout in unison. Even some representatives of noble families who were well-versed in Confucian classics were deeply touched by this scene and also shouted enthusiastically.

The aristocratic and powerful families are the source of turmoil in this chaotic world, and this group is also a body of interests.

However, scions of aristocratic families are often among the groups with the highest average moral standards in this era. They value benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty.

Li Ji's words undoubtedly completely conformed to the figure that countless scions of aristocratic families had unconsciously fantasized about when they were studying.

Supporting the Han Dynasty above, and securing the common people below…

Able to quell the chaos when mounted, and able to govern the country and secure peace when dismounted…

Benevolence, righteousness, and loyalty were all vividly embodied in Li Ji, causing the scions of aristocratic families who had secretly cursed Li Ji countless times to unconsciously reveal longing in their eyes as they looked at Li Ji at this moment.

It was not until Li Ji raised his hand to signal that the sound echoing in the East Gate, scattering the snowflakes, gradually subsided.

And Liu Ying, who knew Li Ji's identity, was both moved and excited.

Marquis of the State!

Who in the Great Han did not know this name?

Liu Ying was naturally no exception. The only thing that exceeded Liu Ying's expectations was that the Marquis of the State was much younger and more handsome than he had imagined.

"It is actually the Marquis of the State in person. This old man was blind. Please forgive me, Marquis."

As Liu Ying spoke, he wanted to salute Li Ji again.

Li Ji dissuaded Liu Ying from doing so and asked Xu Chu to give Liu Ying a portable small stove to keep warm. Then, in front of countless people, he opened the blood letter.

Countless eyes reverently watched the figure bowing his head to read the blood letter in the wind and snow.

After a full twenty or so breaths, Li Ji solemnly closed the blood letter in his hand and asked in a deep voice.

"Is what the blood letter says true?"

"I swear by my ancestors that I dare not fabricate anything, and there are more than thirty members of the same clan who have left their names in blood on it, all of whom can corroborate it," Liu Ying said excitedly.

"Good!"

Li Ji said, then handed the blood letter to Xu Chu and said.

"Zhongkang, read the contents of the blood letter aloud to inform the world."

"Yes, Marquis."

Xu Chu responded, took the blood letter, and then read it out.

The content of the blood letter was not complicated, and could even be called straightforward.

Just like Lou Sang Village, the hometown of Liu Bei, Lianli Village, where Liu Ying was born and where his ancestors began to settle around Qiao County, was also mainly composed of descendants of the Liu clan, descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan.

Moreover, the cultivated land owned by Lianli Village was quite fertile and vast, which allowed the descendants of this branch of the Han imperial family to live quite peacefully, although they had been reduced to farmers.

Previously, the local aristocratic and powerful families in Qiao County were headed by three families, namely the Cao family, the Xiahou family, and the Huan family.

With the rise of Cao Cao, the Cao family and the Xiahou family had gradually moved to Qingzhou in recent years.

Especially after Li Ji aggressively attacked Yu Province, the Cao family and the Xiahou family had completely moved away, and the land had also been sold off, which made the Huan family gradually become the sole dominant force in Qiao County, owning no less than tens of thousands of acres of fertile land.

However, after being swept away by the Yellow Turbans in Yu Province, which had not yet been valued, the remaining aristocratic and powerful families in Qiao County were all exterminated.

This made Qiao County a region almost devoid of aristocratic and powerful families for a time, becoming a region that countless aristocratic and powerful families were vying to come to.

Especially the Xu family from Nanyang, who had just moved in from outside, Qiao County was currently the most ideal place to settle down.

However, the land deeds and field deeds of Qiao County had long been burned. The Cao family and the Xiahou family had moved away, and even the Huan family had been turned into earth. The remaining large and small powerful families had also been exterminated, so naturally no one knew which were the lands of the original aristocratic and powerful families.

But to some extent, this was even more convenient for the aristocratic families to operate.

It was true that they did not know which lands were occupied by the Yellow Turbans, but it was not difficult to distinguish which were fertile upper fields.

And Lianli Village, where a nest of Han imperial family descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan lived, was targeted.

When Liu Ying accidentally learned that a large amount of the village's land had been tampered with, and would subsequently be changed to be owned by the Xu family, the village was in an uproar. Many young villagers immediately blocked the scions of the aristocratic families who were clearing the fields, intending to ask for an explanation.

As a result, the young villagers of Lianli Village were instead severely beaten, and some were even arrested and imprisoned.

More importantly, the upper fields and good fields that the people of Lianli Village depended on for survival were about to be changed to remote lower fields and wasteland.

This was fatal to Lianli Village, enough to cause most of the village to starve to death in the future.

And after Xu Chu finished reading, the surroundings were silent, and most of the aristocratic and powerful families' faces changed drastically.

Liu Ying cried and added.

"Marquis, it is not that this old man is impolite, but if the village's cultivated land is changed to lower fields and wasteland, even if we can barely pay enough taxes to the imperial court next year, the remaining grain will not be enough to live on."

"In order to seek a livelihood, and knowing that Liu Huangshu is also a member of the Han imperial family, I wrote a blood letter together with the clan in the village and came all the way to Ruyang in an attempt to see the Marquis. Please, Marquis, show mercy so that the entire village will not starve to death next year."

After listening, Li Ji remained silent for a long time, and then sighed loudly after a while.

"When a dynasty rises, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer. I sigh at the hardships of the people's livelihood, and even more at the greed of the human heart…"

Immediately, Li Ji turned around and scanned the surroundings, making eye contact with the common people and soldiers, and then landed on the aristocratic and powerful families who lowered their heads unconsciously, and then announced.

"This matter, this Marquis will investigate to the end, not only in Qiao County, but the entire Yu Province must be investigated to the end."

"Moreover, this Marquis has decided to report to the Lord and ask the Lord to immediately write to the imperial court requesting tax reform, to reduce taxes for the people of our Great Han, so that the harsh government will no longer be fiercer than a tiger."

"So that the people of the Great Han will no longer suffer from hunger and starvation, and even have their families destroyed and their homes ruined due to taxes."

(End of this chapter)