Chapter 37: Enslaving the Populace

Chen Fan slept at the village head’s house until daybreak. This was a rural village, much like the environment he had grown up in during his own childhood. Having cast aside his wariness, he had slept soundly through the night. When he finished washing and stepped outside, he realized there was not a soul to be seen in the village.

He prepared to find the village head to make inquiries, but could not locate him. He went to find Li Xing and his companions, only to discover they were missing as well. He had no choice but to seek out one of the women who could usually be seen busy with various chores throughout the village. In truth, he had intended to avoid the women, feeling that speaking to others would be unfaithful to Yue Rou and the others.

He found a middle-aged woman in the village head’s courtyard, drawing water to wash clothes. "Young lady, do you know where the men of the village have gone?"

"Sir, I do not know, but this morning I saw them grab their hoes, pull the village head along, and head out."

Chen Fan vaguely guessed they had gone to the fields. He felt quite gratified, thinking these men possessed a commendable sense of ambition. He asked her, "Then, young lady, do you know where the village's farmland is located?"

"The largest portion of farmland is to the east. Just follow the path that leads into the village, take a right, and keep walking; you will arrive there."

"Many thanks for the information. I shall take my leave!" Having said this, Chen Fan bowed to the woman. She did not pay close attention to his words, merely keeping her head down and continuing with her work.

Chen Fan followed her directions to search for the group. "Why are Li Xing and the others not there? Perhaps they went to investigate alongside them!"

Chen Fan turned right and walked for about forty-five minutes until he saw a vast expanse of farmland. The men were gathered there, debating something intensely. He walked closer to listen.

"I’m telling you, village head! The special envoy said we could reclaim and cultivate wasteland, so why won't you let us do it?"

"That’s right! Village head! Are you afraid that if we reclaim more land and acquire more fields, we’ll become landlords ourselves, get rich, and stop listening to you?"

"What kind of talk is that! For all these years, which year have I not worked for your sake? Whenever there is an issue, it’s this old bag of bones going to the magistrate’s office to file reports for you all! I want nothing more than for this village to prosper! This old man would benefit from that too! I was wondering why you all kept talking about farming during dinner last night! And then you dragged me out here at the crack of dawn to look at the land. You’ve lived in this village for so many years! You don’t even know how much farmland we actually have! If it weren't for me constantly urging you to help the womenfolk, you’d all be lying at home every single day!"

"Now you say we can gain land by reclaiming wasteland! This land belongs to the Emperor; how could it possibly be given to you? Are you trying to start a rebellion? Do you think you are feudal lords? Be careful, or I’ll have you locked up in the village ancestral hall for causing such trouble!"

"Village head, the special envoy gave his word and even recited the laws! How could it not be true?"

Having said this, one man pulled aside Li Xing and his companions, who had been following them to gather information about the case. "Officer, you work in the magistrate’s office; tell us if this is true!"

"Er... I..." Li Xing was momentarily at a loss for words. He did not know how to lie, except when interrogating criminals. However, he felt he could not undermine Chen Fan. Since Chen Fan had told them this, he must have had good reason. Furthermore, he was relatively unfamiliar with the laws concerning civil affairs, as he knew the criminal code by heart. "Er... Master Chen Fan is in charge of administration and civil affairs, so it is likely true."

"What do you mean 'likely'? Give us a straight answer, sir!"

"Er... actually, the Left Minister has been pushing for reforms for years. It is not strange that the new laws have not yet reached this far. If you do not trust Master Chen Fan, why not go to the notice board at the magistrate’s office yourselves?"

When the crowd saw that even Li Xing could not give a definitive answer, they prepared to set down their hoes.

"I told you! If even this officer from the magistrate’s office isn't sure, you bunch of simpletons should stop making such a fuss!"

Hearing this, more than half the group set down their hoes. However, a few were still unwilling to give up. "Let’s go find Master Chen Fan and have him show the law to the village head!"

They started to leave, following the leader back toward the village at a brisk pace. Unexpectedly, Chen Fan’s voice rang out from right among them: "There is no need to look for me; I am already here!"

The group stopped and turned to look at Chen Fan, who was standing in their midst, though none had noticed his arrival. "Ah! Master Chen Fan! When did you arrive?"

Chen Fan glanced at them, pulled out the legal code he carried with him, and held it high above his head. "The book in my hand is the Great Zhou’s New Law, which went into effect last year."

With that, he walked over to the village head and handed it to him. The village head set down his walking stick, took the law with both hands, and began to read it with great reverence. Chen Fan thoughtfully helped him turn to the chapter on land reclamation.

After reading it, the village head knelt directly before Chen Fan. "It is truly a blessing for our Zeng County to have Magistrate Cao! It is truly a blessing for the people of Great Zhou to have our Emperor and the Left Minister!"

"Village head, please, get up! This is only what we ought to do!" Chen Fan said, reaching out to help the village head up.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the village head refused to rise, instead breaking into tears. "Master! Master! This commoner thanks Magistrate Cao! As for the Emperor, we could never repay his kindness, even if we were to die a thousand times!"

The others did not understand why the village head reacted so strongly to this news. There was an age gap between the village head and them; naturally, they did not grasp the weight of these new laws. Since ancient times, land had always belonged to feudal lords and landlords. These farmers could only till the soil for them to survive, and the grain produced was seized by the lords, leaving the farmers barely able to fill their stomachs.

To end the situation where land was held by lords and landlords, the Great Zhou monarch abolished the feudal system, brought the land under state control, and provided it to farmers for free. Taxes were also kept very low, ensuring the people of the Great Zhou’s villages would not starve.

The newly promulgated law was even more significant—it was, in effect, handing the land directly to them! This was a true return of land to the people!

Chen Fan forcibly pulled the village head to his feet. Unable to resist, the village head stood up, still weeping. Watching these somewhat naive villagers, Chen Fan recited the Left Minister’s explanation for the law:

"The founding of our Great Zhou was no easy task. It was because the myriad subjects followed them closely that they were able to campaign north and drive the barbarians out of the Central Plains. The founding Holy Emperor, Emperor Sheng of Zhou, once promised his subjects that he would return the land to the people. Every inch of Great Zhou’s soil is soaked with the blood and sweat of the farmers. This land does not belong to the royal clan; it was won for them by their subjects.

"To end the era of warring factions and bring peace to the world, my master abolished the feudal system. Yet, for the sake of the nation’s survival, it is only today that the land is being given directly to the people. Successive emperors have pondered how to distribute land without creating new landlords who would enslave the people. Therefore, they have granted the right of cultivation to the commoners; if they lack grain, they may farm the land to feed themselves. Should anyone attempt to hoard land for power, the land will be reclaimed, and they will be dealt with according to the law.

"I hope the people will work diligently, using their own hands to harvest grain to feed their families. That is the very reason why the Emperor fights the barbarians to the death and never retreats!"