"This land price is going to collapse!"
Countless landlords, restless in their homes, cursed Liang Xiao's ancestors hundreds of times.
Overnight, the land market became unusually bleak. Fewer and fewer people were buying land, and some buyers were willing to pay breach of contract penalties rather than continue acquiring the transferred land they had previously agreed upon.
Depending on the quality, land prices varied, with the cheapest at eight hundred wen and the most expensive starting at ten taels.
However, with the promotion of "Tan Ding Ru Mu" (taxation based on adult males, with land as a proxy), more and more tenant farmers were lost, going to enlist as屯民 (settlement farmers) or taking on work as laborers. These lands became hot potatoes in the landlords' eyes.
In contrast, Liang Xiao, now owning over ten million mu of farmland, was still able to successfully hire people.
Liang Xiao knew very well that a method like "Tan Ding Ru Mu," which cut into the landlords' profits, could not be fully implemented overnight and would inevitably face resistance.
But during this period, he could take advantage of the impact of "Tan Ding Ru Mu" on land prices to acquire land from landlords and then resell it at a high price to some landlords once they found the land profitable again!
As Liang Xiao's personnel, stationed across the country, began to act according to his prior arrangements, more and more landlords in the land market were ceding land to Liang Xiao, at prices less than three-quarters of the original.
The landlords selling land at this time felt like crying: they wished they had responded to the land requisition order earlier and reported these farmlands to the state for acquisition, at least they would have earned more!
But now, the state was only repurchasing farmlands registered under the land requisition order, as the acquisition of these lands was legitimate. This was recorded a year ago, a fair transaction between the people and the government, where both parties were willing, and there was no forced purchase by the government.
Liang Xiao was investing thirty million taels of silver, frantically absorbing land from landlords across the country.
In the past, land annexation meant landlords and magnates annexing the land of the common people. Now, it was Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing annexing the land of landlords and gentry...
In the Jiangnan region of Da Gan, the Great Liang also had carrier pigeons, but their contents had to be presented to the Da Gan officials to avoid accidental misinterpretation.
The Great Liang official in charge of the carrier pigeons immediately transmitted the news of the promotion of "Tan Ding Ru Mu" to the Great Liang.
The entire Great Liang was once again struck by an unprecedented earthquake!
Qin Feng, who had already returned to the country, heard the news and was as if struck by lightning!
"Tan Ding Ru Mu..."
In the palace hall, Mu Cheng and the civil and military officials were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.
Did the Son of Heaven of Da Gan not fear offending landlords nationwide?
"I heard that such a national policy was proposed and promoted by the An Guo Hou of Da Gan. He alone bears the curses of landlords nationwide and benefits the people. Truly a wise minister for all ages!" Mu Cheng's words carried a rare tremor. He finally closed his eyes, as if afraid his ministers would see something in his eyes at that moment.
At this moment, even Yan Liu, the Left Prime Minister who had always acted presumptuously, choked back tears and kowtowed in the hall.
"I beg Your Majesty to block this matter and retract the order. Under no circumstances should the An Guo Hou of Da Gan be allowed to visit Great Liang!"
More than half of the civil and military officials kowtowed alongside him, each putting on a show, squeezing out tears, and weeping uncontrollably.
Mu Cheng took a deep breath, then opened his eyes and laughed heartily, "That Liang Xiao is thousands of miles away, yet he has terrified our entire court of Great Liang to the point of scurrying like rats. I am very sad..."
But Mu Cheng's smile, in no way, suggested sadness.
He saw that these aristocratic families were completely terrified!
Under his coercion as emperor, they had also signed a series of guarantees to prevent any harm to Liang Xiao during his visit to Great Liang. On the contrary, they had to jointly guarantee Liang Xiao's personal safety.
Because, even if someone with no foresight managed to assassinate Liang Xiao, it would no longer matter whether the Great Liang surrendered or not. The enraged populace would surely tear down the aristocratic families.
Whether it was smallpox prevention or the price reduction of domestic books due to the impact of the An Guo Bookstore, these were all merits of Da Gan's An Guo Hou for the common people.
By then, he, the Son of Heaven, would have also made his pronouncements. If they did not surrender the entire nation, they might also be overthrown by the people...
Yan Liu and others continued to "weep profusely," kowtowing and begging Mu Cheng to retract the order.
"Does the Left Prime Minister believe that our country can truly conceal news from Da Gan?" Qin Feng sighed.
As soon as he spoke, the officials who were still putting on a show stopped their tears, speechless.
How could such earth-shattering news be kept secret!
Mu Cheng then sighed, "If Da Gan promotes 'Tan Ding Ru Mu' and Great Liang refuses to, and the people find out, all their hearts will turn towards Da Gan in the future. My throne will be unstable. How will you, the aristocratic families holding millions of mu of land, face the tenant farmers below you?"
"What does Your Majesty mean by this?" Yan Liu trembled.
They had already vaguely sensed the crisis to come!
"Think about it, will the population of Da Gan surge in the future with the promotion of 'Tan Ding Ru Mu'? Will Da Gan, with its surging population, increase its national revenue, and will Da Gan have more soldiers?" Mu Cheng answered evasively.
The officials nodded one after another: "Yes!"
"So, at present, even if I am unwilling to promote 'Tan Ding Ru Mu,' you ministers must promote it!" Mu Cheng feigned a sigh and added, "Because once the Great Gan grows strong and annexes our Great Liang, you aristocratic families will face Liang Xiao directly, and your lives will be even more difficult!"
The hall was filled with the sound of gasps.
Mu Cheng then sighed, "However, I have a compromise proposal, but it requires the full support of all my beloved ministers to succeed. Alas..."
"Please instruct us, Your Majesty!" The officials were anxious.
Mu Cheng said, "You fully support the promotion of 'Tan Ding Ru Mu' in Great Liang, but regarding settlement farms, I will prioritize military settlements. As for some civilian settlements, for settlement farmers using official oxen, the division will be six parts for the officials and four for the people. For settlement farmers using private oxen, it will be fifty-fifty between officials and people. The difference lies in the settlement farm's share, which is inferior to Da Gan!"
The civil and military officials pondered.
"You can emulate this division, benefiting the people. The additional two parts compared to Da Gan are enough for you to pay the extra land tax from 'Tan Ding Ru Mu,' how about it?"
Upon hearing Mu Cheng's proposal, Yan Liu and the others also showed difficulty, then gritted their teeth and nodded: "Your Majesty is wise!"
"How can I not be wise? If we don't emulate Da Gan, I fear the people of Great Liang will flee to Da Gan. How can I, the emperor, continue to rule!" Mu Cheng tried his best to appear heartbroken, but his heart was overjoyed.
That man, from thousands of miles away, had once again brought him immeasurable benefits!
And he only needed to let these ministers, who feared Liang Xiao, cover for him and support the promotion of "Tan Ding Ru Mu." He didn't even need to offend landlords nationwide; these ministers would explain it to the landlords themselves.
In the end, the landlords of Great Liang would only resent Liang Xiao...
And he, the emperor, and the Great Liang court, would gain the support of the landlords by "being forced" to promote "Tan Ding Ru Mu" and integrate settlement farms, while having made efforts to protect the landlords' interests.
No matter how "harsh" the Great Liang court appeared, in the eyes of the Great Liang landlords, it was far better than the Da Gan court!
Back in the imperial study, Mu Cheng was laughing uncontrollably.
Because of Da Gan's "Tan Ding Ru Mu," he had unexpectedly become the biggest winner, winning without even trying!
"Son-in-law, calculate approximately when he will arrive? I really want to have a heart-to-heart talk with him, I really do. I no longer dare to covet the central plains; I just want to see if my grand pronouncements can astonish him..."
Qin Feng listened to Mu Cheng's soliloquy and replied with a wry smile, "If there are no changes in Da Gan, at the earliest in six months, at the latest in three years, he will definitely come!"
Mu Cheng laughed heartily.
The warlords who were indulging themselves in Xichuan and Jiaozhou also soon received the news of "Tan Ding Ru Mu" and broke out in a cold sweat!