The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1537 Armored Soldiers' Assault
Wang Yan strolled leisurely through the fields with his hands behind his back.

Not far away, many people were measuring land with tape measures, confirming it acre by acre. In the village behind, everyone had gathered together, registering one person at a time.

It's not just about registration; it's also about explaining the rules to the public.

Tell them that the land now designated is theirs and cannot be bought or sold privately. Furthermore, they must pay taxes on this land. If anyone else were to buy land for the gentry, they themselves would be ruined and destroyed if they couldn't pay the taxes.

But now that it's been verified, even if it's done behind the backs of the gentry, the land is still registered in the name of the common people. The county doesn't recognize anything else but the actual documents; whoever's name is on the land owns it.

As a result, after this matter was made public, dozens of local gentry families died, and the entire family perished, a truly tragic end.

Later, as the news spread and it became clear that only a minority of people were willing to risk their lives for their wealth, the situation stabilized. The various local gentry and wealthy families swallowed their anger and reluctantly accepted the situation.

Of course, they can't deny it.

On the one hand, they dared not allow the land under their names to exceed the permitted limits, because Wang Yan would definitely punish them severely if he had the chance. Not to mention anything else, the fines alone would be enough to kill them.

On the other hand, they all divided the land among their tenants and servants, and even those who had illegally acquired land were given more land. In this way, the other people who had acquired more land for no reason formed an alliance of interests.

In the past, they bullied the people at will, and the people couldn't unite to resist them. But now the people have all taken their land, the county government recognizes their land, and they're not allowed to buy or sell it. Anyone who tries to take their land will face their death. Like lips and teeth, the other people certainly won't stand idly by. They won't just try to punish others without punishing them.

With the people united, the local gentry and powerful families would be rendered powerless. No matter how powerful they were, they could only bully a few dozen people. But if the entire village fought them to the death, even if they could withstand the people, they couldn't withstand the consequences of such a massive event. Even without the imperial court's decision, Wang Yan would have to confiscate their property first.

After all, Wang Yan was the county magistrate. If a peasant uprising broke out in his jurisdiction, what would become of them? Everyone would be in trouble!

Wang Yan's madness is common knowledge; he's undoubtedly a notorious ruthless figure in the Ming Dynasty. But even ruthlessness is useless, after all, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents...

"Look carefully, everyone. The boundary must be accurate to the millimeter. The boundary markers must be erected properly, and this tree must be planted here. From now on, neither of the neighboring households should encroach on any more territory. Otherwise, if the matter goes to the county, whoever is in the wrong will be punished. Don't even think about bullying others. As long as I am here, everyone must abide by the rules."

Upon hearing Wang Yan's instructions, the clerks and commoners around him all responded in agreement.

They were all very happy. The common people had indeed gained more land, and most of the minor officials who handled the affairs were temporary workers, poor scholars from the capital. They were provided with food and lodging and paid money when they came here to work, so how could they not be happy?

And so, Wang Yan, accompanied by several constables, patrolled the area until he arrived at a Taoist temple.

"This humble Taoist priest, Qingyangzi, greets the layman."

Looking at the composed, white-bearded old man before him, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom, Wang Yan lazily waved his hand: "What are you standing there for? Take him down!"

"Magistrate Wang! This humble Taoist has been personally appointed by the Emperor of Longevity..."

Wang Yan kicked him aside: "Slap him!"

One of his men stepped forward and slapped him left and right.

"Stop tarnishing His Majesty's reputation. His Majesty instructed you to cultivate the Dao honestly, not to seize the people's land and evade taxes. Qingyangzi, if I find even one more acre of land, I will take your life!"

"It was all done voluntarily by the people, what does it have to do with me!" Qingyangzi still argued.

Wang Yan glanced at him: "The people offered their land, and the rent was given to you, but did you give it to the court? What does it have to do with you? I heard you, you son of a bitch, are keeping several women? Widows, respectable women, prostitutes? Is this how you cultivate your Dao? Deceiving His Majesty and corrupting His Majesty's mind, you deserve to die. Keep hitting him. Don't you know the rules? Shut your mouth when I didn't tell you to!"
You guys too, we've already investigated the imperial estate, what's wrong with investigating this Taoist temple? And that temple over there, wasn't it said to have over 10,000 mu of land? Do they really have that much? Go and notify them to investigate that area too, arrest anyone who obstructs them. After verifying the facts, arrest everyone, draft the judgment documents, and send them all to work with those local thugs and ruffians on road construction.

"This is outrageous! A bunch of cultivators have actually become superior beings. From now on, let them be servants; if they don't work properly, beat them to death!"

Seeing Qingyangzi being beaten, Wang Yan went into the Taoist temple to check the situation inside.

The constables, hangers-on, and firefighters who had arrived earlier were ransacking the place, while clerks were taking inventory and tallying the items on the other side...

As the capital city, this area has many Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries, leading to a rivalry between the two. As a county under the jurisdiction of the capital, Daxing naturally has its own numerous temples and monasteries, attracting both high-ranking officials and wealthy people, as well as ordinary people struggling to make a living. There are many chaotic and messy things happening here.

Even during the previous crackdown on organized crime in the capital, some matters implicated these monks. However, given the limited resources and the fact that they couldn't escape, Wang Yan didn't take any action.

Now, the results of clearing the fields and checking the population are the same: none of these people will fare well. Those without Buddhist or Taoist registration will all be arrested, and those with registration will also be arrested for reasons such as exceeding land limits, tax evasion, and committing crimes. Everything, including the mountain gate, will be confiscated, and all land will be considered public land, rented to the people for cultivation at a rate of one-tenth of the tax.

Unlike the land that was donated by the gentry and wealthy families and returned to the people, this kind of land, even if it was donated by the people, cannot be returned to them. Anyone who dares to object will be punished.

Of course, the people were quite willing, because Wang Yan used the county government's official seal to sign contracts with them, directly leasing the land to them for fifty years, with renewal after that. One-tenth of the tax was already a very fair price. After paying this tax, they wouldn't have to pay any additional land tax.

More importantly, because Wang Yan did not issue any corvée labor, the people of Daxing were all spared this expense, and they could still work to earn money.

In fact, the Single Whip Law was already being slowly implemented, but there was a lot of resistance. It wasn't until the Wanli era, after Zhang Juzheng came to power, that the process was finally taken and the law was promoted nationwide.

Regarding corvée labor, the common people paid the corvée labor fee, and the government then spent money to hire people. But it was obvious that the government collected far more corvée labor fees.

So here's the problem with Wang Yan: he didn't impose corvée labor, didn't collect silver, and didn't abolish any policies, but in reality, he was implementing reforms. Abolishing corvée labor would have resulted in a significant decrease in collected silver.

However, others couldn't really say anything, after all, he didn't cancel it, and after all, he had the money to afford it. But the criticism still lingered, with people finding all sorts of reasons to attack Wang Yan.

However, faced with Wang Yan's earnings of over five million taels of silver, and the nearly two hundred thousand taels of silver collected in cleaning fees in March, their various vehement words and strong objections seemed so pale and powerless...

Wang Yan was certainly not just loitering around; he was personally overseeing the entire operation of clearing fields and checking households, directly supervising it, and also providing medical care and resolving disputes for the people. It was truly a case of imperial power extending to the countryside.

But it is precisely this that gives those who oppose us an opportunity.

This was early April, not long after the Kiyota operation began. But reaching this point almost signified the success of the Kiyota interrogation. After all, the most difficult targets had already come forward at the beginning, and those who hadn't were all admitting defeat. But admitting defeat doesn't mean submission; they would always find a way to struggle.

Without a doubt, the simplest, most direct, and effective way to solve the problem is to kill Wang Yan directly.

So on this day, Wang Yan rode his horse, accompanied by more than a dozen yamen runners and attendants, along the official road.

Suddenly, Wang Yan, who was swaying on his horse, abruptly turned to the side.

The next instant came the whooshing sound of arrows piercing the air. Immediately afterward came the mournful neighing of the horse, the panicked shouts of the constables following behind him, and the cries of pain and agony from those who had been wounded.

"Master!"

"Protect the master!"

The constables did their best. They knew who their true benefactors were, and they were willing to risk their lives for Wang Yan's because it was worth it, and because they believed that the magistrate would never let them down.

Wang Yan shouted, "Just take care of yourself, I'm just about to stretch my muscles."

Within a few words, more than twenty armored soldiers armed with swords and spears rushed over from both sides of the road.

Wang Yan smiled slightly and charged straight at the spear that was thrust at him. Dodging the spear tip, grabbing the shaft, Wang Yan swung the armored soldier holding the spear up, and swept away the other armored assassins.

Then he began to wield a long spear, swish, swish, swish, clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter, the spear tip striking the helmets of armored soldiers, causing dizziness, bleeding from the ears and nose. The spear butt struck the armor with tremendous force, penetrating the armor and breaking bones and tendons.

Then, by manipulating the spearhead, it could precisely pierce a person's fingers, or even insert itself into the gaps in armor to cause injury.

Wang Yan wielded his spear with impenetrable force, and in just a few moments, all the armored soldiers fell to the ground. Some died instantly, some were panting heavily and half-dead, and some cried out in pain.

Just then, a series of bangs rang out, and powerful bullets came flying in.

Wang Yan nimbly dodged the attack, then hurled his spear, and a mournful cry came from the nearby bushes...

"My lord!" the bailiff cried out in alarm.

"It's alright. Look how the brothers are doing. They all suffered this undeserved misfortune because of me."

As they spoke, Wang Yan began to check the injuries of the fallen constables. They were all loyal to him, and he would definitely save them if he could.

Of course, they didn't forget to arrange for able-bodied people to travel together and quickly run off to spread the word and gather more people...

"Go in peace. I will give your family one hundred taels of silver later. Your family will not be bullied. Your son will also have a bright future when he grows up. From now on, all the money that the yamen should pay will be paid to your family, so that your family will not lack food and drink."

Wang Yan's hand was gripped tightly by a middle-aged yamen runner who was vomiting blood but stubbornly clinging to life. So Wang Yan made his promise.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the constable closed his eyes and breathed his last.

Of the twelve guards, only five survived; the other seven were all dead. Of the remaining five, two were lightly wounded and could travel together to deliver the message. The other three were crippled.

The main advantage was the armor, and these assassins were indeed physically stronger and more skilled in martial arts, making them no match for the constables.

Wang Yan wasn't powerful enough to kill all these assassins at the same time, so the constables finished them off in just one exchange...

"My lord..." the constable, whose hand had been chopped off, wailed.

"Save your energy." Wang Yan waved his hand, looking at the three pairs of eyes staring at him. "If you all have the will to live, then you can survive. Don't even think about living and suffering. You all heard what I just told Lao Liu: those who die will receive one hundred taels of silver..."

You three have suffered a severe injury and will certainly be unable to work from now on. I will give you a lump sum of thirty taels of silver, and half of your annual benefits will be paid. That should be enough to support your families. Once you have recovered from your injuries, you three can come and work at my trading company. I also have a job raising pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese, which requires quite a few people. Go and do whatever you can.

"If I hadn't fallen from grace and been killed, as long as my position was secure, you could have lived a life of ease, without your sons having to support you in your old age. In fact, my sons would have to be the ones to see you off in the end."

"Your Excellency risks your life to earn money for His Majesty, so that the people can live a good life. You will surely live to be a hundred years old and rise to great heights." The yamen runner grinned and held the lord firmly in his arms.

"Then I'll take your kind words." Wang Yan laughed heartily. "However, I don't pursue so much. As long as I've made enough money, have a clear conscience, and ensure that those who follow me live a good life, that's enough. A meteoric rise to power is something a mere scholar like me can only dream of. If it weren't for His Majesty's trust, how could I have become the magistrate of Daxing County?"

But all my words are useless; it all depends on His Majesty's arrangements. If His Majesty sends me up, I'll go up. If His Majesty sends me down, I'll come down. You can see that from that old dog Yan Song; His Majesty is a sentimental person. No matter what, he will definitely let me enjoy wealth and honor—that's for sure. So, you should all be content."

Wang Yan looked at the armored soldiers lying on the ground and said, "Look at them, they've done something that could kill their entire families. I wonder what conditions those lords promised them. Don't be on guard, I won't interrogate you. The Imperial Guards will come. Once you get to the Imperial Prison, you won't be able to hold out."

I've crippled your hands, so you can't commit suicide. Biting your tongue might not kill you, but you'll suffer the consequences, and those behind you won't fare any better. No secret can stay hidden forever. Your stubbornness won't change anything; they'll find out. Even without concrete evidence, there's always a range of suspicion. No need to pinpoint any one of them; just take them all down, once and for all.

"Come, come, you seem to be the leader. The others won't arrive for a while, and since we're just killing time, let's talk. Are you a trained assassin?"

"no……"

"Regret it now, don't you?"

Wang Yan smiled...

I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind readers who have given me generous support through tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and those who have been reading quietly!