Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Xiao Ce listened to their words and said with a smile, "I had already thought of that!"

"Although I wish to implement reforms, I am, after all, new to the Northern Desert. Reforms must be carried out step by step; taking too big a step at once could easily lead to disaster!"

"If we directly seize the land of those wealthy and prestigious families, it will definitely cause considerable turmoil. I can't very well kill them all! Wouldn't that make everyone with money feel insecure in the future?"

"My principle has always been to win people over with virtue!"

"Go back and register everyone's household registrations first, and then distribute the land according to our local rules! As for which land it is, don't tell the people yet. Just tell them how many acres of land each person can get, so they know what to expect."

"Our policy is land ownership, meaning that those who own land only have the right to use it; the ownership belongs to me! Although I have issued a tax exemption policy, this exemption is based on the official regulations for each person, meaning that even noble families enjoy tax exemption, but any amount exceeding this limit will not be exempt. Furthermore, all land must be owned and cannot be left uncultivated unless there is a natural disaster. If land is left uncultivated, a hefty fine will be imposed!"

“After the common people received their land, they had their own land and naturally wouldn’t farm for others or become slaves for meager amounts of grain. After the slaves left, those noble families and powerful people had so much land, but there was no one to farm it, and they still had to pay land taxes. If the land was abandoned, they would have to pay fines. Over time, this land would become a hot potato in their hands, and they would want to sell it.”

"When the time comes, will the money for you to buy their land at market price come from the finances of your respective counties? Will that be a problem?"

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's plan, everyone's eyes lit up, and they nodded in approval.

He then realized the problem: "Your Highness, you're just verbally allocating land to them. That means there's still no land for the common people! If the people have no land to cultivate, they'll eventually end up as tenant farmers for the powerful and wealthy."

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Don't worry! After you've been allocated the land, I will issue a decree that if you've been allocated land but the prefecture doesn't have any reserve land, you can be assigned to help develop military farms. That is, you can be assigned to build production corps in the places I've arranged and reclaim wasteland! At that time, I will subsidize them with silver. I guarantee that each person will receive more silver than they earn in a year of farming!"

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, everyone's eyes lit up: "Your Highness, this is indeed a solution, but what is this production corps you mentioned, and what is it used for?"

"I plan to establish two production corps in the four prefectures of the northern desert. These production corps will serve as soldiers in wartime and civilians in peacetime! One will be located at Yanmen City, near Yanmen Pass, and the other at Yanbei City. One is the gateway to the Central Plains, and the other is the gateway to the Turks. These will also be the two entrances where I will station my troops in the future!"

"After this period of time, those prestigious families will be as anxious as ants on a hot pan. At that time, you will have a lot of room to maneuver."

Yin Pan'er couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, if so much land is left uncultivated, won't next year be a year of famine?"

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "No, those prestigious families are all shrewd people. As soon as these policies came out, they were eager to return the land to the court! Besides, the price we pay for the land is based on the market price, so we won't lose them money! Our goal is to return the land to the farmers! And winter is just around the corner, and the weather here is freezing cold."

"Once this plan is completed, the government can smoothly reclaim the land! By then, spring will be in full bloom, perfect for planting!"

Kan Shanyue cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness is wise. It is our great fortune to have you!"

Liu Qi, standing to one side, asked, "Your Highness, when shall we attack the Turks?"

Seeing Liu Qi's anxious look, he knew that one of his daughters had been married off by his elder brother Liu Xuan to a person from a Turkic tribe.

He hadn't seen it in all these years.

Xiao Ce said, "This is my military secret, but I can tell you that there will be good news soon!"

Everyone looked at Xiao Ce with anticipation.

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "Alright! Qian Lai, bring out the fine wine I prepared, and let everyone taste the legendary celestial brew!"

As Qian Lai spoke, he ordered his servants to each carry an exquisite wine pot.

Xiao Ce continued, and the messenger repeated the words.

"Since it's celestial brew, the quantity is limited. As you all have probably heard, I know a wandering immortal who bestowed upon me Heavenly Mountain Snow Frost Sugar and Heavenly Mountain Snow Salt. In fact, he also gifted me a celestial brew, which I originally intended to keep for myself! However, on such a joyous day, I'm bringing out all of the celestial brew to share with you all!"

"I urge everyone to join hands with me and restore the former glory of the Northern Desert!"

Xiao Ce saw that everyone had poured their wine and raised his glass.

"cheers!"

Xiao Ce drank it all in one gulp. This wine was brewed by him after he arrived using a small device.

Whether it was brewed by him or handled by the seasonal girls.

This is the distilled liquor that Lin Zhong tried before.

He also named this wine "Jade Nectar".

Everyone in the room initially raised their glasses, not thinking anything of it.

Because most of the wine here is made from water, and the taste of this kind of water wine is pretty much the same. The better-tasting wine is made from fruit.

However, the moment they tasted the wine, their eyes lit up.

The initial taste is delicate and smooth, refreshing and sweet. Then a spicy sensation enters the throat and travels through the body, leaving a long aftertaste. After a while, you feel a slight warmth and a sense of clarity!

All the people present were either wealthy or influential, and had tasted all sorts of delicacies.

One sip and you could tell how special this wine was.

Yin Pan'er, who was standing next to Xiao Ce, was also trying this wine for the first time.

"Your Highness, you have such fine wine, how come you've never let me taste it!"

As he spoke, he handed a drink to Nie Bing, who had a solemn expression, standing beside him.

Nie Bing wanted to refuse, but couldn't resist Yin Pan'er's insistence, so she drank a cup anyway.

Her eyes brightened noticeably.

The heads of the four major families on one side couldn't help but brighten their eyes.

"Your Highness, this is truly excellent wine!"

"Yes, it truly lives up to its reputation as a divine brew. Just one cup is enough to make one feel completely refreshed and comfortable."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for bestowing this divine wine!"

Seeing this, Xiao Ce asked, "Do you like it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Jiu, who was standing to the side, "Xiao Jiu, send one jar to each of the four major families later!"

Several people waved their hands repeatedly, saying, "Your Highness, this is too precious...we cannot accept it!"

Xiao Ce addressed the crowd, saying, "There's nothing I can't accept. I told you all last night. As long as you are loyal and devoted to me, I will reward you handsomely. I won't boast about anything else, just follow me. In the future, your four great families will not only be the four great families of the Northern Desert, but I can make you the four great families of the Xiao Kingdom!"

After hearing Xiao Ce's words, several family heads came out one after another and kowtowed to Xiao Ce to express their loyalty.

Xiao Ce said, "Alright, I don't care how nicely you talk! I'll see what you do!"

"Your Highness, no matter what, we only have eyes for you!"

Xiao Ce laughed loudly, "Good! I hope that no matter the circumstances, you will all stay together from beginning to end! There is one more thing I need to tell you: from now on, no matter what the situation, the Princess Consort can represent me with full authority. Sometimes, when I am not present, the Princess Consort can represent me with full authority, and her will is my will."

Everyone nodded in agreement; Xiao Ce was laying the groundwork for what was to come.

After all, things have been initially settled in the northern desert; what's needed now is time.

He had to go on to do his next task.

Yin Pan'er was touched, but looked at Xiao Ce with a hint of doubt.

Because there were many people around, she didn't ask.

On one side, Cai Yong, who had been silent until now, said to Xiao Ce, "By the way, Your Highness, I wonder if you have considered the next issue?"

Xiao Ce asked Cai Yong, "What's the next question?"

Cai Yong glanced at the servants on this side.

Xiao Ce said, "The people here are all people I can absolutely trust, and you should all be on my side, right?"

The heads of the four families nodded in agreement.

Cai Yong continued, "First of all, the people in the capital have already decided to kill you, and the Second Prince wouldn't dare to give such an order without the Emperor's consent. So, they will definitely know about Your Highness's large-scale military action. Secondly, the presence of troops in Maoming City is tantamount to cutting off our connection with the Central Plains."

"If we don't have grain from the Central Plains, even if all the grain stored in our four northern prefectures is used up, it won't be enough to last until next autumn's harvest. I'm afraid we'll run out of food by May or June next year! And all this is assuming the Turks don't invade. If the Turks take it away again, I'm afraid we'll run out of food as soon as spring begins."

Lin Nan chimed in, "That's right, and the biggest problem right now is still with the Turks!"

Xiao Ce asked, "What trouble have the Turks caused this time?"

Lin Nan bowed: "Your Highness! Before we came here, we heard that the Ashina tribe of the Turkic Kingdom was leading all the tribes of the Turkic Kingdom to gather. According to our spies, this gathering is unprecedented. We heard that the Ashina tribe has almost come out in full force!"

"Oh? More than the last time?"

Lin Nan nodded and said, "Your Highness, according to the intelligence we've received, this is what we believe! They seem to be planning a major operation this time!"

Xiao Ce showed no concern whatsoever; instead, he burst into laughter, repeatedly shouting, "Heaven is helping me! Heaven is helping me!"