The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

The old man at the head of the household replied, "Reporting to the young master, we have heard that you are skilled at managing your household. To curry favor with you, Lord Zhao has demolished and sold some of the households to reduce expenses."

The old man immediately prostrated himself on the ground and cried, "We can eat less, please don't sell us, young master."

"Please have mercy, young master!!!" A dozen old men kowtowed in unison.

Liu Chen understood; the blame still fell on him. Zhao Jun was a cunning and treacherous old official, and his public persona was that of a greedy and stingy man.

This estate has 5,500 mu of land, which seems like a lot at first glance, and indeed it is. But compared to the population here, it is small.

One hundred households, each of which can only be allocated fifty-five mu of land.

The grain yield per mu in the Han Dynasty was not high; even in the Land of Abundance, it was only slightly better than other places.

Moreover, the village has over a thousand adult men and women in its one hundred households, averaging more than ten adults per household, which is clearly an overpopulation problem.

There is little land but a large population.

The population would become redundant. In order to please him, Zhao Jun planned to split the household registration and sell some of the Meng households.

According to the Han Chinese family concept, Liu Chen could guess how the family was divided: the eldest son would stay and the second son would sell the property.

That means separating families. No wonder these old folks are heartbroken and came out to plead for their families.

Liu Chen certainly wouldn't do that; he needed people, the more the better.

He wanted to be emperor, and he wanted to be a good emperor. He wanted to bring peace to the world, so that the people would have enough to eat and clothes to cover their bodies.

But at this stage, he wants to use people as capital.

Population is his most important asset.

His fighting strength came from able-bodied men.

However, stopping this would leave a surplus of people, which would conflict with his image as a greedy and stingy person.

We need to think about it.

Liu Chen gathered his thoughts and turned to the eunuch, saying, "Help them up."

"Yes." The eunuchs bowed and stepped forward to help the old men up.

The old men were overjoyed, thinking that Liu Chen had agreed not to sell Menghu. They were about to express their gratitude.

Liu Chen replied, "Let me consider this matter and give you an answer within three days."

The old men felt a chill run down their spines, but seeing Liu Chen's cold expression, they dared not say anything more and could only retreat in fear.

The surrounding people also dispersed.

Liu Chen stood there for a while, then gripped his sword hilt and turned back to the manor. He met Zhao Jun and the others at the gate.

Zhao Jun was uneasy, not knowing what had happened. The managers, on the other hand, were fearful.

"Jun, come in and talk," Liu Chen said, gripping his sword as he entered the manor.

"Yes." Zhao Jun took a deep breath, lowered his head, turned around and followed.

Upon entering the main hall, Liu Chen sat down on the throne, placed his right hand on the armrest, and stared sharply at Zhao Jun, saying, "Trying to guess the emperor's intentions, you're just being clever."

"I deserve death," Zhao Jun immediately knelt down. He guessed what it was about, but felt wronged. "Aren't you greedy? I'm helping you reduce the population and increase revenue."

"Looks like you guessed it. You're clever, but only clever in a superficial way. Don't bring up the issue of population reduction again; it's causing panic. Don't forget, it's spring planting season. It's the beginning of the year," Liu Chen said.

"Yes." Zhao Jun pressed his forehead to the floor, not daring to utter a single word in rebuttal.

"Step down," Liu Chen said, waving his hand.

"Yes." Zhao Jun immediately stood up, bowed, and turned to leave.

Liu Chen's expression was not good.

From Zhao Jun's own perspective, he didn't actually make a mistake.

If he truly was a greedy and stingy feudal lord, Zhao Jun sold off some of the households, increasing the estate's income.

Zhao Jun was not only without fault, but also meritorious. But the Meng family was in a terrible state. Those who were not sold were separated from their families, and those who were sold had no idea where their next buyers were.

Even if you find a new owner, what if the current owner isn't good?

In the eyes of officials, human life is truly as worthless as grass.

The principles of managing a family and governing a country are the same.

He panders to the emperor, brings disaster to the country and its people, and treats human life like dirt. Isn't Chen Zhi just a giant version of Zhao Jun?

"The Emperor," Liu Chen sighed softly, propping himself up on the armrest, then strode toward the palace gate with his hand on his sword.

Immediately follow from the left and right.

Not long after, Liu Chen returned to Chengdu in a palanquin, surrounded by his attendants and eunuchs.

On the fertile fields on both sides of the road, the farmers, having dispersed, returned to their farm work. Upon seeing Liu Chen's carriage, they all knelt down.

Although there was no sound, the sentiment was conveyed.

Please, young master, do not split up and sell the Menghu.

Liu Chen didn't say anything, but his mood grew even heavier. After thinking for a moment, he ordered that after returning to the city, they go directly to the Li family.

He then sent a rider to inform them. Upon arriving at the Li residence, Liu Chen saw his cousin Li Ding and his other cousins ​​coming to greet him.

Liu Chen has been visiting the Li family frequently lately, and Li Ding is always the one to greet him. Li Ding has also been forcibly assigned all sorts of errands.

For the first time, Liu Chen felt a little sorry for Li Ding.

Liu Chen put aside his distracting thoughts and got out of the car. He said a few words to Li Ding and told his cousins ​​to get lost.

Li Ding was a little surprised, but said nothing. He first led Liu Chen to a room and sat him down before turning to leave.

Soon after, a large group of managers walked in.

Before they could bow, Liu Chen waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities."

After a pause, he asked, "I own 5,500 mu of land and have over 1,000 people living outside the city. There's a surplus of people. How can I increase my income without selling them?"

Surely a young master like yourself shouldn't be bothered with such trivial matters? The stewards were somewhat surprised, but not overly so. After all, this was the renowned Young Master Chen.

After they exchanged glances, a steward stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Reporting to the young master."

"First, since we cannot increase the acreage, let the men focus on farming. The women can weave cloth or embroider, or weave items such as bamboo baskets. Because Shu brocade and silk are expensive, weaving is the first choice. However, Shu brocade requires a loom and exquisite skills. We need to invest money first before we can generate money."

"Secondly, one could purchase fishing boats and hire fishermen to teach them fishing techniques to increase income."

Third, it can be used to collect firewood and make charcoal.

"Four......"

The steward was very talkative. Liu Chen stopped him from continuing, asking, "Who are you?"

"Reporting to you, young master, I am Sun Gui," Sun Gui said respectfully, bowing.

"From today onwards, your household registration is under my jurisdiction. My 5,500-mu manor outside the city is entirely under your management," Liu Chen said bluntly, then added with an inscrutable expression, "If you do it well, there will be a reward. If you mess it up... never mind."

"Yes." Sun Gui's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. You clearly said that. He regretted speaking up.

Liu Chen didn't care what Sun Gui was thinking; he was quite satisfied. As long as someone was willing to get things done, most problems could be solved.

Zhao Jun's approach was simple: reduce the population, and his income would increase.

Sun Gui's approach is complex; it requires investing money to expand the pie and then gradually increasing revenue.

Liu Chen summoned Li Ding and asked him for Sun Gui. Then he dispatched a cavalryman on horseback to leave the city and inform the hundred households.

Do your job well.

As long as you work hard and your output satisfies me, I will not break you up or sell you off.

Liu Chen bid farewell to Li Ding and left the Li residence by carriage to return to the palace.

When encountering mountains, they cut through them; when encountering rivers, they crossed them.

Solve problems as they arise.

He was in a good mood.

"Everything that needed to be done has been done. The only important things left are to confer a title of king and to get married."