roccoschili Chapter 34 A Thunderclap in Silence
Chapter 34 A Thunderclap in Silence
"Your Majesty, I have heard that the foundation of the state lies in agriculture, and the foundation of agriculture lies in the land. Now, the powerful and wealthy families have countless slaves and servants, numbering in the thousands. According to the old system of the Zhou dynasty, each slave and servant was entitled to one hundred mu of land. If we calculate their numbers, the fields stretch across the entire prefecture and county; if we examine their taxes, the public granaries are short five or six out of ten. I am truly terrified and humbly request Your Majesty to consult the old laws and implement a system of 'half a bed' in land compensation: to limit their desire for land, thus increasing the revenue of the imperial court; and to reduce the power of their private dependents, thus strengthening the foundation of equal land distribution. This is truly the most crucial thing for the stability and prosperity of the nation!"
"The foundation of national stability..." Yang Yan repeatedly pondered these four words, his fingertips tracing over the lines on the bamboo slips: "Slaves and maids number in the thousands" and "The national land tax is lost by five out of ten," his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
He found it! He found the perfect sword, and he also found the perfect swordsmith—Gao Jiong!
"So... back then, the seemingly mild but actually deadly 'trade registration design' was actually designed by you, Gao Jiong?" Yang Yan lowered his voice and muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement at discovering a shocking secret.
History only records Yang Jian's great talent and strategy, but often overlooks the strategists who stood behind the emperor and contributed to the country's policies.
This sword is incomparably sharp.
But a sword is a double-edged sword; it can hurt others, but it can also hurt the user.
After the initial excitement subsided, a series of cold, realistic questions instantly brought him to his senses.
The first question is, is Gao Jiong still the same swordsman he was fourteen years ago?
From the third year of the Kaihuang era to the seventeenth year of the Kaihuang era, a full fourteen years have passed. Fourteen years is enough time for an ambitious reformer to become a prudent and prudent beneficiary.
Gao Jiong himself was a pivotal figure in the Guanlong Group. Did his family not keep slaves and own land?
The second question is, will the father, Yang Yonggan, accept this potentially dangerous sword?
Yang Yan could guess almost without thinking. Given Yang Yong's indecisive and easily swayed nature, if he saw this memorial, his first reaction would not be to admire its foresight, but rather to be terrified of how many powerful figures from the Guanzhong region it would offend and how many enemies it would create for the Crown Prince!
The third question, and the most fatal one, is that Emperor Yang Jian, the grandfather of the emperor, still willing to wield this sword that could potentially disrupt the balance?
Yang Jian's political philosophy was never about drastic, one-size-fits-all solutions, but rather a delicate art of balance.
He acknowledged the existence of a privileged class and used enfeoffment and rewards to win people's hearts in exchange for their support of the imperial power. This was evident in the military conference room at Daxing Hall last night.
Before he took office, he was a member of the Guanlong Group, and no one knows what promises he made in private.
Moreover, his own exam paper had previously focused on "trust" and righteousness, and now he was urging Yang Yong to propose a new national policy that would fundamentally change the attitude towards the privileged class. In Yang Jian's view, wasn't this forcing him to "discard the millstone after it has served its purpose"?
"I'm afraid I'm just asking for trouble!"
Cold sweat finally trickled down my forehead.
Then he remembered his grandmother, Dugu Jialuo, who had just shown him some tenderness.
Dugu Jialuo was born into the core Dugu clan of Guanlong. Her husband was the leader of Guanlong, and her sons' marriages were all tied to the nobles of Guanlong. For her, the Guanlong Group was not only the foundation of her family, but also the pillar of the Sui Dynasty's order.
But she was by no means just a woman who knew how to protect privileges—she was well-versed in the law and urged Yang Jian to revise the Kaihuang Code to eliminate harsh laws, with the core being "fairness"; she valued order and could not bear to see powerful families annexing land, leading to widespread displacement and shaking the foundation of the country; she was also compassionate towards the people's livelihood and repeatedly advised Yang Jian to reduce taxes and levies and prohibit extravagance and waste.
Yang Yan closed his eyes and pondered, his mind racing. If he only suggested weakening the privileges of the Guanzhong region, Empress Dugu would definitely oppose it, seeing it as a disruption of order.
However, from another perspective—the powerful and wealthy kept slaves and seized land, causing the equal-field system to exist in name only, leaving farmers with no land to cultivate and forcing them to become vagrants. This not only violated the original intention of the Kaihuang Code, which was "equal-field system to ensure the people's livelihood," but also undermined the social order that she valued.
Restricting slaves from occupying land was not about abolishing their privileges, but rather about incorporating them into the legal framework. This approach retained the preferential treatment of "half a bed as compensation" while curbing excessive land acquisition, perfectly aligning with her governing philosophy of "moderation, order, and benevolence."
This is the key to breaking the deadlock!
"The affairs of the state are ultimately different from the loyalty of a common man..." Yang Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes no longer showing any hesitation.
"How can the mind of an emperor be judged by the standards of ordinary people's trustworthiness? What Yang Jian needed was not a trustworthy gentleman, but a successor who could consolidate his imperial power and bring lasting peace to the Sui Dynasty!"
"What Dugu Jialuo wanted was not the unchanging privileges of the Guanzhong region; what she sought was a Sui Dynasty with clear laws, stable livelihoods, and a solid order!"
But while the logic is sound, the risks involved are terrifyingly high.
Is Kao Jiong still willing to push for further reforms?
Can Yang Yong withstand the pressure from Guanzhong?
Is Yang Jian willing to break the balance that has lasted for many years?
Could Empress Dugu be persuaded to shift her focus from "maintaining Guanzhong" to "maintaining order"?
Every step is like dancing on a knife's edge; one wrong step and you're doomed!
Yang Yan felt a splitting headache, as if countless little people were arguing fiercely in his mind, making him extremely irritable.
He abruptly pushed aside the desk and paced back and forth in the cramped study.
The sharp pains emanating from his buttocks and legs felt like a whip, constantly lashing him and keeping him fully conscious.
"No... this matter must not be handled rashly!"
He took a deep breath, picked up a wolf-hair brush, and wrote a line heavily on the hemp paper: "Limit land occupation by law, ensure people's livelihood through equal land distribution, and consolidate the Guanzhong Plain through order..."
After writing a lengthy document, Yang Yan turned his gaze back to the memorial: "But before that, I must first probe Gao Jiong's attitude! I must know how much of this sword's edge remains, and whether he is still willing to hold the hilt in my Eastern Palace's hands!"
"He can only be Yang Yong's man behind the scenes. I must not step forward. This credit should belong to Yang Yong, and the person who carries it out must be Yang Jian."
Once he made up his mind, his thoughts became clear instantly.
In his mind, a complex web of relationships was slowly unfolding.
The reason why Yang Guang, the second uncle, was able to gradually erode the power of the Eastern Palace was that he successfully won over the Guanzhong military nobles led by Yang Su and Yuwen Shu.
These people, who held military power and had made great military achievements, were also the biggest "slave owners" in the country!
Any policy that reduces the land ownership of slaves is tantamount to cutting flesh from their bodies! They are the most staunch opponents of this reform!
His father, Yang Yong, was able to rely on the civil officials led by Gao Jiong in the Guanlong Group, as well as some Shandong gentry represented by Su Wei.
"Therefore, this policy proposal was never intended to completely abolish the slave system!" A glint flashed in Yang Yan's eyes, and a bolder and more meticulous plan took shape in his mind.
"This is not a simple strategy, but a sharp scalpel used to precisely cut through the iron plate that is the Guanlong Group!"
Its purpose was not to achieve universal harmony, not to liberate slaves, and not even to immediately increase national tax revenue.
Its sole purpose was to politically pit Yang Guang and his military group against Gao Jiong and his civil officials!
At the same time, Yang Yong clearly expressed his political proposition of the supremacy of imperial power, in order to fit Yang Jian's vision and become his ideal successor.
If Yang Yong could raise the banner of "managing the country's finances and sharing the emperor's burdens," he could force Yang Guang to stand on the opposite side of "competing with the country for profit and protecting his private faction!"
By then, the two major factions in the imperial court would be clearly divided. Yang Yong, holding the moral high ground, naturally had the upper hand over Yang Guang, and it was likely that Yang Jian would also support him from behind.
"However, the military group... cannot be completely offended for the time being." Yang Yan's thoughts raced. "The wording of this policy proposal must be mild, only talking about limiting the 'increment' without touching the existing 'stock', leaving them enough face and room for maneuver. In this way, we can win over a group of old guard and suppress the emerging forces."
Perfect! This is a true mastermind!
It forces everyone to take sides again in front of the emperor!
Having figured this out, Yang Yan felt all the pent-up emotions in his chest vanish, and his whole body was filled with power.
He sat back down at his desk, but this time, he didn't look at the memorial again. Instead, he picked up his pen and began writing rapidly on a new sheet of hemp paper.
What he wrote was not a memorial to the throne, but a visiting card.
The person he wanted to see was the most crucial piece in this game of chess—the Grand Secretary, Duke of Qi, Gao Jiong!
He wanted to personally knock on the door of the imperial prime minister's residence and ask him face to face: "Lord Gao, fourteen years ago you wished to bring peace to the country. Now, are you still willing to fight for it?"