The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 1047: Chapter 1024: Glory Amidst Chaos 92

The weather has turned cold these past few days, the brazier in the house is burning brightly. Walking outside feels cold and damp, but once inside, it feels like spring is in the air.

Xiao Hui brought a few younger sisters over to greet Anning. As they entered the house, the five girls all took off their outer garments and sat in their small jackets and single pants to chat with Anning.

Xiao Yin, wearing a set of pea-green layered clothing, sat close to Anning, her hair half-loosened. She ate several pieces of pastry as soon as she entered the room, and now she was drinking freshly squeezed juice brought by Chun Xing with a little maid.

While sipping her drink, she spoke with Anning: ”Mother, I heard that brother and Sixth Uncle took a bunch of hidden households from Jiangnan and even set fire to the Zhang Family’s manor. I don’t understand why you let them do this, you neither hit nor scolded someone from the Zhang Family, nor did you take a life. Just bringing people back seems hardly a major harm to the Zhang Family.”

Xiao Fu and the others also looked at Anning, wondering why she did such a thing, mobilizing so many people, and deploying several large ships just for this?

Anning smiled and patted Xiao Yin’s head: ”Let me ask you, what is the foundation of a noble family’s existence?”

Xiao Yin raised her hand: ”I know this, it’s the monopoly on knowledge. Noble families have many books outsiders can’t buy, allowing them to learn a lot.”

Anning shook her head: ”You didn’t touch on the fundamental issue. Knowledge is one aspect, but it’s not the true foundation.”

This puzzled all five ladies.

Xiao Hui asked: ”Mother, what is it exactly?”

Anning handed each girl a plate of dried fruits: ”It’s land and people.”

Uh?

What does this mean?

Anning smiled and explained: ”At the beginning of a dynasty, when land is redistributed, nearly everyone could acquire some land, coupled with light taxation, people could live well, leading to a period of prosperity. However, as development continues, land merging becomes more severe, gradually returning lands to the hands of those in power, making life harder for people as the dynasty reaches its end, where land monopolization peaks.”

Xiao Yi scratched her head: ”But our family can’t simply return Zhang Family’s land, can we?”

Anning drank water to soothe her throat: ”That’s why we need to bring their people over. The foundation of noble families is land and people. Every major noble family occupies a large amount of land in certain areas, which also breeds a population. To minimize taxes, noble families extensively employ hidden households because these people have no household registration and thus do not need to pay taxes. Most of their produced goods are taken over by the noble family. Additionally, these people live generation after generation on the noble family’s lands, becoming private property. In times of conflict, they could be organized into a militia or fight against other noble families, or safeguard the noble family’s property. Because of these people, the local government gets troubled by noble families, unable to control them due to the sheer number of people under them. If the government pushes too hard, noble families would retaliate...”

Anning spoke a lot in one breath, detailing the foundation of noble families along with regional government and scholar conflicts to the girls at home.

Xiao Yin pondered: ”So, Mother brought away the Zhang Family’s farmers and had brother set the manor ablaze.”

Anning nodded, smiling happily.

Soon, the other four girls also understood what was going on.

The Zhang Family had operated for many generations in Gusu, naturally having some relatives, and of course, they also had enemies.

Because of having too many farmers, both the government and enemies must weigh carefully when dealing with the Zhang Family. Smaller noble families dare not act against them.

However, Anning directly took away their people, leaving Zhang Family without farmers, rendering all of their manors deserted. This not only disrupted many tasks and agricultural work, reducing harvests, which is minor, but more importantly, Zhang Family lost manpower, allowing those who hated them to seize their fields.

Since your manor now lacks people, I will organize labor to take over the manor.

Besides taking over the manor, what’s most alarming for Zhang Family is smaller noble families organizing to plunder Zhang Family’s resources, attacking Zhang Family’s main house and heritage.

After all, with chaos everywhere, even the government is somewhat negligent, at this time, whoever has manpower stands undefeated.

Noble families are no different.

Additionally, the current Magistrate in Gusu doesn’t get along with the Zhang Family, as they had bullied him before.

Now, the fire at Zhang Family’s manor signals the government and other noble families that Zhang Family is in trouble.

Prefect Yu will likely seize this chance to hit them, undoubtedly focusing on Zhang Family’s hidden households issue, deploying troops to confiscate Zhang Family’s property and slapping many charges on them.

The current Zhang Family is a toothless tiger, everyone wants a bite, everyone wants to beat them up.

Thus, with government confiscation above and noble family looting below, the Zhang Family won’t hold out for long.

Don’t say lacking people can easily be bought.

Do you really think servants are that easy to purchase?

Furthermore, the Zhang Family has many manors, with hundreds of workers on each, some large manors even hide thousands of people, where would you buy so many people?

Aren’t you afraid of buying people and inviting thieves home instead?

If you truly employ a group of vagrants, they might kill Zhang Family’s masters and take over their land.

Gradually, all five girls thought about it, each looking at Anning with admiration.

Anning smiled: ”Noble families are not just about monopolizing knowledge. If they only have those books but lack the strength to protect them, it’d be like a three-year-old child flaunting gold on the street, soon to be robbed clean. If we want to strike them, we should strike at the root. Now, the Zhang Family is probably already in chaos, surely some noble families or rich households harboring resentment are devouring the Zhang Family.”

”Should we stoke the flames further, printing more books to sell in Jiangnan so those families can no longer monopolize knowledge?”

Xiao Yin asked.

Anning shook her head, smiling: ”This brings us no benefit. We will definitely print more books, but we won’t send them to Da Qi to sell. Your father and I plan to build a Book Collection Pavilion. Moving forward, we will meticulously collect books, print numerous copies for the Book Collection Tower. Open to the public, as long as they are people from Southern Yi who can read, they are welcome to browse. Not only will we collect classics, history, philosophy, but also books on agriculture, mathematics, commerce, engineering, geographical travels, supernatural tales, and various other categories. If one finds something good and wishes to take it home, it’s fine. To take books home, a deposit is required, only a few books can be taken at once, not many. Additionally, the Book Collection Pavilion will provide writing materials...”

The more Anning spoke, the brighter Xiao Yin’s eyes grew.

”Mother, if the variety of books in our Book Collection Pavilion is vast, it will attract scholars from Jiangnan, gradually ensuring Southern Yi does not lack talent.”

”Yin’er is right.”

Anning praised: ”Right now, our Southern Yi people live affluent lives, but we lack learned individuals. Currently, we not only aim to attract locals to settle, but also to draw in scholars.”