Chapter 63: The Hegemony of Ages Begins Today

The meat sizzling on the grill was already rendering its fat. As Yun'er turned the roasting meat, he thought that right now, Old Man Zheng and Qian Gui's inner thoughts must be just like this crackling barbecue, being roasted and tormented.

Both Qian Gui and Old Man Zheng were men with dreams; they also wanted to forge a golden age of peace and prosperity. But the matter of land was simply too massive.

Their hearts could not help but tremble slightly.

Yun'er placed the grilled beef onto two plates, then called out to Gouzi, who was standing not far away, "Gouzi, help me take these to Mother and Second Mother. Go quickly, don't let the meat get cold. It won't taste good if it gets cold."

Gouzi scampered over agilely, picked up the plates, and sprinted away.

"Let's grill a fresh batch, we still have plenty." After setting down the raw beef, Yun'er said, "Lord Qian, let us put aside the current predicament of the Liang State for a moment. Let us look back from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors onwards: the dynasties upon this great land of ours have always followed a cycle of unification, destruction, and re-unification.

"A peerless figure through the ages like the First Emperor originally intended for the dynasty to pass from the First Emperor to the second, the third, and down for ten thousand generations; yet in reality, it perished with the second generation.

"'By using people as a mirror, one can discern gains and losses; by using history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall.' Judging from the rise and fall of various dynasties in history, it is often the case that right at the founding of a country, everything is in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt; then comes a prosperous era of restoration, and finally, utmost prosperity leads to decline. This is the irresistible trend of the world: what has been united for long must divide, and what has been divided for long must unite.

"Why does such a grand trend exist? It is entirely because the establishment of every new dynasty has just been preceded by years of turmoil. The loss of life across the Central Plains is extremely severe, and even many noble houses and prominent clans suffer the ravages of war, resulting in ruined homes and exterminated lineages.

"Once the realm is newly pacified, the imperial court finds itself in a state where the population is sparse yet arable land is exceptionally abundant. As long as the emperor is not a fool, a brief period of recuperation will yield a prosperous era.

"However, by the middle and later periods, the farmland originally in the hands of commoners begins to concentrate in the hands of a few due to various reasons. As a dynasty whose primary tax revenue comes from agriculture, this situation inevitably results in the bankruptcy of the common people, while those who have amassed vast amounts of land pay no taxes at all, and instead attempt to squeeze the very last drop of blood and sweat from the peasants. Consequently, those who can no longer survive have no choice but to rebel.

"And so, the next rebellion begins. Once too many lives are lost through warfare yet again, a newborn dynasty is born in accordance with Heaven's will, and the cycle repeats thus."

Zheng Zuosheng's hand, holding the tongs, was shaking.

What was he hearing? 'By using history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall'...'The general trend of the world is that what has been united for long must divide, and what has been divided for long must unite'... Are these words that a child not even four years old could speak?

The boy had not even formally begun his formal education; he had merely learned a few characters from Li Fu and him, and then casually read some historical texts on his own.

Zheng Zuosheng looked at Li Fu in extreme disbelief. Is this really a child you, Li Fu, managed to father?!

This wasn't just being precocious; this was being a born sage.

On one hand, Zheng Zuosheng realized with horror that with such a child—at a time when the Liang State was in great turmoil and warlords were rising together—given Yun'er's talent and understanding, he truly deserved a place at the table in this grand strategy for the realm.

Yet on the other hand, Zheng Zuosheng was tormented by the thought of why this child had to be Li Fu's son. If he were a descendant of the Liang imperial lineage, this Liang dynasty's mandate could at least have matched that of Imperial Uncle Liu, turning the tide to extend the dynasty for another century.

Qian Gui, meanwhile, was seriously pondering Yun'er's words. He was not unaware of such principles; it was simply that Yun'er had summarized them with such piercing clarity that even he could not have explained the reasons behind the rise and fall of dynasties with such concise proficiency.

"Therefore, I wish to truly realize the principle: 'Under the vast heaven, there is no land that is not the king's.' Just like the village at the foot of the ridge, all land will be entirely reclaimed as public property. I can distribute it out, but buying and selling will be strictly prohibited. In this way, we can prevent the future excessive concentration of land in the hands of individuals.

"I know we are an official army; we cannot engage in acts of forcible seizure. Therefore, a month ago, I already dispatched people to the two counties to conduct investigations, observing the sentiments of the people while also carrying out practical field studies on my own.

"For those individuals who hold massive concentrations of land in their hands, I currently have three proposed solutions. The first is that after investigation, if it is found that certain wealthy households used extremely cruel methods during their land accumulation—acquiring others' land almost through deception, fraud, or forced buying and selling, and even driving a large number of people to their deaths in the process—their landed property will be confiscated, their wealth seized, and the individuals imprisoned and dealt with according to the law.

"The second solution is that for those who acquired land through relatively mild methods during the investigation, and who might even hold hidden fields or fields registered under others' names in their possession, all hidden fields, concealed lands, and affiliated portions will be confiscated. As for the remainder, it will be purchased at a multiple higher than the market price and reclaimed for public use.

"Additionally, for the landed properties belonging to distinguished families and prominent clans, the Li family can acknowledge a portion of their land so that it remains in their possession without confiscation. During the land distribution, new land will even be allocated to them based on household size.

"However, these unconfiscated lands must be separately registered in official ledgers. They will likewise be forbidden from private buying and selling, and they must acknowledge that after ninety-nine years, these unconfiscated lands will revert to public use and subsequently be redistributed by the imperial court."

This was Yun'er's compromise with the prominent clans and noble families, but it was an unavoidable measure.

It was impossible for anyone to resolve every single issue perfectly. Ninety-nine years—who knew what would happen a century later? Short-lived dynasties were not unheard of. As long as the Li family acknowledged this term, the prominent clans would likely find it much easier to accept.

As for these historical legacy issues, they could be left for the next generation to handle when the time came.

Besides, it wouldn't necessarily have to be the next generation. Yun'er stroked his smooth, tender chin; he was still so young, and if he worked hard to take care of himself and lived long enough, he might just live to see it.

Sure enough, the further they listened, the more Qian Gui's solemn expression dissipated somewhat. If things were handled this way, there was still room for a buffer, and at the very least, it would prevent the prominent clans from harboring such intense rebellious intentions.

Moreover, if the ultimate outcome truly followed the path Yun'er outlined, this would quite literally be the forging of a dynasty with the foundation to last ten thousand generations.

The mere thought of the Li family's Zhou Dynasty being restored and subsequently creating an everlasting dynasty made a rush of hot blood surge straight to Qian Gui's brain!

If such a dynasty were born under his hands, the sense of achievement would be beyond measure!!!

Most crucially, his name would undoubtedly be passed down through the ages and remembered by the world. Qian Gui, that handsome uncle who usually practiced extreme elegance, had his face flushed red with excitement at that moment.

Zheng Zuosheng, on the other hand, was utterly miserable. By the time Yun'er reached his later points, he was essentially plotting out the division of the Liang State in broad daylight. The Liang State hadn't even perished yet, and you—at best holding the territory of merely two counties—are already pondering the division and distribution of land after unifying the realm?

Sitting in this chair was truly agonizing.

Zheng Zuosheng twisted and turned, completely disregarding etiquette. Then he looked over and—good grief—Li Fu, the actual father, didn't say a single word, keeping his head down and grilling beef with fierce intensity.

Just who is the son and who is the father here?!

Say something, Li Fu!

Yet Li Fu said nothing; he merely offered Zheng Zuosheng a helpless smile. Yun'er had far too many ideas, and Li Fu could no longer keep up, but he somehow felt that everything the boy said made complete sense.

So they would just do as Yun'er said. Li Fu was well aware of his own modest capabilities.

Therefore, even when Qian Gui addressed Yun'er as 'Lord' and merely gave Li Fu the polite and courteous title of 'Lord Li,' Li Fu did not get angry at all.

*Hah, your lord still has to call me Dad.*

Optimistically speaking, Li Fu's mindset was growing better and better, finding contentment in his own way. Humorously speaking, he still retained a good measure of Ah Q spirit within himself.

Zheng Zuosheng was utterly furious, but realizing he genuinely wanted to keep listening and was unwilling to leave, he simply lowered his head and joined in grilling the meat.

Yun'er picked up another plate and greeted Gouzi, who had returned long ago. "This is for you, Gouzi. If it's not enough, come back and grab more later."

"Mm-mm!" Gouzi sniffed the fragrant, mouth-watering barbecue and happily dug in.

After Gouzi left, Yun'er smiled and said, "Dad, help me open this." It was a long wooden box. Before this barbecue meeting, Yun'er had people carry it over, and even Li Fu did not know what was inside.

In fact, the three solutions Yun'er had mentioned earlier had already been discussed with him privately beforehand, allowing Li Fu to help plug any loopholes.

Therefore, Li Fu hadn't raised his head much, focusing solely on grilling the meat, and he had a rough idea of what Yun'er would say. As for this wooden box, however, he truly had no idea what it contained.

Upon opening it, what lay inside turned out to be something resembling a scroll.

"What is this?" At this, the other three big figures were drawn in once more.

"Dad, help me hang this scroll on the display stand." Yun'er had already prepared the rack.

Once Li Fu hung it up, the men were all dumbfounded, because it appeared to be a map? Yet it was a map they could not comprehend; they had no idea what Yun'er was implying.

Yun'er looked at Qian Gui and said earnestly, "This matter of redistributing land and reclaiming estates is something I am determined to carry out. Even if the world opposes me, I will still do it. But I have thought about it: if the Li family wins the realm, must we truly be so selfish and give no benefits to anyone else? The so-called 'following the dragon'—people also pay with immense courage and resolve; isn't it all for the peace and security of their descendants for generations to come?

"Therefore, Lord Qian, enfeoffment! Actual enfeoffment!"

—Thump.

Zheng Zuosheng's hand shook, and the plate in his hand crashed straight to the ground.

Li Fu wasn't calm either by this point; he anxiously wanted to object, but recalling that Yun'er was no fool, he decided to hear what the boy had to say first.

Qian Gui, a man who valued ideals far more than wealth, felt his heart violently tremble at the two words 'actual enfeoffment.' Enfeoffment was one thing; the crucial part was *actual* enfeoffment.

Ever since the First Emperor unified the realm, not a single emperor had been foolish enough to practice actual enfeoffment—let alone enfeoffing subjects of a different surname. Human hearts are fickle; the person you enfeoff might remain loyal to you, but what about his son? His grandson?

This would directly transform into states-within-a-state, an era of warring feudal lords.

If anyone were to raise the banner of actual enfeoffment in a rebellion today, it would undoubtedly be far more attractive than shouting any other slogan, but everyone else would certainly think that person was a madman.

"My Lord, what do you mean by this?" Qian Gui could be heard; his voice carried a trace of anticipation.

True to expectation, Yun'er saw that even a stubborn old traditionalist like Zheng Zuosheng was displaying a hint of longing at that moment. Even if Zheng Zuosheng himself didn't want it, his family members would certainly desire it desperately.

Yun'er pulled a small wooden stick he had prepared out of the box, pointed to a certain section, and said, "Look here. This is a map I drew based on some geographical information of the Liang State as it stands. That is to say, the Liang State occupies only this much area on this map!

"From here to here, I have named it Asia. This is Europe, Africa... and here is Oceania, consisting of vast expanses of ocean and various maritime islands. Look here—the area of this single island reaches over seven million square kilometers, with beautiful scenery and abundant resources.

"Gentlemen, the world is vast, vast indeed, and the resources outside are numerous beyond measure. In the future, we can build great ships and set forth along maritime routes, or we can ready our iron cavalry and sweep straight across from here.

"I promise you: as long as the territory we conquer is vast enough, those who make great contributions and achieve great military exploits... all these lands can be truly enfeoffed to you!"

The overseas routes were too distant, making governance difficult after conquest. Even so, it was still far better than conquering a region only to have the Li family's troops withdraw and watch the land be reclaimed by the native inhabitants.