Although what Chang Ji said somewhat exaggerated the contributions of the Xu Family, it was not entirely unfounded. Backed by King Xing Tian, the Qingmu Xu Family had risen from a local power in Qingmu County to a top local power in Guanxi Road. When ruled by outsiders, the local powers of Guanxi Road would naturally be on guard. However, all the local powers in the area had intricate relationships with one another. With the Xu Family and King Xing Tian vouching for them, and since the local powers were not diehard loyalists of the Imperial Court, they offered no resistance to the rule of Mount Siming, easily ceding the various cities of Guanxi Road to its forces. Otherwise, if Mount Siming had truly resorted to looting and plundering all the way, given the resources of the major local powers, it would have been delusional for them to think they could conquer Guanxi Road in half a month! In fact, they might have been besieged and annihilated by a combined force of local powers and official soldiers. The larger local powers and aristocratic families might not have initially cared much for the Qingmu Xu Family. But once Mount Siming secured its footing in Qingmu County and the surrounding counties, it was bound to grow rapidly, like a snowball. By then, these local powers and aristocratic families could no longer afford to underestimate them.
"General Chang, your praise is exaggerated," Xu Ming, Xu Xing’s father in this world, said humbly after hearing this. "My Xu Family has only contributed a little."
"Without our Mount Siming Righteous Army, what could your Xu Family rely on?" a Righteous Army General questioned.
"General Chang is right," King of Sorrow Yao Dang hurriedly intervened, seeing a squabble arise between the native and foreign factions within Mount Siming, thus preventing further disputes. "The conquest of Guanxi Road by our Mount Siming forces is indeed largely due to the great contributions of the Xu Family and County Magistrate Xu."
The living room fell silent. The Righteous Army General’s questioning of the Xu Family just now was tantamount to disrespecting King Xing Tian. Within Mount Siming, besides Yao Dang, the largest faction was led by Xu Xing. In fact, due to the support of the foreign faction, Xu Xing’s influence had already surpassed that of King of Sorrow Yao Dang.
Xu Xing rubbed his temples and looked at Heavenly Kun King Chang Kun. Killing the gentry... This is asking me to cripple myself. He didn’t know if this was an unintentional remark or a calculated statement from Heavenly Kun King Chang Kun. I understand the drawbacks of the gentry as well. But to abolish the gentry now is to cut my own throat. My current dominance within Mount Siming, where the eastern wind prevails over the western, is precisely due to the entry of Guanxi Road’s gentry. Previously, at the Tiger Soul River, I had Gongyang Yi propose the grand strategy of entering Guanxi Road. One of my objectives was that Guanxi Road is my old home; with the support of its talents, I could seize control of Mount Siming as I wished.
After a brief silence, Xu Xing finally spoke. As soon as he did, everyone present paid close attention, not daring to show the slightest negligence. "Guanxi Road has suffered years of severe drought," he began, first setting the tone for Heavenly Kun King’s earlier words. "Not only have the common people suffered, but the local powers have also experienced repeated poor harvests and have long been unable to make ends meet. What Third Brother said was likely based on hearsay. The common people are exhausted, and so are the gentry." He then continued, "However, the starving people are our own kin from Guanxi Road. If we do not provide relief, it would be a failure of benevolence on our part."
"In my opinion," Xu Xing stated, speaking each word clearly, "we should issue the Decree of Noble Donation and the Decree of Military Officer Donation. Gentry who more than five hundred stones of grain can be appointed as county magistrates. Those who more than one thousand stones can be appointed as prefects, and those who more than three thousand stones can be... The Righteous Army lacks generals. Gentry who more than fifty stones can become Hundred Generals, those who one hundred stones can become Thousand Generals, and those who one thousand stones can become Deputy Generals..."
Selling official ranks and titles might seem like a foolish policy. In reality, if executed well, it could achieve unexpectedly effective results compared to ordinary policies.
"Fourth Brother, our Mount Siming..." Yao Dang frowned. "Selling official positions and titles is something the Imperial Court does. As for us at Mount Siming, we don’t have that kind of credibility." He clearly did not agree with Xu Xing’s strategy. Not to mention that selling official positions and titles would weaken the combat effectiveness of the Righteous Army. Even if they genuinely tried to sell them, it was doubtful the gentry would buy. Who would invest in a regime that might exist today and be gone tomorrow?
"King of Sorrow," Gongyang Yi’s eyes brightened upon hearing this. He stepped towards King of Sorrow Yao Dang and whispered, "This plan by King Xing Tian is excellent. This is King Xing Tian’s ruthless stratagem. Anyone who dares not buy a title from our Mount Siming will be considered to still harbor loyalty to the Imperial Court, intending to rejoin it. When the time comes, we can make an example by eliminating a few local powers who previously refused to submit. The rest wouldn’t dare risk their lives, would they?
"As for the official positions," he continued, "we can create nominal ones for now. If someone truly possesses practical knowledge and talent, we can then appoint them to a substantive post.
"Truly confiscating the gentry’s property would not only prevent Mount Siming from establishing a firm foothold in Guanxi Road, but even if they managed to stabilize their base here, the gentry’s resistance when expanding to other territories would be predictably fierce. Selling positions and titles, however, is a much more conciliatory approach. It gives the gentry an incentive to join our cause, not only preventing them from being pushed into opposition but actually helping to secure Guanxi Road as our base. Once our momentum is established, the gentry, far from resisting this policy, will eagerly participate.
"Moreover, Heavenly King, not all of these gentry members are foolish. It’s not just the Imperial Court demanding grain from them, but also the Righteous Army and the starving people. They cannot protect the grain they have, and as the disaster worsens, they become even more reluctant to release it, fearing the starving people will not only be ungrateful but will also break into their homes to pillage and kill.
"The Imperial Court forcibly seizes grain in the name of disaster relief, yet a large portion ends up in the pockets of corrupt officials. These officials are outsiders; once their term ends, they simply leave. But the gentry are rooted here; the monks can flee, but the temple remains.
"This is a deadlock, and King Xing Tian’s strategy offers a way to break it." After a moment of reflection, Gongyang Yi finished clarifying his perspective.
In the twilight years of a dynasty, it’s not that some gentry are unwilling to assist the government with disaster relief, preferring to let grain rot in their storehouses. Rather, the Imperial Court officials are too greedy, and they are outsiders. After the grain passes through various hands, perhaps only thirty percent is actually used for relief. Such a meager amount is but a drop in the bucket. In the long run, the disaster victims receive no real aid, the gentry suffer huge losses, and only the officials profit. These gentry are not foolish; they can see the immediate dangers and long-term implications. But they are helpless, able only to await their fate. Of course, not all gentry were wicked; but then again, across the vast Guanxi Road, not all of them were paragons of virtue either.
After grasping the benefits of selling ranks and titles, King of Sorrow Yao Dang immediately ordered, "We shall proceed as King Xing Tian suggests! Implement the Decree of Noble Donation and the Decree of Military Officer Donation!"
"We shall obey the Heavenly King’s command!"
"We too... defer to the Heavenly King’s command!"
The assembled officials voiced their agreement one after another.
After leaving the assembly hall, Xu Xing, accompanied by his father Xu Ming, his Second Uncle Xu Jing, and his cousin Xu Shenghua, boarded a horse carriage bound for the Court of Xing Tian. Inside the carriage, the four men convened to discuss the day’s events. Surrounding the carriage was a dense formation of their personal bodyguards.
"Big Brother, I’m afraid Chang Kun and Yao Dang are starting to have designs on you," Xu Shenghua was the first to speak. "We need to make preparations sooner rather than later."
"Exactly," Second Uncle Xu Jing nodded in agreement. "If not for your timely response, Heavenly King, our Xu Family would have lost the trust of the local powers and aristocratic families in Guanxi Road. We would have been utterly doomed."
Although this father and son pair hadn’t achieved the same scholarly honors as Xu Xing, nor had they entered Shenjing to serve as officials, they were influential figures within Qingmu County. Xu Jing held the post of County Registrar of Qingmu, while Xu Shenghua had studied under a renowned local scholar and cultivated extensive connections. Upon learning that Xu Xing was leading his soldiers and horses to attack Qingmu County, the father and son had acted decisively. They drove out the county magistrate, then led their family servants to storm the residence of the county commandant, coercing him into opening the city gates to allow Xu Xing’s forces into the county town.