Nāgata: Infernal Night, Qinghan and I are True Love

Chapter 177 Eliminating Human Trafficking

Upon hearing Xu Tianyi's words, the entire aristocratic family present could barely contain their resentment.

The land is their bones, knowledge is their blood!

The officials below were mostly people from the lower classes who owned little land, so naturally they were all smiles, as everyone harbors resentment towards the rich.

In other words, they've wanted to do this for a long time.

"Our leader is wise!!"

“That’s right, that’s how it should be done. It takes a hundred acres of land for a family of six to live a relatively happy life. If the people don’t have to pay more than half of the rent to the gentry, and with low taxes, they can live even better with less than ten acres!”

"That's right, you guys don't know, I checked the Qi family's granary in the area, and the grain inside was all rotten, and there were plenty of fat rats, but the people in the city were all skin and bones!"

"This despicable world is beyond our control. We can't fight back even if we raise a flag. They have martial arts masters and grand martial arts masters. Whether we resist or not, we'll die!"

"Let's not talk about the past anymore. Now that the leader has arrived, he will naturally uphold justice for us!"

"That's right, the leader is wise and powerful, we will definitely have a better life in the future!"

. . .

The clamor of the officials completely drowned out the slight rebuttal from the group of aristocratic and wealthy merchants.

Xu Tianyi then spoke up: "Quiet!!"

"You all need to understand this: grain and money piled up in warehouses are just garbage; they are only treasures when they are taken out and used!"

Moreover, the land, once reclaimed, will all belong to my sect and will be rented to the people in the future to collect taxes.

In the future, a person can only rent a maximum of ten acres of land.

If you still want to own tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, that's fine too.

Then let's choose the contract system!

Simply put, you would lease the land from the people a second time, pay them rent, and at the same time, you could use commercial means to hire the people to farm for you.

After the grain is produced, you resell it to make a profit.

This way, the people will also have income, and you can continue to be large-scale agricultural producers.”

"Our leader is wise! The Feng family is willing to cooperate fully!"

"My Taira clan is also willing to fully cooperate!"

"My family is the same!"

"My Li family..."

...

Immediately, many prominent families agreed.

Xu Tianyi also saw through their thoughts.

There are policies from above and countermeasures from below. They think that it's just a matter of earning a little less. They'll give the peasants a little taste of the benefits while they still make the lion's share.

He simply smiled and said nothing more.

Because this is a fantasy world, even if I inspect it once every two months, I will still be able to go to the county at any time.

If people feel wronged, they will naturally say, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to make an example of someone as a warning to others?"

Furthermore, the implementation of one's own policies is overseen by both the publicity department and the supervision department.

"The emperor is far away? That's impossible!"

Most emperors in this world are reluctant to leave their capital cities for fear of assassination.

I am not afraid.

As long as you don't become lazy in your administration, there will be absolutely no problem.

Xu Tianyi thought this way, but many of his subordinates did not understand.

"Master, they must have some wicked intentions; they agreed so readily!"

"Yes, Master, these people will definitely use the policies to exploit the people. The rent will be low, the wages will be low, and if they don't do a good job, they will be beaten."

"I know them too well; these people are all filthy!"

The members of the aristocratic family blushed, as if their secret thoughts had been discovered, and they became somewhat embarrassed and angry.

"How dare you! We're caught in a dilemma—whether we cooperate or not, we're not safe either!"

"Should we follow the policies set by the leader or not?"

"We've already agreed, what more do you want from us?"

"That's right! We have always treated the people well, and such benevolent policies will certainly not let them down!"

"Yes..."

...

"Alright, alright! Shut up, all of you!"

Xu Tianyi's ears hurt from listening.

He then stood up and said, "The policy is set! No one is allowed to question it anymore! I know you all have some animosity towards each other, but I'm telling you, the policy is a good policy! They haven't even implemented it yet, and you're already assuming they'll exploit and bully the people?"

You can remain skeptical about things without evidence, but you should never be certain!

At this point, everyone bowed.

"We have been impolite; please punish us, Master..."

"Hmm~, the next item, the third thing, is that the number of servants and the number and cultivation level of guards of aristocratic families should be limited and registered."

This measure was intended to restrict aristocratic families from buying and selling people.

A large number of children were trafficked to aristocratic families, who then trained them to become assassins from a young age.

If the number of household slaves and servants were limited, along with restrictions on the number and cultivation level of guards, then many tragedies of human trafficking would be avoided!

Lan Meng's eyes lit up immediately. She, who had been drowsy, couldn't help but speak up: "This is great! Master, Zhongzhou is almost becoming a transit point for child trafficking. Children from other states are abducted and kidnapped to Zhongzhou, and then sold to other states."

I have rescued more than a hundred children, and there are many more who could not be rescued.

Human trafficking dens, large and small, are extremely well-hidden. They even force children to be mutilated and torture them, making them beg on the streets.

Many animal performers would sew animal skins onto children's bodies, turning them into intelligent, strange beasts like monkeys or wolves—a truly cruel practice.

Lan Meng's words sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Ning Hongye cursed angrily: "Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, but to torture one's own kind like this is simply worse than an animal!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Ziping burst into tears and was completely speechless.

Ji Yingying declared sternly, "This must be stopped! All human traffickers should go to hell!"

Ji Canghai and most of the other officials were furious.

But the aristocratic families in the audience couldn't keep their composure.

Shen Haisheng couldn't hold back any longer: "I also think human traffickers are despicable, but my Shen family now has over 20,000 servants, slaves, and family members combined, most of whom are born into the family..."

The other members of the powerful families felt guilty and could only look at Xu Tianyi, waiting for his answer.

Xu Tianyi looked around at everyone, then put his hands behind his back and said, "No buying, no harm!"

Within my jurisdiction, I will resolutely prevent human trafficking, and all members of each family must be registered.

At the same time, each person should be allowed to choose their own life, and no one should interfere with whether they leave or stay.

As for those who remain, I will revoke the status of most of them as domestic slaves.

If you want to keep them, then they will be unofficial members of your family.

They must be paid the minimum wage, and they should be allowed to resign at any time without interference or coercion!

After that, I will establish a family management department specifically to supervise the illegal activities of each family!

"If you wish to live within my jurisdiction, you must accept my supervision. If you refuse, then leave 70% of your wealth and you may leave Leizhou!"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

Leaving Leizhou?

It's hard to leave one's homeland!

Our ancestral graves are all in Leizhou!

Unless there is an irreversible major event, who would be willing to leave their ancestral homeland?

Everyone immediately bowed and agreed, "We will obey the leader's orders!"

Xu Tianyi nodded in satisfaction.

Some of them will definitely have ulterior motives, after all, most people's loyalty level is around 50%.

However, he didn't care because he hadn't yet gotten to the point of benefit.

He controlled the aristocratic families by controlling their population, land, and fields.