Chương 515: Five-Year Plan 1

The word was so unfamiliar that everyone looked puzzled, whispering and muttering among themselves.

Some people ask what the "Five-Year Plan" means, others say that "restoring peace to the world" sounds ambitious, and still others say that "ensuring people have enough to eat and wear" is probably not so easy.

Even Xun Yu, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others, who only knew the general outline beforehand, listened intently at this moment.

They all participated in the discussion, but this was the first time they had heard all the details.

Dian Wei asked Zhao Yun in a low voice, "A five-year plan? What does that mean?"

Zhao Yun said in a low voice, "These should be the things we need to do over the next five years. Make a list."

Dian Wei suddenly realized: "Oh, it's just like the New Year's shopping list my family makes every year?"

Zhao Yun said speechlessly, "More or less, but this list is much larger."

Liu Ce raised his hand and pressed down, and the hall instantly returned to silence.

"What is a five-year plan? It is a plan in which I and the court clearly write down every major task the nation must undertake over the next five years, setting clear goals, deadlines, and responsible parties. We will carry it out one by one, step by step. Five years from now, I want the whole world to see what the Han Dynasty has truly become!"

He walked to the edge of the steps, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over everyone below:

"Our sole objective for the first five years is to completely end the aftermath of war, ensuring that every citizen of the Han people has food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live!"

"Therefore, I will implement new policies in six aspects."

"First, politics and people's livelihood." Liu Ce's voice suddenly rose, echoing in the empty hall.

"What is the root cause of the chaos in the world? It is land annexation! It is the powerful seizing tens of thousands of acres of land, while the common people have nowhere to stand! It is the powerful privately owning thousands of slaves, while the country has no taxes to collect and no soldiers to wage war!"

"Therefore, the first thing the new dynasty did was to implement the new policy of equal land distribution and tax exemption!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall erupted in a commotion, much more lively than when the five war zones were announced five days ago.

Several senior officials from aristocratic families paled instantly. Kong Rong was the first to step forward, his voice trembling as he said, "Your Majesty! Absolutely not! Private land ownership and the system of slavery are ancestral institutions established three generations ago! If Your Majesty forcibly implements them, you risk losing the hearts of the gentry throughout the land!"

Kong Rong was a learned and virtuous man, but he was a bit pedantic.

His mind was filled with the idea of "the rule of three dynasties," and he felt that the things passed down from his ancestors should not be touched.

Liu Ce sneered, his laughter echoing through the hall, tinged with disdain: "Ancestral rules? If ancestral rules could ensure the people had enough to eat, Zhang Jiao wouldn't have cried out 'Heaven is dead!' If ancestral rules could protect the Han dynasty, Dong Zhuo wouldn't have entered Luoyang!"

He stood up, pointed at Kong Rong, and raised his voice: "I ask you, Kong Rong, when the people were exchanging children to eat, where were your ancestral laws? When millions of refugees froze and starved to death, where were your ancestral laws?"

Kong Rong was speechless, his face turned bright red, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

He recalled the starving corpses and the people selling their children that he had witnessed in Beihai years ago... Yes, the ancestral system was pale and powerless in the face of such tragedies.

Liu Ce stopped looking at him, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, his voice firm as iron: "My mind is made up! From this day forward, all unclaimed wasteland and war-abandoned land will be nationalized and distributed free of charge to all the people!"

"A unified tax rate of one-thirtieth will be implemented nationwide, abolishing all exorbitant taxes and levies, as well as all checkpoints and taxes imposed by powerful clans! From now on, ordinary people will only pay this one type of tax; all other miscellaneous taxes will be eliminated!"

"The regulations stipulate the maximum land holdings: officials may not exceed 1, 000 mu, and ordinary citizens may not exceed 100 mu. Any excess will be redeemed by the state at market price and redistributed to landless peasants. The sale and consolidation of land are strictly prohibited; violators will have all their land confiscated and their entire family exiled three thousand li away!"

"At the same time, the 'Emancipation Edict' is promulgated! All privately owned slaves are hereby freed and reduced to commoners! Powerful families are not allowed to resist; those who disobey will be treated as treason!"

"Your Majesty!" Another old minister knelt on the ground. He was from a collateral branch of the Xun clan of Yingchuan. His voice trembled.

"This servant is the private property of her master. Your Majesty's actions are no different from robbery!"

Liu Ce's eyes turned cold, his gaze like a poisoned knife: "Private property? People have never been anyone's private property! They are the subjects of the Han Dynasty! They are people who can farm, weave cloth, serve in the army, and build the country!"

He descended the steps of the imperial palace and approached the old minister step by step.

The old minister was so frightened that he trembled all over and his knees kept sliding backward on the ground.

"I hereby declare: Anyone who dares to obstruct the liberation of slaves is an enemy of the entire Han Dynasty, and an enemy of me!"

He paused, his tone softening slightly, but still carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"Of course, the court will not treat you unfairly. All freed slaves will be compensated by the court with ten shi of grain per person to their original masters."

The court will fully redeem any excess land. You may take your families and move to Luoyang or Chang'an to live as wealthy men. Those who wish to engage in commerce will be protected by the court.

"However," he changed his tone, his eyes sharpening again, "anyone who dares to outwardly comply but inwardly defy, harbor slaves, or conceal land, then don't blame my blade for being merciless! It's been a long time since the Embroidered Uniform Guard's blade has seen blood."

The hall was deathly silent.

Everyone felt the determination of this founding emperor.

Those scions of noble families who had initially harbored hopes now lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Some people were sweating profusely, some were trembling, and some had already begun to plan how to get rid of the excess land and slaves.

Liu Ce returned to the dragon throne and continued, his tone returning to normal: "The resettlement of displaced people will be the responsibility of the Military Colony. They will be organized into military and civilian settlements, with the state providing seeds, farming tools, and housing. They will be exempt from taxes for the first three years."

"Encourage childbirth: For each son born, taxes will be waived for three years; for each of the two sons born, taxes will be waived for five years, and a reward of 1, 000 shi of grain will be given; for each of the three sons born, the state will support them until they are ten years old!"

"I intend to restore the nation's population to its peak within five years. From then on, any family that has more children will be rewarded by the court! Without people, the land cannot stand; with people, there is nothing."

"In terms of law, the court will enact the Great Han Code, abolishing the cumbersome laws of the previous dynasty and implementing the five punishments of flogging, caning, penal servitude, exile, and death. Local judicial officials will be directly appointed by the central government and will not be subject to interference from local administrative officials. A system of petitioning drums will be established, allowing the people to directly appeal their grievances to me!"

"As for powerful clans, my attitude is very clear: those who support the court will be treated well; those who oppose the court will be resolutely suppressed! The court will implement a policy of relocating powerful clans, moving the most powerful clans in the country to the vicinity of the capital, such as Luoyang and Chang'an, to make them easier to control."

Powerful clans are forbidden from possessing private armies; violators will be prosecuted for treason! Simultaneously, a state monopoly on salt and iron and a state monopoly on alcohol will be implemented to strip the powerful clans of their economic foundation!

After listening to this long passage, Cheng Yaojin muttered to himself, "Good heavens, they're going to expose the secrets of those powerful clans."