Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

Chapter 135: Gaining Fame

To solve a problem, we must first address the main contradiction. Right now, the main problem in the four counties of Xihe is that the people are starving to death and spring sowing has been delayed. If we can quickly arrange these two tasks, most of the problems will be solved and our reputation will be boosted.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The common people have no oxen or farm tools. If we delay any longer, the crops we plant will be destroyed by frost and snow before they can be harvested. For now, we can only requisition most of the production tools of the wealthy families and concentrate manpower and resources to plant the seeds quickly. Because the land outside Lishi and Gaolang counties was severely damaged due to battlefield activities, we can transfer some farm tools from the other two counties."

"There's too much unowned land right now, and we can't just let each family cultivate it. My suggestion is to divide the grain into four portions and ship it to the four counties. We'll set up huts outside the city, gather all the laborers there to get their tools and seeds, and then organize farming. We'll pay them in grain, which will be distributed daily. Those who slack off or don't complete their daily workload will starve to death. As for the land of the wealthy families, we'll let them organize their own troops to cultivate it."

"A shelter will be set up to provide assistance to children under the age of twelve, people over fifty, and the disabled."

"After all the fields are planted, the remaining grain will be returned to the people."

"There's also the subsequent issue of land distribution. My idea is to claim the owned land first, and then distribute the unowned land based on the number of people in each household. This is a big project, and there'll be plenty of time to slowly distribute it after the crops are planted."

In special periods, the fastest way to improve production efficiency is to concentrate production materials, concentrate labor, and unify work.

Because of the plunder and slaughter by the Huns, the four counties suffered serious population losses. If families only cultivated their own fields, there would be countless farmlands outside the city that were left uncultivated. Not only would this be a waste of resources, but these unowned lands would basically fall into the hands of officials or wealthy families in the end. It would be better to take this opportunity to reshuffle the cards and balance the gap between the rich and the poor.

Of course, Zhang Mo had no intention of touching the land of the wealthy families. She was only clearing out the ownerless land. As for the tenant farmers originally employed by the wealthy families, they could also receive land. This would certainly offend some people, but these people had no say at this time. If Lu Bu had not taken back all these things, it would be unknown whether they could survive.

This redistribution of materials will certainly cause dissatisfaction among some people, but as long as it satisfies the majority of people, Lu Bu’s goal of increasing his reputation will be achieved.

After listening to Zhang Mo's arrangements for spring planting and grain distribution, everyone looked at her in silence.

"What's wrong? Isn't this okay?"

The silence of the crowd made Zhang Mo a little uneasy. This was how she farmed in Juyi Village. Although Juyi Village was divided into villages, which made it easier to manage, time was running out now, so she could only work in a group, and this was only temporary.

"No, you're right!" Zhang Liao was the first to agree. "If we continue with this arrangement, all the land in the four counties will be under cultivation in less than two weeks. Currently, there are more people than land in these four counties. If we redistribute the land, by this autumn's harvest, the people will all be able to live a well-fed and well-clothed life."

Wu Danze looked at her with curiosity, "I never thought that a bandit leader like you could know so much! No wonder the captain looks at you differently."

"That's right. The leader is young, not only knowledgeable, but also has trained a good army. Why not take this opportunity to join the army and serve as the captain." Han Zi believed that Lu Bu was taking special care of Zhang Mo because he wanted to recruit her, so he took the opportunity to act as a lobbyist.

Zhang Mo glanced at Lu Bu and bowed, "I'm sorry, I'm used to being free and unrestrained, and I really don't like being constrained."

Lu Bu knew that Zhang Mo did not completely trust him, and she would not accept him until the Dong Qing issue was resolved.

Lu Bu returned to the topic and looked at Zhang Liao. "Wenyuan, do as Amo said. Time is running out. Take your men and transport the grain to the counties today."

"Yes!" Zhang Liao bowed and retreated.

Lu Bu asked again, "Now that the spring plowing and food problems have been solved, what should we do with those valuables like gold, silver, and jade?"

Zhang Mo said, "I think you can divide the gifts into three parts. One part can be used as a reward for the soldiers who participated in the battle, especially the families of those who died in the battle. A small part can be sent to Mei County to curry favor with your father-in-law and show your filial piety. The rest can be distributed to the wealthy families. As for how to distribute them, you can send people to secretly investigate the villages. Those who behave more kindly and righteously can give more, and those who are accomplices to the evil and oppress the people should not give a penny."

Lu Bu frowned, "Will those wealthy families agree?"

Zhang Mo was somewhat speechless and said, "If you hadn't taken it back, the Xiongnu would have taken it away long ago. Where would their rice and flour be? This matter is difficult to satisfy everyone. You can only satisfy your own soldiers first, and then satisfy the majority of the people."

"As for those wealthy families, send someone to negotiate with them. Tell them that the supplies we intercepted this time were numerous and complex, and we don't know which ones belonged to which families. It would be unfair and fraudulent, so we can only return some of them as a friendly favor. The rest will be considered as donations to the government to help the people affected by the war in Xihe County. You will write a letter to commend them, trading money for reputation. This will at least increase their satisfaction."

Zhang Mo was silent for a moment before continuing, "If there are any troublemakers, just deal with them directly. The death toll in the four counties is huge, and the government agencies are paralyzed. I don't even know who exactly died yet, so this is a good opportunity to get rid of this troublesome person for the people."

After hearing this, Lu Bu's brows relaxed and he laughed out loud, "Amo, this is a very good idea. It suits my heart very well."

He originally wanted to withhold some of these things, but he had no legitimate reason and was afraid of causing dissatisfaction among the wealthy families. It would be bad if they sued him for embezzlement. Now that he took the initiative to write a letter in the name of a donation, they had no reason to sue him.

Having said that, the post-war relief work has basically been solved. Although Captain Lu Bu has the right to manage civil affairs, he is not the chief official of Xihe County after all. Doing these things is enough to make him famous among the people. As for who the court will send to take over as the governor of Xihe County in the future, whether the new governor is loyal or treacherous, good or bad, and whether the people will be hungry or well-fed in the future, it has nothing to do with Lu Bu.

After everyone else left, Zhang Mo reminded them, "When the food is distributed, you'd better go back to the scene and let the people know who saved their lives and what Captain Lu, who brought them plenty of food and clothing, looks like. It would be best to have a friendly chat with them. Also, bring your father-in-law's name along, otherwise I'm afraid he'll be dissatisfied with you."

Lü Bu looked conflicted. "I'm afraid I can't be like Gaozu, sitting on the edge of a field and chatting with others. Besides... I'm not good at chatting about family matters."

Zhang Mo said, "If you don't know, then learn. Leaders must learn to go to the grassroots level to understand the people's sentiments. You'll learn after a few conversations."

Lu Bu looked at her eagerly, "Then will you go with me?"

Zhang Mo said readily, "No problem, I'm the best at chatting about family matters."

After Lu Bu's series of measures were implemented, the people's livelihood and economy in Xihe County recovered rapidly. In just half a month, the originally abandoned farmland was planted with corn, every household received enough food to last until the autumn harvest, and the unowned land was redistributed. The amount of land in the hands of the people increased by nearly one-fold. Many families even received iron farm tools. Everyone was grateful to Lu Bu, the commander of the army, who drove away the Hu people and gave them a new life.

Lu Bu used the money and food from the rich and powerful to not only satisfy his soldiers, but also to gain fame among the people of Xihe County.

The wealthy families whose wealth was looted by the Huns were somewhat grateful to Lu Bu. If it had been a greedy general, they probably would not have returned a penny to them. But now they had finally recovered some of their money, and Lu Bu even wrote a letter to the court on their behalf, earning him a reputation for being generous and charitable.

As for those who usually committed evil and intended to stir up trouble, they died quietly at the hands of the Hu people.