The moment Liu Maopao asked that question, Li Yan froze.
He was stunned.
Li Yan was indeed an educated man, but his learning still carried the limitations of his time. Compared with the people from Gao Family Village, whose knowledge was wide and strangely modern, Li Yan's understanding of deeper economic matters was actually quite shallow.
He had never really thought about such things before.
He had simply followed a burning sense of justice and joined Chuang Wang to overthrow the corrupt Ming court.
But expecting a young scholar to fully understand economics was truly asking too much.
That single question made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Li Yan thought for several seconds before finally replying.
"It is true that one day all those exploitative landlords will be eliminated. But when the last of them is gone, the world will naturally already be at peace. Once peace arrives, there will be no need for armies anymore."
He spread his hands.
"When that day comes, the army can simply be disbanded. The people will not need to pay taxes to support it."
The poor villagers around him immediately began shouting in agreement.
"Exactly!"
"This gentleman speaks wisely!"
"If all the corrupt officials and greedy landlords are wiped out, the world will naturally become peaceful. Why would we need an army anymore?"
Liu Maopao nearly burst out laughing at such childish logic.
Holding back the laughter was not easy.
Fortunately, Liu Maopao was an excellent performer.
"Brother, your argument is truly... profound."
He waved his fan dramatically.
"Very well. Let us temporarily assume that the world will no longer need an army."
Then he stomped his foot lightly on the stone road beneath them.
The blue stone slabs of Jinan's main street were solid and well maintained.
He grinned.
"When Chuang Wang conquers the world and nobody pays taxes, the government will have no money."
He tapped the road again.
"So tell me. Who will repair this road?"
The moment this question came out, Li Yan felt as if something exploded inside his head.
But the poor villagers around him reacted faster than their brains.
One particularly loud man shouted immediately.
"Repairing bridges and roads does not have to be done by the government. The local gentry and landlords always love doing that sort of thing. They say it earns merit for their descendants."
Liu Maopao clapped his hands.
"Well said!"
Then he smiled slowly.
"But... did we not just say that during the process of achieving that peaceful world, all the landlords and gentry would already have been killed?"
The crowd suddenly fell silent.
Even the dumbest among them began to sense that something felt wrong.
Liu Maopao pointed toward the drainage ditch running along the side of the street.
"If the government has no money, who will clean this sewer?"
He tilted his head thoughtfully.
"The residents living beside it?"
"If the neighborhood shares the responsibility, will the neighbors quarrel when it is time to divide the work? What happens if one household refuses to do their part?"
He shrugged.
"Then no one does it?"
"Three monks with no water to drink. Sound familiar?"
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
Liu Maopao pointed again, this time toward a bun shop down the street.
"If the government has no money, there will be no constables or yamen runners."
"What if someone robs that bun shop? What if they beat the shopkeeper while stealing his buns?"
"Who will handle the case?"
"Will the local baojia system deal with it?"
He paused.
"But the baojia leaders are usually local gentry and landlords."
"And according to your plan, they have all just been killed."
The crowd's eyes widened.
Liu Maopao then raised his hand and mimicked the gesture of a night watchman striking a clapper.
"Third watch! Third watch! Beware of fire!"
He chuckled.
"If the government has no money, who pays the night watchmen?"
"They will have to go back to farming."
"And without night watchmen..."
He looked around at the crowd.
"Do any of you actually know what time it is right now?"
The crowd was completely stunned.
Finally Liu Maopao turned back toward Li Yan with a polite smile.
"Brother, you appear to be a man of learning."
"So allow me to ask one more question."
"If the government has no money, how will all these problems be solved?"
Li Yan sucked in a sharp breath.
Coincidentally, the aroma of Jinan's famous Four Happiness Meatballs drifted from a nearby shop.
Even the air he inhaled tasted fragrant.
But sweat the size of beans was already rolling down his forehead.
Liu Maopao turned back to the surrounding crowd.
"Look. Our learned friend has no answer now."
"That is because he has already realized something."
He raised a finger.
"A world without taxes is impossible."
"So I boldly predict that Chuang Wang's promise of 'no taxes' is merely a trick to amuse everyone."
He chuckled.
"Once he takes the throne, taxes will immediately return."
"And I suspect they will not be lighter than what the current court collects."
He looked around slowly.
"In fact, life may become even harder for you."
Li Yan clenched his teeth.
"Brother, after thinking about what you said earlier, I admit that 'no taxes' may indeed be unrealistic."
He paused.
"But when you say life will become worse for the people, I cannot agree with that."
"That is pure speculation without evidence."
"No evidence?"
Liu Maopao laughed.
"How could there be no evidence?"
"If brother wishes to hear it, I can analyze the matter a little."
Li Yan nodded.
"I am listening."
Liu Maopao began calmly.
"First of all, when Chuang Wang conquers the world, the rich people will all have been killed. Correct?"
Li Yan gave a reluctant grunt.
"Yes."
Liu Maopao spread his hands.
"Then let me ask another question."
"Are the rich people currently managing workshops, farmland, and all kinds of productive resources?"
Li Yan replied,
"Yes. That is precisely the foundation of their oppression."
"If they are eliminated, those resources can be handed to the poor. The poor will finally become prosperous."
The poor villagers immediately erupted into cheers.
"Exactly!"
"Kill the corrupt officials!"
"If I became an official I would do a better job than them!"
Liu Maopao suddenly pointed his fan at one of the loudest men in the crowd.
"You."
"Can you read?"
The man froze.
"No."
Liu Maopao continued calmly.
"If we make you the county magistrate, could you handle the job?"
"Would you even understand the government documents?"
The man instantly fell silent.
Li Yan immediately realized what Liu Maopao was trying to imply.
He quickly argued back.
"That is sophistry."
"You are trying to say that rich people are more capable while poor people are incompetent. That idea is completely wrong."
"There are capable individuals among the poor as well."
"If given the opportunity, they could manage these affairs just as well."
"They would not be inferior to the rich."
Liu Maopao sighed softly.
"I do not deny that."
Then he looked directly at Li Yan.
"But for a person to grow from knowing nothing into someone capable takes time."
"It requires experience."
He smiled slightly.
"For example, you, brother. I can tell you are highly educated."
"If given the opportunity, you could even handle the duties of a prime minister."
He paused.
"But if tomorrow morning someone suddenly made you prime minister without giving you time to learn the job…"
"Would you truly be able to manage every affair of the empire perfectly?"
If Li Yan had been an unreasonable hothead, he would probably have shouted immediately.
Of course I could. I would do far better than that useless Grand Secretary who does nothing but eat the nation's salary.
But Li Yan was not that kind of man.
He thought about the question carefully.
And suddenly his heart skipped a beat.
That was right.
If the rebel army captured Beijing tomorrow, killed the Grand Secretary, and forced him to take over the government immediately, could he really handle it?
No.
It would be impossible.
He had no administrative experience at all.
If he suddenly took charge of state affairs, the result would likely be chaos.
At the very least he would need several years to learn step by step before he could manage such responsibilities properly.
Liu Maopao smiled.
"Throughout all of history, every change of dynasty has followed a similar rule."
"No ruler has ever succeeded by killing all the wealthy and powerful at once."
"A portion of them must be preserved and temporarily used by the new regime."
"Only afterward can gradual replacements occur."
He folded his fan.
"That is because a nation cannot survive endless upheaval."
"Government must transition step by step."
"If every official position from top to bottom is suddenly replaced with inexperienced newcomers, the country will collapse immediately."
He then looked around at the crowd.
"And that is why I say your lives would become even harder."
"If the rebel army truly kills all the wealthy and replaces them with inexperienced poor men overnight, the nation will inevitably fall into chaos for several years."
He spoke slowly.
"You will live through turmoil far worse than what you suffer today."
"At least for a time."
"It will take many years before the situation stabilizes again."
The common people burst into a loud uproar.
"Wah!"