Sweat began to run down Li Yan's back again.
Only now did he finally understand what Liu Maopao had been trying to tell him.
Compared to the man standing before him, his own understanding of politics and economics suddenly seemed painfully shallow. His ideas were still immature, far from the level required to govern an entire nation.
Yet within the Chuang Army, he was already considered one of the most learned men alive. People praised him as clever, knowledgeable, a man who understood politics and statecraft.
If someone like him represented the highest level of intellect in the rebel camp…
Then if the Chuang Army truly seized the empire, how could the common people possibly live well afterward?
Li Yan's voice dropped unconsciously.
"Even so… the Chuang Army does not necessarily have to kill every rich man. Perhaps… perhaps only half of them…"
Liu Maopao raised an eyebrow.
"A moment ago you argued that killing the rich would fund the army through their wealth. Now you say only half should die."
He spoke calmly, but every word struck like a hammer.
"If only half are killed, will the money from the remaining half still be enough to fund the army? Enough to maintain the troops until the empire is pacified and the soldiers can finally be dismissed?"
He paused briefly.
"If the money runs out, what happens then? You will have to start collecting grain taxes earlier than planned, will you not?"
Li Yan froze.
"The world is not yet pacified, yet the Chuang Army suddenly begins collecting taxes ahead of time. What will the common people think then? The very peasants who followed the rebels will suddenly find themselves paying grain again."
Liu Maopao looked at him quietly.
"Will they not feel deceived?"
Li Yan fell silent.
Liu Maopao sighed softly.
"My friend, we have debated for less than the time it takes a stick of incense to burn. Yet already your ideas have begun to contradict one another, twisting and collapsing into confusion."
He tilted his head slightly.
"If the strategist of the Chuang Army were truly a man of such reasoning, how could that army ever govern a nation properly?"
He chuckled.
"In that case, it might as well declare its own collapse today."
The words struck Li Yan like a blade.
A sword thrust straight through the chest.
For a long moment he could not speak.
He staggered backward several steps.
Just then, one of the poor townsfolk spoke up from the crowd.
"Sir, after all your explanations, are you trying to say the imperial court is right to impose heavy taxes? That we deserve to be taxed and bullied?"
Liu Maopao shook his head.
"No. That is not what I mean."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"The current court is riddled with corruption and failed policies. Reform is already unavoidable."
"Taxes must exist. A country cannot operate without them."
He paused.
"But they must be reduced. Collected only within a reasonable range."
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"The rich should pay more. The poor should pay less, or perhaps none at all."
The moment those words were spoken, Li Yan's eyes lit up.
Even the poor listeners seemed to feel the argument made some sense. One by one they leaned closer, listening more carefully.
Liu Maopao continued speaking.
He began discussing politics.
Then economics.
Then trade.
Then commercial taxation.
Unfortunately, those subjects quickly grew dry and complicated.
The genuinely poor peasants began scratching their heads in confusion. One by one they drifted away, losing interest.
But something interesting happened.
Whenever a scholar happened to pass by and heard a few sentences, he would instinctively stop to listen.
And once he stopped…
He could no longer leave.
Gradually the crowd changed.
The mass of ragged peasants slowly transformed into a gathering of scholars, students, local gentry, landlords, and merchants.
Li Yan listened more seriously than anyone else.
Because compared to ordinary wealthy men, he needed this knowledge far more urgently.
In the near future, he might very well become the Grand Secretary of the realm.
At least that was what he believed.
The impromptu lecture lasted for more than an hour.
Only when Liu Maopao finally grew tired did he stop speaking.
Li Yan reluctantly walked away.
He had barely gone one street further when he discovered another scholar standing at a crossroads, explaining to a fresh crowd why the slogan "The Chuang King comes and no grain will be collected" was fundamentally impossible.
Li Yan listened for a short time.
Then suddenly his mood sank.
He sighed.
Leaving Jinan Prefecture, he walked slowly along the official road outside the city.
Turning back, he gazed at Jinan from afar.
"So the court still has men of true talent," he thought silently.
"I once believed myself knowledgeable. But compared to these people…"
He shook his head.
"I am not merely one move behind."
"I am dozens of moves behind."
"The hearts of the people in Jinan will soon stabilize under their guidance."
And it was not only Jinan.
Across Shandong Province, scholars claiming to be "sent by Sun Chuanting" had begun appearing in cities and towns everywhere.
On street corners and marketplaces they patiently explained facts and logic to the people.
Again and again they dismantled the slogan:
"When the Chuang King arrives, no grain tax will be collected."
At first the poor refused to listen.
"I will not listen!"
"Anyone who asks us to pay grain must be a villain!"
"Anyone who says we do not have to pay is the good man!"
But as more and more people began to understand the reasoning, the direction of public opinion slowly began to change.
Common people were not truly stupid.
Nor were they completely ignorant.
They simply lived hard lives and could easily be manipulated by those with ulterior motives.
But once someone pointed them toward the correct path, they were perfectly capable of thinking for themselves.
And once they thought about it…
They could reach the correct conclusion on their own.
---
Far to the south.
Quanzhou, Jinjiang County.
The ironclad vessel Little Black One slowly sailed into Weitou Harbor.
Two small boats belonging to Zheng Zhilong's fleet guided the way ahead.
A sailor shouted from one of the boats.
"You can dock here! No risk of running aground! Come straight in!"
Only then did Little Black One cautiously approach and anchor steadily within the harbor.
Soon afterward, large numbers of sailors began disembarking.
After spending too long at sea, men needed time on solid land. Otherwise their legs would forget how to walk properly.
Yaoxing Juan jumped ashore as well, stretching his arms and legs.
A soldier from Zheng Zhilong's forces approached and saluted him with clasped fists.
"The coal you requested has already been prepared."
Yaoxing Juan's face lit up with delight.
"That is truly excellent news. Many thanks!"
It turned out that Yaoxing Juan had come to Weitou Harbor specifically to resupply coal.
Previously, whenever his coal supply ran out, he had to sail all the way back to Zhoushan Island. The journey was long and inconvenient, wasting a great deal of time.
But several days earlier he had encountered a ship belonging to Zheng Zhihu while sailing at sea.
During their conversation he learned that Jinjiang County also produced coal, and in fairly large quantities.
Enough to support the fuel consumption of Little Black One.
So this time, instead of returning to Zhoushan Island, he came directly to Weitou Harbor.
At a command from the Zheng clan's men, the doors of a warehouse beside the harbor were thrown open.
Laborers carried out basket after basket of coal.
Soon a large pile had formed.
Yaoxing Juan was overjoyed.
"This is wonderful! From now on I only need to cross one stretch of sea to replenish coal. Then I can go back to Yi Province Island and tease the Dutch again."
The Zheng clan soldier laughed.
"Your cannon shells are special, are they not? Those cannot be supplied here. If you need ammunition, you will still have to return to Zhoushan Island."
Yaoxing Juan waved dismissively.
"That is no great problem. As long as there is coal here, half the trouble is already solved."
"As for cannon shells, we can think of other methods."
In truth, Yaoxing Juan carried orders from Dao Xuan Tianzun himself.
His mission was to explore the coastline and locate suitable locations for future supply ports.
It was a long-term mission.
Because Tianzun's vision was extremely ambitious.
Supply ports would one day spread across every ocean on earth.
Yaoxing Juan immediately sent messengers aboard a Zheng clan boat back to Zhoushan to report the discovery of coal in Jinjiang.
As for himself, after finishing the resupply and purchasing fresh food and drinking water within Jinjiang County, he once again raised sail.
Little Black One cut through the waves.
Its bow pointed straight toward Yi Province Island.
The Dutch would soon have company again.