Chapter Seventy-Five: Bold and Decisive

In the blink of an eye, it was now the tenth year of the Great Enterprise. Under Li Wenyuan’s careful planning, although Li Gui managed to take away a portion of his troops, he lost the vast majority of the wealth he had accumulated over many years. When Li Wenyuan then seized Jiayu Pass ahead of him, Li Gui suffered another heavy blow. Enraged, Li Gui launched several attacks to reclaim Jiayu Pass, but all ended in failure with heavy casualties. Eventually, he withdrew to the commanderies of Dunhuang and Yiwu. Meanwhile, having gained possession of the riches Li Gui had abandoned, Li Wenyuan was able to breathe a temporary sigh of relief; with the support of these resources, he pushed forward several of his policies and thus passed his first Spring Festival since arriving in the Sui Dynasty.

Owing to the traditionally weak influence of the old aristocratic families in the Western Regions—almost negligible—Li Wenyuan’s land policies were implemented smoothly. And as a man from another era, how could he possibly neglect the most profitable venture—banking? After months of negotiations, progress was finally made. Major merchants based in the Western Regions, under Li Wenyuan’s guidance, banded together to establish the first bank in China, and indeed the world at that time: the Prosperity Bank.

With the aid of ultra-low interest loans offered by Prosperity Bank, a great number of serfs—forced by poverty to serve wealthy households and officials—redeemed their contracts and regained their freedom. They purchased their own land and began preparing for the spring planting, rekindling their hopes for life. At the same time, landowners who had profited from serf labor were allowed to participate in the bank's investment and dividend schemes. With their cooperation, the newly drafted and carefully planned tax policy was smoothly enacted.

"The main task for each county this year is to conduct a detailed census and have the populace come to the local offices to receive their unique identification tags. Anyone who holds such a tag, regardless of their status—scholar, farmer, artisan, or merchant—so long as they are employed, will receive one dan of fine grain each year. As for those who idle about without work, they’ll receive only one dan of coarse grain, barely enough to stave off hunger. Furthermore, all soldiers and officers’ families are entitled to an additional three dan of fine grain annually as a reward. This is the social welfare policy I mentioned to you before; it is designed to ensure that no one under our rule starves." Li Wenyuan addressed Qian Wentong and Xue Renyue before him. After all, he truly controlled only these two counties for now, so this somewhat unusual policy could only be implemented here.

"Second, all private rights to the extraction of well salt must be revoked in every county. From this day forward, only the government may sell well salt; all others are illegal. Any discovered private operations will have their salt mines confiscated and all proceeds seized. Moreover, their eligibility for social welfare will be reduced to the lowest tier, and their descendants will be barred from officialdom." Li Wenyuan continued.

"Third, every child over the age of five in our jurisdiction must be enrolled in the government-established academies to learn to read and write for five years, with no fees charged during this period. A meal will be provided at noon each day. The teachers in these academies will be recruited from the students of the Institute for Destitute Scholars who are willing to teach. In addition, to prevent these children from becoming idle and ignorant of basic agriculture after leaving the academy, physical education classes will also be arranged daily, taught by local martial arts instructors. These instructors must be chosen with careful consideration of their character before they can teach. I hope that every child who graduates from our academies will be as well-rounded as the Sage of War, skilled in both civil and martial arts—not like Master Zhang, who is only a brash fellow." At this, all three laughed for a moment before Li Wenyuan raised a fourth finger.

"The fourth and most important point: under our rule, child brides are strictly forbidden. For those child brides who have already been betrothed, Prosperity Bank will provide interest-free loans to redeem them at double the original price. This redemption policy is valid for one year only. After that, if any family refuses to return the child bride, the government will intervene and enforce the return, resulting in a loss of both the bride and the money; this must be made clear to the people. Moreover, men must reach the age of twenty and women eighteen before marriage negotiations can begin. If both parties marry after the age of twenty-eight, each will receive an additional half dan of fine grain per year as a reward. Forced marriages will be severely punished; abducting someone’s child for marriage will be a capital crime. Furthermore, to ensure safe and smooth childbirth, the government will set up free birthing centers in every village, employing experienced midwives on the government payroll. Any woman interested in midwifery may assist and learn at these centers. Midwifery, as a profession, will also be eligible for social welfare benefits." Having finished outlining his plans, Li Wenyuan took a sip of tea.

Despite these four policies already issued, Li Wenyuan was still not fully satisfied. In his view, the ultimate goal was to vigorously promote gender equality. However, given the current social climate, any abrupt imposition of such a policy would likely backfire. For now, with the introduction of his social welfare system, both men and women had the means to live independently. Once these foundational concerns were addressed, he could gradually work to change entrenched attitudes about male superiority, confident that one day the old prejudices would be abandoned.

Upon returning to their respective county offices, Qian Wentong and Xue Renyue began to vigorously implement Li Wenyuan’s policies. Backed by his military authority, the reforms proceeded smoothly for the most part. Occasional dissent was quickly suppressed under Li Wenyuan’s firm hand, preventing any disturbances. With the abolition of the land tax for farmers, their enthusiasm for tilling the soil soared. Vast stretches of previously barren land in the two counties were brought under cultivation, and thanks to irrigation works completed last winter, the farmers were optimistic about the coming autumn’s harvest. Compared to famine elsewhere, Wuwei and Zhangye counties now resembled realms of peace and prosperity.

Yet none of this weighed heavily on Li Wenyuan’s mind. Any dissatisfaction among the local gentry quickly dissipated; the compensations he offered won many of them over to his side. Today, in the county office of Wuwei, Li Wenyuan was about to welcome his most important guest yet.