The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 23 The Fourth Calamity

Although these aristocratic families engage in exploitative practices, they still need to maintain a facade of arrogance; otherwise, how can they demonstrate their unique and noble status?

Lu Zhizhi thought for a long time but couldn't find a suitable solution to resettle the refugees. He said to Jiang Feng, "I am not very knowledgeable and would appreciate your guidance, Deputy Chief Steward."

Jiang Feng smiled and said, "This matter is quite simple. All the prominent families in Jiangnan need to do is provide 100,000 hectares of fertile land, and this problem will be easily solved."

The guard behind Lu Zhizhi stepped forward, as if he had heard something absurd, and a mocking expression appeared on his lips:

"Do you know how much 100,000 hectares of fertile land is? That's enough for a million people to each have ten acres! You're just spouting nonsense and demanding that much farmland? Aren't you afraid your tongue will slip up in the wind?"

"Do you even have the right to speak here?"

Jiang Feng's face darkened, and he immediately smashed the cup as a signal.

With a "smack," eight hundred axemen rushed into the tent, grabbed the guard, and took turns flicking his forehead.

After a period of chaos, the eight hundred axemen withdrew, leaving only the guard lying on the ground with a lifeless look in his eyes and a fist-sized bump on his forehead!

Lu Zhizhi snapped out of his daze and hurriedly stepped forward to check his injuries: "Lu Ji, do you still recognize me?"

Lu Ji mumbled, still half-asleep, "Uncle? What are you doing in my room?"

Lu Zhiming breathed a slight sigh of relief, then his face darkened as he looked at Jiang Feng: "This is impossible. We simply cannot produce 100,000 hectares of fertile land."

Jiang Feng said with a playful expression, "That's not right. Last year, when we were sizing up the cultivated land in Jiangnan, you reported more than 12 million hectares, of which 8 million hectares were in the hands of your Jiangnan gentry."

"Now, the Prince of Jin only asks you to donate a tiny fraction of what he could possibly give?"

Lu Zhizhi was speechless, choked by his words.

The imperial court's policy was that the more slaves one owned, the more permanent land that could be inherited by generations would be bestowed upon them by the court.

In order to obtain hereditary land, powerful clans deliberately exaggerated the number of cultivated land and servants, thereby acquiring more real land.

Everyone knows, without saying a word, how much water is in these farmlands.

If you really want to calculate it, the fact that there are five million hectares of fertile land in Jiangnan is all thanks to the conscience of these aristocratic families.

Lu Zhiming stared at Jiang Feng, knowing he had met a discerning person. His face darkened as he said, "Let's not beat around the bush. We can indeed provide 100,000 hectares of fertile land, but on what basis?"

"On what grounds? On the 200,000 elite troops under the command of the Prince of Jin, the Buddhist and Taoist sects of Jiangnan, the Cui and Lu families, and myself, Jiang Feng!"

Jiang Feng's words carried an undeniable authority: "The Cui family of Boling and the Lu family of Fanyang have already contributed manpower and resources to settle the refugees in Zu'an County. The Shangqing School and the Tiantai School of the monk Zhiyi are also on the side of Prince Jin. These are all things that are out in the open."

"Now is the crucial moment for the Prince of Jin in his struggle for the throne; all unstable factors must give way to him!"

"At this moment, Yuwen Shu, Zhou Fashang, Lai Huer, and others have their entire army ready to fight. If the gentry of Jiangnan truly dare to try to stop us, the Prince of Jin will not hesitate to let you taste the bitterness of trampling Jiangnan once again!"

Lu Zhiming remained silent.

Prince Yang Guang of Jin had always presented himself as humble and listened to his advice.

This was the first time he had ever seen Yang Guang's determination, and it was such a resolute decision that it left no room for anyone else.

Could it be that I misjudged Yang Guang, and that he was actually a wise and patient ruler?

He was conflicted, and looked at Jiang Feng with worry, saying, "This is not a decision I can make alone. Give me two days to think about it."

Jiang Feng nodded and said, "Alright, two days it is then. No waiting after that!"

Lu Zhiming frowned and led his men to carry his nephew back home.

He didn't eat dinner when he got home, and spent most of the night thinking about it, tossing and turning and unable to fall asleep.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, there was a sudden, sharp sound of a cup shattering. His bedroom door was kicked open, and eight hundred fully armed axemen rushed in!

Lu Zhizhi was panicked and at a loss for words: "Ah??!!"

The executioners parted to make way, and Jiang Feng stepped forward, asking, "Mr. Lu, what's your decision?"

Lu Zhiming: "@#￥%￥#@……"

Seeing that he did not reply, Jiang Feng shook his head regretfully, led the axemen away, leaving Lu Zhizhi sitting blankly on the bed.

Seriously? Why make such a fuss just to ask this one question? Are you crazy?!

Lu Zhizhi was so angry that he couldn't sleep all night. When he got up in the morning, he went to the outhouse and sat down in a daze.

Suddenly someone smashed a cup as a signal, and eight hundred axemen immediately kicked open the latrine and surrounded him completely.

Lu Zhiming, squatting on the chamber pot, stood there dumbfounded: "..."

"Mr. Lu, have you made up your mind?"

Seeing Jiang Feng walk over with a smile to greet him, he couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness.

Is this something a human being could do?!

On this day, Lu Zhiming encountered the darkest moment of his life.

As I turned the corner, a sharp sound rang out, and I was suddenly confronted by eight hundred axemen with flatbread in their mouths.

I dozed off, and when I opened my eyes, I saw eight hundred pairs of wide-eyed eyes staring intently at me.

Even at lunchtime, the food was served by eight hundred executioners...

Exhausted from the ordeal, he finally broke down, ran home yelling, and had someone bring him Jiang Feng's information again to examine it carefully.

Jiang Feng was taken in by the abbot of Xuyuan Temple when he was a child. He learned to read at the age of one, read Buddhist scriptures by the age of five, and began to rob pilgrims of the food they brought.

At the age of seven, he acted as a matchmaker for nuns, and within two years, he emptied all the nunneries within a radius of a hundred miles.

At the age of ten, he dissuaded the Sui army from massacring the city. At the age of eleven, in the name of compassion, he forced Zu'an County to exempt its people from taxes for a year, and officials and gentry dared not disobey.

At the age of twelve, he robbed all the belongings of the bandits on Tiger Head Mountain and set fire to their stronghold, leaving no one alive.

People at the time grouped it with floods, droughts, and locust plagues, collectively referring to it as the "Four Great Disasters": floods, droughts, locust plagues, and the Yangtze River.

When Jiang Feng turned twelve, the communication stopped. After reading it, Lu Zhizhi tore the paper to shreds, gritting his teeth and showing a resentful expression.

"Men, drag that spy who was trying to find out about Jiang Feng out and beat him to death!"

What kind of nonsense is this? Next time I see information like this, just write "The Fourth Calamity" on the first line!

Only then did Lu Zhizhi understand why Jiang Feng compared himself to Yang Guang, the Cui and Lu families, and the Buddhist and Taoist religions.

This scourge has so many methods that it's impossible to guard against them, and they have absolutely no bottom line in their actions!

If they can't crush him in one fell swoop, it will be a real catastrophe for his enemies!

Lu Zhiming was so angry that his head spun. He sat down to calm himself down, then roared again, "Send invitations to all the major clans in Jiangnan, telling them they must attend the banquet tonight!"

"We're all in the same boat. If Jiang Feng makes things difficult for me, none of you will have a peaceful life!"