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Li Ru's execution was undoubtedly first-rate. As soon as he obtained Fei Qian's iron tokens, he immediately put them into circulation.
At a time when the Han Emperor had been deified over centuries of mythmaking, any credential issued in the emperor's name was sacred and carried immense credibility.
Especially for illiterate farmers, the vivid patterns engraved on those iron tokens held an irresistible allure.
What did ordinary peasants desire?
Everything they yearned for was perfectly encapsulated in the images on those tokens.
These dreams—things their ancestors had spent lifetimes striving for but never attained—could now become reality simply by relocating six hundred li away to the Guanzhong region!
The tax and corvée system imposed on Han Dynasty peasants was truly horrifying. Typically, a self-sufficient farming household had to pay three types of taxes to the state:
First, the land tax. This wasn't excessively high—initially set at one-fifteenth of the harvest during the early Han, it was later reduced to one-thirtieth under Emperor Jing and remained so to this day. The logic was simple: since all land belonged to the state, a portion of the harvest had to be paid as tax. On the surface, this tax rate seemed reasonable…
However, it's crucial to note that whether one-fifteenth or one-thirtieth, these rates were standards applied to the tax-collecting gentry class. While related to what peasants paid, they didn't necessarily lighten the farmers' burden.
Second, the poll tax (suanfu). Unlike the relatively light land tax, the poll tax grew increasingly heavier. All commoners aged 15 to 56 were required to pay a "head tax," with 120 coins constituting one suan, earmarked for military expenses. Merchants and slaves paid double, while unmarried women aged 15 to 30 were taxed fivefold.
And don't assume children were exempt. From ages 7 to 14, every child owed 20 coins annually…
Third, corvée labor. The most common was border garrison duty—three days each year spent defending the frontiers without pay.
For those already living near the borders, this wasn't a major hardship. But imagine a peasant from Jingxiang having to bring their own food and weapons, cover travel expenses, journey to Bingzhou—or even Youzhou or Liangzhou—serve three days, then return…
This was utterly impractical, leading to the emergence of substitution fees (guogeng), where people paid 300 coins annually to avoid service.
Add to this ad-hoc military levies (jundiao) and emergency taxes (koulian), and it becomes clear why self-sufficient farmers found it nearly impossible to balance household finances through hard work alone.
As Chao Cuo's Essay on the Importance of Grain stated: "A typical farming family of five has at least two members liable for labor service. Even if they cultivate a hundred mu of land, their harvest won't exceed a hundred dan… In spring they cannot escape dust storms, in summer the scorching heat, in autumn the relentless rains, in winter the biting cold… Yet despite such toil, they still face floods and droughts… Some must sell their lands and even their children to repay debts…"
Thus, by the late Han Dynasty, rampant land consolidation occurred fundamentally because these struggling peasants—whether by necessity or choice—became dependents of powerful landowners. This reduced the taxable population, forcing the state to increase taxes on remaining farmers, driving more into bankruptcy—a vicious cycle.
Nowadays, in the Henei region, truly self-sufficient farming households of five were rare. Most had become hidden tenant families (yinhu) under local gentry and powerful clans—some for generations.
So imagine the turmoil when these impoverished tenant farmers suddenly saw an opportunity to obtain such alluring wealth simply by moving. Their emotions—restlessness, fear, and exhilaration—spread like a contagion, quickly infecting areas around Luoyang, with Hongnong Commandery, adjacent to the capital, being hardest hit.
Most fertile land in Hongnong now belonged either to the Yang clan of Hongnong or their allied gentry families. When Li Ru began implementing Fei Qian's iron token policy, the Yang clan was shaken as if by an earthquake—even reclusive elders emerged to confront the crisis.
Yang Biao placed an iron token on the table with a bitter smile and slid it toward Yuan Wei.
"This warrants execution by boiling in a cauldron!" Yuan Wei rarely expressed opinions so vehemently, but whether due to shared Yang-Yuan interests or the policy's devastating impact, his outrage was palpable. "Li Ru, that treacherous rat! This is despicable!"
Though Fei Qian had recently been appointed Left Attendant Gentleman, most assumed this was Dong Zhuo's concession to Cai Yong. Moreover, Dong Zhuo had been promoting many obscure scholars—Xun Shuang, for instance, rose from commoner to Minister of Works. Thus, few paid attention to Fei Qian, a minor official ranked at bi four hundred shi.
Yuan Wei, Yang Biao, and others still believed this policy was Li Ru's doing.
Yang Biao clenched his teeth. "This severs our very roots! A venomous scheme indeed!" His visit to Yuan Wei sought cooperation between their clans, as Hongnong Yang stood to lose the most. If this continued, even if the Yangs retained land in Sili, without peasants, what use was it?
Would the pampered Yang patriarchs till the fields themselves? Even if they recruited displaced peasants elsewhere, could they meet planting deadlines? If those peasants were lured away again, wouldn't their efforts be wasted?
Thus, the Yang clan sought an immediate solution. Elders now besieged Yang Biao's residence, demanding action—or else…
Yang Biao regretted resigning prematurely. He'd thought leading a mass exodus of Henei officials would undermine Dong Zhuo's relocation plan, forcing Li Ru to slow down. Instead, Li Ru had counterattacked with this move—a crippling blow to the Yangs' vitals.
Now, Yang Biao sought help from the still-influential Yuan clan, even entering discreetly through a side gate to avoid Dong Zhuo's spies.
Yuan Wei examined the token. The final version bore intricate decorative edges, cast in molds and polished, with explanatory text and the seal of the Governor of Henan stamped on the reverse—official endorsement.
Moreover, distribution bypassed Yang-Yuan-aligned local officials entirely, handled solely by Liang Province military clerks. There was no opening for sabotage…
Yuan Wei placed the token down and chopped his hand across its inscription like a blade. "Our only recourse now is to undermine their foundation…"