Chapter 332: Zed’s Past, Ionia’s Future
"Reform..." Yi muttered these four words.
Although these two words sound ordinary, they somehow have a murderous meaning when read carefully.
Because if you think about it for a moment, you will know:
Reform, how to reform?
There are only so many acres of land in Ionia, and all of it already has owners.
You, the leader, say that you want to help the untouchables and poor peasants to rise up and give them land to farm. Then what should the original owners of these lands do?
Master Yi just thought about it for a moment and felt a little chilly.
Coincidentally, Levi also said this at this time:
"According to Comrade Riven's interviews and investigations over the past few days, we can learn that:"
"80% of the rural land in the Yipu River Basin is firmly controlled by landlords and rich peasants who only account for 10% of the total population. The situation in other parts of Ionia is not much better than here."
“There are too many landless poor peasants and untouchables.”
"If we want to make sure that everyone who tills the land owns the land, we have to divide the land from the landlords. Do you think they will be happy with this?"
Of course not.
The landlord also has something to say: Our ancestors have worked hard to accumulate this land for ten generations, why should we give it to you?
"What should we do if they are not happy?" Levi asked.
"This..." Master Yi could already hear the murderous intent in his words.
As expected, Levi said, "In Zaun, we can use the gentle methods of redemption and joint venture to reform entrepreneurs who have no serious crimes in the past and actively cooperate with reform."
"But in Ionia, we can't spend money to redeem the land from the landlords."
"The reason is simple. Ionia is too big, there are too many landowners, and we can't afford to pay so much money."
"If the landlords were to be able to get the money comfortably, then tens of thousands of poor peasants would have to pay for the landlords and expend countless blood and sweat for the huge sum of money."
This method of redemption is only suitable for small countries with a certain economic foundation.
If the giant Ionia were to force a land redemption, the result would be:
The landowner cannot get enough ransom and resents you;
The poor peasants, who could not get enough land and had to bear this huge ransom to the landlords, also resented you;
The city elites have had their business taken away by landlords who brought money into the city, and their taxes have been raised because they need to raise the ransom, so they still resent you;
Religious people will fight you to the death because of their disputes over beliefs.
…
To offend all social classes in one breath is tantamount to seeking death.
“Therefore, we must recognize the objective conditions, recognize who our base is, who we can unite with, and who we cannot unite with.”
“ Don’t think you can bring about change without offending anyone and without bloodshed. Struggle is not a dinner party. There is no such thing in the world.”
"So, in Ionia ..."
In Ionia, it is impossible for the leader to take a soft approach.
You can only reason with people using your fists.
There is no other option.
"..." Master Yi was shocked when he heard this.
How many big landlords are there in Ionia? How many enemies do we have to make?
If this land reform is to be carried out thoroughly, it will cause a lot of blood and gore.
Master Yi instinctively didn't want to think about it. He became more and more hesitant about whether to deepen cooperation with the leader.
At this time, Levi seemed to have guessed his concerns and continued:
"I know some people will think this is too heartless and cruel."
"There are good people among the landlords, and some have become rich through hard work and accumulated wealth. It is unreasonable to deprive them of their land."
"But even if we don't consider how many of these kind-hearted people who have committed no crime are there among the landlords..."
"When we were doing reform work in Zaun, we made one thing clear: a person's goodness or evilness does not affect the progress or backwardness of the class to which they belong."
"From an economic perspective:"
"The original sin of the landlord class was not even that it caused social injustice, but that it affected the average output of the land."
Why does land produce so little in the hands of landlords?
Because traditional landowners are such a group of people:
They would save all their wealth , and the only consumption would be to improve their personal lives; the only investment would be to annex land and lend money at high interest rates.
Why?
Because land mergers and loan sharking are two investment methods that are too stable, too profitable, and too easy to make money.
Investing in factories and doing business can easily lead to losing all the money. However, the landlords only need to firmly grasp the land and tenants, collect rent and lend money at the same time, and they can have a stable income from rent and loan interest.
The poor peasants were like the cows they kept in captivity. They only needed to occupy the pasture and not let go, and the cows would provide them with milk continuously.
With such a stable and reliable source of income, the landlords naturally do not want to change or make progress.
To increase the average land output, large-scale investment in agriculture is needed.
For example, build dams and canals to improve the irrigation system; buy fertilizers to increase soil fertility; buy equipment to improve production efficiency.
Of course, poor farmers cannot afford this money.
Although the big landowners can afford it.
But fertilizers and machinery are extremely expensive in backward agricultural countries, and importing them costs a lot of money. They will not do business at a loss.
However, building an irrigation system is a major project, and few people are willing to make such a huge long-term investment.
After all, if you can make a steady income by collecting rent and lending money, why bother doing this laborious and laborious work?
"So it is absolutely impossible to rely on these landlords to promote industrialization."
"They are the biggest obstacle to Ionia's modernization. If they are not allowed to leave the stage of history, the Ionians will continue to suffer, be poor, be oppressed, and even become pariahs."
Li Wei spoke passionately at the meeting, and his voice was carried outside the village by the wind without any disguise.
Master Yi listened to his explanation and his expression gradually became moved.
"This class should be eliminated..." He believed it.
Ke Yi is still conflicted.
Born into the Wuji Sword Sect, he was naturally tired of killing.
Now the Leader said he wanted to use violence against an entire class, so many people, and Ionians at that... He instinctively hesitated.
"Robbery." Master Yi was confused and turned to look at his new friend: "What do you think?"
"Me..." Jie thought for a while.
He thought for a long time, but only answered Yi: "I am a pariah."
"Huh?" Yi was slightly stunned.
"Do you know what the life of the untouchables is like?" Jie asked him again.
"Uh..." Yi was a little embarrassed.
In fact, having grown up in the secluded paradise of Wuji Village, he only recently learned that there are such things as untouchables outside the mountains.
He only knew that the untouchables outside the mountain had a hard life, but he had never talked to them in detail, so he didn't know how hard their lives could be.
"I know. I still remember it," Zed said.
Jie was born into a poor peasant family.
He still remembered that his family had lost all the land during his father's generation and had become untouchables who could only make a living by farming for the landlords.
Children in Ionia are born with superior physiques, so children from poor families here become head of household even earlier.
"I started helping my family with farm work when I was three years old. But no matter how hard my father and I worked, no matter how exhausted we were, we could hardly have enough to eat..."
"No, no way?" Master Yi was beginning to be unable to understand.
The soil in Ionia is so fertile that it can produce magic crystals. Can't we have enough food to eat no matter what we plant?
The villagers of Wuji Village not only harvest enough grain every year for themselves, but also have a large portion left over for raising chickens and pigs, so that the villagers can eat meat every day.
Jie: “…”
He looked at the inexperienced Master Yi in silence and said, "Because you still have to pay rent and repay the loan to the landlord."
"The rent is so high?" Yi couldn't believe it: "Also, why did you borrow money from the landlord?"
Jie: “…”
He stopped talking and just looked at Yi as if he was a fool.
Yi seemed to gradually realize his own ignorance and kept silent in embarrassment.
Jie continued: "The most profound memory left to me at that time was the endless exhaustion and hunger..."
"Fortunately, my father loves me very much." Jie still vaguely remembers his father's skinny, shriveled, yet tenacious body, like a saxaul grass: "In order to allow me, who was still young, to at least have enough to eat, he would give me a portion of his rations even if he himself was hungry..."
"Huh..." Yi heaved a sigh of relief. He finally saw some light that gave him a respite from the darkness and suffocation.
"Fortunately, you have a good father." He sighed.
Then I heard Jie say, "When I was 4 years old, my father abandoned me in the mountains because I was sick."
"..." Master Yi was suddenly speechless.
And the story of Jie is not over yet.
After being abandoned by his father, he was fortunately adopted by the Order of the Balance.
But this was not the beginning of a happy life.
In fact, in the Order of the Balance, Jie has always been known by the despicable name of "Gou Fo" and has been doing the most arduous and menial work.
He was just a handyman who didn't even get paid. People would only look at him with disdain when passing by, treating him as a ball of foul-smelling air - Jie even had the feeling that the insults and rejection he received after "killing his master" and defecting were not as severe as the contempt and disregard he received when he was a lowly handyman.
It was not until the young man named "Shen" appeared that his luck began to change, and he rose from a mere servant to a direct disciple of Master Ku Shuo.
This seems to be an inspirational story.
But if you think about it for a moment, you will know:
Not everyone has such a talent in martial arts as Jie that can be appreciated by Master Ku Shuo;.
Not everyone has a noble person like Shen to help them advance.
Not everyone is as lucky as him to be adopted by the Order of the Balance;
Not everyone has a physique like him, able to survive in the wilderness despite being seriously ill;
…
If someone else were to play out Jie's scenario, most people would probably have died of illness in the wilderness when they were abandoned by their father at the age of 4 due to illness.
“These are the pariahs of Ionia,” said Zed.
"..."Master Yi was completely speechless.
He didn't expect that the beautiful Ionia in his eyes had always been like this.
At this moment, Levi's voice came again:
"The clan elders and landlords of Ionia told everyone that in order to maintain the balance, the untouchables must be sacrificed."
"Then let's use their logic to think about this problem - since maintaining equilibrium requires sacrifice, why are the poor peasants and untouchables always sacrificed, rather than the local tyrants and landlords?"
The voice became louder and louder, like a battle call:
"The untouchables have been sacrificing for Ionia for nearly ten thousand years—"
"Now, it's the landlords' turn!"
