Chapter 1818 – The Peculiar Chronicles of Beiyuan (Part Two)
Beiyuan is a really peculiar nation.
The establishment of Beiyuan was due to a rather dramatic reason.
Unlike Dongqing, Zhong Zhao, Nan Sheng, and Xichang, where the aristocracy holds significant power but is continuously curtailed by the royal family, Beiyuan is a whole different story. Here, the aristocracy not only expands its influence but is also enabled by a system that benefits them greatly. Aristocratic positions are passed down through generations, and to protect their interests, they decreed that the nobles could not kill each other—except in cases of treason or regicide.
With such guarantees in place, the nobility flourished in Beiyuan like mushrooms after the rain.
Any man from a noble background could join the government as soon as he came of age, leading to a situation where all significant real power and juicy positions were monopolized by the aristocrats. The royal family became nothing more than a stamp machine, holding an alarmingly weak political voice.
Some aristocrats, eager to boost their family’s influence, went all out in having children.
As long as their family could afford it, they would simply keep having kids!
After all, once they grow up, they could all become officials, even if they start as minor ones. The more, the merrier, right?
With this mindset, after decades of development, the aristocracy in Beiyuan expanded to terrifying numbers.
This also affected the succession rights and benefits of the direct line, leading to a clear demarcation between legitimate and illegitimate children.
Legitimate offspring held higher nobility, while the illegitimate ones were just a bit above commoners but remained subservient to the legitimate heirs.
Beiyuan seemed like a dynasty that had hit the fast-forward button; within just a few decades of establishment, it exposed serious problems of land annexation. Led by the aristocracy, the interest groups were insatiable—they consumed a lot, while state tax revenues were in shambles, leaving the national treasury empty and the country impoverished.
A saying circulated widely in Beiyuan:
“The emperor is just a tattered doll, manipulated at will by the aristocrats!”
This was true, as the Yi Clan, leading the aristocrats, took turns in power through coups; Beiyuan had never seen a moment of peace.
It was rumored that in a single year, there were as many as twenty coups, with the shortest reign lasting just half a day.
It was as though one faction had just eliminated its rival, only to be sneakily backstabbed by another faction shortly after!
The common people of Beiyuan were suffering immensely.
In just five years, the currency changed six times, and the measurement units switched four times!
What was most outrageous was that after one faction came to power and issued new orders, the people below rushed to implement them, but after four to five months without results, another faction took over and completely overturned everything, offering their own “innovations.”
The common people of Beiyuan were like:
“……”
They had a million curses bottled up just waiting to hit these fools in the face!!!
Finally, the biggest noble family, the Yi Clan, emerged triumphantly from the chaotic faction struggles, and they pushed the royal family aside and put their own robes on. The common people sighed in relief, hoping the new emperor would be smarter and wouldn’t stir trouble—only for these guys to set a new low!
The first thing the Yi Clan did upon taking power was to grant every legitimate child a title of nobility, which was hereditary and unchangeable, with salaries set at the highest tier.
They basked in splendor for a time, reveling in their glory.
However, as mentioned earlier, the aristocrats were going all out for more political clout, having as many children as they could—pushing even the illegitimate ones to the lowest ranks, while still boasting a formidable number of legitimate heirs. According to later world records about the noble families of Beiyuan, one clan leader had a whopping three hundred sixty-nine wives! One for each day, plus four left waiting!
And the numbers for their offspring were even more terrifying.
Four hundred twelve sons and three hundred ninety-eight daughters!!!
To boost the so-called legitimate offspring, their main wives could have up to nine, with no limit on concubines.
While the Yi Clan wasn’t quite that extreme, they still had over a hundred direct descendants in various branches.
In other words, in a place like Beiyuan, which wasn’t teeming with people, there exploded a surge of over a hundred hereditary noble titles!
Each noble received the highest salaries, but where would the treasury find the funds for that?
After just half a year of doling out wages, they’d be left with nothing but their underpants.
To appease them, the newly established Yi royal family had no choice but to squeeze even more from the common people.
What?
Cutting the nobles’ salaries and diminishing their titles?
No way! They were all part of the Yi Clan, wielding tremendous power—riling them up meant courting death in the middle of the night.
Meanwhile, the common people were treated like ants, so why not squeeze them dry?
Money from the commoners was like squeezing a sponge—there’s always a bit more water to come out.
Beiyuan’s geography is mostly northern, with only a few months warm; the rest of the year is freezing cold, making it an inhospitable environment for crops.
The yield of food was scarce, so naturally, agricultural taxes couldn’t be too high.
Even if the government took just twenty percent, the common folks needed to scrimp and save for an entire year to feed their families.
Yet, to satisfy the nobles, the Yi clan repeatedly raised the taxes on common people and added a bunch of complicated tax categories to boost national income.
At the worst of times, the government collected ninety percent of agricultural taxes, and the remaining ten percent would be peeled away layer by layer in exploitation.
Within Beiyuan, countless commoners starved or froze to death.
During the years Jiang Pengji fought, Beiyuan had not been without its eyes on the fat meat of Dongqing.
They had heard about how rich and prosperous Wanzhou was and dreamed of claiming it for themselves. But with Beiyuan’s current disorder, where would they find the money to equip their military? The soldiers now were merely impoverished commoners who had joined just to secure a bowl of hot porridge. The real elite troops were the personal soldiers raised by the aristocrats—merely the devil’s minions in the eyes of the commoners. How could Beiyuan muster forces to invade Jiang Pengji’s significant backline?
Jiang Pengji only needed to say two words:
“Pfft!”
Before the Yi clan took power, the desolate Beiyuan could still scrape together a decent army of about a hundred thousand, putting some pressure on Jiang Pengji… which is why she initially had Qi Guanrang hold back, to prevent Beiyuan from acting as a wrench in her plans… Now, after nearly two years with the Yi Clan in power, Beiyuan had become a battered doll; Jiang Pengji mustered two hundred fifty thousand troops, showing some respect for Beiyuan.
Tsk.
Everyone thought Jiang Pengji was overkill, but only Qi Guanrang understood that she brought this many troops to wipe out the nobles of Beiyuan.
In the five nations, the combined number of aristocrats in the other four nations didn’t even match that of Beiyuan.
The aristocrats in Beiyuan also had an extra layer of obsession with bloodlines. Their twisted “n kinds of privileges for the aristocrats” theory was embedded in their bones.
A bunch of tumors!!!
If they grew more profound, she feared she’d end up with cancer.
When Feng Zhen informed Jiang Pengji that they had captured over a hundred refugees from Beiyuan, her expression grew thoughtful.
Qi Guanrang said, “Actually… earlier, many refugees had also swarmed into Xuecheng, but I took the liberty of driving them away.”
Jiang Pengji smiled, “Couldn’t drive them away?”
Qi Guanrang replied, “We provided them with food and sent soldiers to escort them out. If they still refuse to cooperate, we’d make an example out of them. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just wipe them out!”
While the refugees from Beiyuan were indeed pitiful, they couldn’t be allowed to slip into her territory and threaten the lives of her people.
Upon reaching the border, Qi Guanrang learned that many Beiyuan refugees had stolen money and food from the locals, committed murder, and even rape.
These people couldn’t be kept.
As for those who didn’t manage to escape, he was much gentler; driving them away was the priority, or else, eliminate them.
Most others would’ve been outraged, but Qi Guanrang had always been pragmatic for the bigger picture.
Being soft-hearted toward the enemy’s commoners while putting his own people in danger? He wouldn’t do that.
This batch of escaped refugees also didn’t deserve mercy.
However…
Feng Zhen said, “But, my lord, one of them claims to be an old friend of yours.”
Jiang Pengji asked, “What’s their name?”
Feng Zhen answered, “Ma Xiu.”
Jiang Pengji immediately envisioned a somewhat silent yet clear-eyed boy.
A familiar face from Langya Academy—indeed an old friend.
“I remember Shaoyin mentioning that Ma Xiu’s family farmland was invaded and plundered by bandits and tyrants, forcing him to flee north…”
Years passed without a word; little did she expect he had gone to Beiyuan to escape misfortune.
