Chapter 117: Balance

"Do not forget the well-diggers when you drink the water!"

The front-page headline of the Mo Journal grandly publicized the glorious deeds of the officers and men of the Sixteen Guards during the drought relief efforts. Some soldiers fought for two days and nights, collapsing from sheer exhaustion; others, assigned to their own home villages, insisted on leaving their own fields for last, prioritizing the needs of their fellow villagers. In the face of such a great disaster, the brilliance of human nature shone through, and these heroic acts moved everyone to their core.

In the past, the common people had a poor impression of soldiers. The saying, "Troops passing by are like a fine-toothed comb," was the most biting description of their behavior. However, the soldiers of the Sixteen Guards completely overturned the previous perceptions held by the people of Guanzhong.

They took nothing, accepted no bribes, slept on the bare ground when tired, did not disturb the people, and gave their all to disaster relief. It had to be said that Li Shimin was indeed a born politician. With just a slight nudge from Mo Dun, Li Shimin immediately grasped the essence of the strategy and executed it even better.

"A righteous army!"

Countless people in Guanzhong were filled with gratitude. Such soldiers had never appeared on this land of China before. Previously, the people of Guanzhong would say that a good man would never become a soldier. But now, Mo Dun believed that if a call went out, the young men of Guanzhong willing to enlist would form a line from Gaoling all the way to Chang'an.

Li Shimin's prestige instantly reached its zenith. At this moment, the people of Guanzhong no longer remembered the dark history of Li Shimin killing his brothers and imprisoning his father. They only knew that in their time of crisis, Li Shimin had saved them. If anyone dared to slander Li Shimin now, these people would step forward and fight them to the death without a second thought.

"Do not forget the well-diggers when you drink the water! This slogan is well put!"

In the fields outside Sanyuan County, Li Shimin looked at the Mo Journal in his hand, then at the soldiers digging wells across the vast landscape, and listened to the heartfelt gratitude of the people, a look of satisfaction on his face.

"This is all thanks to your Majesty's wisdom and your heart for the people; it is the blessing of the people of our Great Tang," Mo Dun followed behind, offering flattery. Mo Dun's task this time was still to escort the well-digging tools and, incidentally, to paint a portrait of Cheng Yaojin, who was in charge of the drought relief in Sanyuan County. Having just finished his work and preparing to head back, he had encountered the Mo family member.

Li Shimin smiled with self-satisfaction. This disaster relief effort had captured the hearts of the people of Guanzhong, sweeping away the long-standing worry in his heart. His throne had been obtained through questionable means, so he desperately wanted to perform better, to prove that his being the Emperor was the best choice for the Great Tang.

Thus, he was diligent, open to criticism, fought the Turks in the north, expanded the territory, and strove to be an enlightened monarch to prove that his original decision had been correct.

This show of drought relief allowed him to prove himself once again and forced the petty villains in the shadows to hold their tongues.

"Your Majesty!" Cheng Yaojin hurried over.

"Zhijie! Has the drought situation among the people been brought under control?" Li Shimin asked.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I have been in Sanyuan County for three days now, and I can guarantee that every household has dug at least three wells, enough to save six acres of land," Cheng Yaojin promised.

The drought relief policy formulated by Li Shimin was simple: regardless of whether you were a noble family or a small household, everyone was treated equally and took turns digging wells. Even if you owned vast amounts of land, you had to wait for your turn in the rotation. This maximized the protection of the interests of smallholders.

Naturally, the large landowners were dissatisfied, but it was to no avail. The soldiers simply ignored them, and if they wanted to dig wells themselves, they couldn't even find a blacksmith, as all had been conscripted by the imperial court. They could only watch helplessly.

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction. A harvest from six acres of land was enough for a family to survive this drought. As for the landlords, they had a stronger capacity to resist the disaster; some of their wet fields had already been irrigated, and at the very least, they still had their five or six acres of land as a safety net.

"General! General!"

An old man in a brocade robe shouted, trying to approach Cheng Yaojin, but was blocked by the soldiers secretly guarding Li Shimin. The old man did not recognize Li Shimin and assumed he was one of Cheng Yaojin's subordinates, pleading desperately to come forward.

"Let him come," Li Shimin said in a deep voice. He wanted to see what the old man wanted.

The soldiers loosened their grip slightly and, after a brief search, let him pass, though two soldiers remained behind him just in case.

"Old man, what is the matter? Has no one come to help you dig a well?" Li Shimin asked gently.

The old man looked at Li Shimin, then at Cheng Yaojin, feeling somewhat at a loss.

"Answer when you are asked!" Cheng Yaojin said impatiently.

"Replying to the noble one, my family has already had three wells dug. But I have much land, and I wish to purchase a set of well-digging equipment from the General!" the old man said, quickly stating his purpose.

"That is impossible! The well-digging tools are for official use only! They cannot be sold at this time!" Cheng Yaojin refused flatly. This was the Emperor's act of benevolence; if he sold the tools, it would be ruining his own reputation.

The old man said anxiously, "Please, General, have mercy. My family's land is all dry fields; three wells are a drop in the bucket. If my fields are not irrigated in time, most of this year's crop will be lost. Furthermore, I have noticed that there is a surplus of the equipment distributed to the soldiers. Please, General, spare a set for me."

The old man was Liu Shimin, the largest landowner in the vicinity. With a vast amount of land, he had utilized his three wells to the maximum, yet could only irrigate ten acres; he was powerless to save the rest. According to the government's current distribution method, irrigating the Liu family's nearly one thousand acres was impossible. Thus, the family's only hope lay in self-reliance; owning a set of well-digging tools was his top priority.

He dared not touch the equipment in the soldiers' hands, so he had been monitoring the quantity and, upon discovering the surplus, had come to find Cheng Yaojin.

"There is a surplus of well-digging equipment?" Li Shimin looked at Cheng Yaojin in surprise.

Cheng Yaojin was equally confused; he had been on the front lines for days, using the tools as soon as they arrived, and had never counted them.

Mo Dun did some quick mental math and nodded: "Every time the Mo Family Village sends equipment, we include two extra sets as backups to prevent errors. Calculating that, along with the sets I recently delivered, if none have been damaged, there should be six sets left in Sanyuan County."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly right—six sets extra. Two are damaged, so there should be four in perfect condition," Liu Shimin reported, clearly having kept track for a long time.

"Four sets!" Li Shimin mused.

Ultimately, the Great Tang was ruled by the landlord class. This time, the government had used the drought to care for the interests of small farmers to the greatest extent possible. If conditions permitted, it wouldn't hurt to look after the interests of the landlords as well.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Divide the four sets into two. Two can be sold to landowners with large estates, and the other two will be used by local able-bodied men to continue digging wells. Order the Ministry of Works to continue manufacturing the tools, and follow this plan for any future surpluses."

"The Emperor is wise!" Cheng Yaojin nodded. This approach not only ensured the continued expansion of the well-digging teams but also took care of the landlords' interests.

"Your Majesty!"

Liu Shimin trembled, nearly collapsing to the ground. He had not expected the man before him to be the Emperor himself.

"Guanzhong is in great distress! I ask you to join forces with me to overcome these hardships!" Li Shimin was truly a born politician. In just a few words, he moved Liu Shimin to tears; the resentment he had felt earlier due to his inability to irrigate his fields had vanished without a trace.

This was Li Shimin's political wisdom—his mastery of the art of balance was flawless.