Chapter Ninety-Six: Liberate the Slaves!

Jiang Yuan looked calmly at the assembled ministers.

He had long since made up his mind: this matter could absolutely not be discussed with anyone, because it would touch the interests of everyone present.

Yet Jiang Yuan had no choice but to do it. He wanted the hearts of the people. He was the Human Emperor.

After a soft cough, Jiang Yuan did not begin with the main issue. Instead, he said slowly, "Yang Jian, step forward to receive your appointment."

Yang Jian paused briefly, then stepped out and clasped his fists solemnly. "This minister is here!"

"General Yang possesses extraordinary talent and unmatched divine might. I hereby appoint you Grand General of Divine Valor, with command over thirty thousand elite troops," Jiang Yuan said.

"Many thanks, Your Majesty." Yang Jian was not especially excited; Jiang Yuan had already spoken to him about this beforehand.

Jiang Yuan waved a hand casually, and Yang Jian returned to the ranks.

Then Jiang Yuan's bearing suddenly tightened, and his imperial robe stirred without any wind.

"Next, I shall announce an important decree. My lords, you may listen. If you have objections, speak them freely."

"In my view, from this day forward, Great Shang shall no longer permit slavery. No one, whether royal nobility, merchant, soldier, or landowner, may continue to keep human slaves."

"Whoever violates this decree shall die."

His words rang with weight, and the Nine-Section Hall fell into a silence so profound it made the heart tremble.

Slavery had existed for centuries. This was a world where the strong preyed upon the weak. If one lacked power and rank, becoming a slave was hardly unjust.

And among everyone present, whose household did not keep a few slaves?

Who in this world possessed the most slaves? Was it not the king seated upon the dragon throne?

"Your Majesty, this may be inappropriate. The abolition of slavery requires further deliberation." Someone immediately stepped forward to speak bluntly.

It was none other than Shang Rong, the Grand Chancellor of Great Shang.

He was not objecting because of the slaves in his own household, who were essentially treated no differently from servants despite their slave status. Rather, he was genuinely offering Jiang Yuan earnest advice on many matters.

"Your Majesty, if slavery is rashly abolished, where are all these slaves to go?"

"Without their masters' support, they will be unable to find any means of survival in the short term. By then, the realm may well descend into chaos."

"Besides, given the current state of the world, if these former slaves, once oppressed by the nobility, are gathered together, they will surely harbor considerable resentment toward Great Shang. It would not be impossible for them to rise in rebellion against us."

"By then, Great Shang would truly be standing on a crumbling wall, with one disorder not yet quelled before another begins."

Jiang Yuan listened to Shang Rong's remonstrance, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Everything he said was very real. Jiang Yuan had been too eager for quick success. With so many slaves suddenly left with nowhere to go, how could they not rebel?

He had sought the support of the people, but had failed to consider these consequences.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Yuan finally looked at the others and said slowly, "We shall proceed as I have said. First remove all slave status, but do not drive them away. If they choose to remain with their former masters..."

"Then the former masters must pay them a monthly wage in accordance with the treatment of ordinary servants."

After hearing this arrangement, Shang Rong no longer had any objections. After all, those who could afford slaves did not lack that small sum each month.

So Shang Rong returned to his place.

But his silence did not mean everyone else agreed. This struck at the interests of the entire noble class.

"Your Majesty, I fear this is still improper. Your decree concerns itself only with the slaves and the hearts of the people, yet it has overlooked the great nobles of Shang. They are the very pillars of our kingdom," said an elderly minister, trembling as he stepped forward.

Jiang Yuan fixed a sharp gaze upon the old minister.

What did he mean, "overlooked the great pillars of Shang"? Why not just say outright that I am trampling on your interests?

"Nobles? Is there anyone under heaven of greater nobility than I?" Jiang Yuan said coldly. "Since I have already made my decision, I shall of course lead by example. Or do you think yourselves more exalted than I am?"

"Since the time Xia Yu established Great Shang, the world of all under heaven has shifted from public rule to family rule. Do you know just how far our human race has declined over all these long centuries?"

"Look carefully at what those so-called sages are thinking now. They dream of enslaving the human race. They dream of dissolving the fortune of Great Shang that rests upon me!"

Jiang Yuan shouted in fury.

"We are all of the human race! I never said you could not use slaves. If you have the ability, go capture the demon race or the ghost race and use them as slaves. If you can even capture beings of the heavenly race, I shall bear the burden for you!"

"But what sort of prowess is it to bully your own kind?"

"If a man forgets his roots, then there is no need for him to remain human!"

His meaning was clear enough: if anyone dared to stop him again, then he would strip that person of their humanity.

Seeing Jiang Yuan's utterly resolute expression, none of the ministers dared speak further.

After all, the king's cruelty was something they had all witnessed with their own eyes. You Hun had been trampled to death right there in the Nine-Section Hall, and the memory was still vivid.

It was a blood-soaked lesson, though You Hun had brought that fate upon himself.

Still, not a single person here wanted to be trampled by Jiang Yuan in the same way.

Seeing that no one spoke, Jiang Yuan knew their compromise did not come from believing his policy was right, but from fear of his overwhelming authority.

His actions would surely drive many people to stand against him.

But he did not care. If some would turn against him because of this, then naturally others would come to his side because he had freed the slaves.

Thinking of it this way, Jiang Yuan felt that he was practically Lincoln of the divine-investiture age.

"No matter what you are thinking in your hearts now, since there are no objections for the moment, there shall be none in the future either. It would be best not to let me discover that you speak with one face in public and another in private."

"Otherwise... hmph! The roasting pillar outside the Star-Plucking Tower has not yet been torn down!"

His threat immediately caused many to suppress their thoughts.

Looking down at the assembly, Jiang Yuan did not voice his even more astonishing idea.

He did not merely intend to free the slaves; he intended to free the land as well.

During his travels outside, he had discovered that much fertile land had been seized by the nobility and left to lie barren rather than given to commoners for cultivation.

Was that not a damn waste of land? Jiang Yuan wanted to implement a land policy along socialist lines, but that would certainly be a long road.

Even as Human Emperor, such notions could not be changed overnight.

This touched the very foundations of noble power, and Jiang Yuan would certainly have to think carefully before acting.

What he had said today was merely a test of their limits and their true opinions.

"If there are no further objections, then this court is adjourned." Jiang Yuan waved a hand carelessly.

"The court is adjourned!" cried the eunuch in a shrill voice.

Soon, the ministers departed from the Nine-Section Hall amid much murmuring.

However, the ministers Jiang Yuan trusted remained behind.

Bi Gan looked at Jiang Yuan, whose expression had grown somewhat weary, with a complicated gaze. Shang Rong had not been wrong.

This move by the king was a triumph built upon countless bones. He had offended far too many people. If he could force it through, that would be one thing. If he could not, then history would record him as nothing less than a tyrant.