In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 904 Worth pondering

Which is more important, power or wealth?

That is power, of course. Once you have power, you will find that even if you don't deliberately pursue wealth, wealth will come to you on its own.

Therefore, although those powerful families in the capital did not own much land, their influence far exceeded that of the powerful families in other states.

In conclusion, while powerful families like the Lu family in various states might be comparable to the prominent families in the capital in terms of wealth, they are far inferior to the aristocratic families in the capital in other aspects such as power and influence.

"Why would those powerful and influential families in the capital send you a message?"

Yang Erlang asked with curiosity, "The Yang family army, which originated from Liangzhou, had virtually no contact with the powerful families of the capital. Under such circumstances, the reason why the powerful families of the capital sent a letter to Commander Yang is worth pondering."

"I have been reading some history books these days."

Yang Zheng did not answer Yang Erlang's question directly, but instead said, "By reading historical records, I have roughly learned the reasons why these families can be passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years."

"Oh?"

Yang Erlang, who disliked reading, asked in surprise, "Please tell me, King Liang."

"The reason these families have been able to survive for hundreds or thousands of years is because they are good at judging people, or rather, they are good at investing!"

Yang Zheng slowly began to speak: "At the end of each dynasty, these powerful families would choose some rebellious heroes to invest in, and they would bet on multiple sides. As long as any of the heroes they invested in succeeded, they could gain a higher status and more benefits when the new dynasty was established. This is the fundamental reason why these powerful families can last for so long, and even if the dynasty is destroyed, their status and wealth will not be lost in the slightest!"

"Isn't this just like the White Lotus Sect?"

Yang Erlang blurted out that the White Lotus Sect was able to quickly sweep through Yuezhou and occupy the land precisely because it had the support of the Yuezhou aristocratic families.

"Not bad!"

Yang Zheng nodded slightly: "Now that it is also the end of the dynasty, these powerful families will naturally start to invest. The powerful families in Yuezhou and Qiongzhou have chosen to support the White Lotus Sect. The various rebel armies in Yuzhou and Haizhou also have powerful families supporting them in secret. Only I and my Yang family army have never accepted any investment from any powerful family!"

Perhaps it was precisely because they saw this that those powerful families in the capital sent messages to me, wanting to invest in me!

As he finished speaking, a mocking smile appeared on Yang Zheng's lips.

Yang Erlang's body trembled, and he hurriedly said, "Prince Liang, we absolutely cannot accept the investment from those powerful families in the capital!"

Although Yang Erlang didn't like reading, he knew that the Yang family army was able to succeed because of the support of millions of poor people.

The poor and needy naturally harbor resentment towards the landlords and powerful families who occupy their land and enslave them. If Yang Zheng decides to accept the investment from the aristocratic families in the capital, then... the Yang family army's base will probably collapse instantly.

Not to mention, after accepting investment from prominent families in Beijing, the Yang family army would be influenced by them and do things against their own conscience.

"Don't worry, Erlang, I know what's important!"

Yang Zheng said with a disdainful look, "These noble families in the capital have put on a nice show in their letters, saying that as long as I can get their support, I can unify the nine provinces and sit on the supreme position within a year. Ha! I'm not a three-year-old child, why would I believe their nonsense?"

Yang Zheng was undoubtedly clear-headed. He knew very well that he was able to sit in the position of the King of Liang because of the support of millions of poor people, as well as officials who cared about the people, such as Chen Dao, Xu Zhiwen, Zheng Qing, and Li Mingyuan.

In other words, Yang Zheng's core support base consists of millions of ordinary working people and ambitious individuals who are devoted to the common people and despise the bloodsucking aristocratic families. Once Yang Zheng accepts the investment from the aristocratic families in the capital, the ordinary working people will abandon him, and people like Chen Dao will also become alienated from him.

Without the support of the working class and people like Chen Dao, even if Yang Zheng unified the Nine Provinces and ascended the throne, he would be controlled by powerful families like a puppet emperor in the palace. This is clearly contrary to Yang Zheng's ideals.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Yang Zheng never intended to accept help from the powerful families in the capital.

"Erlang, do you still remember the oath we made when we rebelled?"

Yang Zheng suddenly looked up at Yang Erlang and asked.

"Remember!"

Yang Erlang nodded and said, "We swore an oath to eliminate all the powerful clans in the world and to ensure that all the people in the world could have enough to eat and no longer have to suffer from hunger!"

"Not bad!"

Yang Zheng nodded emphatically: "Although I am now the King of Liang and have a high position and great power, I have never forgotten the oath I made!"

I have long seen clearly that the reason why the common people cannot get enough to eat and suffer from hunger and cold is that these powerful families occupy a lot of land. They live in luxury and have many wives and concubines, while ordinary people struggle to even have two meals a day, and many young men in the countryside find it difficult to even find a wife!

"I believe this world shouldn't be like this! We are all human, all mortal beings. No one should be superior and enslave others, and no one is born to be a tenant farmer or a slave! Therefore..."

Yang Shuai slammed the letter in his hand onto the table and said in a firm voice, "Not only will I not accept the investment from these powerful families in the capital, but I will also wipe them all out!"

Yang Zheng stood up from his chair and said loudly, "When I conquer the capital, I will settle accounts with all these powerful families who have enslaved the people for so many years!"

Yang Erlang's body trembled, and he couldn't help but stand up excitedly, saying, "Your subordinate is willing to fully support King Liang! To help King Liang achieve this wish!"

"Haha! Erlang, there's no need to be so formal!"

Yang Zheng laughed, walked over to Yang Erlang, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Erlang, you just came from Qingzhou. How is Qingzhou now? Is it still safe?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, everything is well in Qingzhou!"

Yang Erlang clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "Under the influence of Chenjia Village, the situation in Taicang County of Qingzhou is quite good now. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and along the way, we hardly saw anyone who was hungry."

On the contrary, the situation in Qingming County, where my subordinates are located, and Qingming County where the prefectural city is located, is somewhat worse, but overall, it is still much better than Mingzhou!

To be honest, when Yang Erlang, who had traveled from Qingzhou to Mingzhou, saw the scene in Mingzhou, he was completely stunned!

The war, which lasted for nearly two years, turned the entire Mingzhou into a "scorched earth." Walking on the official roads of Mingzhou, one could see starving people everywhere. Some of them were even so hungry that they were eating wild grass and tree bark.

In the wilderness, there are also a large number of skeletons that have been eaten by wild animals and crows.