Wang Xuan actually had no desire to unleash the Proletarian Iron Fist. That thing hurt both others and oneself. Who could say whether, after striking at Boss Cao and those great aristocratic clans, its poison would not continue spreading?
Equal Nobility, Equal Field Distribution, and Rent Exemption—these slogans seemed fair and just, but they would cause tremendous damage to the social system.
The landlord class was indeed exploitative. However, since it had existed throughout history for thousands of years and would continue to exist in the future, it naturally had its reasons for doing so.
Leaving aside the fact that Equal Nobility was originally an idealized utopia, let us consider Equal Field Distribution and Rent Exemption. Once implemented, they would amount to returning to a Smallholder Economy overnight.
What was a Smallholder Economy?
Put simply, a Smallholder Economy was a self-sufficient economic model. Its traditional form was Men Plow, Women Weave: people grew their own crops and ate them, while women spun thread and wove cloth for household use. As a result, external demand would be greatly reduced. Aside from necessities such as farming tools and salt, people would need almost no trade to remain self-sufficient for a long time.
On the surface, this seemed to affect only commercial vitality. In reality, the greatest impact would be on food.
The most valuable thing in a farmer's hands was food. Whether out of fear of famine or a desire to accumulate wealth, farmers would all be extremely reluctant to sell the grain they possessed.
One family or two might not seem like much, but if the entire Central Plains Region were in this state, food would be scattered among the common people and impossible to collect. This would inevitably cause food shortages in industrial cities with concentrated populations, sending prices soaring.