Taking Control of Qingzhou
Seeing that Wang Yue hadn't gone mad, Old Father Wang hurriedly advised him, "Even so, we can slowly build up our strength. There's no need to insist on equalizing land taxes, is there? This world still belongs to the great clans. If you do this, you'll offend every one of them and lose your chance to unify the land."
Wang Yue sighed, then said slowly and emphatically, "Equalizing land taxes means taking all the land back into state ownership. It all belongs to us, and then we let the common people farm it directly, without the aristocratic clans taking their cut. If the people support us, what are you afraid of?"
Old Father Wang couldn't help rolling his eyes. With a scornful look, he said, "That policy of yours was tried by that bastard Wang Mang back in the day. And how did that turn out? He not only offended every great clan, but even the common people who stood to benefit didn't understand him. In the end, he was torn to pieces. Why put yourself through all that? Isn't it better to enjoy being above everyone else?"
Wang Yue was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to make of that failed time traveler, but he still wanted to persuade his father. His expression serious, he said, "Father, answer me honestly. Couldn't most of Wang Mang's policies have solved the problems of his time? The trouble was that the people he sent to implement them were from the great clans, and that's what caused problems with their execution."
Seeing that Wang Yue had made up his mind, Old Father Wang understood that without reform, Qingzhou didn't have the strength to unify the land. At best, it could only hold on to a corner