Years of continuous warfare had depleted the male population in the Kang dynasty. To stimulate population growth, the imperial court mandated that men aged eighteen and above, and women aged seventeen and above, were required to marry. Failure to comply would result in a threefold increase in land tax.,The shortage of able-bodied men, coupled with heavy levies and extortion by bandits, meant many ordinary people could only afford one meal a day. They couldn't possibly bear any extra taxes.,Most people have sunburnt, weathered faces from years of hard labor.。