The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 581 The Role of Prisoners

Xun You suddenly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, during the previous dynasty, the Xiongnu were relocated to the interior and even Xiongnu troops were conscripted to suppress rebellions. However, in recent decades, Xiongnu troops have continued to ravage the Central Plains from time to time. Therefore, I believe that relocating the Xiongnu to the interior is detrimental to the Central Plains."

After listening to Xun You's advice, Qin Shou turned his gaze to the huge map hanging in the hall. His finger slowly slid from the Hetao region to the southwest, finally stopping at the land of Bashu.

"Wenyou, tell me your thoughts," Qin Shou suddenly said.

Li Ru stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the Xiongnu prisoners of war should be resettled in batches. The able-bodied should be sent to Hanzhong and Bashu to build official roads; the women, children, and the elderly should be dispersed and resettled in various counties of Guanzhong. Once the roads are completed, those who perform exceptionally well can be granted Tang Dynasty household registration.”

"Oh?" Qin Shou raised an eyebrow. "That's a win-win solution."

Xun You frowned and said, "While Minister Li's suggestion is good, the lessons of the previous dynasty still apply. The Xiongnu are unruly and difficult to tame; if they gather to build roads, unforeseen events may occur."

“Lord Xun, you are overthinking it,” Li Ru smiled slightly. “I have already drafted the regulations: every hundred men will be organized into a team, supervised by the Tang army; teams are not allowed to contact each other privately; those who complete the quota will have their sentences reduced, and those who resist will have their entire team punished.”

The courtiers in the hall nodded in agreement. Jia Xu added, "We can also select loyal soldiers from among the surrendered Xiongnu to serve as squad leaders, promising them generous rewards. This way, we can use one barbarian force against another, achieving twice the result with half the effort."

Qin Shou pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "The roads to Shu are treacherous, and the project is enormous. If we were to use prisoners of war entirely, how many years would it take?"

Liu Ye, the Minister of Works, stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, if we conscript 100,000 laborers, it will take five years; if we use prisoners of war..."

“Prisoners of war are different from civilian laborers,” Li Ru interrupted. “They can be divided into three shifts, working day and night, regardless of casualties. I estimate that 30,000 prisoners of war can complete the task in two years.”

"Your Majesty, this action may be contrary to the principles of Heaven and Heaven," Zhang Hong said.

“The lives of the Xiongnu are like those of pigs and dogs. Didn’t these Xiongnu treat us Han people the same way back then?” Li Ru retorted.

Qin Shou raised his hand to stop the two from arguing, his gaze lingering on the snow falling outside the hall.

"Issue the decree," he suddenly spoke, his voice echoing in the hall. "The Xiongnu prisoners of war will be dealt with in three categories. Those who participated in the massacre of the city will be sent to Longxi to mine saltpeter; those who plundered the people will be sent to the Shu Road to carve mountains; those who did not harm anyone will be allowed to atone for their sins with cattle and sheep."

Xun You's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Your Majesty is wise! Such a distinction between good and evil is precisely in accordance with the way of the sage king."

Qin Shou simply smiled. Apart from the weak, these Xiongnu people had no other suitable candidates, so they would all be sent to mine the mountains.

Qin Shou's gaze returned to the map, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

"Ziyang."

"His Majesty."

Minister of Works Liu Ye quickly responded.

Qin Shou pointed to the location of the Shu Road and asked, "If we were to carve an official road along the Meridian Road, would we be confident in our ability to succeed?"

Beads of sweat appeared on Liu Ye's forehead: "Your Majesty, the Ziwu Road is treacherous, with hard rocks."

"I'm asking whether it can be done?" Qin Shou's voice suddenly turned cold.

“Yes! But it will require at least 50,000 laborers and three years,” Liu Ye replied hastily.

"I will give you 70,000 prisoners of war. Within two years, I want to see carriages moving freely on the imperial roads." Qin Shou stood up, the gold thread on his black dragon robe shimmering in the candlelight.

"Two years?"

A bitter expression immediately appeared on Liu Ye's face.

Although the Ziwu Road already had some official roads, ensuring unimpeded passage for carriages was no easy task. And this wasn't to Hanzhong, but to Chengdu. While 70,000 prisoners were a large number, Qin Shou's demands were higher; he wanted carriages to pass freely, clearly indicating his intention to strengthen his control over Bashu.

"Don't worry about manpower. If we don't have enough Xiongnu, we still have Xianbei, Qiang, Goguryeo, and so on." Qin Shou's voice rang out in the hall, calm yet extremely cold.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye broke out in a cold sweat, but dared not refuse any longer. He could only bow and reply, "Your subject obeys."

The assembled officials exchanged bewildered glances, the air thick with tension. Xun You cleared his throat and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, with 70,000 prisoners of war gathered in Shu, the transport of provisions may pose a significant challenge."

Qin Shou shifted his gaze slightly to Zhang Hong, the Minister of Revenue: "Zigang, how are the grain reserves in Sichuan?"

Without even checking the records, Zhang Hong immediately reported: "Chengdu Prefecture has 300,000 shi of grain in storage, and Hanzhong has 150,000 shi. At a rate of five sheng per person per day, this is only enough for 70,000 people for three months."

“Those are Han Chinese, not Xiongnu prisoners. If my Han Chinese fall into the hands of the Xiongnu, would they be allowed to eat their fill?” Qin Shou asked quietly.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hong's face paled, and he quickly bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty is right. Your subject will recalculate immediately."

His fingers trembled as he calculated in his sleeve, and after a moment he said cautiously, "If we calculate at two liters of coarse grains per person per day, the current grain reserves can last for more than a year."

Qin Shou snorted coldly: "The Xiongnu didn't come here to enjoy themselves. One liter of coarse grains a day, mixed with wild vegetables and tree bark. As long as they don't starve, that's fine."

"Your Majesty is wise," Li Ru immediately echoed. "This way, we can save on provisions and force them to work with all their might."

Jia Xu suddenly added ominously, "We can also have the teams compete for food quotas. Those who perform well will receive more, while those who slack off will receive half. Human nature is inherently evil; for the sake of a bite to eat, they will naturally supervise each other."

The temperature in the hall seemed to have dropped a few degrees. Xun You hesitated, then finally just sighed softly.

"Wenhe's plan is excellent." Qin Shou nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly changed the subject: "However, what I want is not a mass of starving corpses. Order the Imperial Medical Bureau to assign a physician to each team to ensure that the wounded and sick can continue working."

He paced to the palace gate, gazing at the myriad palaces outside, his voice wavering: "Before spring, I want to see the first batch of prisoners of war enter the Ziwu Valley. All departments must cooperate with the Ministry of Works; any delays—"

"We deserve to die ten thousand deaths!" the ministers responded in unison, their voices echoing in the empty hall.

Amidst the wind and snow, the mournful cries of Xiongnu prisoners of war seemed to echo from outside the palace walls.

"My beloved ministers, remember this day. From this day forward, those who offend our Great Tang will meet their doom here." He suddenly turned around, his black dragon robe fluttering in the wind.

No sooner had Qin Shou finished speaking than hurried footsteps sounded from not far away. Jia Mu rushed in, kneeling on one knee: "Your Majesty, Qin Feng reports that the remnants of the Xiongnu, in league with the Qiang people, are raiding Longxi!"

An uproar erupted in the hall. Xun You's expression changed drastically.

"As expected, he hasn't given up his wicked intentions!"

"Up and down, huh! Tsk tsk, are they trying to wear down the strength of my Great Tang?"

A smile appeared on Qin Shou's face, but the smile was filled with murderous intent, and the entire hall was filled with a chilling atmosphere.

He walked slowly back to the dragon throne, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrests.

"Look, the people who are quarrying mountains and building roads are here again. Don't worry about the lack of manpower; we need speed."

Qin Shou glanced at everyone.

"Your Majesty is holy."

(End of this chapter)