Chinese New Year

Chapter 1376 Jiangnan Affairs

The sun hangs high in the sky, under a clear blue sky.

Amidst the lingering snow and withered grass, Shao Xun quietly gazed at the pond that had just been cleared.

"Are you two settling in well in Jianye?" Shao Xun asked.

When the emperor inquired, the two had nothing to hide. Zhang Shuo spoke first: "Jianye is low-lying and damp. I was fine when I first went there, but later I fell seriously ill and almost thought I would never see Your Majesty again."

Tang Jian added, "It's too humid and hot. But it's extremely beneficial for rice. If managed properly, the grain supply will be inexhaustible."

One was from Bingzhou and the other from Jizhou, and they were indeed very unaccustomed to the south when they first went there.

Fortunately, both of them had spent some time in Xiangyang and Shouchun, allowing their bodies to gradually adapt. Otherwise, it would have been a matter of luck—whether or not one gets sick in the South feels a bit mystical, because many physically weak people are perfectly fine, while people with excellent health die from illness, leaving one speechless.

"There are many rivers and lakes in Jiangnan, so the first priority is to make good use of them," Shao Xun said. "Have all the families that have gone south established a firm foothold?"

Tang Jian replied, "Except for a few families that were more severely affected by the epidemic, most of them have managed to stand firm and are now slowly adapting. Perhaps they will start clearing land as their population grows in the future."

Shao Xun then looked at Zhang Shuo.

Zhang Shuo immediately replied, "I have reduced the number of old and weak soldiers and obtained 50,000 men from the four prefectures of Yang, Jiang, Jiao and Guang. All of them have been incorporated into hereditary soldiers and assigned to various places. Each family is given 40 mu of land, half of which is paddy field and half of which is dry land. Now the morale of the army is stable, and the powerful clans and barbarian chieftains dare not make a move."

"I've heard that there's been a rebellion in Guangzhou, with people claiming to be descendants of the Great Jin royal family. They can't be considered very stable, can they?" Shao Xun asked.

“This is just a minor disturbance; it will be quelled within ten days,” Zhang Shuo said. “There were also two disturbances involving the Celestial Masters in Jiangzhou and Yangzhou, which were also quelled.”

“Great!” Shao Xun praised.

To be honest, the Great Liang Dynasty did not invest many resources in the entire area south of the Yangtze River.

The 50,000 soldiers trained by Zhang Shuo were mostly surrendered soldiers. Some were former imperial guards of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, some were soldiers of the Northern and Western Prefectures, and some were private soldiers of powerful clans. Now, they were all given land and scattered in various strategic locations along waterways, serving as both soldiers and farmers.

There weren't many soldiers in the prefectures and counties. If a local outlaw could gather a hundred or so men, he might even be able to break through the county town if he was lucky. The reason that this didn't happen was that, apart from the 50,000 hereditary soldiers, the local powerful clans helped maintain order.

This means that the costs of maintaining stability have been reduced, and the corresponding powers have also been reduced.

Tang and Zhang spent the entire previous year allocating funds and grain, planning to allocate farmland in several important prefectures and train local troops.

This year, they went a step further, requesting to use the taxes from the counties south of the Yangtze River to manufacture weapons, redeem good land, and further increase the number of hereditary soldiers and county soldiers.

Shao Xun hasn't agreed yet because he feels that even though Jiangnan has already been conquered, you still want to give me the idea of ​​"making money in Jiangnan and spending it in Jiangnan, without even thinking about bringing a penny home"?
However, he also knew this was a serious matter. This year, the Liao campaign had taken place, and most of the grain stored in the northern imperial granaries had been moved to Youzhou, while the grain taxes from the south were being transported north in batches to fill the deficits in the imperial granaries of Henan and Hebei. In short, there was no money.

Next year, after a period of recuperation, they can be allowed to use one-third of the taxes from Jiangnan to train troops and improve their defense system.

After all, this matter shouldn't be delayed too much.

"Have the methods of seedling cultivation and transplanting been promoted?" Shao Xun asked again.

"It has already been tested in Danyang," Tang Jian said. "I summoned officials from twelve counties to Puzhoujin to discuss it, and they all thought it was feasible, but it will take some time."

At this point, he cautiously added, "This is rice-wheat rotation, which is not simple. Many people in Jiangnan can't even grow rice or millet well, let alone rice-wheat rotation."

"Do you have a solution?" Shao Xun asked.

"I have allocated ten hectares of official land in each of the three counties of Jianye, Jiangcheng, and Wuhu, and ordered each county to take turns conscripting skilled farmers to cultivate the land. A different batch of people will be selected each year, and this is the second year now," Tang Jian said.

"Excellent," Shao Xun praised. "Convenient for both public and private purposes, truly admirable."

Spreading advanced agricultural production technologies from the north is of paramount importance to the agricultural sector in the Jiangnan region.

There are many methods. For example, after the powerful clans from the north who migrated south came into contact with the natives of Jiangdong, the information naturally spread. This is the most common but also the slowest method, which began at the end of the Jin Dynasty.

Then there's the method Tang Jian mentioned: utilizing the official lands and stipend lands that are widespread in Jiangnan, conscripting the people of Jiangnan in the form of labor service, so that they can master advanced agricultural techniques in batches and then spread them back to their hometowns.

The ultimate goal was to improve the agricultural level in the Jiangnan region and increase grain production.

The weather will only get colder and colder. From this perspective, every Little Ice Age is an opportunity for the South—swamps silt up and become land, the climate is less humid and hot, and it is conducive to the construction of water conservancy projects, etc.

Throughout the Liang Dynasty, the population and economy of the north will undoubtedly be stronger than those of the south. However, the gap between the north and south will be greatly narrowed. By the time the Liang Dynasty was about to fall, the economies of the north and south might have become roughly the same.

"How about trading in addition to farming?" Shao Xun continued to ask.

"Your Majesty," Tang Jian said, "I have already opened Wuma Ferry as a commercial port, directly connecting to Tangyi and Guangling on the north bank. "Xishan Ferry in Jingkou has also been opened as a commercial port, with merchants coming and going constantly. However, Jianye and Guangling have no markets, making tax collection difficult, therefore..."

"Open it!" Shao Xun said without hesitation. "Following the old practice of Luoyang's market, it will be held twice a year, for half a month each time. This is a great thing that benefits the country and the people, and we must start preparing for it as soon as possible. I took a tour of Qu County and found that compared to thirty or forty years ago, the number of people with winter clothes has increased significantly. Half of the cotton wadding comes from Qingzhou and half comes from Jiangnan, which shows that wild silkworm cocoons have begun to benefit the people."

After saying that, he sighed and said, "After so many years of fighting, the common people should finally get some benefits."

"Yes." Tang Jian replied repeatedly, "Your Majesty has unified the north and south, and all goods are flowing freely. Not to mention anything else, this year Henan alone transported more than 10,000 cattle to Danyang, and the people have benefited greatly."

“The oxen from the North…” Shao Xun hesitated. “They are the oxen that Lady Yang and the late Princess Xiangcheng tamed in Runan and Huai River. In previous years, they were mostly sold to Jiangxia and Nanjun. This year, for the first time, they were transported to Danyang. They can plow dry fields without any problems,” Tang Jian said.

“Jiangnan still needs to breed oxen that are more adapted to the local climate,” Shao Xun said. “I have instructed the Imperial Household Department to handle this matter. Danyang has hundreds of thousands of people, and the number of oxen they need is far more than ten thousand.”

Danyang Prefecture currently has twelve counties (the former prefecture and counties for immigrants have been abolished), totaling more than 76000 households and more than 403,000 people. Whether placed in the south or the north, it is a first-class prefecture.

This prefecture was also the one most tightly controlled by the Great Liang Dynasty south of the Yangtze River, even though many powerful clans had gathered there.

"What is the scholarly atmosphere like in Jiangnan?" Shao Xun stopped by the pond, watching the palace servants touching river clams in the water, and asked casually.

“There are many farmers, but few scholars; and quite a few hunters and recreational enthusiasts,” Tang Jian replied.

Upon hearing this, Shao Xun was quite satisfied.

Since land was being allocated for cultivation, it indicates that there was at least an intention to develop that particular area of ​​land, which would increase the overall wealth of society. Regardless of how much of this wealth ended up in the hands of the imperial court, it was all a great thing.

"Where are the fields mostly located?" he asked.

"Danyang and Piling prefectures have the most weeds and chaff, so the practice of arranging fields is most prevalent there," Tang Jian said.

The seven counties of Piling can be said to have been opened up by northerners who migrated south. Today, there are about 34000 households and more than 161,400 people, nearly two-thirds of whom are northerners. Most of them migrated south at the end of the Jin Dynasty, and many more went there after the current dynasty pacified Jiangnan.

In comparison, over 60% of the people in Danyang's twelve counties are from the south. But it doesn't matter anymore; in a hundred years, they'll all be southerners.

"Is anyone researching new learning?" Shao Xun asked, picking up a clam.

“Quite a few,” Tang Jian said. “Now everyone knows that His Majesty enjoys studying principles, so many people use this as a stepping stone to advance their careers.”

Shao Xun laughed and scolded, "You also think this is Xing Jin?"

Tang Jian lowered his head, his face grim.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Shao Xun shook his head and said, "We'll have river clams for lunch. The cabbage cultivated by Guangchengze has already been planted in the East China Sea, and it's very sweet after the first frost."

******
Tang Jian and Zhang Shuo left the next day.

They left behind dozens of cartloads of tribute sent from Jiaoguang. It is said that after being transported by ship to Wujun in Yangzhou, the ship entered the port to avoid a strong wind, and one of the ships was even blown over in the port.

The most incredible thing is that the ship happened to be the one carrying the envoy sent by Fan Wen of Linyi Kingdom. It was immediately capsized in the harbor and died beyond any doubt...

Zhang Shuo has already sent envoys to Jiaozhou, ordering Fan Wen to send another batch of envoys. Of course, a new set of tribute must be prepared.

Shao Xun didn't care much about these things. He had some of the tribute items taken out and distributed to the officials of Xuzhou as rewards, while the rest were transported with the emperor.

He was leaving Donghai; his next stop was Taishan County.

In this campaign against Liao, the Yang family also sent some men to fight, mainly as auxiliary troops.

They first went to Youzhou, then to Pinggang, and suffered heavy losses in the battle to defend Jicheng. In addition to those who died of illness and those who fled, they had only about 1,400 to 1,500 men when they returned to Mount Tai. Even one member of the Yang family died of illness.

But Shao Xun had no intention of letting them go.

Even after the family split up, the Taishan clan could still use their influence in several surrounding counties to gather thousands or even tens of thousands of retainers and servants, which was definitely not acceptable.

When he went south to Qingzhou before, he summoned the sons of the Fangtou Fu family and ordered them to register as commoners, for the same reason.

The Fu family reluctantly agreed, because King Zhao Xu had joined forces with Bo Guanzhi to quell the rebellion in Shangbai Town. The killing of more than 3,000 people and the demotion of 15,000 to government slaves had a strong deterrent effect on Fangtou.

With the Yi Cong Army returning to Liyang also looming large, and the Left Feathered Forest Guard and the Hanoi Imperial Guard also poised to attack from the east and west, the Fu family had no choice but to submit if they did not want to die.

We will definitely be much gentler with the Yang family; at the very least, we need to put on a good show and be more aggressive in our efforts to win them over.

On the 18th day of the 11th lunar month, Shao Xun set off from Qu County and headed west.

People from far and wide heard the news and came to see him off, allowing Shao to experience the warmth of his hometown people.

The flowers were well worth it; consider it as hiring "extras."

He traveled along the way, stopping frequently to meet with officials, until the end of the month when Shao Xun finally arrived in Nancheng County, Taishan Prefecture.

Yang Man and Yang Xianrong also returned to their long-lost hometown.

Shao Xun also met Yang Ben, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Yang Ben's complexion seemed to have improved a lot; he wasn't as pale as before. It seemed that he had been much more restrained in the past year or two.

Looking up at the whirring horizontal windmill, Shao Xun smiled as he moved into the Yang family's old house.

(End of this chapter)