Chinese New Year

Chapter 1382 Between Brothers
At the end of February, the stream in Jingu Garden was babbling, looking like spring was about to arrive.

King Zhao, Shao Xu, had just returned from Guanzhong and took the opportunity to visit his fourth brother, Shao Yu.

Shao Yu was checking his luggage in the courtyard.

Eight or nine hundred soldiers were stationed inside and outside the Golden Valley Garden. Apart from more than one hundred of them who were Shao Yu's personal followers, the remaining seven hundred or so were surplus soldiers recruited by someone in Henan.

This project started before the Lunar New Year, but it didn't go very smoothly. After several months and involving tens of thousands of families, we only managed to recruit this many people—whose families of origin were probably quite difficult or had various problems.

"Third brother?" Shao Yu put down his work and invited him to sit down and have some tea.

"Are you preparing writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones?" Shao Xu didn't sit down immediately, but instead turned around and asked.

“Yes,” Shao Yu said, “We have a lot of money and silk on hand, but it won’t be of much use if we take it there. It would be better to exchange it for useful items in Henan.”

After saying that, he patted the stacks of rattan paper and said, "I bought them from my eldest sister. They're cheap and good quality."

"Your sister still charges you money?" Shao Xu laughed.

"A 20% discount is not bad," Shao Yu said. "Although every family has a papermaker, we are not sure what kind of paper can be made from the grass, vines, and tree bark in Liaodong. Let's buy a batch first for the government's daily use. As for the villages and tribes, the illiterate can't use paper, and the literate can use wooden slips for now."

"That's very thoughtful," Shao Xu exclaimed. "When I was in Pingzhou, I felt as if I could see the Murong Xianbei making paper from plants."

“It is far inferior to rattan paper.” Shao Yu thought for a moment and then added, “Perhaps they did not know how to make paper. Those people may have fled thirty years ago. At that time, paper in the Central Plains was of poor quality and expensive, and the production was not high.”

Finally, he pointed to an oxcart and said, "The cart is full of honey-scented paper, which I had someone buy for me in Wuchang. This much is enough for me to use for many years."

Shao Xu understood.

Honey-scented paper was mostly used by royal palaces, while rattan paper was used by government offices. Ordinary people could find their own ways to make inferior straw paper or use wooden tablets, it didn't matter.

There seemed to be many calligraphy brushes and pine ink placed next to the paper.

Seeing his third brother looking at these, Shao Yu said, "The finest Yiyang ink was purchased by my maternal grandfather, and there are also writing brushes made from the tail hair of An Ding sheep."

Shao Xu felt a pang of sympathy, stood up, patted his fourth brother on the shoulder, and said nothing.

My maternal grandfather prepared this, and he'll use it little by little, perhaps because he's not very willing to use it.

"Have you prepared any seeds?" Shao Xu asked again.

Shao Yu nodded and said, "My father ordered Guangcheng Palace to send more than ten kinds of fruit and vegetable seeds, dozens of varieties, but we don't know if they can be planted. At the beginning of the month, he sent people to take them away, along with more than a hundred breeding cattle, horses, sheep and pigs. They should have arrived in Jizhou by now."

"Where is the grain?"

"Plant millet for the first few years; it can be harvested in a few months."

"Isn't there rye too?"

"The Donglai military camp planted some in Mashijin and harvested about 20 bushels, which is enough for about 50 or 60 mu of seeds. It won't be of much use for the next few years. After spring, the Prince's Palace will probably plant 20 mu in each of the three counties of Lushun, Beifeng, and Pingguo. Let's see how it goes."

"Fourth brother, when did you become so organized?" Shao Xu asked in surprise.

Shao Yu feigned displeasure and said, "Is all I know how to do is fight and kill?"

Shao Xu sighed, "I wish I had your military skills..."

"What's the use?" Shao Yu shook his head, then paused and said, "Why don't you go to Pyongyang? Ask Father to grant you the two prefectures of Lelang and Daifang. Anyway, the court is having a headache over these places. It's not good to defend them, and it's not good not to defend them either. Let's just give them to you as your fiefdom. Our two families can work together to build a major post road from Xi'an to Pyongyang, and help each other. In that case, what does Baekje or Goguryeo matter? If you need anything, I will be there. If there is trouble in Liaodong, you can send troops to its aid, Third Brother."

Shao Xu was slightly tempted, but quickly shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid I can't go. The Pei family of Hedong has been operating in Liangzhou for many years. Father probably wants me to go to the Western Regions. Anyway, some places, if they don't grant them to me, they'll grant them to some barbarian chieftain. It's better to give them to the descendants of the Shao family. That's probably what Father is thinking."

"Could it be Gaochang?" Shao Yu sighed. "That place is too small, with only 30,000 households. Even if you were to merge Cheshi and other places with it, it would still only be a little over 30,000, less than 40,000. That's too unfair."

"It's better than staying in Luoyang. Perhaps Grandfather's idea is the most correct one," Shao Xu said listlessly.

"Is it really decided?" Shao Yu asked.

“Not so fast,” Shao Xu said. “However, my father is looking for concubines for me. They are all daughters of famous families in Dunhuang, and perhaps there are some from other places as well. I don’t know much about them.”

Shao Yu nodded and said, "Actually, the Western Regions are not short of wealthy craftsmen. If one can be married off to a few powerful families, it won't be so difficult."

“Each has its advantages and disadvantages,” Shao Xu sighed. “In the future, when we are thousands of miles apart, it won’t be so easy for us to meet.”

Shao Yu remained silent.

They are unlikely to meet again. Instead, their descendants may have some contact, because after being enfeoffed, the prince is unlikely to come to the capital. It would be good enough if he could send his heir to court regularly.

"Liaodong actually has a lot of wealth—"

“The trade routes to the Western Regions are very lucrative—” After a moment of silence, the two brothers tacitly avoided the sensitive topic, speaking almost simultaneously, and then smiled at each other.

"What else do you need?" Shao Xu asked. "I've been in charge of the market for many years, so I can find you some inexpensive and good-quality goods, even if I have to put everything else aside."

Shao Yu became interested and asked, "How cheap is it?"

Shao Xu laughed and asked, "How much money do you have?"

Shao Yu paused for a moment and said, "Although my maternal grandfather gave me all the money my maternal grandmother had earned from her business, how could I really take it all? It's only a few tens of thousands of coins and silk, but there are also several hundred pieces of gold and silver artifacts, which are not easy to value."

Shao Xu understood and said, "I'll invite some wealthy merchants over in a few days; perhaps we can get a better price."

"How to do it?"

"Let's see if there's anything they want in Liaodong."

Shao Yu was filled with respect and said, "Third brother, you are truly skilled at making money."

Shao Xu smiled and said, "The way of trade is nothing more than exchanging goods. Let me teach you a trick. Liaodong has furs that the Central Plains need. You can have wealthy merchants bring their goods here, stipulating how many different items, such as iron farm tools, can be exchanged for how many furs. Also, crack down on those who sell privately, preventing them from contacting the wealthy merchants. This way, you can monopolize the profits. If you find that troublesome, you can choose one or two reputable large merchants and hand over all the Liaodong furs to them, stipulating a time limit and prohibiting others from interfering. This way, you can also obtain the goods you urgently need."

Shao Yu was stunned for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh.

In governing Liaodong, my third brother has far more ideas than him. If we could trick him into living in Pyongyang, we might be able to benefit more, but that's unlikely.

The two brothers chatted for a while, then sat down to drink tea and talk.

“Actually, there are few people in Liaodong, so we should make more use of machinery,” Shao Xu said. “We should prepare more octagonal horizontal windmills. After the autumn harvest, we can pound rice and grind flour, and it won’t take long to finish.”

"When it comes to farming, you can't be meticulous. Try to plow as many fields as possible during the farming season, and then sow the seeds. Even if the yield per acre isn't high, you'll have more fields to cultivate. You could consider using horse-drawn plows, or rather, horse-drawn plows are shallower, but they plow faster. Farming season is short, so the faster the better. In short, the choice is entirely up to you."

"Once we arrive in Liaodong, we can no longer rely solely on farming for food; we also need to herd livestock. This task can be accomplished by the elderly and children, without requiring the able-bodied to participate. After the autumn harvest, the able-bodied will be sent to cut grass to prepare for the winter."

"Murong Huidu has opened schools and ordered the sons of various tribes to study. I've visited the schools in Jicheng; there are quite a few. The sons of the Murong Xianbei chieftains have learned some things and are much more pleasing to the eye than the Yuwen clan. They don't look like barbarians. You can first have the private schools of the powerful families enroll the sons of the chieftains, and then establish official schools when you have the resources. Barbarians don't understand etiquette, so they'll be much better after they start attending school. Besides, Fourth Brother, you're so good at fighting; you should be able to keep those who harbor resentment in check. In one or two generations, the situation will change dramatically."

"Now you shouldn't even think about causing trouble for Goguryeo. Although they are severely weakened, it's not worth it to attack them and deplete your population and resources. It's better to take care of the affairs of the country first, and then make other plans."

"As for Luoyang—" Shao Xu sighed at the end, "Sixth brother doesn't actually have bad intentions. Just be more accommodating and respectful to him. After Father passes away, he can live in peace for a long time."

These were heartfelt words; other princes might not have said so much. Shao Yu was very grateful and said, "Third brother, is there anything I can do to help you?"

Shao Xu shook his head and said nothing.

He was actually somewhat bewildered, and even more saddened. This shouldn't be the case between brothers.

He concluded by saying, "Chunlang is still in Bianliang. Go see him when you have time. He has been investigating the surplus soldiers in the military garrisons for a long time. He knows which military garrisons are good for recruiting men and knows many people. With his help, it will be much easier for you to recruit soldiers."

After listening, Shao Yu nodded emphatically and said, "Next month."

Shao Xu glanced at him and asked, "When are you leaving?"

"I don't know, let's keep Mother company first," Shao Yu said. "It's been quite a while since I visited Grandfather, how is his health?"

“Not good,” Shao Xu said sadly. “I will return to Bianliang tomorrow to fulfill my filial duty to my grandfather.”

“Alas, Third Brother, you still have the same temperament. If—” Shao Yu said with a wry smile, “I will also be taking Mother back to Bianliang in a few days. There’s no one left here at Jingu Garden.”

Wang Xuan and his son have already escorted Wang Yan's coffin back to Langya. There's really no one left here, so there's no point in keeping it here.

What makes a home is the presence of family members. When family members are gone, the home falls apart.

“Great!” Shao Xu laughed. “When we get back to Bianliang, we can get together more often.”

Shao Yu nodded.

He still has many people to meet and many people to say goodbye to.

From then on, we were separated by vast distances, and each of us lived our own lives in peace.

Luoyang lost a prince in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, while Liaodong gained a member of the imperial family who leaned against the door and looked westward in the wind and snow.

After his grandfather, father, and mother passed away one after another, he no longer had many emotional ties to them.

There are regrets and reluctance, but this is his path.

(End of this chapter)