Chinese New Year

Chapter 1403 Management
June, the summer sun is blazing.

Yu Liang sat by a ditch, feeling extremely agitated, especially when he saw a long procession heading west through the mountain path.

"Lord Yu." Several riders broke off from the group, and the leader dismounted and bowed from a distance.

"Your Highness." Yu Liang slowly rose, returned the greeting, and glanced at the endless stream of carriages and horses.

The visitor was Wu Gong Shao Yong, who was ordered to escort goods to Lingzhou. He had just been collecting oxen and farm tools in Chang'an a few days ago, and unexpectedly arrived in Anding today.

Such a hurry to get going, what a deep brotherly bond!

"Is this the spoils for the army?" Yu Liang asked as he approached the roadside, looking at the various silks, linens, jars, and pots in the carriage.

"Shuozhou has a hereditary army of eight thousand men, and they need a lot of various supplies. We can't let Guanzhong supply them all," Shao Yong replied with a smile.

He was actually getting impatient. Why was the old man asking so many questions? Let me go quickly so I can go play with my third brother.

Of course, he only thought about it in his heart; he couldn't afford to offend Yu Liang.

“King Zhao is a capable man.” Yu Liang came to a mule cart that had broken down by the roadside, lifted the tarpaulin, and gently stroked the soft silk cloth. He said, “He has dug a canal on the flat land of Lingzhou to divert water from the Yellow River for irrigation. It is 120 miles long. What a bold move. Under his leadership, Hexi Prefecture will be well governed.”

Shao Yong smiled shyly and said, "Lord Yu's methods in reclaiming wasteland in Anding are far superior to those of King Zhao. Along the way, we saw settlements everywhere, a truly magnificent sight."

“The grain grown on the reclaimed land will still have to be sent to Shuozhou, won’t it?” Yu Liang said. “Besides, the Di, Qiang and Xiutu people don’t know much about farming, and they are even more difficult to manage.”

"After passing Chang'an, it seems that the Di and Qiang tribes in the various prefectures have decreased significantly?" Shao Yong asked again.

Yu Liang glanced at him and said, "Jin Zheng has been killing for so many years, and Zhuge Hui has been killing for several more years. Countless people have been sent to war, conscripted, or relocated. Where would there be so many Di and Qiang people left?"

After saying that, he shook his head and said, "Alright, I won't delay you any longer, so go on your way. I still need to patrol here. Be careful ahead, the Di and Qiang people in Lueyang are unwilling to be conscripted and have rebelled. A group of them have fled into Anding, and we are still besieging and suppressing them."

Shao Yong was somewhat surprised to hear this and asked, "They haven't wiped them out yet?"

"Yao Yizhong of Nan'an has already sent troops to suppress them, and the Left Changzhi Guard has also mobilized more than 10,000 men to destroy their stronghold. Now, only a few scattered soldiers remain, a few hundred in a group, living in constant fear." At this point, he looked at the elite armored cavalry of the Left Xiaoqi Guard responsible for escorting the goods and said, "Enough, I've said too much. With these 1,200 armored cavalry, a few Di and Qiang are no threat. In fact, if the Left Changzhi Guard hadn't been so indiscriminate in its killings and incited more rebellions, everything would have been fine long ago."

Shao Yong nodded.

He didn't ask why the Left Changzhi Guard was so bloodthirsty; the reason was obvious: to plunder wealth, women, and livestock. After having someone relay the message to the commander of the Left Xiaoqi Guard, he bowed to Yu Liang and took his leave.

Watching the departing figures of the group, Yu Liang became even more agitated, not because of Duke Wu or King Zhao, but because of the matter that had just been mentioned.

His thoughts were the same as Shao Yong's: the soldiers were ruthless looters, and once they started killing, they couldn't stop. Even if you sent someone to stop them, they would resent you. They'd finally have a chance to make money, and you'd try to stop them?
In addition, he vaguely realized that once you entered the Fubing system, no matter what you were like before, you would end up being the same kind of person.

While there were many men from Guandong among the soldiers of the Left Changzhi Guard, there were also quite a few from Guanxi and even mixed Hu (non-Han) soldiers. When they were ordered to go on expeditions, they showed no mercy to the Di, Qiang, and Xiongnu. Of course, if the Han people rebelled, they would show no mercy either.

It seems they were born for military merit and killing, with an unparalleled desire for merit, official positions, and land. In addition, they had to provide their own food and weapons, so their military discipline would not be good after they went to war, no matter how hard you tried to restrain them.

The emperor issued an edict ordering the extermination of the rebels and the relocation of Zu Li Longxiang's prefecture to the border area between Anding and Lueyang prefectures. He also ordered the recruitment of 1,200 soldiers and other men from Bingzhou to relocate to the town.

Yu Liang estimated that there were probably 110,000 to 120,000 military officers in the country. Would they encourage the court to expand outwards in the future to give them opportunities to make a name for themselves? Compared to the Imperial Academy and the National Academy, the desire of military men for official titles was more worrying.

Perhaps everyone underestimates the transformative power of this group, who use martial arts as a means of advancement, in shaping the social atmosphere.

Yes, it's about transformation.

The most outrageous thing was that Yu Liang discovered that a small number of scholars had actually begun to write poems praising military achievements and the frontier. Once this martial spirit took hold, it really made people feel lost.

In the midst of this great tide, the power of an individual is truly insignificant.

******
On June 15th, Yu Liang returned to Chang'an.

After the wheat harvest in May, a considerable portion of the fields have been planted with millet and beans, which are lush and green, a truly pleasing sight.

These were the best fields near Chang'an, and most of them were allocated to soldiers, becoming military farmland.

Outside the city walls, blacksmith shops stretched out in an endless line, most of which were newly established in the last six months.

The old blacksmith was forced to take on many more apprentices, working day and night to forge weapons in preparation for the war.

I heard that in Hexi County, a shepherd accidentally dug up coal with the hooves of his sheep while herding them. The locals used it to start a fire, which was very convenient.

Yu Liang was intrigued, so he searched through old documents and learned that people in the Han Dynasty had used this to start fires. However, despite his extensive travels, he had never heard of it before.

Zhuge Hui, however, said that some people in Guanzhong during the Cao Wei period had used it, calling it "stone firewood." But frankly, even now, almost no one in Guanzhong uses it for firewood, indicating it wasn't popular. Zhuge Hui ordered craftsmen to use it for iron smelting. When the news reached Luoyang, the emperor issued an edict to stop it. His attitude was clear: officials and commoners could use it for boiling water and cooking, but for smelting weapons, only charcoal could be used, not stone charcoal, because weapons smelted with stone charcoal were prone to "brittle breakage" and were not as good as those smelted with charcoal.

Yu Liang was puzzled, but he didn't intend to investigate further. If they wouldn't allow iron smelting, so be it; they could sell it to the officials and commoners of Chang'an. In fact, he had already sent people to various parts of Guanzhong to investigate where coal could be mined—it was a lucrative business.

After returning to the city, he went straight to the Yu residence.

"Brother." Yu Bing had just finished his work and greeted him with a smile, "It's so hot outside, why are you running around like this? Why don't you come and have a cup of tea?"

The so-called "Yu Mansion" in Chang'an was his home, because he took office as the Prefect of Yongzhou in April and thus built a residence there. On the other hand, Yu Liang only took a temporary post and did not own any property, so he simply lived at his younger brother's house.

“We have no choice but to run.” Yu Liang sat down and sighed, “Seeing all the princes busy with their duties outside, while Liang Nu can only search for passages in the secret pavilion, he’s not in a hurry, but I am.”

"There's no use in rushing; the more you rush, the worse things will get." Yu Bing poured his brother a cup of tea and advised, "Managing Yongzhou is not something that can be done overnight. Brother, you're fifty years old now; don't push yourself too hard."

Yu Liang shook his head and said, "Liang Nu's fief is here, and the Crown Prince also has officials from Guanzhong. If we don't manage things properly, we'll regret it later."

Yu Bing silently pondered these words, and sighed inwardly. As long as the Crown Prince did not ascend the throne, his elder brother would not be able to rest easy, fearing that something might happen.

Thinking this, he stopped himself in time. Because if he thought about it any further, it would involve why you wanted to manage Yongzhou? What were your purposes? Were you harboring some worst-case scenario plan? With the Guanzhong region and the commanding position of Bingzhou, what did the Crown Prince intend to do?
Nothing should be weighed; the more you weigh something, the harder it becomes to explain.

"Brother, we can't neglect the task of transporting grain and equipment," Yu Bing couldn't help but remind him.

"It's alright, I'll keep an eye on things." Yu Liang waved his hand and said, "They're all people I'm used to working with, I trust them to get things done."

After Yu Liang took office as the Transport Commissioner of Guanzhong, he recruited a large group of officials, most of whom were scholars from Henan, with a few from Sichuan, to liaise with the government and handle various administrative affairs.

"Most of the people in your household are from Henan, which makes things inconvenient for you in Guanzhong. I wonder if you have found a few capable officials from Qin?" Yu Bing asked again.

"I was having a conversation with some people in Anding a while ago, and there seemed to be some talented people among the guests." Yu Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Tomorrow I will send an envoy westward to invite him with generous gifts."

Yu Bing breathed a sigh of relief.

Since we are going to manage Guanzhong, we can no longer afford to have regional prejudices. Fortunately, my elder brother is clear-headed in this matter.

"And you?" Yu Liang asked, "Are you happy with your job as the Prefect?"

Yu Bing smiled wryly and said, "In Chang'an, who can outdo Zhuge Daoming? But he is still quite polite, and he listens to my advice whenever I offer it."

"That old fox! He's sent both his daughters to the palace; he's a master of scheming." Yu Liang laughed. "But don't let your guard down. You can know a person's face but not their heart; it's always good to be cautious."

“Brother is right,” Yu Bing echoed.

"Has any news come back from the capital?" Yu Liang asked, taking a sip of tea.

“The Emperor left the palace once in May to harvest wheat in Weishi County and inspect the Suiyang Canal. He returned in the middle of the month and has not left since,” Yu Bing said. “I heard that Consort Liu is ill and bedridden, and I fear his days are numbered.”

Yu Liang nodded slightly.

Liu Xiuyi had no sons, only two sons-in-law, Huan Wen and Wen Yi.

He had a good relationship with Huan Yi, so he promoted Huan Wen, but that was all. He did not have much of a relationship with Liu Xiuyi or even the Liu family of Pingyuan.

"Is there anything else?" Yu Liang continued to ask.

"The Emperor issued an edict to send more than two thousand families of the Celestial Masters sect from Jiangnan to Xuzhou to manage the river. I heard that after the river management is completed, these people will be moved to Shuozhou, probably in late spring of next year."

Yu Liang nodded calmly and said, "Continue."

“There are other brothers who may not like to hear this,” Yu Bing said. “After the wheat harvest in May, an imperial edict was issued to establish the Wuqiang Longxiang Prefecture on the old site of Wuqiang Town, and the Gonggao Longxiang Prefecture between Nanpi and Hejian. Additionally, the Baisha and Muling Prefectures were established in Yiyang County. The soldiers needed were selected from the surplus soldiers of Bingzhou and Henan Prefecture, and several hundred elite soldiers from Hebei Military Town who had been demobilized were also selected to fill the positions. I heard that the households in Bianliang are almost empty. Back then, there were tens of thousands of households, but now they have all become soldiers in the prefecture.”

Yu Liang shook his head helplessly and said, "The powerful clans of the north have been moving south in batches, and the land and houses that were vacated have been occupied. That's not all. Large numbers of soldiers have also been stationed in desolate places like Yiyang. But it's fine, let them keep company with the Wushui barbarians, Xianbei, and Di-Qiang."

"That's all?" Yu Liang looked at his younger brother and asked.

“There’s nothing worth mentioning now,” Yu Bing said. “The only thing we need to focus on now is recovering the Western Regions, but that’s not something we need to do this year.”

Yu Liang thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

The past two years have focused on recuperation and consolidating the foundation. The most important tasks were the establishment of Shuozhou, the management of the Xuzhou River, the development of Pingzhou, and the development of Jiangnan. That's all.

(End of this chapter)