Chinese New Year

Chapter 1417 is not without reason
The rapid sound of horses' hooves shattered the rhythm of spring plowing.

A trail of dust rose from the dirt road at the village entrance as more than a hundred Wuhuan cavalrymen, dressed in narrow-sleeved Hu-style clothing and with shaved heads and braided hair, swept past like the wind.

The horse was a tall and strong Bingzhou horse, with a bright saddle and bridle, and its hooves clattered on the dirt road.

The knight, with a ring-pommel sword at his waist, swept his sharp gaze across the farmers working in the fields.

The farmers froze instantly, bending even lower, while secretly glancing at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

Which distinguished guest has returned from his trip to Jinyang? It doesn't seem like it. The passing knight appears to be a nephew or niece of a local nobleman; he looks somewhat familiar.

Those who can get these proud and arrogant people to clear the way must be of extraordinary status.

The woman washing clothes by the river hurriedly stuffed the wet clothes into the wooden basin.

The sound of horses' hooves grew more urgent, and flags appeared one after another.

The wind seemed to freeze, leaving only the mournful sound of the rushing river.

The women whispered among themselves, discussing in a strange accent that mixed Chinese, Wuhuan, and Xianbei languages.

What's amazing is that they can all understand each other.

Han Chinese could understand some of the Wuhuan and Xianbei vocabulary, and the Wuhuan and Xianbei could also understand some of the Chinese, so communication was seamless. Over time, this would likely have led to the formation of a dialect that was primarily Chinese, but mixed with some Hu (non-Han) vocabulary and had a strange tone.

Before the dust had settled, the sounds of shovels breaking the soil and whips cracking against oxen echoed through the fields again, and in the distance, a group of knights approached from the opposite direction.

They dismounted at a distance, glanced casually at their own serfs in the fields and along the riverbank, and then hurried forward to stand by the roadside.

Squads of gleaming armored infantrymen marched over, took their positions, and then ordered the nobles, whose mere presence in the Yin Palace could shake the heavens, to disarm themselves and line up in formation.

Someone walked towards the farmland and shouted in Chinese, "His Highness did not come to disturb the people. You should continue to work; the farming season cannot be delayed."

After shouting, they went to the next place and repeated what they had said before.

The farmers asked each other, "Is this person speaking Luoyang dialect? It's so hard to understand. Bingzhou Mandarin is much more pleasant to listen to."

A moment later, the farmers got to work in twos and threes.

The farming season cannot be delayed.

The pasture has turned green again, but it's not yet time to drive livestock to graze on a large scale; it needs to grow a little longer. We should take advantage of this lull and hurry up and plant the millet and wheat.

After spring planting is finished, there are still a lot of things to do, such as repairing houses and taking care of livestock. Farmers are never idle, especially those who have transitioned from nomadic to semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral farming, who are busier than those who are purely nomadic or purely agricultural.

They had only been bent over to work for a short while when the sound of drums and music suddenly rang out on the post road, once again attracting everyone's attention.

The nobleman in his splendid attire, whom he had imagined, did not appear. Instead, a young man in a red hunting suit was surrounded by officials and generals, walking forward at a leisurely pace.

The farmers straightened up, some even standing on tiptoe, craning their necks to look.

The young man said something, and the once high and mighty nobles all knelt down and became extremely subservient.

Some people involuntarily got goosebumps and stared at the scene as if they were mesmerized.

The iron shovel in his hand was incredibly heavy, as if he could no longer lift it, and he had lost the will to do so.

Once upon a time, their lives improved considerably due to the shift to farming and animal husbandry. They even gained some resilience against disasters, and they were overjoyed, feeling that a happy life was just around the corner. Although the nobles who were above them seemed to be earning more and becoming increasingly extravagant.

But now? These nobles, who would be whipped half to death for the slightest offense, are kneeling by the roadside, their faces adorned with fawning smiles they've never seen before. Even when ignored, they dare not show the slightest dissatisfaction.

Many people experienced the impact of power firsthand for the first time.

“Chinu, you used to say that the master of the Bu Lugen family was brave and heroic, and no one dared to humiliate him. But now he’s wagging his tail and begging for mercy by the roadside like a dog. What do you have to say about that?” someone whispered.

Chi Nu was only sixteen or seventeen years old, and his face still retained some childishness. He was obviously stunned. He never expected that the noble person in his mind, who was as unapproachable as a god, would be so humble in front of the Central Plains nobles.

For the first time, his mind truly began to think. Perhaps, Yinguan County was too small a place, and the Ma something-or-other prefecture above it was also too small. Naturally, the nobles of the Bu Lugen family were also insignificant, not worth mentioning in the whole world.

Last year, they fought a fierce battle with the Xu family over the grazing rights on public pastures. At that time, they thought that if the nobles of the Bulugen family rebelled, they would join the rebellion and slaughter the Xu family. After all, the Bulugen family could produce more than a thousand skilled archers and horsemen, and several of their young nobles were extremely brave. Outsiders might not be able to do anything to them.

But at this moment, his preconceived notions were shattered.

If the nobles of the Bu Lugen family were to rebel again, he truly didn't know what to do; perhaps he should seriously reconsider.

The world was far from what he had imagined.

******
As the sun began to set, it cast the enormous shadow of the village onto the golden surface of the river.

Farmers carried mud-caked shovels and dragged weary oxen along the field ridges home. In the village, smoke rose again from the chimneys, only thicker this time.

In the distance, the outline of Yinguan City appeared blurred and solemn in the twilight.

On the city wall, the figures of garrison soldiers patrolling can be vaguely seen.

Outside the city walls, bonfires had already been lit, and enthusiastic young girls, like larks on the grassland, offered a graceful dance to the Crown Prince of Daliang.

For a fleeting moment, Shao Jin seemed to have thought of something.

It was in a similar situation back then that he fell into Yao Laoqiang's trap. But now he's much more mature and can handle things with ease.

Just as Chi Nu had thought, the nobleman from the Bu Lu Gen family was swaggering around in the countryside, even a bit domineering, but at this moment he was a kind gentleman, talking about "connections," "business," and even whether his family could squeeze into the "Sai surname."

"The abolition of the feudal system and the establishment of prefectures in Dai State has brought peace and stability to Mayi, and all of you have made contributions." Shao Jin picked up his wine cup and said with a smile, "In every campaign, you have not lagged behind others, and I have seen it all. Now that you have entered the central court, as long as you do your job well and obey the court's orders, wealth and honor will surely follow. Come, drink this cup."

Everyone raised their glasses and drank it all.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yang Quan, the prefect of Mayi, stepped forward and introduced the local powerful figures to the crown prince one by one.

The first one is Zhang Tong.

This man served as the governor of Mayi during the Tuoba Xianbei era, and later became the prefectural assistant. Such a change in status must have made him dissatisfied, but he was already quite old, his ambitions had faded, and now he only wanted to plan for his descendants.

After hearing the introduction, Shao Jin said, "Since your son is literate and can do arithmetic, he is suitable to serve as a clerk in the Crown Prince's Palace. But I wonder if you would be willing to give him up?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tong was overjoyed and exclaimed repeatedly, "That's my son's good fortune! I'm willing to give it up!"

The position of registrar is a minor official post, not a full-fledged official position. But can the registrar of the Crown Prince's Palace be treated the same as the registrar of a prefecture or county? This is truly a matter of fate.

The others were filled with envy and even anticipation after hearing this.

Yang Quan then began introducing the Xu family.

“Your family has served the border region for many years and has made great contributions,” Shao Jin said. “Moreover, you are from a distinguished family with a long tradition of scholarship. Why not study at the Imperial Academy? It would be a good path for you in the future.”

When he said this, he was obviously referring to granting the Xu family's children a place in the academy. This wouldn't even require asking the emperor; his influence alone could easily make it happen. However, for the Xu family, a wealthy clan in Mayi County, it was incredibly difficult. Therefore, after the crown prince made the promise, they were extremely grateful—in the Wei and Jin dynasties, this wouldn't have been anything special, but in the current dynasty, students of the Imperial Academy could indeed become officials.

After Xu Shi stepped down, Yang Quan introduced the Su family—this was the branch of Su Kun, the son of Su Zhongshun.

After listening, Shao Jin toasted Su Kun with a cup of wine and said, "You have registered your own people as commoners and responded to the great policies of the court. It is truly a waste of your talents to be a mere Yin Guan magistrate."

Su Kun remained calm and composed, showing no sign of being surprised by honor or disgrace, and simply said, "The court has given an order, and we should obey it."

Shao Jin nodded, put down his wine cup, and sighed, "Truly a loyal minister."

Aside from that one sentence, there were no other words, but Su Kun knew in his heart that he could finally step down from his position as the Yin Guan Ling after so many years and would definitely be able to move up a rank.

The emperor didn't send the crown prince here for nothing; he sent him to bestow favors. Since he was bestowing favors, he needed to grant the crown prince certain authority, and even if he didn't have it at the moment, he would implement it upon returning home.

There's no need to rush this; just wait patiently.

After the Su family came the Tian family…

Yang Quan introduced them one by one, and the Crown Prince comforted them one by one, just as his father had done in the past. However, his father had high prestige, so he could win people over with a little effort, and even without giving them any benefits, he could still make people work for him. But he could not do that; he needed to give them real benefits to win their hearts.

The four counties of Mayi are actually quite important. They are adjacent to Pingcheng and Shengle, and backed by Yanmen Pass and Ningwu Pass. Their agricultural conditions are relatively good, and they are an important supply base for grain, horses, soldiers and weapons for the rear of the frontier.

This prefecture has more than 12000 households and more than 49400 people. Most of the population is controlled by powerful clans. The court surveyed the land here, but not completely. In fact, it only investigated the number of households and land in the four counties to facilitate tax collection. However, it tacitly approved the powerful clans' ownership of land and people and did not touch their privileges. After all, many people had transitioned from the tribal era, and the Dai Kingdom had just been annexed. The court did not want to cause trouble and prioritized stability.

Yuan Zhen sat beside Shao Jin, eating and drinking heartily, occasionally interjecting a word or two. But no one ignored this young man, because he was the rightful master of the four counties of Liangcheng, and his mother was from the Wang clan of Guangning. In this place where the descendants of Wuhuan were the majority, Yuan Zhen's status was much more noble than imagined. By the time of the Former Jin Dynasty, the Wuhuan had formed major surnames such as Wang, Qi, and Su. After a period of struggle, the Wang clan had become the undisputed first family among the Wuhuan people. Now they even wanted to "recreate" their genealogy and attach themselves to the Wang clan of Taiyuan or Qixian, claiming to be their branch. The reason was simple: the Wang clan of Taiyuan was almost destroyed, making it a perfect "shell" for them.

Shao Jin also noticed this.

In his mind, Yuanzhen's importance had risen significantly once again. His father had not done so without reason, allowing them to travel together.

I wonder if we can find a way to influence Yuanzhen's marriage and make their relationship closer...

On April 25, Shao Jin arrived in Mayi County. After staying for three days, he turned northeast and entered the territory of Yunzhong County.

At this time, he had already met the first batch of foreign soldiers who had been summoned by imperial decree: five hundred soldiers from the Buyeo Kingdom.

Upon seeing this force, he instinctively felt that the military machine of the Great Liang Dynasty was slowly roaring again.

(End of this chapter)