Chinese New Year

Chapter 1418 The Path to Advancement
What Shao Jin did in Yunzhong was exactly the same as what he did in Mayi.

In the well-organized and tightly structured counties of Taiyuan, Xinxing, and Yanmen, the main methods of distribution were monetary rewards, water conservancy projects, and the promotion of education, which were also recognized by the locals.

However, in counties such as Kelan, Mayi, and Yunzhong, due to the prevalence of Hu chieftains and local powerful figures, the main approach was to win over the local leaders.

The changes in his methods stemmed from his own insights as well as reminders from others, and now they have all become part of his own understanding.

On the fifth day of the fifth month, after inspecting Kelan, Lu Shang and Yu Ze went to Xihe for a round trip, and then went north to Pingcheng to report.

"The two prefectures of Kelan and Xihe have benefited from the large clans that the emperor moved there years ago. They have established private schools and formed marriage alliances with Hu chieftains, which has greatly improved the social atmosphere." Yu Ze, the steward, spoke eloquently: "Many Hu chieftains admire the Chinese culture. As long as they have the resources, they send their children to school. It's not that they want to take the exams to become officials. Those people are not worthy. It's good enough if they can pass one classic. Those who pass two classics can be said to have their ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke. Those who pass three classics are extremely rare. In any case, in Kelan Prefecture, only a certain young man from the Qiao family has passed them."

After listening, Shao Jin had only one feeling: these Hu people were just as bad at reading as the local soldiers.

This raises the question of whether or not to leave opportunities for non-Han and military people to obtain official positions in addition to education.

Therefore, the system of selecting filial and incorruptible officials and recommending outstanding talents cannot be abolished in the short term, especially in border counties and states such as Kelan, Mayi, Yunzhong, Liangcheng, Dai, and Guangning, where only one filial and incorruptible official can be selected per year based on the number of households. If even this is abolished, it would truly leave no way for people to survive.

The chieftains of the Hu people, the powerful Han people, and the sons of the military towns in the border counties were already responsible for guarding the border, so it was normal to give them some preferential treatment.

Shao Jin silently calculated. Besides the recommendation system, there was also the hereditary system for entering officialdom, but this required the father and grandfather to hold high-ranking positions, make great contributions, or die in the line of duty, etc., in order to have a chance to compete for a quota for their sons and nephews to enter officialdom.

Next came the military achievements.

This is the toughest and most unassailable offer; not only is there a possibility of being granted a fief, but also the possibility of being recommended by the Ministry of Personnel for official appointment due to merit.

If you think about it carefully, there aren't actually that many channels.

Shao Jin suddenly remembered that he had once asked his father why officials were not selected entirely by examination of the classics? This would be most beneficial to the imperial power.

The father remained silent for a long time before finally saying that it was neither possible nor appropriate to do so now.

I didn't quite understand it before, but now I have a vague sense of it.

"What schools do the sons of the chieftains and nobles of Xihe and Kelan counties attend?" he asked.

Yu Ze recalled for a moment and said, "If there was an opportunity, they would usually be sent to a private school run by a scholar they knew. If they didn't have connections, they would go to the county school. Private schools taught better than county schools; the difference was huge."

Shao Jin, Yuan Dan, Cui Tao, Yao Yisheng, Jing Bo, and others exchanged glances.

They had previously inspected schools in Pingcheng. The most famous one was founded when Zhuge Xian was alive, and now it is taught by his descendants. The number of students has expanded to one hundred, and its level is comparable to, but far superior to, the official schools.

"Has Chief Hu made any progress after reading the book?" Shao Jin asked again.

"The most prominent family in Kelan County is the Liu family, which is the lineage of Liu Zhao, the son of Liu Gong, the Grand Councilor, and the Prefect of Kelan," Yu Ze said. "Besides the Liu family, the most famous is the Qiao family of the Xiongnu. Below the Qiao family are the Xiongnu King, Liu, Lan..."

Yu Ze spoke at length, implying that these families had already undergone a certain degree of Sinicization during the Liu Han period, and this assimilation had deepened considerably since then. Many distant relatives, seeing the situation of the main lineage, subconsciously followed suit, and they in turn influenced other dependents.

In short, it's a case of something blossoming in one center and gradually spreading outwards.

“It has only been a little over ten years now, but in another twenty years, things may change drastically again,” Yu Ze said. “I believe we should build more schools, and it would be best to force the children of the Hu chieftains to attend school, so as to accelerate the transformation of customs and traditions.”

Shao Jin nodded slightly.

He remembered a saying his father had given him: changing customs and traditions is a long process, and it is crucial not to be interrupted along the way.

He believed this statement and felt even more strongly that stability in the northern border region should be maintained.

"Your Highness..." Lu Shang stepped forward and bowed after Yu Ze finished asking the questions.

"No rush, let's eat first," Shao Jin waved his hand and smiled.

******
After enjoying the delicacies sent by Wang Chang, the governor of Yunzhong, everyone drank tea and rinsed their mouths.

"The military market in the east of the city is open all year round, but it's mostly deserted. It's only bustling for about two months a year. I don't know what they're after. I went for a stroll yesterday, and a lot of people were playing dice, doing nothing." Yuan Dan put down his teacup, grinning slyly, clearly having won money again.

“There are fewer merchants from the Western Regions this year,” Lu Shang said. “It is said that a tribe has risen in the Western Regions and is robbing people everywhere, blocking trade routes.”

"Is it the Rouran?" Liu Da, the Right Guard Commander, said, "Actually, the Rouran are foolish. Robbery may bring in money quickly, but it's not as profitable as taking a steady, long-term cut."

“Yujiulu was originally a slave of the Tuoba family. What else can she do besides fighting and killing?” Yuan Dan said disdainfully. “Unless a clear-headed chief minister comes along later, the Pingcheng trade route is doomed.”

Shao Jin listened silently without interrupting. He had actually heard about this from Wang Chang. Although the Tuoba Dai Kingdom was gone, Pingcheng still had a large number of former nobles and dignitaries, and their strength and influence were real, making them the largest force in the area.

They were furious about the rise of the Rouran. First, they couldn't stand the fact that the former slaves had risen up, and second, the Rouran had cut off their trade routes across the grasslands, causing them to lose their interests. As a result, they wished they could gather their troops and wipe the Rouran out completely.

Unwittingly, Yujiulu had already offended many people.

"Alright, let's get back to what happened this morning." Shao Jin waved his hand and looked at Lu Shang.

Lu Shang's expression hardened, and he said, "Your Highness, my main task is to investigate the household registration and farming practices of the people. After more than ten years of effort, the tribes scattered in the mountains of Kelan and Xihe counties have been largely registered. The household registration may not be entirely accurate, but at least we have a record. Among these tribes, at least half have allocated land, built houses, and farmed in the valleys outside the mountains. I have interviewed many people and learned that most of them have been living outside the mountains. Many know about the court, and few are not influenced by the king's rule. From the county magistrate down, the officials in Kelan and other counties have been strict and have been inspecting the area frequently. As a result, the prestige of the clan leaders and tribal chiefs has been declining, and the social atmosphere has greatly improved."

"For the other half of the tribes that did not live outside the mountains, the counties also sent people to demarcate the mountain peaks, find flat land in the mountains for them, distribute seeds and farming tools, and teach them how to cultivate the land. After several years, some of them migrated and remained, but many others settled down. However, these people are fierce, barbaric, ignorant and unyielding, and it will take time to subdue them."

At this point, the conversation had largely ended, but Lu Shang thought for a moment and added, "If there is any trouble in the country in the future, officials can be sent to the western borders of Xihe, Kelan, and even Taiyuan and Pingyang counties to recruit soldiers. After more than a year of training, they will be a fighting army."

Shao Jin nodded repeatedly as he listened.

When he was in Taiyuan, he asked Shao Jie, "Besides the local militia, who are the most capable fighters in the various prefectures of Bingzhou?"

He said that the Xianbei people were generally more capable in combat, but there were also outstanding individuals among the other Hu people. He specifically mentioned the Shilou Mountain Hu people, who lived at the border of Kelan and Xihe counties. This was a group of people who were a mixture of Han, Xiongnu, Di, Qiang, and even some Jie and Bai Xianbei.

Shao Jin had no idea about these things before, but after coming out, he learned a lot. He secretly thought that he could send people to the Lüliang Mountains to recruit poor mountain people, train them into an army, and see how strong they were.

He now felt a strange affection for Bingzhou, finding everything there wonderful, regardless of whether they were Han or non-Han. Although he knew this feeling was somewhat inappropriate, people still had their degrees of closeness or distance, and it was normal to feel more favorably towards Bingzhou, a place he had visited twice.

“I have heard that there are quite a few households in the seven counties of Kelan, and many people have not actually received much land at the foot of the mountain. It is not ideal for so many people to gather together. Perhaps we could move them from the narrow villages to the wider ones.” Shao Jin instructed, “You can write a memorial to request the Emperor’s approval.”

“Yes,” Yuan Dan replied readily.

“I’ve already seen Gaoliu Town. Tomorrow I’ll go to Xuanhong Pond for an inspection, and then—” He looked at Yuan Zhen, who had been sitting silently beside him, and smiled, “I’ll go to Liangcheng for a look.”

******
Xuanhong Pond is different from before.

Since Duan Wenyang passed away from illness several years ago, his two sons have entered the court, and one son has taken control of his former subordinates.

After the Dai Kingdom abolished the feudal system and established prefectures, this tribe was incorporated into the common people, which caused a minor disturbance, but it was later quelled. For this kind of long-term managed Tibetan tribe, the Shanyu Prefecture did not even send out a large army, but resolved the issue peacefully.

After completing his inspection, Shao Jin did not head west from Xuanhongchi via Canhebei to Liangcheng. Instead, he returned south, traveling west along the Wuzhou River, and arrived at Wuzhou Town on May 15th, where he stayed for two days.

Over two days, the Left and Right Guards of the Eastern Palace, the Left Battalion of the Black Spear Guard, and the garrison troops held a military drill.

Shao Jin was not completely ignorant of military affairs. In his opinion, the Wu Zhou garrison troops were more elite than the Left and Right Guards of the Eastern Palace. If they were to actually fight, the Eastern Palace Guards could probably grit their teeth and hold out for a while, but would eventually be defeated.

However, the Black Spear Left Battalion was different. When they were practicing military drills, their orders were strictly enforced, their killing intent was overwhelming, and their formations changed rapidly, making it difficult for the Wuzhou garrison troops to cope.

At this point, he had to consider a question: If even the Imperial Guards were to fall into depravity in the future, and were still able to fight as well as they were now, wouldn't that be a case of prioritizing external forces over internal ones, and turning the tables on the powerful?

Fortunately, the generals of Gao Liu and Wu Zhou were appointed officials, not hereditary ones; otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to sleep at night. But this situation is not ideal...

Of course, rebellion is not a simple matter; in fact, it is very difficult.

If it weren't for the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, who would be so bored as to start a rebellion?

For these border garrison soldiers, a combination of kindness and severity is necessary. The imperial court's authority is already sufficient. It is also necessary to give them small rewards from time to time and promote some generals to the capital.

In this way, it might improve the atmosphere in the court, making it less frivolous and more masculine—in short, giving people a path to advancement.

Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; it's not an easy task. Thinking of this, Shao Jin felt somewhat lost, as the recent shocks she had experienced had been quite significant, leaving her mind in disarray.

On May 20th, the army arrived in Liangcheng County and set up camp by the salt lake.

At this time, he received news that Zhao Xu, the governor of Shuozhou, was supervising agricultural affairs in Dingxiang County.

Without hesitation, he immediately sent someone west to invite his third brother to come here for a chat, but he quickly stopped the messenger.

After thinking it over, he decided to travel west himself, since his third brother was the governor and it was not appropriate for him to leave his jurisdiction without permission.

(End of this chapter)