Chinese New Year

Chapter 1426 Gossip
Compared to my last visit to Wenxi, there were far fewer people in the Pei family's old residence in Hedong; most of them had moved out.

The little girl named "Zi Gu" who was by Pei Lingyan's side actually slipped away, apparently to see her parents. She directly asked Shao Xun for instructions, which infuriated Gong Zheng, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Shao Xun smiled and agreed.

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl was full of vigor, just like Zhuge Wenbao, and often made Shao Xun laugh heartily, making him feel that he was not so old.

Shao Xun didn't have much contact with the Pei family. Although these younger members kept crowding around him, Shao Xun only casually tested their knowledge and asked them some questions about military strategy, politics, and ideology. He recruited two or three of the younger generation into the court, giving them only minor official positions of the eighth or ninth rank, without any special favors or rewards.

With the passing of the older generation, even the bonds between relatives have weakened, and things can no longer be the same as before. Last October, Grand Commandant Pei He passed away at his private residence. He was the last member of the Pei clan to share a "common memory" with Shao Xun, as the two had worked together during the Kaocheng government period.

Pei Lingyan was deeply respected by the Pei clan, who also hoped she would bring benefits to the family. However, she didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it and only offered general assistance.

Lady Pei provided assistance to Prince Zhao Xu, offering advice at the emperor's side and seeking benefits for the Pei family. It was essentially an exchange of equal value, only lubricated by kinship—in fact, most of the time she didn't even need to speak.

“Most of the clansmen have gone to Jingzhou.” Outside the familiar bamboo forest, Pei Lingyan said softly, “The most people have settled in Wuchang, followed by Baling and Wuxing. The latter two were probably connected by Nian Liu. The main branch of the Shen clan is in Wuxing, but there are also many clansmen in Baling.”

At this point, she chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Once a son grows up, he's no longer under his mother's control. Liu and the Pei family have a closer connection than I do, and there are some things I can't know in advance."

"The Shen family is still in Baling?" Shao Xun was somewhat surprised.

He remembered that an imperial edict had been issued allowing the Shen clan members who had migrated to Baling to return to their hometown, but he never expected that they would not leave.

“When we first went there, there were thousands of people. Over the years, the cost of clearing the land has been paid, and now that houses have been built and rice fields have yielded a bumper harvest, it’s not so easy to leave,” Pei Lingyan said. “Not only did they not leave, but some people even brought their families from Wuxing. The Shen family is now the most powerful family in Baling County.”

Shao Xun nodded.

Baling is Yueyang. At the end of the Jin Dynasty, Xiangzhou was briefly established, which governed eight prefectures, but Baling was not among them. Later, during the Tang Dynasty, the Wuchang Military Governor was established, which governed Yuezhou. The Jingnan Military Governor did not govern this area. Until the Five Dynasties period, Yuezhou was seized by Liu Jianfeng and Ma Yin. From then on, Yueyang belonged to Hunan with very little change, which is quite an unusual event.

This is a good place, provided it is developed.

As things stand, it's not very good. Not only are there swamps everywhere, but the lakes vary greatly in size, have large and powerful overflow areas, and are prone to frequent floods, indicating a severe lack of local water infrastructure and a very low level of development.

My eldest nephew, Shao Shen, built a manor in Baling, expanding it by 300 hectares in one go. It is said that only 70 or 80 hectares were developed, and he settled 300 or 400 households of farmhands that he had gathered from who-knows-where.

A batch of rice was once sent back to Bianliang from the north. Shao Xun still remembers his sister-in-law's proud expression, as if she were saying that her son had made something of himself, sending his mother rice from the south.

It's a pity that my sister-in-law has passed away. She must have had a very happy time in the last days of her life. Her son and daughter were both doing well, her daughter-in-law was filial, and she was surrounded by her grandchildren. She didn't have too many regrets.

The Shen clan's settlement was not far from Shao Shen Manor, both located in Baling County on the shore of Dongting Lake, while the Pei clan lived in the southern part of Baling County, near Luo County.

If these three families can operate well in the local area and establish themselves there for generations, Baling County will definitely see a great change, and people won't have to live like savages watching crocodiles bare their teeth anymore.

“After this summer harvest, a group of people may go to Jiangling.” Pei Lingyan added, “Although Jiangxia, Jingling, and the three southern prefectures are north of the river, they are places you said are not for farming. They are probably going there to run a business and also to manage farmland.”

Shao Xun hummed in agreement. They were begging people to develop Yunmengze, so of course they weren't going to cultivate the land.

Over the long term, this organized, estate-style development is indeed highly efficient and low-cost. It doesn't actively prevent people from moving south; in fact, it encourages them to do so.

The more vacant land there is in the north, the more room there is for future development. Conversely, if the infrastructure in the south is improved, and the population in the north increases significantly in the future, those who are willing to move south will have a way to survive, even if they work as farm laborers, instead of struggling to clear land only to starve to death halfway through.

Thinking further, if the northern lands were to be invaded by the Hu people in a large-scale invasion and could not be resisted, the strength of the south would have greatly increased, and it would not be atomized, leaving the people with nothing to plunder and unable to sustain their war effort. In addition, with the advantage of the navy, it might not be impossible for them to maintain half of the country.

"Are the people who go there able to adapt to the climate?" Shao Xun asked.

“It’s not easy to adapt. Many people are sick, and even those who don’t die from the disease probably have their lifespans shortened,” Pei Lingyan said. “This generation is definitely like this, but the next generation should be much better.”

After saying that, she glanced at Shao Xun and said, "In fact, many people resent you for this matter."

Shao Xun laughed heartily. How could he not know?

Who would want to go south if they could stay in the north? It's only because they couldn't defeat him in the north that they had no choice but to move south. Moreover, the southern natives and they couldn't get along for the time being and couldn't unite to fight against the imperial court, so things were generally peaceful.

But Shao Xun was a man who had been through thick and thin; how could he not know the undercurrents hidden beneath the calm surface? It's just that as long as he was alive, no one dared to act rashly, and the longer he lived, the more undercurrents would dissipate.

As the older generation has mostly passed away and the new generation born in the south gradually grows up, if you ask them where their hometown is, they will tell you that Hedong, Langya, Taishan, Yingchuan, Qinghe, and other places are their hometowns, but in reality, they are quite clueless.

I grew up in the water towns of Jiangnan, accustomed to the misty rain of Wu and Yue, more skilled at boating than riding horses, and ate more rice than millet...

Their childhood memories are different from those of their parents and grandparents, so they might not be willing to move back to the north when the time comes.

So-called resentment will gradually fade away within one or two generations.

"Has anyone gone somewhere else?" Shao Xun asked.

“Yes,” Pei Lingyan said. “Do you remember Blind Dong Wu? He passed away last year. More than ten of his children and grandchildren took their troops to Dunhuang.” “It was him.” Shao Xun exclaimed. “He was a very brave man back then, as good as the Xue family. He was a tough guy.”

“They were ostracized in Hedong and Pingyang, and if they hadn’t been tough, they would have been devoured long ago,” Pei Lingyan said. “The name Shu Xue is still used today.”

Shao Xun nodded.

Whether a person is strong or not is actually closely related to their environment.

When the Xue family was forced to move out of Shu, they were certainly not weak, but the three tribes they controlled were not particularly strong either. Who would have thought that they would become a powerful clan that dominated the Northern and Southern Dynasties for hundreds of years? Even King Fu treated them with great respect. In the Tang Dynasty, the Xue family still had fierce generals, which was quite impressive.

Shao Xun relocated powerful clans from Jiangdong, such as the Yu and Xu families, to Gaochang. He heard that after initially struggling to adapt, they were gradually becoming "wild" and couldn't survive otherwise.

The large-scale migrations and exiles since the Han and Wei dynasties, often involving thousands or even tens of thousands of families, have created countless bizarre stories.

“After the Marquis of Fu’s family was scattered,” Pei Lingyan continued, “I heard from my uncle that the sons fought and poisoned each other, which was really outrageous. They were all thrown into prison and punished one by one. The surviving people were either registered as ordinary citizens or those who participated were exiled to malaria-ridden areas.”

This was the first time Shao Xun had heard of it. After all, his subordinates wouldn't report every trivial matter to him; most likely, the matter would be handled by the Prime Minister or the Council of State.

"What about the Xiongnu in Hedong?"

“Most of them no longer resemble the Xiongnu,” Pei Lingyan said. “Actually, there were Xiongnu tribes near Wenxi, surnamed Wang. I heard about them when I was a child. I just asked and learned that they have all dispersed.”

"Dead? Or did they scatter?"

"They've been registered as households."

"Good thing." Shao Xun laughed: "During the Later Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu royal court was actually set up in Lishi, which is really outrageous. I can say that I have set things right for the world."

"The situation in Pingyang isn't as optimistic, but it's definitely better than in previous years."

"Oh? Is it because the imperial court has been effective in its governance?"

“The Fen River is really good; it’s perfect for farming,” Pei Lingyan said with a light laugh as she glanced at him.

Shao Xun also smiled and said, "Hua Nu, you've said more today than in the past six months combined. Is it because of me—"

“Yes, it’s because of you, only because of you, absolutely because of you,” Pei Lingyan said with a smile.

Shao Xun nodded repeatedly, shamelessly.

After walking around the bamboo garden, the two arrived at the front of the Pei family's old residence.

Since its rise to prominence during the chaos caused by Li Jue and Guo Si at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Pei family has remained rooted here for over 140 years. Through vigorous management, they have become a prominent family, renowned throughout several prefectures.

In times of peace and prosperity, guests flock to the door.

In years of great chaos, he would carry a sword and a bow.

No matter how the regime changed, the Pei family remained steadfast.

A separatist regime facing external enemies is generally difficult to deal with, because the cost of ruthless suppression is too high, and it might give the opponent an opportunity to exploit the situation. If you also appoint their sons or brothers to official positions, it becomes even more difficult to take action.

Only by eliminating all external threats and establishing a unified dynasty whose ruling foundation is not entirely composed of powerful clans can these old families be substantially harmed and instilled fear in them.

Shao Xun understood this principle deeply, which is why he only started to clean up places like Langya and Taishan where aristocratic families were concentrated.

Isn't this just another way of slowly boiling a frog?
When he was clearing out counties where the aristocratic families were few and far between, you didn't say anything and thought it was only right.

Later, when you were clearing out counties with some powerful clans, you hesitated and dared not turn against them.

Now, it's too late to turn against each other.

Of course, Shao also left a way out for Jiangnan: let's all be patient for the sake of the country and not make things too ugly. He wanted to let time wear down the meritorious officials, so that everyone could save face. He would gain a good reputation for not killing meritorious officials, and you would all have a peaceful end. That's all.

"Where else do you want to go?" Shao Xun asked softly.

"Where do you want to go?" Pei Lingyan said.

Shao Xun laughed and said, "Indeed. The Western Regions are not worth my personal inspection. You stay here for a couple of days."

(End of this chapter)