Chinese New Year

Chapter 1462 Farewell and Preparations

After New Year's Day, all was peaceful.

Until mid-February, Shao Xun made a symbolic visit to Yanshi to help a family of imperial guards who were going to war to finish their spring plowing, and then sent his fourth son, Hutou, away from the capital.

Shao Yu now has over three hundred more people around him, mostly teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old, who are willing to go to Liaodong for various reasons.

The Imperial Household Department dispatched a considerable number of people and nearly a thousand oxcarts, loaded with all sorts of supplies.

The officials were counting the people on the side, while Shao Xun, Crown Prince Shao Jin, Prince Qi Shao Zhang, and Hu Tou walked slowly along the post road with smiles on their faces.

The atmosphere seemed good, but the truth remained to be seen.

Wang Huifeng didn't come to see her off. Perhaps because of Wang Jingfeng's passing, she was in a bad mood and fell ill in the winter, and has been bedridden recently.

Princess Shao Ni of Mayi, her husband Zhu Jing, along with Duke Shao Ke of Ba and his wife Madam He, lagged slightly behind, tacitly making way for Princess Liu of Qi and Princess Mi of Yan.

The road is long, but it will eventually come to an end.

After walking two or three miles, Shao Yu turned around, bowed, and said, "Father, elder brother, and sixth brother, I'll see you off here."

Shao Xun stopped and looked at the eastern horizon. He didn't say anything, but straightened his son's clothes and said, "When you get to Liaodong, don't overthink it. Just focus on governing the people and the army."

"Yes," Shao Yu replied softly.

"This year, Qingzhou will also transport 600,000 bushels of grain northward," Shao Xun said. "Can the eleven counties be self-sufficient?"

“Last year we were able to be largely self-sufficient, and if there are no major disasters this year, we will definitely be able to be self-sufficient,” Shao Yu replied.

“I was pretty sure about that,” Shao Xun said. “It’s been several years; we should have been self-sufficient by now.”

Shao Yu nodded and said, "It's true that my son is a little greedy. In recent years, he has vigorously reclaimed wasteland, built cities and houses, and even traded grain for livestock. Otherwise, we would have been self-sufficient last year."

"Do a good job." Shao Xun patted him on the shoulder and said, "The reclaimed wasteland will always pay off in the future. What are your plans for this year?"

"Repairing roads, dredging waterways, digging irrigation canals, and training soldiers are all part of the work," Shao Yu replied.

“Road construction is the right thing to do.” Shao Xun pondered for a moment and said, “Prioritize the construction of the post road from Xiuyan to Xiping. I have already sent a letter to Pingzhou, ordering the two prefectures of Lelang and Daifang to conscript people to build an official road leading to Yalu River. In the future, it will be connected to the road in Liaodong across the river.”

Shao Yu wasn't too surprised and nodded in agreement.

Prince Qi, Shao Zhang, glanced at his fourth brother and gestured with his eyes, seemingly indicating that they should contact each other again upon arriving in Pingzhou. As the governor, he could naturally mobilize the manpower and resources of the various prefectures in Pingzhou.

Seeing that his father said nothing more, Crown Prince Shao Jin stepped forward, took Shao Yu's hand and said, "Fourth brother, you are going to Liaodong, which is thousands of miles away. Please write to each other often to ease my longing."

Shao Yu nodded and said, "Sixth brother, stay with Grandpa."

"I will," Shao Jin said sincerely. "If Liaodong lacks anything, just send someone to ask for it. I will definitely send someone to purchase it and send it to Liaodong."

"Sixth Brother, you've gone to a lot of trouble." Shao Yu released the Crown Prince's hand and took seven or eight steps back.

"Brother." Shao Ni and Shao Ke came forward to greet him.

Shao Ni's eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

Shao Ke stepped forward, grasped Shao Yu's hand, and said, "Brother, I've made some money from trading over the years, so I'm sending you some gifts. Please don't refuse."

Shao Yu followed his ninth brother's gaze and saw dozens of mule carts approaching, loaded with silks and satins, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as books, incense, porcelain, medicinal herbs and other items. The carts were packed full, clearly indicating that they had gone to great lengths to acquire them.

He sighed softly, did not refuse, but only instructed, "Take good care of your aunt, I—may not be coming back."

"Okay." Shao Ke's voice was a little choked up.

Shao Yu spoke a few more words with Zhu Jing, then went to Princess Mi and said, "Have Jiahe go and say goodbye."

Lady Mi nodded and had her maid bring over the eight-year-old Crown Prince. The three of them then walked toward Shao Xun.

Shao Xun saw his grandson from afar, took a few steps closer, picked him up, and asked, "Why were you hiding from your grandfather just now?"

Jiahe wiped her eyes and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to part with my grandfather."

Upon hearing this, Shao Xun seemed somewhat dazed, then gently touched his grandson's face and said, "Grandpa is also reluctant to part with you. However—you have your own path to walk, and this separation is for your own good. Remember what Grandpa looks like, and never forget him."

Jiahe stared blankly at Shao Xun, looking very carefully, as if she really wanted to remember his appearance.

Feeling his grandson's sincere affection, Shao Xun simply picked him up and continued walking forward, saying, "I'll see you off one more time."

******
After seeing off his four sons, in early March, it was time for his eldest son, Jin Dao, to take up his post as the governor of Pingzhou.

Le Lanji's health has been pretty good these past two years. Actually, there's no other reason than that she has a good mindset.

When Shao Xun arrived at Jiafu Palace, Lady Le Lan personally picked some fresh flowers and placed them in a porcelain vase.

The study and bedroom were bright and clean, spotless, with all items arranged in an orderly manner.

The brocade, woven by hand, is adorned with lifelike depictions of flowers, birds, fish, and insects, and even includes scenes of ladies enjoying themselves under the moon. Anyone who sees it will surely praise it.

"So, Jin Dao is going to his post alone?" Le Lanji opened a window, letting in the bright spring sunlight, and asked.

Shao Xun glanced at his son and said, "It's just him."

“Mother, the children are still young, and the journey would be too tiring for them. Why don’t we let them stay in the capital and keep you company?” Shao Zhang said. Le Lanji nodded and then sat down in front of the father and son.

Her gaze was gentle, yet it gave the impression that she saw through everything.

The father and son looked at each other in bewilderment.

"How long will you stay in Pingzhou? One year? Two years? Or three years?" Le Lanji asked.

"Well, let him work for a year or two first," Shao Xun said. "Let him get to know the people and hone his skills. Once the treasury is full and the people are happy, then we can entrust him with important responsibilities."

"What do you need to prepare for the Yue family in Nanyang?" Yue Lanji asked again.

The father and son exchanged a surprised glance.

Shao Xun smiled helplessly and said, "No rush."

“Mother, you…” Shao Zhang lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.

Le Lanji sighed softly and said, "I am not Wang Jingfeng, who cares about nothing. Although I live in the palace, I still know some things. Jin Dao, it's good that you know what's going on. Your mother doesn't have many old friends left in Nanyang, so some things should be done sooner rather than later."

Of the three Le brothers, Le Kai is still alive and serves as the governor of Yanzhou, the third brother Le Mo is also alive and serves as the Minister of Agriculture, but the second brother Le Zhao has already passed away.

Considering the age of the Le Kai and Le Mo brothers, there are some things that should indeed be prepared for while they are still alive.

"Let's settle things in Jicheng for a year or two first." Seeing that Yue Lanji had spoken frankly, Shao Xun no longer concealed anything and said, "Nianliu has been in Gaochang for less than two years, and with war, pacification, land redistribution, and reclamation, things have been very busy. This year, we probably won't be able to support ourselves, and next year will be difficult too. Once things in the west are settled and everything is on track, then Jindao can go to his fiefdom. Lelang and Daifang counties can prepare in advance. In the next two years, we will conscript local people to repair the city, post roads, and coastal areas. I will also send some military students and imperial students eastward to establish schools and educate the local people. Once everything is in place, it won't be too late for Jindao to take up his fiefdom."

"Father, two years ago I sent someone to buy a piece of land in Liekou to build a manor and warehouse to facilitate trade. Can we send more people there this year?" Shao Zhang asked.

"Liekou? The place where Yang Pu landed during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han?" Shao Xun asked.

“Exactly,” Shao Zhang replied.

“You are the Prefect of Pingzhou, so you can make your own decisions. Besides, this is your private property, so you can manage it however you want,” Shao Xun said.

He knew that Liekou was the estuary of the Daedong River in later times, and belonged to Daifang Commandery. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, General Yang Pu led 7,000 troops to land here and attack Wiman Joseon.

For that era, it was actually a pretty good port. However, the danger of crossing the Yellow Sea to reach Donglai was far greater than the childish voyage from Donglai to Liaodong.

Whether this port can be effectively utilized is still a question.

"You can gradually close down the business you did in Youzhou within two years," Shao Xun said. "You can slowly exchange the money and silk you have for useful items. Otherwise, you'll suffer losses due to hasty purchases and soaring prices."

"I understand," Shao Zhang said.

"What's the business of your manor? Trading?" Shao Xun asked.

“Yes,” Shao Zhang replied, “It’s mainly used to store furs, pearls, seafood, medicinal herbs, gold dust, and wild goods. We collect them slowly throughout the year to avoid being overcharged. Once we’ve collected them all, we’ll transport them back to Youzhou.”

"How were they transported?"

"A small portion is transported by land, and the majority by sea. After the two ships sank, we switched to mostly land transport, with sea transport as a supplement," Shao Zhang said. "As soon as we switched from sea to land transport, we barely made any money. After thinking about it, I think we should stick to sea transport in the future."

"No farmland has been cultivated."

"More than ten hectares were cleared, and the harvest was only enough to feed the entire estate; little was left over."

"Who is farming?"

“Grandpa, my estate has about three hundred people, mostly the elderly, women and children, who are all family members of the caravan. They are the ones who cultivate the land,” Shao Zhang said. “The caravan has seventy people, all strong and healthy, whom I recruited in Hebei. They mainly go to the familiar Huimo tribes in the mountains to do business.”

The western coast of Lelang and Daifang counties is a plain, while the eastern part is a mountainous area. The Huimo people lived there in the form of tribes.

After thinking about it carefully, Shao Xun felt that Da Lang's manor looked like an armed colonial trading post.
Of course, this kid just wanted to do business, accumulate wealth, and prepare for his future fiefdom; he didn't have any deeper plans.

However, due to path dependence, he will most likely still open trading posts in the Erjun Mountain area in the future, collect local specialties, and sell them to the Central Plains to make money.

Whether this is good or bad, Shao Xun could hardly tell.

"While confronting the Huimo tribes with a large army and enticing them with goods, we must also promote education," Shao Xun said. "None of these approaches should be neglected."

"Yes." Shao Zhang nodded seriously.

Shao Xun pondered for a moment.

Historically, the Koreans also expended considerable effort to assimilate these tribes, with significant results. Overall, the Koreans were far more efficient than the Central Plains dynasties in assimilating "barbarians," likely because they were geographically closer, invested more effort, received greater government attention, and were able to adjust their policies promptly in response to feedback, thus achieving higher efficiency.

After Jin Dao takes up his post, assimilating the barbarians will certainly be his top priority. Hopefully, he can do it efficiently.

"Having lunch here?" Le Lanji's voice suddenly rang in my ears.

Shao Xun raised his head, somewhat hesitant.

Le Lanji stepped forward and took his arm.

"Alright." Shao Xun smiled and nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)