Chinese New Year

Chapter 1465: Force the King
Shao Jin did not return to Green Willow Garden immediately, but changed his mind at the last minute and arrived in Chen County in early May to inspect the place where his father had made his fortune.

Needless to say, most of the shogunate's officials and subordinates also followed.

Considering the hard work of the past period, the Crown Prince granted everyone a three-day holiday to rest by the Suiyang Canal.

Xie An made a special trip back to Yangxia, bringing along his new friend Huan Chong.

There are actually Xie family members in Yangxia, but almost none of them know Xie An. After all, most of the Xie family members went to Jiangdong back then, and those who stayed behind have not been in contact for many years, so their relationship is very distant.

After exchanging pleasantries about their family ties, they learned that he was Xie Pou's son. Finally, a few elderly people remembered him and came forward to entertain Xie An and arrange accommodations for him.

As dusk fell, Xie An left his temporary residence and went to the banks of the Suiyang Canal, where he seemed somewhat silent.

Huan Chong followed behind him and said softly, "Anshi, why do you have to do this? Years ago, when my elder brother returned to Qiao County, no one lived in the old house. When we finally found some relatives, they didn't give us a good look when they heard that he had returned from Jiangdong. They all said that the Wu soldiers had looted too much."

Xie An chuckled, turned to Huan Chong, and said, "I observe that this canal flows ceaselessly, day and night. But do the rocks and vegetation along its banks recognize this water?"

Huan Chong shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Xie An nodded and said, "The changing of the guard among people is just like that. My heart is like still water; what ripples could it possibly have?"

Huan Chong was exasperated again. Xie Anshi, you're such a good actor! Your disappointment is written all over your face.

“Yesterday, Lord Yu summoned me, and we talked happily for half a day. His rise to power is not far off, so there’s really no need to worry too much about these things,” Huan Chong said. “I just don’t know what you think, Anshi. The Xie family of Chen Commandery and the Yu family of Yanling are not far away…”

As she said this, she kept glancing at Xie An, observing his expression.

Upon hearing this, Xie An flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and walked slowly along the riverbank in his wooden clogs, saying, "As long as I see green mountains in my eyes, I will walk towards them."

"Anshi, what do you mean by this? Does it mean you've agreed?" Huan Chong asked.

Xie An smiled but said nothing.

Huan Chong is only fifteen years old, and he's not very shrewd. I kind of want to hit him and teach him a lesson for pretending!

"Youngest son (Huan Chong), have you ever heard of the Yuanchu bird?" The evening breeze gradually picked up, and Xie An stopped at just the right moment, standing against the wind, feeling as if he were floating on air.

"But is it the phoenix mentioned in the story of 'Huizi becoming prime minister of Liang'?" Huan Chong asked hesitantly.

"Indeed." Xie An nodded and said, "The phoenix rises from the South Sea and flies to the North Sea; it will not perch on anything but the parasol tree, nor eat anything but the fruit of the bamboo, nor drink anything but the sweet spring..."

Huan Chong was listening intently when Xie An abruptly stopped speaking, leaving no further comment.

"What are you thinking about?" Xie An turned to look at him and smiled. "Let's go back. I'm hungry again after walking around. Let's bake some flatbread and we can each have half."

Huan Chong was speechless.

Xie An had been acting like a superior person just moments before, but now he'd lowered his tone, leaving everyone bewildered. At the same time, they were filled with admiration, for Xie An's ability to control himself so effortlessly was something they couldn't match.

In front of the Crown Prince, he generally presented himself as a refined and virtuous gentleman.

In front of those he spends every day with, he appears as an ordinary person who gambles even when playing chess.

I admire you. I really admire you!

The two then went home one after the other.

As he walked, Huan Chong kept pondering those words. When he was almost at the courtyard, it was as if a thunderbolt struck him – he had finally understood!

Xie Anshi said that although he "started from the South China Sea" and then had to "fly to the North China Sea", he "would not stop except at the Wutong tree". Combined with his statement "the green mountains are in sight", the meaning is obvious: he only wants to rely on the Crown Prince, and only the Crown Prince is worthy of his reliance.

This guy is really arrogant!
Huan Chong pondered this, then hesitated, wondering whether he should tell Lord Yu the exact words. To be fair, he and Xie Anshi had gotten along well recently and had a good relationship; he couldn't afford to put him in such a difficult position. But what should he say if Lord Yu asked? It was a real dilemma.

However, since Xie Anshi dared to say that to his face, he clearly didn't care much...

Silent all night.

The next day, Xie An went to the banks of the Suiyang Canal again and carefully observed the scenery on both sides.

Huan Chong yawned and asked, "Anshi, are you checking on the growth of the winter wheat?"

He didn't sleep well last night, tossing and turning for a long time before finally dozing off in the middle of the night, and he's still a little sleepy now.

"The wheat turns green and yellow year after year. The fields wax and wane, varying from generation to generation. These were originally Xie family lands, but were distributed to displaced people many years ago." As he spoke, Xie An straightened a fallen ear of wheat and continued, "What I observe is not the abundance or scarcity of the ears, but the way the wind blows through the wheat fields—which ears lie down? Which rise? Which turn to dust?"

At this point, he looked at Huan Chong and asked, "Young man, I have heard many complaints recently. Since Lord Yu returned, many people have been looking for him. Even the Xie family of Chen Commandery, upon hearing that the land registers since the Tai Shi era are to be cleared up, are full of grievances. You—you should take care of yourself."

After saying that, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, we'll return to Chen County today."

Huan Chong hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
When the two returned to Chen County, the Crown Prince was inspecting both banks of the Suiyang Canal.

Most of the older generation of refugees resettled by Shao Xun have passed away, but the deeds of "Master Chen" are still being spread far and wide.

Upon hearing that "Lord Chen's" eldest son had arrived, the people of Chen County flocked to watch, which greatly shocked Shao Jin.

"My father has been gathering and resettling refugees for over thirty years, and I never expected his legacy to continue," he said with emotion.

“Your Highness, the Imperial Guards have recruited soldiers in Chen County several times. Their loyalty and bravery are unparalleled in the world,” said Supervisor Yuan Xi from the side. “Now Your Highness is distributing land to various prefectures throughout the land, and the people are all grateful. If this continues, not only will the treasury be full, but the people will also be able to form an army, and they will all be willing to fight to the death for Your Highness.”

Shao Jin nodded slowly; he had already witnessed such things before.

Previously, when he cleared some land in Yingchuan, he prioritized allocating it to the remaining soldiers of the Left Valiant Cavalry Guard and the Left Golden Guard. Immediately, tens of thousands of families in the two guards erupted in cheers, and even those who hadn't received land were overjoyed, for they saw hope.

This was actually one of the reasons why his father sent him to Dutian: to bestow favors. His father was indeed paving the way for him step by step.

A fleet of boats appeared on the river not far away.

Looking around, Shao Jin saw about a dozen boats, all fully loaded and with deep drafts.

“In May and June, the number of ships heading south is the largest. Merchants, laden with northern goods, travel south in a long line.” Lu Shang, the military advisor of the Ministry of Revenue, explained softly, “By July and August, the number of ships heading south from the Ministry of Revenue’s headquarters will increase significantly, with many heading to Huainan to prepare for the autumn harvest.”

Shao Jin then remembered that many civilian settlements had been set up in Huainan, spread across the seven prefectures, and asked, "There should be more than 40,000 civilian settlements in Huainan, what is the situation now?"

"Your Highness, most people are now able to support themselves," Lu Shang said. "However, the Emperor has decreed that they cannot be registered as commoners for several years, and it is still necessary to change customs and traditions."

“Changing customs and habits requires schools,” Shao Jin said. “When I came to Chen County, I saw more than ten official and private schools, but I don’t know how many schools have been established in the rural settlements of Huainan.”

"This year, we will open our seventh facility, which will enroll several hundred children from various Hu tribes," Lu Shang said.

“Too few.” Shao Jin waved his hand and said, “When I inspect Huainan, I will take a good look at why it is so difficult to run a school.”

"The affairs in the north are numerous and require Your Highness's overall oversight. As for the land survey in Huainan, it can be handled by your subordinates," Lu Shang advised.

Shao Jin remained silent for a moment, then nodded, which was taken as an agreement.

There's no other reason than that Huainan isn't developed enough, so there's no need to take risks; it's just that it's inconvenient to say this openly.

However, I recently heard Shao Zi, a military officer in the shogunate, mention that Huainan is full of fertile land and rice and wheat rotation, which will surely make it a "land of abundance". So I became very interested in this place. Shao Zi came from the Shao family of Liyang, a minor local gentry. Because his surname was Shao, he took the initiative to offer his services and try his luck. Shao Jin saw him and was very friendly, and directly selected him as a military officer.

Shao Jin was well aware that the harvest from rice-wheat rotation was far superior to that of one harvest a year or three harvests every two years. Moreover, Huainan was located north of the Yangtze River, had a large number of military and civilian settlements, and was easily accessible. If managed properly, resources could be continuously supplied to Bianliang and Luoyang, making it a major source of revenue directly under the imperial court.

He's made sure he remembers this place.

"Where are the tens of thousands of Tuoba Xianbei we captured last time?" he suddenly remembered something and asked.

"As Your Majesty wishes, the Xianbei and Goguryeo people who are working on the Hutuo River this year will be sent to Xuzhou and Huainan in batches to become part of the Fubing (military) retinue." Lu Shang replied, "There are forty to fifty thousand Tufa Xianbei people. One group has already been sent to Xuzhou to dredge the river and build up the fields. The other group is still in the hands of the Shaofu (Imperial Household Department) and will soon be sent to Hebei to continue working on the Baigou River and the Hutuo River."

Shao Jin nodded.

This was before the Xianbei and Goguryeo people in Hebei were managing the Hutuo River; it was his suggestion that they were doing the same in Bingzhou. After its completion, the soldiers and civilians of Yanmen and Xinxing counties were overjoyed and praised his virtue.

Considering that this group of people had already repaired the Han Canal in Guangling, gradually incorporating them into the Fubing Regiment was actually a relief and a reward—Mao couldn't just take advantage of one person.

After Tuoba Tuijin and his family were imprisoned and beheaded in Luoyang, the Tuoba Xianbei force was wiped out. The remaining people were forcibly relocated eastward to replace the Murong Xianbei and Goguryeo people as laborers, working on various river management projects.

Undoubtedly, the mortality rate was very high, and those who survived were emaciated, as if they had lost all life. After being transferred to the Fubing Buqu (a type of military unit), life would be a little better; it was a kind of relief.

In addition, he was very satisfied with Lu Shang, who answered all his questions with insightful and meaningful answers, clearly demonstrating his erudition.

This man is considered an old man, born into the Lu clan of Fufeng, who existed during the Qin Dynasty. He wasn't particularly valued before, but after being summoned to the Futian Encouragement Office, he has demonstrated his practical talents.

To be honest, we really saw a lot of talented people this time, especially Xie Anshi.

Grand Tutor Song said that he was a figure similar to Wang Dao, who might not be very good at handling specific administrative affairs, but they often had a wide circle of friends and were able to bridge differences and unite the majority of people.

Being able to get things done is a skill, and being able to unite people is also a skill. If used in the right place, it can have amazing effects and even make someone a trusted advisor.

Shao Jin felt that Song Qian was overpraising Xie An, after all, Xie An was only in his twenties. However, he personally had a good impression of Xie An and was prepared to give him a chance and observe him over the long term.

At the end of May, Shao Jin returned to Xiangcheng.

As the land survey in Yuzhou and its surrounding counties progressed, a variety of issues arose. The legal officials, military officials, bandit officials, and the left and right military commanders were extremely busy. All the matters that occurred during the land survey were compiled into a book and sent to Luoyang every ten days for Shao Xun to review.

(End of this chapter)