Chinese New Year

Chapter 1476 Ambassador of the Seven Counties
In late March, spring was in full bloom. Shao Xun summoned King Shao Gui of Chu to the Taiji Hall.

"Have the Han Canal and Sishui River been cleaned up?" Shao Xun asked.

"All have been completed. Dredging, clearing silt, widening and deepening, and straightening of bends have covered hundreds of miles." Shao Gui replied expressionlessly, "In addition, three large ponds and seven small ponds were built in Xuzhou, and more than sixty raised fields were raised. Millet and wheat have been planted in all of them for several years. Last year, the yield per mu was no less than six bushels, which can be called fertile land."

“Good.” Shao Xun came to the map and looked at it carefully.

The Hutuo River in Bingzhou and Jizhou has been cleaned up, and now the Zhangshui and Baigou Rivers are being cleaned up. The people being cleaned up are Tuoba Xianbei and some Qiang prisoners, because the Goguryeo and Xianbei people have already been distributed to serve as soldiers in the government army.

Now, after vigorous improvement of the waterways in Xuzhou, not only is navigation smoother, but farmland irrigation facilities have also been greatly improved, and they will all play a role in the future.

These were also part of the empire's infrastructure, and were extremely important.

It's so satisfying to capture manpower for free!
"You've worked hard." Shao Xun turned around, sat down, and carefully looked his son up and down.

My skin, tanned from being outdoors for so long, seems a bit rougher. But I'm much more energetic, at least much better than the gloomy, pale complexion I had a few years ago.

Over the years, the second son has traveled all over Jingbei and Huainan, spending most of his time working on water management projects. He is practically an expert in the water management department—or at least a skilled worker.

Last year, his wife, Liu, gave birth to a son, who unfortunately died young. Now, at the age of thirty-four, he only had two sons and a daughter. Thinking of this, Shao Xun felt somewhat guilty. He had kept his second son away from home for so long, rarely even returning, which was indeed excessive.

“Badger, do you know Zhuti County?” Shao Xun asked.

"But where did the Zhu Ti Yin come from?" Shao Gui asked.

“Indeed.” Shao Xun nodded and said, “In the later years of Zhuge Liang’s reign in Shu Han, the Zhuti Silver Mine was nearly exhausted. The dragon coins I minted earlier, though named Zhuti Silver, were not from the mine, but were old coins stored in the palace. By the time of Sima Jin, the Zhuti Silver Mine had run out of silver. However, after Wang Que’er took charge of the military affairs of Yining and Ningzhou, he inspected Zhuti Mountain and learned that the local powerful clans and barbarian chieftains were still secretly mining. After a thorough investigation, he found that the old mines had indeed been exhausted, but new mines had been discovered, so they were concealed and mined in secret. Wang Que’er sent troops to arrest them, killing hundreds of people and demoting dozens of powerful clans and barbarian chieftains in Zhuti to slavery.”

“However, Zhuti County is not just about Zhuti Silver Pit.” Shao Xun continued, “Emperor Wu of Han sent Tang Meng to manage Yelang in order to connect with Nanyue. In the fifth year of Yuanguang, he sent soldiers from Bashu to build roads, from Bodao (now Yibin) to Zangke River (now Beipan River), which opened the Bo Gate to connect with Nanzhong.”

“This road extends south to Jianning County. It is built by cutting through mountains and carving out stone, so it is narrow, cramped, secluded and dangerous. It has been neglected for a long time this year, making it even more difficult to travel.”

Shao Gui understood immediately; his father was going to make him work again.

He also felt a bit self-deprecating, as he was never favored by his father, and after his mother passed away, no one cared about him anymore.

His father had shown him concern before, which had touched him somewhat, but now it seems it was all a lie! He's going to be sent to Yizhou to build roads again.

That's fine, that's fine, he might as well just die there. Anyway, he's just superfluous, he'll never be as good as his third, fourth, or sixth brothers, or even his eldest or fifth brother.

Shao Xun glanced at him and said, "From this day forward, you will lead the Guangwei General and the Caiguan Colonel to be stationed in Zhuti, and mobilize the military and civilians of the seven prefectures of Jianwei, Jiangyang, Yuexi, Zhuti, Zangke, Jianning, and Yunnan to repair this road."

Shao Gui responded. For some reason, his nose felt slightly sore, and he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

“Your guards need to be expanded,” Shao Xun said. “Your previous armored cavalry has been disbanded, so I’ll compensate you by expanding them to two hundred. I’ll also recruit six hundred light cavalry and three thousand two hundred infantrymen for you. You will be appointed to the military academy, and you can take them with you. All expenses will be covered by grain and silk from Yizhou.”

Shao Gui was somewhat stunned. What was going on? Why were so many soldiers being given out all at once?
But he reacted quickly.

In these southern prefectures of Yizhou, almost everyone is a barbarian. Even the registered residents are barbarians; there are very few proper Han Chinese. Occasionally, there are some prominent local clans who have read books and whose language, customs, and clothing are no different from those of the Han people, but upon closer examination, their ancestors were still barbarians.

Building roads in these areas is prone to accidents, so it's really not feasible without bringing a lot of troops.

"To better utilize manpower and resources..." Shao Xun thought for a moment, then said, "You will also be appointed as the 'Ambassador for the Repair of Roads and Bridges in the Seven Counties of Southern Central China,' concurrently serving as the Prefect of Zangke. However, you must remember that although you are appointed as the Prefect of Zangke, you must not govern according to the customs of prefects in the Central Plains. Although Zangke is a formal prefecture, it is actually just for the sake of sounding good. In reality, it only has a little over a thousand registered households, and more than 90% of the population is controlled by the chieftains of the barbarian caves. Even when the prefect is suppressing a rebellion, he must consult with the chieftains and powerful clans, and use their able-bodied men and money to carry out his work. This is what is meant by using their strength against them. If the prefect were to rely solely on conscripting registered households to form an army for suppression, he would inevitably suffer defeat and death."

Shao Xun was not exaggerating.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, many prefectures were established in the south, but they were actually impossible to control. Take Zangke Prefecture as an example. It was first established by Emperor Wu of Han. After going through the Han, Wei and Jin dynasties and the entire Northern and Southern Dynasties, what was it like in the Tang Dynasty?

During the Tang Dynasty, the Qianzhong Circuit was established, and the area under the jurisdiction of Jin Zangke Prefecture was divided into Bozhou, Yizhou, Qianzhou, Chongzhou, etc. Within these prefectures, there were a large number of tributary prefectures, each corresponding to one or more barbarian chieftains, and they were basically in a state of autonomy.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Zangzhou was once promoted to a regular prefecture, but later, feeling that deceiving oneself was meaningless, it was downgraded back to a tributary prefecture.

During the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang, due to the war with Nanzhao, the Wuman rebelled and occupied Bozhou. The Luo family, who were hereditary governors of Bozhou, were unable to resist.

The imperial court issued an edict to recruit warriors to form an army. Yang Duan obeyed the imperial decree and led his troops from eight clans, including Linghu, Cheng, and Zhao, and joined forces with local powerful tribes such as Yu, Jiang, and Huang in Bozhou to defeat the Wuman and thus begin his rule in Bozhou.

After the Yang family replaced the Luo family, they ruled Bozhou for many years; those who know, know.

The ruling model in the later southern Sichuan and Yunnan-Guizhou regions is clearly described: "Although there are the names of prefectures and counties, the governors and magistrates are all chieftains and leaders, and the court rarely interferes in the internal administration."

The difference between a regular prefecture/prefecture and a tributary prefecture/prefecture lies in the fact that the imperial court could appoint a prefect or governor. If the prefect or governor was competent, they could coexist peacefully with local powerful clans; if they were not, their position would be precarious. This led to the situation in the Tang Dynasty where Zangzhou was sometimes a regular prefecture and sometimes a tributary prefecture.

Shao Xun appointed his two sons as governors of Zangke. The official register only listed 1,200 households, but the actual number was unknown; it wouldn't be surprising if it were ten or twenty times more.

During the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the barbarian chieftain Zhao Mo led more than 10,000 households to submit and was appointed as the prefect of Mingzhou. His territory later became Zhenfeng and Ceheng, and his tribe was known as the "Western Zhao Barbarians". During the Huichang era, the barbarian chieftain Apei, who was active in Anshun, Puding and Puan, went south and defeated the Western Zhao Barbarians, annexing their territory. Emperor Wuzong of Tang then conferred upon Apei the title of Luodian King.

All of these places are within the territory of Zangke County, and the actual population of these places can be estimated.

The entire Zangke Prefecture has an estimated population of no less than 200,000, but the imperial court can only directly control a few thousand people on the household registration. They need to be clear about how to govern.

After listening, Shao Gui's expression remained unchanged, and he simply said, "I understand."

"You only have one wife and two concubines? That's far too few." Shao Xun continued, "Stay in the capital for the next few days. It just so happens that the chieftains of the Baihu Yi tribe from Badong, Xu Shi, Zangke Ji, and Xie Er, are coming to pay tribute. I've ordered them to each find a well-behaved legitimate daughter to be your wife."

Shao Gui's expression suddenly changed, and he looked sharply at Shao Xun.

Shao Xun averted his gaze and said, "Grandpa is doing this for your own good."

Shao Gui's face was ashen, and after a long while, he finally said in a muffled voice, "Is it Sixth Brother...?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Shao Xun scolded.

Shao Gui realized what was happening, glanced around, and found that there were neither palace servants nor historians, which made him even more certain.

At this moment, he no longer hated his father so much. He simply turned his head away and said, "Father has given the order, how can I disobey?"

Shao Xun was at a loss for words.

Shao Gui bowed deeply and said, "Father, why blame yourself? Throughout history, there have been countless instances of brothers killing each other. If I don't travel far, my sixth brother will probably worry. What you say is right, Father; it is indeed for my own good."

“Badger, you can’t think like that,” Shao Xun said earnestly. “Liang Nu is not that kind of person.”

“But that’s what you really think, Grandpa. Otherwise, why would you act this way?” Shao Gui countered.

Shao Xun was speechless once again.

Liang Nu certainly wouldn't necessarily want to harm Huan Lang, but Shao Xun's mind is too "dark" and he likes to think the worst, so he made arrangements in advance. However, now that his son has asked him about it, he doesn't know what to say.

In the end, he could only sigh and say, "Badger, it's just the two of us here. Tell me the truth, what will you do after we go to the South?"

"Could I possibly rebel?" Shao Gui chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "I live in fear and trembling in the palace, submitting memorials to praise my sixth brother every day in hopes of saving my life. That's all."

Shao Xun frowned. Perhaps he really was being too accommodating.

If I were heartless, what would be my concern about the fate of my sons after I die?

But he couldn't do it in the end. If the woman who gave birth to this son was just a tool for sexual gratification, that would be one thing, but people aren't plants or trees, how can they be without feelings? Xunniang had been with him for so long, and they had shared some unforgettable happy times together, he simply couldn't ignore her.

“You…you’re wrong to think that way,” Shao Xun said. “But—never mind, just do your job well. You can stay in Jianwei on weekdays. It’s a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains, and the people are prosperous. There’s no need to go to the deep mountains and forests. Your father will send the chieftains of the various counties to see you there. You can discuss anything with them directly.”

Shao Gui glanced at his father and, seeing the conflicted expression on his face, felt a strange sense of self-destructive pleasure.

Father, are you afraid I'll get sick and die? If I die, will you be sad?

"It's noon, have lunch with me," Shao Xun said, taking his son's hand.

"Yes," Shao Gui replied.

His father gripped his hand tightly, as if trying to squeeze something.

For a moment, Shao Gui almost shed tears.

He still has people who care about him.

(End of this chapter)