Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 582 The Appointment in Luoyang
From the third year to July of the fourth year of the Shenwu reign, over a period of more than a year, Zhang Yu officially began the institutional construction of the state he had established. A series of political affairs, such as the Grand Canal, the release of slaves, the Imperial Academy, the military academy, the relocation of people, and the minting of coins, were gradually implemented, and the previously idle departments became busy.

While the various officials were busy, Zhang Yu, who had just returned to Chang'an from Hedong, only had a few days of free time before taking the princes on an eastern tour to Luoyang to see the development of Henan Province under Guo Yuan's governance.

When Zhang Yu returned to Guanzhong after pacifying Yuan Shao, he passed through Luoyang and saw that the fertile fields of Luoyang were abandoned and that the governor of Henan had only a few thousand households. He was deeply saddened by the desolation of Luoyang and, moved by this, appointed Guo Yuan as the governor of Henan.

The young Guo Yuan was ambitious and made a promise to Zhang Yu that he could bring life back to Luoyang within three years, restore Luoyang to its former glory within five years, and have 50,000 households in Luoyang within ten years.

After making that bold promise, Zhang Yu was so busy with other matters that he quickly forgot about being the Governor of Henan. Now, however, he was preoccupied with governing the country and remembered the bet he made four or five years ago. So he took some time to visit Luoyang.

"Your subject Guo Yuan pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Upon learning that Zhang Yu was inspecting Luoyang, Guo Yuan hurriedly led his officials to meet him twenty li outside Luoyang.

"No gift!"

Zhang Yu, dressed in plain clothes and riding a horse, pointed to the fields around the riverbank and said with a smile, "After several years, Luoyang is gradually showing signs of life. This is truly your achievement!"

Guo Yuan, being Zhong Yao's nephew, received considerable policy support. For example, some of the feudal lords from Guandong who had migrated to the capital region, along with their close relatives, were allowed to remain in Luoyang to replenish the region's population. Therefore, in recent years, besides returning Luoyang residents, the largest number of migrants have been those returning to their hometowns.

Of course, Guo Yuan also made great efforts. For example, Luoyang had suffered greatly from war before, and the rivers and canals were silted up during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Guo Yuan personally led the people to dig and clear the silt, and dredged the Gu, Jian, Chan, Yi and Luo rivers. The river water irrigated the fields, and the abandoned fields were transformed into fertile land after being cultivated.

"I dare not take credit for it!"

Guo Yuan led the way and said, "I promised Your Majesty that I would restore Luoyang to its former glory within five years and increase the population of Henan. However, now that five years have almost passed, Henan only has a population of more than 20,000 households, and the population is still very small."

"Just do your best!"

Zhang Yu smiled and joked, "I was ignorant and impetuous in the past, how could I blame you? Besides, there are still five years left before the ten-year agreement is reached, and it is not impossible to achieve the goal of 50,000 registered households in Luoyang!"

Guo Yuan once boasted that he would restore Luoyang to 50,000 households within ten years, which nearly frightened Zhong Yao. Fortunately, Guo Yuan did not make any promises of atonement with his death, otherwise Zhong Yao would have surely brought his nephew to apologize.

As he spoke, Zhang Yu asked, "Your household register only shows a little over 20,000 households, yet I see fields everywhere I go. Is it possible that there are no people outside Hulao Pass?"

Guo Yuan introduced Zhang Yu, saying, “Your Majesty, although Luoyang is less than a hundred li in circumference, many waterways flow through it. I have repaired the ponds and diverted water to irrigate the fields, making the barren land fertile and suitable for rice cultivation. Moreover, the key to farming lies in oxen. Every year, I purchase oxen from the West River and then rent or sell them to the people, agreeing with them to share the harvest.”

"The fields are fertile, and oxen can do the work, so although the population is small, the amount of land cultivated is quite large!"

The five-year tax exemption policy allowed Guo Yuan to accumulate savings to buy cattle in Xihe County.

Furthermore, Guo Yuan, in the name of the Governor of Henan, obtained loans from many surrounding counties and prefectures to buy cattle and farm tools. With the help of the surrounding counties and prefectures, and relying on the fertile fields of Luoyang, agriculture took the lead in development.

Zhang Yu nodded and smiled, "You have governed the prefecture well, which puts my mind at ease!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu instructed the princes who were accompanying him: "Water conservancy is the foundation of agriculture. When you become rulers in the future, you must not forget water conservancy!"

"We will remember our father's teachings!" the sons replied.

Because he was to be appointed as a prince in a distant region, Zhang Yu did not discriminate in his education, but treated everyone equally. Now, on his eastern tour to Luoyang, in addition to inspecting the situation of the governor of Henan, he also hoped to use Luoyang as an example to educate these young princes.

To demonstrate his dedication to agriculture, Guo Yuan took the opportunity to introduce himself: "In addition to water conservancy and oxen, I teach the people farming techniques to help them become wealthy through farming."

"What technique is it?" Zhang Yu asked with interest. "Your Majesty, during the turmoil in Jingzhou, some refugees from Nanyang came to Luoyang and registered their households. They were skilled in farming, planting wheat in autumn and rice in spring, harvesting two crops a year. The villagers were amazed by this, and the officials reported it to me!"

Guo Yuan pointed to the dry fields and said, "I inquired about their techniques and learned that they are exquisite, yielding two harvests of rice and wheat a year, surpassing the three harvests in two years in Hebei. Therefore, I offered a large sum of money to learn their techniques and recruited them as officials to teach agricultural skills to the people. In the first year, three hundred families learned from them; in the second year, the three hundred families paid taxes and had surplus grain in every household!"

"Last year, I instructed the people in the province to practice planting, and they all had a great harvest, which filled the treasury. This year, I instructed the people in the province to copy the proclamation, and if any people from Henan wished to return to their hometown, two households would receive one ox, and half a household would receive half an ox. As a result, by August, the governor of Henan had obtained more than a thousand households, and I have provided them with land and settled them down."

Rice-wheat rotation was a key factor in the economic rise of the south. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the development of agricultural technology, Nanyang, located at the intersection of the north and south, was the first to adopt rice-wheat rotation technology.

During the period of the Five Barbarian Invasions, the southward migration of the elite brought with them the custom of planting wheat. Furthermore, due to the unstable climate during the Little Ice Age, the rulers of the Southern Dynasties promoted wheat cultivation.

During the Tang Dynasty, as the land in the south was cultivated, the population gradually increased. Although the cultivated land in the south was not as much as that in the north, the economic level was equal to that in the north.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, due to the wars in the north during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and the impact of the Yellow River changing three times, the economy of the south eventually surpassed that of the north, and the economic center shifted southward.

It's not surprising that rice-wheat rotation technology has spread to Luoyang, given that Nanyang is adjacent to Luoyang and Luoyang has a basin topography, which provides a foundation for rice cultivation.

"Father, rice and wheat cultivation should be promoted throughout the land!"

The Third Prince Zhang Zhang immediately recognized the enormous potential of rice and wheat cultivation, saying, “In the past, China had one harvest a year, but Hebei had three harvests every two years due to the cultivation of winter wheat. The southern lands had one harvest a year and relied on rice for food, but if winter wheat were planted in Jingchu, there would be two harvests a year. Compared to the south, Hebei only had one harvest every two years, so wouldn’t the people get much more?”

"Ok!"

Zhang Yu nodded in agreement and said, "You have the insight to recognize the wonders of agricultural techniques. If this method can be applied to the whole country, then anyone who can grow rice can also grow winter wheat. This will greatly benefit the world. Please compile it into a document and submit it to the Ministry of Personnel later."

"promise!"

Guo Yuan beamed with joy and replied.

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Zhang Zhang and asked, "Young man, you have little experience in farming, how could you possibly know the methods of cultivation?"

"Go back to Father!"

Zhang Zhang raised his handsome face, cupped his hands and said, "When I visited you in private, I saw you working alone in the fields, so I went up to help you. You then taught me about agriculture and explained the importance of winter wheat. At that time, there was a great flood in Hebei. Emperor Wu was afraid that the people in Guandong would have no food and cause trouble, so he sent envoys eastward to teach farming techniques and ordered the people in Guandong to plant winter wheat. Winter wheat was widely planted in Hebei, and because the yield was better than before, Hebei gradually became richer than Guanxi."

"I have heard that the southern lands are mostly mountainous and watery, so rice is planted in the water and wheat is planted in the mountains. This way, the dry and wet fields do not interfere with each other, and the planting seasons are staggered. Therefore, Zhang believes that if we allow the wheat to be planted in the south and planted alongside rice, wouldn't it be better than Hebei?"

"Zhang'er's insight is astute; bestow upon him fifty bolts of Shu brocade and have someone inform Consort Li!"

Zhang Yu praised his third son, Zhang Zhang, for his intelligence. His ability to draw inferences from one instance to another not only surpassed that of his peers but also allowed him to see further than some ministers. Since all the princes were present, Zhang Yu refrained from excessive praise of Zhang Zhang, offering only a few simple words of commendation and bestowing upon him a reward.

"Thank you, Father Emperor!" Zhang Zhang said with a smile.

Guo Yuan echoed, "The Third Prince's insights are outstanding; he should have the same style as His Majesty!"

In contrast to Guo Yuan's praise, Jia Xu, Guo Tu, and other close attendants remained silent, but their inner thoughts were not to be shared with outsiders.

(End of this chapter)