Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 631 Farming
In July, Wang Lie and Guan Ning resigned and returned to Liaodong. During their month-long summer retreat at Ligong Palace, Zhang Yu had them accompany him every day, chatting with them about the situation in Liaodong, and hosting them with small banquets every three days and large banquets every five days.

Therefore, when Wang and Guan parted, they were deeply grateful for Zhang Yu's high regard for them, and promised Zhang Yu that they would do their best to persuade Gongsun Kang to surrender and give up the province.

At the end of the month, as the weather gradually cooled down and some concubines in the palace gave birth, Zhang Yu returned to Chang'an Palace.

While Zhang Yu was working in Chang'an, Cai Yan became pregnant with her second child and gave birth to another boy. Cai Xi was overjoyed to have a younger brother and was even more eager to return to visit him than Zhang Yu was.

Some are happy, some are sad. Daqiao gave birth to a daughter three months ago, but before she could name her, news suddenly broke a few days ago that she had died of illness.

Daqiao was heartbroken by the death of her daughter and wept constantly. Zhang Yu, though saddened and depressed by her daughter's passing, was even more concerned about Daqiao's well-being. Upon returning to Chang'an, he first visited Cai Yan before going to see Daqiao.

Upon seeing Zhang Yu, Da Qiao stopped crying. To cheer her up, Zhang Yu stayed with her for several days, comforting her each day, which helped to improve her mood considerably. Worried that Da Qiao might be reminded of him by familiar sights, Zhang Yu arranged for Xiao Qiao to accompany her to Mount Hua to ease her distress.

Although the death of his youngest daughter saddened Zhang Yu, he was too busy with other matters to rest and immediately went to meet Man Chong, who had returned from Henan.

"Shuofang and Henan are vast areas, while Shangjun and Beidi stretch from Guanyuan in the south to the Yellow River in the north. Valleys, ravines, and plains are interspersed throughout. People in the south rely on grains for their livelihood, while those in the north rely on animal husbandry and farming. The Cong people are warlike and live in clans, so they can be settled in the south, in strategic locations, along river routes, where cities and towns can be established."

Man Chong walked along the palace road and reported back to Zhang Yu, saying, "Therefore, although the Cong people migrated north, they moved to nearly ten counties and towns in the north, including Niyang, Yiju, Wuzuo, Diaoyin, Gaonu, and Dingyang in Shangjun. They repaired abandoned fortifications to make fortifications and appointed brave men to take charge of military and political affairs. However, these counties are within three or four hundred li on the edge of Guanzhong, and more than a thousand li away from the Yellow River and Shuofang."

"Your Majesty, it is easy to restore the cities and towns within 500 li of the capital. However, if you wish to restore the counties and prefectures on both sides of the Yellow River, you should send troops first to repel the Hu invaders, following the example of Emperor Wu of Han in relocating people to strengthen the border. Only in this way can the situation be stable for a long time. Otherwise, if the area is entirely governed by Hu people, there is a risk of the Xiongnu causing trouble. This may bring peace for fifty years, but not for a hundred years."

Zhang Yu paced back and forth, nodding as he said, “Bo Ning’s words resonate deeply with me. The reason why the Hu people in Yunzhong, Daijun, Yanmen, and Xihe counties obey my commands is due to the military might of the court. If the court were to weaken, would the Hu people be willing to obey my orders? The rule of appointed officials and the establishment of military garrisons in connected cities are the foundation of peace and stability in Shuofang.”

Man Chong said, “Since the Qin Dynasty opened up the borders, there has been a continuous migration of people to populate the border regions. However, if the people cannot settle down, a large number of them will flee back to their hometowns. Now that the dynasty has just unified the world, the central plains are in ruins, and if people are migrated to all directions, it will deplete the strength of China.”

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Since there are few Han people in the border counties, why not let the soldiers bring their families to the border counties and become garrison soldiers to cultivate wasteland and graze cattle and sheep, under the command of generals and officers?"

“I fear the soldiers find the northern frontier too remote and the fields not as fertile as those in the Central Plains, and therefore are unwilling to leave their homes!” Man Chong said hesitantly, “It would be better to select those who are permanent residents, who can farm and prepare for military affairs, without having to mobilize soldiers.”

Zhang Yu said, “I lived in the northern frontier in my youth, making a living by farming and herding. How could I not know the situation there? If I manage my household properly, I can go out to herd and farm, and the northern frontier is no less powerful than the inner prefectures. How can those who are selected to live there compare to those who are in the army?”

After a pause, Zhang Yu said, "Instead of selecting soldiers to garrison the border, it would be better to send surrendered soldiers to distant garrisons and pair them with soldiers from You, Bing, Liang, Yong, and Ji provinces. They can then be converted into garrison troops, self-sufficient, farming and herding during the agricultural season and training during the off-season. The officers and their subordinates can select their own officers, who will be assigned by the Governor-General's Office."

The military-agricultural system was not limited to Zhu Yuanzhang's garrison system. While Zhu Yuanzhang's garrison system seemed appealing in theory, it was actually a mess. It aimed to have soldiers cultivate the land and store grain, yet also imposed corvée labor on them. Coupled with the hereditary system and the exploitation of soldiers by officers, the garrison system deteriorated, leading to desertion among soldiers even during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign.

Therefore, taking the garrison system as a lesson, if Zhang Yu wanted to implement the military-agricultural colony system, he needed to consider the continuity of the system. For example, the military households would only be responsible for military service, and the output of the military-agricultural colony would be controlled by the military households. In order to prevent the military households from being exploited by the lower-level officers, Zhang Yu planned to let the military households choose their own officers, and the court would dispatch generals and soldiers.

After a moment's thought, Man Chong said, "In that case, I will choose a place to garrison troops based on the mountains, rivers, and strategic passes of the northern frontier, and then allocate additional troops for farming."

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "South of Liaodong are the Han people. If Pingzhou surrenders, I intend to advance and pacify the Three Han tribes, and then relocate most of the Han barbarians to populate the border." Although the barbarians in all directions are not yet pacified, Zhang Yu is gradually developing a plan for dealing with them. For example, the Hu tribes of Shuofang, Zhang Yu will forcibly relocate some of them to Huainan; the Three Han tribes, Zhang Yu plans to forcibly relocate them to Shuofang. If the Yue tribes of Jiangdong and the Nanman tribes of the southwest rebel, Zhang Yu will also relocate them inland, to create space for the Han people to multiply.

As the emperor and his ministers were conversing, Xun You approached them.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent military situation in the southeast!" Xun You said, clutching the memorial.

"What's the matter?"

"Cao Cao feigned surrender and left the city, but was defeated by Zhang Liao's scheme. After returning to the city, he was seriously wounded and died. He entrusted his affairs to Xun Yu. On the 23rd of last month, Xun Yu sent Lu Su as an envoy to request surrender, hoping that Your Majesty would pardon the Cao family. Zhang Liao originally wanted to ask Your Majesty, but fearing that things might change if he delayed, he spoke of pardon first and led a large army into the city."

Xun You presented the memorial, saying, "Jinling has surrendered, and Jiangdong is pacified. As for the fate of the Cao family's men and women, I would like to ask Your Majesty's opinion!"

Zhang Yu perused the memorial and, seeing that the language in it was similar to what Xun You had said, remarked, "Wen Yuan wishes to exterminate the Cao family; I wonder what Gongda's intentions are?"

Xun You said, “Your Majesty, Cao Cao has stubbornly resisted, and his crime should be punishable by the execution of his entire clan. However, considering that the Cao family surrendered the city, it would be better to pardon them to demonstrate Your Majesty’s benevolence.”

"What does Bo Ning mean?" Zhang Yu asked, looking at Man Chong.

“Your Majesty, I believe the Cao family should be executed!” Man Chong said without hesitation.

"Why?"

"Your Majesty previously wrote to Cao Cao urging him to surrender, but Cao Cao stubbornly resisted and refused Your Majesty's goodwill. When his strength was exhausted and his army was besieged, he even begged Your Majesty for surrender and pardon. If everyone did what Cao Cao did, wouldn't that be condoning the enemy?" Man Chong said in a slightly somber tone, "Now, Gongsun of Pingzhou and Shi of Jiaozhou have not surrendered. Your Majesty's benevolence has already spread, and your authority must be exercised!"

"His Majesty!"

Xun You advised, "Cao Cao's resistance against the Heavenly Army is punishable by death, but many members of the Cao family are innocent. It is not advisable to kill them indiscriminately, lest it cause unrest!"

"You two are right!"

Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes and said, "The Cao family must be punished, but indiscriminate killing will hurt people's hearts. Change the surname of the Cao family members to Zhang and relocate them and the Xiahou family to the Guanzhong border."

After a pause, Zhang Yu, remembering the three Liu brothers mentioned by Zhang Liao in the memorial, said, "Summon Liu Bei to Chang'an as well!"

"promise!"

P.S.: I suddenly felt chest tightness tonight, an inexplicable discomfort. I'll only be posting 2k chapters for now, and will make up for it with three chapters the day after tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)