Late Han Zhao Tang

Although Jinling surrendered, Zhang Yu did not rush to recall the southern expeditionary troops. Instead, he ordered the relocation of the puppet Han emperor and his officials, along with the families of the northern soldiers, to Guanzhong to settle down under the supervision of the southern expeditionary troops.

"Bo Yu?"

"exist!"

Wei Ji rose from his seat and bowed to Zhang Yu, who was sitting on the table.

Zhang Yu closed the memorial concerning the relocation of the Cong people and said calmly, "Last year, the Cong people were relocated to Longxi. The county and prefecture governments in Longxi have been negligent in their actions, and some people have not been allocated land or houses. I wonder if you are aware of this?"

"Your subject understands!"

Wei Kai bowed his head and said, "Last year, Wei Xin, the magistrate of Didao, was corrupt and derelict in his duties. He filled inferior fields with superior fields, sold the superior fields to powerful clans, and embezzled resettlement grain, which nearly caused the Cong people to rebel. I have already captured Wei Xin and handed him over to the relevant authorities for punishment!"

Two years ago, Zhang Yu took advantage of the Tang army's victory over the Sun family and used Zhang Lu's prestige among the Cong people to reward the Cong chieftains and take the opportunity to relocate Cong people to populate Guanzhong.

Considering the scale of the relocation project for the Ba people, Zhang Yu appointed Du Xi as the relocation commissioner, responsible for the resettlement of the Ba people. To better measure Du Xi's achievements, Zhang Yu established three criteria.

First, to prevent the elderly and weak from dying en route, Zhang Yu used population changes before and after the migration as an evaluation criterion. Second, to prevent the Cong people from fleeing back to their hometowns, he used the stability of the Cong people before and after the migration as an evaluation criterion. Third, whether the Cong people were properly resettled was also included in Zhang Yu's evaluation criteria.

Under these three key objectives, Du Xi worked diligently and conscientiously, cooperating with the prefects of various counties in Longyou to ensure that the Cong people received relief along the way, preventing the tragic situation where half of the people died on the journey.

Therefore, under the supervision of various parties, nearly 30,000 households of the Cong people moved to Longyou. Although the migration was divided into multiple batches and took longer, they were protected along the way. As a result, the number of Cong people who died from illness during the migration was greatly reduced, with only one or two thousand fewer people.

To persuade the Ba people to migrate, Zhang Yu offered a ten-year tax exemption as a condition for resettlement, along with 100 mu of land per household: 30 mu of superior land, 50 mu of medium land, and 20 mu of inferior land. Those resettled in abandoned areas would receive even better treatment.

The Cong people received generous treatment during their migration, which led to the emergence of corrupt officials. For example, Wei Xin, the magistrate of Didao, sold inferior land at lower prices, profiting from the difference. Dissatisfied with the promised discounts, the Cong people rioted. Fortunately, Du Xi intervened in time to calm the hot-tempered Cong people. After investigating the situation, Du Xi immediately reported Wei Xin to higher authorities.

Therefore, Wei Ji ordered a major review of the resettlement situation in the prefectures and counties, and he was impeached by the censor for improper resettlement and was summoned to the capital by Zhang Yu to report on his duties.

Zhang Yu presented the impeachment memorial submitted by the censor and said, "Now that Jiangdong has just been pacified, I have ordered the relocation of the rebel soldiers and officials to Guanzhong. The number of these people ranges from several thousand to tens of thousands, and the number of men and women is tens of thousands. I wonder what your opinion is?"

Wei Kai said, "Your Majesty, I should be ashamed and then strive to improve, and urge the prefectures and counties to treat the Annamese people well. If anyone violates this rule, they should be punished according to the law."

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, “The counties of Longyou are desolate, but the population around the capital is abundant. Our dynasty has pacified the Central Plains by conquering Guanzhong, so we should strengthen the central government and weaken the local areas. More than 100,000 people have flowed into Guanzhong. Only by properly settling them in the counties can we ensure the peace and tranquility of the people.”

He paused, then added, "You have governed Yongzhou for a long time, yet you have only just begun to revitalize it. If you wish to achieve great things, what are your thoughts?"

"During the Former Han Dynasty, Guanzhong was a fertile land. However, since Wang Mang's usurpation of power, it has suffered from famine and chaos, and many people have fled."

Wei Ji pondered for a moment and said, "With the establishment of the Later Han Dynasty, the world is at peace, and Guanzhong should be looking forward to stability. However, the Qiang people have caused chaos, resulting in the abandonment of many counties in Longyou. If Your Majesty wishes to revitalize Longyou, you should adapt to local conditions and weaken the power of the Qiang and Di."

“Salt is the foundation of the nation. Your Majesty has appointed salt officials to oversee the collection of salt by the Accounting Department. However, Longyou lacks salt and needs to supply it with salt from Bashu and Hedong. In my opinion, if the government could appoint officials to supervise the sale of salt to the Qiang people, and use the profits to redeem oxen for plowing, which would then be distributed to the people of the prefecture, thus encouraging agriculture and accumulating grain, the barbarian people would surely flock to the government day and night!”

Wei Ji's meaning was veiled. The Bureau of Accounting was responsible for the production and large-scale sale of salt, so he hoped that Zhang Yu could grant the government a monopoly on the right to sell salt to the barbarian tribes, so that the government could support the people of Longyou and attract more Qiang and Di people to join the Han.
Zhang Yu said, “Salt is purchased from the salt officials, and both scholars and commoners can purchase it. The Yongzhou government sent envoys to supervise the sale, which is suspected of depriving the people of their profits. However, you wish to sell salt to the Qiang and Di peoples, which is to strengthen their bodies, so I have no choice but to grant your request.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"More than half of the territory of Beidi Commandery has been lost. I wish to re-establish Lingzhou, Lianxian, Fuping and other old territories. I wonder if you can help me to do so?" Zhang Yu asked.

Lingzhou, Lianxian, and Fuping counties are roughly located in the western plains region, which belonged to Beidi Commandery during the Han Dynasty. During the Qiang rebellion in the Eastern Han Dynasty, people migrated to Guanzhong, and the western plains became inhabited by the Qiang and Hu peoples.

The Xitao Plain is fertile and irrigated by canals built during the Qin and Han dynasties, making it one of the few agricultural production areas in Northwest China. Backed by the Liupan Mountains, grain and fodder can be supplied to Shuofang via the Yellow River. Zhang Yu could not possibly have ignored such an important agricultural region.

Wei Ji said, “I have sent many people to investigate the old territory of Lingzhou, and I believe it can be recovered. Those who occupy the old territory now are mostly Xiongnu and Xianbei. If Your Majesty wants to recover the territory, I am afraid you will need to lead troops to attack them and then relocate people to strengthen the border.”

"Lingwu Prefecture should be established in the old Lingzhou area. You should first draft a memorial and submit it, and be sure to discuss it with the Duke of Man."

The attendant whispered something in Zhang Yu's ear, and Zhang Yu ended his conversation with Wei Kai, telling him to leave first. "Yes, sir!"

Wei Ji was quite perceptive, so he slowly left the palace.

Zhang Yu summoned Wei Kai back from Longyou, not merely to discuss the relocation of people, but to have Wei Kai devise a plan to restore Lingwu Commandery. Lingwu Commandery is in the west, and Xihe Commandery is in the east, the two commanderies situated on opposite sides of the Yellow River in a U-shape. If the goal is to re-establish commanderies in Shuofang, it must be done gradually, starting with the restoration of Lingwu Commandery. Only with a supply depot can supplies be continuously provided to the commanderies in Shuofang.

"Let Shi Xin in!"

"promise!"

Before Wei Ji could leave the palace, Zhang Yu summoned Shi Xin, the hostage sent by Shi Xie, into the palace.

A short while later, Shi Xin entered the hall with utmost respect and knelt before Zhang Yu.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

"No gift!"

“Cao Cao has been defeated and killed, and Jiangdong is now at peace. You have long resided in Jiaoling, and now you have come to the court as a hostage. I wonder if you can speak frankly about the affairs of Jiaoling?” Zhang Yu asked.

After careful consideration, Shi Xin said, “Your Majesty, the land of Jiaoling is vast and the mountains and rivers are far apart. Customs are diverse and languages ​​are different, so translation is necessary for communication. The people are like beasts, with no distinction between young and old. Officials are in charge without any distinction between those who are in power or those who are not. Therefore, since the Han Dynasty, criminals from China have lived among them. They were given some education and gained a basic understanding of the language.”

"Officials have been teaching for over four hundred years, and this practice has continued. Although they have a basic understanding of etiquette, their customs differ. For example, in counties like Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen, there is still the custom of a younger brother marrying his sister-in-law after the elder brother's death, which the local officials cannot prohibit. Men and women in Rinan are naked and shameless, like beasts."

“Therefore, the county officials were in a state of loose control, and the land and households were free to decide on rents and taxes. They would offer precious treasures such as pearls, incense, ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoiseshell, coral, and glass, so the state did not rely on them for taxes. However, during the Han Dynasty, the laws were lax, and officials were unrestrained and frequently violated the law. The downfall of Zhuyai began when the local official saw that Zhuyai had a beautiful hair and took it to make a wig.”

"Huang Gai of Nanhai was appointed Prefect of Rinan. Upon arriving at his post, he found the tribute insufficient and beat his chief clerk to death, causing resentment among the people, and was subsequently dismissed. Dan Meng, the Prefect of Jiuzhen, held a banquet and invited high-ranking officials. During the revelry, the clerk Fan Xin started dancing for fun. Enraged, Dan Meng struck him with a stick, and he died in the prefecture. Fan Xin's brother led a group to attack him, and Dan Meng was killed."

"The people of Jiuzhen rebelled, and my father tried to quell the rebellion, but it was difficult to overcome. Therefore, the governor of Kuaiji, Zhu Fu, used the villagers as his henchmen to oppress the people. He would charge a bushel of rice for every yellow croaker. The people resented and rebelled, and mountain bandits emerged. Zhu Fu was killed as a result. My father had no choice but to take charge of the prefecture, pacify the people and subdue the local chieftains, and only then did the prefecture and county become somewhat peaceful."

"In the past ten years or so, due to the great chaos in the Central Plains, many Han people have migrated here. My father treated them with courtesy and promoted education!"

The reason why the Han Dynasty was able to easily rule Jiaoling was due to the advantages of the times.

At that time, Jiaoling was inhabited by barbarians who knew nothing of farming, the importance of officials, or warfare. Therefore, the rule of the Han Dynasty in Jiaoling leaned more towards colonization, such as using firearms to defeat the backward cold weapons. Thus, in order to Sinicize the region, barbarians were recruited as officials, and the court continuously exiled criminals from the Central Plains to the area to teach the barbarians.

Because the imperial court was weak, the government did not rely on collecting taxes, but instead demanded tributes from the barbarians. Most of these barbarian rebellions were caused by the unbridled actions of local officials. A typical example is the abandonment of Zhuyai County, where the rebellion stemmed from a local official seeing the barbarians' beautiful hair and wanting to make wigs from it.

Therefore, the principle for governing Jiaoling is simple: county officials should not levy exorbitant taxes, and even if they have nothing to do, they should not abuse their power and act recklessly.

Seeing that Shi Xin's words were becoming increasingly skewed and seemed to be seeking credit for Shi Xie, Zhang Yu interrupted and said, "I already know that Minister Shi has rendered meritorious service in pacifying Jiaoling. Now that China is unified, Jiaoling remains isolated in a corner. I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to serve as an official in Chang'an?"

"Your Majesty!"

Shi Xin sat down and kowtowed, respectfully saying, "Before I left, my father instructed me that the unification of the world is the general trend. Now that His Majesty wishes to summon him to the capital, a single imperial edict is sufficient!"

"All the prefectures of Jiaozhou await your command, and we only hope that Your Majesty will not fail the Shi family!"

Zhang Yu was satisfied with Shi Xin's statement and said, "I grant you permission to return to your hometown and summon your father to Chang'an. Your uncles and the like, the virtuous will be employed, and the mediocre will be rewarded with titles."

Upon seeing that Zhang Yu had allowed him to return to the prefecture, Shi Xin, unsure of the truth, hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is worried that my father cannot come. I could have simply sent a letter. Why did you order me to return south?"

Zhang Yu laughed and said, "You can return home in peace. If you can persuade Jiaozhou to surrender, I will reward you accordingly!"

Logically, hostages should not return to their country. However, Zhang Yu believed that if the Shi clan did not surrender, he would not mind sending his troops on a distant expedition.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" (End of Chapter)