Late Han Zhao Tang

In fact, the Bureau of Accounting did not support establishing Liaodong as a separate prefecture due to cost considerations; instead, they hoped to incorporate Liaodong into Youzhou. After all, Liaodong only consisted of three commanderies: Liaodong, Xuantu, and Lelang. Including the Liaodong vassal state, there were only four administrative units at most. However, Zhang Yu's argument for facilitating border security forced the Bureau of Accounting to acquiesce to the establishment of Yingzhou.

Sunlight slanted into the palace hall, and a map of Yingzhou was pasted on the palace wall, depicting mountains, rivers, geography, and various counties.

Zhang Yu stood before the map and asked, "Bo Ji has been appointed to an important post and will be stationed far away in Yingzhou. Does he know my intentions?"

"I am ready to obey Your Majesty's orders!" Guo Huai said respectfully.

Looking at the map of Yingzhou, Zhang Yu pointed and said, "Korea was originally the homeland of China. Before that, there was Jizi, and then Weiman, so the Chinese people used to live in Lelang. When Liu and Xiang were fighting for supremacy, tens of thousands of people from the coast sailed over the sea to Korea, so Korea was able to dominate the barbarians and destroy Zhenfan and Lintun."

"When Emperor Shizong of the Han Dynasty expanded the borders to Liaodong and destroyed the Wiman Joseon, he established four commanderies: Lelang, Zhenfan, Lintun, and Xuantu. During the turmoil of the Former Han Dynasty and the consolidation of the Later Han Dynasty, the establishment of commanderies was extremely costly. Therefore, two of the four commanderies were abolished, one was moved, and one was retained. Zhenfan and Lintun were merged into Lelang, and the seat of Xuantu Commandery was moved three times. It was adjacent to Liaodong Commandery."

After the fall of the Shang dynasty, Gija fled to Korea, where he established a vassal state and spread Chinese civilization there. At its peak, Gija Joseon had influence in Liaodong, but was defeated by the Yan general Qin Kai, resulting in the loss of Liaodong and its submission to the Yan state. The Xianyu clan of present-day Youzhou are descendants of the nobles of Gija Joseon.

During the transition from the Qin to the Han dynasties, Wei Man, a man from Yan, led over a thousand followers to Liaodong. The Gija Joseon dynasty appointed Wei Man as a scholar and granted him several hundred miles of unclaimed land in Liaodong, intending for him to guard the border for the country.

During Empress Lü's reign, Wiman falsely claimed that the Han army was invading and then annihilated Gija Joseon. After King Gijun of Joseon was defeated, he led several thousand men to attack Mahan and declared himself King of Han. However, the people of Han were dissatisfied and rebelled, killing Gijun.

The Wei clan replaced the Ji clan as kings, and in order to expand their power, they destroyed the Zhenfan and Lintun tribes in the east, and conquered the Woju and other Hu tribes in the north, gradually becoming a dominant force in Liaodong.

Therefore, when the Western Han Dynasty established the Four Commanderies in Korea, the Han people had been cultivating the land in Korea for at least several hundred years. As a result, Lelang Commandery was actually mostly inhabited by Han people. Even when the other three commanderies were turbulent, abolished, or relocated, Lelang Commandery remained steadfast.

After the Western Han Dynasty conquered Wiman Joseon, the registered population of Lelang Commandery was over 400,000, more than the 200,000-plus population of Liaodong Commandery. While there may have been some non-Han people among them, it is clear that there were quite a few Chinese in Lelang Commandery.

As for why Lintun and Zhenfan were abolished?
The reason is simple: as mentioned before, maintaining the two prefectures required too much money and grain, while the taxes collected by the local areas were too little, so Emperor Zhao of Han had no choice but to abolish them.

Why were the counties of Jiaozhou still retained?

Jiaozhou was profitable. Although the Yi people of Jiaozhou paid almost no taxes, when they paid tribute to the Han Empire, the various tribes would present a series of rare and precious items and treasures, such as pearls, spices, ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoiseshell, coral, glass, and jade.

Listening to Zhang Yu's brief remarks, Guo Huai seemed to have gained some insight and said, "Since it is the territory of Yingzhou, how can it only have three prefectures? Therefore, His Majesty wants to order Huai to expand the borders, re-establish Zhenfan and Lintun prefectures, and restore the territory of Xuantu prefecture."

"Exactly!"

Zhang Yu invited Guo Huai to sit on the couch and said, "South of Lelang are the people of Han, and among them are three kingdoms, namely Ma, Jin, and Byeon. If you sail east across the sea, there is another kingdom called Wa. The three kingdoms of Han have nearly seventy kingdoms, each independent of the others, with populations ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds, totaling more than one hundred thousand households. They know how to grow grains and weave cloth, and are similar to the Chinese."

"According to the envoy from Liaodong, at the end of the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, the Han and Hui tribes were powerful and could not be controlled by the prefectures and counties, and many people fled to the Han state. When you lead your troops to Yingzhou, you should first pacify the Liaodong people, then gather the displaced people, and sow discord among the various tribes of the Three Han states, so that you can lead your army to carry out your plans."

"North of Lelang, there are the Dongye tribes, each with its own chieftain, with a registered population of 20,000 households. They are of the same race as Goguryeo. During the Former Han Dynasty, the Ye people surrendered, and Emperor Shizong established Canghai Commandery, but it was abolished after one year. The seven counties that were formerly located east of the mountains were all under the command of the chieftains. Now they are under the jurisdiction of Goguryeo."

"North of Liaodong lies Goguryeo, whose people are fierce and quick-tempered, fond of raiding and plundering. They formerly consisted of five tribes: Xiaonu, Juennu, Shunnu, Guannu, and Guilou, with tens of thousands of households. Since the decline of the Han Dynasty, they have frequently plundered Liaodong. The Gongsun family has slightly regained its power and temporarily curbed Goguryeo's southward raids. Therefore, you are appointed to govern Yingzhou. In addition to the eastern expedition to restore Han and the prefecture, you must also destroy Goguryeo and demonstrate the might of our Great Tang."

Zhang Yu's decision to establish Yingzhou in Liaodong was not merely for aesthetic reasons, but to facilitate Guo Huai's mobilization of resources within Yingzhou without the need for approval from the governor of Youzhou, who was far away in Guanzhong.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Zhang Yu entrusted Guo Huai with the military and political power of Yingzhou, which meant he was given a heavy responsibility. Conquering Goguryeo in the north, conquering the Three Han states in the east, and also shouldering the responsibility of establishing prefectures, put Guo Huai under immense pressure.

Seeing that Guo Huai did not answer for a long time, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "The task of governing Yingzhou is of great importance and cannot be undertaken by an ordinary general. You all say that only Generals Man and Xu are capable of the job, but I believe that Boji is both civil and military, and is more than capable of this position!"

"Could it be that I have misjudged him?"

Having said that, Guo Huai hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty has entrusted me with an important task, and I will strive to be the first to act. However, due to the strength of Goguryeo and the rebellion of Han Ye, in order to eliminate the danger in Yingzhou in one fell swoop, we need to carefully consider the methods of management."

Zhang Yu said, “Yingzhou has more than 40,000 households and more than 300,000 people. Therefore, the Gongsun clan surrendered as a whole. The powerful clans and generals under his command each have their own troops. Bo Ji needs to first govern Yingzhou well. Once the state is at peace, select elite soldiers and drive the people to serve, and then we can launch a distant expedition against the powerful barbarians.”

He paused, then added, "Although Goguryeo had five tribes, the royal tribe had already changed hands. The Yeonnu tribe was originally the Feiliu tribe, but during Wang Mang's chaotic reign, Buyeo Jumong marched south, destroyed the Goguryeo tribes, and replaced them with the Guilou tribe."

Like Gija Joseon, Goguryeo also experienced a change of power. Before the Eastern Han Dynasty, during the time of the indigenous Goguryeo people, the Beeryu tribe ruled. Jumong was a prince who had fled from Buyeo and was taken in by the Goguryeo people. Wang Mang killed the Goguryeo king, and taking advantage of the chaos among the Goguryeo people, Jumong allied with the Juennu tribe, conquered the Beeryu tribe, and thus established Goguryeo.

Guo Huai pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty has granted me 20,000 troops, but I fear Yingzhou will be unable to support them. If Your Majesty trusts me, please grant me 10,000 elite soldiers, and I will also command troops from Yingzhou and other prefectures, enough to defend against the enemies of Goguryeo and Hanye." "Nothing else you require?" Zhang Yu said, "If you need troops or provisions, please just say so!"

Guo Huai said, “The world is somewhat at peace, but the prefectures and counties are devastated. The amount of supplies needed for 10,000 infantry and cavalry is no less than 500,000 shi per year. When I arrive at Yingzhou, I will first station troops there to support the army. After two more years of pacifying the region and gathering the people, I will observe the weaknesses of enemy states and perhaps be able to use troops. If there are not enough troops at that time, I will personally submit a memorial to Your Majesty at the meeting, requesting that elite troops be dispatched as reinforcements.”

"Sending 20,000 elite troops into Liaodong might disturb the various Hu tribes and cause fear among the old guard. Therefore, 10,000 troops are sufficient!"

"good!"

Seeing that Guo Huai had considered everything thoroughly, Zhang Yu said with satisfaction, "You have followed me for more than ten years. In the past, you were still young and had few merits, so I appointed you as a county duke. If you can achieve merit in the conquest of Yingzhou, why should you worry about not being promoted further!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Having clearly defined his important responsibilities, Zhang Yu ordered an imperial edict to be issued, appointing Guo Huai as the governor of Yingzhou, the commander-in-chief of all military affairs in Yingzhou, and granting him the authority to hold the imperial insignia. The number of troops was reduced from 20,000 to 10,000.

Pang De was appointed governor of Canghai Commandery, Xianyu Yin was appointed governor of Chaoxian Commandery, Wang Lie was appointed governor of Liaodong Commandery, and Guan Ning was appointed governor of Lelang Commandery. The Liaodong Dependent State was renamed Liaozhong Commandery, and Guanqiu Xing was appointed to the post.

The two commanderies of Changhai and Joseon are not the former sites of Lintun and Zhenfan commanderies during the Han Dynasty, but are located in the central and southern parts of the Korean Peninsula, respectively.

In Zhang Yu's plan, the Korean Peninsula was divided into three counties from north to south: Lelang, Joseon, and Changhae. These counties spanned east to west, which was more in line with the actual control situation compared to the establishment of the two counties of Lintun and Zhenfan.

After all, Rulintun is located in the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula, and its county is almost entirely fragmented mountainous terrain, making it difficult to establish effective rule. Establishing a county spanning east to west would allow for a foothold in the more fertile western plains first, gradually conquering the central mountainous areas and the eastern coastal plains. In an agricultural society, supporting three to four million people on the Korean Peninsula would not be a problem.

After Guo Huai left the hall, Zhang Yu looked at Jia Xu and asked, "Wenhe, what do you think of Guo Boji?"

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Guo Huai's strategies are meticulous and his military tactics are thorough. He has made great contributions in conquering the southeast. Your Majesty has appointed him to govern Yingzhou. I dare not say whether Guo Huai can eliminate the Liaodong threat, but he will certainly be able to drive away the enemy that is raiding from outside."

Zhang Yu nodded in agreement. His choice of Guo Huai as governor of Yingzhou was mainly influenced by Guo Huai's historical performance in governing Liangzhou. Guo Huai had successfully defended against Shu Han's northern expeditions and subdued the Qiang and Di peoples of Liangzhou. If Guo Huai could demonstrate the same level of competence he had displayed in history, Goguryeo and Han Ye would be no threat.

As for whether the two prefectures of Joseon and Changhae can be successfully established on the peninsula, it is not something that can be done in a few years, but rather requires two or three hundred years of Sinicization.

But the key lies in subsequent immigration; only by migrating more Han Chinese can Korea be completely conquered.

Thinking of one matter, Zhang Yu dismissed those around him and asked in a low voice, "Wenhe, the third son is far more intelligent than the crown prince. I intend to establish a new crown prince, but considering the Wang family's financial support for the establishment of the dynasty, I wonder what your plans are?"

Jia Xu was moved, but his expression remained unchanged. He said, "I have heard that King Dali has a daughter of marriageable age who is deeply loved by the princes. The Third Prince is getting older. Your Majesty, why don't you arrange a marriage between the Third Prince and a prince's daughter?"

Zhang Yu looked at him strangely and said, "What is the meaning of Wenhe's plan? He wants Dali to abandon his nephew and value his son-in-law more."

Jia Xu said, "Throughout history, I have heard of nephews killing their uncles, but I have never heard of sons-in-law killing their fathers-in-law!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu frowned, feeling that something was amiss with what Jia Xu had said, but he couldn't deny that it made sense.

Throughout history, being the emperor's maternal uncle has been the most dangerous position. There was Bo Zhao, the maternal uncle of Emperor Wen of Han, Tian Fen, the maternal uncle of Emperor Wu of Han, and Yin Jiu, the maternal uncle of Emperor Ming of Han in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

A prime example of this contrast is the father-in-law Liang Shang and his son Liang Ji. Liang Shang, as the emperor's father-in-law, was praised for his humility, while Liang Ji, as the emperor's uncle, died because of his arrogance.

Of course, stories of fathers-in-law usurping their sons' positions are not uncommon, such as Wang Mang. However, Wang Chen was clearly not Wang Mang, and his third son was no pushover!

Seeing Zhang Yu deep in thought and silent, Jia Xu said, "May I ask Your Majesty, are there more siblings who turn against each other, or are there more fathers and daughters who turn against each other?"

Zhang Yu slapped his knee and said, "I entered officialdom with the help of the Wang family, and now I shall bestow upon the Wang family another fortune!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" (End of Chapter)