Jinting Han people

Chapter 97: The Final Calm (4k, Birthday Extra)
In the third month of the first year of the Taixi reign (290 AD), it was late spring. The peach blossoms in the northern suburbs of Luoyang had faded, leaving behind plump, tender red peaches. The wheat fields between the paths were lush and verdant, their lush green veil casting a shadow over the earth. The sky was gray, but not oppressive, for the air was filled with moist raindrops, a sign that this year would be a good harvest.

The tenth year of Taikang, which later generations called the Taikang Reign, has ended. In the first month of this year, the country officially changed the era name to Taixi.

Maybe the reign name is really related to the country's destiny. Since the change of the reign name, this is the first time that the country has not suffered any disasters. There has been no solar eclipse, no earthquake, and no drought. Everything seems so smooth. The farmers breathed a sigh of relief and said with emotion that with such celestial phenomena, a true era of peace and prosperity may be coming.

In this peaceful environment, Liu Xian rode his horse through the hillside of Wan'an Mountain. His horse was galloping on the grass, and above him was a black eagle with its wings spread out, soaring in the sky.

As the horse rose and fell, Liu Xian clamped his legs against the horse's belly, drew his bow, and with a single eye pierced by the fine rain, he took aim and suddenly released an arrow. With a piercing scream, the eagle fell to the ground, tumbling down the hillside.

Liu Xian was overjoyed at this. He gently kicked the horse's belly with his feet, and the eagle suddenly galloped like lightning, running straight to its prey. The eagle's left wing was pierced by an arrow. It was shaking continuously, and blood soaked its feathers. It was still alive, and between its claws was a yellow and black rabbit. It was now wide-eyed and struggling to pull the eagle's claws out.

Liu Xian dismounted, took the rabbit from the eagle's claws, and holding it by the ears, turned around and said to Lu Ji and Zu Ti who had arrived late, "Haha, Shi Heng, Shi Zhi, look, I shot an eagle, and God actually gave me a rabbit in return."

Lu Ji and Zu Ti were both dressed in military uniform. Zu Ti's attire was particularly unconventional, with his hair tied up simply, not even a turban. His chest was half-open, with one bare arm extended to hold a bow, giving him the uninhibited look of a half-barbarian. Lu Ji, on the other hand, was dressed very formally. Even on horseback, his attire remained untouched. His movements and stillness exemplified the military strategy of "slow as a forest, still as a mountain."

Liu Xian smiled and said, "It seems that I am the first in this hunting trip."

Zu Ti was quite unconvinced. He sighed and said, "In terms of archery, you are not as good as me. You just use your better horse to get ahead every time. What kind of skill is that?"

Liu Xian said, "That's just how life is. Sometimes you can't just compete with others in terms of ability. Shizhi, if you lose, you lose."

Lu Ji said with a smile: "It's okay, Shizhi, at worst we can barbecue later and eat up all of Huai Chong's prey. Just think of it as him helping you."

"You make it sound like I'm just a good-for-nothing..." Zu Ti took the rabbit from Liu Xian's hand, weighed it, and said, "But it's not impossible..."

The three of them burst into laughter. After a while, Lu Ji looked at the weather and said, "It's getting late. We should take the prey and go back early. Everyone is waiting anxiously."

This was an ordinary hunting trip. After the princes were enfeoffed at the end of the year, Luoyang returned to peace for a while and the court fell into silence. Apart from some routine official correspondence, there were basically no imperial edicts issued from the three ministries in the palace. Even the newly established princely palaces were keeping a wait-and-see attitude.

Everyone understands the specific reason, which is nothing more than waiting for the emperor's final death.

In addition to his work, Liu Xian also followed Sima Wei's intentions and frequently moved among the scholars, observing personnel movements in the imperial guards and establishing friendships with some knowledgeable people.

This was the case with today's hunting trip. In addition to Lu Ji and Zu Ti, Liu Xian also invited Meng Guan, Lu Yun, Liu Kun, Wang Cui, Zhou Xi, Shi Chao, Wang Dun, Jiang Tong, Ruan Fu and others. They held a small banquet for scholars in Wan'an Mountain, where they often relaxed during this period.

When they returned to the stone cave they came from, Xi'an and Zhang Gu had already tidied the cave in perfect order. The grill, banquet, fruits, and seasonings were all arranged, and the guests were mostly sitting around the table chatting.

Liu Kun was playing the flute. Seeing Liu Xian and the others return, he stopped playing and asked with a smile, "Well, how much did you gain?"

"Three deer, eight rabbits, four geese, an eagle, and a snake. Divide them among us later!"

"Oh, there's an eagle? I'd love to try it!"

"Hey, I didn't say I was giving the eagle to you. This is the first eagle I've shot with my own hands in all these years. I plan to keep it all to myself."

"Then I can't eat without the eagle," Liu Kun sighed. "If there is something you've never seen before but is within your reach, it's better to die early than to regret missing it."

"If you say that, then why don't you go hunting yourself?"

"Hunting is so unrefined. I, Liu Yueshi, will never do anything that spoils the mood."

After saying this, everyone around started laughing. Liu Kun was always so humorous when he talked and laughed, and he could naturally become the center of everyone's attention.

Liu Xian smiled and said, "Alright, since you're so elegant, I'll share this eagle."

After that, he plucked and skinned the prey himself, and together with his servants, began to process the game. His friends, unconcerned with the idea of a gentleman staying away from the kitchen, each began to help, cutting the meat, skewering it, roasting it, and basting it, having a great time.

When everything was almost done and the meat was still not cooked, Liu Xian looked at the fire and said to Lu Ji:
"Shi Heng, on the way here, you said the court's enfeoffment was not sincere. What do you think of that?"

Everyone thought, it's started again. Ever since Liu Xian and Lu Ji became friends, every banquet they attended would turn into a debate between the two of them, no matter where or when, always like this, seemingly never tiring.

But who among the scholars didn't enjoy discussing state affairs and writing inspiring essays? This was a hobby they would never give up, and everyone was happy to listen to their discussions and occasionally chime in with a comment or two of their own.

Seeing Liu Xian bring up the topic, Lu Ji didn't refuse and said with a smile, "I said before that the imperial court's enfeoffment was a fake enfeoffment. The main reason is that Your Majesty has not changed the foundation of the system."

"Your Majesty has allowed the kings to control local military garrisons. This may seem like a division of territories, but institutionally speaking, the kings are essentially exercising control over local military and political power in the name of the imperial court, rather than governing their own countries in the name of vassal kings."

"As a result, the power of the kings to govern the local areas still came from the central government. They were merely temporary leaders of the local prefectures and counties, and could not truly violate the county system and act independently within the country. If the court wanted to remove the kings' control power at any time, it could still do so. Even if it wanted to abolish the kings' kingdoms, what difficulty would it have? This would be unthinkable in the true Zhou system."

"True feudalism means that the state not only formally hands over power to the kings, but also completely abandons its interference in the local states. Local princes can reform their own systems, mint currency, and appoint personnel. Can the current princes do these things?"

"The vassal kings simply followed the rules of the imperial court. The imperial court had clear regulations on the number of households a country could have, the number of national soldiers, and the types of officials appointed within the country. This meant that the kings couldn't truly make their own decisions. If this were to happen in the Zhou Dynasty, they probably wouldn't even have the power of a viscount, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Lu Ji concluded, "So I say, Your Majesty's arrangement is completely groundless and a mere sham enfeoffment. How can it be taken seriously?"

Liu Xian smiled and said, "I still say the same old thing: the feudal system is outdated. Your Majesty, you have already achieved the best you can do."

"Everyone in the world knows that the emperor is the true sovereign, and everyone knows that the nine provinces and ten thousand regions are one country. Even if it is possible to reinstitute feudal fiefdoms, as long as this idea exists, it will never become a true feudal system."

"I don't think so," Lu Ji said. "Throughout history, the only dynasty that has truly maintained a long-lasting imperial system is the Han Dynasty. Before that, the Qin Dynasty perished after two generations, and after that, the Wei Dynasty declined after three generations."

"These bloody examples are enough to prove that the imperial system is unsustainable. The Han Dynasty is indeed the only successful imperial family in history, but apart from them, which of the truly long-lived Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties did not practice feudal fiefdom?"

"Perhaps the emperor's success was a coincidence. There was no emperor before the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty will not need an emperor in the future. The existence of an emperor in the world is not a natural thing." Lu Ji's boldness in this speech shocked everyone, but his angle was very tricky. Now no one believed in the theory of the connection between heaven and man, so for a while they could not find any reason to refute it.

But Liu Xian still insisted: "Shi Heng said that there might not be an emperor in the future. This may be reasonable, but to say that we should return to the feudal system is also a foolish dream!"

"Most scholars today rely on their parents' influence, diligently studying and understanding human nature. But if you want to reintroduce the five-tier system of feudal fiefdoms, what good will all this knowledge do? Can they truly return home to endure the hardships of farming? I don't object to hardship, but after generations of pampering, many can't even tell the difference between planting corn and wheat. If you expect scholars to do these things, they'll probably fight you tooth and nail!"

Lu Ji retorted, "It is precisely because they do not know that they have to resort to the feudal system to forcibly tie scholars to the land. Otherwise, scholars will not know how to work and farm, but will spend their days studying idle talk and abstruse theories. Isn't this the way to destroy the country?"

"Of course it's the way to destroy a country, but we must adopt practical measures. Talking about enfeoffment is a bit too fanciful!"

The two of them were each holding their own opinion, neither able to convince the other, but the more this went on, the more each wanted to convince the other. At this point, if you wanted to interrupt the conversation, someone had to bring up a new topic.

The person who plays this role today is Jiang Tong. He is the Palace Attendant, and holds the same position as Meng Guan. He does not come from a high-ranking family, but he is from a family of two thousand stones. He usually has many insights, and he admires the talents of Liu Xian and Lu Ji, so he makes friends with them.

He said, "What you two are saying is so absurd. What's the difference between it and idle talk? In my opinion, it would be better to talk about practical issues and solve some of the country's real hidden dangers."

Zhou Xi was very interested in this topic. Upon hearing this, he immediately asked, "Oh? What is the hidden danger that Brother Ying Yuan mentioned?"

"It's the Rong and Di!" Jiang Tong sighed, "I think if this country continues to neglect them, it will be destroyed by the barbarians!"

When he said this, he was not recognized by everyone, but was laughed at by most people.

Meng Guan said, "The country is now at peace, and the barbarians on the border have all submitted. We no longer have a formidable enemy like the Xiongnu, who unified the northern desert, nor a rebellious force like Tan Shihuai, commanding an army of 100,000. Even the strongest Tuoba Xianbei today is probably no match for Tufa Shuji. Brother Ying Yuan, aren't you just worrying too much?"

Zhou Xi said, "I don't understand either. Looking at the current situation on the border, the barbarians are fragmented and divided into six tribes. There's nothing to worry about, right?"

Wang Dun, who had been quietly eating peaches nearby, also said, "The borders of the Imperial Jin are peaceful, better than those of the Han Dynasty. What is there to worry about?"

Jiang Tong shook his head and said, "I'm not talking about the Rong and Di people in the border areas. Those are not a concern. I'm talking about the Rong and Di people who have been naturalized in the country."

"Since the early years of Cao Wei, the population of the country has been drastically reduced, and there have been repeated battles with the Shu people in places like Guanlong. Although a considerable number of Hu people were subdued, the country also made wrong decisions."

"Emperor Wu of Wei, in order to facilitate control, actually relocated them from the borderlands into the interior. This resulted in large numbers of Hu people living in places like Beidi, Shangdang, Xihe, Taiyuan, Fengyi, Anding, and Shangjun during the Han Dynasty. During the crucial battles with Jiang Wei and Tufa Shuji, he further relocated Hu people to Fufeng, Fengyi, Hongnong, Jingzhao, Weijun, and other places. By now, there must be tens of thousands of Hu people in Luoyang, right?"

"I went to the Secretariat a few days ago to inquire. The country's current population is 16 million. If we include the hidden households that haven't been found, the number could be over 20 million. We could even be optimistic and say 30 million. But how many Hu people are there?"

"This was written in the edict of Emperor Yuan of Wei when he conquered Shu in the fourth year of Jingyuan (263 AD)."

At this point he paused, then leisurely recited, "Outside the Nine Prefectures, the people of remote regions, those rarely seen in the world, all crossed the sea to come and enjoy the feast, inspiring the king's virtue. In total, over 8.7 million people have come. Even the remote peoples of the seashore are all willing to submit."

Jiang Tong sighed, "This data is from almost thirty years ago. By today, there are probably tens of millions of Hu people in the country!"

"Tens of millions of people! The registered population in our country is only 16 million!"

"These barbarians don't live on the frontier, but in the heart of the country. If they ever decide to rebel, they can mobilize an army of 100,000 or even several hundred thousand. If they march from Shangdang or Hongnong, they can reach Luoyang in less than three days! If this isn't a threat from the heart of our country, then what is?"

When he finished speaking, everyone was shocked, including Liu Xian. He had never considered the issue from this perspective. Now that Jiang Tong mentioned it, he couldn't help but think of this scene: after Liu Cong brought Liu Yao back to Taiyuan, he decided to lead his troops in rebellion. He raised his arm and called for help, and immediately tens of thousands of people responded, like a thunderous roar, shocking everyone.

Lu Ji denied it, saying, "Brother Ying Yuan, what you said makes sense, but these Rongdi have been in China for over a hundred years. They wear Chinese clothing and know Chinese characters. They shouldn't rebel, right?"

Jiang Tong said flatly, "It is precisely because they have been influenced by the Han culture that I feel the harm is even greater!"

"If they hadn't understood Confucianism, they would have only committed more murders. But now that they understand the orthodox teachings, they will mislead people in the future. I'm afraid ordinary people will find it difficult to distinguish them, and they will become the weapons of the barbarians."

Zhou Xi said, "But I see that most of them are loyal to the Jin Dynasty and have not shown any rebellious intentions."

"Those who are not of my race must have different hearts! The ambitions of the Rong and Di people are different from those of the Chinese! This is bound to happen sooner or later!"

Jiang Tong spoke so confidently that it made everyone laugh. Judging people's hearts based on their race is too biased.

Moreover, at this point, if there are really tens of millions of Hu people living in the country, how could they possibly move? I'm afraid they didn't want to rebel in the first place, and your relocation has directly caused unrest throughout the country.

Liu Xian thought with some luck that it was a good thing that Liu Cong was not invited this time. Otherwise, after hearing these remarks, with his high self-esteem, he would have to break off with Jiang Tong.

While he was thinking, he smelled a burnt smell. He turned around and found that everyone was so engrossed in the discussion that they didn't even notice that the meat next to them was burnt. He hurriedly called for everyone to come and rescue it.

When everyone saw that there was something wrong with the food, they didn't care about anything else and rushed to help. Everyone was shouting and behaving in a panic. Many people burned their hands, but despite being in a mess, everyone couldn't help but make fun of each other, and the atmosphere was harmonious and calm.

But this was the last peace.

After the dinner, the group returned to Luoyang, and the number of guards patrolling the streets suddenly increased threefold.

When passing by the city gate, you can see a brand new notice posted on it, which reads: From today on, the entire city is under martial law.

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(End of this chapter)