Han officials

Chapter 253 Zhuge Xuan's Little Calculation

In the third year of Chuping, it was Gengzi day in the seventh month of autumn.

On that day, a gentle breeze blew and the sky was cloudless.

With Guan Hai leading the remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou to surrender, the land of Qingzhou, which had been in turmoil for many years, finally regained peace.

Except for the western part of Pingyuan County and the southern part of Jinan State, which were still under the control of Yuan's army, the entire Qingzhou was basically under the rule of Wei.

However, suppressing rebellion is difficult, but maintaining peace is even more difficult!
Even Zhong Hu, a veteran of countless battles, felt a headache coming on when faced with the devastated Qingzhou counties.

Fortunately, although Zhuge Xuan was not good at military strategy, he was indeed quite accomplished in domestic affairs.

It is thanks to the decline of their family fortunes that, although the Zhuge clan of Langya has not produced any more officials of the rank of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure) since the Former Han Dynasty, almost every generation has had a member of the clan serving as an assistant official, traveling throughout the northern and southern prefectures and counties.

This allowed the Zhuge clan to maintain its status as a noble family despite its decline.

Furthermore, because many of their ancestors served as officials, the Zhuge family accumulated a wealth of practical experience.

Passed down from generation to generation, the notes of Zhuge Liang's ancestors have long been the best teaching materials for domestic affairs.

Linzi County, within the Qingzhou Prefectural Governor's Office.

Zhuge Xuan calmly explained the resettlement plan to Zhong Hu:

"Since Your Excellency has established military farms to govern Qingzhou, we should prioritize agricultural affairs above all else."

“When agriculture resumes, the displaced people will settle down; when the displaced people settle down, Qingzhou will be stable. This is the way of the king.”

After explaining the program, he then went into detail:

"At this time, although the spring planting has been delayed, the agricultural work can still be salvaged to some extent. This month, turnips, mustard, alfalfa, onions, garlic, leeks, and other crops can be planted. We can also use work-for-relief programs to take advantage of the opportunity to employ the displaced people of Qingzhou to dredge abandoned irrigation canals, level fields, and accumulate fertilizer to nourish the land."

"Next month, the various military camps in Qingzhou can be ordered to replant wheat in the fields. During the White Dew season, thin fields can be planted; after the Autumn Equinox, medium fields can be planted; and ten days later, fine fields can be planted."

"Although Qingzhou is in dire need of reconstruction, the people are eager for stability. If we vigorously develop military farms for three years, there will surely be no famine in any household, and everyone will live in peace and prosperity."

As soon as Zhuge Xuan finished speaking, Zhong Hu couldn't help but sigh:

"Zhongyuan, you are very thoughtful. If we follow your advice, Qingzhou will soon be well-governed!"

As one of the most senior members of the elders, Zhong Hu naturally knew that his lord valued agriculture.

However, while he is good at fighting wars, he is somewhat lacking in the ability to govern local areas.

However, with Zhuge Xuan's help in identifying and addressing the shortcomings, Zhong Hu could finally deal with Zhou Ang with peace of mind.

Of course, to ensure the effective implementation of this domestic policy, the assistance of numerous agricultural promotion officials and land reclamation officials is still needed.

There was no other way; after years of rampage by the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, the government structure of Qingzhou was almost completely destroyed.

Let alone local officials, there are hardly any local scholars left.

Over the years, almost everyone with even a little bit of skill has crossed the sea to Liaodong to escape the chaos.

Zhuge Xuan had no good solution to this situation.

After all, it’s hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.

No matter how good a policy is, if it is not implemented effectively by grassroots officials, it will ultimately be nothing but empty talk.

Therefore, after explaining his own strategy, Zhuge Xuan deliberately left this thorny issue to be discussed last.

Unexpectedly, Zhong Hu laughed and said, "No problem, this is easy to handle, the shogunate has already made preparations."

It's important to understand that this wasn't the first time the shogunate had encountered such a pressing need for lower-level officials. Back in Liaodong, Wei Zhe had faced similar headaches many times, and over time, he had developed sophisticated solutions.

For example, Liaozhou, which served as the rear area of ​​the shogunate, has almost become a training base for grassroots officials in recent years.

Scholars from the prefectural school and even the Dongshan Academy, who were willing to enter officialdom, almost always went to Liaodong to cultivate land.

As for the military farms in Liaozhou, they basically maintained a configuration of one chief and two deputy chiefs, and a large number of experienced military farm officials and agricultural promotion commissioners could be drawn out at any time.

Although most of the governors, prefects, and magistrates under the rule of the shogunate were still older generation scholars, Wei Zhe was actually implementing a large-scale policy of "replacing old with new" at the grassroots level.

Whether it was military or civilian settlement, Wei Zhe always kept a firm grip on the land reclamation system.

Even if Qingzhou doesn't ask for help this time, Wei Zhe will not allow Qingzhou to carry out land reclamation on its own.

In this regard, Liaodong has long since provided countless batches of officials to the outside world.

For example, when 150,000 refugees from Qingzhou went to Bingzhou to cultivate land last year, Lelang County provided targeted support to a group of agricultural envoys.

Zhong Hu naturally didn't think much of it, but Zhuge Xuan, who was learning about it for the first time, was greatly shocked.

Unlike those scholars who looked down on corrupt officials and mundane affairs, Zhuge Xuan, whose family had inherited practical and pragmatic knowledge, immediately realized the ingenuity behind Wei Zhe's actions and was speechless for a moment.

However, after the initial shock, Zhuge Xuan couldn't help but feel invigorated.

Heaven has taken pity on the Zhuge family, for they have been able to encounter such a wise ruler. It seems that this generation finally has the opportunity to restore the glory of their ancestors!

Thinking of this, Zhuge Xuan suddenly had an idea.

So the next day at noon, Wei Zhe, who was handling government affairs in the main hall of the shogunate, saw Zhuge Xuan's letter among a pile of memorials:
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Zhuge Xuan of Langya bowed deeply and paid his respects to the Duke of Wei:
I am deeply grateful to Lord Meng for his kindness in promoting a humble and dull person like myself, allowing me to display my talents and strategies.

Unfortunately, my family suffered misfortune. My elder brother died in office, and my sister-in-law also passed away early, leaving behind three sons and two daughters all alone, their lives filled with sorrow and loneliness. It was truly pitiful. Although I am not talented, I have the honor of being their uncle and have taken them in to raise them.

In the past, while tilling the fields, I was still able to teach my children and nephews. Now that I have entrusted myself to Your Excellency, I am constantly worried that in my busy schedule, I may neglect my duty to educate my family. I humbly beseech Your Excellency's compassion and permission to send my orphans to study at Dongshan Academy. This would allow them to inherit the legacy of our ancestors and alleviate my worries about my duties.

Therefore, I will devote myself wholeheartedly, working tirelessly day and night, to repay Your Excellency's great kindness and favor.

My humble and foolish sincerity dares to offend your authority; I tremble and await orders!
-
That's right, this was the brilliant idea that Zhuge Xuan came up with in a flash of inspiration.

After confirming that Wei Zhe was the rare and enlightened ruler, Zhuge Xuan naturally wanted to increase investment.

However, the Zhuge clan of Langya was not a powerful or influential family, and their influence in the local area was limited.

In addition, the world was plagued by chaos and disasters, and the population was not thriving, so there was not a single capable person to be found.

After much deliberation, Zhuge Xuan concluded that offering hostages as a show of loyalty was the only way to express his sincerity.

Although Zhuge Xuan was indeed reluctant to let these orphans go to Dongshan Academy to study, he had no choice but to do so for the sake of his nephews.

After all, this isn't sending them to suffer, but rather giving them a tremendous opportunity.

You should know that nowadays, which scholar in the world does not yearn for the Dongshan Academy in Liaodong?
The secret collections of Luoyang and the classic texts of the Imperial Library are almost all located in Dongshan Academy.

Furthermore, it was a sacred place for scholars, with great Confucian scholars such as Zheng Xuan, Lu Zhi, and Cai Yong presiding over the vast sea of ​​books and learning.

If it weren't for the chaos that engulfed the land and the disruption of roads, Dongshan Academy would likely have long since gathered scholars from all over the country who came to study there.

Even so, Dongshan Academy still became a place that haunted the dreams of some Han scholars.

If it weren't for the heavy responsibility of reviving his family, Zhuge Xuan would have even wanted to be the hostage himself...

(End of this chapter)