Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 322 Eastward to Yiling
Before the rice and millet harvest in Sichuan could be completed, Liu Shan hastily left Chengdu and headed east.

By the time Yanwu's flagship sailed out of the Three Gorges again and returned to Yiling, it was already July, and news of the winter wheat harvest in Guanzhong followed one after another.

The documents show that the number of registered people in Guanzhong has reached more than 52,000 households and more than 280,000 people, more than double the number when Guanzhong was recovered.

Including the powerful clans and military families with vast tracts of land, the registered and cultivated land area was more than 1.82 million mu, of which wheat fields yielded more than 360,000 shi of grain tax during the summer harvest.

This is just a list of registered users.

Last year, during the Northern Expedition to Guanzhong, more than 100,000 prisoners were captured. In addition, there were more than 10,000 soldiers in military garrisons, bringing the total number of people in official garrisons to more than 120,000.

Because iron farm tools and captured draft animals were first distributed to the official settlements, and because curved plows, treadle plows, and dragon-bone waterwheels, which greatly improved farming efficiency, were first popularized in the official settlements,

The land cultivated by the people of the official settlements was more than the average of the registered households, peasant households, and soldiers. They cultivated a total of more than 1.2 million mu of land, which is equivalent to each person cultivating and caring for 10 mu of land, 60% higher than the registered households and peasant households.

Furthermore, before winter wheat was planted last winter, nearly 500,000 mu of land around Wuzhangyuan had already been planted with beans, which fertilized the land and resulted in a slightly higher average yield per mu.

In conclusion, due to various factors, the official grain reserves eventually yielded a total of over 1.64 million shi (a unit of dry measure).

Such data can be described as a bumper harvest, far exceeding the expectations of the ministers in the Prime Minister's office, and also exceeding Liu Shan's expectations.

Most importantly, if this 1.64 million shi of grain came from registered households, then the Han Dynasty would probably only be able to collect 300,000 to 400,000 shi of grain tax.

This amount of grain is far from enough to feed the nearly 300,000 mouths of the farmers, soldiers, and livestock in Guanzhong, and it may not even last two months.

The good thing is that of the 120,000 people in the official settlement, more than 100,000 were prisoners of war from Cao Wei!
According to the law, captured soldiers and civilians were to be garrisoned and farmed, with the imperial court collecting the vast majority of their output and only responsible for providing the most basic rations, essentially making them garrison slaves.

Unfortunately, it's still the medieval era, and slavery still exists. In the Cao Wei regime, if a relative committed a crime, all those implicated would be punished and made government slaves, with no regard for human rights whatsoever.

Productivity was too low, and resettling prisoners of war has always been a difficult task. Otherwise, Bai Qi would not have buried alive the surrendered people. Yuwen Tai lost 80,000 surrendered people in the Battle of Shayuan, but only 20,000 able-bodied men were selected, and the remaining 60,000 were given rations and sent back to Guandong.

Liu Shan and his prime minister were naturally reluctant to release the massive number of prisoners, equivalent to the entire population of Guanzhong, back to Guandong.

However, due to the extreme difficulty of transporting supplies, the initial plan was not to register these prisoners as regular residents.

It was truly a matter of necessity. To feed 100,000 people for a year, even if they were starving, would require at least 700,000 to 800,000 shi of grain. Taking into account all kinds of losses, just to feed this group of prisoners, the regions of Shu, Hanzhong, and Longyou would need to prepare approximately 2 million shi of grain.

However, due to the better-than-expected harvest this summer, the Prime Minister overruled objections and decided to distribute 10% of the harvest to the garrison farmers in addition to their basic rations, while keeping 50% for the military farms, in order to encourage their morale.

Even so, the total amount of grain stored in government granaries was still 1.3 million shi.

The Guanzhong government raised 640,000 shi of grain through government bonds, collected 360,000 shi of grain tax from registered households, and added 1.3 million shi of grain from government-run farms. In the end, the entire Guanzhong summer harvest yielded more than 2.3 million shi of grain.

This quantity is astonishing. There are still autumn millet, beans, and porridge to be harvested in Guanzhong, estimated to be more than one million shi (a unit of dry measure).

The more than three million shi of grain was more than enough to feed the nearly 300,000 people in Guanzhong, including the garrison farmers, for a year, with a surplus of several hundred thousand shi.

Moreover, next year, uncultivated land will be converted into cultivated land, and advanced agricultural tools such as iron hoes, curved plows, and dragon-bone waterwheels will become more widespread. The harvest is expected to increase by 40%. At that time, repaying the national debt will be no problem, and the treasury may even be able to store millions of tons of grain.

The speed at which national strength and people's livelihoods have recovered is, to say the least, somewhat exaggerated.

Liu Shan now finally believed that the historical record stating that Deng Ai had cultivated land along the Huai River for six years and obtained more than ten million shi of grain was probably not unfounded.

The usually composed Dong Yun, holding the document, rarely showed any excitement:
"Two million three hundred thousand shi! At this time last year, we were still worried about the food and people's livelihood in Guanzhong. Unexpectedly, the locust plague was stopped before it was about to break out, and Guanzhong had enough for a year. Such an achievement can truly be called unprecedented."

Censor-in-Chief Meng Guang stroked his white beard and nodded repeatedly, his wrinkles revealing satisfaction:

"At first, I thought that the order in Guanzhong had collapsed and was ravaged by war. It would be impossible to be self-sufficient in three to five years."

"And now, in just one year, Guanzhong no longer needs to transport grain from Shu. Such an achievement truly moves this old minister. Just as Dong Shizhong said, it is a feat that will shake the world."

"What surprised me most was that the official grain reserves actually yielded over 1.3 million taels of grain," exclaimed Zhuge Qiao, the Imperial Son-in-Law and Commandant.

"The 100,000 prisoners of war from Guandong, who last year were burdened by the burden of eating the grain of our great Han Dynasty, have now become the contributors to the abundant harvest in Guanzhong."

"The soybeans and millet harvested last autumn, plus this year's summer wheat, mean that the grain the court spent on the 100,000 prisoners is roughly equivalent to what it has gained."

"At this rate, when these 100,000 villagers are reinstated as civilians in four years, they will probably be able to accumulate nearly ten million units of grain for our Han Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. If Cao Wei had not sent more than 100,000 prisoners, it would have taken the Han Dynasty more than ten years to establish a firm foothold in Guanzhong and accumulate millions of grains.

Zhang Song's son, Zhang Biao, sighed at this moment:

"If there were no curved plow or dragon-bone waterwheel."

"If it weren't for the tens of thousands of cattle, horses, mules and donkeys seized from Cao Wei."

"If it were not for the Prime Minister Guan Zhongchu's decision, he would have led people to dredge the canals of Zheng, Cheng, and Chang'an."

"If Your Majesty had not made the decision to establish farms and military garrisons in Guanzhong, and had not relocated tens of thousands of people from Anding, Beidi, and Longyou, Guanzhong would probably still be in dire straits, and the eastern expedition would have been unable to continue, and the momentum of the campaign would have come to an abrupt end."

"What Boda has said is exactly what I have wanted to say." Liu Shan laughed heartily, displaying a heroic spirit. "This is what it means to achieve great things through human effort; man can conquer nature."

Zhuge Qiao looked at the document and couldn't help but sigh:
"Unfortunately, the terrain and climate of Sichuan are very different from those of Guanzhong. Only rice and millet are grown there, with only one harvest per year. If it could be like Guanzhong, with three harvests every two years, our Han Dynasty would no longer have to worry about food supplies in the future, and we would not need to take on the national debt this time."

The number of registered households in Sichuan is just over 300,000, with more than 9.6 million mu of registered land. In the past, the annual grain tax was around 3.8 million jin.

Of course, after deducting losses from official use and transportation, the national treasury could accumulate more than two million units of grain per year. The prime minister accumulated more than seven million units of grain over three years for the Northern Expedition.

It was these seven million tons of grain that enabled the Han Dynasty to maintain high-intensity operations for a year after conquering Guanzhong, feeding more than 300,000 people in Guanzhong, including livestock. Without these three years of accumulation, there would be no Han Dynasty territory as we know it today.

Liu Chan smiled:
"The issuance of this national bond is due to the fact that after a year of continuous wars and the transport of grain over thousands of miles, the more than seven million tons of grain that our Han Dynasty has stockpiled has been almost completely depleted."

"Although the granaries in Sichuan can barely hold out until the autumn grain arrives in October, there will be no way to reward or compensate the soldiers."

At this point, Liu Shan paused for a moment, his voice lowering: "The families of the fallen soldiers are waiting for compensation, and the meritorious soldiers are hoping for rewards. If the rewards are delayed due to insufficient supplies, it may discourage the soldiers and lead to a failure in the eastern expedition."

Soldiers are human too. If you only make empty promises, even the oxen and horses of later generations will not be willing to work for capital, let alone soldiers to risk their lives for you.

Dong Yun stepped forward, his expression solemn:

Your Majesty's concerns are very valid.

"Not only that, after the summer flood, there is also the autumn flood, and the river still rises sharply. The Three Gorges are dangerous, and one or two out of ten grain ships are lost on the river."

"Often, when 50,000 shi of grain are transported from Sichuan, 7,000 to 8,000 shi are lost due to wind and waves."

"If you're unlucky and encounter torrential rain and strong winds, the losses will be incalculable."

This was also the problem the late emperor encountered in the Battle of Yiling. After the start of summer, even with downstream transport, the river and grain supply routes faced significant risks.

Dong Yun paused, and as all the officials in the room nodded in deep agreement, he continued:

"Furthermore, once our army conquers the counties of Jiangling, we will need to reserve some grain to appease the newly surrendered people. Therefore, Your Majesty's return west this time, raising 800,000 shi of grain through national bonds, is indeed a prudent and proactive measure."

Liu Shan nodded repeatedly. This time, he personally returned to Chengdu to oversee the national debt, and a total of 800,000 shi of grain were raised.

This was not the limit of the people's strength in Sichuan, but rather because the imperial court had only issued bonds for 800,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

After all, Guanzhong could raise more than 600,000, and there were far more wealthy people with money and grain in Shu than in Guanzhong. If Liu Shan wanted to, a million shi of grain would probably not be a problem.

Although no single family in the Han Dynasty was as wealthy as a country, the combined wealth of dozens of powerful officials and wealthy individuals truly made them as rich as a country.

The grain production in Sichuan is already basically stable, and there won't be much increase in the short term.

Raising too much, exceeding what is needed, will only increase the financial pressure next year. Therefore, it is sufficient to have enough food to last until November.

In Sichuan, the autumn harvest takes place in August and September, and collecting taxes on grain takes more than a month. By the time the autumn grain is transported to the eastern front, it is already November.

While in Chengdu, Liu Shan, along with Fei Yi, Jiang Wan, and others, calculated that the national grain reserves, plus the grain from national debt and other sources, minus the rewards and relief for those on the eastern front, would provide enough grain to feed 60,000 people until February of the following year.

Leaving three months' worth of supplies not only relieved the urgent needs on the eastern front but also prevented excessive strain on the people's resources in Sichuan. It also boosted the morale of the soldiers on the eastern front, increasing the chances of capturing Jingzhou.

"Minister Dong," Liu Shan looked at Dong Yun and asked seriously, "have the rewards for those who made contributions and the compensation for those who died in the battles of Wu, Zi, and Yiling been calculated and settled?"

Dong Yun was already prepared. He immediately pulled out a document from his sleeve and presented it to the emperor with both hands:
"Your Majesty, everything was clarified in mid-June."

"In addition to the rewards of cloth, land and houses, a total of 400,000 shi of grain should be distributed to the soldiers. This is a general overview of the rewards and gratifications for the three armies. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

Liu Shan took the document, carefully reviewed the overview records, pondered for a long time, and finally addressed Dong Yun with a solemn expression:

"With the Battle of Jiangling imminent, I request that Minister Dong immediately summon one or two hundred Xuanyi Lang (a type of military officer) to copy down the matters concerning rewards and compensation for the three armies. The rewards that meritorious officers and soldiers should receive, and the compensation that fallen soldiers should receive, should all be clearly written down. The details should be discussed and decided by the ministers."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent and dared not utter a sound.

Liu Shan looked at Dong Yun with piercing eyes:
"After that, these documents will be posted at the gates of each army camp so that all officers and soldiers can see them. At the same time, a document will be sent to Chengdu, requesting Chief Secretary Jiang to immediately begin to handle matters related to rewards and compensation."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Dong Yun bowed deeply.

……

……

Guanzhong.

Changan.

Zhuge Jin stood alone in front of Bu Zhi's residence for a long time before finally tidying his clothes and stepping inside.

The two met.

However, compared to March, Zhuge Jin's face had gained some weight, and he was no longer so thin; he also appeared more energetic.

But Bu Zhi grew increasingly thin and frail.

Zhuge Jin sighed and said:
"Zishan, I'm preparing to go to Liangzhou to serve as a county magistrate."

Upon hearing this, Bu Zhi was immediately shocked, paused for a moment, and then stared wide-eyed as he asked, "Ziyu... have you already pledged your allegiance to Shu?!"

Zhuge Jin was taken aback upon hearing this, his gaze darting away. Finally, he sighed and shook his head, saying:
That's not the case.

“I…I do not have allegiance to Shu, but I wish to do something for the people of the world.”

"Do something for the people of the world?" Bu Zhi frowned.

Zhuge Jin remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded:

"In March, Kongming heard that there was a locust plague in Fengyi. Kongming was worried about this, so I went with Kongming to Fengyi to observe the locust situation."

"Kongming then devised three strategies for controlling locusts."

That night, he spoke to me again.

"A true man stands between heaven and earth, establishing himself and his virtue, setting an example for heaven and earth, securing a destiny for the people, continuing the lost learning of the sages, and ushering in an era of peace for all generations."

"To establish a heart for the world..." Bu Zhi suddenly paused, lost in thought for a moment, then quickly regained his ferocious expression and snorted coldly again: "What do you mean by establishing a heart for heaven and earth, what do you mean by creating peace for all generations... It's utterly arrogant!"

Zhuge Jin, however, remained neither angry nor intimidated. He simply shook his head slowly and calmly said:
I felt the same way at the time.

"However, Kongming said that to establish a heart for Heaven and Earth is the realm of a sage, and he dared not have the slightest wishful thinking."

"To continue the lost learning of the sages is the duty of virtuous people. However, they have never sought to understand the intricacies of their reading, only grasping the general outline, and thus their abilities are still insufficient."

"To bring peace to all generations... is the achievement of a true king. Since the chaos of the times, he has longed for it. Thus, he spent half his life assisting Zhaolie and the Han emperor in working together to achieve it, but he did not know whether he would live to see it come to fruition."

"At that time, he said that the only thing he could do, and had to do, was to 'establish a life for the people.'"

“In March, the locusts were observed; in April, the locusts began to rise; and in May, the locusts ceased to grow. In the end, the locust plague did not truly take hold and did not sweep through Guanzhong. As a result, the people of Guanzhong lived in peace and prosperity, and the roads were filled with people praising the benevolence and virtue of the Han dynasty.”

"Do you know... that there are three thousand starving people from Nanyang on Bailu Plain?"

Bu Zhi knew, of course he knew.

Seeing Bu Zhi's expression, Zhuge Jin knew that the three thousand starving people had caused such a commotion outside Chang'an that almost everyone in Guanzhong was comparing the locust control efforts in Guanzhong with the locust plague in Guandong. They were praising and approving of the Han court and the Han prime minister even more. No one was unaware of this.

“Zishan, you and I have been reading the books of sages since we were three years old, and we have been reading them for more than fifty years... Our ambition is nothing more than to emulate the sages of the past and save the world and the people.”

"His Majesty has shown us both great favor and kindness, treating us with unparalleled generosity, enabling us to realize our ambitions. We are willing to repay him with our lives. This is... how it should be, how it should be."

The "Your Majesty" mentioned by Zhuge Jin was naturally Sun Quan, not Liu Shan.

Sun Quan is harsh and ungrateful. In recent years, he has used Lü Yi to weaken a number of important officials, including Lu Xun and Gu Yong, who have been impeached repeatedly.

The same applies to Bu Zhi.

He was probably not a filial son or grandson of Sun Quan. After Lü Yi's rebellion, he once held military power and dominated Jingzhou. However, after being captured, the humiliation of the defeated army and his so-called innocence made him have a certain idea of ​​"being in the Han camp but having his heart in Wu". He was unwilling to serve the Han, similar to Xi Hong, who always remained silent when asked by Sun Quan.

Zhuge Jin sighed: "Zishan, the world has changed. We will never be able to return to Jiangdong for the rest of our lives. Since we have no way to realize our ambitions, we can only save the world and the people. If we can save one person, we will save one person... I only hope that the world will be at peace as soon as possible, and that I can beg for forgiveness from His Majesty in the afterlife."

After Zhuge Jin finished speaking, he noticed that Bu Zhi looked unwell. He then finished his tea and left alone, preparing to go to Chengji in Liangzhou to take up his post as county magistrate.

Bu Zhi remained seated, watching Zhuge Jin's retreating figure, let out a cold snort, and then fell into a long silence.

(End of this chapter)