Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 66 Recapture of Lost Territory
"Old people and women are both acceptable? Just 20% of the grain tax can solve all the tax issues?"

Zuo Zi checked it again.

"Yes, you don't need to doubt my integrity in business... I will never let anyone suffer a loss."

Liu Bei nodded.

"Can we register their household registration? Register them as private residents?"

Zuo Zi confirmed it again.

“As long as they are not wanted criminals on the official list of the imperial court, I can turn them into clean farmers and good citizens.”

Liu Bei nodded again.

With no officials currently in Zhuojun, Jian Yong is perfectly suited to handle these matters.

In addition, Liu Bei also had the authority to recruit volunteers.

First, people are recruited as volunteers by means of a mass migration, then the "unqualified soldiers" are dismissed and made civilians, and then a piece of land is sold to them to settle down as local residents, and that's it. There's no need to even get fake certificates; it's a completely legal operation.

As for whether the volunteers recruited are elderly people or women and children, it doesn't matter...

Liu Bei's army just liked to use old men, women and children, so what?
Look at that section about Jiong, Zuo Yuan, and Zhang Fei...

"...You're making me, with my left mustache, want to start farming..."

Zuo Zi felt that this kind of good thing was a bit unreal.

Zuo Zi is a wanted criminal, the kind with a warrant issued on his head; his identity can never be cleared in this lifetime.

Many of the bandits in the Taihang Mountains have no intention of going out of business; they've become accustomed to this way of life.

But the elderly and women in the Taihang Mountains are just ordinary mountain dwellers. If they could have a place to go, it would not only reduce the pressure on the mountains, but also earn them food, and they would be law-abiding citizens...

The descendants of these wanted criminals can also become law-abiding citizens through the women they marry.

“The land has to be bought! I need money to station troops and support them. Only with troops can the river bend land be cultivated in peace… That land can accommodate at least 30,000 people, but 30,000 old and weak people farming can provide you with enough food for 100,000 people.”

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he nodded and stood up: "Zuo Zi, go back and discuss it with your friends in the Taihang Mountains."

……

In the following days, Liu Bei sent messengers to Liu Wei every day to report the victory.

Day 1: "Report! Lord Xuande has repelled most of the Taihang bandits, recovered the fortified village east of the city, and retrieved many seals of office of county and prefectural officials. The bandit troops have fled south!"

Liu Wei was overjoyed, but dared not leave the city to see it, and paced around in the guesthouse.

The next day: "Report! Lord Xuande led his army in pursuit of the bandits, and once again recovered fifty li of territory. The bandits dared not return!"

Liu Wei's eyes widened, and he fiercely plucked two tufts of his beard.

On the third day: "Report! Lord Xuande has recruited three hundred volunteers on the spot, and after a day of bloody fighting, he has recaptured Fanyang City! Lord Xuande's troops are exhausted and his generals are in dire need, and he would like to ask the Prefect to provide some military supplies to reward the army."

Liu Wei gritted his teeth and stamped his foot: "The treasury is empty... what should we do?"

The messenger was a wandering swordsman who read aloud from the bamboo slip in his hand: "Brother Xuande says that if the treasury is empty, please have the Prefect write some IOUs. We can't let Commander Zou's troops work for nothing. All the officers above the rank of squad leader under the Commander should be given some reward money..."

Liu Wei clenched his fist and gritted his teeth: "Fine! I'll write it right away!"

After finishing speaking, he wrote furiously, producing dozens of military expenditures, each ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of coins, with the total amount of IOUs reaching two million coins... He even wrote so much that the wound on his arm reopened.

On the fourth day, Jian Yong returned to report: "My lord, the bandits have gathered a large army of nearly ten thousand in the vicinity of Beixin City. My elder brother Xuande is unable to advance any further and is currently deploying defenses in the Beixin City area to prevent the bandits from launching a counterattack."

"Right now we need to provide some food and military supplies to Brother Xuande. Brother Xuande said he knows that there is no money or food in Zhuo County and Fanyang City. Please ask the Prefect to transfer some from Fangcheng, Liangxiang and other places."

This is normal; after all, if you're going to act, you have to act convincingly.

Liu Bei only took a few hundred men from Zou Jing's main force with him when he went out, but he scared away the bandits and recovered Fanyang. Liu Wei was already very satisfied.

The bandits in Beixincheng number over ten thousand; Governor Zou's reputation alone is certainly not enough to scare them away.

Since most areas have now been recovered, as long as the wealthy families don't cause any major problems, Liu Wei won't be punished. However, Liu Wei is very troubled: "Right now, there are no officials available, so how can we allocate funds, provisions, and military equipment?"

However, after saying that, he looked at Jian Yong and remembered that Jian Xianhe was a virtuous and talented man known for his filial piety, so he quickly grabbed him and said, "Xianhe, help me!"

So Liu Wei reopened the wound on his arm by writing—this time he wrote dozens of documents for recruitment and the allocation of money and grain, from the clerks of the Ministry of Personnel to the clerks of the granary and the household administration, and then to the clerks of each department, including all the junior officials who could manage the allocation of money and grain.

Jian Yong could theoretically help him write it, but Liu Wei wasn't comfortable with it...

Because Liu Wei had to allocate the money and grain to the treasury first before transferring them to Liu Bei... there would be losses involved.

However, work needs to be done, and since there is no one available in Zhuo County, it is natural to recruit new people.

Actually, it wasn't that there were no people at all. Some minor officials who had escaped from the fortified village planned to return to Zhuo County, but they were all caught and imprisoned by Jian Yong and Zhang Fei. Abandoning the prefect during wartime was considered desertion, which was punishable by immediate beheading. These minor officials thought the prefect was dead and wanted to come back to take advantage of the chaos...

As a result, Jian Yong was promoted and obtained the high-ranking position of Junior Official – Gongcao.

This is the highest-ranking junior official in the county, responsible for personnel assessment and the allocation of funds and grain within the county. Although he does not receive a stipend and is not an official, his authority is similar to that of a senior official.

In fact, Liu Wei originally wanted Jian Yong to serve as the Prefect's Attendant, but Jian Yong declined on the grounds that he had to take care of his mother. The Prefect's Attendant was to follow the Prefect to other places, while the County Official was to live in the local area.

It would be so much better to be a subordinate official in Zhuo County. Zhuo County currently has neither a magistrate nor a county commandant, and Jian Yong is essentially holding the power of a magistrate. Why should he take orders from others?

Moreover, as long as Liu Bei obtained an official position, Jian Yong would inevitably become Liu Bei's subordinate official and would not want to join someone else's faction.

Some of the more cultured wandering knights also became officials in the county, and Liu Bei and Jian Yong's former gang was completely legitimized.

……

Outside Beixincheng.

Zuo Zi is very trustworthy. He retreated two hundred li in four days and is now leading his brothers to push carts back to the mountain.

Actually, if you go upstream along the Juma River while in Zhuoxian County, it will be closer to Huishan.

However, there is no main road along the Juma River. Going south to Beixincheng is a detour, but there are official roads and bridges along the way, making it easier to push a cart...

Yes, Zuo Zihou retreated along the imperial road because they had gained more spoils, and now no one in Zhuojun can stop them.

Heading west from Beixincheng, you can take the valley at the border of Zhuojun and Zhongshan to enter the mountains. You won't need to cross the river again along this route; you can push the cart directly back into the mountains.

"My lord, I acted on my own initiative and have caused you trouble..."

Nine-foot-tall Liu Bei knelt before him, repenting: "I have ruined your plans, my lord, and caused trouble with the Taihang bandits. Please take my head, my lord."

"It's good that you know you've caused trouble. You can keep your head for now. Since you've caused trouble for the Taihang bandits, you'll be in charge of relaying messages in the Taihang Mountains from now on."

Liu Bei didn't blame him too much. It was his own problem with personnel management, and there was no need to complain about his subordinates: "Brother Zuo Zi, take Jiu Chi and the others into the mountains. This will relieve the other leaders in the Taihang Mountains of their worries... After you've thought about how to settle them down, have Jiu Chi come out and find me."

"I will discuss the matter of buying land and settling down with my brothers after I return to the mountain. Brother Big Ears, please wait for my news."

Left Beard cupped his hands in farewell to Liu Bei: "Zhangba will remain by Big Ears' side as an envoy. If Big Ears needs assistance in the future, just send Zhangba into the mountains, and the entire Taihang Mountains will surely respond."

Sending Jiu Chi and the bandit leaders back into the mountains served two purposes: first, to put the people in the Taihang Mountains at ease, and second, to maintain communication channels.

Liu Bei will not assign Jiu Chi any other tasks; he can simply be a messenger.

Everyone should have their own purpose; we cannot force others to do things they are not good at, nor can we easily abandon our comrades.

All land should be used properly; it shouldn't be left there for the barbarians to graze their horses, nor should it all be kept in their hands.

Liu Bei didn't need land; as long as he won people's hearts, wherever those people were, that land would all be his.

It was late August of the second year of Guanghe (179 AD), and Zhuojun returned to peace.

For some reason, the imperial decree to summon them, which should have arrived long ago, has still not reached Zhuojun...

Meanwhile, in Laiyuan, a burly man, nine feet tall and wearing a straw hat, hurriedly crossed the Flying Fox Pass, bypassed the garrison, and headed east along the Juma River.

(End of this chapter)