Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

The original intention of any system is good, but over time, it will naturally be exploited.

Initially, it was able to establish a solid military system based on a clear design;

But more than a hundred years later, in the current prosperous dynasty, it has completely collapsed due to its inability to resist the endogenous corruption of land annexation and rent-seeking.

As far as Jia Jing knew, the most important and fundamental reason for the collapse of the garrison system was the encroachment on the military farmland.

The military farmland of Shuntian Prefecture has now become a "fat piece of meat" in the eyes of the powerful and military officers in the capital city, and the phenomenon of officers encroaching on military farmland is extremely common.

Even more seriously, imperial relatives, noble ministers and high-ranking officials openly participated in the division of land, seizing large amounts of land and turning it into their own estates, while military households also became tenants of various military families.

Military households were the cornerstone of the garrison system, but with the occupation of farmland and heavy labor, their living space was completely squeezed.

Officers treated military households as slaves, embezzling rations and exploiting them wantonly.

The military households not only had to work for the officers who seized their land, but also had to pay heavy rents.

After a year of working themselves to the bone, they still struggled to make ends meet, leading to many tragedies of "selling wives and children."

By the time of Jingsheng, according to records from the Ministry of War, the average desertion rate of soldiers in the national garrisons had reached as high as 70% to 80%, and the garrison system had become a mere formality.

After observing the cultivation of the fields, Jia Jing led his men on horseback to Liangxiang Camp, which was the destination he had chosen to visit that day!

The walls of Liangxiangying were made of rammed earth, and over the years, several sections had collapsed halfway, with the gaps haphazardly blocked with thorns and branches.

The gate was wide open, with the door panel hanging diagonally to one side. The paint on the words "Xingzhou Zhongtunwei" had peeled off, leaving only faint engravings.

Jia Jing dismounted in front of the gate, tossed the reins to his personal guard, straightened his clothes, and walked inside.

The village was unusually quiet; the chickens didn't crow and the dogs didn't bark.

Only the occasional, sporadic cries of children coming from some dilapidated house indicated that there were still a few survivors in the village.

The road was dirt, full of potholes. It had rained lightly last night, and the water hadn't completely dried up yet. It was mixed with rotten grass and animal dung, giving off a sour and foul smell.

Jia Huan covered his nose, his face scrunched up, and muttered to Jia Cong and Jia Lan in a low voice:

"I'm wearing new shoes that my third sister made for me today. If I get scolded when I get back, you'll have to explain for me."

Jia Cong glanced at him indifferently without saying a word, but his eyes clearly said "Shut up."

Jia Lan walked at the very back, head down, looking at the trampled straw sandal prints under her feet and the dilapidated scene around her, her expression somewhat complicated.

The group stopped in front of a half-collapsed mud-brick house.

The door frame was crooked, and the door itself was missing, covered by a tattered cloth curtain.

The curtain was covered in patches, one patch on top of another, so that the original color was no longer visible.

From behind the curtain came an old man's hoarse voice and the sounds of children playing.

Xuanwu glanced at Jia Jing and lifted the curtain. A musty smell mixed with various filthy odors wafted out.

The room was dark, with only a sliver of light filtering in through the doorway.

Half of the stove had collapsed, and wild vegetables were simmering in the pot; the broth was so clear you could see your reflection in it.

There was a pile of rotten cotton wadding in the corner, and an old woman sat on it, as thin as a bundle of firewood.

The skin on his face was pressed against his bones, his cheekbones protruded high, his eye sockets were deep, and his cloudy eyes stared at the doorway, devoid of any spirit.

She was surrounded by three children, two boys and a girl. The older girl looked to be only nine or ten years old, while the younger one was still in her arms.

The three children were all thin and filthy, with arms as thin as hemp stalks, bulging bellies, and dry, yellow hair covered in dirt.

The little one was sucking his fingers, making a smacking sound, but his fingers were as thin as chicken claws, with protruding knuckles and black dirt under his fingernails.

The old lady noticed several people suddenly standing at the door. She looked a little nervous, instinctively pulling the children behind her, and asked in a tense voice:

"Who...who are you?"

Jia Jing stood at the door without going in, smiled, and said in a gentle, calm voice:

"Don't be nervous, sir. We're just passing by and wanted to ask for a drink of water."

The old lady stared at him for a few moments, her cloudy eyes scanning his face several times. Seeing his gentle expression, and then glancing at Jia Lan and the other boys, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She released the smaller one from her arms, stood up shakily, and walked to the stove.

I picked up a chipped earthenware bowl, scooped a bowl of water from the pot. The water was murky and contained a few wild vegetable leaves.

She walked back carrying the bowl, her hands trembling slightly, spilling water all the way.

Jia Jing took the bowl, his gaze shifting from the old woman's face to the children's faces, then to the pot on the stove, and asked:

"Grandma, are you raising the children all by yourself? This isn't the Liangxiang garrison area, why don't I see many people here?"

The old lady ignored his question, clearly still somewhat wary.

Jia Jing gave Xuanwu a wink, and Xuanwu understood. He took a bag of grain from his personal guard and placed it by the door, saying:

"Old man, my young master has some questions for you. This is a token of my gratitude!"

For these poor families, giving them grain directly is better than giving them money, and it also prevents them from being targeted by others.

The old woman was visibly excited upon seeing so much grain, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Sir, please feel free to ask any questions you may have. It's just a few of us old folks and young children left in the family now."

"This is Liangxiang Camp, formerly known as Xingzhou Zhongtun Guard. It was later transferred here by Emperor Chengzu."

"There used to be quite a few people in the village, but over the years they've all gradually left to make a living! My family couldn't escape because both my father and grandfather died!"

The old lady answered Jia Jing's two previous questions.

Jia Jing frowned slightly and asked softly:

Were his father and grandfather both military households?

The old lady raised her head, glanced at Jia Jing, her eyes filled with sorrow, and sighed:

"Military household, my family has been military households in Liangxiang Camp for generations. The household registration was passed down from the time of the Great Ancestor, and his father is the fifth generation."

Her voice suddenly rose a half-octave:

"When Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu were alive, military households enjoyed good fortune. They were given land, seeds, and farming tools, and were exempt from corvée labor and taxes."

"His father often said that when his great-great-grandfather moved here from Jiangnan, the imperial court allocated him forty mu of land."

"My whole family, relying on those forty acres of land, are fed and clothed, and even have surplus grain to sell to the imperial court..."

The old lady looked somewhat saddened and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. The coarse cloth on her sleeve was worn thin and had several conspicuous holes.

"Later, there were many vacancies in the military garrisons, and the higher-ups said that the fields we cultivated were 'surplus fields' and they would be taken back."

"But that land has been cultivated by our ancestors for generations, how did it become 'surplus land'?"

She took a breath, her voice even hoarser, and she spoke more and more:

"Later, people from the Duke of Shanguo's manor came and said that this land was the outer perimeter of the Duke's estate and that it should be connected to the main estate."

"They measured the land, drove in stakes, and said they would leave us five mu of farmland for our own food, and take the rest away."

"His father was not satisfied and went to the garrison to demand an explanation. He was beaten with thirty strokes of the military rod and had to lie in bed for half a month afterward. He spent a lot of money on medicine, and his back injury still hasn't healed."

"The following year, there was a war in Liaodong, and the garrison was drawing men from the troops. His father went there with his wounds and never came back."