White-robed Minister

Chapter 210 0208 [The Old Bachelor Who Just Turned Eighteen]

In the morning, the team set off from Qinzhou City.

Zhang Shangying traveled with the immigrants, and today he was escorted by twenty cavalrymen, as well as a clerk sent by the military commissioner Cai Ting.

"We've already had two light snowfalls. Do we still need to conscript archers and civilians? If we encounter another heavy snowfall, it might consume too much food and even cause people to freeze to death on the way," Zhang Shangying expressed his concerns.

The clerk sighed, "Qin Prefecture called for a halt long ago, but other prefectures are still recruiting. Minister Cai and Minister Xu sent envoys a few days ago, and they won't be paying anymore after this ten-day period ends."

"Give me money?" Zhang Shangying accurately identified the key phrase.

The clerk smiled and said, "Since Mr. Zhang is going to serve as a judge for Minister Xu, he will find out about this sooner or later. The resettlement allowance and travel expenses will be paid by Minister Xu through his own people."

Zhang Shangying suddenly realized why the county and prefectural officials were so proactive, still organizing the migration even though it was snowing. They were there to make money off the situation!

When war breaks out, laborers are conscripted, and there is nothing that can be done about it. If a laborer dies on the battlefield, he or she can only accept his or her bad luck.

Organized immigration is different; it doesn't benefit local prefectures and counties much because a decrease in household registration will affect their performance records. Even if immigration is carried out by imperial decree, a decrease in household registration will still affect tax revenue and corvée labor.

宋代承袭唐代的五等丁产簿：60岁以上为老丁、20岁到59岁为正丁、16岁到19岁为中丁、4岁到15岁为小丁、4岁以下为黄丁。

The History of Song Dynasty records the "households and population" of a certain prefecture, with "population" referring to the male population. This included men aged 20 to 60 who were required to perform corvée labor and pay a poll tax.

Women and men aged 60 or older but under 20 were not reported to the imperial court.

Ordinary people tried every means to evade household registration, because the more people there were, the more corvée labor and poll tax they would have to pay.

The landlord class, on the other hand, didn't care. They could pass on the corvée labor by paying money, and they paid the poll tax directly. The male members of the landlord families all registered honestly so as not to interfere with important matters such as the imperial examinations.

More than 70% of the migrants heading to Xihe this time were unregistered males, meaning they were people who had evaded government registration. These families typically had at least three male members, and their limited land holdings simply couldn't support them.

Then a very strange scene appeared—

An old bachelor with a full beard ran to the county government office and said to the clerk in charge of immigration, "I just turned eighteen this year and haven't registered my household yet. I'm going to Xihe now."

The clerk, seemingly unable to discern the man's age, angrily rebuked him, "Even if you're only eighteen, you should still register as a middle-aged man at the government office!"

The old bachelor quickly replied, "I have to help with the farming at home and haven't had time. I originally planned to register as a laborer with the government when I turned twenty."

The clerk reminded them, "Go back and tell your family that if there are any more minor, minor, or middle-ranking men, they must come to the government office to register immediately. Sign this document, go to the prefectural city to report, and they will give you a resettlement allowance there."

And so, an 18-year-old bachelor with a full beard happily migrated to Xihe.

This kind of concealed population does not affect local household registration statistics, local tax collection and corvée labor, and of course, it does not affect the population performance of officials.

There were even elderly men in their sixties and seventies who felt they were halfway to the grave and wanted to earn some money for their children and grandchildren's future, claiming they had just turned eighteen. County-level officials actually dared to send 18-year-old men to the prefectural capital.

The clerk Xu sent to distribute the money resolutely refused to accept such people. Unless the whole family immigrated together, he would not accept any elderly men.

After listening to the clerk's story, Zhang Shangying was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He rode his donkey to the middle of the group and asked a wrinkled immigrant, "How old are you, sir?"

The other party kept their head down and didn't answer, fearing they would be sent back by the authorities.

Zhang Shangying then asked, "How old are you?"

The other person finally spoke: "Nineteen years old."

Zhang Shangying observed carefully and found that her age was impossible to discern.

His face was so weathered; you could easily believe he was in his fifties or sixties. But he walked with remarkable vigor, and his voice was loud and clear, making him seem like a man in his thirties or forties.

Inside a carriage, Ding Xiaomei was chatting with Yang Shu's fiancée.

Ding Xiaomei whispered, "My surname is Ding, my nickname is Dingxiang, and I'm also called Xiangxiang. My full name is Ding Zhaohua, don't tell anyone else."

Zhao Nanjia curiously sized up Ding Xiaomei's appearance, but after a couple of glances, he felt it was impolite and quickly looked away, saying, "My name is Zhao Nanjia, and my nickname is Jiulang."

Ding Xiaomei smiled and said, "Your name is quite nice, is it from some ancient book?"

"It's taken from 'Nine Songs'," Zhao Nanjia said.

Ding Xiaomei sighed and said, "My father named his children with the intention of always remembering his love for China and his loyalty to the Song Dynasty. My second brother is named Zhengchen, and I am named Zhaohua."

Zhao Nanjia finally couldn't help but ask, "Who is your sister—?"

Ding Xiaomei didn't hide anything: "My mother and grandmother were both Han Chinese, but my ancestors came from the Abbasid Caliphate, which is what the Han Chinese often call Persia."

Actually, Ding Xiaomei couldn't understand either what the difference was between the Caliphate and Persia.

Zhao Nanjia suddenly realized: "I see, you are truly beautiful, sister. Ordinary men probably wouldn't dare to look directly at you."

The two women chatted for a long time, talking about their hometowns.

Zhao Nanjia was very interested in Guangzhou, especially the foreigners and the sea; she could hardly imagine the vastness of the sea.

When talking about his hometown, Zhao Nanjia said helplessly, "Our Qiongzhou is both rich and poor. It produces tea, iron ore, well salt, porcelain, and fine wine. But it's all mountains, and the common people don't live well."

Ding Xiaomei then asked, "How did you and Yang Shisanlang get engaged?"

Zhao Nanjia said, "When my cousin was the magistrate of Guo County, he somehow met the young master of the Yang family. The two sides agreed to get married and wrote to my father to inquire, and my father agreed. They were originally scheduled to get married last year, but who knew it would be delayed until now, and they even have to go to Xihe."

"I know Yang Shisanlang. He has visited my house a few times before," Ding Xiaomei said with a smile. "He is a handsome man, skilled in both literature and martial arts. My sister has found a good husband."

Zhao Nanjia was initially uneasy, worried that her fiancé might not be good-looking, but after hearing Ding Xiaomei's words, she immediately became happy.

Zhao Nanjia asked, "Is your sister very familiar with the young master of the Yang family?"

Ding Xiaomei explained, "He and my second brother were classmates at the state school, and he would occasionally come to my house as a guest."

Zhao Nanjia then asked about Yang Shu's past, and Ding Xiaomei told her the story in detail.

The two women chatted and grew closer, and soon became good friends.

In fact, Ding Xiaomei can chat with anyone.

Her appearance was so striking, her beauty had a natural edge, making her seem unapproachable at first glance. But after spending some time with her, you realized she actually had a very nice personality.

Even Pianpian was forcibly taken in by Ding Xiaomei, who agreed to let her become a concubine as the principal wife.

The group quickly crossed the territory of Gongzhou (Tongyuan Army).

Upon reaching the Weiyuan River Valley, they left behind a dozen or so households to cultivate the land. The remaining households and archers received some rations and continued their journey.

When they arrived at Panshibao, they left behind more than ten households.

A sudden blizzard forced them to stop. Having already passed Rock Fortress for several miles, they hurried back inside to take shelter from the snowstorm.

After the heavy snow stopped and we rested for two days, we finally set off again, trudging through the snow.

It wasn't far from Xizhou City, and even though the snow made travel difficult, we arrived in two days.

The remaining archers and civilians were originally supposed to be sent to more distant fortresses. However, due to snow blocking the roads, they were all settled here.

-

As it was the location of the military governor's office and the prefectural capital, Xizhou City had a significantly larger population both inside and outside the city. Moreover, it was a mix of Han and Qiang people, resulting in a chaotic mix of clothing and language.

The carriage was left at Rock Fortress, while the women rode over on horseback through the snow.

Zhao Nanjia rode his horse and surveyed the city: "This place is much smaller than Qinzhou City, about the size of a county town in Qiongzhou."

Ding Xiaomei said, "There's quite a large population; it's not as desolate as I imagined."

Even in the dead of winter, houses were being built both inside and outside the city.

Many houses were built to serve as shops for merchants attracted by the market. To attract investment, the land for these shops was practically given away for free, but the merchants had to bring a sufficient number of employees and craftsmen.

There were also some official craftsmen who were forcibly conscripted from Qin Prefecture by Cai Ting at the behest of Xu Lai.

Qin Fengxihe Road West Road Military Command Office.

Wang Shao ran over excitedly with the official document in hand: "Haha, Yu Longke has agreed to sell Yanchuan Village."

Xu Lai asked, "How much?"

"Twenty thousand strings of cash," Wang Shao said.

Yanchuan Village was Yu Longke's stronghold. Since he "voluntarily" surrendered, the Song government found it difficult to seize it by force.

Now, Yu Longke is finally willing to sell his stronghold. He's even including the salt wells, farmland, and people near the fortress in the package, selling them all to the Gongzhou government!

Yu Longke didn't actually lose out.

This guy moved directly to the outskirts of Gongzhou to build a mansion. With 20,000 guan in cash and the wealth he had previously hoarded, it would be enough for his descendants to be rich for several generations.

Moreover, Yu Longke was a high-ranking military officer who could continue to command some Qiang tribes.

In comparison, Xia Wuchi, who was entrenched in Minzhou, did not receive the same treatment as Yu Longke.

Because Xia Wuchi surrendered after being attacked by the Song army, the salt wells under his jurisdiction were confiscated by the Song Dynasty. The river valley where his stronghold was located was also militarily occupied by the Song army.

Wang Shao said, "We have recently acquired many salt wells. We can request the court to amend the salt laws. The salt wells in Xihe and other prefectures should no longer be considered as private salt. It would be best to include Jingyuan Road as well."

Xu Lai nodded and said, "I have already written the memorial, and I am just waiting for Yu Longke to sell Yanchuan Village."

Official salt was subject to legally designated sales areas. In the past, the official salt sold on Qinfeng Road came from Shanxi. The long distance made it expensive, and it was also adulterated with various impurities, so ordinary people almost never bought it. They would eat smuggled salt whenever possible.

Now that Xu Lai has occupied many salt wells, he naturally requests the imperial court to redefine the official salt sales areas.

Previously, he used a share of the profits from smuggled salt to win over the chieftains of the various villages under his rule. Now, he no longer needs to do so. It's not that he's abandoning them after they've served their purpose, but rather that most of the chieftains have been promoted and transferred to the newly occupied front lines to lead troops.

With the government's salt tax revenue, the financial problems of the newly recovered lands can be greatly alleviated.

After discussing the development plan with Xu Lai, Wang Shao took his leave with a smile on his face.

Wang Shao's rise through the ranks was also extremely rapid; he advanced seven ranks in two years, leaping from a candidate for official service to a high-ranking official in the capital. This was equivalent to the hard work of an ordinary Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) for one or two decades.

After Wang Shao left, Ding Zhengchen came in.

Ding Zhengchen did not hold an official position at this time, but he was in charge of the accounts of the Military Commission and assisted Xu Lai in formulating financial plans. Gong Dingchen's son, Gong Fugui, was invited to serve as Ding Zhengchen's deputy.

"My dear husband, my younger sister has arrived, accompanied by Zhang Shangying, Yang Shu's elder brother and fiancée," Ding Zhengchen said. "My younger sister has also brought letters from the families of the two ladies (Pianpian and Yu'er)."

Xu Lai immediately understood what it meant: Pianpian had sent Ding Xiaomei to be her concubine.

Xu Lai said, "You make the arrangements with Jie Zhi, I'll go see Zhang Shangying first."

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