Chapter 755: Opportunities in Danger
Chapter 755: Opportunities in Danger
After receiving the news, Shao Xun, who was patrolling near Guanjuejin, immediately returned to Jinyang and then headed west into the mountains.
The heavy rain in Bingzhou has stopped, but the floods are still there. Fortunately, they are not as serious as those in Hebei, otherwise there would be no need for disaster relief, and we would just have to collect the bodies.
On the first day of July, the cavalry had difficulty moving forward in the mud and water that was flying everywhere, and people fell off their horses from time to time.
Dead branches and leaves can be seen everywhere on both sides of the road. As you walk, you can also see trees blocking the road.
The corpses of humans and animals were badly decayed, and at this moment some people were covering their mouths and noses and digging pits to bury them.
After seeing Xiurong County from afar, Shao Xun reined in his horse and stopped.
Because on the south bank of Lanshui, one side of the city wall collapsed and was severely damaged.
Because the terrain was high, many people gathered near the gap in the city wall, with disheveled hair and dirty faces, crying.
Xiurong's eldest name was Qiao Yu, the younger brother of the captured general Qiao Zhong. After Xiurong escaped from the siege, he fled back to his own tribe with the remaining soldiers, and after inquiring for many days, he led his troops to surrender.
People like this who surrendered out of desperation were originally exempted from punishment and could not be used. But the Qiao brothers were one of the old nobles of the Xiongnu, and they had their own tribe, which still had more than 5,000 tribes. They immediately became worth uniting.
Qiao Zhong was released and sent back home, while Qiao Yu got himself a position as county magistrate of Jimi County.
"Your Majesty." After receiving the news, Qiao Yu immediately led the county's assistants out of the city to welcome him.
The commander of the imperial army, Yang Qin, led his men to drive out the idlers. Some soldiers took out swords and shields from their horses, lined up outside and secretly watched the group of Hu people.
The Yicong Army's riders dispersed far away, and some even abandoned their horses and walked, occupying high ground and overlooking the entire scene.
Shao Xun pushed away the personal soldiers who were blocking him.
I have a sword, a bow, and armor, so what am I afraid of? Those people were devastated by the flood and were left with no clothes to cover their bodies. How could they harm me?
He took a few steps forward and came to the side of the victims.
Yang Qin had no choice but to send another person to patrol among the victims.
"How many people are here?" Shao Xun asked.
"More than 3,000 people came within ten days." Qiao Yu replied.
"Escaped from the mountains?"
"Yes."
"Which tribe are you from?"
"They belong to more than ten tribes and are not subordinate to each other."
"Where's the chief?"
"Some died, some were scattered, and some became disaster victims themselves."
Shao Xun hummed, and then asked, "Is there enough food?"
"There is not much grain left in the county, only about 9,000 hu. If more people come, I'm afraid it will be difficult to provide them with support." Qiao Yu answered honestly.
"Where are the shepherd's animals?"
"Either they were washed away by the flood or they were lost." Qiao Yu finished speaking, and added: "When the flash floods broke out, not everyone was affected. Those who were not affected or who were not seriously affected had cattle and sheep, and they did not arrive at the county for a while."
Hearing this, Shao Xun made up his mind and said, "Make some dry food immediately and distribute it to the people. It doesn't need to be much, just seven days' worth of food, and they can carry it with them."
Qiao Yu was stunned when he heard this, not knowing what this was going to do.
"There is grain in Yangchang Cang, but it is 300 miles away. It is difficult to transport it here due to the flood. It is better to let the victims go east to find food." Shao Xun said, "When the flood recedes and the post road is passable, we can transport grain here. For the people who lost their livestock, we can teach them to farm. The court does not have extra livestock to give them. Let's do this for now."
"Your Majesty." Qiao Yu couldn't help but say, "The Xiongnu people have never been good at farming. I heard that Lord Liu is in Tianchi and has not suffered any disaster. His tribe has many cattle, horses and other livestock, so we might be able to borrow some of them temporarily."
Shao Xun didn't answer him and turned around to comfort the victims.
Yang Qin glared at Qiao Yu, as if blaming him for being tactless.
The disaster victims gathered in Xiurong County were no different from refugees.
This is just like when the Han area was hit by a disaster, some scholars and commanders of fortresses could not hold on and left their homes to become refugee leaders.
Of course, the resettlement of refugees was entirely up to the imperial court. Moreover, these refugees were not subordinate to each other, and some of their leaders had died. Could they just give them cattle and sheep and let them form a new tribe?
After being glared at by Yang Qin, Qiao Yu came back to his senses.
King Liang is really trying to squeeze every ounce of oil out of his bones!
After the relief, these Xiongnu people will probably be registered as civilians. Taiyuan is vast and sparsely populated, with a lot of open space, so it is not a problem to resettle more than 10,000 households, not to mention the new counties. Even Henei, Ji, and Dunqiu are vast and sparsely populated.
******
Since the first day of July, Shao Xun has stayed in Kelan County and has not left for half a month.
The rain in Bingzhou had stopped long ago. Since the tenth day of July, Yangchang Warehouse had begun to transport grain westward to replenish the consumption of Xiurong, Jingle and Langu counties. As for Hehe County, it currently only exists on paper, and the farmhands of Zhou family in Runan have just arrived in Luoyang.
The heavy rain in Hebei also stopped, but Shao Xun did not go there in person. Instead, he appointed Lu Zhi to go north to provide disaster relief and transport grain from the three states of Yan, Yu and Qing - there was definitely a serious shortage of grain, and as many people as possible should be saved.
On July 15th, the number of disaster victims gathering in Xiurong, Jingle, and Langu counties increased to more than 15,000.
At this time, many leaders also came out of the mountains and paid homage to Xiurong.
Most of them were those who were less seriously affected by the disaster and could still barely survive, but this did not stop them from going down the mountain to ask for some food to make up for their losses.
"Do you know you need the court to help you now? I called you before, but you didn't reply. Do you really think there is no way to deal with you?" Liu Ling, who came with 50,000 hu of grain, was scolding them one by one outside the courtyard.
"After the great disaster, there is also famine and plague. How can you survive without the help of the court?"
"If the Tuoba Xianbei take advantage of the situation and march south, burning, killing and looting, how will you resist?"
"Tell me, from ancient times to the present, has there ever been a Han emperor who provided aid to the Hu people?"
Liu Ling was not polite at all and kept talking.
The chieftains who could speak Jin language blushed when they heard this. Those who could not speak Jin language also blushed when they asked others about it.
But, isn't what General Liu said wrong? What does "Son of Han" mean? Has the King of Liang already ascended the throne?
"Behave yourself in the future..." The chiefs entered the yard in batches, with Liu Ling's rough voice still echoing behind them.
"Meet the king."
"Greetings to the Chanyu."
The Hu chieftains entered the main hall in a noisy manner, lined up in order under the guidance of their personal guards, and then knelt on the ground together.
"Get up." Shao Xun sat upright and said, "Before the flood, some of you fled to the mountains and couldn't hide."
"Some people pretend to obey but actually disobey, and have no regard for the imperial court."
"Some people are flirting with Liu Yang from Hexi, and their intentions are sinister."
"Some people also robbed each other and refused to listen to advice or change their ways despite repeated admonitions."
"It's good to occupy a few hills and enjoy yourself. No one cares about you. You are free. How are you now? Hmm?"
After Shao Xun finished speaking, several clerks who were fluent in the Hu language came to preach in public.
After hearing this, everyone had different thoughts.
Some people with relatively honest hearts looked ashamed.
Some people who were sympathetic to Liu Cong and his son sighed secretly.
Some cunning and selfish people had to seriously consider whether they should really rely on the imperial court, because life in this world was too difficult and if they were not careful, they would die and their families would be destroyed.
"Many years ago, I swore in public in Yecheng that I wished peace to both the Chinese and the barbarians, and my heart has not changed until now. The Xiongnu, Di, Qiang, Ba, Jie, Xianbei, and Wuhuan are all my children. When my children are in trouble, I have no choice but to help them." Shao Xun added, "I have always treated people with sincerity. When you are in trouble and ask me for food and grass, I can give it to you. But after taking the food, can you treat me with sincerity? You kneel down and cry when you are in dire straits, and disobey my orders when you are successful. Such crazy people are hated by God. I dare not save them. You can leave quickly."
After the clerks finished translating, the Hu people looked at each other in bewilderment.
Xiurong Chang Qiao Yu stood in the room and looked at her cousin Qiao Zhong.
Qiao Zhong gritted his teeth, dispelled the bitterness and reluctance in his chest, stepped forward and knelt on the ground, saying: "The king regards me as a brother, and I regard the king as my confidant. As long as the king is here, I will not dare to disobey."
Shao Xun looked at him for a moment, then smiled and said, "The Qiulin family has a long history and has always been a noble family of the Xiongnu. I am very pleased that you understand the great cause. Since you have adopted a Han surname, I think the Qiao family should be included in the surnames of Kelan County and be a county of great renown for generations."
Qiao Zhong bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I have been so kind to you that I cannot repay you."
"Get up." Shao Xun said, "We can go to the county later to record the genealogy."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qiao Zhong stood up and left.
The others looked at each other, and in the end, some were envious, some were willing, some didn't care, and some were reluctant but were forced to do so. In short, under the general trend, they all bowed to the ground and said, "As long as King Liang is here, I will not dare to object."
Shao Xun looked at them for a long time.
These people still felt a little dissatisfied, but it didn't matter, there was plenty of time, and there were plenty of opportunities to deal with them.
******
On July 18, Shao Xun prepared to travel east.
Before leaving, he looked at the situation around Xiurong.
Disaster relief efforts are still ongoing.
Fifteen to sixteen thousand Hu people from various tribes have been sent to Taiyuan in batches and dispersed and resettled.
They either lost their leaders or their property, and were mixed with people from other tribes. They were very terrified and it could be said that they had no power or will to resist.
After the thirteen counties of Taiyuan were divided and resettled, they followed the example of Chen County and divided the land into teams and battalions for settlement and were under the jurisdiction of the county governments.
After a few years, they will naturally obey the orders of the government, and even if the former leader comes to their door, they may not be able to be taken away.
The fields are being cleared on both sides of the Lanshui River.
The crops in the fields have been destroyed and the soil has been washed away.
Qiao Yu ran around, nailing wooden signs everywhere and dividing the fields of each tribe.
After the division, clean up separately.
I heard that Bianliang had already dispatched officials and even veteran farmers to the north, carrying seeds and farm tools, to teach the various tribes how to grow winter wheat.
The Hu people looked at the wooden signs and the flat fields along the river, as if they had found their home, and realized that Lanshui River Valley and Xiurong County were really their home. Especially when they learned that turnips could still grow slowly in winter, they were even more moved, as this could solve the urgent problem of winter grass shortage!
Perhaps, from now on, I can return to the foot of the mountain every August and stay there until March of the following year.
They live in the valleys below the mountains for eight months a year.
Can this still be called a nomadic tribe? It seems so, but it also seems not quite right.
After reading it, Shao Xun sneered and said: It's within my grasp.
If the income from grain was very low in the past, the Xiongnu could have given up this income if they had to be ruthless. However, with the gradual improvement of planting technology and the existence of winter feed such as turnips, the Xiongnu would understand more and more the benefits of mixed farming and animal husbandry, and would become more and more dependent on the fields.
They will be trapped and then slowly transform.
Only after we stabilize the people can we talk about changing customs and habits and being influenced by the king.
(End of this chapter)