Chapter 1180 Yin Pavilion

Chapter 1180 Yin Pavilion

Chapter 1180 Yin Pavilion
Outside Yinguan County, gongs and drums were beating and the atmosphere was lively.

Nearly 28,000 soldiers from the Third Battalion of the Yellow Head Army, the Right Battalion of the Silver Spear Army, the Middle Battalion of the Black Spear Army, the Imperial Guards, and a part of the Right Jinwu Guard were stationed around the county town, surrounding it tightly.

Ten thousand able-bodied Han and Hu disaster victims recruited from the five counties of Shangdang, Taiyuan, Xinxing, Yanmen and Dai followed the soldiers, setting up camp, fetching water, cooking, and taking care of horses and mules.

These people were organized into the Fifth Battalion of the Yellow Head Army, serving as auxiliary troops for the Northern Tour. The Yellow Head Army originally had five battalions, but after years of fighting, they were reduced to four battalions, with each battalion having a full staff of 10,000 people. Now it has been restored.

In addition to the victims, there were 10,000 able-bodied men recruited from the three counties of Henei, Ji and Dunqiu, and 10,000 able-bodied men recruited from the three counties of Henan, Hongnong and Xingyang to serve as auxiliary troops.

Fifty or sixty thousand people rushed over at once, and it looked like a fight was about to begin, but the people of Yinguan County were not worried. From the prefect of Mayi Zhang Tong (a powerful Wuhuan official), the county magistrate Wang Hui (a military student), the county commander Tian Zhi (a powerful Xianbei official), the magistrate of Yinguan Su Kun (the tribal leader and son of the assistant prime minister Su Zhongshun), to dozens of officials and local elders, all looked respectful and spoke and laughed.

Shao Xun was also very happy when he saw it, and said with a smile: "The scenery of Mayi is almost the same as that of Kelan."

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously.

What does it mean that Mayi County is no different from Kelan County?
Zhang Tong and the others were thinking in their hearts, but they did not stop, following Shao Xun closely and listening to the jade music.

"Tian Qing." Shao Xun suddenly called out.

"Your Majesty, I'm here." Tian Zhi squeezed past Zhang Tong and responded.

"Your family is from Yinguan County, right?" Shao Xun asked.

"Your Majesty has a good memory. My ancestor is the Tian of Qi State—"

"Okay." Shao Xun waved his hand, pointed to the crisscrossing farmland in the distance, and asked, "Which fields are yours?"

"Both." Tian Zhi replied.

"Someone called you 'Tian Banxian', is that true?"

"It's all nonsense." Tian Zhi said embarrassedly.

"What about the other half of the county?" Shao Xun didn't listen to his explanation at all and continued to ask.

"They belong to two Wuhuan tribes and one Xiongnu tribe, all of which are small tribes." Tian Zhi said.

"And the Huns?"

"Yes, but they fought with Tuoba Yilu thirty years ago, and also fought with Tuge'er."

"What is their occupation?" Shao Xun asked.

"Nomadic in the mountains, farming in the mountains."

"No matter how nomadic or farming you are, you can't leave Yinguan County, right?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't they build manors and recruit farmhands like your family did?" Shao Xun asked curiously, "The Wuhuan in Guangning and Dai County were also nomadic during the Han Dynasty. At the end of the Han Dynasty, they were gradually confined to one place for grazing. During the Cao Wei period, they were half-grazing and half-farming. Later, they built manors and divided the land, becoming local tyrants. Madam Wang's family is such a tyrant, and so is your family. Why don't these two or three tribes change?"

"Two of them are new immigrants, less than 20 years old," Tian Zhi said, "and the other one is too stupid and stubborn."

"Zhang Qing." Shao Xun called again.

"Your Majesty, I am here." Zhang Tong bumped his shoulder against Tian Zhi inconspicuously and squeezed in front of him.

"You have been the governor for so many years, have you never thought about settling these tribes down?" Shao Xun asked, "Didn't the Duke of Dai issue an order?"

"Your Majesty, this is my negligence. Let's do it now." Zhang Tong said immediately.

"Allow them to have fields and pastures. Build manors for clan leaders and tribal leaders, and include them in the genealogy of the noble families in Mayi County." Shao Xun said without question: "If there is no wood, I will allow you to go to Hengshan to cut it. If there are no bricks and tiles, I will make them for you. This must be completed this year."

"Yes, sir." Zhang Tong replied.

"You guys..." Shao Xun pointed with his finger, smiling a little, and said, "I know your loyalty, so I want to see you rich and powerful. Isn't it better to settle down than to run around everywhere? The land outside Yanmen Pass is bitter and cold, yes, but it's not impossible to live in."

"Your ancestors only knew how to herd cattle and sheep. When one pasture was exhausted, they would move to another. If there was a natural disaster and the grass was scarce, they would kill the sheep in late autumn, or simply go south to plunder. If they won, they would take away the spoils and get through the hard times. If they lost, it didn't matter, as there were fewer mouths to feed. But is this how human beings should live?"

"I don't know when you started farming, you can't even explain it, but it's obviously a good thing. Outside Yanmen Pass is different from inside the pass. It's not enough to just farm or just graze. Farming and grazing together is the right way. You've done a great job. But there are still some poor brothers. Why don't you teach them? You guys got rich first, so why don't you lead them."

"Besides, the tribes are nomadic and nomadic. Today they are here, tomorrow they are there. Sometimes they come to eat your pasture. There are many fights, right? Many people have died over the years. Today I will make a decision and clearly divide the fields, pastures, and forests. No one is allowed to cross the boundaries. Okay?"

Shao Xun's tone was questioning, but it was obvious that he had made a decision. It was difficult for everyone to refuse him in person, so they had to agree.

"Wang Hui." Shao Xun directly called out a name.

"Your Majesty." County Magistrate Wang Hui responded.

Zhang Tong moved aside to make it easier for Wang Hui to reply.

"You are my disciple." Shao Xun patted Wang Hui on the shoulder and asked, "How many years have you been here?"

"In the eighth year of Shengui in the Former Jin Dynasty, I was transferred here from the Mianbei Shogunate." Wang Hui replied.

"It's not easy to be a county magistrate, isn't it?" Shao Xun laughed. County magistrates and county magistrates are not easy to be, and they are not as good as county lieutenants in terms of management. As long as the county magistrate and the prefect are there, the magistrate can't manage anything. This is like a "deputy county magistrate" or "deputy mayor" who has no business to manage. It's very frustrating.

However, Wang Hui did not end up so miserable. At least the prefect Zhang Tong still had to respect his opinions. As for how much he would listen, it depended on the game between the two people.

"Let's talk about the matter just now. Give the tribes that haven't been allocated farmland, pastures, and forests yet, and build manors for them, and then come back." Shao Xun said, "The post of governor of Hanzhong is vacant, I will leave it to you, and you can take up the post after you finish your work."

"Your Majesty, I bow to you." Wang Hui prostrated himself on the ground.

The position of county magistrate was not high, only the seventh rank, not even as high as that of county magistrate, while the prefect was the fifth rank. This was a promotion of five levels at once, which really made it worth his eight years of struggle in the bitter and cold place of Mayi.

Everything was rewarded. Wang Hui felt very happy and thought that Master Shao still cared about his disciples.

"In the past, there was a Yinguan Xu family. Where did they go?" After helping Wang Hui up, Shao Xun looked around and asked.

Zhang Tong and others hesitated.

Shao Xun knew there was something hidden when he saw it, but he remained calm and just looked at everyone quietly.

Wang Hui reported: "Your Majesty, in the past, Helan Ai's troops suddenly entered Mayi, and the Xu clan was caught off guard. The manor was breached, and all clan members died. Only Xu Shun, the son of Xu He, who lived in the county town, survived."

"What a pity." Shao Xun sighed, "Where are his land and houses?"

"It has been sold." Wang Hui replied.

Shao Xun stopped asking questions and said, "Rebuild the Xu family's house and garden, and think of a way to get back some of the land that was sold. If there are farmhands who are willing to return to the Xu family, we will listen to them and we must not stop them."

"Yes." Wang Hui replied.

Zhang Tong, Tian Zhi and others secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After discussing these, Shao Xun talked with everyone about the disaster situation in the four counties of Mayi County. After learning that the losses were too great due to the relatively warm temperature and early sowing, he sighed.

He then ordered the allocation of the first batch of 200,000 hu of disaster relief grain to help the people tide over the difficulties.

Zhang Tong and others expressed their gratitude profusely and left happily.

Shao Xun kept Wang Hui and asked, "What if I merge Mayi into Liangtu and make it a vassal county?"

There were many officials accompanying Shao Xun, such as the Secretary-General Lu Chen, the Palace Attendant Liu Runzhong, the Imperial Censor Huan Wen, the Imperial Secretary Yin Yuan, the Counselor Shao Qiu, the Chief Censor Lu Rong, and the Secretary of the Honglu Temple Xun Xu.

Wang Hui met everyone's gaze and said, "Your Majesty, I think Mayi is no different from Kelan. It can be controlled, but it cannot be promoted to a regular county."

"Why?" Shao Xun nodded and asked.

"More than half of the population in the four counties of Mayi are Wuhuan, and there are also many Xiongnu, Xianbei and other miscellaneous Hu people. There are relatively few people from Zhongxia, so the language and customs are quite different. We should plan it step by step." Wang Hui said.

"What do the powerful men and chieftains of Mayi County think of you and the officials of the Chanyu Mansion?" Shao Xun continued to ask.

"At first, they were indifferent, but after eight years, they have seen the many benefits brought by the Shanyu Mansion, and they are much more enthusiastic." Wang Hui said: "Many of its nobles have been to Jinyang, and they are aware of the power of Daliang and are afraid of it. But if it is promoted to a regular county directly, it may not be appropriate. We can restrain it first, and then promote it to a regular county after the social situation and customs have changed drastically."

"Mayi and Kelan, which one do you think will be promoted to a regular county first?"

"Although Kelan is Liang territory, the customs of the tribes have not changed much, and the settlement situation is not as good as Mayi. I think Mayi can be promoted to a regular county first, and Kelan still needs to change its customs."

Shao Xun looked at Lu Chen and said with a smile: "Ziliang, it's just as you said."

Lu Chen cupped his hands and said, "I just said it casually, but County Magistrate Wang has been deeply involved in Mayi and his knowledge is much deeper than mine."

Liu Runzhong felt a little embarrassed after hearing this and said, "Your Majesty, my son is incompetent..."

Shao Xun waved his hand to stop him and said, "I only employ your son for military purposes. He has guarded Kelan for many years without making any mistakes. Isn't he a capable minister? Besides, Kelan is a mountainous area, which is good for grazing but not for farming. Mayi has much more flat land than Kelan, so we can't generalize."

Liu Runzhong felt relieved a little and turned to look at Wang Hui. This man was not much younger than the emperor and might have grandchildren or unmarried children.

A prefect who was a military student is worthy of his marriage.

Old Liu doesn't have much else to offer, except that he has many children, so you can have the chance to make some private friends with them.

Of course, this is a matter for the future. The most urgent thing is to write a letter to my son as soon as possible.

Like Shangdang, Kelan County is a territory that has been operated by the Liu family for many years. The prefect has not changed since its establishment. The main force of Kelan County is mainly composed of the "Liu Family Army", mixed with various mountain tribes. When the army is fully mobilized, there are still 20,000 cavalry.

Liu Runzhong was not sure what the emperor meant when he mentioned Kelan.

Alas, you haven’t even explained yourself clearly, how can I guess?
As he thought about it, Liu Runzhong frowned even more.

Could it be that he wanted to reduce the power of the feudal lords?

Liu Runzhong subconsciously looked at the emperor, but saw that Shao Xun had already discussed the internal situation of the Xianbei with Wang Hui...

You should give me an accurate answer!
(End of this chapter)