Lu Xun thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, Wu King is not unwilling to hand over the remaining captives to the great Wei, but it is really impossible."
Liu Ye interrupted from the side, "This is absurd! Sun Quan is not in Jiaodong holding his own fortress? Captives are nothing more than captives. They are certainly unwilling to give them away, and how can they possibly not be able to give them away?"
Lu Xun looked at Liu Xie, "Just now, Your Majesty addressed you as Liu the Minister, so I assume you must be Liu Ziyang?"
Liu Xie nodded and said, "That's me. Can you explain to me how Sun Quan couldn't give away these captives?"
Lu Xun looked helpless and said, "At that time, Wu King really couldn't give them away. These captured soldiers from Wei were divided among various generals and made into military settlers in the governorships of those generals."
Upon hearing the mention of the term "pengyi," Liu Xie stood up and bowed to the emperor, beginning to explain this system of pengyi.
Liu Xie said, "Your Majesty, Wu Country does not admire the cultural influence of the Central government and its military system is quite different from that of the Great Wei."
What is known as a "penalty territory" is the grant of a county or several counties to a general as a reward, which is almost equivalent to an actual fiefdom. The officials of the counties granted as penalty territories are appointed by the general, and the income from taxes is used to support his followers."
"I remember that the earliest penalty territory in Eastern Wu was in the early years of Jian'an, when Sun Quan gave four counties surrounding Wuzhou to Zhu Zhi as a penalty territory, thereby supplying his own troops. A small country with weak military strength and a powerful military establishment like this is exactly the case with Eastern Wu's penalty territories."
Cao Rui nodded and looked at Lu Xun and said, "Minister Lu, is it as Minister Liu said?"
Lu Xun instinctively defended himself, "Your Majesty, Minister Liu's words are only one-sided and cannot fully explain this matter."
"Oh? Then please explain." Cao Rui replied.
Lu Xun said, "The Eastern Jiang does not compare to the Central Plains. The hearts of the people have not been restored, and they have just gone through a war, so it is impossible to collect heavy taxes. The grain and forage obtained are extremely limited. In the penalty territories, all grain and forage production goes to military use, and since these territories are often in frontier counties, the generals' troops will also be more dedicated in their efforts to defend them."
Cao Rui nodded enlightenedly, "The former Grand Marshal Cao Ren's attack on Ruoxu was during the time when Zhu Han had the penalty territory there?"
Lu Xun nodded affirmatively, "The counties of Chaoxian where Ruoxu is located and Wuhu across the river are exactly Zhu Han's penalty territories."
Cao Rui then asked, "Can penalty territories be passed down generation to generation like a family hereditary office?"
Lu Xun said, "Family troops can sometimes be inherited, but in most cases, the Wu King will reabsorb them or transfer them to other generals. In contrast, penalty territories cannot be passed down through generations. They will be reabsorbed by the king when a general dies."
Cao Rui sighed, "Ah, that's right! I've heard that Zhu Han could remember the names of all his family troops. So it seems that with Zhu Han's death, his family troops and penalty territories will now fall into someone else's hands."
Facing the emperor's casual mention of the situation, Lu Xun widened his eyes and asked, "Zhu Xiumu died? How did he die?"
Cao Rui did not call on Liu Xie to answer again. Instead, he tipped his chin towards Huang Quan, who promptly said, "Zhu Han died in the battle of Guazhe on the day of the battle. He was killed by a charge from the front lines of Xiahou Yu's army."
Lu Xun remembered Zhu Han's heroic figure in front of everyone as he was given the command to counterattack at Guazhe, and for a moment, his eyes reddened.
Lu Xun bowed respectfully and asked, "Your servant would like to ask Your Majesty, how many Wu troops were captured by Wei during this battle?"
And it was Huang Quan who answered: "In this battle, about 50,000 Wu troops were captured. At this time, they have all been transported to Shouchun."
Lu Xun took a deep breath, and his figure seemed to sway slightly.
Cao Rui saw Lu Xun's expression and did not give Lu Xun time to process the sentimentality. Instead, he continued to ask, "Minister Lu, I will ask you again. In Jian'an 14 and Jian'an 18, the Emperor twice wanted to move the people of Jianghuai and Huainan to the Central Plains, but most of the local people fled to Eastern Wu."
"What was Eastern Wu's response to this matter?"
The emperor did not inquire about Eastern Wu's secret matters; he had asked about events from the distant past. For such matters, Lu Xun had no need to hide anything and could answer directly.
Lu Xun said, "Your Majesty, there are many local Eastern and Southern talents and families in the Jianghuai region. In the past, when the government wanted to move the people north, these families led by themselves actively migrated to the Eastern Wu, and almost all of the counties in Huainan were settled in the Eastern Wu."
Cao Rui asked, "What about the local people? Did they all follow the big families?"
Lu Xun shook his head and replied, "There aren't any ordinary farmers there. The Jianghuai region had been in chaos for a long time. First there was the Yellow Turban Rebellion, then Yuan Shu's rebellion, followed by many bandits and outlaws. There were also plagues and floods, and later on, there were battles between Wei and Eastern Wu."
"Anhui is not as stable as the Central Plains. Ordinary people cannot survive, so almost all of them became tenants of local noble families. When the big families left, the people followed suit."
In fact, Lu Xun's statement was quite surprising to Cao Rui.
In any dynasty or era, it's almost an instinct to shift the blame to the enemy when faced with difficulties. In previous discussions about this matter, both Emperor Cao Rui and his ministers believed that Eastern Wu had resorted to some kind of underhand tactics or spread rumors that the Cao army would massacre the civilians.
However, they overlooked the fact that local people are not like those in the Central Plains, and almost all of them followed the local noble families. Of course, the influence of Eastern Wu in southern migration was significant.
Cao Rui began his last question: "Minister Lu, this is my last question. In this battle between Wei and Sun Quan, Wei has recaptured Wan City, obtained Qiankou and Wankou territories. I want to follow the example of Ruoxu and build fortresses at Qiankou and set up fields between Wan City and Songzi."
"Minister Lu has been in Eastern Wu for many years. What are your views on this matter?"
Lu Xun had originally thought that the last question would be as insubstantial as the previous two, but the emperor's question clearly involved current affairs.
And both Qiankou and Wankou were captured, right? Fortunately, the Eastern Wu navy was intact, so it would take some time for Wei troops to cross the river.
Lu Xun pondered for a moment and did not want to offer any opinions or suggestions, so he tried to sidestep the issue: "I am not sure about this question. However, Wan City is situated in a strategic location and surrounded by four directions of warfare, so it may be difficult for the Great Wei to hold on to it."
Cao Rui squinted his eyes at Lu Xun. It was unclear whether Lu Xun was truly confident in Eastern Wu or just pretending to be tough on the surface.
Cao Rui shook his head and said, "I was just asking you a question out of good will, but Minister Lu is unwilling to be honest with me. Alright, I won't demand too much of you."
"However, Minister Lu, you are not a foolish man. Sun Quan takes advantage of the Yangtze River to isolate the north and south, and he occupies Jingzhou and Yangzhou, preventing the unification of the state and causing the people to labor without rest. Do you think Sun Quan's actions are really without fault?"
Lu Xun took a deep breath and looked at the emperor, "Your Majesty, born in the Central Plains, you can persuade the entire Eastern Wu to surrender under the guise of righteousness. But if Your Majesty were born in Eastern Wu and Sun Quan in the Central Plains, would Your Majesty neglect Eastern Wu?"
Clearly, Lu Xun's words were directly retorting to himself. However, Cao Rui did not become angry but instead gently shook his head and looked back at Lu Xun: "How is Sun Quan's refusal to surrender related to your Lu family?"
"Minister Lu, let me be clear with you. You lead the Wu army in opposition to our Great Wei, and many of my Wei commanders have repeatedly urged me to use your head to consecrate the souls of the fallen soldiers, but I have stopped them time and again."
"I originally did not want to persuade you to surrender, but I just thought of some things, and I have decided to give you a chance."
"If you surrender, although I will not restore your state governor's high position, I will still let you serve as a 2,000 stone officer for the state and not allow you to command troops against Eastern Wu. In the future, when Wei conquers Eastern Wu, your Lu family will also have a bright future."
"If you do not surrender, then there will be no royal-subject relationship between us. Once you step outside my door, your head will be displayed as a trophy in all the counties."
"Path, I have pointed out for you. Choose which side, it's up to you."
Lu Xun stood still, taking a deep breath and finding his mind increasingly chaotic. Eastern Wu, West Pass, troops, Sun family, Lu family... All at once, he was swamped with confusion.
After a moment, as if he had made a great decision, Lu Xun spoke up, saying, "I have two questions for Your Majesty, and I would appreciate your answers."
Cao Rui did not respond and raised his hand to indicate that Lu Xun should speak.
Lu Xun spoke with a trembling voice, "May I ask Your Majesty how you will treat the captured Wu troops in this battle?" These Wu troops had been captured due to his mistake, and he wanted to know how Wei would treat them.
Cao Rui did not waste words: "Settled agriculture!"
Lu Xun swallowed and continued, "May I ask Your Majesty where I should serve?"
Cao Rui stared straight into Lu Xun's eyes: "If you surrender, I will assign you as the Protector of the Qiang in Liang State for one term."
Seeing that he had already asked his two questions and there was no more time to hesitate, Lu Xun took a deep breath, knelt down on the ground, and kowtowed, "I am willing to serve the state."
Lu Xun performed a grand ceremony of kowtowing, and Cao Rui stared at Lu Xun's hat for a few seconds. Then he sighed gently, stood up slowly from his seat, straightened his robe, and walked towards the rear hall.
At this moment, within the hall, upon hearing the distant footsteps of the emperor leaving, Lu Xun did not know what to do. Liu Xie and Huang Quan exchanged glances and also stood up to leave the place.
In the end, it was Xiahou Xuan who helped Lu Xun to his feet.
...
Liang State, Wuyi City, Gucheng.
In the Central Plains, it was still cold in February, but compared to the Central Plains, February in Liang State was much colder.
After all, this is a border region, far from the Central Plains and Luoyang. There are not many people from the Central Plains here in the first place, and the officials in the provincial office are also local people from Liang State.
Before Xiahou Hao took office in this region, Liang State had not had a governor for several years. After the death of the previous governor of Liang State, Zhang Ji, the administration of Liang State was taken over by the neighboring governor of Yan State, Guo Huai.
Guo Huai is suitable for being a general, but when it comes to civil administration, he is inadequate. With the affairs of his own state to attend to, he doesn't have the extra time or energy to manage Liang State.
Therefore, for several years, Liang State was simply managed by the governors of each county.
It has a somewhat classical sense of self-governance.
Xiahou Hao had joined the military since his youth and had not dealt much with scholars. Since there were very few people from the Central Plains in Guchang, the relationship between Xiahou Hao, the governor of Liang State, and Sima Fu, the Inspector of Revenue, grew increasingly familiar.
Guchang City is an important town in Liang State and has always been different from the customs of the Central Plains. This place has never had curfews, and there are even night markets and taverns along the streets after dark.
Xiahou Hao had already made arrangements with Sima Fu. The two of them, in plain clothes and with a few guards, strolled leisurely into the night market in Guchang.
(Chapter Ends)
