Cao Rui's one word caused the ministers in the hall to not respond as he had expected, with most of them being silent and deep in thought.
Shaking his head, Cao Rui glanced around: "Incorporating the Qiang into the common people, I have been thinking about this for a long time. What are your questions today? I will answer them one by one!"
This grand policy that requires the whole court to implement is not something that Emperor Cao Rui can accomplish merely by issuing orders with his lips.
One must first reach an agreement with the officials and explain the difficult issues, then arrange it step by step, so that things can gradually be carried out.
Ultimately, it is people who have to do the things.
Without clarifying the complexities involved, this type of governance is sure to result in something that resembles nothing at all.
Guo Hui lowered his head and thought for a long time before biting his teeth. He still decided to continue asking the emperor. As the magistrate of Yongzhou, how could such civil affairs be left to others to ask first?
What can't be helped!
Guo Hui bowed: "Your Majesty, I understand that incorporating the Qiang people into the common folk is a measure to strengthen the national power, but I am somewhat confused about how to implement this matter specifically."
"Ask Guo Zhi," Cao Rui nodded.
"As the magistrate of Yongzhou, I have a better understanding of the population in Yongzhou." Guo Hui spoke slowly: "In the third year of Huangchu, Emperor Xian issued an order to count the population of each state and county. The total sum of military households, civilian households, and settlement households looked at it was that there were a total of 140,000 Han households in Yongzhou's household register. Among them, about 105,000 households were in various counties in Guanzhong Prefecture. In addition, there were only 35,000 households in five prefectures to the west."
"And as I have been serving as the Magistrate of Yongzhou for quite some time, I have a general understanding of the situation of the Qiang and Xiongnu peoples in both Yong and Liang states."
"The Qiang and Han are different, not households, but families. Each family may consist of as few as three or five people, or as many as six or seven people."
"The Qiang people from the threefu to Dunhuang have their families ranging from less than a thousand families to several ten thousands. If we make a rough estimate, the Qiang people in Yong and Liang states plus those in the northern part of Shu region, with a total population of around one million. However, most of them live in wild lands or at the frontier areas, which is beyond the control of the imperial court."
Cao Rui fell silent for a moment, then asked Lu Sun, "Bo Yan, weren't you accompanied by thirty thousand Qiang cavalry from the Xiping and Jincheng counties? How many Qiang people are there in total in these two counties?"
Lu Xun bowed and answered, "Your Majesty, the exact number cannot be known. I can only roughly estimate it."
"Speak up!"
"Your Majesty, the four counties of Xiping are all situated along the Huanghe Valley. In addition to those living outside the county administration in the western part of the county, and in the vast mountainous plateaus hundreds of miles to the west, I estimate there to be about one to two million Qiang people."
"And the Jin Cheng County has even fewer people, but I believe there are at least half a million."
Cao Rui lightly tapped the table with his hand: "So you are saying that the Qiang people are always more than the Han people?"
Yang Fu interjected beside him, "Your Majesty, since the end of the Han dynasty and the chaos that followed, the population of a whole province often does not exceed that of a large commandery in ancient times."
"In addition to the frequent turmoil in Yong and Liang provinces, there have been multiple Qiang rebellions and uprisings in Han times, as well as numerous incidents caused by Han Xian, Dong Zhuo, and Ma Chao in recent times. As a result, many counties have become wastelands."
"Just now, Guo Zhi said that there are 140,000 households in Yongzhou. If we subtract the 10,000 military households and the 10,000 households of Shang Yue in Chang'an, there are only a few thousand households left."
Cao Rui nodded, "So you mean that there are many Qiang families and it's difficult to govern them, is that right?"
Yang Fu, Lu Xun, and Guo Hui all nodded in agreement.
Cao Rui spoke calmly, "That can be handled."
"Bo Yan," Cao Rui looked at Lu Xun, "As I understand it, the leaders of the Qiang tribes are not like kings and princes who arbitrarily dispose of their subjects. Instead, they have to consult with the tribes, don't they?"
"Exactly," Lu Xun answered: "The Qiang people have no system. They are poor and simple, and they don't have the same power as Han kings and lords."
"I understand." Cao Rui nodded.
"Minister of Works," Cao Rui turned to Sima Yi, "You, along with Guo Zhi, Lu Xiaoyu, and Yang Shizhong, should work together to come up with a plan."
"First, in the area of Jixian, Xinyang, and Shangguo, we will collect 50,000 Qiang people from small tribes and govern them through cultivation and farming."
"The Qiang chieftains who are under their leadership, who are willing to serve the government, will be appointed as thousand-stone garrison commander for farming. Han officials will be appointed to assist them. The excellent ones can be promoted, while the incompetent ones can be left in their positions without power, like the Chinese marquis in Han times."
"If they do not wish to serve as officials and desire wealth and honor, you all should discuss what kind of title and fief to grant them, so they can be brought to Luoyang."
"I have given them two options. No matter what they choose, it will be better than the hunger they suffer in their tribes."
"After implementing this for one year, we can gradually expand it to the other counties in the Longyou region."
While listening, Guo Hui and Lu Xun nodded from time to time to express their agreement.
If they can truly be treated equally with the Han people, the Qiang people who have been marginalized and looked down upon for four hundred years will naturally be willing to do so.
What about the chieftains of the Qiang tribes? To be a chieftain in the mountains is much less honorable than serving as an official in Wei. If they don't want to be officials, being a listed marquis in Luoyang is still a good thing!
Sima Yi bowed and replied, "I will carry out your order and ensure that we come up with a plan as soon as possible."
"We must act quickly!" Cao Rui added. "After the festival, I will personally receive these Qiang chieftains."
"It will take three days!" Sima Yi replied. "We will ensure that it will not delay the emperor's grand plan."
"Very good." Cao Rui slightly nodded and then stood up.
"In just two days, it will be the New Year's festival. As I did last year when I was in Shouchun, I will hold a sacrificial ceremony on the south of the city of Shangguo this year!"
"As for the army, we will first stabilize the troops in various cities and wait until the rear of our central army arrives in Liangyin before moving our troops southward!"
"Respectfully comply with your majesty's command!" The ministers in the hall rose and responded in unison.
......
For Cao Rui, at this moment in Shangguo, there were few worries. It was merely waiting for the arrival of the remaining 20,000 central troops and then seizing the opportunity to advance southward.
On the other hand, the troops stationed in Longyou at this time, whether coming from Chencang or from Luoyang, have all gone through long journeys and fierce battles. It is extremely necessary for them to rest and regroup in a timely manner.
However, for the local people in the four counties of Longyou, there are even more things to do.
By the time the banquet and the discussion before the emperor were both over, it was already past 11 pm.
After completing the task of organizing official documents, Jiang Wei walked out of the public rooms on the side of the county hall and headed towards his temporary residence.
It was already deep night, and the cold wind outside made people shiver uncontrollably. Jiang Wei walked forward with his hands bound, holding a warm stove brought over from Luoyang between his hands.
"Wait a moment, Mr. Jiang," the tiger guards standing outside the county office blocked Jiang Wei, who was about to leave.
Jiang Wei asked in some surprise, "I wonder what Mr. Pei has to discuss with me?"
The middle-aged man surnamed Pei bowed and said, "During the banquet held in the county hall last night, my subordinate reported to me that a young man with a compound surname Upper-Qian, claiming to be a friend of yours, had come to find you."
"It should still be waiting outside. If Mr. Jiang wants to see him, he just needs to go out to the right and walk past the area patrolled by tiger guards, and he should be able to see him."
"Thank you, Mr. Pei, for the information!" Jiang Wei nodded with a sense of gratitude, "I would like to inform you that I am originally from Ji County in Tianshui. The man who came looking for me today is named Shangguan Qi, and he was a colleague and good friend of mine when I served as an official in the prefecture."
"No problem, it's just a small thing." Pei Wei smiled kindly, "It's late at night, so please be careful on your way."
"It's late, and you must be very tired. Please don't catch a cold." Jiang Wei took out a spherical warm stove from his sleeve and handed it to Pei Wei.
Pei Wei's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "This is a rare item. I'll return it to you in the morning."
"Of course, of course. It's an honor to meet you." Jiang Wei walked away with a big stride.
A moment later, Jiang Wei saw a man standing with his hands bound in front of him, constantly stepping to keep warm outside the area patrolled by tiger guards.
If it's not Shangguan Qi, then who could it be?
"Zixiao!" Jiang Wei exclaimed happily, "It's been more than a year since I last saw you, how did you end up here?"
Shangguan Qi turned his head and looked up and down for a while, then finally came to his senses and grinned, "It's been more than a year since we last saw each other, and you've become even more martial! I came to Shangguo originally to deliver a message. I heard that the emperor will be arriving today, so I guessed that you might be with the troops. That's why I didn't go back to Ji County."
"Let's go, let's go to my place. Tonight, we'll definitely sleep side by side!" Jiang Wei hurried forward, pulling Shangguan Qi's hand and walking quickly.
As a detached rider, Jiang Wei naturally had to share a room with the officials who had come from Luoyang. Although they only had a very small room, it was enough for the two of them to squeeze in together.
The servants boiled some hot water, and the two of them fidgeted their feet in the water while chatting.
"Then it seems that the Marquis Ma Zun is still as incompetent?" Jiang Wei said with a frown, "At today's victory celebration, Marquis Ma Zun even received praise from the emperor!"
Shangguan Qi said with a bitter smile, "This is also what puzzles me, my lord Jiang."
"I also told you about Yin Sheng, the principal clerk, just now. From this perspective, Marquis Ma left Ji County for Shangguo, it's nothing but to save his life."
"And as you said, Shangguo is more important than Ji County. Without Marquis Ma bringing the army, perhaps Shangguo would have been lost."
Jiang Wei listened attentively to what Shangguan Qi said, and continued, "However, he has still left Ji County for Shangguo! We who were left in Ji County are discarded so easily by the county magistrate!"
From last year to now, Shangguan Qi has still been serving as an official in the prefecture, doing nothing but advising on agriculture and managing horse farms.
But Jiang Wei had first studied classics in the great academy, and then twice followed the emperor on military campaigns. The two friends had already developed a great gap in their scope and perspective.
At this moment, Jiang Wei suddenly remembered the scene when Lu Xun tried to request an audience with the emperor outside the palace in Shouchun, but was rejected by himself.
At the time, Jiang Wei looked down on Lu Xun very much, as a commander of an army he was afraid to die and after surrendering, he still took a small position.
Today, after hearing of Lu Xun's contribution in saving the situation in this battle, Jiang Wei's opinion of Lu Xun has changed significantly.
Affairs in the world are not black and white!
So-called heroes are not those who just die when facing danger and are praised by others.
Bowing one's back and enduring disgrace before achieving a great success is even more valuable! That is the true hero!
Jiang Wei cannot tell his former friend that Ma Zun has no fault, and it is not appropriate to talk about it from a national affairs perspective. (Chapter completed)
