Leaving Jingxing and crossing Yuxi, the first place to catch Cao Rui's eye was the city of Jin Yang, known as the "city with a solid inside and mountains outside."
From Jin Yang, heading further north, after crossing the Xinxing Commandery, one would arrive at the Guangwu City of Yanmen Commandery.
Tian Yu had been stationed in the northern frontier for many years. Now that the emperor was personally conducting a tour of his jurisdiction, he dare not take any chances and hurriedly rushed south from Guangwu City to hundreds of miles away in Jiuhuan County of Xinxing Commandery to wait.
On March 6th, Cao Rui led his troops to Jiuhuan County and upon meeting Tian Yu, his first words took him by surprise.
"How is it that Tian Qing's appearance is so different from what I imagined?" Cao Rui dismounted and helped Tian Yu up from his kneeling position by the roadside, smiling as he said.
Now that it is the fourth year of Taihe, Tian Yu has not yet once paid homage to the emperor, causing him to feel quite anxious and worried in his heart.
Although Tian Yu was credited for his victory against Kebi'Ning in Yann men and Pingcheng during the first year of Taihe, and was promoted from Protector of the Wuhuan Commandery to Protector of the Wuhuan Commandery, he still did not feel very confident when in front of the emperor.
Tian Yu bowed and said, "Since I wore my first hairpin, I have always looked like this. It's just that with each passing year, I have aged and am no longer the same as the portrait from years ago."
Cao Rui said, "Aging a bit is no problem, everyone will get old. It's just that Tian General is a bit too thin."
"Mount your horse, and follow me into the city."
"According to your command." Tian Yu replied with a bow.
As they hadn't arrived in the city yet, Cao Rui led one thousand horsemen with Kuqi Jian, Sima Yi, Man Chong, Tian Yu, Xu Zhou, and Lu Yu following from the eastern gate of Jiuhuan City. They were planning to visit some local villagers for leisure and as a form of entertainment.
From the city of Yè to Jiuhuan, Cao Rui would often visit the countryside every few days. He did this to observe the people's livelihood and feelings as well as to inquire about local customs, see more diverse humanities and landscapes different from those in Luoyang and Yè.
As they journeyed along, Cao Rui was deeply moved by the experiences.
In reality, the level of prosperity and living conditions of the common people are not greatly related to agricultural technology, the times, or other factors.
The biggest impact on the lives of the common people is from the government and war.
When the court levies more taxes, the common people suffer more. The situation during the reign of Emperor Ling, where taxes were imposed more than ten times a year, no longer exists in the Great Wei.
The people in Henan have more farming land, with the overall tax rate being between 40% and 50%, and it is aimed at 40%. In Hebei, there are even more taxpayers, with the tax rate being basically maintained at 40%.
With a 40% collection rate, the common people can still survive and even have some stored food, which is a significant improvement compared to the past.
Since ancient times, throughout history, the resilience of the people on this vast land has always been first-class. However, this is by no means a reason for rulers to arbitrarily exploit the common people. The Emperor Ling, who enjoyed himself by inflicting suffering on the people, has long been swept into the dustbin of history.
The collection of taxes by the court is one thing, but when it comes to natural disasters or war, it can be more troublesome.
From a higher perspective, the overall tax rate of four percent in the northern Hebei region of Great Wei is due to the military disaster carried over from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the ongoing battles with Wu and Shu.
For Emperor Cao Rui, visiting the common people was relatively simple to do.
Asking about surnames and taxes, visiting households, checking their food supplies, and rewarding them with a few pieces of cloth have become a fixed process.
The group rode out the east gate, with Tian Yu mounted on a horse, positioned to the rear and side of the emperor. He bowed and said, "May it please your Majesty. The commander of Jiuhuan County has told me that there is a place called 'Deli' located fifteen li to the northwest of the city. We can visit and inquire there."
Cao Rui burst out laughing, "Deli? What a strange name to choose."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Cao Rui also laughed and waved his hand, "It's alright. A gentleman establishes moral integrity, and the name Deli is quite good."
"I remember that the Han-end Pan Lü Bu, aka Pan Yufan, was from Jiuhuan, right?"
Sima Yi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it's true that Lü Bu was from Jiuhuan, but he was from Jiuhuan County of Wuyuan Commandery, not from the current Jiuhuan County of Xinxing Commandery."
Cao Rui curiously asked, "There are several counties and prefectures in Yuan Commandery that I haven't paid much attention to. Are there two Jiuhuan Counties?"
Sima Yi nodded, "There are indeed two Jiuhuan Counties."
Man Chong, laughing beside him, said, "The migration of counties and prefectures to the interior has been happening since the Later Han dynasty; there's nothing particularly surprising about it."
Cao Rui, however, did not pay attention to Man Chong and instead turned to Sima Yi, asking, "County and district migration? I seem to recall when I was campaigning in Guanzhong that the Beidi Commandery was moved to the side of the Fengling Commandery, right?"
Sima Yi bowed and said, "Your Majesty's wisdom is boundless. This matter requires a lengthy explanation, and it begins with the early chaos of the Qiang tribes in Liang Zhou."
Cao Rui replied, "Since we are on campaign and have no trivial matters to attend to, the one thing we are never short of is time."
"Sima Qing, go ahead and tell me. I am listening."
"Following your command." Sima Yi bowed and said, "During the Later Han Dynasty, the Qiang tribes in Liang Zhou were in constant upheaval and difficult to control. They repeatedly caused havoc and were then pacified only to fall sick again. Once the Qiang became powerful, the governors and county officials of Liang Zhou's various prefectures and counties were mostly from Henan or other parts of the country, often lacking the desire to defend their cities. Thus, they requested permission from the court to move these counties and prefectures inside."
"Upon examining the archives in Luoyang, I remember that during the first outbreak of the Qiang rebellion, Longxi Commandery was moved to Xiangwu, Anding Commandery was moved to Meiyang, Beidi Commandery was moved to Chiyang... and so on. There were many such cases."
Cao Rui sighed and said, "If officials cannot defend the city, they can request a grace from the court to move the entire county or prefecture name to the interior. If this continues, who would dare to serve as an official and defend against the Qiang tribes?"
"That is why the emperor often reduces the number of officials from Sirai, Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Jizhou."
"Let's take Liangzhou as an example. In the past, when I was in Longyou, Jiang Baoyue told me a story. He mentioned that the governor of Tianning, Ma Zun, had the suspicion of abandoning his city, but he turned a negative into a positive by strengthening the garrison in Shangguan and earned himself some merit."
"Ma Zun was from Wanyang, and his fate in Longyou was none of his business. At worst, he could just resign and stop being an official. What is the harm?"
Sima Yi nodded, "Your Majesty's words are indeed correct."
"Since this bad precedent was set during the Yongchu era, it has gotten worse and worse. The counties and prefectures have repeatedly been moved inward, and then returned outward once the situation has stabilized."
"Such constant fluctuations waste a lot of financial resources."
Cao Rui, lost in thought, said, "Then the Beidi Commandery that I mentioned earlier has also been moved multiple times?"
Sima Yi said, "That is correct. The last time Beidi Commandery was moved inward was after Han Sui and Bian Zhang led a rebellion during the Zhongping era."
Cao Rui sighed and said, "Then when was Jiuhuan County, where we are now, moved here?"
Sima Yi replied, "It was moved in the twenty-first year of Jian'an."
"Your Majesty, the court made such a decision at the time because the people in the border areas of Bingzhou were sparse in number and had repeatedly been invaded by foreign tribes. They moved them inward to seek stability."
"Omitting Yunzhong, Dingshang, Wuhan, and Shuofang Commanderies, a Xinxing Commandery was established between Yannmen and Taoyuan Commanderies. The people from each of these four commanderies lived in one county."
Cao Rui sighed, "In my opinion, this seems to be a desperate last resort. But since it was done by Emperor Wu, I can understand a bit more."
Man Chong nodded slightly, standing beside the emperor, but in his heart, he thought that the emperor should be complaining about Emperor Wu at this moment.
Right, at this moment, Cao Rui truly was thinking along those lines.
Migration of the common people is a political tool that Cao Cao often used.
As early as 213 AD after the Battle of Chibi, the residents of Jingzhou in the vicinity of Xiangyang and Fucheng were all relocated to the Nanyang region. At that time, Deng Ai and Deng Shizai, who was then still young, were among the relocated people.
In Huai Nan, Cao Cao's two migrations of people created a hundreds-of-miles-long uninhabited area stretching between the Yangtze River and the Huai River.
In Longyou, Cao Cao moved the residents of Wu Du and Hanzhong to Guanzhong, creating another hundreds-of-miles-long uninhabited area.
Cao Rui sighed and looked at the cluster of officials beside him, "The territory north of Mengyin and Yingzi has already lost a lot compared to the height of Han's prosperity."
"Moving the counties and prefectures inward is a solution, but it can only address the immediate emergency and not solve the long-term problem."
"The officials here may have suggestions for your Majesty."
Mentioning military matters, Man Chong naturally had something to say: "Your Majesty, after this war, we should try to see if we can implement this plan. I think the various Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes won't dare to oppose Great Wei."
Cao Rui gave a glance to Man Chong: "It's not about whether the non-Han tribes oppose or not. The essence of the matter is the issue of frontier administration."
"General Man, I ask you, if you were a peasant in Yingzi Commandery, and the court is now calling for you to return to your old home in Yunzhong Commandery, what would be going through your mind?"
Man Chong paused for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, if I were in that position, what I would be thinking about would be matters of food, clothing, and stability."
Cao Rui nodded slightly, "The general direction is correct. Man Chong, continue to think about it. Food and clothing can be obtained through labor, but how to achieve lasting stability and avoid interference from foreign tribes?"
Man Chong remained silent for a long time, not speaking.
Cao Rui said, "I roughly have an answer in mind. After we leave that Deli, I will explain it to you all."
(Chapter ends)
