There were more than five hundred households in De'i, which was a large village to the east of Jiuyuan City. Guan Qiu Jian led 800 cavalry to control the road inside and outside the village, while Jiang Wei led 200 cavalry to follow him into the village.
Like any ordinary village in various places, the people of Dei initially reacted to hide upon seeing so many cavalry and officials coming, only becoming bolder to answer after finding that they were not in harm's way.
It was a natural instinct of fear towards the government and the army.
To avoid scaring the common people with the title of the Emperor, Meng Meng, who was robust and imposing in stature, became the nominal head of this force.
The village leader, Sun Shi, who was over sixty years old and slightly overweight, hurried to the army camp. After glancing at the appearances of each person, he bowed to Man Meng, who looked most like a general: "I am Sun Shi, the village leader of Dei. I come to greet you, General. May I inquire what important business brings your troops here?"
Drawing upon his previous experience in searching for the customs of Jizhou, Man Chong looked at the emperor. After Cao Ruixue nodded to indicate his approval, Man Chong spoke: "Village leader Sun, I am currently leading troops from here and have come to visit your village's customs."
"There's no need to be afraid, simply lead us around."
Village leader Sun Shi had white hair, but his bow was proper and graceful, without any of the usual timidity in a village leader. He smiled and said, "General, you jest. Looking at your demeanor and bearing, as well as the solemnity of these cavalrymen, you must be an elite force. How could I possibly fear the imperial troops of the court?"
Cao Ruixue laughed and said, "You're an unusual old man. Did you see cavalry before, village leader Sun?"
The village leader Sun Shi had noticed this person from afar. His appearance and bearing were beyond anything he had ever seen in his life. Although he was dressed in simple robes, the supreme noble aura that emanated from him was strikingly obvious:
"I have met your grace. I used to be a cavalryman myself, and my second son also serves in the imperial cavalry."
Cao Ruixue raised his eyebrows, surprised said, "Also serving as a cavalryman in the army? Where and why did he serve?"
Sun Shi's back straightened slightly: "Your grace, I served under General Zhang Wenyuan of the Southern Yan in my early years. I once reached the position of horse troops chief, but due to injury and illness, I returned home to live in 211 AD. It has been fifteen years since then."
"211 AD?" asked Cao Ruixue. "During the time when Zhang Wenyuan defeated Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu, were you in the army?"
"That's right!" Sun Shi's voice grew louder, his eyes brightened, and he slapped his chest with pride: "General Zhang was chasing Sun Quan north of Xiaoyaojin, and I was the commandant of the horse troops accompanying him. I've been back in the village for fifteen years, and this is the first time I've ever mentioned it to anyone. How do you know about this, Your Majesty?"
Cao Ruixue nodded, riding on his horse and pointing at Sun Shi, "This is a brave warrior of our country!"
"Send for some silk. Reward him with ten pieces."
Sun Shi, the village leader, became tense instead. He looked at Man Meng, then glanced at the people on both sides. Seeing that everyone's expressions were amicable and unwilling to miss such an unexpected windfall, he finally bowed and replied: "How kind of you to present such gifts. I dare not refuse. However, I am still unaware of who your esteemed guest is?"
Cao Ruixue waved his hand, "Just a subordinate officer. You need not ask further."
"Earlier, you mentioned that your son also serves in the army?"
With the saying "taking money shortens one's hand," Sun Shi bowed even more respectfully. "Reporting to Your Grace, my second son also serves as the Marshal of the cavalry in Southern Yan."
Cao Ruixue pondered for a moment before opening his mouth to ask, "As the Marshal of the thousand-stone horse army and from the people of Yan Province, does your son also go by the name Sun Tong?"
Now it was Sun Shi, the village leader, who was surprised. He couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at Cao Ruixue and stammered in shock: "Y-Your Majesty, how could you possibly know Sun Tong?"
Cao Ruixue chuckled a few times: "With three hundred thousand troops in the Wei Empire, both at home and abroad, there are no more than four hundred officials of the thousand-stone rank, and even fewer as cavalry marshals. How could I not know?"
After saying that, Cao Ruixue looked at Man Meng: "General Man, do you remember this person?"
The Emperor referred to himself as 'I', clearly unwilling to reveal his identity, and General Man Meng naturally cooperated.
Man Meng bowed with a smile: "Of course, I remember. I am familiar with the backgrounds of every military officer ranked over six hundred stones in the empire."
"Yan Province is well-known for its famous cavalry. Sun Tong, who is now thirty-nine years old, is from Yan Province. He joined the military twenty-one years ago. A few years ago, I saw him at the camp of General Zhu Gai in the Southern Yan. However, I did not expect to meet his father here today."
"Come along, Village Leader Sun. Lead General Cao inside so that I may visit and see how the people are faring."
Sun Shi was filled with questions about the identities of those in front of him, but after they mentioned his son, he dare not ask further, naturally accepting the invitation.
About half an hour later, Cao Ruixue and the accompanying imperial officials left Dei Village and returned to the city of Jiuyuan.
Cao Ruixue said, "The harvest in Yan Province is not as abundant as in Jizhou, with less agricultural output, but their living expenses are still manageable. Just now, I heard the people here say that the output in Wuyuan Commandery is much lower than here. In the end, they also have a desire to move inward."
"Serving in the court and spending all day in the hall is not enough to truly understand the people's conditions. Relocating from county to county is a good thing that both the local officials and the people are satisfied with."
"But the disadvantages for the court and for Great Wei are obvious."
Sima Yi said beside him, "Your Majesty's words are very true."
"Shuofang, Wuyuan, and Yunzhong, these former prefectures located along the Yellow River in the north and amidst grasslands, are indeed conditions that are difficult. If we want the people to willingly relocate there, we must find a way to make it more livable."
Cao Ruixue nodded: "When it comes to livelihoods, I can certainly think of many ways for them. Planting some staple fields, raising livestock, selling sheep and wool - these are all good sources of livelihood."
Sima Yi asked with a question, "It is indeed possible to buy sheep and horses from the Xianbei and Wuhuan in the border territories. However, how can these Han people do so?"
Cao Ruixue said, "Han people are people, and the Wuhuan and Xianbei are also people. How can they not do this? During the chaos of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, weren't there many Han people who fled from Jizhou to Youbing and to the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes?"
"It's just that the profits are not sufficient."
Sima Yi sighed and said, "The Wuhuan and Xianbei are already very poor. If the Han people were to live like them, selling livestock for a living, it would be difficult for them to settle down there." Cao Ruixue nodded in agreement. "This is why I said that the wool from sheep can be used. The wool can be used to make textiles and clothing for warmth, isn't that fine?"
Sima Yi hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, this may have no precedent. Shall we try it out in a more suitable place first?"
Cao Ruixue said, "Of course, we should give it a try. However, let's start with a pilot project first and not expand it on a large scale."
"Sima Yi, you can take care of this matter for me. When we reach Yanmen Pass, let Yanmen County find one tribe of Wuhuan and 2,000 people to settle on the grassland. Half will engage in farming while the other half will rear horses and sheep. The government will provide food for the people's livelihoods, and the profits will be theirs."
"Let's try it for two years first."
Sima Yi unconsciously thought that this was an impulsive decision by the emperor, but since it involved a thousand people and would not cost much treasure, he agreed very quickly.
Cao Ruixue seemed to see through Sima Yi's lack of enthusiasm and asked with a smile, "Sima Yi, are you not understanding the meaning of the emperor?"
Sima Yi was momentarily stunned and said, "The Imperial Majesty's intention is clear to me. It is to use these two thousand people as a pilot project to investigate how Han people can settle in the former prefectures of Shuofang, Yunzhong, and Wuyuan."
Cao Ruixue laughed, "I see, Minister Sima is still not quite getting it."
"With two thousand adult civilians, the number of males is around a thousand, which can be governed by a minister of the fifth-grade rank. This can serve as the basic scale to restore the former prefectures."
"It is similar to establishing counties in the frontier areas."
Sima Yi echoed, "Your Majesty's mentioned two thousand people are the number that would form a governing unit in the future frontier areas?"
"Exactly." Cao Ruixue said: "Planting crops for food storage, selling cattle, sheep, and horses to the interior provinces and circuits, and using wool for textiles."
"Sima Yi, are there any other issues you are aware of?"
Sima Yi remained silent for a moment: "Is it about selling the cattle, sheep, and wool to the interior? From the current situation, the produce of two thousand people in terms of cattle, sheep, and wool would indeed be something that can be purchased."
"But now that each state and county is rebuilding from the ground up, and the people have little money, the circulation of coins like the Wu Zhou coin is not common. If several counties' people rely on this livelihood, it might cause some difficulties in purchasing livestock and wool."
Cao Ruixue nodded, "Minister Sima is right."
"If we want the Han people living in the grassland to have a living, the cattle, sheep, and wool produced there must have a market in the interior provinces. The interior provinces must be willing to buy them, but they also need the money to do so."
"Let them try it first. If it works, the military could buy some woolen fabrics as winter clothing, and then gradually promote it to the general public."
Sima Yi sighed, "But at the moment, there is no money in the common folk! People mostly barter for goods, and then use grain to trade for some salt and iron, leaving almost no surplus wealth. The Wu Zhou coin is not circulating at all."
"First, let the people of the interior provinces have surplus food, and they will have the means to buy things. Only then will the Wu Zhou coin circulate again, allowing them to buy goods produced in the border areas."
Cao Ruixue looked at Sima Yi: "That's right. Minister Sima is the Head Clerk of the Palace Archives, and this matter should be more specialized in his hands. So how can we ensure that the people of the interior provinces have surplus grain?"
Sima Yi sighed and said, "It seems that we need to reduce the tax burden. A fifth is still too much. To get the Wu Zhou coin circulating, we should at least lower the tax to four tenths or less."
At this moment, Man Meng, who was walking by the emperor's right side, suddenly realized and said, "Your Majesty, I understand now."
Cao Ruixue turned his head and looked up at Man Meng: "General Man has been listening to the conversation all along. What did he understand just now?"
Man Meng said, "The heavy tax burden is due to the military campaigns against Wu and Shu states, with the expenses of maintaining and stationing troops in various places."
"If the military pressure is reduced, taxes can be collected more lightly, the people will have more wealth, Wu Zhou coins will circulate again, and the people in the border areas will have a chance to make a living."
"Ultimately, it still boils down to military matters!"
Cao Ruixue sighed, "That's the truth. The root of the country's hardships lies in military matters. The people will not become prosperous until Wu and Shu are defeated."
"But if we are to conquer Wu and Shu, the country will need to accumulate wealth, grain will still have to be collected as taxes, labor will still have to be imposed, and the people will still have to struggle to make ends meet."
"Quickly defeating Wu and Shu is the top priority for Great Wei."
As they talked, the cavalry detachment drew ever closer to Jiuyuan City.
Cao Ruixue looked at the not-so-imposing city in the distance and said, "I think it's not difficult to expand our territory. With the two thousand cavalry soldiers by my side, who are well-equipped and well-trained, how can the Wuhuan and Xianbei resist? However, it is much more difficult to defend our borders."
"Subjects, I do not wish to stay here. We will set off for Yanmen at dawn tomorrow. In fact, I have never traveled so far north before."
The crowd all responded in unison.
Tian Yu added from the side, "Your Majesty, I have already prepared a place for you within Guangwu City. Although it cannot compare to the regulations of a palace, it is spacious and clean, much better than the conditions in Jiuyuan City."
Cao Ruixue nodded, "Good. Then I will visit the battlefield where you and your men defeated the Xianbei." (End of this chapter)
