Chinese New Year

Chapter 1404 Insights
In the sixth month of the fifth year of Zhenming (338), the sun was blazing.

After the Emperor Emeritus's coffin was buried in the mausoleum, nothing major happened in Luoyang. On the fifteenth of June, at the court assembly, the Emperor issued an edict ordering the Commandant of the Wuji School to send people westward to investigate suitable locations for military settlement.

After the western affairs were somewhat completed, the emperor issued a document to Qingzhou, ordering 10,000 able-bodied men to sail north by sea and build a city at the location determined by He Chong, the Junior Supervisor of Works (present-day Xiuyan), which was then named "Xiuyan".

On the third day of the seventh lunar month, Zhonglike, the garrison commander of Shamen Town, arrived at Mashijin with 300,000 bushels of grain and the first batch of 1,000 able-bodied men. The remaining 9,000 able-bodied men would arrive in succession over the next month.

After disembarking, Zhong Like discovered that Lushun County had changed somewhat.

He recalled that his last visit to Lushun was last May. Since then, his subordinates had led the voyages, while he was stationed on Shamen Island and rarely left. He hadn't expected such a drastic change.

The most conspicuous places are actually the several large earthen kilns near Haipu, which burn bricks and tiles day and night. It seems that people on the mountain are also quarrying stones to build city walls, houses and warehouses.

Admittedly, the stone slabs and bricks produced in Lushun County could not be used by everyone. So far, it seems that they have been mainly used to build official residences, granaries, armories, and to enclose the city walls, but in fact, it is already quite good. At least many of the originally messy and crude wooden houses (former temporary military camps) have been demolished, and the whole city has become much more pleasing to the eye and cleaner.

"Is this Lushun? How many people are there?" A weak voice came from behind.

Zhong Like smiled slightly.

This man was named Huan Si, the son of Huan Feng, a wealthy merchant from Guangling. It is said that he was a descendant of the Huan clan who fled south during the Cao Wei period. Unfortunately, he could not produce a family genealogy. Perhaps he really did not have one, or perhaps it was lost during the escape. In any case, Guangling County did not include this family in the genealogy of aristocratic families. There are also rumors that this family migrated here at the end of the Han Dynasty. Anyway, there are many different opinions, and it is difficult to tell.

Zhonglike had met Huan Feng once before and was somewhat surprised to see that Huan Feng's family had opened a residence in Penglai. Later, unable to refuse his request, he agreed to bring Huan Si on the ship and they traveled together to Lushun.

This guy vomited terribly as soon as he got on the boat, and only recovered a little after getting ashore. He still looks very weak.

After hearing Huan Si's words, Zhong Li Ke said, "Last year, we were busy registering households and people. Lushun County should have about 5,500 households and 27,000 people."

Huan Si said "Oh," and then asked, "Who are they?"

“The largest group is the Yuwen Xianbei, numbering 20,000. The rest are the Donghai Mi clan and artisans dispatched by the court, and perhaps some merchants as well,” Zhongli Ke said. “Originally, there were also 3,000 households in the Yanshan Garden, but I heard they left after the spring.”

"Aren't you coming back?"

"I should be back for the autumn harvest in a few days, but after that, I probably won't be coming back."

"Where did you move to?"

"Near the capital, Xiuyan, perhaps?" Zhonglike asked impatiently, "Are you really planning to spend the winter here this year?"

"Yes," Huan Si replied. "The Prince of Yan invited me to Xiuyan for a visit, and I will return to Penglai next summer."

Zhonglike then ignored him and went ashore to supervise the unloading of the cargo.

Huan Si, supported by his attendants, strolled leisurely outside the city.

Extending for over ten miles from the outer perimeter of the city wall, the fields were covered with nearly ripe millet, its golden hue a feast for the eyes. Further on, rolling hills stretched out, where cattle, sheep, and horses grazed freely, seemingly unattended.

Part of the hillside was fenced off. Huan Si was puzzled, but after asking around, he learned that this was an orchard that the Prince of Yan had bestowed upon the Mi family, and it was currently being cleared so that fruit trees would be transplanted next year.

"This..." Huan Si was somewhat envious.

Even though Lushun is considered a harsh and cold place by many, the prospect of acquiring hundreds of acres of mountain land for orchards is incredibly tempting—even if not all of it is planted with fruit trees, some can be used for vegetables and fruits, or even for grazing.

The Mi family is truly remarkable!
Just as Huan Si was expressing this idea, others told him with a smile that the Yuwen family had been granted even more grassland. To the northeast, there was a grassland spanning dozens of miles, all of which belonged to Lady Yuwen.

The Yuwen clan was also the largest clan in Lushun County, directly overshadowing the Princess Mi of Yan. After all, the Mi family had less than a thousand households of retainers and servants, which was not on the same level as the Yuwen family.

Huan Si remained silent for a long time after listening.

He never expected that while farming was in full swing in the north, Liaodong was still "going against the grain." Powerful clans would readily establish vast tracts of land, seize territory by horseback, and grant pastures that covered entire mountain ranges and valleys.

Looking at it this way, I want to come too, you mother maid!

Huan Si was indeed tempted.

His family was very wealthy in Guangling and had many servants. Especially when the northerners migrated south in large numbers, his family, as local strongmen, took the opportunity to gather together many scattered farm households.

Huan Si wasn't sure if his family could keep these people; it seemed unlikely. If the imperial court were to conduct a household requisition one day, they would inevitably be required to release some of their servants.

Since they can't be kept and will be taken away by the court sooner or later, it's better to move to Liaodong. This would not only allow the Huan family of Guangling to have a branch in Liaodong and retain some of their family property, but also facilitate trade, killing two birds with one stone.

No! I must write a letter quickly and ask General Zhongli to take it back for me.

******
"Today is Qixi Festival, and His Majesty has bestowed fruits upon us to celebrate this joyous occasion." The clear sound of a gong rang out, and Huan Si, who had just finished packing his luggage and was about to set off, was taken aback. What was going on here?

He then pushed open the door and looked outside. He saw several minor government officials pulling an oxcart, which was parked at the entrance of the post station. After a short while, two men entered one after the other, took out some mixed wild fruits from a cloth bag, and handed them out to everyone they met, saying, "Displaying fruits in the courtyard is called 'Begging for Skill.' Come, come, everyone who sees them gets a share, let's celebrate this festive day together."

The inn was filled with people, including officials from the Central Plains, merchants who came to do business, and tribal chiefs with shaved heads. Upon hearing the sound, they all came out, thanking the innkeeper and accepting the fruit.

The courier had someone bring over a table and plates, placed all the fruit on them, and said with a smile, "If only there were melons, I could attach a lucky net to each one as a symbolic gesture."

The officials and merchants of the Central Plains knew these things without a doubt, but the Xianbei and Wuhuan people might not have known them. At this moment, they subconsciously sat down and listened blankly.

The clerk offered the gift to Huan Sifa, but he smiled and declined, saying, "I'm going to Xiuyan now."

"Take a couple to eat on the way," the clerk insisted, stuffing a few fruits into his hand.

Huan Si thanked him and then distributed the food to his attendants.

"This is the night when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet, and women must thread seven-holed needles..." As he was leaving, he heard voices behind him. Huan Si thought to himself, "That's more like it. That's more like the Central Plains."

After leaving the post station, he waited for a group of knights on the main road. The leader of the group was a bandit leader named Liu Jiu, a man from Fanyang.

This person had a cold expression and wasn't very talkative, but Huan Si still tried his best to get information out of him.

“General’s family is in Hongya. This is not an old county of the Han Dynasty. Is it a newly established one?” he asked.

Perhaps annoyed by his questions, Liu Jiu replied gruffly, "It is newly established, located on the southeast coast of Xiuyan (now Zhuanghe)."

"Are Xiuyan and Hongya counties where military families reside?"

"And the southern border of Xiping County."

"I see." Huan Si silently made a mental note of it.

He had already inquired and found out that the Prince of Yan had 8,000 infantry and cavalry (actually 10,000), which meant 8,000 households. It wouldn't be difficult to divide them among the three counties, as there was enough land.

Of these three counties, two were newly established. Xi'an and Ping had been plagued by war and had few inhabitants left; you'd be lucky to find a few hundred households in total. Therefore, the average number of households per county was three to four thousand. Even including officials and slaves, the number was probably not that high; four thousand households per county would be considered good.

Therefore, it seems that the most prosperous areas of Liaodong Kingdom were in the south, such as Lushun, Beifeng, and Pingguo.

"But I wonder how things are in Beifeng County?" Huan Si asked again.

Liu Jiu was a little impatient, but still replied, "Although it has 30,000 households, it is not as good as Lushun."

"Are they all Xianbei people?"

"There are 20,000 Xianbei people and 10,000 people from the Tian, ​​Guo, and Qian tribes combined."

"Where is Pingguo?"

Liu Jiu glanced at him, as if about to reprimand him.

Huan Si smiled, took a leather bag from his attendant and handed it to Liu Jiu, saying, "This is Bianliang Spring. General, you must be tired from your journey. You can drink some to relieve your fatigue along the way."

Liu Jiu's complexion improved considerably, so he continued, "Pingguo is much better. When we were settling people there, I led troops to suppress them. There were over 10,000 people from the Yan, Xiao, and Tong families, 20,000 from the Xianbei and Goguryeo tribes, and several thousand from the Xiluo tribe. Although it is not as prosperous as during Murong Ren's time, it is the place with the most abundant land, houses, and population in Liaodong."

"How many people are there in Liaodong?" Huan Sizhui asked.

“I’m not entirely sure either.” Liu Jiu shook his head and said, “Wen County probably has a few more, with over ten thousand Xianbei captives. Most of them have been registered as ordinary citizens, and the local powerful families probably number around three thousand. Xiangping, Xinchang, Anshi, and Jujiu counties were almost empty before, and together they have less than five thousand households. Xiangping has the most, probably two thousand households.”

Huan Si silently calculated that the eleven counties of Liaodong Kingdom together had a population of about 150,000 to 160,000, probably because many households had only one person.

I had previously heard Zhongli Ke say that when Murong Hui was in power, Liaodong Commandery was his fief, so he invested heavily in it, and at its peak, it had about 150,000 people. After his death, Murong Huang and Murong Ren fought each other for several years, and the tug-of-war was extremely fierce. Many people were relocated or slaughtered, and most of the survivors were taken to Xuantu by Murong Ren.

From this perspective, the Liaodong Kingdom of the Great Liang Dynasty barely recovered to the Liaodong population it had during Murong Hui's lifetime.

That's a bit bleak!
However, Huan Si quickly adjusted his mood. He felt there was no need to be so pessimistic. Prince Yu of Yan seemed to have some ability and was highly valued by the current emperor, with all sorts of goods and grains pouring into Liaodong like they were free. Given time, he might very well be able to develop.

The greatest threat might be Goguryeo, but they had just suffered a major blow, and Huan Si didn't believe they would have the strength to invade southward within a generation. In those twenty years, who knew what the eleven counties of Liaodong would be like?

Thinking this way, he calmed down.

Liaodong is still an option, but we can't go north. The Liaodong Kingdom under the Prince of Yan is clearly structured with a strong south and a weak north. Let's see if we can settle down in Lushun, or at least Beifeng or Pingguo.

On July 13th, they traveled north along the coastline and successfully arrived at Xiuyan—the capital of the Liaodong Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)