Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Just as the hour of Si (9-11 AM) arrived, Cao Rui strode in from outside, glanced around briefly, and asked as he walked:
"Minister Pei, is everyone here today?"

Pei Qian stood up, cupped his hands, and replied, "The twelve people His Majesty ordered last night have all arrived."

“Very well.” Cao Rui replied, sitting down in the chair behind the table, and said, “I have summoned you all here today to discuss matters concerning the border regions.”

"In the fourth year of the Taihe reign, I ordered a pilot project to be set up outside Yanmen Pass, selecting two thousand people to cultivate the land there. What is the situation now? Send someone from the Ministry of Personnel to report on the current state of affairs."

Wei Zhen had only recently returned to Luoyang and was still unfamiliar with many affairs, so he instinctively looked at Huang Quan. Huang Quan nodded slightly to Wei Zhen, then stood up, bowed respectfully, and replied loudly:

"Your Majesty, in the fourth year of the Taihe era, the court established a settlement near the ancient city of Mayi outside Yanmen Pass. It was managed by officials with a salary of 500 shi (a unit of grain), and had a population of 2,000, half men and half women, of whom about 80% were able-bodied men."

“Mayi City was built along the river, with flat and thin land on both sides, which was not suitable for cultivation. In the fifth, sixth and seventh years of Taihe, the people could not even provide their own food and had to be supplied by Bingzhou and Yanmen County. In the eighth year of Taihe, the Ministry of Personnel petitioned His Majesty in Shouchun that the military camp be abolished and the people be moved back to their hometowns. The military camp in Mayi was then abandoned and no longer used.”

Cao Rui nodded slowly and pointed to Qin Lang, the Minister of Personnel, who was present. Qin Lang was the former Governor of Bingzhou. After returning to Luoyang, he was transferred to the position of Minister of Personnel and concurrently served as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, one of the Nine Ministers, which meant he held a high position and great power.

“Yuan Minglai, you have served in Bingzhou, so you should know more about this matter.”

"As you command." Qin Lang replied with a serious expression, "When I was serving as the governor of Bingzhou, it was I who submitted the memorial to abolish the Mayi Garrison."

"Going northwest from Yanmen Pass, the area from the upper reaches of the Sanggan River to the lower reaches, including Loufan, Mayi, Yinguan, and Wangtao, was cultivated by the people during the reign of Emperor Huan of the Former Han Dynasty. Around the time of Emperor Ling, the left and right banks of the Sanggan River experienced insufficient rainfall and the climate gradually cooled down. In addition, the officials of Yanmen Commandery and Bingzhou were corrupt and incorruptible, leading to the displacement of the people in that area. This situation worsened after the chaos and turmoil, and the Sanggan River area gradually fell into disuse."

"Your Majesty," Qin Lang sighed softly, "when I was in office, I visited the garrison at Mayi City every year and spoke with officials and common people alike. It's not that the people weren't diligent in cultivating the wasteland, nor that the prefectures and counties didn't provide farming tools, donkeys, oxen, and livestock." "Your Majesty," Qin Lang continued, "the problem is simply the climate. The land is barren, rainfall is scarce, and frost comes early. I've investigated carefully around Taiyuan. Taking one jin of wheat as an example, a superior field can yield twelve jin at harvest, a medium field ten jin, and a poor field eight jin. But in Mayi, it's not even half that of a poor field; one jin of wheat yields only three to four jin."

"Moreover, this was the situation in the seventh year of Taihe; it would have been even worse in the sixth and fifth years. Moreover, compared to Taiyuan, the same amount of land in Mayi required more time to grow grain."

"It is evident from these three years that the land there is no longer suitable for cultivation. This is not due to the negligence of officials or the laziness of the people."

Cao Rui nodded slightly: "I understand."

"Gentlemen, the reason why Emperor Wu abandoned the six prefectures of Beidi, Shuofang, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, Shangjun, and Dingxiang during the Jian'an period has been confirmed after three years of trials in Mayi. It was because the climate and soil were unsuitable for cultivation, which was beyond human control."

"In the past few years, I have been worried about the border troubles with Wu, Shu, and Liaodong. I have rarely talked about war with You and the north, and have mostly tried to win them over with rewards and conscription. Now, only the Shu region is still unsettled, but I cannot rush things." "I want to tell you frankly, I want to take back the six prefectures of Beidi, Shuofang, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, Shangjun, and Dingxiang!"

As soon as Cao Rui spoke, almost all the ministers in the study showed expressions of surprise.

Wei Zhen took a deep breath.

In the past, Dong Zhao and Sima Yi would take the lead in advising on matters of state, and he would merely fill in the gaps and correct mistakes from time to time, without needing to make any decisions. Now that he has become the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the nominal and de facto head of the Ministry of Personnel, he will speak up even if others do not say so.

"Your Majesty," Wei Zhen cleared his throat, "may Your Majesty instruct on how to reclaim these six prefectures?"

Cao Rui calmly said, "Since places like Mayi and Loufan along the Sanggan River are already so unsuitable for farming, this is the will of Heaven. I think that perhaps in a few decades, as the climate gradually warms and the rainfall becomes more moderate, these places will become suitable for farming again. In any case, it is not now."

"Therefore, if I want to recover these six prefectures, I cannot follow the method of sending people to garrison and cultivate the land. I must change the method."

"My intention is to restore the names of these six prefectures, and to have them each governed and resided by the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan tribes who are friendly with the Great Wei. Furthermore, a new prefecture will be established in the land of these six prefectures, named Shuozhou after the character 'Shuo' from 'Shuofang'."

Unexpectedly, Wei Zhen immediately objected: "Your Majesty, I believe this is absolutely unacceptable. The barbarians are human in appearance but beast in heart, fearing power but not gratitude. Originally, they lived among the grasslands without any official status. If the court needs them in the future, they can be expelled at any time and restored to the status of counties of the Great Wei. If the counties are granted out, wouldn't that allow the barbarians to occupy the title of guardians? I fear this will be detrimental to the future!"

Huang Quan hesitated for a moment before speaking up, saying, "Your Majesty, during the Han Dynasty, the court invited the Southern Xiongnu into the Ordos region, which caused numerous troubles and has been criticized for over a hundred years. The Southern Xiongnu still live in Bingzhou and live among the people of Wei, and remain a hidden danger. I implore Your Majesty to learn from the Han Dynasty's experience and not to associate yourself with barbarians again."

Cao Rui, seeing Wei Zhen and Huang Quan's frank and direct advice, couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head, saying:

"Master Wei and Minister Huang, what are you two thinking?"

“I understand that these six prefectures are indeed not suitable for the people of Great Wei to live in. Perhaps they can in the future, but I want to push the borders of the prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of Great Wei to the north of the Yellow River. Someone has to come and occupy these places, right? Since the Han people cannot settle and cultivate them, they must be occupied by the Xianbei, Wuhuan, Xiongnu and other ethnic groups.”

"Now that the south of Great Wei is at peace, the elite cavalry of the central army can be put to good use in the north. With the central army in charge, everything will be much easier to handle."

"This is my plan: first, divide these six commanderies, selecting six capable ministers from Hebei and the Central Plains to serve as governors in these commanderies, and choosing two thousand men from each to build fortifications and garrison along the Yellow River. Furthermore, survey the land and pastures, initially distributing them to the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan in different locations, prohibiting them from grazing their livestock outside the borders and from engaging in conflict. After several or ten years, further subdivide each commandery into several counties, further dividing the various Hu tribes, restricting them to living and grazing within their own territories, just like Emperor Wu of Han's Edict of Grace. In this way, the problem of the Hu people can be solved, the only requirement being that the Great Wei maintain a standing cavalry force..." (End of Chapter)