Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 337 Refugees: That's my beloved hometown, I need more money!

After Zhang Miao paid his respects to the emperor, he secretly glanced at him and saw that the emperor's expression was calm and he seemed to have little interest in the noble families standing respectfully behind him. Reassured, Zhang Miao did not immediately introduce these people to the emperor, but simply bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have prepared a banquet for the country, and the food for the guards has been arranged. I humbly request that Your Majesty move to the banquet."

Liu Bian waved his hand and said in a calm tone, "This morning I had a bowl of rice soaked in tea with two eggs, and I also ate some dried meat on the way. I am still full. I need to go to the prefectural government office first to check the accounts of Chenliu Prefecture in recent years." (Note 1)

Zhang Miao was taken aback upon hearing this, and his body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Although he already knew that the emperor's inspection tour would not be a mere leisurely stroll, the fact that the emperor brought up the matter of auditing accounts thirty miles away, even before he arrived at the prefectural capital, was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, instantly making him tremble with fear and causing a fine layer of cold sweat to seep down his back.

Few people in officialdom are completely clean.

Of course, this refers to the Han Dynasty as it is today.

The Zhang family of Dongping was very wealthy. As the head of the family, Zhang Miao naturally looked down on the meager salary of the prefectural governor. Otherwise, he would not have paid 20 million coins to buy the official position, only to accept the nominal post of cavalry captain.

However, during his tenure as the governor of Chenliu, he still made things much easier for his family's business in the prefecture, reducing or exempting a considerable amount of commercial taxes and concealing some transactions to evade taxes.

In addition, although he looked down on this money, it was inevitable that he would use public funds for his daily expenses, so he couldn't appear too aloof and unconventional.

Although these were all trivial matters, the thought that he had once been an official of the Yuan family of Runan and a close friend of Yuan Shao made him feel like a thorn in his heart, constantly worrying that the emperor would use this as an excuse to settle scores later.

This was precisely why he had tried so hard to be transferred away from the capital and sent to a post outside the capital.

Sitting on his horse, Liu Bian glanced at Zhang Miao's slightly trembling figure and flickering eyes. He understood, shook his head almost imperceptibly, spurred his horse closer, and gestured for Zhang Miao to ride a horse and travel with him to talk.

The army set off again, banners waving, and the soldiers of the Left Guard Battalion, clad in imposing armor, marched in perfect unison, displaying an impressive military bearing.

Zhang Miao followed beside the emperor, looking at this powerful army, feeling a wave of fear mixed with a sense of relief.

Fortunately, when the Yuan family of Runan plotted their rebellion, they only contacted their core clansmen and a very small number of close associates, and he was not among them.

I am even more grateful that although I was terrified at the time, I did not act rashly and follow Prince Chen Liu Chong down that path of no return.

Liu Chong knew that some of the former officials of the Yuan family in Runan were in a precarious position in the court, and had indeed secretly tried to win him over.

During that period, Zhang Miao, who lived in constant fear, did consider rebelling against his mother, but in the end, he was persuaded to stop by Bi Chen, a fellow townsman from Dongping State who served as the prefectural clerk. (Note 2)

Who were the chief administrators of the surrounding prefectures and kingdoms of Chen?

Yin Xiu, the governor of Yingchuan County in the east, had a good relationship with the emperor and recommended many of the emperor's close ministers.

Yang Qi, the governor of Runan Commandery in the south, came from the Hongnong Yang clan. His interests were deeply intertwined with those of the emperor, and he was known for his strong and assertive character.

The prime ministers of Liang and Pei in the west were Chen Gong and Tian Feng, former officials of the emperor when he was still a prince.

Bi Chen warned Zhang Miao, "Does the emperor not know that you live in constant fear and are suspected of betraying the emperor?"

Knowing this, the fact that you were still appointed as the governor of Chenliu Commandery, the northern gateway of the State of Chen, is itself a sign of trust and reassurance!

But how could the emperor not have a backup plan?

It's likely that their conversation has already reached the ears of the Embroidered-Robed Envoy!

These words were like a sudden awakening.

Following Bi Chen's advice, Zhang Miao confessed everything to the court in Luoyang and presented the envoy and letter sent by Liu Chong to the court.

Instead of being punished or reprimanded, the court rewarded him with a "commendable loyalty" from the emperor and a small amount of jewelry.

During the conversation while walking alongside the emperor, Zhang Miao was still worried that the mess left by the previous prefects would be dug up and implicate him. However, after giving a brief report on the development of Chenliu this year, he was surprised to hear a few words of affirmation from the emperor.

Liu Bian glanced sideways at Zhang Miao, taking in his barely concealed worry, and chose to offer some words of comfort.

Zhang Miao is timid by nature, but if pushed too far, he might resort to desperate measures.

So, his expression softened slightly, and he took out a piece of beef jerky from the brocade bag beside the saddle, handed it over, and said to Zhang Miao with a hint of a smile, "Meng Zhuo has indeed done a good job this year. Since you have made contributions, why are you always so timid? Those who don't know the situation might think that I am a tyrant who mistreats meritorious officials."

Although Liu Bian was unable to grasp the full picture from Zhang Miao's report, he was able to make a general judgment.

At least Zhang Miao was diligent in his duties and had done his homework beforehand; otherwise, he would never have been able to answer some of the tricky questions Liu Bian posed so fluently. A prefect who neglects his duties is likely unaware of what his subordinates have done, and when faced with Liu Bian's tricky questions, he simply couldn't answer them and could only stammer and feign ignorance.

It is evident that although Zhang Miao was reluctant to take on responsibilities, he still managed to govern Chenliu County in an orderly manner.

This is naturally also related to his extensive network of connections.

As long as he remains the Prefect of Chenliu, the local powerful families will always give him some face.

In a superior prefecture like Chenliu, as long as powerful families and influential clans do not cause trouble, and the prefect follows the imperial decrees to dig canals and build roads in an orderly manner, he can reward Zhang Miao with an end-of-year evaluation score no lower than "second-class".

What further enhanced Zhang Miao's political achievements was the influence of his southern neighbor, the State of Chen.

Before and after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Chong gathered no less than two or three hundred thousand refugees of all ages. In the early days, the refugees were content with just a bowl of thin porridge and a place of shelter in order to survive. The treasury of the Chen state was able to cover this expense, and the state also built many defensive facilities for the Chen state through work-for-relief programs.

However, as the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quickly quelled, the emperor issued an edict to appease the refugees from all directions, ordering them to return home. The court provided them with food, tax exemptions, and free distribution of seeds and farming tools. Some of the land that had been destroyed by the Yellow Turban army was even distributed to the local people.

This policy naturally attracted refugees who had fled to the State of Chen. In the most difficult times, the refugees' only desire was to survive, but as long as the court gave them even a little hope of survival, no one was willing to become a refugee.

The attachment to one's hometown is an emotion that is hard to sever in this era, especially for farmers who spend their whole lives working the land!

So, we have to pay extra!
And the imperial court did indeed increase the amount of money!
The benefits for returning home are already quite generous. If one is willing to comply with the imperial decree and go to sparsely populated areas, even more generous benefits and treatment will be given.

The people were grateful for King Chen's protection, but when they raised their demands from simply surviving to living well, the state of Chen could no longer meet their needs.

The people believed that they received food and shelter by building defenses and cultivating land for the State of Chen. Although King Chen had been kind to them, they had also earned their relief through labor. They were grateful to King Chen, but they did not feel that they owed him anything.

However, Liu Chong naturally wouldn't allow these refugees to return to their hometowns, but he couldn't afford the high conditions offered by the imperial court, and he was practically unable to set a price.

While the Central Plains were indeed rich, many prefectures and kingdoms faced considerable population pressure.

The State of Chen, with only nine counties, had a population of 154 million!
The land development rate in Chen State had almost reached its peak, so where would Liu Chong find land to distribute to two or three hundred thousand refugees?

Dividing land among local residents will only exacerbate the conflict.

The land belonging to the powerful lords was naturally not going to be distributed to the common people. He still needed these people to support him in the same way that the Nanyang County had supported Emperor Guangwu in the past!
As for the land under the name of Prince Chen, that would be even worse. Without these assets, how could he recruit soldiers, forge weapons and armor?

Jia Xu, who was in charge of the Embroidered Robe Envoys, naturally wouldn't let go of this good plan. He carefully selected a group of eloquent Embroidered Robe Envoys to infiltrate the ranks of refugees and encourage those who had been detained for a long time to return home. He incited the refugees to constantly clash with the soldiers responsible for supervising them, eventually escalating into a bloody conflict.

Although the migrant groups were suppressed, there were always some who slipped through the net when it came to monitoring 300,000 migrants. Today there were a dozen or so in one place, tomorrow there were dozens more in another. There were quite a few migrants who fled, and even many people from Chenguo's hometown also fled because they could not cultivate enough land to support their families.

Chenliu County got a share of the pie under these circumstances, with tens of thousands of refugees flocking to Chenliu County, which had a total population of 87 across 17 counties.

Of course, most migrants' first choice is to return to their hometown.

However, due to Liu Chong's detention, most of the land in the refugees' hometowns no longer belonged to them.

After all, the imperial court could not confirm with the Chen Kingdom who had become refugees and who had died. The missing could only be counted as deceased, and then the land would be redistributed.

Each prefecture and kingdom received a group of Yellow Turban rebels who had returned to civilian life, as well as refugees from other places who were willing to settle there. This relieved the population pressure in a few densely populated prefectures and kingdoms and enriched their populations.

Moreover, apart from the Yellow Turban disaster-stricken areas in Hebei, most of the migrants willing to leave their homes were poor farmers and tenants of wealthy families who did not own much land in their place of origin, as well as a small number of unregistered households. There were very few rich farmers and large landowners.

Now that their homeland had been allocated, most of the refugees who had fled from Chen were willing to settle in Chenliu County, tempted by the "extra money".

Therefore, Chenliu Commandery was actually a suitable prefect for someone like Zhang Miao who sought stability.

(3118 words)
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Note 1: Tea-soaked rice: The Complete Collection of Chinese Cooking - Selected Ancient Delicacies states: "Mao's concubine Dong Xiaowan was skilled in cooking. She was of a simple nature and had no interest in rich or fatty foods. Every time she ate, she would use a small pot of tea to warm and rinse the rice. This was a custom of the ancient people of Nanjing, which existed as early as the Six Dynasties period."

Note 2: Bi Chen: Records of the Three Kingdoms, Volume 1, Book of Wei, Annals of Emperor Wu: Initially, when the Duke was the governor of Yanzhou, he appointed Bi Chen of Dongping as his chief advisor. When Zhang Miao rebelled, Miao kidnapped Bi Chen's mother, younger brother, wife and children; the Duke apologized and sent them away, saying, "Your elderly mother is there, you may leave."

Chen bowed his head, showing no disloyalty. The Duke praised him and wept for him. After leaving, he fled back home. When Bu was defeated, Chen was captured alive. Everyone was afraid for Chen, but the Duke said, "A person who is filial to his parents is surely also loyal to his ruler! This is what I seek." He then appointed him as the Chancellor of Lu.

(End of this chapter)