Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 53 One side is peaceful, the other is rife with evil

If we use the operation of a steam engine as a metaphor for the fervor a country, group, or society generates for war and trade, it would be this: Boiling steam has enormous power, but to make good use of this power requires ingenious structural design.

In Wufei's design: going out of the pass is a "frenzied" outward piston thrust, while returning to the interior to stabilize the economy is an inward piston thrust. The Southern Xinjiang military-business group is like a train, "churning" forward.

In early 29, a new round of military reclamation began in the northern part of Yongji Pass, within a hundred li of the pass. This wave of reclamation was no longer limited to valleys but also included hillsides. Farmers wearing conical hats worked the land on the hillsides.

At this time, new tea bushes were planted on the hillside. Subsequently, on the gentler slopes, peanut-like crops were planted. Since the rainfall forecast was still uncertain, only a few small terraced fields were being used for experimentation at the foot of the mountain, as the labor required for terraced fields was four to five times that required for flat land.

According to Xuan Chong's historical knowledge obtained from the system, the earliest record of terraced fields dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty, and at least the Shu Han Dynasty did not have this production capacity.

Why not develop the plains of the Central Plains, but instead spend four or five times the labor force to build terraced fields in the mountains? Are they out of their minds? — It can only be said that the war caused the surplus labor and advanced production technology of the Central Plains to be used for developing leftover resources in the mountains.

Twenty-nine years later, Wu Fei personally traversed the densely packed hills within Yongji Pass, experiencing firsthand what rugged, impassable terrain truly meant. He lamented why the local officials of Dayao couldn't establish a household registration system for this area, as it was too far from Tianchi City, and the powerful officials from there couldn't easily reach it.

As Wu Fei soared across the mountain peaks atop his ghostly chariot, below him, groups of slaves pried at the rocks, creating terraces to cascade down the slopes. The slaves toiled under the whip's urging, while Wu's army, wielding swords, swept away wild boars and black bears around the mountains. These mountain creatures, encountering so many people entering this desolate place for the first time, were startled by the presence of human activity.

The mountain's energy fluctuated accordingly, occasionally trembling as the slaves worked, causing huge rocks to tumble down. However, as the Wu family army recruited craftsmen and erected a "foundation stone" on the mountaintop, the mountain stabilized.

These foundation stones bear the names of the mountain guardians, announcing to the mountains and rivers that their entry into the mountains is for permanent residence, not just a haphazard affair. The guardians and their clans will live, grow old, fall ill, and die in the mountains, and every year they will offer sacrifices to Heaven and worship the Earth. Hearing this promise, the mountains fell silent, tacitly approving of their actions.

The mountain is alive. To Him, the wild beasts and spirits within are His pets. When outsiders enter and wreak havoc, the mountain is naturally unhappy. However, if people enter the mountain willingly to become His children, to be born here and to be buried here, the mountain will be pleased. For human habitation contributes to prosperity.

In the past, there were no people in the mountains, not because the mountains didn't want to, but because the people didn't want to stay. Ancient emperors once came to the mountains to refine elixirs, but they only left footprints before departing.

As for why humanity hadn't permeated this landscape in the past, Wu Fei calculated and offered an answer: the cost of developing terraced fields was too high. Of course, cost is one issue; once the terraces were developed, another problem arose: how to collect taxes!

Governing a country is not like the governance games of the past, where acquiring a piece of land guarantees that those who invest resources will receive "resources" and "population." Reality is like doing business with the barbarians of the south; investing goodwill and sincerity may ultimately result in them refusing to honor their promises.

If a group wants to implement policies that benefit certain individuals and ensure their longevity, it must consider the benefits that the policy will ultimately bring to the group. Otherwise, the policy is destined to be short-lived.

Therefore, when Xuan Chong established these terraced fields on the slopes, he simultaneously began road construction. Using oxcarts to carry pebbles from the canal, he paved the widened, muddy roads in the mountains, creating pathways suitable for livestock such as oxen and donkeys. These became the foundation for the economic development of the small hills, and also the basis for future tax collection.

All the terraced fields on the hillsides were built according to the plantation model. A large number of slaves were used to clear the wild animals and wolves from the mountains, and then they were built brick by brick. The plantation managers were all veteran soldiers who had guarded Yongji Pass for decades and were now retired.

The managers of these plantations also had many children and grandchildren in the military, so they had powerful connections both above and below.

However, it is foreseeable that in a few decades, this small mountain village society will become more and more closed off. From the mountain lord to the ordinary mountain people, they will be wary of the outside world. If those tax officials outside the mountains who do not know them want to collect taxes or make system adjustments, they will probably take off their clothes and show their wounds, starting with a "fuck your xx" and acting tough.

Xuan Chong, who created all of this, knew very well that he could not collect a poll tax. If he did, although the plantation owners on these hilltops would still give him face in the first few years, they would start to cheat and shirk their responsibilities after a few years.

Xuan Chong also wanted to erect a monument for each mountain, to establish in the form of a covenant their obligations to interact with the General's Mansion outside the mountain.

…historical documents were reviewed…

Throughout the vast historical records, the "military households" system of the Ming Dynasty was largely considered a failed policy, with the corruption of military households and garrisons in all regions north and south of the Yangtze River being widely acknowledged in its later stages. However! This system functioned quite stably in one place: the southwest.

In the southwest, the military household system meant that skilled warriors often achieved little. Until several centuries later, a few decades before Xuan Chong's birth, when the nation was in a period of dormancy and rebellious elements were stirring up trouble on the borders, the people of this region remained steadfast like a pillar of stability amidst increasingly complex ethnic relations and the chaotic influence of external forces.

Because the Ming Dynasty made a small improvement in this area. The military households and garrisons began to evolve in line with the local chieftain system. When the Ming and Qing dynasties appointed chieftains to govern in this area, they did not use the prefecture-county system. Instead, they dispatched a military and economic commissioner to maintain control over these areas by controlling economic resources such as tea and salt.

In the past, the border officials of the Ming and Qing dynasties treated the local natives with such a lenient and relaxed approach. As for the national military reclamation units that migrated here, they were even more lenient, supporting the military households by granting them titles of knights and lords.

In contrast, the corruption of military households in the south and north was essentially caused by the infiltration of local interest groups into the governance system. On the one hand, large local landowners seized military farm land, while on the other hand, they continued to pay poll taxes to the increasingly landlord-like officers of the garrison. The garrisons had evolved towards a landlord model and could no longer guarantee military strength.

After reviewing the materials, Xuan Chong roughly understood how to set up the management system.

It was directly administered by the central government, under military control, and its economy was directly linked to the designated general's office and its officials and merchants.

…The system is grading…

In the mountain valley, Wu Fei led a group of veterans to explain the boundaries of each mountain according to the map, and announced at some road entrances that this was the customs post.

Wu Fei then explained to the veterans that the guards at these checkpoints were chosen by a vote of the garrison leaders, and then randomly assigned to each checkpoint by lot from the General's Office. Their salaries were distributed annually by a special envoy sent by the General's Office.

These veterans, completely oblivious to the introduction of the system, kept nodding and saying, "General, you are wise."

Wu Fei sighed inwardly, "Not everyone has the awareness to participate in governance." After confirming that no one interrupted him or participated in the discussion, Wu Fei abandoned his idea of ​​selecting people who could collaborate in governance.

However, when Wu Fei appointed village chiefs based on the merits of these veterans, they all looked to him expectantly. After all, some hilltops had more terraced fields that could be cultivated during development, while others had less. And the villages that were now being established were the future assets for their children and grandchildren.

According to the regulations set forth in the general's mansion, these village chiefs wielded considerable power. As long as they didn't violate the proper etiquette in matters of weddings and funerals, they were essentially the local kings of this mountain.

As for taxes? All trade in mountain products on each mountain is handled by special commissioners. These commissioners are responsible for the customs and personnel along these roads. There are only a few roads leading into the mountains; blocking these entrances and exits is equivalent to blocking the mountains' connection to the outside world. What, bypassing the toll gates and avoiding the roads built by the government, hoping to bring the mountain products out by carrying them on shoulder poles? Tsk tsk, the burden on their shoulders is no small matter.

As for secretly reopening another road? Not to mention that Wu Fei has already decided on the best place to open a road, even if there is still a place where a road can be opened, it is not something that the chieftains of these mountain strongholds can accomplish. The mobilization of manpower, the capital to use equipment, and the situation of the foot of each mountain along the road are not things that the mountain strongholds can coordinate.

…My feet were blistered from the mountain road…

Currently, Wu Fei's establishment of this system, similar to that of chieftains, on various mountain peaks is merely an initial trial. If the system proves effective, two core objectives are foreseeable: 1. To generate revenue through the exchange of "grain" and mountain goods via tea, salt, and cloth; 2. To ensure that each mountain peak provides the highest-ranking governor of the region with sufficient "personnel" to build a military force to maintain regional order.

Wu Fei: If this system is feasible, it will be implemented throughout southern Xinjiang in the future.

Wu Fei is very realistic. Given the current level of productivity, and the fact that the various small valley planting areas in southern Xinjiang are isolated by mountains and rivers, forget about implementing a county-level system like the one in the vast alluvial plains of the north—the conditions simply don't allow it!
River alluvial plains can be measured with a rope and ruler, and are flat and easy for officials to find any settlement by following the road. However, mountainous areas are rugged and uneven, and some small valleys are even hard to find for non-locals. Land cannot be measured accurately, and population cannot be counted accurately. So how can the benevolent rule be implemented?

Wu Fei: Unless hundreds of millions of tons of steel and billions of tons of cement are used as a backing for blasting mountains and building roads, and satellites conduct precise mapping from the sky, the county system can not be truly implemented.

…Strengthen the bonds…

After the spring planting season ended in the 29th year of the Tianli calendar, Wu Fei returned to the General's Mansion and went straight to the geomancy pavilion near his third aunt to learn about her latest divination.

Regarding the mountainous area to the north, the Third Aunt's calculations showed that "the human way" had smoothly entered the mountains within the pass, and on the geomantic map, it was like spring rain nourishing the earth. The process of human way getting along with the mountains and rivers of this place was quite peaceful.

Third Aunt: "Look to your south."

Wu Fei looked at the south side of the geomantic map, where a dark aura seemed to be spreading.

…The perspective shifts to the south…

In the spring of 29 years ago, the gaps between the various tribes in the Lingjiang River region of southern Xinjiang had widened compared to the previous year.

Across the river, some villages in the northern tribes still have enough salt, some even giving it to cattle and horses to chew. Of course, they are also storing more salt to exchange for better goods in a few months. Meanwhile, the villages in the south have run out of salt.

In the past, these horned tribes in the south managed to cope by going up the mountain together to dig up stones for their sheep to lick. But now? When these horned people from the southern villages visited relatives in the northern villages, they were shocked to find that their northern kinsmen had extra salt to feed their livestock! Upon entering their northern kinsmen's village, they felt resentful.

In Kam's Horned People tribe, mats were laid out on the mud floor inside thatched huts, and the elders of the tribe were receiving their fellow tribesmen from the south.

The kind-hearted old man, faced with the repeated demands of his southern clansmen, said helplessly, "We already gave you three bushels of salt last year; that should be enough for you." — According to the younger members of the clan, these southern clansmen should exchange women and gold for it.

The elderly man felt embarrassed and thought he shouldn't do that; he should only help as much as he could. However, the people from his southern tribe didn't seem to feel any gratitude after receiving his help, which made the old man a little unhappy.

Meanwhile, their southern tribesmen were also very frustrated: three bushels of salt weren't enough! The men in their tribe had already taken most of the salt by marrying women from other tribes. These relatives in the north were so stingy! They clearly still had salt, so why didn't they share it?

As the argument between the two sides intensified, the atmosphere finally turned sour.

The old landlord was finally utterly disappointed with his southern relatives: they wanted salt but were unwilling to contribute anything.

The guests from the south were even more furious: "We're all relatives. Your family has so much food that you can feed your livestock. Why should my family's lifeblood be exchanged for it?"

One of the southerners looked at the northern relative's tribe, which seemed to be quite lax in its defenses. Suddenly, a red light flashed in his pupils, and he said to himself, "Hehehe, if we're not relatives, then we're not relatives."

…the relationship was completely severed…

Kam, who was leaving the village, was very happy. He carried the old man to the south and sold the salt he had hoarded there to the people. He exchanged one stone of salt for three cows or ten sheep and returned home with a full load. Even the rhinoceros pulling the cart was humming happily.

As evening fell, he and his brothers drove the cattle and sheep back to the village, where they were praised by the villagers. When they got home, the woman held the sheep they had traded and said happily, "Kam, you really have a brain."

…Love can turn into hatred…

On the other hand, the tribal chief who had come to ask for salt during the day returned to his camp. Looking at the salt that his own people had had to exchange for at a high price, a sense of frustration at his own powerlessness welled up in his heart.

But upon closer inspection, the baskets used to trade for the expensive salt were the same type as the hay baskets used by my relatives' tribe in the north to carry cattle hay, just as I remembered from earlier that day. My face turned ashen!
Bamboo and grass woven baskets may be indistinguishable to outsiders, but the villagers know them inside and out, and can even identify which woman made them.

The people of these southern tribes cursed: "We couldn't get your help when we came to you, but you secretly sold it to us at a high price. It's truly despicable."

So the leader of the Southern Corner people picked up his knife and went to find his brothers who had traveled north with him.

His pupils were now completely obscured by blood red as he roared at his brothers, "This time, I don't want to leave empty-handed!"

As his anger erupted and he explained the source of his expensive salt purchase, a crimson hue appeared in the pupils of those who had come with him.

And then, the bloodshed occurred.

(End of this chapter)