Han Khan

Chapter 175, Freeing Slaves

This long meeting has not yet ended. Although it is already late at night, the news that Zhang Sheng is preparing to proclaim himself Khan has spread among the guards outside the tent. The people inside the tent did not try to stop it and let it develop, allowing their tribesmen and other generals to prepare early!
At this time, the charcoal in the tent, and the meat, dried fruits and hot water in front of everyone were added again and again!
"Yes, many captives and slaves in the tribe have no home or family, and no ties. If they gather together over time, they may bring disaster to Jinhan if something goes wrong. Your Majesty, this matter must be handled carefully!"

"And how do we place the slaves and prisoners of war? This is also a big deal. If we can't properly place them, something disgraceful to the Holy Church will happen in the tribe. If they are deceived by villains, wouldn't it disrupt the order of our Jinhan?"

When Zhang Sheng heard Grand Justice Zhang Jinda mention those women, he raised his eyebrows, thought for a moment, and then suddenly laughed.

"Well, on one side is a young man, and on the other side is an orphan girl, you see..."

Looking up at everyone, Zhang Sheng said with a smile.

"Let's make them couples. In this way, both the able-bodied men and orphans will have families and settle down in Jinhan. This will also reduce the risk of them gathering together to start an uprising! What do you think?"

"Your Majesty's brilliant plan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Koza immediately praised him.

He knew that there were too many captives and slaves brought this time, plus the conquered Dubo people and Ubili people by His Majesty and Chief of the Guards Zhang Xibao. Such a large number of prisoners of war and slaves had been under high-pressure control by Jin Han's army. If they were not careful and a rebellion broke out, the Jin Han tribe would be in danger.

"This way, not only can the young men be safe, but the orphan girl can also have a place to go. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone."

"Best regards, Your Majesty!"

Amid the crowd's echoes, the newly promoted aide stepped out and said with a frown.

"Your Majesty's plan is a good one. Now I have heard from you all that the population of the Jinhan tribe comes from a complex background, with people from various tribes and ethnic groups.

If the young and strong men among them could marry the orphans and widows, it would indeed help to calm people's hearts.

However, one problem has not been solved yet. Even if they are allowed to get married, they are still slaves without tents to shelter from the cold and not enough food to fill their stomachs.

Even if the young men have families, don't they still have to sleep in the open air in this cold winter? When those young men see their wives suffering with them, they will inevitably take risks. After all, they can still hold on and endure by themselves.

But among all men, how many of them are willing to see their wives suffer with them? "

Bu Chule pointed out directly the hidden dangers of this method.

After he said this, the faces of the people who were flattering him changed slightly. However, his straightforwardness made Zhang Sheng look at him twice more.

Zhang Sheng had always admired this Tatar who surrendered to Jin Han after being defeated by Koza, ever since he told Zhang Sheng about the situation in the Central Plains and the grasslands. Naturally, he now liked him even better.

"Step out of Le Warriors' concerns!"

Nodding slightly, Zhang Sheng pondered.

"In fact, this matter is easy to handle. Now my Jin Han has millions of cattle, sheep, horses and camels. The entire Great Lake Basin, the Jinshan Valley, and the valley west of Yanran Mountain are all filled with my Jin Han livestock, so..."

Looking at the crowd, Zhang Sheng said bluntly, "I would like to announce the release of these slaves and prisoners of war and make them my subjects when I establish the Khanate and proclaim myself Khan.

And we will distribute livestock to them and let them manage the grazing. The price is that in wartime, if they are drafted, they have to serve in the military for Jin Han, fight in the army, and pay livestock taxes!

Indeed, there are more than 300,000 people in Jinhan now, and more than half of them are slaves. This is too dangerous!"

what!
Everyone's expression changed slightly when they heard this. Just as they were about to speak, they heard the Khan continue.

"Since you support me in establishing the Jinhan Khanate, and taking advantage of the winter and the civil unrest among the Khitans,

Troops were sent to wipe out the Tatar and Shiwei tribes in the Zhiju River basin east of the Yanran Mountains and the Langjuxu Mountains, as well as the Merkit tribe that had taken the initiative to attack Koza.

We, Jin Han, must have more subjects who serve in the military. Otherwise, when we go out to fight, with so many slaves, even if we reorganize them all into a slave army, it will only be a burden on our Jin Han army.

As for my Jin Han, what we have the most now is livestock. Instead of letting those slaves passively herd the livestock, it is better to distribute them directly to these strong men, to stabilize people's hearts and let them settle down in my Jin Han obediently.

First, it can prevent slaves from escaping and causing trouble for Jinhan. Second, after they settle down in Jinhan, they can also herd livestock, pay taxes and serve in the military for Jinhan. What do you think? "

"Your Majesty, this is not right. Nowadays, the warriors and the nobles have many slaves. If you release all the slaves, who will herd and manage the livestock for you?

Moreover, after freeing the slaves, they had to reorganize more hundred households, battalions, and regiments. Otherwise, would they let so many unorganized subjects graze freely? How could they be summoned to fight in wartime, and how could they collect taxes? "As a financial officer, Zhang Anzuo naturally realized the risks of dividing the land at the first time.

Especially those livestock and slaves that were looted and captured are your highness's personal property, while the slaves that have long been distributed to the tribesmen and warriors who have made meritorious contributions are what they deserve. To do so is to destroy one's own foundation.

Hearing Zhang Anzuo say this, everyone in the tent nodded.

Nowadays, those who have long regarded themselves as Jin Han people, the regiment leaders, battalion commanders, centurions, ten-household leaders, meritorious warriors, upper-class households, middle-class households, and even the subjects of lower-class households, all have slaves. They also have relatively large numbers of their own livestock, which are grazed by slaves so that they can concentrate on serving Your Highness in the military.

"No, no, no, I never said that I would ask you, the warriors, and those meritorious subjects to release the slaves under your household. They are private property granted to you. How could I do that?"

Zhang Sheng quickly explained. His voice was full of firmness and determination, which made people curious about his intentions.

Everyone showed puzzled expressions, waiting for his further explanation. Zhang Sheng continued: "What I mean is to release the large number of slaves under my command and give them my livestock to graze, making them my subjects."

Hearing this, everyone's faces showed surprise. They originally thought that Zhang Sheng would take more radical measures, but they didn't expect that he just wanted to turn his slaves into subjects. This idea was bold and novel, which aroused everyone's interest.

Zhang Sheng looked at the reactions of the crowd and was secretly pleased with himself. He knew that in this way, he could not only solve the problem of insufficient population, but also strengthen his own strength. Moreover, once these slaves became his subjects, they would be loyal to him and serve him.

"This way, we will have about 40,000 households and more than 200,000 subjects!" Zhang Sheng said excitedly, "Whether it's conscription or taxation, with so many subjects to support me, why would I need slaves?

When next spring comes, we will gather again and start plundering in the east and west. Then we, the Jin Han people, will have more slaves, felt tents, and livestock."

(End of this chapter)