The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 306 The Thousand-Household Office, Sinicization, and Grassland Management

"Are you Han Chinese? Where are you from?"

Just as the Northern Frontier Army was taking stock of the spoils of war, Da Hu called Zhang Liujin to his side and asked him with a hint of curiosity.

From his appearance alone, Zhang Liujin looked no different from a herdsman on the grassland, but as soon as he spoke, his accent, which was in the Yan-Yun dialect, gave away his identity.

Looking at the young and valiant general before him, Zhang Liujin's heart leaped into his throat, and his palms sweated with nervousness.

At the same time, a strange excitement surged in his heart, and he vaguely felt that his chance to defy fate might be coming soon.

"Replying to the general, my ancestral home is Zhongdu Daxing Prefecture, but I was moved to Linhuang Prefecture sixty years ago."

Zhang Liujin stammered his reply, his voice trembling.

Daxing Prefecture was the capital city in later times, while Linhuang Prefecture was located in the northeastern region of later times, right next to the eastern side of the Greater Khingan Mountains.

Sixty years ago, the Jin Dynasty had just been established and forcibly relocated a large number of Han people to the Northeast. Zhang Liujin's ancestors were among those who left their homes at that time.

What Zhang Liujin didn't know was that before this, another group of Han people followed Yelü Dashi all the way west and established a new home in the northern frontier.

"Daxing Prefecture!"

Da Hu sighed softly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "No wonder!"

The Li family's ancestral home was also Daxing Prefecture. Back then, during the late Liao Dynasty, Daxing Prefecture was called Xijin Prefecture.

Da Hu only called Zhang Liujin over for questioning because he heard the familiar accent.

"How have you Han people who were relocated to the land between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River been doing these past few years?" Da Hu asked, his tone becoming more serious.

This concerns the future strategic layout of the northern border region towards the northeast, so we must inquire carefully.

Zhang Liujin gave a wry smile and shook his head: "Well... it's alright! At least I'm alive."

He briefly described the living conditions of Han people in Northeast China: resources were relatively plentiful, after all, the black soil was fertile, and they wouldn't go hungry.

However, the Han Chinese were relegated to the third class in the area and suffered severe oppression.

The local society was strictly hierarchical. The first class consisted of Jurchens, the second class of nomadic tribes such as Khitans and Shiweis, the third class of Han Chinese, and the fourth class of Goguryeo people.

"The Han people are better; after all, they are easygoing and don't cause trouble easily."

Zhang Liujin added, "The Khitans are a thorn in the side of the imperial court."

After the fall of the Liao Dynasty, there were still hundreds of thousands of Khitan people in the Northeast region.

Over the years, the Jin dynasty relentlessly suppressed and restricted the number of men, leading to continuous conflicts between the two ethnic groups. However, the Khitans remained suppressed and unable to rise up.

Da Hu listened and nodded thoughtfully.

Then he asked, "Are there many Han slaves like you on the grasslands?"

"As far as I know, there are some."

Zhang Liujin replied, "There are still quite a few Han slaves in the Yelijijin tribe, and other tribes have at least a dozen or even dozens of them."

"The closer a place is to Han territory, the more Han herdsmen and slaves there are."

Although the land tax in the Jin Dynasty was low, the landlords and gentry were insatiably greedy, and the Jurchen officials were even more hateful.

Many people could no longer survive, so they fled to the grasslands, and many of them gradually integrated into the local tribes.

Some Han Chinese were misled by others into believing that they could make a fortune on the grasslands, ride fine horses, earn gold and silver, and pick any beautiful women they wanted.

That's why they smuggled themselves to the grasslands, only to find out that it wasn't like that at all once they arrived.

Can not go back.

Da Hu immediately summoned the messenger and instructed him: "In future campaigns against various tribes, we must focus on identifying whether there are any Han Chinese prisoners."

He planned to give Han people some preferential treatment, allowing them to become minor officials such as "Shihu" (a low-ranking official).

After all, in his view, Han people were more obedient and easier to manage than nomadic people, and could be used to increase the population of northern Xinjiang.

"Yes, sir!" the messenger replied and left.

"Your name is Zhang Liujin?" Da Hu turned to look at Zhang Liujin again, his tone softening.

"Yes, I am Zhang Liujin."

"Alright, I'll remember you."

After a moment's thought, Da Hu said, "I'll grant you the title of 'Shi Hu' and have you manage ten households of commoners in my Northern Frontier."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liujin was taken aback at first, then his face instantly broke into a bright smile, and his voice changed with excitement: "Thank you, Commander! Thank you for your generous reward, Commander!"

What?!
In the previous Yelijijin tribe, they could be considered a minor noble family.

It was as if he, a man of slave birth, had dreamt of obtaining such a position.

The Northern Frontier Army is truly different!

He had heard people say that the Northern Frontier Army was a group of ruthless killers, but today he realized that the Northern Frontier Army was here to stand up for the poor and slaves.

What surprised Zhang Liujin even more was that the general spoke with a strong Yan-Yun accent, which sounded particularly friendly.

Maybe they're even from the same hometown!
"Our Zhang family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

Zhang Liujin was overjoyed, thinking, "Father, Mother, Little Liu can become an official in the future!"

With a fellow villager who is a great general looking after me, who would dare to bully me in the future?

Who knows, maybe we can even make a comeback to Northeast China someday.

Zhang Liujin felt his back straighten up instantly, and his gaze towards Da Hu was filled with gratitude and awe.

Subsequently, Da Hu continued to lead his army to conquer various tribes in the eastern grasslands.

They successively conquered more than a dozen tribes, large and small, including the Shanzhikun, Dielixi, Hongjila, and Hailar tribes, incorporating the eastern grasslands into the territory of northern Xinjiang.

During the campaign, the Northern Frontier Army took a hard line against the old nobles of various tribes, killing all the noble men and giving their wives, concubines and daughters to the soldiers of the Northern Frontier Army as slaves.

At the same time, all property of each department was confiscated, including cattle, sheep, warhorses, and camels, all of which were taken over as public property of the northern frontier.

According to the distribution rules in the northern frontier, after each battle, one-third of the spoils of war would be distributed to the soldiers, and this rule has never changed.

However, since these cattle and sheep were inconvenient to carry, the Protectorate General would take out silver of equal value to redeem them from the soldiers.

Then they were all treated as public assets and continued to be used for feeding on the ranch.

After receiving a large sum of money, the soldiers were able to return to the northern frontier and purchase supplies to provide a better life for their families.

These coins would then return to the hands of the Grand Protectorate.

Everything is going on in an orderly manner.

But the wars on the grasslands never ceased.

The leaders of the various units were terrified after witnessing the ruthlessness of the Northern Frontier Army.

Not only would their property be confiscated, but all the men in their families would be killed, and their wives, concubines, and daughters would be enslaved. Even if they humbly surrendered, they would not be accepted.

After all, the Northern Frontier's conquest of the northern desert was aimed at long-term rule over this land, and the existence of these tribal nobles was a serious destabilizing factor.

Submitting today may lead to rebellion tomorrow.

Li Xiao was determined that even if he had to turn the northern desert into ruins and cause bloodshed, he must thoroughly eliminate the original tribal rule system and hand over the people and slaves to the people of the northern frontier to be directly managed by people sent from the north.

In history, Temujin had also used a similar approach.

He killed or replaced the original tribal leaders through marriage or violence.

He dispersed all the herdsmen and slaves and redistributed them, appointing his trusted confidants as commanders of thousands and hundreds.

This brought together the scattered forces of the grasslands, laying the foundation for future campaigns against the Jin and Xia dynasties.

However, such reforms would inevitably infringe upon the interests of the old aristocracy.

Temujin's reforms were not smooth sailing, and the reforms in the northern frontier were accompanied by endless bloodshed.

As a result, wars broke out one after another, and the remaining tribes of the steppe successively rebelled.

Many tribes even united to fight the Northern Frontier Army to the death.

But all these resistances ultimately came to naught, and the rebels became corpses under the artillery and iron cavalry of the Northern Frontier Army.

Even Temujin's allied forces were no match for the Northern Frontier Army, let alone the ragtag troops of various tribes, who were even less able to withstand the powerful offensive of the Northern Frontier Army.

Li Xiao would rather increase the difficulty of unifying the northern grasslands than leave any trouble for future generations.

During the early years of the People's Republic of China, everything was fine. After all, it was just a wasteland, so it could be demolished and rebuilt.

However, once the country is on the right track, any attempt to implement reforms will face various obstacles.

The ship was in trouble and turned around.

……

By the time the fighting on the grasslands subsided, autumn had arrived.

Meanwhile, the integration of various grassland regions in northern Xinjiang has been gradually completed.

In the two locations of Zhonghai and Donghai, a total of sixty-five thousand-household offices were established.

This is fewer than the ninety-five chiliarchies that Temujin historically established.

Because the Naiman tribe had long been conquered, and many of them had been killed by the Northern Frontier Army.

The grasslands of Yelijijin tribe were then assigned to the 18th Thousand Household Office of the East Sea.

On this day, Zhang Liujin was cutting grass in the pasture to store fodder for the cattle and sheep to get through the winter.

Suddenly someone shouted, "Little Liu, come over for a meeting!"

Looking up, he saw a burly man on horseback waving at him from a nearby hilltop.

Zhang Liujin quickly responded loudly, "Captain, I'm coming right now."

He has been officially appointed as a shihu (a type of household), in charge of ten commoners.

However, the personnel have not yet arrived.

The person who shouted was Zhang Liujin's superior, Huang Laonian, the Commandant of the Households.

Originally a laborer of the Xia Kingdom, he was captured by the Northern Frontier Army and became a household member of the Northern Frontier.

Just as it was his turn to serve in the military, war broke out, and he arrived on the grasslands with the army.

He was lucky enough to encounter several fleeing steppe soldiers and kill them with his bow and arrow.

As a result, Huang Laonian made a contribution and successfully became a military household member.

However, he was rather timid, and joining the army was out of necessity. In addition, he was not young anymore and just wanted to live a peaceful life.

He was then retired from his official post and promoted three ranks to become a civilian commander.

Zhang Liujin was one of his subordinates.

"Captain, what's the matter?"

Zhang Liujin rode his horse hurriedly to Huang Laoren and asked loudly.

"Another group of herders has arrived. The head of the tribesman wants us to go and pick them up!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liujin immediately nodded and smiled: "I'm finally here. Otherwise, I always felt like I wasn't a sergeant, but a squad leader."

At that time, Zhang Liujin was managing four households.

Two former slaves, two former commoners. As for his good brother Bach, he was also appointed as a shihu (a type of household).

Among civilian households, the position of Commandant was an official post, which could only be held by military households that had made military achievements.

Those who are commoners can be promoted locally based on their contributions.

Those who could become "Shihu" were often originally slaves.

Because they felt the fairness brought by the Northern Frontier Army, and recalling the darkness they had suffered, they would do everything in their power to protect everything they had and not let their current lives be shattered.

Therefore, the former slave class were actually the true allies of the Northern Frontier Army.

Commoners remained commoners, while nobles became slaves.

Because they were both Han Chinese, Zhang Liujin and Huang Laonian, the captain, had the best relationship.

Soon, Zhang Liujin, along with Huang Nianlao and four other households, arrived at the Qianhu Mansion.

Here, he also met his former good brother, Bach, who had also become a shuffler.

The two of them got together again, just like they always do.

Bach is still Bach, and his information network remains as efficient as ever.

"I heard that they sent more than 500 people to our Qianhu Mansion this time."

"Now we finally have a scale of a thousand households."

"Where are those people from before?" Zhang Liujin asked.

He was referring to the former Yelijijin tribe, which originally numbered over four thousand, but three thousand of them were transferred elsewhere.

Another thousand herders from other tribes were transferred in.

Among the four households under Zhang Liujin's command, one slave and one commoner were from other tribes.

"I heard that many people went to the Kereit tribe, and some even went to the Merkit tribe."

"Anyway, they're going everywhere, being transferred around, it's a complete mess. I don't know why it's like this. Wouldn't it be better to just stay put?" Bach said, scratching his head.

He couldn't figure out these complicated issues, but Zhang Liujin, who came from Han China, vaguely understood the purpose of this transfer.

Add water.

By grouping people from different tribes together, they would no longer be of one mind, making it easier for those in power to manage them.

"It must have been that general's idea. We Han people are really good at thinking." Zhang Liujin thought of Da Hu and immediately felt admiration.

He thought to himself, "If it were these barbarians from the grasslands, they would just change the leader and be done with it. They wouldn't think so much about it."

"By the way, Bach, how do you know so much?" Zhang Liujin asked curiously.

Bach said apologetically, "It's nothing, just Andado."

Under Zhang Liujin's persistent questioning, he finally revealed that his younger brother was now running errands for the deputy commander.

"What? That's the fierce-looking deputy commander? I heard he's from the Kereit tribe!" Zhang Liujin exclaimed, his eyes wide.

He instantly recalled that day when Da Hu casually shot three arrows, accompanied by this deputy commander from the Kereit tribe.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Bach immediately shushed him, saying, "Keep your voice down."

"The deputy commander dislikes it most when people mention that he is a Kereit."

Bach said urgently, glancing nervously to his left and right.

They were relieved to find everyone sitting casually on the grass, chatting in twos and threes. The households formed one circle, and the captains formed another. No one paid any attention to the two of them.

"Why?" Zhang Liujin asked, puzzled.

Why does the deputy commander dislike being called a Kereit?

“I heard that…” Bach lowered his voice even further.

"The deputy commander used to be a slave in the Kereit tribe. Later, he followed the Northern Frontier Army in its campaigns and made many contributions before he was awarded this official robe."

"No one mentions that he was a Kereit anymore; he has long since changed his name to Hu Yong."

"It was the Commander-in-Chief who personally helped him revise it. Commander Hu liked it very much and always considered himself a Han Chinese."

“If anyone dares to mention the Kreik tribe in front of him, he will definitely get angry.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liujin's mouth dropped open; he hadn't expected there to be such a reason.

The soldiers of different ethnicities in the Northern Frontier Army would mostly give themselves Han names and gradually integrate into the Han identity.

However, Hu Yong integrated more thoroughly, after all, his past identity and experiences were simply too painful to recall.

Shortly afterward, Commander Liu Cunxun and Deputy Commander Hu Yong emerged from the main tent.

Compared to Hu Yong's Kereit tribe origins, Liu Cunxun was a pure Han Chinese.

A Han Chinese from Dunhuang, he became the deputy commander of the First Garrison after making meritorious contributions in battle.

After being transferred to civilian work, he was promoted three ranks to become a commander of a thousand men, and worked with Hu Yong.

"The new herders will be arriving soon. I called you all here today to assign people to the herders," Liu Cunxun said to the crowd outside the tent.

In his thousand-household office, not only were the herdsmen not fully replenished, but there were also many missing generals.

They're just waiting for the next batch of 500 immigrants.

"Among these immigrants, some came from the Kereit tribe, some from the Merkit tribe, the Balahu tribe, and the Oirat tribe; they came from all over the world."

"What you need to do is select from them, try not to repeat any, and take into account people from every tribe!" Liu Cunxun shouted loudly to his subordinates.

"Furthermore, you must tell these newcomers that no one is allowed to cross the boundaries of our Thousand Households Prefecture to other Thousand Households Prefectures."

"If we're discovered, we'll lose our heads."

In order to secure a stable rear area in the northern desert, Li Xiao mobilized the herders from various tribes in the northern desert and carried out a hodgepodge of integration.

We try our best to ensure that each household comes from a different tribe.

Then, they implemented unified management by the thousand households, and forcibly designated a pasture for each thousand households, allowing them to graze their livestock only within that pasture, with no one allowed to cross the boundary.

After all, the most difficult thing about dealing with nomadic peoples is their unpredictable whereabouts, but as long as they are kept within a certain range and their population is checked regularly, many problems can be solved.

Soon after, Zhang Liujin and his people arrived, a total of five households from five different tribes.

When they came over, they were also herding a herd of cattle and sheep.

Zhang Liujin settled them on the outskirts of his settlement.

And they explained the rules of northern Xinjiang to them.

"Forget your former tribes. From now on, we are all herdsmen of the Northern Frontier, with only one master, the Grand Protector."

“From now on, you will all have to learn Chinese with me. It doesn’t matter if you can’t learn it yourself, but the children must learn it.”

I will give each of you a Han Chinese name.

"The cattle and sheep are all the property of the Protectorate General; they are just lent to us for grazing."

"Each of you manages a certain number of cattle and sheep, and you'll have to repay them with interest later."

……

The herders were in a dilemma, since it's difficult for adults to learn another language without putting in a lot of effort.

But that's okay, let's change it little by little.

Things are slowly getting better.

Especially when they thought of these cattle and sheep, everyone's eyes shone with hope.

Of these households, five were formerly slaves and owned nothing.

Now I finally have my own property, even though it's borrowed.

But as long as one is diligent and hardworking, and takes good care of these cattle and sheep, after they give birth to calves and are sold, one can gradually repay the loan from the Protectorate.

Those ordinary people are quite content with their current lives.

After all, according to the customs of the grasslands, when one tribe is conquered by another, the herders are either killed or become slaves who can be killed at will.

Today, although they have lost their property, they are still ordinary people, and they still have a spark of hope, and can slowly save up some more wealth.

very good already.

And so, this kind of life continued.

Zhang Liujin and the others drank goat milk and ate milk skin every day, cut grass and herded sheep. Their living conditions were much better than when they were slaves.

He has no wife, so he's a one-man household and doesn't worry about food.

On this day, he was in his dilapidated tent calculating how long it would take him to pay off his debts.

"One hundred sheep, with the profit from twenty a year, and more than fifty lambs next year..."

Each person can take care of a fixed number of cattle and sheep, and in the autumn, winter grass needs to be cut, so at most one person can only cut grass for a little over a hundred sheep.

Therefore, Zhang Liujin raised one hundred sheep.

Twenty sheep need to be paid annually as interest, in addition to the initial investment.

Of these 100 sheep, 80 are ewes. Considering the mortality rate, only about 50 lambs can survive a year.

Including my daily needs, it will probably take five or six years to pay off all my debts.

These five years are a period of adjustment for them.

Five years later, the Protectorate General will levy taxes on the grasslands, which will be another large expenditure.

The grasslands also have taxes, which used to be paid directly to the nobles, but now in the northern frontier, a fixed standard has been established.

It's roughly the same as the tax rate for farmers who cultivate the land.

In short, in the end, the people and herders will have some money left over, but not much. Otherwise, if everyone just gives up, who will still fight for the northern border?
"Hey, we can't be so careless, we have to be more frugal."

Zhang Liujin swallowed all the mutton in his hand, looking regretful.

Good days were coming, so he slaughtered an older ram for a treat.

But I regretted it after eating it.

Why couldn't you control your eating?

We should sell the rams from now on; it's a waste to feed them to ourselves.

The important thing is to save up more money, get married as soon as possible, and have children.

After finishing his meal, he got up and swayed as he prepared to go outside the Hundred Households' residence to 'listen to stories'.

This is their daily routine, a form of leisure.

The veterans, including the captain and centurion, recounted their stories of previous battles.

It mainly focuses on the heroes of the northern frontier, their deeds on the battlefield, and the glorious and towering image of Li Xiao.

At the same time, it is strictly forbidden for anyone to mention Temujin, Jamukha, or other grassland leaders, as well as the ancestors and beliefs of various grassland tribes.

The goal is to exert a gradual cultural influence on these herders, enabling them to learn Chinese through communication and better integrate into Chinese society.

However, when Zhang Liujin was halfway there, he suddenly noticed a group of people approaching from a distance.

(End of this chapter)