Jinting Han people

Chapter 137 My City (4k)

In the eyes of outsiders, Liu Xian has always been a very law-abiding person, even old-fashioned.

When Liu Xian was studying under Master Ruan, who clearly advocated following the natural way and not emphasizing etiquette, his every word and action was in accordance with etiquette, never daring to overstep the bounds, which often drew the sneers of classmates like Ruan Xuan and Ruan Zhan.

But now, at his teacher's most important funeral, when guests and relatives alike were weeping for his death, Ruan Xian's most valued student wiped away his tears, roared loudly in public, and then drew his sword and danced wildly in the mourning hall.

In this era where filial piety is paramount, this is undoubtedly a shocking act.

But Liu Xian didn't care. Many words, spoken out loud, seemed pale and cumbersome. He wanted others to understand him, but it was impossible for them to fully understand him. However, in this world, there were always a few people who, without saying much, could completely understand his thoughts. They were his confidants.

His teacher was his confidant, and he must understand his feelings. So Liu Xian thought, even if his teacher was no longer with us, as long as he incorporated his response into this sword dance, his spirit would surely be pleased.

Everyone present was moved by Liu Xian's determination. Although they still found it absurd, seeing the iron-like determination in his eyes, they could not utter any words of criticism. Furthermore, Liu Xian's sword dance was as smooth as flowing clouds. Even though he was left-handed, it was quite pleasing to the eye. After the dance, Liu Xian's expression was calm and composed again, as if it were normal.

In this atmosphere, everyone just thought they were witnessing another strange story between the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove and their disciples.

That night, Liu Xian stayed at the county government office, but only for one night. The next morning, he planned to say goodbye to his master's wife and Ruan Zhan. After all, he had been demoted and couldn't stay anywhere else for too long.

But in the morning, as soon as he got dressed and opened the door, he saw a young man blocking the door and smiling at him stiffly.

"Good morning, County Lord Liu!" Although the young man's tone was respectful and his salute was very standard, just looking at his long face like a horse, his high and raised nose bridge, his brown and rough skin caused by the sun, and his slightly curly long hair, it was not difficult to guess that he was a Di person.

"Hello! May I ask who you are?"

"Oh! My name is Lü Quyang, and I'm a student of Mr. Ruan. I've been studying with him for about three years, and I've always admired your reputation."

The teacher accepted a Di person as a student? Liu Xian felt a little strange for a moment. Although many Hu people in Luoyang had become disciples of famous Central Plains scholars over the years, they were basically the sons of Hu nobles like Liu Cong. Looking at Lu Quyang in front of him, he should have a small family background, but he was not considered noble among the Di people.

Lü Quyang clearly saw Liu Xian's confusion. He explained, "Although I'm a Di from Lueyang, I've always been devoted to the king's rule. At the age of fourteen, I traveled to Long and Guanzhong to study. Unfortunately, I lacked a renowned teacher, and I never achieved anything. Three years ago, one night, feeling down, I played the hujia under the moon. My teacher was delighted to hear me, and he accepted me as his disciple..."

So that's what happened. It was indeed what the Little Ruan Guild had done. Liu Xian couldn't help but smile when he heard this. He turned around and looked at Lu Quyang carefully, then asked, "Quyang, you came to see me so early. Does the teacher have any instructions for you?"

"I have an unwelcome request."

"Oh? What do you say?"

"I wish to follow the county lord."

"Huh?" Liu Xian was surprised when he heard this. "Why do you have such an idea?"

"Although I have studied with you for three years, I still haven't mastered many of the classics. Now that you have passed away, I have to start all over again. When you were alive, you told me that your most proud disciple was the County Lady. If I have nowhere else to go, I might as well study with you..."

Hearing this, Liu Xian was a little amused. His first reaction was to refuse. After all, he was only nineteen years old and had never taught anyone before. Moreover, judging from what he had just said, this Lu Quyang was about the same age as him. How embarrassing would it be for him to teach him?
But when he saw the apprehensive look on Lü Quyang's face, he couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted. He must have felt the same apprehension when he first went to Ruanzhuang. Actually, there was no reason to refuse him. They were all adults, not children, so it wouldn't take much time.

What's more, I heard that there are a lot of Qiang and Hu people in Guanzhong, and I really need a guide who is familiar with Guanzhong and the Hu people. From this perspective, this junior brother is very suitable.

Thinking of this, Liu Xian quickly made up his mind. He smiled and said, "Qu Yang, Xia Yang, where I'm going, is a tough place. Can you bear it?"

"Looking around the world, apart from a few places like Luoyang, Chang'an, Yecheng, and Xuchang, is there any place that is not suffering?"

These words were spoken with a rather compassionate air. Liu Xian immediately looked at Lu Quyang with new eyes and asked, "Can you write documents?"

"During this time with my teacher, I've seen some writing done in the county government, so I have a general idea, but I haven't written anything myself..."

"That's enough. If you don't mind the trouble, you can be my assistant."

Lu Quyang was immediately overjoyed and bowed, saying, "Thank you, my Lord, for your support!"

Half an hour later, Liu Xian said goodbye to the Ruan family members and officially embarked on his journey to take up his new post.

It was already past Mid-Autumn Festival, and the weather had grown colder. The leaves along the road began to fall, giving off a rotting, decaying scent. Then, a light rain began to fall. Liu Xian and his companions donned long coats and capes. But the journey still felt a bit deserted, perhaps because the weather in Guanzhong was drier and cooler than in Guandong.

Along the way, Liu Xian adapted to the weather in Guanzhong while talking with Lu Quyang to learn about the customs and culture of Guanzhong.

"Do you know how many Hu people there are in Guanzhong?"

"I don't know the specifics either. I just heard from my teacher that among the seven counties of Yongzhou, there are nine tribes with more than 10,000 tribes, and forty-three tribes with more than 1,000 tribes. As for those with less than 1,000 tribes, I'm not sure."

"Fall? What does fall mean?"

"Oh, we Hu people don't count by users, but by one clan. There are usually seven or eight people in one clan."

"I see. So, the number of Hu people in Yongzhou is probably close to two million!"

"About that. I'm from Lueyang, so I'm not too sure. I only know the situation in Qin and Liang, and they have about two million people combined."

When Liu Xian heard this, he was extremely surprised. Although he knew that the Hu people in Guanlong were prosperous, he did not expect it to have reached this point.

When he was a clerk in the Secretariat, he had looked up the number of households in Yongzhou. That was from the first year of the Taikang reign, and it showed only about 160,000 households. Based on the data of five people per household, there were only 800,000 people. This only counted Han people who paid taxes, and the data was from ten years ago. But no matter how you calculated it, the population ratio between Han and Hu people seemed a bit too alarming. Liu Xian asked again, "Are there Hu people in Xiayang?"

"Of course there are. The imperial court has scattered us everywhere, and every county has at least one. I think Xiayang is at the northernmost edge of Fengyi County. Besides the Hu people who have been settled there all year round, there should also be some Qiang and Hu people from the border who come to cause trouble from time to time."

“How did the country accommodate you?”

"Actually, they're asking the elders of our tribe to collect taxes. If they encounter any unrest, they'll also ask our tribe to send troops to assist..."

During his casual conversation with Lü Quyang, Liu Xian gained a general understanding of the court's management of the Hu people in Guanzhong. Simply put, it was a tax-farming system. The court only interacted with the Hu tribal leaders. As long as the leaders paid the full amount of taxes, the court would not intervene in any internal affairs of the Hu tribes.

However, the imperial court also placed a strong emphasis on the assimilation of tribal leaders. Almost all tribal leaders were required to offer hostages. Hostages from smaller tribes received Han Chinese education in Chang'an, while those from more important tribes were sent to Luoyang for special care. Tribes were also prohibited from moving without permission; leaders had to report to the Western Expedition Army Headquarters. In the event of war, tribal leaders were also required to obey the orders of the Western Expedition Army Headquarters.

Liu Xian believed that the hidden dangers of this policy were too great. While the imperial court ostensibly held considerable influence over the Hu people's elite, at the grassroots level, a state within a state had in fact emerged. While the Western Expeditionary Army could maintain its position for now, the relationships at the top were fragile. If the Western Expeditionary Army itself fell into decline, and external forces intervened, chaos could easily erupt throughout the region.

Liu Xian couldn't help but recall Jiang Tong's theory of the Hu people's danger, and a wave of anxiety washed over him. Jiang Tong's assessment of the Hu people's threat might be correct, but the solution he proposed was completely unfeasible. Where would millions of people be relocated to? He feared that simply proposing it would only lead to a major chaos.

But this has nothing to do with me for the time being. What I should think about now is how to prepare to handle county affairs.

On the morning of the fifth day, Liu Xian and his party traveled 400 miles in the rain and finally arrived at Heyang City. More than 60 miles up the road was their destination, Xiayang City.

But Liu Xian did not rush to set off. Instead, he first talked with Zhang Hun, the Heyang magistrate who was in charge of Xiayang in the city. He first handed over some procedures and then learned about the situation in Xiayang County in detail.

Zhang Hun wasn't known for his kindness; it was said he was ruthless in his official duties. But he was still happy to have gotten rid of Xia Yang, a hot potato. So, he answered Liu Xian's questions with all his heart, admonishing him on several key points, hoping he could hold out a little longer.

"When you go to Xiayang later, don't go directly. It's best to take a detour first, cross the river from here to Hedong, then go north. When you reach Fenyin, cross the river again. This is the safest way."

"why?"

"The official road between the two counties has been occupied by a group of horse thieves. If you go directly there and get caught by them, you'll be in big trouble. They'll even dare to ask the county government for money to redeem you."

"So that's how it is. Then why not take a detour from the northwest?"

"There's no other way. If we go northwest, we might easily stray into Liangshan. There's a group of horse thieves there too. They're smaller, but still very fierce."

"Any more?"

"There are two more gangs of horse thieves, both further north. Their impact won't be as great as the first two. You can deal with them later."

When he said this, Zhang Hun looked at Liu Xian with sympathy in his eyes. After all, he knew very well how bad the situation in Xia Yang was now.

Xiayang was nominally a county, but in reality, the area directly under the county magistrate's jurisdiction was less than a township. With neither a population nor sufficient funds, this situation was considered one of the most challenging in the country. Serving as a county magistrate in such a place was practically a political death sentence. It was hard to imagine how one could achieve anything and leave this place.

But Liu Xian felt okay. After expressing his gratitude to Zhang Hun, he did not follow Zhang Hun's advice to take a detour to Hedong. Instead, he took a short rest, had dinner, and then took a nap. Before the night curfew in Heyang City, he took advantage of the night to head north directly.

As they were traveling, Xi'an was a little scared. He was a pure scholar and didn't know any martial arts for self-defense. He complained, "Biji, they say thieves are most active at night. If we travel at this time, won't we be hit by horse thieves?"

"These aren't just ordinary bandits." Liu Xian didn't use a torch, but instead followed the moonlight to identify the road. He replied, "They're now bandits occupying the official road. Everyone knows about their actions. Why would they care about a small amount of money at night? The taxes they collect during the day are enough for them."

Xi An was startled when he heard this and asked, "Set up a checkpoint? Where in the world would a horse thief set up a checkpoint?"

Liu Xian shrugged, pointed at the faint fire in the distance and said, "There are no Champa horse thieves in this world."

Xi An looked over. As the horses' hooves advanced, the dim firelight gradually brightened, faintly illuminating the outline of the beacon tower. Looking down, he could see a dilapidated city tower, quietly sleeping in the darkness. The tower was some distance from the official road, but not far enough for Liu Xian and the others to see the light and shadows in the tower from afar. However, those in the tower could not see any trace of Liu Xian and the others under the moonlight.

Xi An was puzzled: "Where is this? This isn't the county town, is it? Why is there a city wall?"

Liu Xian replied, "These are the remains of the Great Wall built by the Wei State seven hundred years ago during the Warring States Period. County Lord Zhang said that only two towers and beacon towers remain. Now they've been occupied by bandits as a stronghold. What a shame."

After these words were spoken, the three people who were accompanying them fell silent. The fact that the horse thieves could occupy this place so confidently showed that they were very powerful and it would be extremely difficult to get rid of them.

But Liu Xian didn't take it seriously. He just sighed and continued, "I heard that twenty miles northwest of Xiayang City, there's a Xieli Palace. It was built by Emperor Wu of Han. It fell into ruins a hundred years ago and is now occupied by bandits. I don't know how many people are in it."

The three of them felt even more depressed after hearing this, and felt that they had no idea how to proceed with the affairs in Xia Yang.

Liu Xian, however, was excited. Seeing the remains of the Wei Great Wall beacon tower marked his official entry into Xiayang. Every blade of grass and tree he saw under the night sky was, in theory, under his care. As Liu Xian surveyed the surroundings, he envisioned the prosperity of Xiayang after his successful governance.

It is precisely because the current situation is bleak that only after completely changing it can we leave our own mark and have a great sense of accomplishment, isn't it?

Liu Xian encouraged himself with this mindset as he slowly wandered to the foot of Xiayang City. It was dawn, and the darkness of the sky was marked only by a single purple-red crack. Under the azure sky, the silent Xiayang City looked like a dead city.

But what does it matter? Liu Xian couldn't help but smile as he stood at the city gate. After all, I have my city.

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(End of this chapter)