Tiger Guards

Chapter 329 Decision to Shelve
After Zhao Ji saw Zhao Qi out, he returned to the central courtyard and saw Han Shu walking around inside.

Upon seeing Zhao Ji return, Han Shu stepped forward and whispered, "Grand Marshal, Wenli is back. She's drunk and in a bad mood."

"I understand. Find two people to take care of him."

"Look, Han Dong is taking care of it."

"Okay, let me know when Seventh Brother wakes up."

Zhao Ji walked towards the west courtyard, with Han Shu following behind, asking, "How should the grasslands of Xihe County be divided?"

"Did you ask me this, Qu Bei?"

"Yes, Qu Bei is eager to intervene in the various tribes of Xihe and preside over the January grassland division conference."

Han Shu remained calm: "The righteous knights also made contributions in the battles of Shangdang, Changshan, and Chenliu. If they are all settled in the counties of Pingyang, it will be difficult to relocate them in the future."

The disbanded Xiongnu cavalry have returned to their homeland with their spoils of war and medals of honor, and have been granted the right to settle in Taiyuan and Pingyang with their families.

"Don't exclude them; they are more useful than the Five Battalions now."

Zhao Ji raised his hand and patted Han Shu on the shoulder: "The demarcation of grasslands is a major event for the Xiongnu. We will make a decision after I have selected a Xiongnu general."

“Yes, I will refuse your humble service.”

Han Shu cupped his hands in greeting, and Zhao Ji merely nodded. This was not Han Shu overstepping his bounds; the Xiongnu people bypassed the government offices and contacted him directly. Their contact person could only be his personal guard, not someone like the chief clerk.

Once the position of Xiongnu Zhonglang General is established, this Zhonglang General will serve as the representative to participate in the management and mediation of various Xiongnu tribes.

Every January, the various Xiongnu tribes would meet to divide up the grasslands.

After the main body is divided, the main body is further divided, and the smaller parts are divided according to clan lineage.

If there are no additional changes, this is basically a routine gathering, along with sacrifices to heaven and earth and the god of war, and a pledge made in the process.

This year has brought great changes to the various Xiongnu tribes, and Qubei is eager to solidify his position and influence as the Right Wise King.

Even if the grassland planning for the right flank is done in the same way as last year, it would still be a meaningful thing.

When offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth and swearing oaths before the golden statue of the God of War, he, as the Right Wise King, was the one who initiated and led the oath.

Zhao Ji entered the west courtyard and walked briskly along the wooden corridor. In the wooden houses he passed, the Grand Marshal and his subordinates were carrying out official business.

The twelfth lunar month and the first lunar month are also the times for routine accounting.

The population of each county is being recounted, and they are calculating this year's population, taxes, and engineering plans.

However, Zhao Ji did not take actual control of Dai Commandery, Yanmen Commandery, Dingxiang Commandery, Xihe Commandery, and Shang Commandery; he merely replaced some of the county magistrates and county commandants.

The original county government administrative team has not undergone many changes, which is the key point that needs careful adjustments and gradual mastery over the next two or three years.

Throughout the second year of Jian'an, Zhao Ji's plan was to restore the productivity of Taiyuan and Hedong, so as to ensure that there would be no hunger throughout the third year of Jian'an.

The requirements are really not high. These two prefectures are stable, and relying on the current Han-Xiongnu population advantage of two million, it is easy to secure the other prefectures.

Within two or three years, some of the clerks in the various departments of the shogunate were able to be promoted to the position of prefect.

Fortunately, as a separatist force, he doesn't need to worry about border troubles; in fact, he is the biggest border threat right now!

Zhao Jishun ascended the steps to the west pavilion, took off his cloak and hung it on the clothes rack, where he saw Wen Hui, the chief clerk of the prefecture, sitting in a corner resting.

Noticing Zhao Ji's return, Wen Hui got up and came over with a tray of bamboo slips, presenting it to him: "Grand Marshal, this is the list of candidates for the civil service examination this year in this prefecture."

Zhao Ji picked up the bamboo slips and read them up and down. Each scroll contained more than 500 characters, recording information about six candidates for the position of Xiaolian (a candidate for the civil service examination) in a prefecture.

Among them, there was no Dai Commandery. Dai Commandery belonged to Youzhou. Zhao Ji sent Lao Zhao there to be the governor, which was to seize Dai Commandery.

Whether it's Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao, or Xianyu Fu, they would all give him face; he didn't expect Lao Zhao to accomplish anything in Dai County, just to act as a buffer.

Apart from the four counties outside the Great Wall, each of the remaining counties in Bingzhou had a scroll. After reading it, he said, "Arrange for them to come to the headquarters for assessment in three days. Those who cannot read or write will be assessed orally."

"Here."

Wen Hui agreed, and then said, "According to the prefecture's calculations, next year's tax revenue will only be enough to cover the salaries of officials. The garrison troops at various border posts will still be insufficient."

"The shogunate is also short of funds and provisions, so let's be patient a little longer. If the Xianbei or other barbarian tribes rebel, I will take care of it myself."

"Here."

Wen Hui agreed again, then bowed and took his leave.

He didn't expect to get any funding from Zhao Ji, as everyone was destined to go hungry next spring when food was scarce.

The Tiger Step Army was reduced from 18,000 to 15,000 men, although the 3,000 officers and soldiers who were reduced were transferred to the Five Battalions.

However, the Tiger Infantry Army has begun to downsize, the size of the Hedong County Army has also begun to shrink, and other places can only look after themselves.

After Wen Hui left, Chief Secretary Zhang Chang came to Zhao Ji and greeted him with clasped hands: "Grand Marshal, the reorganization of Yongzhou and Liangzhou should not be delayed any longer."

"Are you worried that the General will recommend two governors or prefects?"

Zhao Ji gestured for Zhang Chang to sit down, and Zhang Chang replied, "Yes, although Yuanming Gong is in the court, the Grand General's proposal will not be approved. But it is still not ideal. The Grand Marshal should decide on a candidate as soon as possible."

"What else?"

"It concerns the matter of Liu Zhennan's envoy. After meeting with his deputy, Fu Gongti, as ordered, I found his remarks quite insightful and wish to recommend him to the Grand Marshal." "Then can he be appointed as the Chief Administrator of Yongzhou?"

Zhao Ji countered with a question, and Zhang Chang fell silent. Recommending Fu Xun meant accepting Fu Xun's favor, but also bearing responsibility.

Considering Fu Xun's character and talent, Zhang Chang said, "There is no better choice than this man at present."

During Li Jue's reign, Yongzhou was re-established.

Yongzhou existed before, but after it was demolished, Liangzhou and Shuofang were separated from it.

During Li Jue's reign, he dismantled Liangzhou and created Yongzhou.

This matter has become very complicated. Li Jue was from Beidi Commandery, which belonged to Liangzhou. After this split, Liangzhou was divided into two parts, east and west, while Yongzhou was located in the far west.

"The establishment of Yongzhou was a result of Li Jue's misrule, and this policy should be abolished. I will submit a memorial to the Secretariat on this matter and request the court to make a decision."

Zhao Ji spoke calmly, expressing his attitude: "After Yong and Liang are united, I will first recruit him as an official in my staff, and then make a final selection based on his abilities."

If Yong and Liang were to coexist, the territory would remain the same, but two prefectures would need to be established, with two chief administrators and two registrars.

He doesn't have enough reliable people to take over now, and he doesn't even have control over many of the counties below him.

He would rather not have this kind of remote control, as it carries the potential risk of becoming too powerful to handle.

Zhao Ji pondered: "Now Liangzhou is dominated by Ma Teng, Han Sui, and the powerful figures of Tianshui. I will draft a document to express my goodwill to them. Next February or March, I will re-establish the prefecture."

The Beidi Commandery of Liangzhou... The ancestral home of Li Jue and the Fu family has been occupied by the Beidi Hu. These are new Hu people who have developed from a mixture of various Qiang and Han border peoples and miscellaneous Hu people. They are different from the traditional Qiang and Xiongnu and are called Beidi Hu or Beidi Qiang by all parties.

Similarly, there were the Qin Hu and Lushui Hu, and since the Beidi Commandery could not be abolished, the officials and people of Beidi moved inland to the Zuo Fengyi region.

Therefore, west of the Yellow River, only the Sanfu and Tianshui areas were relatively stable, with few Hu tribes; further west, in places like Longxi and Jincheng, there were warlords like Ma Teng and Han Sui supporting the situation.

These two men caused a lot of trouble back then, but their determination to defend their hometown together with other powerful Han figures was quite firm.

As for the Three Auxiliary Regions and Hongnong, these were traditionally the territory of Sili Prefecture, governed by Zhao Yan's Sili Xiaowei Office.

In reality, Zhao Yan can only govern the Governor of Henan and the Hongnong Commandery. Even if we say he governs, he only has the power to investigate and punish officials.

The actual implementation of governance still rests with each county.

The county was the basic unit of governance; the county government had a staff of more than thirty people, the prefecture government had only a dozen or so people, and the state government had more than twenty people.

Whether it was the requisition of money, grain, and supplies, or the implementation of corvée labor and military service, orders had to be issued at each level, with the county magistrate in charge of execution.

If the county magistrate refuses to comply, the order from the prefecture or county is just a piece of paper.

Therefore, the actual governing power of Henan Prefecture was in the hands of Bi Chen, the governor of Henan Prefecture, while that of Hongnong Prefecture was in the hands of Duan Wei, the prefect of Hongnong Prefecture.

However, Zhao Yan, as the Commandant of the Capital Region, was a powerful disciplinary unit. He could arrest and investigate even court officials on the spot, and disobedient officials and commoners were all within his jurisdiction.

If Zhao Ji's military deterrent power remains undiminished, then Zhao Yan's words will have an effect, but only a limited one, and we shouldn't expect too much.

After all, there will always be two-faced people and opportunists who outwardly comply but inwardly defy authority.

Unless the county and prefectural levels are replaced with their own people, these people will resolutely carry out the Zhao family's orders and grit their teeth to suppress and govern the local powerful people.

Seeing that Zhao Ji was not in a hurry to re-establish Liangzhou Prefecture, Zhang Chang stopped urging him.

What Zhao Ji lacks most is time. Only with time to settle down and build a solid team can he place important positions in the hands of his own people.

This was a test of endurance; either the scholars of Guanzhong would come forward voluntarily to accept Zhao Ji's test and examination.

They were recruited to the shogunate for training, forming a bond of loyalty and obligation between the ruler and his subjects, before being sent out to serve as local officials.

In this case, Zhao Ji sent his former officials to supervise Liangzhou.

Otherwise, if Zhao Ji is asking them for something, then it would be a cooperative relationship.

Zhao Jin preferred to leave the Liangzhou prefecture vacant and not establish it.

Anyway, with the old man holding things back at the Luoyang court, any appointments Lü Bu made, such as governors or prefects of Liangzhou or Yongzhou, could be rejected and could not be approved by the Secretariat.

But leaving it empty isn't a good thing either, as it will attract public criticism.

The problem is also obvious: Li Jue and Guo Si were not eliminated, so they could not influence Liangzhou at close range. Why should Zhao Ji give concessions to the powerful figures in Liangzhou?

If you want to be an official, come and apply to the Grand Marshal's office; if you don't want to be an official, then continue to be your local tyrant.

If powerful and influential families are eliminated in the future, they will complain that no one will plead for them or speak up for them.

Zhao Ji wasn't particularly interested in Shangdang, Daijun, Yanmen, Xihe, and Shangjun, which were all nearby, and wasn't in a hurry to get involved, let alone the distant Liangzhou!

Once the state-level departments are re-established, they must be accountable to the local areas.

If he rushes to intervene, the official documents from Ma Teng and Han Sui demanding the return of their owed military pay might end up on Zhao Ji's desk.

At times like these, you really can't rush things.

Without a prefecture, would the sky fall for the officials and people of Liangzhou?

(End of this chapter)