Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 302 Goguryeo Delegation

The 28th day of the 12th month of the first year of the Hanxing era.

Youzhou, Liaodong Commandery, Xiangping County.

Just after dawn, as the sky began to lighten, a thick layer of bluish-gray frost had formed on the battlements of Xiangping County.

The soldiers of the prefecture and kingdoms defending the city struggled to chip away at the ice on the crenellations with the tips of their spears. The broken ice shards fell down and crashed onto the already frozen surface of the moat, splashing only a few barely perceptible white marks.

The post road outside the city was completely buried by deep snow. The trunks of several withered willows were covered with thick ice shells, and the drooping branches could not bear the weight of the icicles and broke off, with half of them sinking into the snow.

Suddenly, a cow moo came from the snowfield, and an oxcart was coming from the direction of Liaoze. Its wheels were wrapped with anti-slip straw ropes, and it left deep ruts on the compacted snow.

The three people on the train all wore red headscarves, red arm sleeves, and carried red and white document bags, which were the standard uniforms of postal workers.

"Old Song! We've been waiting for you!"

As the oxcart approached the city gate, a soldier from the prefecture braved the biting wind, cupping his hands to his mouth and shouting.

The howling wind carried his shouts to the ears of the postmen below the city.

But Old Song, standing below the city, looked up, his face frozen stiff, unable to manage a smile. He could only nod slightly, too weak to open his mouth and respond despite the wind.

The heavy city gate creaked and groaned until the oxcart entered the city, shutting out the howling wind outside. Only then did Old Song pull down the tightly wrapped cloth, revealing a tired face red from the cold, and exhale a long breath of white air: "We're home..."

Many soldiers from various prefectures and kingdoms ran down from the city wall and hurriedly helped the postmen off the carriage.

The burlap covering the goods on the oxcart was already frozen solid like a hard wooden board. The soldiers quickly boiled a kettle of hot water and carefully poured it onto the frozen, hardened hemp ropes binding the burlap.

Once the hemp rope thawed, he used a ring-pommel knife to swiftly cut it, revealing several sealed wooden boxes underneath.

"Old Song, have you received any letters or messages from home? My wife should have given birth by now, but I don't know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Oh dear, my baby just turned one month old, and then... to make matters worse, we drew the lot for guarding Xiangping, so we can't even go home for the New Year..."

The postman, known as Old Song, nodded, fumbled for a cold brass key in his close-fitting animal skin coat, and opened each wooden box one by one. Some were stuffed full of letters, while others contained durable food and warm clothing and bedding, all neatly categorized according to type.

Old Song asked the two young postmen accompanying him to help distribute the mail one by one, checking the names.

"Yes, yes! I made a special trip to your homes to ask about everything you asked me to do, and I even wrote letters for those who can't read. Damn it, I'm really getting old; it's a full five days later than in previous years!"

Old Song sat on the oxcart shaft, cursing and swearing, to rest. The observant soldiers from the prefecture immediately handed Old Song and the other two postmen a pot of warm pepper and cypress wine, their faces full of gratitude.

"Hey Song, have a drink to warm yourself up! If it weren't for you, we unlucky folks wouldn't have received a letter from home at this time of year. You've really done us a great service!"

The soldiers from the prefecture and state who had received the letters and packages gathered around, thanking Old Song and praising the postmen with lavish words of praise, their words revealing their heartfelt respect.

Although they were soldiers of the commandery and kingdoms who carried swords and often had to go into battle to fight the Xianbei, Goguryeo, or Buyeo barbarians, they were ultimately just soldiers of the commandery and kingdoms who served in the military, not regular soldiers who would receive a salary for life.

The postman, on the other hand, was a legitimate government official. If he hadn't made a mistake and been dismissed, he could have lived off the imperial salary for the rest of his life.

Especially in the harsh and cold Liaodong, the salary of a postman was quite substantial, paid according to the rank of an assistant clerk.

Otherwise, during this time of heavy snow blocking the roads, who would be willing to risk their life to do the job of a postman?

The snow had covered the official road, so how could one find a way across the vast snowfield?
If the postman was inexperienced, he might get lost in this vast snowfield and freeze to death on the way.

After exchanging pleasantries, Old Song sighed, nudged the two young postmen beside him, and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to the crowd, saying, "My old brothers, after next spring, these old bones of mine really won't be able to run anymore. The work from now on will be handed over to my son and nephew. I hope you will all be lenient with me and take care of me. If the delivery is slow, just scold or beat me a few times, but please don't hold it against me."

Everyone looked at the man, who was not yet forty-five, but whose face was weathered and looked exceptionally old, and fell silent, their faces showing a sense of pity.

Working as a postman in Liaodong paid well, but it also meant risking your life in the wind and snow. Not only did they serve as official clerks in various counties, but every household relied on them to deliver messages and life-saving packages, so naturally everyone was willing to do them a favor and lend a helping hand.

"I'll talk to you later, I'll treat you guys to drinks." Old Song suddenly remembered something and patted his inner pocket. "I almost messed up something important! There are a few important letters for Chief Secretary Lu here!"

Old Song quickly stopped talking and urged his son and nephew to rehitch the oxcart.

"Hurry, hurry! The matter of Chief Clerk Lu cannot be delayed!" the soldiers of the prefecture and kingdom echoed in unison. When Chief Clerk Lu was mentioned, their faces all revealed heartfelt respect and admiration.

I've heard the prefect mention that this Chief Clerk Lu is the eldest son of the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, which is the eldest son of the highest-ranking official in the entire country. Even the emperor often sends him letters and gifts to take care of him. It's surprising that he came to their harsh and cold border region of Liaodong to serve as a minor official for training.

No one would think that Lu Fu came here to gild his resume. Who would come to this godforsaken place, which is constantly threatened by attacks from the Xianbei, Buyeo, and Goguryeo, to gild their resume?
Regardless of Lu Fu's own abilities and how he governed the people, just based on his status, the amount of supplies sent from Ji County, the capital of Jizhou, each year was more than double that of previous years. There were even captured Xianbei people sent to dig canals and build roads.

Whether or not Chief Secretary Lu, who is diligent in his duties and loves the people every day, is just putting on an act, everyone's life is indeed much better than in previous years, so how can we not be grateful?
Inside the prefectural governor's mansion, Lu Fu, wrapped in a thick fox fur coat, was warming himself by a brazier, holding several documents and personal letters that had just been delivered by the postman.

However, he did not first open the letters from the emperor, his father Lu Zhi, and Cao Cao, the governor of Youzhou. Instead, he carefully read through the official documents submitted by various counties.

There are still many official duties to attend to today. Prefect Liu Yin fell ill in the dead of winter. According to the law, he is to take over Liu Yin's duties. Therefore, he, as the chief clerk, has been handling the prefectural affairs for the past two months.

For example, the documents and reports that were just delivered by the postman were data on people who died of freezing and starvation from several distant counties in Liaodong Prefecture. In total, the number of people who froze to death reported by the entire prefecture this year was no more than two hundred, and the number who starved to death was only a little over one hundred.

Looking at these numbers, Lu Fu's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

What was a minor matter in the eyes of the Central Plains prefectures and counties was already great news for Liaodong Prefecture.

Last summer, after Lu Fu passed the examination for filial piety and incorruptibility, he was assigned by Lu Zhi to serve Liu Yin, the governor of Liaodong Commandery. More than a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Liu Yin understood that his old friend wanted his son to experience hardship, but since he was Lu Zhi's eldest son, he naturally took care of him in secret. Thus, Lu Fu was appointed as the Prefectural Chief Clerk.

When he first took office, Lu Fu was ambitious and determined to make a name for himself, to live up to the emperor's favor and to prove his talent to his father.

However, the dilapidated state of Liaodong Commandery dealt him a heavy blow.

In his youth, he had also traveled to border counties of Youzhou such as Shanggu and Yuyang, and witnessed desolation, but compared with Liaodong County, those places could be considered to be thriving.

He had consulted the household registration records of Liaodong Commandery. He had previously done a rough survey of the population of various commanderies in Youzhou. Liaodong Commandery ranked sixth in Youzhou, with about 14000 households and a total population of 82000. At first glance, it seemed alright.

However, Liaodong Commandery governed eleven counties!
The prefectures with smaller populations than Liaodong, such as Youbeiping, had only four counties under their jurisdiction, but those four counties alone had a population of 60,000.

The entire Liaodong region gave Lu Fu a sense of desolation, much like the legendary "wild and untamed land".

This greatly dampened Lu Fu's ambition, but young people always have their own resilience. After obtaining permission from Prefect Liu Yin, he began his inspection tour of the counties in Liaodong with a guard of over a hundred men.

This guard of over a hundred men was not the army of Liaodong Commandery, but rather a group of over a hundred men that Liu Bian had drawn from the Tiger Guard at that time to serve as Lu Fu's guards.

For six months, Lu Fu visited almost every county in Liaodong Commandery. In the end, he concluded that with the current manpower in Liaodong Commandery, almost nothing could be accomplished.

The work requires manpower, but Liaodong only has 80,000 people.

As a border prefecture directly facing the nomadic tribes, it was necessary to maintain a prefecture-state army of at least five thousand men.

This means that nearly one-third of the households would have to conscript a male to serve in the military, which was already an extremely heavy burden. It was impossible to spare any more manpower to undertake major projects. If they were to conscript laborers, it would delay farming.

Left with no other choice, Lu Fu wrote down these predicaments in a memorial to the emperor and sent it to Liu Bian, who was far away in Luoyang, swallowing his pride and begging the emperor to give him a few drops of milk.

Liu Bian, showing consideration for his senior brother, ordered Cao Cao to send all the captured Xianbei prisoners, as well as the merchants and powerful figures who had been sentenced for selling grain, ironware, and salt to the Xianbei, to Liaodong to replenish the population.

Thanks to these 20,000 "special laborers," the population of Liaodong barely exceeded 100,000.

However, although these 20,000-plus Xianbei prisoners and convicts were a group of laborers, they could not work in Liaodong from September onwards each year due to the severe cold.

From September to February of the following year, the entire year was shrouded in severe cold.

In exceptional years, it may even be necessary to wait until May for the weather to warm up and for work to resume.

Even if Lu Fu had the will to do something, he couldn't cook without rice.

"Thanks to the Chief Secretary, the people of Liaodong are having a much better year," a county official remarked, looking at the reduced death toll in the report.

Another county official looked at Lu Fu with respect in his eyes and said, "This year, a port was built in Pingguo. If things go smoothly next year, we should build two more ports in Xi'an, Pinghe, and Tashi. By then, our Liaodong furs, livestock, and medicinal herbs will no longer be bought up at low prices by those unscrupulous merchants!"

"Yes, those unscrupulous merchants took advantage of the harsh climate of Liaodong. Only they could buy up our goods and deliberately drive down prices. Now we have the Imperial Maritime Trade Office!"

"That's right. The Imperial Maritime Trade Office uses a barter system, exchanging our Liaodong furs, livestock, and medicinal herbs for grain, cloth, and charcoal. Maybe next year, the people of Liaodong will be able to eat their fill and stay warm!"

Lu Fu listened to the county officials praising him and the imperial court, but did not respond. He simply read the report in his hand about the deaths from freezing and starvation again.

He knew in his heart that these improvements were not his achievement.

This year, the imperial court has vigorously developed maritime transport, reformed ships, and reopened coastal routes.

As a major grain-producing state, Jizhou was able to transport grain directly from the seaport of Hejian State to Liaodong, saving the huge price difference that was previously incurred by land-based merchants.

The supplies sent by the imperial court to Liaodong no longer needed to travel long overland routes.

In the past, it would take at least three months to travel from Hejian Kingdom through Ji County to Liaodong, and one had to avoid heavy snow blocking the road.

Nowadays, traveling by sea only takes 8-10 days, with minimal losses along the way.

Although the Bohai Sea freezes during winter, the freezing period lasts from October to mid-January of the following year, and transportation is affected by cold waves, making it much more reliable than land-based mail.

It was precisely this convenient sea route and the continuous supply of materials from the imperial court that were the key reasons why only a little over three hundred people in Liaodong County died of cold and hunger this winter.

In Lu Fu's view, the fact that the people were able to have a slightly better winter was entirely due to the emperor's grace.

He merely relied on his relationship with the emperor and his father to secure these aids for Liaodong. At best, he ensured the fair distribution of supplies and punished a few corrupt officials who dared to embezzle. He was not worthy of praise from these county officials at all.

Just as he was about to speak and attribute the credit to the emperor, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

Gongsun Ping, a clerk in charge of bandits in Liaodong Commandery, suddenly pushed open the gate of the government office and burst in, his face ashen and his breath ragged. He cried out urgently, "Goguryeo! Goguryeo people..."

Lu Fu's heart skipped a beat, and he stood up abruptly. His hand instinctively went to the sword at his waist, and he sternly ordered the clerk, "Quickly beat the drums, assemble the troops, and prepare to go out of the city to meet the enemy!"

Since he was serving as the Chief Clerk of Liaodong Commandery, he naturally needed to understand the background of the surrounding neighbors.

The Xianbei are being watched by the imperial army; he doesn't need to worry about them.

The domestic developments of Buyeo and Goguryeo in recent years had long been ascertained and reported by Han and Goguryeo merchants traveling between the two regions.

Goguryeo, the vassal state to the northeast of the Han Dynasty, has been relatively obedient in recent years.

The former Goguryeo king, Baekgu, ascended the throne at the age of 77. During the reigns of Emperor Hyoji and Emperor Hyohuan, he repeatedly plundered Liaodong Commandery, Lelang Commandery, and Xuantu Commandery, killed the magistrate of Daifang County, and abducted the wife and children of the governor of Lelang Commandery.

In the second year of Jianning (169 AD), Geng Lin, the governor of Xuantu, led troops to attack Goguryeo and killed hundreds of people.

When King Bogu of Goguryeo surrendered, his territory was placed under the jurisdiction of Liaodong Commandery. Liu Hong then assigned Goguryeo's territory to Liaodong Commandery. During the Xiping era, it was again assigned to Xuantu Commandery.

In the second year of Guanghe, Bogu died of illness, and the 58-year-old Crown Prince Gonammu of Goguryeo ascended the throne and sent envoys to the court.

Because they had to defend against the powerful northern enemy, Buyeo, they dared not offend the Han Dynasty, their external ally. They remained relatively well-behaved, restraining their people from raiding the border counties, learning the Han Dynasty's methods of governing the country, and studying Han culture at the Han Dynasty's request.

But upon hearing that the Goguryeo people had arrived, Lu Fu's first thought was that the Goguryeo people must have been unable to endure the harsh winter and had reverted to their old ways, coming to Liaodong to raid for supplies again.

But Gongsun Ping quickly stopped the military clerk, took several deep breaths, and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No... they're not here to plunder! They're... they're an envoy from the King of Goguryeo!"

Lu Fu paused, his brow furrowed, and said in a deep voice, "Tell me in detail! What happened?"

A few days ago, Gongsun Ping, who was serving as a clerk in the bandit bureaucracy, led two hundred soldiers to patrol the villages and towns near Xiangping. As a result, they encountered a group of more than fifty Goguryeo people.

Gongsun Ping assumed they were Goguryeo people who had come to plunder, and was immediately enraged.

The Goguryeo people from the ditch not only plundered, but also dared to venture deep into the heart of Liaodong Commandery and plunder the commandery's capital, Xiangping!
Gongsun Ping immediately led his troops forward, intending to annihilate the fifty-odd Goguryeo soldiers. However, one of the Goguryeo soldiers, upon discovering the Han army, immediately raised his banner and, in broken Chinese, claimed to be an envoy sent by the King of Goguryeo to meet the new Emperor of Han on behalf of the Goguryeo Dynasty.

Although Gongsun Ping was not a direct descendant of the Gongsun clan of Liaoxi, his ancestors had been rooted in Liaodong County for over a century.

Our ancestors killed hundreds of Goguryeo people, so in order to deal with this evil neighbor, they required their descendants to be fluent in the Goguryeo language.

Gongsun Ping did not listen to the words of the Goguryeo envoy who spoke Chinese. After isolating the envoy, he questioned the other entourage in fluent Goguryeo and finally confirmed that they were a delegation sent by King Go Nam-mu of Goguryeo to seek help!

(4524 words)
(End of this chapter)