Da Zaojun

Chapter 166 Relocation of Clans and Granting of Titles
Upon returning to Taichang City, Song Wuji instructed Lü Han to take the register of people to Tiezhu Palace on Xiaoyao Mountain to register the people living there.

Not long after, Wan Xiangping and his father, the head of the Wan family, came looking for Song Wuji.

The head of the Wan family was a slightly plump middle-aged man named Wan Liyun. He had practiced martial arts in his youth, but failed to achieve official rank. Later, he married and had children, gradually becoming rusty in martial arts and turning into a wealthy man.

Later, he devoted himself to raising his sons, hoping to train one of them to become a military officer.

Wanliyun initially looked down on Song Wuji, thinking he was just a nobody from the countryside who had gotten lucky and become successful.

However, as Song Wuji became the lord of the territory, possessed powerful martial arts, and controlled the food and drink of all the people in the city, he dared not act recklessly.

To be honest, without a hearth, if people ate the flesh of demons, there was a high probability that they would be poisoned by demons and mutate into demons.

Furthermore, at this point, he was unable to discern whether he liked or disliked Song Wuji's decisions, which made him even less assertive.

“Lord, I heard from my son Xiangping that you intend to relocate my Wan family to the foot of Xiaoyao Mountain, on the shore of Luohu Lake.”

Song Wuji nodded: "That is indeed the case. The city is too small after all. The original small city could only accommodate four or five thousand people, which was already the limit. Not to mention now there are more than 20,000 people. With all the eating, drinking and relieving, it is very bloated. Even if the city is expanded, it will not be done overnight. Many people still live in large communal rooms, with twenty or thirty people often living in one room."

"Therefore, I plan to move out, mainly of the Zong clan, firstly to restore the livelihood of the villagers, and secondly to reclaim the wilderness."

Song Wuji said, "Now, all the eighth-rank demons in the entire Taichang County should have been cleared out. What remains are ninth-rank demons and a large number of minor demons that are not of any rank. As for the secret realms, there may still be some that are relatively hidden and have not been discovered, but there should not be many of them left."

Wanliyun got straight to the point: "Even so, it is dangerous outside the city. Although we are willing to follow the lord's arrangements, the risk of moving our clan out is too great. Our family, young and old, probably only has two or three hundred people."

Song Wuji knew he was asking for benefits and guarantees, so he said directly, "If a secret realm is discovered, the secret realm token is related to the laws and regulations within the territory, and it needs to be gathered in Taichang City."

"As for the output of the secret realm, after paying 50% in taxes, you can distribute the remaining 50% among yourselves. Of course, if you can't solve it, you can ask Taichang City to send people to help you. Then the distribution will be based on your efforts, and Taichang City will need to take at least 70% of the profits."

"The second issue is the safety of the village. I am the successor of the Kitchen God, and I can pass on the torch and gather fire. I can personally build a stove for you, place the talisman, and set up a peace and tranquility bureau for all the stoves. At least ordinary ninth-rank demons cannot attack the village."

"The third is the land reclamation subsidy. Since the city's output is limited, the subsidy is also limited. It can only provide some food and land reclamation tools. In addition, villages are allowed to have a militia of twenty people."

"As for taxes, as long as it is reclaimed land, it is exempt from taxes for the first three years after reclamation, and then pays half tax for the next three years. However, it must be registered and recorded. Otherwise, it will not be protected by the laws and regulations of Taichang and will become wild land."

"In addition, it is necessary to maintain the official road, especially the section near the garrison."

Wanliyun tried to negotiate after hearing Song Wuji's conditions, but Song Wuji didn't give him the chance: "If you're willing, you're willing; if you're not willing, you're not willing. The conditions are already favorable enough. Don't say anything more."

Wan Liyun would definitely be willing to relocate his clan; it would be like becoming a local tyrant. What he really wanted was the Wan family's ancestral land and property from before the demonic catastrophe.

But Song Wuji wouldn't care about that at all. Besides, those clan territories were wilderness areas that Song Wuji planned to redistribute, so why would he let them take them back?

After dismissing Wanliyun, Song Wuji dealt with some administrative matters.

Actually, there are many things, and they are all quite important, but the biggest problem is still one: no money, no food, and a population that is both too large and too small. When it's time to eat, it feels like there are too many people, and when it's time to work, it feels like there are too few people.

The matters of land reclamation, military system and scale, exploration of secret realms, and rescuing disaster victims from Xiaoyao Mountain.

Song Wuji pieced these things together one by one, laying out a chessboard of complex strategies in his mind. He seemed to be thinking about what to do next, but in reality, he was just taking it one step at a time.

A few more days passed, and Chen Xiu emerged from the Tiger Fang Kingdom's secret realm. Having lost the Tiger God Cangxuan, the Tiger Demon Chiyan, and even the High Priest, the remaining people of Tiger Fang were in complete chaos.

Chen Xiu led Hu Zhui, a nobleman from the Tiger Fang whom Song Wuji had once subdued, and a group of Tiger slaves into the secret realm. With his own eighth-rank strength, he quickly quelled the Tiger Fang rebellion and reorganized all the remaining Tiger Fang people.

However, some of the Tiger Fang nobles once again led their people away from Yangshan, migrating elsewhere and leaving the secret realm, their whereabouts unknown.

Chen Xiu reported the situation to Song Wuji: "The nobles of Hufang hope to retain their noble status after surrendering. I did not agree, but I think these Hufang people are stronger and braver than our people. It would be good if they could be incorporated into the army."

"The remaining population is not large. Including all the tiger slaves, there are only about two thousand, less than three thousand."

"Their food comes partly from tributes from vassal states and partly from hunting. The forests outside the Tiger Kingdom are called the Forest of a Hundred Beasts, which are said to be blessed by the Tiger God and can produce a continuous stream of wild beasts."

Song Wuji had cleared the Tiger Fang Kingdom's secret realm, albeit a speedrun, but he still knew the basics: "The Tiger Fang nobles were able to transform into tiger people because they ate tiger souls; their true nature is that they have not yet eliminated their demonic nature."

“Kill them and refine them with the fire of the stove to return the Tiger Soul. If you consume it, there is a chance that you will master the Tiger Transformation Divine Power. Even if you do not master it, you can come to me to remove the demon poison.”

“Do not release the tiger slaves from their slavery at the beginning, otherwise they will not cherish them. Let them assist in bronze making and bronze mining and smelting, and send some of them to the Wild Boar Forest to mine salt. Tell them that they can become free people after accumulating a certain number of work points.”

Song Wuji had no need for the help of the old Tiger Faction nobles. They had already mutated into demons and had no value in uniting them. Besides, what kind of conditions did they propose? They wanted to enjoy noble treatment after surrendering, which was simply a pipe dream.

“After they become free citizens, register them in the household and allow them to join the army. Otherwise, if you directly conscript them into the army, they will only be slave soldiers, and it will be difficult for them to form a fighting force.”

"We've stationed troops in Xishan. There were some remnants of demons in Xishan before, all recruited by the Tiger Demon's group. Besides the Pig Demon, I remember there were also Mountain Demons, Spider Demons, and Wolf Demons. I guess they all have secret lairs. Don't let them get away."

"Aren't troops stationed in the city?"

Chen Xiu asked in surprise, "Isn't stationing troops in Xishan a bit too far?"

“Not far.” Song Wuji took out his hand-drawn map and pointed out a few locations: “It’s just a county, not very big. Besides, we’re training troops in Xishan, not just not stationing troops in the city. Both Xishan and Luohu have many legends. I’m afraid that besides the Xishan Tiger, some kind of Xishan Ghost King will pop up.”

"Furthermore, your Demon-Hunting Archery Ritual focuses on hunting demons, which requires searching for demons in the mountains, and this is also part of the ritual."

Chen Xiu thought there was some truth to it: "There are indeed many legends about Xishan."

Song Wuji added, “Scholar Sun is from Xishan. Although his spirit is no longer here, I plan to build a shrine for him in Xishan.”

Song Wuji still remembers that line of poetry.

Her nature was like white jade, burning yet remaining cold. "Furthermore, if your Chen clan members want to relocate there, I would fully support them."

The news that Song Wuji moved the Wan family to the foot of Xiaoyao Mountain, near Luohu Lake, indicates that Song Wuji had relocated the Wan family there.

Chen Xiu frowned: "Aren't you afraid that I'll become too powerful and hold too much influence?"

Song Wuji smiled and said, "If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt someone, don't employ them."

Song Wuji said this, but in reality, Chen Xiu's command of troops came from Song Wuji's decrees, so he was naturally not afraid of the depletion of his luck.

“There must be more secret realms on the western mountain. Let your Chen clan develop them, and the output will be similar to that of the Wan clan.”

The Chen clan is also a family that practices martial arts; otherwise, Chen Xiu wouldn't have become a martial arts graduate. Although their population is somewhat small, the Chen clan is a large clan in terms of lineage.

“Okay!” Chen Xiu said, “I’ll tell my old man that the clan will be moved to Xishan Town then.”

The families that Song Wuji separated from were all martial arts families. Those families that were engaged in commerce or studying for the imperial examinations did not separate and still need to be reminded.

Those who practice martial arts tend to be simple-minded, those who are merchants are profit-driven, and those who study are shrewd and calculating. They should not be given too much freedom; one must be able to understand and manage them carefully.

Among the scholarly families, the Lü family, led by Lü Han, is currently the most prominent. Just as Magistrate Tian said, the reason for not letting Lü Han take over is to prevent the powerful clans in the county from acting recklessly.

But killing them was definitely not an option. After thinking for a while, Song Wuji decided to pack them up and send them into the secret realm.

What secret place?
The secret realm for offering alms to monks is the capital of the Liang Kingdom, which has 480 temples. Chen Xiu is waiting to train 200 soldiers, and then he will need to go there to confiscate the property of the Buddhist temples.

What happens after the property is confiscated? The people will continue to suffer, just as they were.

This secret realm is purely for humans and can replenish the population. Therefore, Song Wuji believes it should be managed as a county directly under the jurisdiction of Taichang Realm.

However, since they could not manage it directly, they could only entrust it to merchants and families with a long history of studying for the imperial examinations, and the families moved in.

After all, with the Secret Realm Token in hand, even if they cause trouble, it will be under their noses. Moreover, if the capital of Liang Kingdom is developed properly, it will be a good place, whether for farming or educating the people, it will be productive.

After Chen Xiu discussed it with the Chen clan members for a while, they felt that moving the clan to Xishan was a good idea. Firstly, Song Wuji planned to station troops in Xishan, which would be safer. Secondly, the commander of the stationed troops, Chen Xiu, was a member of their own family and was also an eighth-rank expert, at the same level as the realm lord.

Although they didn't know there was any exaggeration involved, they still felt it was an opportunity.

The relocation of the Chen and Wan clans, along with the resettlement of disaster victims from Xiaoyao Mountain overseen by Lü Han, meant that Taichang City, being so small, couldn't possibly conceal such a minor policy move.

Since Song Wuji didn't take the initiative to talk to them, they didn't feel comfortable going to him on their own initiative.

Lu Han, however, felt this was very inappropriate. He first reported to Song Wuji about the resettlement of the disaster victims outside the Iron Pillar Palace on Xiaoyao Mountain.

More than 300 disaster victims from Xiaoyao Mountain are willing to come to the city, and another 100 are willing to build a village at the foot of Xiaoyao Mountain, merge with the Wan clan, reclaim wasteland for farming, or fish and hunt in Luochuan and Luohu.

Regardless of the method, they were all registered, and from then on, the population of Taichang City increased by more than 500 people. Each person generated one stream of fortune every day, which also amounted to 500 streams of fortune. Over time, this amounted to quite a lot.

"Lord of the Realm, are you aware of the fragmentation of the realm by regional warlords? In order to consolidate the territory, the various clans have been enfeoffed, which is undoubtedly sowing the seeds of future disaster. In particular, the Chen clan should not be enfeoffed in the Western Mountains, even if they are to be separated. It overlaps with the garrison of Chen Xiu's troops."

"Where does your Lü family want to be enfeoffed?" Song Wuji asked, but did not answer the question.

Lu Han took a deep breath: "Nowhere will be sealed off, just inside the city."

“No.” Song Wuji pointed to the location of the Baliting Charity Estate: “I plan to move your Lü family here. Nearby are the Li Family Village Soul-Calling Secret Realm and the Hungry Ghost Wood-Eating Monk Secret Realm. The Soul-Calling Secret Realm is strange and a dreamlike place that needs moral education. The Hungry Ghost Wood-Eating Monk Secret Realm is full of starving people and needs a good official to help people recover.”

"It's just that your Lü family doesn't have many members, so I plan to move the descendants of Magistrate Tian here as well, to gather two or three hundred people and spread their lineage."

Song Wuji asked, "What do you think?"

Lu Han took a deep breath: "Lord of the Realm, granting fiefdoms is not a trivial matter."

Song Wuji said seriously, "First of all, I do not want to be an emperor and guard against you to prevent the leakage of power. On the contrary, what I want to do is to grasp the big picture and let go of the small details of power."

"Secondly, we are now in a time of chaos caused by demons and monsters. We cannot assume that things are peaceful just because Taichang Realm has temporarily resolved some crises. Jianxin County has not yet been opened up. Only after opening up Jianxin County can we reach Hongdu Prefecture. Therefore, enfeoffing these ethnic groups is to increase the overall human destiny. No matter how they develop or how strong they become in the future, there will be enough wilderness for them to expand outwards, rather than fighting among themselves."

"Third, and most importantly, is to ensure that more people survive."

"Instructor Lü, what do you think?"

Lu Han was speechless for a moment. He still felt that he was an official appointed by the imperial court, and that the Confucian teachings of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom he received were all ideas for consolidating imperial power, not ideas for enlightening the people and helping them survive.

After hearing Song Wuji's words, he hesitated for a moment, then convinced himself: "This is the Zhou rites and system advocated by Confucius."

Seeing that he was beginning to change his mind, Song Wuji nodded: "Once you assist Chen Xiu in confiscating the temple's property and completing the rituals for the legal official in charge of litigation, you can try to become the chief official of the Liang Kingdom's capital in the secret realm of offering alms to monks, and see if you can activate the rituals for the eighth rank."

Song Wuji had mentioned his idea of ​​developing the secret realm for monks to Lü Han. Lü Han nodded and said, "If that doesn't work, we can only wait until we open up Hongdu Prefecture and go to the prefectural school to offer sacrifices or to the Confucius Temple to learn literature and the Way."

Song Wuji said, “I have seen the Wenchang Hall in the Iron Pillar Palace. It enshrines the Wenchang Emperor, who is in charge of literary fortune. You can try to worship him. Maybe it can activate the ritual.”

"Emperor Wenchang administers the imperial examinations," Lü Han said. "I can try it when I have time."

Confucianism cultivates literary talent without requiring examinations. Examinations, such as the imperial examinations, can indirectly reflect a person's level of learning; at least, a Jinshi (进士) is more prestigious than a Juren (举人).

(End of this chapter)