There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 221 The Prince of Han's Southern Tour
Changsha.

"Meet the king."

Hunan Governor Feng Xiuyong personally led Changsha Prefect Xie Yanchen to the dock to welcome them.

Originally, Feng Xiuyong planned to bring all his subordinates from Changsha to welcome the Prince of Han, but the Prince of Han sent him a telegram telling him not to go through that trouble. Even Xie Yanchen specifically instructed that he could be invited.

Nie Yu personally stepped forward to help Feng Xiuyong up, and said with a warm smile, "Minister Feng, there's no need for such formalities, please get up quickly!"

After saying that, he glanced at Xie Yanchen, his smile fading as he said, "Minister Xie, you may dispense with the formalities!"

The two sentences have completely different tones and weight.

Feng Xiuyong was a shrewd man, so he could easily see that the Prince of Han was deliberately trying to put Xie Yanchen in a bad light.

As for why he was reprimanded, it's naturally because of that previous incident.

Although the King of Han did not intend to reopen the imperial examinations for the time being, and was annoyed by the petitions from students in Changsha and Yuezhou to reopen them, no matter how annoyed he was, it was not a reason for local officials to conceal the truth.

Fortunately, the scope of this matter was not large, and Xie Yanchen and Li Chen were both old members of Hanwang's team; otherwise, it would not have been so easily dismissed.

Nie Yu gave Xie Yanchen a slight nudge, then looked at Feng Xiuyong and said, "Minister Feng, you have worked very hard as the Governor of Hunan."

This was just a polite remark. Feng Xiuyong had only been in Changsha for less than two months. No matter how capable he was, he had only managed to understand the current situation in Hunan. It was too early for him to be expected to experience hardship.

Feng Xiuyong cooperated, cupping his hands and saying, "I dare not complain of hardship. The officials of various prefectures and counties in Hunan have already arranged everything in advance. I am new to Changsha, so I will only prioritize organizing and filing before governing the people."

"Ah."

Nie Yu nodded slightly, then smiled and said, "Qian Xie must have had a hard time in Changsha."

"It's no trouble at all," Xie Yanchen quickly said, bowing.

He's the one who's truly worked hard, but he's already made mistakes, so he deserves to be punished.

Nie Yu said a few words and then followed the two men and a group of officials and yamen runners. They were protected by a large number of Han King's personal guards and entered Changsha City in a very grand manner.

The vendors and common people along the road had been notified by the government well in advance that the Prince of Han would be visiting Changsha today, and that they should give way as much as possible and not block the official road.

These vendors and common people certainly dared not block the official road, due to both their awe of the government and their support and love for the King of Han. This was because the King of Han had exempted them from their owed taxes and usurious loans, distributed land to them, abolished their slave status, and restored their freedom.

I've heard that even some of the concubines in the Han King's harem were originally servants. If the Han King could become emperor, wouldn't the good days for the poor people really come?

The vendors and common people made way for the road early on, but they were unwilling to walk. They stood on both sides of the street, waiting for the Han King's entourage to come over, wanting to see what kind of majestic emperor the Han King was who was so kind to them poor people.

Nie Yu did not disappoint the people. Instead of riding in a sedan chair, he rode his tall horse and deliberately walked very slowly so that the people could see that the royal robe he was wearing was very conspicuous.

"This is the King of Han?"

"What a handsome young man!"

"You know what, this Prince of Han is about the same age as my son..."

"Old Wang, what are you talking about! The Prince of Han is a true Son of Heaven, just like the Emperor. How can your son compare to him?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm such a clumsy talker, if the King of Han could be my son, I'd be willing to die right now!"

"Haha, Lao Wang, you're dreaming."

"..."

The onlookers chattered amongst themselves, some even uttering blasphemous remarks, but the guards and patrolling Han soldiers all pretended not to hear or see them.

Under the rule of the Han Dynasty, no one is punished for their words. As long as you do not maliciously criticize the King of Han and the policies of the Han Dynasty in public, you will be fine.

Even if someone criticizes the policies of the Han Dynasty, as long as they can provide a reasonable and well-founded analysis, the King of Han can still pardon them without charge, and may even bestow official titles and rewards upon them.

These were not just casual remarks, but orders personally issued by the King of Han.

One person's wisdom is limited, but the wisdom of many is superior.

Even the best policies cannot be implemented without considering public feedback. He temporarily moved into the Hunan governor's office, where numerous officials rushed to pay their respects, hoping to become acquainted with the Prince of Han.

After the audience was over, the officials dispersed to do their work, leaving only a few key personnel behind.

Feng Xiuyong spoke first, reporting: "After arriving in Changsha, I immediately organized and archived the files of various prefectures and counties in Hunan. At the same time, I ordered the surrender of Jingzhou and Yuanzhou. Yuanzhou was relatively easy to deal with, as there were no major rebellions within its jurisdiction. It was also very close to the rule of our Great Han, and the prefect of Yuanzhou was not too greedy, so the takeover by our Great Han went relatively smoothly."

"But Jingzhou is in trouble. The prefect of Jingzhou is greedy and insatiable. Knowing that he might not be able to continue his official career after surrendering, he has become even more corrupt, which has directly driven the Dong and Miao people in the south to rebel. These Dong and Miao people have now occupied Tongdao County and have a great distrust of our Han government. They have even threatened that if we want to talk, then Your Majesty should go and talk to us in person."

Instead of being angry, Nie Yu laughed after hearing this: "Hehe, isn't this just a coincidence? I originally came to talk to the Yao and Miao people, so having them along doesn't matter. As for that pseudo-Qing prefect of Jingzhou, let's deal with him as he sees fit!"

"The king is wise."

Feng Xiuyong cupped his hands in a gesture of flattery, then continued, "As early as when Your Majesty decided to travel south, I had already begun inviting representatives from various ethnic groups, including the Yao people of Baoqing, the Yao people of Yongzhou, and the Miao people of Xiangxi, to come to Changsha for a meeting. Now that Your Majesty has arrived, I should urge them to make arrangements so that they can meet and hold talks as soon as possible. Jingzhou is somewhat remote from Changsha, but the envoys from the Dong and Miao ethnic groups should arrive by the end of this month at the latest."

“That’s good.” Nie Yu nodded in agreement.

Because of the radio station as a communication facility, orders issued from Changsha could be instantly transmitted to Baoqing, Yongzhou, Jingzhou, and various parts of western Hunan. From there, the goods could be transported by boat all the way to Changsha, taking more than half a month to reach the destination.

Having addressed the issues concerning the various ethnic groups, Nie Yu then inquired about the livelihoods of the people in the newly occupied territories: "How are things in Chaling, Lingxian, and Youxian now?"

Finally, it was Xie Yanchen's turn to speak. He quickly said, "You County was ravaged by bandits (King Shajin). Most of the people died in the war or fled to other places, with only a few remaining. A large amount of land was abandoned. After our Great Han recovered You County, I followed Your Majesty's orders to first exempt this place from taxes, transport grain and fodder for relief, and then gather the refugees to resume cultivation."

"Last year was the first year, so we tried to restore half of the land reclamation first and do our best to reduce our reliance on Changsha for grain and fodder. Next year we should be able to achieve self-sufficiency, and if all goes well the year after, we can pay grain taxes normally."

It took only three years to return to normal production, which is quite fast, and it's also thanks to the fact that Youxian County was incorporated into Changsha. Changsha, as the provincial capital, hasn't suffered too much damage and can support Youxian County's recovery.

Nie Yu nodded slightly, somewhat satisfied: "Thank you for your hard work, Qing. Take it slow and don't rush things."

Chaling and Lingxian were assigned to Hengzhou Prefecture, so only Feng Xiuyong, the Governor of Hunan, could answer this question.

Feng Xiuyong said, "Prefect Zhao has basically settled the people in Chaling and Ling County. Chaling has a small population, and most of the people are immigrants from Anren County. Ling County will maintain the status quo, with priority given to reclamation and restoration, and taxes will not be levied on it for the time being."

After discussing the two counties, Feng Xiuyong added about Chenzhou and Guiyangzhou to the south. One of these areas was Xinfu territory, and the other involved the Great Han Bank Supervisory Commission.

Feng Xiuyong added, "Prefect Pan Boyong of Chenzhou has done a decent job. The damage to Chenzhou is not severe. All that is needed is for our Great Han to issue new laws. The problem is that there are not enough officials to distribute land. I am currently transferring idle officials from other prefectures, but this can only solve the immediate problem. Moreover, officials can be seconded, but town officials cannot be seconded."

"Guiyang Prefecture is similar. It also has a banking supervisory office, which requires not only officials but also a sufficient number of troops."

Nie Yu listened carefully to Feng Xiuyong's advice and said, "I will have the Ministry of Personnel address the issue of the lack of officials in charge of land distribution and town officials in Chenzhou as soon as possible. The most urgent task is to expedite the establishment of grassroots schools throughout the country, ensuring that all people who wish to study can access education. The Guiyang Banking Supervisory Bureau needs more troops stationed there; this was indeed something I hadn't considered before. Send a telegram to the Ministry of War to address this issue!"

The Grand Military Commission was only in charge of military operations, but the Ministry of War was still responsible for deciding on the arrangements for local garrisons.

"What about Yuelu Academy and Shigu Academy?" Nie Yu asked again.

Two of China's four great academies, though having fallen under the rule of the Han Dynasty and thus becoming treasonous and losing their original political influence, actually saw their literary influence increase rather than decrease.

The reason is simple: the Han Dynasty was going to build government-run schools and create a system for officials to compete in the imperial examinations.

The scholars found it hard to accept. First, their petition to hold a special imperial examination failed. Then, they turned to the two academies, hoping that they could protest to the King of Han and persuade him to retract his decision.

Xie Yanchen quickly said, "Luo Dian, the headmaster of Yuelu Academy, just submitted his resignation a few days ago. I was just about to present that resignation letter to Your Majesty!"

Luo Dian had clearly heard rumors that the King of Han was going south, which is why he timed it perfectly and handed his resignation to Xie Yanchen, asking Xie Yanchen to forward it to the King of Han.

Yuelu Academy was, after all, a place where the King of Han and his ministers lived in harmony. The old academy headmaster, who had served for several terms, wanted to resign and go home to retire, so Xie Yanchen could not be allowed to treat it carelessly.

Moreover, Xie Yanchen could also see clearly that Luo Dian had obviously grasped the situation and knew that the hopes of these Hunan scholars who had gathered around the academy would definitely be dashed, so he withdrew early and could still leave behind some reputation.

"This Elder Luo is quite sensible," Nie Yu said with a smile.

Feng Xiuyong said, "Elder Luo is sensible, but Chen Shiya, the headmaster of Shigu Academy in Hengzhou Prefecture, is sensible. He was a first-class Jinshi in the 52nd year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign of the puppet Qing Dynasty. He was from Changsha and had a high reputation among scholars in Hunan. Although he surrendered to our Great Han on behalf of the academy, he was very dissatisfied with and even hostile to the institutional system of our Great Han academies."

"Hospitality is fine, just don't talk nonsense. Any new thing will always be met with hostility from the world when it first comes out."

Nie Yu smiled first, then his expression suddenly turned serious. He said, "Since Elder Luo wishes to return to his hometown to retire, then I will grant him permission. When the new elder takes office, I will personally write an inscription to send him off. As for Elder Chen, he is also getting on in years and has been at Shigu Academy for quite some time. I cannot bear to see him away from his hometown for so long, so I will allow him to be transferred back to Chengnan Academy (in Changsha) to prepare for his retirement!"

The implication is that since you don't obey the university's rules, we'll transfer you; if you still don't obey, then you can prepare to retire at home!

Nie Yu had no intention of indulging these scholars. They staged a "harmonious relationship between ruler and subject," thinking they could actually have a say in things?
(End of this chapter)