Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The numerous workshops brought prosperity and vitality to Hanyuan, but Xiao Chen knew that the foundation of all this ultimately rested on the word "food".

With tens of thousands of troops, hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers, massive engineering projects, and increasingly frequent commercial activities, the daily food consumption was astronomical.

Although trade with the grasslands and the Northern Yan region brought in some grain, and refugees also brought some stored grain, relying on external imports was ultimately not a long-term solution and made us more vulnerable to others.

Especially after experiencing the "suppression" of bandits and witnessing the threat of external attacks to the supply lines, the urgency of food self-sufficiency was raised to an unprecedented level in Xiao Chen's mind.

Previous policies such as "work relief," "reclaiming wasteland," and "granting land to soldiers based on merit" encouraged production, but they were mostly aimed at existing soldiers, civilians, and displaced people, focusing on stability and recovery, and lacked a proactive, large-scale, and strategic organization for colonization and production.

Now, it is time to fully implement the ancient and effective national policy of "military settlement" in a new form on the land of Hanyuan.

This time, Xiao Chen's goal was not only to ensure that people had land to cultivate, but also to deeply integrate agricultural productivity with military defense, territorial expansion, and population distribution. He issued a new "Order for Military Settlement and Border Defense."

The core of this decree was to directly link "military settlements" with military organization and border defense. Unlike the previous simple system of "granting land based on military merit," the "Military Settlement and Border Defense Order" stipulated:

I. Establish "Military Garrison Stations".

On the edge of the existing controlled area of ​​Hanyuan, in strategic locations, and on newly expanded land, select sites to establish "military garrison posts".

Each garrison was designated to have 300 to 500 "military households," of which about one-third were regular "war soldiers," composed of young men drawn from the army or recruited from refugees, responsible for the garrison's defense, security, and external vigilance.

The rest were "garrison soldiers" and their families, who farmed in peacetime, trained during the off-season, and provided assistance in wartime.

II. Land and Organization.

The land in the area where the garrison was located was allocated and distributed by the government.

Land was divided into "military farmland" and "shared land".

The garrison was under quasi-military management, with officers such as "hundred households," "general flag officers," and "small flag officers" responsible for organizing production, training, and distribution.

The garrison area needed to be equipped with simple defensive walls and watchtowers, and gradually built living facilities such as houses, wells, and warehouses.

III. Rights and Obligations.

Those who entered the military settlements became "military households," a status that was passed down through generations.

The government provided initial rations, seeds, farm tools, and oxen, and was responsible for organizing the construction of water conservancy projects.

Military households were exempted from some other taxes and corvée labor, but they were required to undertake the defense of the garrison, conduct regular training, and hand over the grain produced by the "military settlements" according to the agreed proportion.

The produce from "shared land" belongs to the owner and can be freely traded.

Soldiers received military pay, while garrison troops did not, but their "shared land" was exempt from taxes. Children of military households had priority in entering military academies or schools.

IV. Strategic Layout.

The first batch of planned military garrisons consisted of five "military outposts": "Yingyang Guard," located fifty li southeast of Zhenbei New Town, guarding another mountain pass leading to the Central Plains; "Jingbian Guard," located in the northwest, adjacent to the former "Duantouling" bandit area, monitoring the possible activity areas of Liu Biao's remaining bandits; "Anbei Guard," located upstream of Qinghe Town in the northeast, further exploring northward and consolidating control of the upper reaches of the Baishui River; "Heishan Guard," located west of Heishan Town, protecting the coal mines and taking into account westward development; and "Nanping Guard," located south of Panshibao, penetrating deep into the southern hilly area, serving as both a barrier and an outpost.

This decree has once again sparked a huge reaction. For ordinary refugees and landless people, it is undoubtedly a brand new and secure way out.

Becoming a "military household" comes with certain constraints and risks, but it provides immediate access to land, seeds, and oxen. It is organized, protected, and has clear taxation, making it far better than blindly reclaiming wasteland or working as a laborer for others.

It is especially attractive to migrants who have families and long for a stable life.

For the military, this means having a stable and reliable food production base close to the front lines, reducing the pressure and risks of long-distance transportation from the rear.

At the same time, these "military outposts" were themselves armed strongholds, which could effectively consolidate the frontier, expand the actual control area, and push the defense line outward.

For the entire Hanyuan region, this is a strategic move that deeply integrates human resources, land resources, military defense, and territorial control.

It can not only rapidly increase grain production, but also act like a wedge, firmly anchoring the influence of the Cold Abyss in the border regions, forming an expansion and defense model of "military and civilian integration, simultaneous farming and defense, and step-by-step expansion."

The Civil Affairs Department, led by Han Lie, and the military forces under Wang Dashan and Zhang Meng immediately joined forces to establish the "Military Settlement Department," which was responsible for all matters, including site selection for the garrison, recruitment of military households, allocation of supplies, and construction of water conservancy projects.

The notice was posted, and people flocked to it.

Many young and middle-aged migrant workers who were working on construction sites and longed to own their own land signed up.

Some active-duty soldiers, either due to merit or voluntarily, have transferred to military settlements with their families.

The sites for the five planned garrisons quickly became bustling with activity. The soldiers and craftsmen who arrived first began leveling the land, building temporary camps, digging wells, surveying water sources, and planning the fields and stockade walls.

The subsequent military households, with the elderly and children in tow, and their meager belongings, arrived one after another under the protection and guidance of the army. They began to divide the land, receive seeds and farming tools, and build their own huts.

The site of "Eagle Guard" is located in a relatively open river valley with fertile land and a stream running through it.

Once the soldiers arrived, under the organization of the officers, they began to clear the weeds, dig irrigation ditches, and build the foundation of the stockade walls using simple "stone mud" and stones.

The "Jingbianwei" was located on a gentle slope with its back to the mountains and facing the water, a terrain that was advantageous for defense.

While training, the soldiers also opened up terraced fields on the surrounding hillsides and sent out scouts to monitor the nearby forests.

"Anbeiwei" is closer to the grasslands, and in addition to farming, it also plans to develop some animal husbandry and conduct small-scale trade with grassland tribes.

Across the vast northern lands, five new settlements, teeming with life yet wary, were sown like five resilient seeds.

They will use their sweat and perhaps even their blood to take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit on this land, eventually connecting to form the outermost and most solid barrier and granary of the Cold Abyss.

With the issuance of the decree on military agricultural settlements, the policy of strengthening the borders began to be implemented.

Han Yuan's control and management of this land has entered a new stage that is deeper, more substantial, and more aggressive.