The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

Jia Xu knew nothing before he was completely taken care of.

Soon after, he summoned Jia Xu, Xun Chen who was beginning to fall ill, and other important figures.

Li Chang suddenly became serious and began to explain.

Jian Yong, Xiahou Lan, and others received the signal and began to listen.

Li Chang explained:

"In the past few days, I had Wang Jiang take several officials to most of the villages in Yanmen. They found that most of the wasteland was very barren, and many places lacked water, making the cost of reclaiming the land extremely high."

Many people gave up after a few days of cultivating the land because it was too tiring and difficult.

Secondly, there is the conflict between the Han and non-Han peoples.

There are many Qiang and Hu tribes in Yanmen Pass who live together with the Han people and often have conflicts over land and water.

In the past, the prefects either favored the Han people or ignored them, which deepened the conflict.

What's more troublesome is that there still aren't enough refugees!

Yanmen County has hundreds of thousands of hectares of wasteland, but currently only has tens of thousands of households. Even if everyone went to reclaim the wasteland, not even half of it could be cultivated.

In particular, the records show a population of 24, but I discovered that this was the population from several decades ago! After decades of invasions by the nomadic tribes, the population was at most less than 9000!

These problems were like mountains, weighing heavily on Jian Yong and his team, making it hard for them to breathe.

They thought Li Changzhen was slacking off, but they didn't expect that he could learn about things they didn't know even without going out!

"High land reclamation costs are easy to handle." Li Chang took out several precious sheets of paper:

"Have Third Brother take all those prisoners with him! Those men are strong and have committed grave sins; let them atone for their crimes!"

However, we cannot allow refugees to acquire these lands for free, otherwise they may not cherish them!

Perhaps people aren't inherently bad, but some will always think that way! Things easily obtained are never as cherished as those earned through hard work!

As local officials, we cannot rely solely on public opinion; we must rely on policies, systems, and other means to prevent the worst-case scenario from occurring!

This is what we should be doing!

Jian Yong and the others suddenly stood up and bowed to Li Chang:

"Been taught a lesson!"

They could all tell that this didn't sound like typical Confucianism, nor did it sound like Taoism.

That could be the Confucianism of Xunzi, which believes in the inherent evil of human nature, or it could be the Legalism!

Xun Chen was startled awake from his deathbed! He understands me! Mingdao understands me!

Jia Xu looked into Li Chang's eyes and realized that he had no moral burden whatsoever in saying these things!

We're kindred spirits! You like to consider things from a human perspective!

It's best to stay away from this kind of person!

"The water shortage problem can be addressed through work relief, and the refugees cannot be given food for nothing!"

They were organized to dig wells and build irrigation canals. The government provided tools and materials, while the people provided labor.

"Regarding the conflict between the Han and non-Han peoples, immediately issue a decree: Non-Han people who commit crimes will be punished one degree more severely!"

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was suddenly taken aback. Wasn't this a bit odd?

At this moment, Li Chang suddenly made a reversal:

"However! If a non-Han person can read Chinese characters and take a Chinese surname, he/she can be registered as a Han citizen and enjoy the same treatment as Han citizens!"

Those who achieve military merit can be granted Han citizenship! The same applies to marrying a Han person!

Tribes that were willing to submit were treated the same as Han Chinese after the reforms, and were also allocated land and exempted from poll tax.

I will have the Qiang people in the army start with these things, and then I will have them spread the word.

But all of this is contingent on us achieving a resounding victory over the Xiongnu!

"The problem is that there aren't enough refugees." Li Chang smiled. "Send people to Taiyuan, Shangdang, and Jizhou to post notices everywhere. Say that land will be distributed and rent will be waived in Yanmen, and food and lodging will be provided. The more people who come, the better."

Xun Chen and the others were dumbfounded.

These methods are simple and crude, yet incredibly effective.

"But hiring people to clear wasteland will cost a lot of money," Jian Yong said worriedly. "Although we have enough money and grain now, we can't afford to spend like that."

"Don't worry," Li Chang said confidently. "Once the trade market opens, the money will naturally come."

The Xiongnu's horses, cattle, and sheep could be sold to Luoyang and Jizhou, earning a considerable amount of grain!

Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping are already making preparations; the border trade market will officially open next month.

However, we will need to be on high alert against the Hu people! But we will inevitably have a battle with the Hu people sooner or later, and perhaps more than one!

"The matters of weaponry and literacy are even simpler," Li Chang said, tapping the table.

"The blacksmith's shop is slow at making armor because a blacksmith has to make one suit from start to finish. From today onwards, we will break down the process."

Some people specialize in nail art, some in nail braiding, and some in polishing. Each person does only one thing, and with practice, speed naturally increases.

"Weapons don't need to be replaced entirely. Rusty ones should be melted down and reforged, and broken ones should have their handles repaired and reused. Save where you can, and make sure every new recruit has a ring-pommel sword and a pair of leather armor."

Xiahou Lan's eyes lit up. Breaking down the process—just a few simple words—could multiply efficiency several times over!

"As for literacy, don't teach the Analects or the Book of Documents," Li Chang continued.

"I compiled a book called 'Basic Military Regulations,' which is full of words used in daily life. I taught them these words that they often encounter first, and then they can write their own names and understand military orders and account books."

"The military implements a mutual teaching system. If you learn ten characters, you can become a teacher and teach others. You get a merit for teaching ten people. Those who learn quickly can be promoted ahead of time."

"Those who are unwilling to learn will not be promoted to officers or receive rewards for their merits."

The tent was completely silent.

Jian Yong opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time. He had thought these were all intractable problems, but Li Chang had untied them in just a few words!

Xun Chen leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

He was originally exhausted and sick, dizzy and lightheaded, but now he felt completely refreshed.

The look in his eyes when he looked at Li Chang changed from admiration to awe.

This young man is shrewd and insightful, understanding even the most mundane tasks better than anyone else. With him around, there's no need to worry about Yanmen Pass falling into disarray.

Then Jixia Academy will definitely get started much faster! He can work a few more days!

Jia Xu held his teacup, head bowed, and no one could see the turbulent emotions surging within his eyes.

Unexpectedly, this little fox not only knew how to kill, but also how to bring people back to life. He knew how to feed the people, how to make the army combat-ready, and how to revive a dilapidated county town.

This kind of person is terrifying. Following him, you might really see a different world.

"Did everyone understand?" Li Chang looked at the crowd:

"If you understand, get on with it immediately. Mr. Jia Xu, you will temporarily assist Youruo in overseeing government affairs. Xiahou Lan, you will be in charge of military equipment and literacy in the army. Jian Yong, you will continue to manage household registration and land reclamation."

"Yes!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices much louder than before.

Two months have passed.

Yanmen County has completely changed.

Irrigation canals meandered through the fields, solving the irrigation problem. Vast tracts of wasteland were reclaimed. Bandits were wiped out, and there was no longer any fear of being robbed on the road.

The people worked from sunrise to sunset, and finally smiles appeared on their faces.

They truly saw hope for survival.

Many Xiongnu tribes, seeing that the Han people were living better and better lives, took the initiative to come to them and submit.

They took the initiative to learn Chinese characters, changed their surnames to Han surnames, were allocated land, and farmed alongside the Han people.

There were still occasional conflicts, but no more large-scale massacres occurred.

During this time, Liu Bei visited several other counties in Bingzhou.

Most of the prefects of Taiyuan, Shangdang, and Xihe harbored resentment towards him, the newly appointed governor, but on the surface they were all very polite to him.

After all, Liu Bei held a large army and had just quelled the rebellion in Liangzhou. His reputation was widespread, and no one dared to offend him easily.

However, most of the dozens of recruitment orders issued by Liu Bei and Li Chang disappeared without a trace.

Bingzhou is even more dangerous than Liangzhou! The imperial court has practically abandoned it, so who would dare to go there!

Until this day.

An old horse arrived at the gate of Yinguan City.