In Kuizhou, the eastern section of Wu Gorge, although several months have passed, the traces of the war are still clearly visible. The dilapidated fortresses along the coast all tell the story of the cruelty and fierceness of the war.
It was midwinter, in the cold fog, and a fleet of boats was sailing on the river, going straight down the river and breaking through the waves. The cold river water lapped at the hull of the boat to help it move.
This is a fleet of more than thirty ships, all official ships. During these two months, there were many ships plying the river, but they were all the property captured by the Han army in Chengdu.
This is not the case with this fleet. It is fully loaded with people, the first batch of people to migrate out of Shu. Regarding the migration of the population, under the urging of Liu Chengyou, the Han court had already made preparations. Due to the chaos in Shu, there was a delay. However, with the establishment of the ruling order, the situation became peaceful, and with the cooperation of the military and political systems, it was officially launched. .
Due to the seizure of external transportation from Sichuan and Shu and the shortage of military and official supplies, coupled with the transshipment of people and goods, the imperial court specially established a new waterway transportation yamen, the Yangtze River Transport Envoy, to be responsible for all official needs in the middle and upper water sections. Transshipment affairs, and responsible for the management of civilian ships and civilian movements. All ships captured in Sichuan were transferred to the government. In establishing this position, the imperial court also intended to make full use of the golden waterway of the Yangtze River to strengthen the economic ties between Sichuan, Sichuan and Jinghu.
As for the position of the Yangtze River Transport Envoy, Wei Lin, the deputy commander of the Jiangling Navy, was appointed by the emperor. This can be regarded as a reward for such a model of surrender. Such a "good minister" is also worthy of praise. For Wei Gong, he has truly made his mark in the Han Dynasty and has a place in the system.
The first important task after taking office was to arrange the transfer of this group of Shu people. Wei Lin personally escorted them and inspected the water conditions along the way for rectification. When he was a general in Jingnan, even as a navy general, Wei Lin was not so dedicated and full of energy. It can only be said that in different environments and positions, people's performance and mental outlook are very different.
The group of Shu people escorted by Wei Lin were "criminals". They were the group of Shu nobles, bureaucrats, and powerful wealthy businessmen who were beaten as criminals by the Han army and had their property confiscated. There were more than 2,000 people in Shu.
According to the original plan, all these people were to be moved to the newly captured Longyou and northwest regions to enrich the border areas, balance the Han and Yi populations, and strengthen the court's penetration and control of the northwest. In the former, the Han court arranged to relocate the Shu prisoners who served as coolies in Guanzhong and grant them fields to open up wasteland. However, the less than 30,000 people were placed in the vast area of the northwest and were quickly digested.
The Sichuan-Sichuan region, especially the Chengdu Plain, has a strong population. Under the current national conditions, the density is not low. A slight migration to balance the population is still advisable. Moreover, there are also a group of people who are well-known and can migrate.
Originally, the imperial court planned to move all to the northwest region, but Liu Chengyou was moved by a letter jointly signed by Jinghu Chief Envoy Zan Jurun and Governor Li Tao.
More than two years have passed since the imperial court took over Jinghu. The three former Nanping prefectures have suffered little loss and were quickly returned to the government. Coupled with the abolition of a series of bad policies when the Gao family was in power and the convenience of geographical thoroughfares, even further progress has been achieved. development of.
This is not the case in Hunan. Years of war have left the people's livelihood in ruins and ruins everywhere. Zhou Xingfeng's aggressive military force has also caused serious damage. Two years have passed. Although the people's livelihood is in peace, their land acres and taxes have never been restored. Big recovery. And because it also had to supply the garrison, it occupied a certain amount of manpower and financial resources.
Zan Jurun, the chief envoy of Jinghu, was a capable official. He was enthusiastic about the newly acquired land and wanted to make great achievements. However, it is difficult for a good woman to make a living without rice. The root of the problem is that the population is too small.
In Hunan, a huge country, there were less than 500,000 people living in Dingkou, including Yao and barbarians who were governed by the imperial government. As the capital, Changsha has less than 2,000 residents in the city (most of them were forced or tempted by temporary residence to colonize and open up wasteland), and there are only more than 20,000 people in the entire territory.
Why is Zan Jurun not worried about this situation? In his opinion, Hunan has crisscrossed water veins, fertile land and rich products. As long as it is managed well, it can develop into a large granary for the imperial court and an important taxation area.
Insufficient population is the biggest constraint on its development. As the first chief executive of the Jinghu region, Zan Jurun considered that the population of the vast area in Hunan was not as large as that of the three original Jingnan states, and the gap was not small. Zan Jurun believed that this was a serious imbalance. At the beginning of the 10th year of Qianyou's reign, he deliberately planned to move from Jiangling to Jiangling. For the migrant population in the , Xia, and Gui areas, we plan to balance the population distribution within Jinghu Lake first.
A provincial government order was formulated and issued. However, this move was strongly opposed by a group of officials headed by Sun Guangxian, the prefect of Jiangling. Population situation was an important assessment item for the performance of Han officials. Migrating the population was a direct violation of their interests. Where can I be willing? Although Zan Jurun is an officer, because of the historical issues between Jingnan and Hunan, it is difficult to overpower the Jingnan Prefecture and do it forcefully.
After all, the imperial court's establishment of Jinghu Road based on Jingnan + Hunan was originally a temporary measure to facilitate management. On the other hand, it also intended for Jingnan to financially support Hunan. But no matter what, there is a limit, unless the court lowers its authority and suppresses it with the authority of the central government.
But the people who have lived in the three states have a comfortable life and are not tempted at all. In addition, the land is difficult to move, so not many people are willing to go to Hunan to open up wasteland, even if the policy is very attractive. Therefore, Zan Jurun's internal migration plan had little effect.
Although Zan Jurun felt angry, he had no choice but to face internal obstacles, so he turned his attention to the outside world. However, internal adjustments were so difficult, and how could other Daozhou officials cooperate, so he never had a chance.
Until the imperial court defeated Shu, Zan Jurun suddenly saw hope. He found Li Tao, the former prime minister, and wrote a letter together, describing the miserable situation in Hunan, stating the importance of replenishing the population, and directly targeting the population of Sichuan and Shu. There will be relatively little resistance to newly settled areas and the relocation of captives and people. At the same time, a blueprint for the development of Hunan was formulated and a military order was issued to the court to ensure that the goals were achieved.
Liu Chengyou had long had the idea of immigrating to Shu, and Zan Jurun's letter came at the right time. Moreover, it directly distracted Liu Chengyou's attention. Before that, his eyes had been on the northwest, but he suddenly realized that Hunan is also a suitable area for immigrants, and it is both in terms of resistance to migration, investment, and economic benefits. Far more suitable than the northwest.
So, with a wave of his hand, Liu Chengyou directly agreed to Zan Jurun's request and immigrated from Sichuan to Hunan. According to the plan, before the spring plowing in the 11th year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, the government organized the migration of 50,000 Shu people to Hunan, which already accounted for 10% of the population. The first group of people were selected from the "criminals" in Chengdu, and these people were a group of "high-quality" people.
Of course, this does not mean that the plan to immigrate to the northwest has been shelved. It is a long-term plan with political and military significance and involves the northwest, and it is impossible to give up.
However, there are better immigration targets, including some of the surrendered Shu troops and their families, the rebel powerful and landlords, and the coerced common people in Shu. These people all have a certain military foundation. In the northwest region, people with certain fighting abilities are still needed.
Compared with the immigrants behind the ship, where the goods are usually confined in the cabin, Wei Lin is naturally much more comfortable. There is a spacious warehouse, warm and comfortable silk quilts, and a concubine accompanying him. He can see the scenery along the way and enjoy it. gentle......
"Your Majesty, we are almost at Badong!" While drinking with Mei Ji, a subordinate general reported to the official outside the warehouse door.
Hearing this, Wei Lin put on a robe and walked out, took a look, and immediately ordered: "Give me the order to stop at Badong to rest, replenish drinking water and food, clean up the filth, and check the immigration!"
"yes!"
Looking behind, Wei Lin sighed and said: "It's cold, give out some wine and prepare some hot water to the literati on the ship. The literati are weak, don't be ruined..."
Although he is a martial artist, it does not prevent Wei Lin from admiring some well-educated people. This time, among the Shu people who moved to Hunan, there were a large number of Shu literati. After all, they were also the upper class of Shu country, and there were many scholars.
Among them, starting from the original prime minister Wu Zhaoyi and below, there were more than twenty talented people holding important positions in the Shu court. Wei Lin still sympathized with these people. The migration of Shu people to Hunan this time was not only to transport labor to them and develop the economy, but also to provide cultural support. However, Liu Chengyou probably did not expect this.
