After Cao Rui finished speaking, the ministers in the hall did not agree as he expected. Instead, most of them were silent and thinking. Shaking his head, Cao Rui glanced around and said, "I have been thinking about registering the Qiang people as civilians for a long time. What questions do you have today? I will answer them one by one!" This kind of major policy that needs to be implemented by the entire court is not something that can be accomplished by Emperor Cao Rui simply giving orders. First reach a consensus with the ministers, explain the difficulties, and then make arrangements layer by layer, so that things can be done slowly. After all, things need to be done by people. If the difficult issues are not clarified, the government affairs will definitely be in a mess. Guo Huai lowered his head and thought for a long time, then gritted his teeth and prepared to continue asking the emperor questions. As the governor of Yongzhou, could he wait for others to ask about such civil affairs first? There's nothing we can do about it! Guo Huai cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I know that making the Qiang people equal citizens is a move to strengthen the country, but I am a little confused as to how this will be carried out." "Let Governor Guo ask." Cao Rui nodded. "I am the governor of Yongzhou, so I know more about the registered population of Yongzhou." Guo Huai said slowly, "In the third year of Huangchu, the late emperor ordered a census of the population of each prefecture and county. Judging from the total number of military households, civilian households, and farming households, there are 140,000 Han households in Yongzhou, of which about 105,000 are in the Guanzhong counties, and only 35,000 in the five counties of Longyou."
"I have been the governor of Yongzhou for a long time, and I have a general understanding of the situation of the Qiang and Hu people in Yongzhou and Liangzhou." "The Qiang people are different from the Han people. They are not organized into households but into villages. Each village has as few as three or five people and as many as six or seven people." "From Sanfu to Dunhuang, the Qiang people have a small tribe of less than a thousand and a large tribe of tens of thousands. If we make a rough estimate, the total population of the Qiang people in Yongliang and northern Yizhou should be around one million, but most of them live in the wild mountains or border areas, which are beyond the jurisdiction of the court." Cao Rui was silent for a few moments, then asked Lu Xun: "Bo Yan, didn't you bring 30,000 Qiang cavalry from Xiping and Jincheng counties? How many Qiang people are there in total in these two counties?" Lu Xun cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, the exact number is unknown. I can only give a rough estimate." "Say it!" "Your Majesty, the four counties of Xiping are all located along the Huangshui Valley. I estimate that there are about 100,000 to 200,000 Qiang people living in the county and outside the county's western prefecture, as well as in the mountains and plateaus thousands of miles to the west." "And Jincheng County has even fewer people, but I think there are at least 50,000 people." Cao Rui tapped the table lightly with his hand: "So, the Qiang people are definitely more numerous than the Han people?" Yang Fu at the side interrupted and said, "Your Majesty, since the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, the population of a state is often not more than that of a large county in the past." "In addition, Yongliang was frequently hit by turmoil. In the distant past, there were many Qiang riots and rebellions during the Han Dynasty. Recently, Han Sui, Dong Zhuo, Ma Chao and others repeatedly wreaked havoc in Yongliang, and many counties were almost destroyed." "The 140,000 households in Yongzhou mentioned by Governor Guo just now also include 10,000 military households and 10,000 farming households of Feng Ling in Chang'an. The actual number of people belonging to each county is very small indeed." Cao Rui nodded: "So, the Qiang people are numerous and difficult to govern. Is this what you mean?" Yang Fu, Lu Xun and Guo Huai all agreed. Cao Rui said calmly: "This is easy to handle." "Bo Yan," Cao Rui looked at Lu Xun, "As far as I know, the chieftains of the Qiang tribe do not treat the people under their rule as arbitrarily as the kings and princes do. Instead, they have to consult with the tribe." "That's right," Lu Xun replied. "The Qiang people have no system, are poor and simple, and do not have the power and authority of the Han princes." "I understand." Cao Rui nodded. "Sikong," Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi, "you, Governor Guo, Lieutenant Lu, and Minister Yang, work together to come up with a plan."
"First, recruit 50,000 Qiang people from the small tribes in Jixian, Xinyang, and Shanggui, and govern them by the method of farming." "All the Qiang chieftains who are willing to serve as officials will be appointed as military governors with a salary of 1,000 stones, and the Han people will serve as officials to assist them. The best ones can be promoted, and the incompetent ones will be left alone like the marquisates in the Han Dynasty, and just serve as officials." "If you don't want to be an official and want to enjoy wealth and honor, you can discuss it together and see what kind of title and fiefdom you can give to them, and you can bring them to Luoyang." "I have given them two options. Whichever one they choose is better than not having enough to eat in their farming villages." "After one year of implementation, we will gradually expand it to other counties in Longyou." Guo Huai and Lu Xun listened and nodded in agreement from time to time. If the Qiang and Han people could really be equal, the Qiang people, who had been marginalized and treated as non-human beings by the Han Dynasty for four hundred years, would naturally be willing. What about the Qiang chieftains? How can a chieftain in the mountains compare to the prestige of a serious official in Wei? If that doesn't work, going to Luoyang to become a marquis is also a good thing! Sima Yi bowed and replied: "I will follow your orders and come up with a plan as soon as possible." "Hurry!" Cao Rui added, "After the New Year, I will personally meet with these Qiang nobles." "Three days will be enough! It will certainly not hinder Your Majesty's important plan." Sima Yi replied. "Very good." Cao Rui nodded slightly, then stood up. "In two days it will be the New Year. Just like last year when I was in Shouchun, I will offer sacrifices to the heavens in the southern suburbs of Shanggui City!" "As for the army, we will temporarily station them in the cities, and wait until the rear of the central army reaches Longyou before we move south!" "We will follow your majesty's orders!" The ministers in the hall stood up and responded. …… For Cao Rui, there was not much to worry about in Shanggui at this time. He just had to wait for the arrival of the remaining 20,000-plus central troops and then choose the opportunity to march south. On the other hand, the troops stationed in Longyou at this time, either from Chencang or Luoyang, had all experienced long journeys and hard battles, so timely rest was extremely necessary. But for the locals in the four counties of Longyou, there is much more to do. After the banquet and the emperor's meetings were over, it was already midnight. After Jiang Wei finished the task of sorting out official documents, he walked out of the public housing on the side of the county government office and headed towards his temporary residence. It was late at night, and the cold wind outside made people shiver. Jiang Wei walked forward with his hands behind his back, holding a stove he brought from Luoyang between his hands. "Minister Jiang, please wait a moment." The tiger guards guarding outside the county government stopped Jiang Wei who was walking quickly outside. Jiang Wei asked in surprise, "What does Sima Pei want to talk to me about?" The middle-aged Sima Pei bowed and said, "During the evening banquet at the county government office, a subordinate reported to me that a young scholar with the surname Shangguan, who claimed to be a friend of Minister Jiang, came to look for you." "He should still be waiting outside. If Minister Jiang wants to see him, he can go out and turn right, passing the patrol area of the Tiger Guards, and he should be able to see him." "Thank you, Sima Pei, for telling me!" Jiang Wei said with emotion, "Let Sima Pei know that I am originally from Ji County, Tianshui. The man who came to see me today is called Shangguan Qi, and he was my colleague and friend when I was an official in the county." "It's okay, it's just a small matter." Sima Pei smiled kindly: "It's late at night, please go slowly." "It's hard to stand guard at night, don't catch a cold." Jiang Wei took out a spherical heater from his sleeve and put it into Sima Pei's hand.
Sima Pei's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "This is a rare item. I will return it to Minister Jiang tomorrow morning." "Okay, okay, I'll take my leave." Jiang Wei strode away. A moment later, Jiang Wei saw a man standing outside the Tiger Guard defense zone on duty, with his hands behind his back, stepping repeatedly to keep warm. If it’s not Shangguan Qi, who else could it be? "Zi Xiu!" Jiang Wei shouted in surprise, "I haven't seen you for more than a year. How come you are here?" Shangguan Qi turned around and looked Jiang Wei up and down for a few times, then he came to his senses and grinned and said, "I haven't seen you for more than a year, and Bo Yue has become more heroic! I came to Shanggui to report the news, but when I heard that His Majesty would be coming today, I guessed that you might be with the army, so I didn't go back to Ji County." "Let's go to my place together. Tonight, you and I must sleep side by side!" Jiang Wei walked quickly forward, holding Shangguan Qi's hand and walking forward. As a minister of imperial guards, Jiang Wei naturally stayed with the entourage from Luoyang. Although they were only given a very small room, it was enough for two people to squeeze together. The servants were sent to boil some hot water, and the two of them started chatting while soaking their feet in the room. "So, is Governor Ma Zun still so unbearable?" Jiang Wei frowned and said, "During the celebration today, Ma Zun was actually praised by His Majesty!" Shangguan Qi smiled bitterly and said, "Boyue, this is also what I am confused about." "I just told you about Yin Shang and Yin Zhubu. If you look at it from this perspective, Governor Ma abandoned Ji County and went to Shanggui just to save his life." "And you also said that Shanggui is more important than Ji County. If Ma Zun hadn't brought the county troops here, Shanggui might have been lost." Jiang Wei listened carefully to Shangguan Qi's words. Shangguan Qi continued, "But he left Ji County for Shanggui after all! We who were left in Ji County were easily abandoned by the governor!" From last year till now, Shangguan Qi has been working as an official in the county, and all he does are trivial matters such as encouraging farming and managing the horse farm. But Jiang Wei first entered the Imperial College to study classics, and then followed the emperor on two expeditions. The two friends had very different perspectives and visions. At this moment, Jiang Wei inexplicably recalled the scene outside the Shouchun Palace in the past when Lu Xun came to ask for an audience with the emperor but was rejected by himself. At that time, Jiang Wei looked down on Lu Xun. Although he was the commander-in-chief of an army, he was afraid of death and even accepted a small official position after surrendering. Today, Jiang Wei heard about Lu Xun's contribution in this rescue battle, and his impression of Lu Xun changed a lot. Things in the world are not black and white! A so-called hero will not be praised by others just because he dies in a critical moment. It is even more valuable to humble oneself and endure humiliation before making a stunning debut! This is a true hero! Jiang Wei could not tell his old friend that Ma Zun was not wrong, nor could he say more from the perspective of state affairs. (End of this chapter)