Liu Jin nodded at the words, looked at the middle-aged man who was leading, and asked!
"Are you the Jun Cheng of the Commandery?"
The middle-aged man heard this, bowed again, and said respectfully!
"Reporting to the Prefect, I am indeed the Jun Cheng of the Commandery, named Wang Yan, courtesy name Boyun."
Liu Jin nodded slightly, his expression still calm, and asked!
"So, Yanmen Commandery has been managed by you during this period?"
Wang Yan was a little puzzled by this, but he didn't dare to neglect and still answered truthfully!
"Previously, there was no Prefect in charge, so all affairs were handled by me, the Jun Cheng. Now that the Prefect has taken office, it will naturally be handled by the Prefect."
Liu Jin smiled at the words, glanced at the many officials around him, but didn't say much, instead leading everyone into the city.
In the main hall of the Prefect's Mansion, Liu Jin sat grandly in the seat of honor, exuding an imposing aura.
Officials of all ranks from within the Commandery gathered here, all appearing respectful and polite.
The Liu Jin before them was no ordinary Prefect; he held several layers of identity.
He was the Defender General of the Xiongnu and a Marquis granted by the imperial court. Various titles made his status even more brilliant.
Liu Jin looked at the officials in the hall, their faces respectful, their demeanor cautious.
He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. As a newcomer, he wanted to display his authority and see if he could find a couple of troublemakers to make an example of, thereby intimidating the various levels of officials in Yanmen Commandery.
This idea clearly fell through.
After a light cough, Liu Jin's clear voice slowly came out!
"As a newcomer, I, the Prefect, will have to rely on all of you. I hope we can work together to govern Yanmen well and bring peace to the common people."
Upon hearing this, the officials bowed in unison and shouted!
"We respectfully obey the Prefect's command and will definitely work together to govern Yanmen!"
Liu Jin nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Jun Cheng Wang Yan again, and he asked with a smile!
"Boyun, have there been any incidents in Yanmen Commandery recently?"
Wang Yan pondered for a moment after hearing this, then cupped his hands slightly and said!
"Reporting to the Prefect, nothing has happened within the Commandery."
"However, there are some mountain bandits who occasionally harass the surrounding villages. Due to the insufficient military strength within the Commandery, which is needed to defend the border, there hasn't been enough free time to encircle and suppress these mountain bandits."
Liu Jin nodded, a cold glint appearing in his eyes, and said indifferently!
"The matter of the mountain bandits is nothing. Since I, the Prefect, have arrived here, their good days are over."
"Now, tell me how many troops are in the Commandery and where they are stationed?"
Wang Yan heard this, and his voice continued!
"There are three thousand troops in the Commandery, divided into two sections. One section of troops is commanded by Prefect Zhang Yang, totaling around two thousand men, stationed at Yanmen Pass."
"The other section is commanded by Military Sima Hao Zhao, totaling around a thousand men, stationed at Gouzhu Mountain."
Liu Jin was slightly stunned when he heard this.
He didn't expect these two to be famous historical generals, especially Hao Zhao, who was someone capable of contending with Zhuge Liang, and whose reputation was extremely well-known.
After pondering for a moment, his voice continued!
"Since there's nothing else, you all may withdraw for now and attend to your duties."
Upon hearing this, the officials in the mansion bowed one after another and then withdrew.
Soon, the main hall of the Prefect's Mansion became much emptier, with only his close aides remaining.
Tian Feng, sitting nearby, narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly said!
"As a newcomer, the Marquis wishes to quickly establish a firm foothold. According to my humble opinion, the first step is to consolidate military power, win the hearts of the people, increase prestige, and deter the officials within the Commandery."
"In terms of prestige, the Marquis currently possesses it, and the military officials probably wouldn't dare to feign compliance. What is most lacking now is the consolidation of military power and the hearts of the people."
Liu Jin nodded at the words. If he wanted to control the entire Yanmen, military power and the hearts of the people were indispensable.
He looked at Tian Feng beside him and asked with a smile!
"If that's the case, Yuan Hao, do you have any good strategies?"
Tian Feng stroked his beard, his face firm, and said calmly!
"Firstly, the Marquis must first clear out the mountain bandits within the Commandery, implement benevolent governance, reduce exorbitant taxes, and gain the approval of the common people."
"Secondly, the defense of Yanmen Pass must be brought under your own control. This area is close to the north and is the shield of Yanmen Commandery, so it naturally cannot be in the hands of others."
"Thirdly, we must find a way to expand the population within the Commandery, recruit as many displaced people as possible, reclaim wasteland, and increase the Commandery's tax revenue to support the army in the future."
"As long as these three strategies are implemented, the Marquis will be able to firmly control the land of Yanmen."
Liu Jin nodded in agreement after hearing these words. Tian Feng was indeed a wise man, having outlined the future direction of development in just a few words.
His gaze then fell on Min Chun, Jian Yong, and the others, signaling if they had anything to add.
After a moment of silence, Li Li stepped forward and slowly said!
"What Yuan Hao said is excellent, there's nothing much to add. However, recruiting displaced people would be much easier if we started from You Province."
Everyone looked over at these words.
Min Chun didn't keep them in suspense but continued to explain from the side!
"Bing Province is inherently barren, with not many common people, making it difficult to recruit displaced people to settle in Yanmen."
"Guangzhong, the Central Plains, and other places are relatively stable, so it's even less likely for these common people to come to this remote northern region."
"The only place where a large number of displaced people can be recruited is You Province."
"The most important thing is that last year's Yellow Turban Rebellion caused common people from various parts of Jizhou to flee to You Province for refuge, in order to survive."
"Normally, they could manage, or even survive, but the heavy snow this winter, covering the entire north, caused many deaths among these already homeless common people."
"To survive, they could only pack up their families again and head south to escape the cold. Therefore, there must be many displaced people in various parts of You Province."
"The Marquis can take this opportunity to recruit these displaced people to Yanmen to reclaim wasteland, and even provide them with farming tools and seeds to cultivate."
"As long as they can survive, over time these common people will take root in Yanmen. As long as the population becomes sufficient, the Commandery will also prosper, and tax revenue will naturally increase."
"The only drawback is that it will probably cost a lot of money and grain, as attracting these displaced people will naturally require some benefits, and they will also need to be fed and watered along the way."
Liu Jin's eyes lit up at the words; it was indeed a good method.
The most important thing was that Yanmen was only separated from You Province, and the distance between them was not far, so there was a great deal of confidence in gathering the displaced people from You Province.
With a smile on his face, he said loudly!
"As for the consumption of money and grain, there's no need to worry about it too much."
"I still have a lot of money and grain, which can temporarily support it. Besides, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child."
"Since we want to develop Yanmen Commandery, the first thing is to increase the population. Of course, we have to pay the price to attract them."
"As long as Yanmen Commandery can be stabilized and developed into a virtuous cycle, it will greatly alleviate the pressure."