Shuofang means the north, and it is also a border region. There are not many people to begin with. Liang Shidu levied heavy taxes and oppressed the people for more than ten years, making the people in his jurisdiction miserable. Even his capital, Shuofang County, was dilapidated except for the palaces and city walls.
Similar to the situation in Chang'an, the Six Doors had to start all over again.
Zhang Gongjin, the Governor of Shuozhou and Duke of Dingyuan, was a handsome and refined middle-aged man who easily reminded Qin Mu of Zhou Yu from the Three Kingdoms period. Coincidentally, Zhang Gongjin was also from Jiangnan.
"I've long heard that a young man named Qin Huaidao has emerged from Chang'an. He's exceptionally talented, excelling in both poetry and martial arts. Meeting him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved." Zhang Gongjin smiled gently and was very friendly.
"You flatter me, Your Excellency! It's nothing, just something the outside world is exaggerating," Qin Mu said with a humble smile.
“This isn’t a compliment; it’s what His Majesty said,” Zhang Gongjin said with a smile, gesturing for Qin Mu to drink some tea.
"What His Majesty said?"
“Indeed, His Majesty also said that Qin Huaidao has the abilities of Tao Zhugong. Huaidao, you must help out a lot in the development of Shuozhou!” Zhang Gongjin nodded slightly.
Li Shimin had told him about this matter and asked him to come up with some ideas, so Qin Mu was not surprised. He glanced at the sincere Zhang Gongjin, cupped his hands and said, "I will do my best in this matter, but you must help support the Six Doors, Your Excellency."
The Six Doors was an independent government agency, which is why Qin Mu said that.
"Don't worry, putting everything else aside, just based on my relationship with Shubao, I will support you," Zhang Gongjin readily agreed.
"So it turns out that you and my father were acquainted. I wonder where my father is now?" Qin Mu asked.
It's certain that Zhang Gongjin knew Qin Qiong, but as for the nature of their relationship, he really didn't know.
“Back then, your father and I were both from the Qin Prince’s Mansion, so we naturally had a good relationship. Now he is helping the Duke of Wei suppress the beastmen, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be returning to the capital soon,” Zhang Gongjin explained.
"Has the imperial court's recapture of Shuozhou caused unease among the beastmen?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
"The wolf clan is ambitious. King Zhao terrified them and brought them more than ten years of peace. King Zhao died young, and in the last two years, they have become somewhat uncontrollable. This time, we took Shuozhou with lightning speed and closed the door to the grasslands. How can the wolf clan let this go?"
Fortunately, this season prevents the wolf clan from gathering in large numbers, and with Duke Wei leading troops to guard the front, the wolf clan cannot break through," Zhang Gongjin explained.
Although it was already the New Year, the snow on the grasslands had not yet melted. This season was not only difficult for marching, but food was also the most scarce resource for the wolf tribe. Therefore, a large-scale gathering was impossible; only by sending elite troops could they hope to gain the upper hand and force the wolf tribe to retreat. Presumably, Li Shimin and his men saw this opportunity and chose this season to launch their attack.
This time, a fight is unlikely to break out, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future, especially in the summer. The wolf clan will definitely look for an opportunity to see if they can retake Shuozhou. Qin Mu thought to himself.
"Does the Duke of Wei's return to the capital not prevent the wolf clan from launching a counterattack in the future?" Qin Mu asked.
Seeing that Qin Mu had thought of this, Zhang Gongjin nodded to himself and said, "Of course we will return. The Twelve Guards will always be there to protect Guanzhong. However, the other garrison troops will remain in Shuozhou. Together with the soldiers originally under Liang Shidu, that should be enough to protect Shuozhou."
"Hmm, the Hetao region is suitable for military settlements, but with this small force, it would be difficult to defend against a large-scale attack by the beastmen, right?" Qin Mu frowned, thinking about the map as he spoke.
“You’re right. If it were just Shuozhou, we definitely couldn’t hold it. But don’t forget there’s also Yanmen, Yunzhong, and Juyongguan. Now that the Great Wall is all within the Tang Dynasty, if the beastmen want to attack, they must guard against the other places. Would they really launch a large-scale invasion just because they just lost Shuozhou?” Zhang Gongjin asked with a smile.
"Yes!" Qin Mu's eyes lit up as he realized that this was not a battle against an enemy in one place, but against an entire country, which involved a much wider area.
Qin Mu couldn't help but sigh inwardly at his own lack of broad vision and comprehensive thinking.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Excellency."
“I didn’t give you pointers for nothing,” Zhang Gongjin said with a sly smile in his eyes.
"What are your orders, Your Excellency?" Qin Mu asked, slightly taken aback.
“I have already asked His Majesty to appoint you as the Prefect of Shuozhou, so you must do your utmost in this military settlement project!” Zhang Gongjin said earnestly.
"What?" Qin Mu thought he had misheard and looked at Zhang Gongjin in surprise. Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, he thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "This... the Duke is the Governor of Shuozhou, and now we're creating another Prefect of Shuozhou. Wouldn't that be a mess?"
"No! No! It's not chaotic at all. Generally speaking, the position of governor is just a nominal one, held by princes or dukes; local governance is the responsibility of the prefect." Zhang Gongjin shook his head and said.
"Don't lie to me, Your Excellency. The position of Governor is mostly a nominal one, but in a place like Shuozhou, Your Excellency has the final say." Qin Mu shook his head and said.
“As you said, I can make a decision on my own. Of course, I can request the court to add another prefect,” Zhang Gongjin said with a smile.
Qin Mu tapped his forehead, somewhat troubled, and asked in confusion, "Your Highness wouldn't value me so much just because of His Majesty's praise, would you?"
“Hehe, of course not! Before I became the governor of Shuozhou, I served as the governor of Yizhou,” Zhang Gongjin said with a smile. Seeing that Qin Mu was still confused, he stopped keeping him in suspense and continued, “A few months ago, the imperial court ordered Yizhou to conscript 20,000 laborers to build a reservoir at Sanguan. Out of curiosity, I looked into it further.”
Qin Mu then understood the reason, and also realized why Zhang Gongjin was in Yizhou. This was clearly to guard against the Qin family and Luo Yi.
"Building a reservoir, that was indeed my idea, but even so, is it worth entrusting such an important task to the Duke? This Hetao region is not short of water." Qin Mu was still somewhat puzzled and asked curiously. He didn't want to take the blame for others later. He knew that no official, especially a high-ranking one, was simple. Moreover, there is no love without a reason. Even if Qin Qiong and Zhang Gongjin had a good relationship, public and private matters were different, and it was impossible for him to let Zhang Gongjin recommend him as the governor.
"You lad, you're not old, but you're quite shrewd. Let me tell you something. Before the New Year, I personally went to Juyong Pass. I originally just wanted to see the reservoir that was built with the help of hundreds of thousands of people, but I didn't expect to have an unexpected gain."
"Was it your idea to build fishponds in the villages outside Juyong Pass?" Zhang Gongjin asked with a wry smile, shaking his head.
“Yes, a friend wanted to do something, so I gave him an idea.” Qin Mu nodded.
"When I went there, they were starting to build many more reservoirs and plant medicinal herbs around the reservoir. I also know that ink was made at Juyong Pass. Now you know why, right?"
Zhang Gongjin hadn't finished speaking when he learned that these were all ideas from Qin Qiong's son. He was very surprised, so he inquired further. When he returned to Chang'an, he discovered that this was no small matter. The Rugui Tower, the commercial street, the renovation of the market, and the several actions taken by the Six Doors—none of these things seemed like something a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy could do.
Upon arriving in the desolate land of Shuozhou, Zhang Gongjin was at a loss. He thought he would see if Qin Mu could break the deadlock. After all, there was no loss, and even if he failed, things wouldn't be too bad.
"Oh! I see. I didn't expect they actually started building fishponds," Qin Mu said in realization.
“I’ve heard about this too. The Qin family initially only wanted to grow medicinal herbs, but your friend built some fish ponds. Within half a year, the fish in the ponds had grown considerably. This made them realize that they had underestimated this, so they built a lot more,” Zhang Gongjin explained.
Qin Mu had explained to Qin Yue that the fishponds would be raised using a single-species aquaculture method, and the people followed suit. Qin Mu forgot to tell them that they should only raise fish, but the people carried out the Qin family's orders very thoroughly, raising loach and yellow catfish in the same way. As a result, the fishponds that were built were soon filled with a considerable number of animals.
The common people are simple and honest. As the saying goes, even a broken home is worth a fortune. They value not only the fish in a fishpond, but also a single chicken. Therefore, every village takes good care of its fishponds, and there is never a shortage of fresh grass, chicken manure, and grass seeds to feed the fish.
Another advantage of fishponds is that ducks and geese can be raised there, and they can be enclosed to prevent them from getting lost, which is why people like them even more.
As for where the fish fry come from, it's very simple. They come not only from rivers, but also from fields. They are collected in an organized manner, so the collection is very fast.
The fishpond was built and fish were raised there. One day, Qin Xian wanted to see how the fishpond was doing, so he took some people to check it out. When they arrived at the fishpond, they had someone use a fishing net to scoop up some fish, and what they caught surprised them—the fish had all grown quite a bit.
Generally speaking, when fishing in a river, catching a few fish in one net is considered a good catch. Fishing in a pond is a different story. These experienced fishermen first bait the net to lure the fish together, then cast the net down, making a loud splashing sound when they pull it up. It takes several people working together to bring the fish ashore.
Fish of all sizes were jumping around on the shore, a sight that delighted everyone. Qin Xian was equally surprised, looking at the fishpond and then at the fish on the shore, even rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
Qin then inspected several more fishponds. Unsurprisingly, each pond was similar, except for the size of the fish, which varied depending on the species. The grass carp, in particular, weighed at least one or two pounds each.
Knowing this situation, how could Qin Xian possibly ignore it? So he ordered the construction of several hundred fish ponds in one go.
"I can't guarantee I'll do it well, but I'll do my best," Qin Xian said solemnly, cupping his hands after a moment's thought.
Whether it was the Six Doors or the prefect, they had no conflict of interest with Zhang Gongjin. In fact, their common goal was to govern Shuozhou well, so Qin Mu did not refuse.
"Alright! Just tell me what you need," Zhang Gongjin said with a happy smile. He had no choice but to recruit Qin Mu; under Liang Shidu's rule, as the governor of Shuozhou, he was responsible for governing most of the area. Currently, Shuozhou lacked sufficient manpower, mainly in civil service, especially capable individuals, let alone those with good policies to develop the region. His focus would be on military affairs, particularly military settlements, repairs to Chang'an, and the establishment of patrol posts—he needed to personally oversee everything to be at ease.
After speaking with Zhang Gongjin, Qin Mu began to formulate a plan, a plan that couldn't be made on a whim. Fortunately, Zhang Gongjin had already arranged for a considerable amount of preliminary work to be done.
The population statistics of Shuozhou have been revised, and people have been re-registered as Tang Dynasty citizens. A significant portion of this work has already been done.
Looking at the map and going out of the city to investigate, Qin Mu worked for half a month before he began to formulate policies for the development of Shuozhou.
Actually, it's not that complicated. The entire Liangshidu region had a population of just over 500,000, most of whom were elderly, weak, women, and children, and their lives were difficult. It was too early to talk about development; we could only say that governance was implemented to ensure a stable life for the people.
"Relocation?" Zhang Gongjin looked at Qin Mu with some confusion, holding the plan written by Qin Mu.
“That’s right, the first step is relocation.” Qin Mu nodded.
"Why? Although the imperial court has allocated relief grain, it won't be enough if we have to relocate," Zhang Gongjin said with some difficulty.
"Governor, I have written it very clearly inside. The common people are left with only women, children, and the elderly. In their current situation, although they can survive, it must be very difficult. But if we gather them together, let them eat and drink together, and cultivate the land together, it will undoubtedly be much easier. Moreover, it will be easier to manage them. After a few years, when their families have their own main laborers, they can then live their own lives." Qin Mu said, pointing to the document.
“I understand what you mean, and I don’t think there’s a problem. It’s just that you’re moving and need to build a new house, and the government doesn’t have the money,” Zhang Gongjin said, spreading his hands.
"Relocating based on the city's infrastructure is a good time, as the city is sparsely populated now. Moreover, this season is perfect for relocation, coinciding with the spring planting season. As for building houses, that can be done after spring planting, since bricks and tiles take time to prepare. The initial phase is just preparatory work; actual construction will have to wait until after the autumn harvest," Qin Mu explained.
“Nephew, I know you’re right, and I support your decision, but I really don’t have the money,” Zhang Gongjin complained.
"It's alright, I've already thought it through. We'll build new homes for the people. They don't need to pay money, but they still have to put in the effort, so it won't cost much in that respect."
"As for money, I do have some, which I can lend to the Shuozhou Governor's Office for the time being. The Governor's Office can repay it later." Qin Mu blinked and said.
"What? You're borrowing it?" Zhang Gongjin was a little stunned.
“That’s right. The imperial court exempted Shuozhou from taxes for three years. The governor’s office has enough time to develop in two years, and can repay the debt in the third year,” Qin Mu nodded.
“Nephew, since you know that the court exempted Shuozhou from taxes for three years, where will the Governor’s Office get the money to repay it? Do you want me to pay for it personally? Why don’t you ask His Majesty for it?” Zhang Gongjin asked, his eyes wide.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com