Deyang Palace.
Sitting behind his desk, Liu Hong held the plan that the officials had painstakingly drafted and was carefully reading it.
After several years of development and the encouragement policies of the imperial court, the population of the Han Dynasty is increasing at an exceptionally rapid rate. In the eighth year of Jianning alone, the number of newborn babies approached four million.
At this rate, the population of the Han Dynasty will soon exceed 100 million in just a few years.
Therefore, in order for the Han Dynasty to withstand the pressure of overpopulation, in addition to increasing productivity, expanding its territory and dispersing the population pressure also became necessary tasks.
The main content of this plan is about immigration and regional division.
The general content of the plan is no different from what Tan Shihuai had done before: to delineate pastures for the herders in a region, to build towns in the center of the region so that they have a fixed place to live, and to build roads to connect the various towns so as to facilitate the transmission of messages and the transportation of supplies.
As long as the people who migrate there are not able to live peacefully in a fixed area, then effective management can be carried out.
The remaining content of the plan is to further divide the armies of Liaozhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou and station them in various areas of the grasslands, as well as the specific implementation plan and the implementation of various policies based on the above general outline.
Although Liu Hong only needed to look at the general outline, he still spent several days roughly browsing through the thick plan.
Putting down the plan in his hand, Liu Hong got up and went outside the hall to stretch.
Incorporating the vast grasslands south of the Han Sea into the territory of the Han Dynasty greatly increased the empire's land area, but it also increased the difficulty of the court's rule.
Even in a technologically advanced future era, such a vast distance would not be a simple matter for achieving perfect rule.
Fortunately, Liu Hong only cared about the promotion of Han culture. As long as Han culture could be promoted in depth and every person under the rule of the Han Dynasty would consider themselves Han people, that would be enough.
Feeling the slightly cool air outside the hall, Liu Hong rubbed his slightly tired cheeks to regain some of his energy.
"Zhang Rang, issue an order to the cabinet: I approve the plan drafted by you ministers, and notify local governments to organize the people who are willing to move to the grasslands as soon as possible. At the same time, recruit Confucian scholars to educate the immigrants, and complete the preparations by the beginning of next spring."
"Here you go!"
Zhang Rang respectfully agreed, then quickly ran out of the palace.
"Your Majesty, military report from the Western Regions!"
Not long after Zhang Rang left, Dian Wei hurriedly walked in from outside the hall, holding a letter sealed with sealing wax in his hand.
Upon opening the letter sent by Yuan Shao, Liu Hong frowned after only a few glances.
Since Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo, Zhang Xiu, Xiahou Dun and others arrived in the Western Regions, they have been following the policy set by Liu Hong, constantly conscripting men from the various states of the Western Regions to fight against the westward-migrating Xiongnu, with the aim of preventing the Xie Zhi from plotting to seize the Western Regions and disrupting the population structure of the Western Regions.
Initially, the plan progressed smoothly. Under Yuan Shao's control, and after constant confrontations and conflicts with Xie Zhiyu, almost seven or eight out of ten men in the small eastern states controlled by both sides, such as Cheshi, Shanshan, Gaochang, Jingjue, and Xiaowan, were killed.
However, during Liu Hong's decisive battle with the Xianbei this year, the great Western Region states west of Gaochang, such as Kucha, Dayuan, and Wusun, suddenly began to prepare their armies and recruit a large number of soldiers.
Although these western powers have not yet launched any military campaigns, according to the speculations of Yuan Shao and others, these powers have clearly seen that they are fighting with Xie Zhiyu and intend to send troops eastward to reap the benefits and annex Gaochang, Cheshi and other countries.
Looking at the military report in his hand, Liu Hong didn't know how to describe his feelings.
How could I let a few clowns get their hands on my carefully crafted plan?
Although the Han Dynasty no longer has the ability to send reinforcements to the Western Regions, fortunately, the Xianbei people led by Li Ru and He Lian are not far from the Western Regions. With them going there, the Han Dynasty does not need to go to any more trouble.
Putting down the military report in his hand, Liu Hong thought of Yuan Shao, whom he had entrusted with an important task.
In this plan to deplete the Western Regions, Yuan Shao's performance exceeded his expectations. He not only perfectly unified the eastern states of the Western Regions, but also, with his outstanding coordination and command abilities, he made veteran generals from Liangzhou such as Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si willing to cooperate, demonstrating his commanding style.
Having undergone trials unlike those of his previous life, Yuan Shao is no longer the indecisive man he once was. He acts with decisiveness and ruthlessness, and all his considerations are based on the interests of the Han Dynasty. His vision is also much longer-term.
After putting the letter away, Liu Hong pondered for a moment, then took out paper and pen and wrote a reply to Yuan Shao.
"Dian Wei, immediately arrange for someone to deliver this letter to Yuan Shao with utmost urgency!"
"Furthermore, send someone to the Cabinet and the Privy Council to draft an edict to establish a Protectorate in the Western Regions, appoint Liu Yu, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, as the Protector-General of the Western Regions, with Yuan Shao as his assistant, and the two of them to be in charge of the political and military affairs of the Western Regions respectively."
Liu Yu was a kind and benevolent man. In addition, he was a member of the Han imperial family and the adoptive father of Lanzhi, the Queen of Gaochang. Sending him to govern the Western Regions to win over the hearts of the people would be of great benefit to the court in the future annexation of the Western Regions.
"Here you go!"
Dian Wei responded loudly, then respectfully accepted the secret letter and strode out.
Soon, the cabinet and the Privy Council drafted two edicts in accordance with the emperor's orders.
Dian Wei also dispatched his Imperial Guards to ride swiftly towards the Western Regions, carrying the Emperor's reply to Yuan Shao and the imperial edict.
On the other side, Liu Yu, who was then the Minister of the Imperial Clan, after receiving the imperial edict to transfer to another post, made only brief preparations before entering the palace to bid farewell to Liu Hong and then setting off for the Western Regions.
Inside Deyang Palace.
One-year-old Liu Cheng sat in Liu Hong's lap, looking at the memorials on the table, and curiously reached out his little hand to grab them and take a look.
Seeing his son's expression, Liu Hong couldn't help but laugh and say, "Haha, you little rascal, if you want to rule this empire, you'd better be prepared to endure all kinds of hardships. Otherwise, I won't just hand this empire over to you so easily!"
Sitting to the side, Xi Zhicai listened to the Emperor's words to the First Prince and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
Although the emperor seemed to be joking, Xi Zhicai could see that the eldest prince's future status was basically set.
"Your Majesty, news of victory in Liangzhou!"
Dian Wei, dressed in armor, rushed in from outside the hall with a joyful expression, carrying a wooden box sealed with sealing wax.
"It seems things are stable in Western Qiang as well!"
Looking at the wooden box in Dian Wei's hand, Liu Hong turned to Xi Zhicai and said with a smile.
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