Zhao Shen instantly snapped back to attention. After pondering for a moment, he shook his head and said, “No, invite them in. If they’re requesting improved seeds, prepare some to give them.”
His Chief Clerk’s jaw dropped. “Didn’t you say just the other day that someday you would lead troops to crush Jiaozhi?”
In the three years since Zhao Shen had taken office, the regions bordering Jiaozhou—from prefectures and counties down to villages and settlements—had experienced intermittent armed conflicts.
Large-scale clashes involved nearly a thousand people, while smaller skirmishes had only twenty or thirty participants. These small-scale conflicts occurred with particular frequency. Zhao Shen had several times failed to contain his temper and personally led troops to the border to fight back.
On one occasion, he had directly led his forces straight through Jiaozhou, leaving the local indigenous people scrambling to chase after them.
Afterward, the Jiaozhou Governor, who had always maintained independence and never voluntarily contacted the court, sent representatives to Luoyang for the first time to lodge a complaint with Zhao Hanzhang, demanding she severely punish Zhao Shen.
Jiaozhou and Guangzhou both belonged to the Wu-Yue region, but during the Wu-Yue period, control over Jiaozhou had gradually been lost due to the expansion of the southern Linyi Kingdom. During the Cao Wei period, control had not been restored either.
By the Jin Dynasty, the Sima family couldn’t even control the Jiangnan region, let alone the more southern Guangzhou and Jiaozhou.
Guangzhou had always been semi-autonomous. Although the court appointed governors, these governors came to compete with and outmaneuver the local tribes and indigenous people.
Jiaozhou was even more extreme—even its governor was self-appointed, completely beyond the court’s control.
The current Jiaozhou Governor held the position through hereditary succession. He had only submitted a memorial when Zhao Hanzhang ascended the throne to offer congratulations, indicating that he recognized Zhao’s replacement of Jin. After that, there had been nothing more.
Although Her Majesty the Emperor had not believed Jiaozhou’s slander and punished Zhao Shen, he still held this grudge against Jiaozhou and had declared more than once that someday he would lead troops to crush Jiaozhou.
The Chief Clerk was a local man with a fierce temperament. Zhao Shen had spent considerable effort subduing him, and now he stared at Zhao Shen with utter disbelief, feeling deeply that Zhao Shen had betrayed their former vow.
What happened to fighting together?
Zhao Shen glanced at him. “Is this an envoy from Jiaozhi Commandery, or from Jiaozhou? Regardless, since they’ve come with sincere requests, we should be generous in giving to them. They’re asking for improved seeds, not copper or iron—it’s all for a better life.”
“We’re neighbors separated only by a narrow strip of water, like siblings. We’re not petty people who hold grudges,” Zhao Shen snorted. “We’re all Chinese, all descendants of Hua. For Her Majesty’s sake, there’s no need to quibble with them. Invite the envoy in—I want to have a good talk with him.”
But the expression on your face doesn’t match what you’re saying, the Chief Clerk thought silently as he observed Zhao Shen’s face. Though he didn’t know what had prompted such magnanimous words, he felt relieved.
As long as the Governor hadn’t suddenly lost his mind, that was fine.
The Chief Clerk withdrew.
Jiaozhou was even more suitable for rice cultivation than Guangzhou. The two regions had similar climates, but Jiaozhou’s land was flatter, water resources more abundant, and the climate hotter. This meant that rice produced in Jiaozhou not only had slightly higher yields but also tasted better.
If Guangzhou could grow two rice crops per year in some areas, then Jiaozhou could do so throughout its entire territory.
Honestly, after learning all this, Zhao Shen really wanted to kick out the neighboring Jiaozhou Governor and take his place.
Several times he’d wanted to quietly write to Zhao Hanzhang, indicating he didn’t need preferential treatment. Since places like Guangzhou had already been conquered by people like Dai Yuan, he could actually go to the yet-unconquered Jiaozhou.
He particularly wanted to see the Jiaozhou Governor’s expression when he arrived with an appointment letter as the new Jiaozhou Governor.
But this remained just a thought. Neither Zhao Hanzhang nor he himself would actually do something so rash.
Just showing up with an appointment letter? That would be trying to die.
At minimum, he’d need to bring a large army.
However, based on the experiences of Wu-Yue, the Han Dynasty, and the Qin Dynasty, one should not easily send troops south of Lingnan—the returns would be far less than the costs.
As Zhao Hanzhang put it: this land belonged to China, but it also belonged to the local indigenous people. As long as they could live well under their chieftains and tribal leaders, one should respect their traditions and allow them self-governance.
Education should be gradual and subtle instruction. When they understood propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame, they would naturally follow the law.
Only local people could truly understand what their own people wanted and how to protect their rights.
At this moment, Zhao Shen no longer thought about returning to Luoyang. His chest swelled with defiance against his father’s evaluation, but his mind calmly acknowledged that he truly did have these problems.
So he absolutely had to achieve something significant to show both his father and Hanzhang that when he returned to the capital, he would make them completely convinced!
As Zhao Shen walked, he said to the Chief Clerk, “I want to open another school.”
The Chief Clerk replied, “The school run by the government office has been open for three years and still hasn’t filled its student quota.”
“That’s why I want to open a school specifically for educating the children of chieftains and tribal leaders. Also, I want to require all chieftains and tribal leaders to attend classes at the school for one month at the beginning and middle of each year. Anyone who comes and receives a rating of ‘good’ or above will have their tribe exempted from one year of corvée labor. Those with outstanding performance can also receive a ten percent tax reduction.”
The Chief Clerk’s heart pounded as he asked repeatedly, “Can you make decisions on such major matters yourself? What if Her Majesty doesn’t agree?”
Zhao Shen replied, “Her Majesty is benevolent and has always allowed local government offices the authority to reduce or exempt corvée labor. As for tax reduction, I’ll submit a memorial. Currently, all tax revenue from Guangzhou remains for local fiscal use—Her Majesty surely won’t refuse.”
The Chief Clerk’s eyes crinkled with joy as he eagerly volunteered, “Governor, what do you think of me? I’d also like to attend school.”
Zhao Shen glanced at him. “Didn’t you pass your chieftain position to your younger brother? Let your brother attend. Since you’re serving as Chief Clerk, you should participate less in tribal affairs. Otherwise, if other tribes accuse you of favoritism, it’ll be difficult for me to judge the case or speak on your behalf.”
Chief Clerk: That path is blocked.
However, it didn’t matter. He planned to write to his brother, telling him to immediately buy Chinese books and start studying. He’d visited the school run by the government office—they taught Chinese classics there.
They’d wanted to study these before. Those books contained many profound principles, but Chinese books were too expensive. A tribe’s annual surplus could only buy two books. Things had only improved after Zhao Shen’s arrival.
The Chief Clerk encouraged from the side, “Governor, although books and paper are much cheaper now, every purchase requires traveling far to Jingzhou or Yangzhou, and the travel expenses alone cost a fortune. Didn’t you often say that it’s better to have things yourself than to rely on others? Guangzhou has abundant timber, bamboo, and rice straw everywhere—aren’t these all materials for making paper? Why can’t we produce it ourselves?”
Zhao Shen had actually already applied for craftsmen, but since craftsmen were currently in short supply and couldn’t be spared, he hadn’t announced it.
He glanced at the Chief Clerk. “You certainly know how to think ahead. Building a paper mill requires great care. The Bureau of Natural Philosophy has now imposed strict requirements—paper mills cannot be built upstream and must be located as far as possible from water sources. Water must be channeled to them for use, and there are procedures for treating wastewater after use, from beginning to end requiring different craftsmen to oversee each step.”
“It’s no longer like the early years when a paper mill could be set up with just one or two craftsmen. The court now has strict requirements—a paper mill must gather craftsmen for each step of the process before it can begin operations.”