There were some people in this world who would be beaten down by various calamities until they became numb and indifferent—their bodies still alive but their souls dead. Yet once you gave them a ray of sunshine, all their petty thoughts would become active again,典型 examples of becoming excessively brilliant with just a bit of sunlight.
This group of officials and subjects was exactly like that.
At first, Zhao Hanzhang was soft-hearted and kept them for use. Though she had created a problem for herself, it was a small problem, not yet at the level of regret.
These people, regardless of rank, were all assigned to work as clerks.
Zhao Hanzhang invited Ming Yu and others to discuss matters. After consideration, she still believed she should personally make a trip to Shanggu Commandery.
But before going, she needed to arrange affairs in each province.
After thinking it over, she settled down to personally write a proclamation to all the people. She wanted to tell the people under Heaven about the current state of the Great Jin and what she intended to do next.
In these times, the people needed encouragement, needed a goal—to know that there were still people in this world who cared about them, still people striving for their stability.
So Zhao Hanzhang announced to the entire nation that the Xiongnu state had been destroyed, and the lost territories of Jizhou, Sizhou, Bingzhou, and others had been recovered.
The north was now suffering severe drought and locust plagues. Since last summer and autumn, Youzhou, Jizhou, and Bingzhou had seen reduced grain yields. From the beginning of this year until now, Youzhou had produced nothing, while Jizhou and Bingzhou were also severely affected. The people could barely survive.
She and His Majesty were both deeply pained by this. Therefore, for the sake of the people under Heaven, from the moment you received this decree, disaster victims could go to the nearest county office for help. The court would do everything possible to provide disaster relief and assistance.
Governor Wang Jun of Youzhou, due to ineffective disaster relief, abuse of power for personal gain, disregard for the people’s lives, and intent to rebel, had been executed. Youzhou was now under her, Zhao Hanzhang’s, supervision. The court would send a new governor to oversee its management.
Zhao Hanzhang called on all disaster victims to return to their ancestral lands. All previous matters had vanished with Governor Wang Jun’s death, so all those who owed taxes to the court or debts to Wang Jun would have their accounts cleared. Return to your ancestral lands, and the local county offices would redistribute land for settled people to cultivate, with a one-year tax exemption.
If you didn’t wish to travel back to your ancestral lands, then register locally with the nearest county office. No matter where you were, the local county office would allocate cultivable land to you, with a one-year tax exemption.
Zhao Hanzhang detailed her disaster relief measures in hopes of reassuring the people. She wrote: “I know that in recent years the people have all suffered, especially this past year. Whether in the north, Central Plains, or south, the people have all suffered. We lost our sovereign, and great changes occurred under Heaven. All along my northern journey, I saw white bones covering the roadways—bones accumulated from before; I also saw corpses collapsed by the roadside, one person every ten paces, three or five people huddled together. From their emaciated faces, one could even see similarities—these were families…”
“Every living being is a gift from Heaven, especially humans,” Zhao Hanzhang wrote. “Yet because of natural disasters, because of war, because of the inaction of leading officials, because of the struggles for power in this world, the people have nothing to rely on. The elderly cannot secure their final years, the young depart before experiencing the beauty of this world, and the able-bodied, having lost both parents and children, suffer heart-rending pain. Whenever I think of this, I feel the same pain and cannot bear it.”
“Now the Xiongnu have retreated, and there are temporarily no external enemies. I only wish for peace within our borders and for the people to live and work in peace. Whenever disaster strikes, the court must find ways to provide relief and assistance. With everyone working together in unity, we can overcome this crisis together.”
Zhao Hanzhang wrote: “If you can read, please read this announcement to those around you when you see it, so they know the court has not abandoned the people, and I, Zhao Hanzhang, will always be with you. If you are a person of virtue and high standing, please tell your fellow villagers and help supervise local officials. Please also help county magistrates and commandery governors with disaster relief together, to overcome this difficulty together.”
“If there are corrupt officials who violate this decree and exploit the people, you may write to me. Once verified, Zhao will severely punish them…”
Zhao Hanzhang detailed where they could lodge complaints, methods for sending letters, and addresses.
After finishing the letter, Zhao Hanzhang had Fu Tinghan and Ming Yu tally the grain reserves from Youzhou onward. Part would remain in Youzhou for disaster relief, while part would be distributed to Bingzhou, Jizhou, and other places for relief.
Because Youzhou disaster victims had fled in large numbers, they were now in Bingzhou, Jizhou, and other places awaiting rescue. For more distant places like Sizhou, Qingzhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou, grain would need to be transferred from various southern regions.
Zhao Hanzhang also needed to meet with the five hundred students who had just been sent to Hunu County.
After Yuzhou received Zhao Hanzhang’s letter, they urgently selected students from each county, including some from certain commanderies in Sizhou, and sent them together to Hunu County.
Not one more, not one less—exactly five hundred people.
Zhao Hanzhang personally met with them, arranged an examination for them, and conversed with them for two days, mainly discussing how to manage localities, especially what they needed to pay attention to in the current special circumstances.
This was a group of youths aged thirteen to seventeen, both boys and girls. They had all distinguished themselves after enrollment, studied in small classes, and all had volunteer work experience.
So-called volunteer work meant helping government offices transcribe documents and assisting in large and complex activities—for example, being responsible for record-keeping when receiving disaster victims; being responsible for counting and recording in work-for-relief programs, and so on.
So everyone present had some work experience.
Zhao Hanzhang was very satisfied with this.
After talking with them, she made arrangements based on their wishes, their personality traits, their areas of expertise, and so on.
Which person would go to which county—she personally confirmed each one. She had also talked with each person, discussing with them the situation of the county they would go to. Some places she had passed through; others she knew about from documents during this period and information Fu Tinghan had extracted from intelligence reports.
By the time she sent off the last student, half a month had passed since they took Hunu County. She breathed a great sigh of relief and turned to ask Fu Tinghan, “Has Shi Lei sent back any news? He’s been gone for ten days, hasn’t he? Hasn’t he met with Tuoba Yilu?”
Fu Tinghan shook his head. “No news.”
Zhao Hanzhang had sat in the office for half a month. Her back and legs were now uncomfortable, so she rolled her neck and said, “Come on, let’s go back and pack. Have Zeng Yue prepare—we’ll travel light to Shanggu Commandery.”
Zhao Hanzhang was going to Shanggu Commandery naturally not to see the Li Commandery Governor who had surrendered early, but for the Duan clan Xianbei currently occupying Beiping Commandery and Liaoxi Commandery.
Now that the Xiongnu were destroyed and Youzhou had been recovered, with Tuoba Yilu having sworn brotherhood with her and interests binding them together, the force most likely to become a foreign threat to Great Jin in the short term was the Duan clan Xianbei entrenched in the Liaoxi region.
The reason Zhao Hanzhang had sent Tuoba Yilu to Shanggu Commandery so early wasn’t to receive an already-surrendered commandery, but to guard against the Duan clan Xianbei.
At that time, she had been attacking Youzhou, with Wang Jun alive and held captive by Shi Lei—who knew whether Duan Wumouchen would come to support Wang Jun?
Oh right, Duan Wumouchen and Wang Jun were allies. Liu Kun relied on the Tuoba Xianbei, while Wang Jun relied on the Duan clan Xianbei. When fighting, he often hired the Duan clan Xianbei’s army. Zhao Hanzhang even suspected that Liu Kun’s decision to swear brotherhood with Tuoba Yilu was inspired by Wang Jun.
Wang Jun had married his daughter to Duan Wumouchen. Liu Kun had no daughter and couldn’t become Tuoba Yilu’s father-in-law, so he could only work toward brotherhood.
In any case, she needed to meet with Duan Wumouchen before leaving Youzhou to confirm that Youzhou wouldn’t erupt in warfare again. Even though Shi Lei’s abilities weren’t afraid of the Duan clan Xianbei, warfare always required expenditure, and she had no money now!!!
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