Ji Han Liu Zhang

As a monarch, Liu Zhang had another hard day of handling government affairs. Instead of taking a hot bath and going to bed early, he set up a desk in the courtyard, on which were placed several stacks of side dishes and a pot of sake.

"The moon is like a hook, and the lonely phoenix tree in the deep courtyard locks the autumn."

Liu Zhang was in a very good mood. Looking at the crescent-shaped moon in the sky, he recited the poems of Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

Since ancient times, the world has been divided, the people have no master, and the heroes have been fighting for supremacy. In the end, only one person will capture the fat deer in the Central Plains and win the world. As for other princes of the same period, they either surrendered or died, just like Li Yu, the "Marquis of Disobedience".

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Zhang is determined to pacify the world and benefit the country. He is going to compete with the heroes of the Three Kingdoms and compete for the fat deer in the Central Plains, but he doesn't know what the outcome will be.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhang remembered the issue of the sparse population in Guanzhong that he had discussed with Xun You and Jia Xu today.

At that time, two solutions were discussed. One was to recruit the displaced people from Guanzhong, and the second was to compete with Cao Cao for the refugees and use better policies to attract the refugees from Guandong to Guanzhong.

In addition to these two methods, Liu Zhang had some other ideas. He intended to relocate the families of the elite Shu Army, Wudang Flying Army, and the Bandun Barbarians he recruited in Ba County to Guanzhong.

Later, when he sent troops to conquer, most of them started from Guanzhong. If the families of his soldiers were still in Shu, the soldiers would have to be separated from their families. The soldiers might be able to accept a separation of several months, but if it lasted for several years, I am afraid that the soldiers would be furious.

And if the wives and children of the Shu Army, Wudang Flying Army, and Bandun Man were all relocated to Guanzhong, these soldiers would calm down and be willing to stay in Guanzhong for a long time, instead of always worrying about their wives and children in Shu.

This method also has another function, which is to enrich the population of Guanzhong. After all, the population of Guanzhong is too sparse now and cannot become the foundation of Liu Zhang's hegemony.

It was also because the population in Guanzhong was sparse. As a result, the wives and children of soldiers who migrated to Guanzhong could share the land without having to snatch the land from the children of Guanzhong and give it to the wives and children of soldiers who migrated to Guanzhong. There was no conflict between the host and the guest over the land.

There are few people and a lot of land in Guanzhong, so many good farmlands are left barren. This is a disadvantage, but it also has advantages, Liu Zhang comforted himself.

However, whether it is recruiting refugees or relocating the wives and children of soldiers, we have to wait until the spring of next year. After all, it is October now and the cold is getting colder. If we wait for a while, there will be a scene of snowflakes flying and the ground covered with snow.

As the snow fell and the temperature dropped, keeping warm became a big problem in the absence of cotton. Therefore, in the middle of winter, people should just rest and recuperate, and not engage in any large-scale population migration activities.

This is also the reason why Liu Zhang did not allow the shogunate team led by the chief secretary Wang Shang who stayed in Chengdu, and his family to migrate to Guanzhong immediately. Whether it is the migration of the shogunate team or the relocation of Liu Zhang's family, they have to wait until the weather is better.

Furthermore, the migration could not be completed in one go. When the only means of transportation were cattle and horses, and the roads in and out of Shu were rugged and difficult to travel, it was most reasonable to complete the task in batches over several years.

But no matter what, the shogunate team and Liu Zhang's family had to migrate from Shu to Guanzhong. Shu was remote and the roads were difficult to travel. It was not suitable to be the location of a hegemonic government that was competing for supremacy in the world. It was not as convenient as Guanzhong, which had convenient terrain and was connected to all directions.

Do things one by one, take one step at a time, otherwise you may end up with a big step and end up with a lot of trouble. Patience is a necessary quality to build a beautiful new world.

"Zhangba, Yuanxiong, if you two feel tired, just go and rest. You don't have to be on duty here all the time... Chang'an has been in my hands for a long time, and I have guards patrolling inside and outside the palace. There will definitely be no problems."

After having a few drinks, Liu Zhang looked to his side and said something caringly, intending to let his personal guards Zhangba and Wu Ban go to rest. He was in a good mood to appreciate the moon today, but if Zhangba and Wu Ban could not rest because of him appreciating the moon, that would not be a good thing.

"My lord, I am not tired." Zhangba said in a muffled voice, rejecting Liu Zhang's concern. He still stood beside Liu Zhang, performing his duties steadily.

"Mingsir, I am not sleepy at all." Wu Ban also refused.

Facing the two loyal and diligent chiefs of the personal guards, Liu Zhang smiled. He called the attendants and asked them to set up two tables of banquets. He planned to take Zhangba and Wu Ban to appreciate the moon together instead of letting them stand there idle.

This was also his means of winning people's hearts. He always treated Zhangba and Wu Ban, the two officers who served as his personal guards and protected him closely, with kindness. After all, the mentality of his personal guards was related to their own lives.

Soon, the attendants brought two tables and placed wine and food on them for Zhangba and Wu Ban to enjoy.

After the wine and food were served, Zhangba drank and ate by himself like a glutton. He was of majestic build and extremely tall, and the amount of food and drinks he needed every day was several times that of an ordinary person, so he did not pay attention to his posture when eating.

Wu Ban on the other hand was a little more elegant. After all, he was a child of aristocratic family and would never appear to have vulgar manners. But as a military commander, Wu Ban would not drink in small sips and chew slowly like the literati. His eating posture was still somewhat rough.

"My lord, I wonder when the expedition to Liang Province will be launched?" Wu Ban asked Liu Zhang during the banquet.

Liu Zhang smiled calmly and replied, "The earliest we can conquer Liang Province is after the summer harvest next year, when taxes are collected and money and grain are sufficient. Of course, this is the earliest possible time. The future is uncertain and cannot be predicted for sure."

"Yuanxiong, do you have any ideas?" After Liu Zhang finished answering, he asked Wu Ban in return.

Wu Ban's cheeks flushed slightly, and he replied, "I don't have any plans for the expedition to Liangzhou... But I have always been your personal guard, never faced the enemy in battle, and have no achievements, but I am the captain. I feel very ashamed of this."

At this point, Wu Ban paused, raised his still slightly childish face, and solemnly bowed to Liu Zhang and said, "Ban, if there is an expedition to Liangzhou in the future, I am willing to fight on your side, and live up to your kindness."

Looking at the young man's heroic face, Liu Zhang did not answer immediately. Instead, he was feeling emotional in his heart. Wu Ban gave up the safe and promising position of being a personal guard and was determined to kill the enemy in battle. This was the ambition that a Han man should have and it was also the majestic spirit of the Han Dynasty.

"I accept this request." Liu Zhang nodded and accepted Wu Ban's request under Wu Ban's expectant gaze. (End of this chapter)