The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 397 Makino
Qi State began to truly develop the inland areas of Hanzhou during the Xing period of the Han Dynasty. As the railway continued to extend inland, the once scattered settlements and towns gradually connected into a line and then into one.

The vast plains west of the Datong Mountains (now the Great Dividing Range) have rich grassland resources. Initially, the pasture and water sources here were open to everyone free of charge. In addition to several government-run ranches, there were also countless small private ranches, providing a steady supply of meat and furs for the coastal areas.

During the Shaoning period, a lot of capital from the east began to be invested in animal husbandry in the inland areas of Hanzhou. After paying land concession fees, they enclosed land, occupied many areas with the richest grasslands and water resources, and established large ranches that extended from one side of Datong Mountain to the central part.

Areas suitable for cattle are also suitable for sheep raising. The sheep raising industry in the inland areas of Hanzhou expanded to the surrounding areas with the southeast as the center. The gold rush made the southwest region an important sheep producing area. Later, sheep raising and cattle raising also developed in the central semi-desert area.

During the Shaoning period, the government also consciously allocated immigrants to inland areas to build new towns and settlements. When the first transcontinental railway was completed, more immigrants and capital were able to enter the inland areas, allowing the continent, which had been "abandoned" for tens of thousands of years, to regain life.

During this period, Qi's industrial revolution was coming to an end. A large number of agricultural machinery and continuously improved water conservancy facilities helped the development of agriculture in the inland semi-arid areas, prompting many pioneering farmers and ranchers to migrate to arid areas and settle there, and even enter the central region which was not very suitable for farming.

According to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, all public land in the central and western regions belonged to the government. Although some pastoral areas were open to everyone, according to pastoral customs, if an operator first occupied a grassland and established a ranch, he would be able to have priority use of all land and water sources around the ranch after paying full pastoral taxes.

By the 1920s, many ranchers who had "occupied the land" in advance had already occupied a large number of resource-rich areas and controlled the pastures and water sources there. They tried their best to maintain their ownership rights and opposed the entry of later ranchers.

Later ranchers believed that they had obtained government franchises, paid the prescribed taxes and could also occupy all resources on the pasture, so they challenged the earlier arrivals.

In order to compete for the right to use various resources, cattle ranchers, sheep ranchers and pioneer farmers would compete with each other, often leading to violent conflicts.

At the same time, there are conflicts and contradictions within the cattle industry. The cattle cooperatives and local governments have adopted various measures but have failed to solve the problem of overgrazing in pastoral areas. Instead, the conflict between large and small ranchers has become increasingly serious.

In some pastoral areas, the first comers believe that there are too many cattle, while the later comers still believe that they have the right to use the area; small ranchers use their right of first occupancy to interfere with the pastoral operations of the later comers.

At the same time, the regulations formulated by the cattle cooperatives attempt to prevent newcomers from entering the pastoral areas and infringe on their grazing freedom and management rights in order to safeguard the interests of large ranchers.

The opening of cattle grazing areas also attracted a large number of sheep. During the Hanxing period, there were only more than 400,000 sheep in Handong Province. By the first year of Yonglong, the number of sheep exceeded 5 million, far exceeding the number of cattle. The large-scale reproduction of sheep caused many problems in the pastures, such as grass degradation and land desertification, which further intensified the struggle among ranchers for resources.

In addition, pioneer farmers or ranchers are a greater threat to ranchers, and tens of millions of new immigrants are constantly squeezing the existence of ranches.

For example, Wenshui Prefecture was previously a typical pastoral area, but with the influx of a large number of immigrants, many grasslands and dry lands were transformed into farmland, where large quantities of cotton, wheat, corn and other crops were grown.

These pioneering farmers ignored the hostility of ranchers and natural disasters and entered the grazing plains. Their biggest concern was that they could not find effective fencing materials in the plains. For them, building fences was necessary both to protect their crops from invasion by cattle and sheep and to protect their territory.

Farmers demand that ranchers keep their livestock in confinement, while ranchers demand that they graze freely. The constant disputes have led to frequent conflicts between the two sides.

As we all know, the inland of Hanzhou is dry and rainless, there is a lack of trees, and there are government laws prohibiting it. If you want to buy wood from the coastal areas and build a 100-meter fence, it will cost more than ten yuan. This is an extremely high expense for farmers, so they can only find other alternative ways to isolate the invasion of cattle and sheep.

They dug trenches, built earthen ramparts, raised dogs to drive away the wolves, and even fired warning shots to prevent the cattle and sheep from eating their own farmland.

Later, barbed wire, which was used on a large scale by plantation owners in Southeast Asia, was introduced to the mainland. With the large-scale industrial production, the price of this fence material continued to fall. Ranchers and farmers in inland areas also began to use barbed wire to build fences to enclose their own land and prevent others (livestock) from invading (eating and destroying) it.

It's ridiculous to say that within a few years after the appearance of barbed wire, the landscape of the inland areas of Hanzhou was completely destroyed. The large-scale fencing and enclosure activities of ranchers and farmers (or individual farmers) made the once vast and flat plains surrounded by countless barbed wires, and many places could no longer enjoy the freedom of riding horses.

However, the existence of barbed wire cannot prevent conflicts. The later ranchers, who could not get enough grass to graze, could only roam their cattle and sheep. When they encountered the fences of other ranchers, they would deliberately destroy them and then cross the other ranch.

Such behavior will naturally be met with violent protests from ranchers, who will beat the vandals and kill some cattle and sheep as a warning.

"So, they are here to take revenge today?"

Li Yanliang sat in the outdoor awning, drinking the milk tea made by the host while listening to the other party angrily narrating the ins and outs of the conflict that had just occurred.

It is obvious that the rancher surnamed Cheng has been operating this grassland for more than 40 years. He is considered one of the earliest pioneers here and has raised nearly 10,000 cattle and sheep. The grassland and water sources within a radius of several miles all belong to them. They have also gradually built a barbed wire fence to protect the rights and interests of the ranch.

A new rancher was unhappy that they had occupied the most fertile pastures and main water sources, so he frequently destroyed their barbed wire fences and drove large herds of cattle and sheep to graze on the grass.

In order to defend their own territory, the Cheng brothers went to warn each other several times. The dispute between the two sides gradually developed from verbal disputes to fistfights, and even clubs and swords were used at one point.

Although both families were considerate of the government and the law and no one was killed, they often caused violent and bloody incidents.

Today, I beat you up.

The next day, the other party used a weapon to beat him until his face was covered in blood.

One day later, I will catch you off guard and break one of your legs.

After receiving the report, the local animal husbandry supervisor also sent people to deal with it, and even dispatched police to arrest the two people who committed the crime, and detained and fined them, but they still failed to resolve the contradictions and conflicts between the two sides. After all, the government is far away and cannot take care of it.

Moreover, the fights between the two parties were all private, and they both knew to hold back. No one was killed, and they just hoped that the other party would make some degree of concessions.

However, when it comes to economic interests, who would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the other party?

"The Duan guys don't know the rules at all! According to the principle of first come first served, we naturally have the priority to graze on the public pasture. Moreover, the small reservoir was built bit by bit by us over two generations and more than 30 years. Sir, tell me, why can they come and take advantage of us at will? Humph, today they even dared to show their muskets to threaten us. ...Who are they trying to scare? It's as if we don't have any muskets!"

As he spoke, Cheng Zhongmin slammed the tea bowl in his hand heavily on the small table, and the tea inside splashed out.

Perhaps he felt that this action was somewhat offensive to the senior lieutenant officer, so he reached out to wipe away the splashed tea and smiled awkwardly at Li Yanliang.

"It's not a good idea to continue this conflict for a long time." Li Yanliang smiled bitterly and turned to look at Xu Shibiao, the commander of the Wenshui Military Mobilization Department.

"For matters like this, it has to be resolved by the local pastoral supervisor." Xu Shibiao naturally knew more about the situation at the ranch, but he did not want to intervene.

Not to mention, they belong to two different departments, and if I intervene rashly, I will be criticized. Even if I want to manage it, I can't figure it out and untie the knot.

In theory, all pastures are public land, and everyone can drive their own cattle and sheep to graze. After all, such a large pasture is not like privately owned farmland. No one has spent money to buy the property rights, but only has certain management rights.

Moreover, the rancher surnamed Cheng also occupies a lot of land and water sources outside of his management rights, so he has no exclusive rights. Just relying on the inherent principle of first come, first occupied, he has monopolized most of the best ranch resources, making him an absolute beneficiary.

But they are not wrong. Many public grasslands and water sources have been managed and built by them over decades to their current size. Why should newcomers be able to enjoy them at will?
This matter is not easy to judge. Who made the government's initial management and legislation of inland pastures so rough and simple?

As a result, many loopholes are left for ranch operators to exploit, which has also caused disputes among many ranchers today.

In order to resolve conflicts between ranchers, local governments have also issued bans, stipulating that destroying pasture fences is illegal and will result in a sentence of one month to one year of hard labor and a high fine. At the same time, those who build fences on public land without permission are required to remove the fences to allow other grazers to pass unimpeded.

These bans and regulations have curbed illegal fence building and destruction to a certain extent, but have not completely eliminated the deep-seated problems and conflicts among ranchers, and private fights and violence occur from time to time.

In some pastoral areas, there have even been serious incidents where ranchers have poisoned their competitors' cattle and sheep, causing huge economic losses.

In some areas across provinces, prefectures, and counties, ranchers from different places often clash over pastures and water resources, and there are reports of casualties every year.

"The inland areas are sparsely populated, so they receive little attention, both economically and politically. Everyone's eyes are always on the coastal areas, and even if there are many problems, they cannot attract the attention of the cabinet government." Xu Shibiao whispered, "Another point is that in order to protect their reputation and avoid all kinds of unfavorable public opinion, when conflicts or violent incidents occur in pastoral areas, local government officials often choose to make a big deal out of a small matter, or directly suppress the situation and prevent it from appearing in newspapers, so as not to affect the local performance evaluation."

Hearing this, Li Yanliang sighed silently.

The empire is too large and there are too many affairs. His Majesty the Emperor and the cabinet government may not be able to manage many things.

"Captain Li, Commander Xu, I think the government should investigate those new ranchers." Cheng Zhongmin came out of the house and brought two plates of fruit to the guests, shouting, "They dared to point a musket at our heads in broad daylight. They are so arrogant! Duan even said that he doesn't even care about the big shots in the capital, let alone us ranchers."

"Listen to his nonsense!" The accompanying police inspector Wan Baofeng said disdainfully: "When he saw us coming just now, he handed over his rifle obediently. After a few whips, he dared not even fart! How dare he not take the big shots in the capital seriously?... He doesn't deserve it! Don't make up stories about others in front of us, making it seem like nothing happened to you!"

"Captain Wan..." Cheng Zhongmin was embarrassed by his retort, "You don't know how arrogant that Duan is! I remember that during a fight, that guy made a wild statement, saying that it was he who caused the Crown Prince to fall off his horse and die of his injuries, which allowed the current Emperor Yonglong to ascend the throne. Look, he is so bold to slander the royal family. I think he is not a good person, he is full of banditry, maybe he is doing murder and robbery in some overseas territory, and then he made some money and ran to our place to set up a ranch to whitewash his identity."

"That's all nonsense!" Wan Baofeng said disapprovingly, "When they start fighting, they will say some cruel words. What a person is Prince Mingde. He is the crown prince of our Qi State and is going to be the emperor. He is a humble shepherd and I am afraid he won't even see his face. As for whether he is doing murder and robbery in some overseas territory, don't slander him. You must know that to register as a resident in Wenshui, you must provide legal proof!"

"…Even if he didn't kill or rob, the money he had must be dirty. Otherwise, why would he sell cattle and sheep at such low prices every year, purely losing money to gain publicity?…He must have made a lot of dirty money somewhere else!"

"Cheng Zhongmin..." Li Yanliang suddenly stood up and looked at him sharply.

"Captain Li..." Cheng Zhongmin looked at him in astonishment.

"Come with me, there are some things I need to ask you in detail." As he said that, Li Yanliang grabbed his arm and walked out of the shed.

"Ah?...What's the matter?" Cheng Zhongmin felt his arm hurt from being grabbed by the officer, and he was almost staggering as he was dragged outside.

Seeing Li Yanliang dragging Cheng Zhongmin outside with a solemn expression on his face, the people sitting in the shed looked at each other in surprise.

Why did the rancher suddenly offend the captain?
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(End of this chapter)