Now that Xie Shuai has proposed this system, Wu Qiu is overjoyed. He has always admired the official system of the Southern Dynasties and believes it is a suitable selection system for the present.
Xie Lanzhi said, "Let's set up the final examination venue in Tianjing, and temporarily set up the provincial and metropolitan examinations in the border towns of the border prefectures."
"I will fund the construction of academies and provide subsidies for scholars in that area."
Although the imperial examination system only spread to small areas, it was better to have something in the making than nothing.
"Marshal, although it is temporary, it can attract unseen scholars and strategists from all over the world, and also let the world see your respect for scholars." Wu Qiu praised without reservation: "Marshal's move will surely make you famous for all time."
Xie Lanzhi did not want this reputation. She was just someone who stood on the shoulders of giants and picked up scraps from others, and she did not have the right to it.
Seeing that Xie Shuai was not being praised, Wu Qiu had to tone it down.
Taking the opportunity, Xie Lanzhi brought up another matter: "By the way, send a message to the eight Jin states to inform them that the eldest princess of the main wife has been reinstated."
Wu Qiu asked, "Does the Marshal have any other instructions?"
Xie Lanzhi felt that it was impossible to become fat overnight, so she simply announced this part.
The Xie officials, who were unaware of the imperial examination system, all inquired about it with Wu Qiu, who had been promoted. Wu Qiu explained it to them one by one.
After the explanation, the Xie officials all became serious.
After all, the imperial examination system was something they were vying for, and they couldn't tolerate their interests being divided up. So they all petitioned Xie Lanzhi, saying, "Please, Marshal, rescind the decree! This imperial examination system is detrimental to our Xie family."
Xie Lanzhi did not take a hard line against them this time. As the leader of the vested interest group, it was righteous for her to take away her own interests, but it was impossible for her to make her clansmen think of the world as she did.
After all, people are selfish.
She said, "From now on, the Xie family members should study diligently and strive to be among the first batch of talents selected through the imperial examinations. The same applies to those who take the military examinations."
"If it doesn't work out in the future, we'll decide on a later date."
Upon hearing this, the Xie officials had no choice but to compromise. Since General Xie intended to have his own people experiment with the imperial examination system first and occupy positions in advance, they had no objections for the time being. After all, it was just an experiment, and they could come out together to overturn the system if it proved unsuitable later.
"Your subject obeys the order."
After mentioning the imperial examination, Xie Lanzhi finally turned her attention back to Shanxi.
She issued an imperial decree: "From this day forward, if anyone in my territory dares to presume to be emperor before the legitimate heirs of the Jin Dynasty, my Xie clan will surely send troops to punish them!"
The Xie family's military officers all placed their hands on their waist swords, instantly igniting a spirit of martial prowess.
When the imperial edict reached the various regions of the Eight Jin, the Fifth and Sixth Jin responded first, vowing not to declare themselves emperors but to remain focused on Tianjing. Si Lei received the edict while still in Tianjing, and that very night he returned to the Seventh Jin, furious that his imperial dreams had been shattered.
As for the four Jin states, because they were located in the remote northwest, north, south, and central-northern regions, by the time they received the news, the four rulers discovered that their niece had actually managed to get the Xie family to reinstate her.
They were also granted territory, which was larger than their Jin Dynasty, and the land in the border towns and prefectures was fertile, unlike their harsh, frozen land.
These four Jin states were poor relatives compared to the fifth, sixth, and seventh Jin states.
As the saying goes, "a wealthy man has distant relatives even in the deep mountains," and the people of Sijin seized the opportunity to send their eldest son to Tianjing to curry favor with their relatives in Siqitong.
After hearing this, apart from Si Lei who was a bit more assertive, the other two Jin brothers also sent their youngest sons to Tianjing to acknowledge their relatives.
Xie Lanzhi's grand restoration of the Jin dynasty has stirred up the entire south. She has begun to exert pressure on the eight Jin dynasties with the power of the legitimate wife.
She heard that someone from the Eight Jin states had sent a young master to the capital to test her attitude.
Xie Lanzhi ignored some of her illegitimate sons and, during a council meeting in the Golden Palace, proposed to reclaim the territories belonging to the legitimate family of Tianjing.
"What are your thoughts on the fate of the lost territory belonging to the legitimate wife?"
Since Si Xitong was reinstated, the influence of officials in Tianjing has increased significantly, and some have begun to suggest: "General Xie, I believe that these disputed areas are extremely scattered and there are many rebels. Why not send troops to retake them?"
Another official argued, "This will inevitably cause disputes with the Eight Jin, since many remote areas of Tianjing have fallen to the Eight Jin, and the Eight Jin consider General Xie their benefactor. We should not treat our subordinates in this way."
Some opinions were conservative, while others went straight to the point.
Xie Lanzhi believes this is something that must be faced sooner or later. In chaotic times, the strong are respected, and she has already been very fair. This time, there's no need for a war of words.
She decisively ordered: "Xie Guang, take 10,000 men to the strategic location of Bajin. If they refuse, attack them. If they do, record their names on the list and I will compensate them accordingly."
Xie Guang excitedly replied, "This humble general obeys!"
Xie Guang led 10,000 men out, and the Eight Jin states, upon receiving the news, began to gather their subordinates to settle accounts with the land and return it to Tianjing. Apart from the Seven Jin states, they also received more territory.
Some key areas have not yet been returned, not because the Eight Jin states are unwilling, but because these areas have been occupied by rebel forces. The rebels have formed their own independent territory and their fighting strength is slightly stronger than that of the Jin troops. The Eight Jin states are too lazy to spend the resources to manage them, so they have been putting the matter aside.
Now that Xie Zhu is in charge, they can ask him to remove a worry from their hearts.
When Xie Guang encountered rebels, they even negotiated with him to return the goods. Xie Guang believed that the Grand Marshal was a conciliatory person and would accept the surrender.
Unexpectedly, upon learning of this, Xie Lanzhi immediately ordered: "Execute them!"
Xie Guang was immediately taken aback. Why had the Marshal changed his appeasement policy?
Chapter 32 She asked, "What is an economic blockade?"
Less than three months after Xie entered Tianjing, war broke out again.
The disorganized rebel army was no match for them. Even though they claimed to have 100,000 men, they actually numbered no more than 30,000 in actual combat. Moreover, after losing just one county, the 30,000 rebels scattered and fled in all directions.
Xie Guang wasn't satisfied with the killing spree. He left 5,000 men to defend the territory, while the remaining 5,000 pursued the surging rebel army, fighting their way to the northern gate. Only 8,000 rebels remained. After being captured, the 8,000 were all used to build fortifications.
With the suppression nearly complete, Xie Guang wrote down his doubts in the battle report and asked Xie Lanzhi, "Why didn't the Marshal accept the surrender?"
"The bandits and rebels should be spared, as they waste resources. We should strive to retain good civilians and avoid the rebel army from breaking their promise and enriching themselves!"
Xie Lanzhi had a precise understanding of these rebels. They wanted to feign surrender to demand food, and then rebel again when the situation became unstable. They had used this tactic several times.
This time, encountering Xie Jun meant there was no more opportunity for speculation and profiteering.
The principal wife's territory consisted of thirteen cities and two counties. In addition, Xie Lanzhi incorporated the border prefectures and towns into the principal wife's territory.
The territory belonging to Siqitong already includes one prefecture, two counties, and fourteen districts.
The legitimate heirs have restored the territory of the Ninth Jin Dynasty. Although Princess Siqi Tong, as a princess, is not called a ruler like the rulers of the Eighth Jin Dynasty, she is more than a ruler in many ways.
When the Eight Jin states heard that Xie Lanzhi's top general had subdued the rebels they couldn't handle in just ten days, they were all terrified by the Xie family's fighting prowess and each sent their eldest son to Tianjing to express their determination.
Xie Lanzhi settled everyone in the mansion to make a statement, but she did not see a single person.
at the same time.
Si Xitong was ordered by the Duke of Zheng to resettle the displaced people.
Duke Zheng knew that many places in the Nine Jin were in war zones and sparsely populated. Now that things had settled down, people were needed to move in; otherwise, the Nine Jin territories would be nothing more than empty land.
On that day, he voluntarily opened his granaries to distribute grain and attract refugees from all over the country to come to Shanxi.
Unexpectedly, the refugees did not believe him at all, and he recruited several hundred people in one day.
When Si Xitong learned of this, she directly instructed Xie Shangguang to go to Jiujin to register households and allocate land to the government. Although the land in Jiujin was not fertile, it was real land that was being allocated, and whether or not the farmers could cultivate it depended on their own abilities.
Si Xitong's move was undoubtedly teaching people how to fish.
Xie Shangguang, accompanied by a household registration officer and a junior official from the Ministry of Revenue, went to settle a group of refugees. He issued them household registrations and had them affix their fingerprints to their land grants. Each adult male could receive one mu (approximately 0.16 acres), and each woman of marriageable age could receive one mu. Women with children could receive one and a half mu. The elderly and disabled received one mu, and they were also given an extra bag of grain and seeds.
Although the land allocated was small, it attracted many displaced people and their families to come over.
Migrants from all over the country formed a migration wave, an inevitable trend. Upon hearing of this, all the migrants flocked to Jiujin. As long as they arrived in Jiujin, regardless of their surname, they would be registered as citizens of Jiujin and would no longer be considered savages.
Once they become official citizens, the roaming rebels and bandits will not dare to bully them. If they attack official citizens, the ruler of Jiujin will hold the rebels accountable. Moreover, the rebels who had previously bullied them were almost wiped out by Xie Zhu.
The ruler of Jiujin was also the wife of Xie Zhu. Compared to the other weaker states, the people of Jiujin were almost all residents of the capital city.
It can be said that it has a geographical advantage.
In comparison, the household registration of the Ninth Jin is more valuable than that of the Eighth Jin.
The migration of refugees occurred in waves, starting with a group of a thousand people, then three thousand, and later increasing to tens of thousands.
In just half a month, 200,000 people in Jiujin had received land, and with the grain distributed by the Duke of Zheng, these people were able to settle down in Jiujin. At least they no longer had to worry about their personal safety and only about food.
The grain in Jiujin was barely enough to feed the people.
Si Xitong calculated that early spring would not arrive for another month, and the grain could barely last until then, but not until the rice harvest was complete.
Just as she was feeling troubled, Xie Lanzhi returned to Lanzhang Palace and saw the beautiful woman on the imperial table, her brows furrowed and her lips pursed in a pitiful manner.
In the vast palace, only her beautiful figure stood out, turning the desolate Lanzhang Palace into a place she could return to.
She went around behind her, pressed her hand down, and with a brush in hand, wrote the character "允" (allowed) on the petition for grain.
Si Xitong was slightly taken aback, and she immediately pressed her hand back: "No."
"If you don't want it, where will the food come from?" Xie Lanzhi said helplessly, "Don't be stubborn."
The little girl shook her head, her eyes serious as she said, "I can't take it anymore. I want to write an IOU."
Xie Lanzhi had no choice but to go along with her: "Except for the border prefectures and cities, most of the land in Jiujin is not suitable for growing rice. Even if you borrow from me, what about next year's rice?"
Having finally managed to bring the people of Jin together, she now faces a food crisis. In this chaotic world, how could she leave her alone to face a problem that most people cannot solve?
Even with advanced modern industry and abundant food supplies, some countries still struggle to feed themselves.
In the southern regions, even with three harvests of rice a year, some people still cannot get enough to eat. The situation is even worse in Shanxi.
Si Xitong sighed helplessly, “Although Jiujin is not suitable for growing rice, it cannot be abandoned. Recently, I have searched through the Qimin Yaoshu and found something that can relieve the people’s famine.”
Xie Lanzhi suddenly guessed what it was.
She was waiting for her to speak.
Si Xitong said slowly, “This plant takes root underground, its roots resemble hammers, and its bark is yellow, red, and purple. It can be grown in any place and its yield is extremely high.”
"This plant is mostly grown in the northern regions."
"It is called sweet potato."
It's a sweet potato.
Xie Lanzhi believed that sweet potatoes could indeed relieve famine, and the yield of sweet potatoes was similar to that of potatoes. Before potatoes became widespread in the Central Plains, sweet potatoes could completely replace potatoes.
She said, "As long as this thing has a single vine, it can grow vine after vine, endlessly, until it grows into a field of sweet potatoes."
“Sweet potato.” Si Xitong’s eyes lit up. “That seems more fitting.”
"Leave this to me." Xie Lanzhi let go of her hand, but unexpectedly, Si Xitong put down his pen before she could and went behind her to help her undress.
Her voice behind her was somewhat indifferent and pleasant: "It seems that it has been a while since I undressed you."
The orange glow under the candlelight added to the warm atmosphere as she whispered softly, making Xie Lanzhi feel gentle.