Chapter 1072: The Emperor's Confidence

Emperor Liu's appointment of Han Xizai, unsurprisingly, caused quite a stir in the court of the Eastern Capital — like a massive boulder hurled from the heights into a placid lake, the sound was great and the waves churned, ripples endless; the birds and insects on the water's surface, the fish and shrimp beneath it, all were thrown into alarm.

The problem lay in the fact that, in most people's eyes, His Majesty the Emperor was placing too much trust in Han Xizai. Pacification Commissioner of the Southeast — a "Southeast" and a "Pacification Commissioner," both were points worth underlining and pondering deeply.

This encompassed not only Jiangnan and Jiangxi, but also Wuyue and the Min lands — one could say it covered the cream of the south. And the post of Pacification Commissioner was one with a long history; in the Great Han of today, though it was a temporary appointment by the Emperor, any temporary appointment carried astonishing power, just like the posts of Inspection Commissioner and Touring Commissioner the Emperor had previously established.

Han Xizai being dispatched to the Southeast was clearly a bearer of the sacred edict, an imperial envoy. With such trust and favor, how could the courtiers of the Great Han not have red eyes and sour stomachs?

Who was this Han Xizai? Nothing but a surrendered official. Though he had some reputation, it counted for nothing in the Eastern Capital. As for being a famed scholar — if they deigned to give you face, you had prestige; if not, you were just a doddering old man...

However, as a general rule, decisions made by Emperor Liu, once the appointments had been promulgated, were not subject to change. Though the clamor of debate was loud, it could hardly alter his will. From top to bottom, all could only fix their eyes on Han Xizai and watch how he performed, and what the outcome would be.

At the same time, for Han Xizai himself, this weighty appointment left him with no retreat. As a surrendered official bearing the imperial mandate, wielding great power, enjoying glory — should he take a single false step, or handle things poorly, or handle them so badly that results fell short of expectations, then what awaited him, if not utter ruin, would certainly be total destruction of his reputation.

The governance of the Southeast, the Two Rivers region, was temporarily held by Fan Zhi with the title of Chief Minister, while Liangzhe was under Zan Jurun's charge. Therefore, Han Xizai heading south as Pacification Commissioner was not to pacify governance and comfort the people — on the contrary, he was going to stir things up.

The tasks Emperor Liu gave Han Xizai numbered three in total.

First, relocating the powerful. Moving out the great rich, the powerful merchants, and the big landowners of the Jiang-Zhe region, to free up more living space for the common people of Jiang-Zhe, ease social contradictions, and reduce the gap between rich and poor. The destinations for relocation were mainly three: first, Hunan; second, the Northwest; third, Shanyang.

Second, striking at lawlessness. This was a targeted crackdown, punishing the wicked and evil. For those individuals or clans who relied on privilege, preyed upon the countryside, and were notorious, the harshest blows would be dealt, in coordination with the relocation campaign — a two-pronged approach.

Third, redistribution of land. This was also the most important matter. Though there was no intention of being as "spectacular" as in the Shu lands back then, in Jiang-Zhe, even if it was cutting meat with a dull knife, with several methods deployed in concert, the original pattern of wealth had to be broken.

Of course, Emperor Liu himself was well aware that this was merely a reshuffling of the deck — clearing away the old order, constructing a new pattern, easing the contradictions over land and wealth, and strengthening his rule. Indeed, Liu Chengyou said bluntly to Han Xizai: "The Jiangzuo lands are unequal in wealth; I shall equalize them." Of course, this was only said in private.

On the other hand, Emperor Liu's personal will was also at work. Under the governance of the Li and Qian families, the lands of the Two Rivers and Wuyue had indeed achieved tremendous economic and cultural development, but by the same token, the vested interests that had originally parasitized the two regimes were not to Emperor Liu's liking.

Perhaps Emperor Liu's heart was too small — now that the realm belonged to the Great Han, he was unwilling to let those people continue living in comfort and ease. Things had to change, change until they suited Emperor Liu's sense of what was right, until he felt his grip on power — only then could he rest.

In fact, for Han Xizai personally, Emperor Liu's approach to rectifying the powerful families was somewhat startling; he felt it was too radical. After all, his own reforms back then had been conservative treatment.

If Han Xizai's policies back then had merely been about restricting the powerful nobles, great merchants, and big landowners — snatching food from their mouths and cutting meat from their flesh — then Emperor Liu's approach was to sever the roots and overturn everything to start anew.

If the methods were too fierce, it could easily provoke unrest, stir up popular rebellion, or even mutiny — one should never underestimate the influence of local powerful clans and lineages. However, when he noticed the bright, moonlike light in Emperor Liu's eyes, and the faint, barely perceptible smile of amusement in the divine radiance within, Han Xizai immediately abandoned any thought of offering remonstrance.

It was clear that the Son of Heaven was using him because he valued his modest reputation and ability, and was giving him a chance to clear his name. At the same time, what was wanted was an executor. On specific matters, he could offer suggestions, but on matters of decision-making, it was not his place to speak.

Moreover, even if things deviated somewhat from his own expectations — the opportunity was now given; would he take it or not? Having thought all this through, Han Xizai wisely made his choice...

Indeed — a sovereign of such stature as Emperor Liu, a unifier of the realm, with his consistently cultivated style of dominance — how could the old powerful nobles and mighty clans of Jiang-Zhe possibly threaten him? What capital did they have to bargain with him?

The only remaining concern was perhaps the unwillingness to plunge the intact southeastern half of the realm into war and suffer unnecessary wounds. Yet what Emperor Liu was doing was, in his own judgment, correct and necessary.

If unrest truly arose because the policies were too overbearing and the methods too aggressive, would Emperor Liu be cowed by such threats? It could be said outright: the Shu rebellion back then was, to a certain extent, the result of Emperor Liu's subconscious indulgence. Since he had not feared the Shu rebellion, how could he fear mere Jiang-Zhe?

The Emperor Liu of today, the Great Han court of today, could be described in one sentence: gather all the heroes of the realm and none could contend with him. Moreover, the "heroes" had already been eliminated one and all — why fear the remnants of their courage?

Everything, whether correct or not, regardless of the criticism, could ultimately only be implemented and attempted according to the Emperor's will and thinking. If done well, if done successfully, then he remained a wise sovereign, an enlightened ruler of great talent. If done poorly, the worst he could be was a Sui Yangdi — and besides, Emperor Liu was one who "cheated."

Of course, Emperor Liu was no reckless brute either. He calculated gains and losses, weighed risks, and seized opportunities. As for the affairs of Jiang-Zhe, he had endured several months of patience before preparing to act.

In the months since the successful pacification of the south, the court's rehabilitation work in the southeastern region had never ceased. Up to now, the most important matters had largely been handled.

First, the original bureaucrats of Jinling and Hangzhou had basically all been relocated northward, sweeping their upper political echelon clean.

Second, the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous levies formulated by the two former states had been abolished wholesale, proclaimed to all the people, grace bestowed upon the populace. The southeastern commoners who had benefited might still watch and wait for a while, but at least they would not harbor much more resentment toward the Great Han court.

Third, capable officials were sent south, replacing large numbers of the original southern functionaries. By the second month of the first year of Kaibao, the government offices of the southeastern prefectures and counties were basically in the court's hands, submitting to the greater cause, achieving de facto unification.

Fourth, thorough military reorganization. The combined armies of the two former states, over three hundred thousand strong, were rapidly digested, reorganized, and properly settled. Mentioning this, one must again praise Qian Hongchu's profound understanding of righteousness — the lands of Liangzhe held not only millions of people but also over one hundred forty thousand troops, which the court absorbed without expending a single soldier. Once the armies were under control, Emperor Liu had sufficient confidence to do anything.

More importantly, Emperor Liu's rectification campaign in Jiang-Zhe could be said to stand on the side of the masses, infringing upon the interests of a small minority — it had a foundation in public sentiment. Even if it did not, once the campaign unfolded, it would be enough to create public sentiment.

As long as he did not stand against everyone, did not conflict with the interests of all under heaven, then no matter what happened, he would have enough confidence to face it and resolve it. That said, Emperor Liu did, at times, truly have his "willful" side.

Of course, the "work team" sent to Jiangnan was not just Han Xizai alone — he was merely the lead. Emperor Liu had drawn ten capable officials from the various departments within the capital, dispatched Wang Zhu and Zhang Yi (Zhang Ji's uncle) from the localities, plus Zhong Mo and a host of southern officials in coordination.

At the same time, edicts had also gone out to the local military and civil authorities to cooperate fully!