Chapter 1355: A Knotty Problem Hard to Untangle

Rising to his feet, Liu Yang paced about the room, lost in thought, until a palace eunuch brought in two cups of hot milk. Only then did he sit down, personally placing one cup before Song Xiong and waving his hand to dismiss the eunuch.

Having pondered to this point, Liu Yang seemed to have settled on what he wanted to say. Looking at Song Xiong, he gave a light sigh and said, "Lord Song, if you were to ask the court for money and grain, for silk and cloth, for seeds and farming tools, or even for officials and talented men, all of these could be easily resolved. Only this matter of population—that is not easily solved!"

Song Xiong also took a sip of the hot milk and nodded in response: "Your Highness, this old minister understands!"

Liu Yang continued: "Since the beginning of the Kaibao era, the court has had a policy of relocating people to strengthen the frontiers, but as for its results—you, being in the Yan Mountains, have surely heard something of the matter.

At present, there is not a single border of the Great Han that does not lack population. Though the policy of migration has not been abolished, it has in practice fallen into stagnation. In the end, the court cannot forcibly order the people to move to the frontiers by decree.

For one, local officials are unwilling to let their people go, and the common folk, who value their native soil and find it hard to leave, are likewise unwilling to abandon their homes. If administrative orders were used to force the matter, it would surely provoke popular resentment—this has already shown signs of occurring.

Therefore, if Liaodong were to ask the court for people, the court would be hard-pressed! Moreover, Liaodong is likewise remote and bitterly cold; even criminals sentenced to exile would be reluctant to come here, and at present it is not yet tranquil..."

"Your Highness speaks truly!" Song Xiong nodded again and said to Liu Yang: "Everything Your Highness has said, this old minister knows well. Yet it is precisely for this reason that Liaodong must be filled with people, to consolidate rule there. Liaodong is in ruin, with a hundred things awaiting restoration—if there is no population, how can it be revived?

On the other hand, Liaodong, like the northwestern regions, has long been separated from the Central Plains and unaccustomed to imperial rule. The various peoples there, including the surviving Han descendants, hold little reverence or submission toward the Great Han.

Over the past ten-odd years, His Majesty has used various policies and opportunities to relocate people to strengthen the frontiers and fill the northwest, precisely to reassert imperial prestige and grace, to consolidate the foundation and nurture the roots, and to strengthen the Great Han's control over its former territories. The people of the Great Han are the most important foundation of all.

Compared to the northwest, the situation in the northeast is even more severe. After all, nearly fifty years of Liao control and influence have allowed three generations to grow up under it. If they are to be brought back into the fold, the price and time required will be far greater.

Therefore, this old minister believes that no matter how difficult it may be, the court must fill Liaodong with people!"

Song Xiong's words were reasoned and well-founded, taking into account both the legacy of history and the realities of the present. In short, the point was: more people were needed! On public grounds, it was of course to strengthen the Great Han's rule over Liaodong; on private grounds, he, as the dignified Administration Commissioner of Liaodong, could hardly let the population under his jurisdiction remain forever inferior to those populous prefectures of the Central Plains. To accomplish things and produce achievements, one also needed population.

While Song Xiong was speaking, Liu Yang also nodded unconsciously, indicating agreement with his views. After pondering for a moment, he asked: "Lord Song, since you have come to see me, you must have some ideas. You may draft a memorial; if it is feasible, I will present it on your behalf to the central government and His Majesty!"

Hearing this, Song Xiong's old face immediately broke into a beaming smile. Was this not precisely what he had been seeking—the Crown Prince's support? The same memorial, when presented by the Crown Prince, carried far more weight than if he presented it himself.

Drawing a memorial from his sleeve, Song Xiong respectfully presented it, saying: "Before coming, your minister drafted a memorial. Please, Your Highness, take a look!"

Liu Yang took it and read through it. Skipping over the passages describing the necessity of filling Liaodong's population, he focused on the specific measures. But upon seeing the first item, his brows furrowed.

Song Xiong's proposals totaled seven items, all revolving around recommendations for filling and restoring Liaodong and formulating related policies. Especially in attracting newcomers, he planned to introduce numerous preferential policies, the core of which was free distribution of land, government provision of resettlement costs and various forms of assistance, and large-scale tax exemption.

For a period of fifteen years, all regular taxes, including the two-tax system, would be completely exempted; the poll tax would be abolished; commercial taxes and customs duties would likewise all be waived, to attract merchants and invigorate the private sector. Essentially, for common folk migrating to Liaodong, within ten years, apart from necessary corvée labor, they would bear no other burdens whatsoever.

Such conditions, it must be said, were extremely enticing. Beyond this, there were also things the court could cooperate on, such as local governments being forbidden from obstructing the migration of common folk, and all criminals sentenced to exile being sent to Liaodong, and so forth.

Of course, what truly made Liu Yang frown was that first item. Song Xiong had set his sights on the Han army troops remaining to garrison Liaodong. He suggested that these Han soldiers be registered as Liaodong residents, granted land, and have their families relocated there.

Sixty thousand Han soldiers meant sixty thousand households—several hundred thousand people. If this could be accomplished, Liaodong's population would directly double. With just a little imagination, it was enough to excite Song Xiong.

Of course, his appetite was not that large. He dared not covet the officers and men of the imperial army, nor did he have such a big appetite. But the border troops who remained, along with some local forces—these could be won over.

Liu Yang naturally understood that this was a direct and effective method, but he was equally aware that the operational difficulty was considerable. An army obeys orders without question; if they were sent to the battlefield, to fight, to die, there would not be too much complaint. But if they were asked to remain in Liaodong permanently, problems would easily arise. Matters involving the military naturally demanded extra caution and care.

"Lord Song's memorial shows great insight!" Liu Yang finished reading Song Xiong's memorial carefully, looked up at him with an inscrutable expression, and said: "After I return to court, I will present it on your behalf!"

Song Xiong observed Liu Yang's expression. Though there was no clear opinion given, nor any commitment made, Song Xiong still expressed his gratitude: "I thank Your Highness!"

This old fellow knew well in his heart that things could not go entirely according to his ideas. But since the proposals had been made, surely a few items would be approved—there would be some gains after all.

Speaking of it, even by the eighth year of Kaibao, population remained one of the governance goals the Great Han pursued, and also one of the problems constraining its continued development.

According to the population statistics reported by various regions in the sixth year of Kaibao, the Great Han's registered households already exceeded 6.74 million, approximately 40 million people. Over the past decade, a great baby boom had emerged among the common folk, with people boldly giving birth and raising children as much as they could.

This number already represented rapid growth—more than quadrupling compared to the founding of the state. One must remember that in the early years of Qianyou, the population under the Great Han's rule had not even reached 9 million.

In the Great Han, there was no shortage of densely populated places, such as the capital region and Jiangzhe, and there were even super-cities like Kaifeng and Luoyang with populations of a million.

But on the whole, the Great Han remained in a state of vast territory with sparse population. Land for cultivation was abundant, and the population capacity was far from overflowing. Against such a backdrop, the difficulty of mobilizing the common folk to leave their homes and go fill Liaodong, to develop the great northeast, could well be imagined.

The people had no enthusiasm; relying only on government guidance or even forced implementation would not yield good results, and might even produce half the results with twice the effort. The previous relocations of people to the northwestern circuits and prefectures had already proven this point.

Of course, there were always ways. Song Xiong's several suggestions demonstrated their appeal well. Liaodong was indeed remote, but its own conditions were not too poor. In the past, whenever the Central Plains fell into chaos and war, it had been a pure land of refuge for scholars and common folk alike.

Its fertile land and abundant resources provided a foundation for development. However, the conditions Song Xiong had memorialized were too generous in their preferential treatment, and the policies were too loosely drawn. If approved, they would likely trigger a chain reaction and provoke discontent among other circuits and prefectures. After all, the court could not single out and favor a just-recovered Liaodong.

Liu Yang saw all of this, and therefore made no clear statement. In the end, he still intended to present the memorial on Song Xiong's behalf, letting Emperor Liu and the assembled ministers of the court make the decision. Regardless, Liaodong would ultimately need to be properly managed. If Liaodong was unstable, then there could be no sound foundation for rule in the northeast.