Chapter 951: Song Qi

"You've seen the situation in Yunzhong for yourself—every trade is languishing, everything lies in ruin and decay. Such a sight truly grieves the heart. I sent men to investigate, and among the other prefectures, counties, and towns along Shanyang Circuit, only Yingzhou, having been recovered earlier, suffered lesser losses—yet even it is hardly any better!" Liu Chengyou sighed softly to Song Qi: "To bring peace to the people, restore farming and cultivation, and rebuild the city walls—this is a formidable task indeed!"

"Your Majesty sees with perfect clarity and knows the people's hardships intimately—truly the exemplar of an enlightened ruler!" Song Qi flattered first, then spoke in a grave tone: "To be frank with Your Majesty, on my journey here, all I passed along the way was indeed a scene of desolation, ruin everywhere one looked, nine homes empty out of ten. Especially within Huai'an's borders, there is not a trace of human habitation—the situation truly cannot be viewed with optimism!"

"A journey of a thousand li begins with a single step. How do you intend to take the first step in governing Shanyang?" Liu Chengyou asked.

On this point, Song Qi had clearly already given thought, and facing the Emperor's examination, he answered without hesitation: "Your Majesty, I believe the foremost matter is to summon the displaced people, comfort the populace, and have them each return to their fields. Distribute grain seed and farming tools, plant some late millet, and resume cultivation. However, this requires giving Shanyang a stable environment..."

"Say whatever you have to say directly—do not hesitate!" In truth, Liu Chengyou rather disliked this tactic of speaking halfway and leaving others to guess, but there were always those who liked to do it.

Seeing this, Song Qi hurriedly said: "Shanyang is, after all, a border circuit prefecture, bordering the Khitan. In this great war, the Han and Liao have forged a deep enmity, and the Liao suffered grievous casualties—sooner or later they will seek revenge. If in the years ahead the flames of war continue unabated and the ravages of conflict never cease, then even with the will to govern and pacify, there will be no strength to do it!"

Song Qi's words raised a critical issue—namely, the handling of relations with Liao. This was also what made Shanyang Circuit most unique: as the northern border stronghold bearing the brunt of any assault, it was something no governor could afford to ignore.

Nodding slightly, Liu Chengyou felt increasingly that appointing Song Qi had been the right choice. Seeing the hesitation on his face, Liu Chengyou offered reassurance: "As for the Khitan threat, you may set your mind at ease for now. They have just undergone internal turmoil and have no mind for other matters. Even after they suppress the rebellion, given their current strength, they would not dare march south without a decade or more of recuperation.

I and Commissioner Chai of the Bureau of Military Affairs have already constructed a new defensive line around Datong Prefecture, entrusted to Generals Wang Yanchao and Guo Chongwei. Both are seasoned veterans of the army with outstanding ability and deep military acumen—more than capable of repelling the enemy.

I dare not claim it is as impregnable as iron and stone, but small raiding parties can be annihilated, and even a large-scale Liao army invasion can be held off while awaiting reinforcements!"

Hearing the Emperor say this, Song Qi felt somewhat reassured. Glancing at him, he ventured tentatively: "May I ask Your Majesty, who will supply the provisions and logistics for the northern garrison troops?"

Noticing Song Qi's cautious demeanor, Liu Chengyou could not help but smile, saying: "Rest assured, on this matter I will not make things difficult for you. Until the people's livelihood is restored, the Ministry of War will handle allocation and direct supply. Locally, Hedong will provide coordinated financial support!"

Instantly relieved, Song Qi thought to himself that the Emperor was indeed very wise. Glancing at him twice, Liu Chengyou turned his body, a warm smile on his face: "I waited for you in Yunzhong precisely to discuss the governance of Shanyang Circuit. Whatever difficulties you have, whatever conditions you need, whatever policies you require—speak freely!"

At these words, Song Qi's eyes immediately lit up, his spirits visibly lifted, as if the fatigue of days of travel had suddenly dissipated. Still, he maintained his caution and asked: "Your Majesty would allow your servant to make requests freely?"

"Of course—so long as they are reasonable, I will not refuse any!" Liu Chengyou said.

Though the Emperor had made such a promise, Song Qi did not rashly press demands. Instead, he thought carefully before speaking: "Your Majesty, I believe that for recovery and reconstruction, the most important things are grain and able-bodied population. I have heard that Yunzhong is depleted of people—I hope that people can be relocated to fill Yunzhong!"

"When Prince Wei marched north, he rescued a group of commoners, nearly sixteen thousand in number. Though they were mostly the old, the weak, women, and children, they were all natives of Yunzhong. I have already ordered them summoned back. Guo Chongwei and Shi Shouxin, when they ventured beyond the frontier, also rescued over two thousand able-bodied Han men. Add to that several thousand Tuyuhun from Hedong—I entrust them all to you.

As for the rest—how to attract the people and draw in population—that will depend on your methods. I will place no obstacles in your way. The court will also carry out appropriate migration in the future, but it will not be compulsory. From now on, criminals exiled by the court will be sent to your region first!" Liu Chengyou said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Song Qi was already somewhat excited—as long as there were people, everything else would follow. On this point, Song Qi's understanding was clear-headed.

"From the livestock seized by the army beyond the frontier, I give you one thousand oxen, two thousand sheep, one thousand horses of various kinds, and one hundred thousand strings of cash." Liu Chengyou appeared quite generous.

In fact, it truly was generous—for Yunzhong, which needed to be rebuilt from the ruins, this was a tremendous fortune.

"As for grain, I will allocate fifty thousand dan to you from the military provisions!" Liu Chengyou added.

Previously, because it was uncertain how long the battle for Yunzhong would last, logistics had been provisioned based on the consumption of a 250,000-man army over three months. All told, Li Chuyun had transported nearly four hundred thousand dan of grain and flour to Yunzhong.

After the consumption of combat operations, and setting aside enough rations for the withdrawing troops and civilians on their return journey, roughly two hundred thousand dan could remain in Yunzhong as military grain for the several border defense armies. After all, transporting to Yunzhong was no easy feat—without water transport, the losses and waste were even more severe. Liu Chengyou directly allocated a quarter of it to Song Qi for administrative use—a clear demonstration of support.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Song Qi was effusive in his gratitude.

"Don't rush to give thanks—if you can govern Shanyang well and restore it fully, that will be the best thanks to me. If there is anything else you need, say it all at once!" Liu Chengyou raised his hand to stop him.

"Yes!" Song Qi's emotions settled, and he did not stand on ceremony, speaking calmly: "The prefectures, counties, and towns of Shanyang, after this devastation, urgently need rest and recuperation. I hope the court can exempt taxes for five years, to bestow benefit upon the people."

"Approved!"

Song Qi beamed with joy. He was already secretly planning to use the opportunity of tax exemption to attract commoners to come, accelerating Yunzhong's recovery.

"Under one prefecture and three sub-prefectures, the Liao administrative system is no longer adequate. Places like Huai'an County are nearly empty cities—I believe some consolidation and abolition of administrative units may be appropriately carried out!"

"That can be done!" Liu Chengyou nodded: "On this matter, you may make adjustments based on the actual conditions of the counties and towns, and report to the Eastern Capital for approval!"

"The governance of Shanyang cannot be accomplished by me alone. I request that the court dispatch some capable officials familiar with Han administrative systems to fill the prefectural and county posts!" Song Qi added.

"On this point, I have also given consideration and have already sent a directive to the Eastern Capital, instructing the Ministry of Personnel to make selections!" Looking at Song Qi, Liu Chengyou said: "I can reveal a bit of news to you—those who serve as officials in Shanyang will henceforth have their promotions and evaluations raised by one grade!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Song Qi praised immediately, with an air of admiration.

"Furthermore!" Song Qi glanced at Liu Chengyou again, speaking with some caution: "I hope that border trade markets can be reopened at the frontier, with the profits used for reconstruction efforts..."

Catching a hint of something unusual, Liu Chengyou frowned slightly: "Elaborate on that!"

Noticing the Emperor's expression turn exceptionally serious, Song Qi's heart tightened slightly, but his face remained composed as he revealed his thoughts: "Since the Han-Liao relations soured last year, border market trade has languished, and the trade markets have closed one after another. To our dynasty, this is of little consequence, but to the Hu barbarians, it is a matter of vital interest. Setting aside other goods, salt and tea alone are necessities for their survival.

I believe that although relations with Liao have deteriorated further, there is potential for development in commerce and trade. Especially for the ordinary tribesmen of Liao—they have long been deprived of salt and tea from the Great Han. Once an opening is made, it will be like a breached levee releasing a flood—great profits can be obtained.

Moreover, I believe that to conquer Liao, relying solely on military force is far from sufficient. Now the situation between Han and Liao has changed dramatically, with strength and weakness reversed. If through commerce and trade we can establish exchanges, win over some Liao tribes to defect to the Great Han, then in the future, it may well be possible to disintegrate the Khitan regime from within..."

Song Qi's words once again raised him in Liu Chengyou's estimation. This man had not wasted his time under the Liao system—his insight far surpassed that of other Han ministers, and his understanding of the enemy was clearer as well. Moreover, he was a man of practical ability.

However, regarding his request, Liu Chengyou considered for a moment, then said: "The trade markets can be reopened, commerce can flow, and tribes can be won over—but matters of salt and tea fall under the unified jurisdiction of the Salt and Iron Commissioner of the State Finance Commission. Whether things can be implemented as you describe, I must still hear the opinion of the State Finance Commission!"

Liu Chengyou spoke flatly, but his tone was firm. Seeing this, Song Qi did not press the matter further, though disappointment was inevitable in his heart.

Standing in a different position, Liu Chengyou saw things differently. In Song Qi's thinking, this was seizing power from the State Finance Commission—put more broadly, it was local government contending with the central institutions for power and profit.

According to Song Qi's proposal, having Shanyang Circuit take the lead would be convenient and efficient. Though it appeared to be a mutually beneficial arrangement, Liu Chengyou was unwilling to casually open this door.