Chapter 585: The Hearts of the People

Latest website: "Get up, everyone get up." Zhao Xu helped Yan Wang up.

He had long noticed that quite a few commoners were gathered behind the city gate.

These commoners were naturally the slaves who had just been liberated from the hands of the Northern Di.

Seeing this, Qin Shan smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, this subordinate told them that Your Highness has always been diligent in administration and loves the people, and is extremely kind to the commoners, so when they learned Your Highness was coming, they all came over. The Ningjin Dusi has just been settled, and people's hearts are filled with anxiety; they are still uneasy in their hearts."

"Your Highness, is the Ningjin Dusi going to be handed over to the Imperial Court for administration?"

Zhao Xu was just about to speak when Yan Wang suddenly asked, the worry in his eyes visible to anyone with a discerning eye.

"Why? Is it not good for the Imperial Court to take over the Ningjin Dusi?" Zhao Xu asked deliberately.

Over these past few days, Yan Wang had already learned from Qin Shan about the deeds of the Yan Wang since he arrived in Yanzhou.

He was also clear about what the current Great Song Dynasty Imperial Court was like.

Comparing it to before, he naturally understood that if they let the Imperial Court manage the Ningjin Dusi, they would essentially be jumping from a fire pit into a cesspit.

Therefore, as long as the Yan Wang said yes, he would take his people to live in Yanzhou and would absolutely not live in the Ningjin Dusi.

So he said: "It has been thirteen years. It was Your Highness who conquered the Ningjin Dusi. In these thirteen years, where was the Imperial Court? We are naturally unwilling."

After a pause, he said: "If the Ningjin Dusi is returned to the Imperial Court, we will either go to Yanzhou or simply jump into the river and commit suicide."

"That's right, we'd rather just die."

"Your Highness Yan Wang, you must make the decision for us."

"..."

Other commoners took the opportunity to speak, wiping away tears one by one.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu stopped keeping them in suspense and said: "As you wish, this Ningjin Dusi will not be handed over to the Imperial Court by this Prince. You will be incorporated under the jurisdiction of the Prince's Mansion. In a while, officials will arrive at the Ningjin Dusi to distribute farmland and houses to you; you must cooperate with them."

Liu Fu and the officials heard this and nodded one after another.

This statement from the Yan Wang also gave them a sense of reassurance.

This Ningjin Dusi was conquered by the Prince's Personal Army.

They were one hundred percent unwilling to hand it over to the Imperial Court.

"Yan Wang... His Highness the Yan Wang has agreed!" Yan Wang began to stutter again.

Looking at Zhao Xu, he said: "Your Highness, this commoner knows nothing else; I will kowtow to you one hundred times to thank Your Highness for your great grace."

"That is unnecessary. If you knock your head until it's broken, that would be this Prince's fault." Zhao Xu laughed and pulled Yan Wang up, walking with him into Ning City.

Being pulled by Zhao Xu, Yan Wang, clearly a grown man, became somewhat bashful at this moment, like a little bride being led by the hand.

When the Northern Di were here, they wouldn't even touch them, disgusted that they were dirty.

Yet the Yan Wang, such a noble person, was actually pulling him; one can imagine his current mood.

The other commoners looked on with envy; if they had known, they would have been the first to revolt, and they wouldn't have let Yan Wang take all the glory.

Entering Ning City, Zhao Xu saw more commoners who had suffered long-term abuse.

Originally, he thought the commoners of Yan Commandery living under the rule of the Zhang Family were miserable enough.

Now, by comparison, it was like the difference between clouds and mud.

Dark skin, skin and bones, deep-set eyes, and bellies bulging high due to malnutrition.

The key was that, at a glance, the commoners were all in this state.

Liu Fu and the officials followed behind him, having originally been in high spirits discussing how to govern the Ningjin Dusi.

Before they had walked a hundred meters, they all stopped talking.

The only thing he could hear was the sound of teeth grinding.

Clearly, they hated the Northern Di to the extreme.

During the thirteen years of ruling the Ningjin Dusi, the Northern Di had never treated the Great Song commoners as human beings.

They arrived at the residence in Ning City where Qin Shan handled official business.

Zhao Xu sat down in the main seat, and Chang Wei, Liu Fu, and the others sat down in order.

Looking at everyone, he said: "You have all seen the state of the commoners outside. The most important thing next is to restore the people's livelihood. Liu Fu, this matter is left to your Government Office."

"Yes, Your Highness." Liu Fu responded.

During this period, the Ningjin Dusi would become a burden on Yanzhou.

Because the commoners here would rely entirely on Yanzhou for sustenance, unless production was fully restored.

Thinking of this, he became even more impressed by the Yan Wang's foresight.

Before the Ningjin Battle, he had opened up trade with Gaoli.

Allowing the Black Shark Trading Firm to obtain Yanzhou goods to buy grain from Gaoli.

Otherwise, Yanzhou's grain would likely be stretched thin.

After all, these were one million mouths to feed.

"Before the Government Office fully takes over the Ningjin Dusi, it will still be under the military control of the Prince's Personal Army for the time being. The matter of porridge distribution must be done well; let the commoners eat their fill first and recuperate for a period of time," Zhao Xu added.

Qin Shan responded in the affirmative.

Zhao Xu finally looked at Yan Wang and said: "You currently have high prestige among the commoners. This Prince hopes you will set an example and cooperate with the Government Office to rebuild the Ningjin Dusi."

He had always valued the power of the commoners; back during the Autumn Hunt when they dug the Tunnel, and when they cooperated in the act during the fake plague, all of it relied on the active participation of the commoners.

Therefore, for the reconstruction of the Ningjin Dusi, the power he valued most was still the power of the commoners.

The Government Office and the army were merely responsible for providing guidance.

"Your Highness, rest assured, this is what this commoner should do." Yan Wang patted his own thin chest.

Zhao Xu laughed softly, then continued to talk to him about dividing the commoners into groups and rebuilding the Ningjin Dusi.

The current Ningjin Dusi was a blank slate; there were no villages at all on the vast land.

At that time, the Northern Di only had some fertile fields near the city walls for the slaves to cultivate.

Therefore, he prepared to have them go in groups of five hundred to the previously abandoned villages, clear away the broken walls and ruins, and carry out unified planning to rebuild the houses one by one.

Then, he would have the commoners clear the weeds from the nearby wasteland to restore production.

Next, he brought up the matter of digging a Tunnel.

Although the Northern Di had retreated north, they were only avoiding further losses and had not completely given up on the Ningjin Dusi.

According to what Chang Wei said, when he went to Jin City, Yang Zhen reported to him that the patrolling Cavalry had discovered Northern Di scouts more than once.

Clearly, the Northern Di were already creating trouble for him.

Before the Great Song lost the Ningjin Dusi, the Northern Di had done exactly this.

From time to time, there would be scouts or thousand-man units sneaking into the Ningjin Dusi to raid and then leave.

Therefore, in the Ningjin Dusi, measures to defend against the Northern Di must be in place.

Besides this, he also spoke about selecting Village Heads, neighborhood chiefs, and the like.

Yan Wang noted them down one by one.

After staying in Ning City for one night, Zhao Xu set off for Jin City the next day.

After arriving at Jin City, he first pacified the commoners, then immediately climbed the Jin City wall and had Yang Zhen introduce the situation of the past few days.

"This subordinate has already confirmed that the Northern Di have left a royal tent to the north of Jin City, specifically responsible for harassing the Ningjin Dusi," Yang Zhen said.

Zhao Xu nodded, his brows slightly furrowed; although the Northern Di had suffered heavy losses and were unable to launch large-scale attacks, they were clearly still constantly creating trouble for him.

In this way, a portion of his own military strength was being tied down.

However, he had already made preparations before taking the Ningjin Dusi.

The Ningjin Army was the specialized force he had built to deal with Northern Di harassment.