Chapter 290

The gloom brought by Zhao Kuangyin's whereabouts did not publicly spread in the court, but like a dose of sobering medicine, it made Chen Wen and the core decision-makers more firmly determined to accelerate domestic consolidation and solidify the foundation of the state.

And the most urgent area, also the most demonstrative, is the Hebei region that has just experienced rebellion suppression and recovery.

This was once the battlefield where Han Tong fought bloodily, and also a heavily afflicted region repeatedly invaded by the Northern Han and the Khitan.

The land lies barren, the people are displaced, local strongholds and defeated troops are intertwined, and order is near collapse.

If this place is not swiftly pacified, it will become a chronic festering sore on Great Chen's northern frontier, and could even be exploited again by foreign enemies.

In the Hall of Purple Majesty, a special court conference on Hebei governance is underway.

Chen Wen sat firmly on the dragon throne, listening to the jointly drafted 'Memorandum on Pacifying Hebei and Implementing the New Policies' presented by the Secretariat together with the Ministries of Revenue, Works, and Punishments.

The presenter was Wang Ru, who had just entered the Secretariat.

She held a jade tablet, her voice clear and calm, laying out the plan in orderly detail.

The chief problem of Hebei lies in the drifters.

Years of warfare have left fields barren, people dead or fled, nine out of ten homes empty. Therefore, the foundation of the new policy is to settle the people and reclaim wasteland.

First, the court will allocate special funds to set up soup kitchens widely in each prefecture and county, temporarily relieving famine;

At the same time, the Ministry of Revenue will take the lead in re-surveying ownerless wasteland and registering it in ledgers.

Second, issue the 'Wasteland Reclamation Order': any drifter returning home or newly attached person may apply to the government for wasteland, limited to fifty mu per adult; the first year is tax-free, the second year half tax, and from the third year onward taxes are levied as usual. The reclaimed land will be recognized as private property by the government for the first five years, and land deeds will be issued.

Third, detach part of the troops under General Li Hong of the Pacify North Army, coordinate with local militia, to suppress small bands of bandits and defeated troops, ensuring safety for reclamation and assisting in maintaining order.

This policy aims to use tangible land benefits to settle the drifting, disorderly population onto the land, restoring the most basic agricultural production.

Fourth, develop water conservancy.

Wang Ru continued.

The Hebei water network is extensive, but years of neglect have caused frequent floods and droughts. The Ministry of Works has dispatched personnel to survey and drafted plans for dredging rivers and reinforcing embankments. The required labor can be relieved through work-for-food programs, allowing drifters to survive while also serving long-term planning.

Chen Wen gave a slight nod, turning his gaze toward Zhang Cheng.

Are provisions sufficient?

Zhang Cheng stepped forward, bowed, and replied:

Your Majesty, the spoils from the Battle of Jinzhou, together with recent tributes from the various regional commands, still suffice for the treasury. I have calculated with the Three Directors; the initial provisions have been allocated, enough to meet Hebei's needs for the next two years.

However, this endeavor consumes vast resources; we still need to increase revenue and curb expenditure, and hope Hebei will soon become self-sufficient.

Approved.

Chen Wen nodded.

In extraordinary times, take extraordinary measures. If Hebei is pacified, the northern frontier will have no worries; this investment is worthwhile.

He pondered briefly, then looked toward Wang Ru.

Minister Wang, please continue.

Fifth, rectify officialdom.

Wang Ru's tone turned stern.

The old officials of Hebei are mostly complacent and oppressive, extorting the populace. The Censorate has selected capable censors, dispatched to each prefecture and county to openly and secretly investigate, impeach corruption, and select honest, competent officials. Those who obstruct the new policy, paying lip service while acting otherwise, regardless of rank, will be severely punished without mercy!

Sixth, encourage commerce and industry. Reduce internal Hebei trade taxes, encourage merchants to transport grain and goods into Hebei to meet mutual needs. If the Ministry of Works' Investigation of Things Institute has suitable new agricultural tools, looms, etc., for Hebei, they may be prioritized for promotion there.

Article by article, these policies, from pacifying drifters to restoring production, from restoring order to encouraging the economy, form a relatively complete system.

The court officials listened attentively, each calculating in their hearts.

These policies themselves are not extraordinary; throughout dynasties, pacifying newly attached lands generally follows the same principles.

But the key lies in whether they can be truly implemented, and…… the speed and efficiency of execution.

At this moment, Chen Wen slowly spoke, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

The plans you have discussed are most appropriate. Yet Hebei lies in utter ruin, time is pressing, and the Khitan stare covetously; they will certainly not grant us the luxury of ten years to nurture and ten years to educate.

Therefore, the implementation of the new policy must be swift, steady, and yield tangible results.

His gaze swept over the officials, finally resting on Zhang Cheng, Wang Ru, and the Minister of Works, Zhao Lao Nian.

I will personally oversee this. The Secretariat will take overall charge; the Ministries of Revenue, Works, the Censorate, and Hebei localities must cooperate closely, without shirking responsibility.

Moreover, I will, depending on the situation, personally visit Hebei for inspection.

The officials felt a chill in their hearts, knowing the emperor's emphasis on this matter had reached the utmost.

We shall obey your edict! the officials replied in unison.

With the sovereign's decision made, the vast machinery of state began to operate efficiently around the 'Hebei New Policy'.

The edicts were dispatched to Hebei's prefectures and counties at the utmost speed.

At the same time, detachments composed of court officials, technical personnel, and guard troops set out from Bian Liang, heading north into Hebei.

The implementation of the new policy was not smooth sailing.

Local strongmen concealed land and resisted survey;

Old clerks secretly obstructed, deceiving superiors and inferiors;

Some drifters hesitated and watched, daring not to readily trust the court's promises;

Even small bands of bandits attacked convoys transporting grain seeds and farming tools.

Yet this time, the court displayed an unprecedented determination and…… efficiency.

The censors dispatched by Wang Ru, wielding the emperor's sword of authority, acted swiftly and decisively, successively investigating and punishing corrupt officials in several counties; heads rolled, hats fell, greatly intimidating the locality.

Li Hong's troops showed no mercy in annihilating several of the most rampant bandit gangs, hanging their heads at the city gates as a warning.

And what truly transformed the old appearance of Hebei was a speed bordering on a 'miracle'.

In several of the earliest pilot zones where wasteland reclamation was first implemented, an unbelievable thing occurred.

When those yellowish, thin, half-believing drifters, under the organization of the 'guidance officers' sent by the court (in fact, basic-level clerks who had undergone preliminary screening and were loyal and reliable), began to clear wasteland and dig ditches, a peculiar phenomenon occurred.

They felt as if they had inexhaustible strength.

The hoe in his hand became light and nimble.

Land that originally required ten days to a half month to clear would often take shape in just three or five days.

The speed of digging earth and stone was astonishingly fast.

Even after sowing, the speed at which seedlings broke through the soil seemed a bit faster than usual.

At first, people thought it was just the excitement of having hope to survive.

But as time passed, this "high efficiency" steadily appeared in multiple pilot areas, making it impossible to explain by ordinary means.

"It is His Majesty… it is His Majesty's heavenly might protecting us!"

An old man excitedly kowtowed toward the direction of Bian Liang.

"It must be His Majesty's benevolence that moved Heaven, sending down divine beings to help!"

Such rumors spread quickly among refugees and the lower classes, causing Chen Wen's reputation to surge among the people of Hebei, while resistance and watchfulness toward the new policies greatly diminished.

Only a tiny number of core officials knew this was not some miracle.

Rather, it was their emperor, who, through some means they could not understand, remotely and to a limited extent granted the power of "Heaven rewards diligence" to those most basic and arduous labors.

Chen Wen held the fort in Bian Liang, without personally appearing at every site.

But through "Ability Granting," he allocated a portion of his own 64‑times base effect, in the form of "massive granting 2×" or "ultra‑wide granting 4×," precisely delivering it to those teams that had been inspected and were truly implementing the new policies, organizing refugees to reclaim land and dig canals.

This granting did not cover all of Hebei, but was carried out selectively and with focus.

Although each use consumed considerable mental and physical strength and could not be sustained, the intermittent support accumulated into an astonishing effect.

It greatly accelerated the physical speed of implementing the new policies and also invisibly boosted popular morale.

The new‑style curved‑shaft plow and water‑wheel models developed by the Ministry of Works' Investigation of Things Institute also began to be promoted in Hebei, accompanied by the artisan teams dispatched by Zhao Lao Nian.

Under the hidden support of "Ability Granting," the manufacturing and installation efficiency of these new farm tools far exceeded the norm, allowing them to take effect more quickly.

In just a few months, the land of Hebei had already shown a hint of vitality unlike before.

The wasteland fields were re‑divided, and tender green seedlings swayed in the spring breeze;

damaged channels were cleared, and clear river water joyfully flowed into the parched land;

new villages began to form, and cooking smoke rose in thin curls;

on the roads, convoys transporting grain, seeds, and goods noticeably increased……

A thing called "hope" began to take root and sprout on this land that had suffered so much trauma.

That day, Chen Wen received a good report from Hebei: the first large‑scale land‑reclamation zones showed promising summer grain growth, with expected harvests sufficient for the participating refugees to become self‑sufficient, with a slight surplus.

At the same time, the qi of "Fortune Momentum" representing the dynasty's foundation, within him, seemed to have condensed and grown a bit as Hebei's people initially submitted and the new policies proceeded smoothly.

He stood on a high place in the Imperial Palace, gazing northward.

Hebei's new policies initially showed results.

But this was only the first step.

How to consolidate and expand this effect, promote it nationwide, and deal with the shadows lurking beneath the light—that is the true test.

He knew that his race against time and against those unseen opponents had only just begun.