Chapter 553: The Great Migration to Hebei (Part 1)

Although the Battle of Renqiu ended in Xu Shuyi’s crushing defeat, it did not cause a nationwide sensation. Many people were unaware that such a battle had taken place, not even An Lushan. On one hand, as the loser, Xu Shuyi lost all face and kept the matter hidden, refusing to tell anyone. On the other hand, the victorious forces from Anxi also remained silent; they made no announcements. Moreover, since the battle occurred in the dead of night, the local villagers were also uninformed. Thus, the incident sank like a weight to the bottom of the sea, silent and unnoticed.

As time passed into September, the weather became clear and crisp, marking the arrival of autumn in the Tang Dynasty. Since the start of autumn, some counties in Hebei Province had begun to show signs of unrest.

That noon, a proclamation was posted on the bulletin board in front of the county government in Anyang County, Xiangzhou. Shortly after it was posted, hundreds of passersby gathered around. Usually, proclamations posted in autumn listed the names of those sentenced to death and executed after autumn. Each county would submit death penalty reviews to the imperial Ministry of Punishments in summer, which would approve them in early autumn and then publish the lists for execution afterward.

This was a standard procedure, so the proclamation attracted particular attention. Soon, more and more people gathered, but few could read. Some educated individuals began to read it aloud in a rhythmic tone:

“By imperial decree, large areas in Longyou and Guannei are vacant. The court intends to recruit 300,000 households from Hebei to settle there. Each household will be granted 30 acres of fertile land, exempt from taxes in the first year. After three years of continuous cultivation, the land can be converted into permanent property. The court will provide rice, food, and housing for relocation. Families who relocate will receive an ox as a reward. Those who flee will have their records re-established. Those interested may register at the local government offices. Applications will close once the quota is filled…”

A wave of exclamations erupted among the crowd. How was this possible? The court was actually distributing land to everyone! A middle-aged man was especially shocked. He stood right next to the person reading the proclamation and heard everything clearly. This man was named Gao Fugui, a genuine farmer who had lived in Xiangzhou for generations. The proclamation stirred tumultuous emotions in his heart.

Suddenly, someone behind him shouted, “I was right! There must have been an announcement these past few days—it came out today.”

Everyone turned to look. It was a young peddler speaking, with a load of goods beside him, fanning himself with a straw hat. Seeing everyone staring at him, he blushed and prepared to leave. Gao Fugui recognized him as a fellow villager and quickly asked, “Qiao Wulang, how did you know?”

Seeing it was an acquaintance, the peddler smiled and said, “Fugui, you don’t know? I just came from somewhere else. Notices have been posted in Tangyin County and Yaocheng County. I heard such announcements exist in all the counties of Hebei Dao. I was thinking on the way that Anyang County, being the largest county in Xiangzhou and its administrative center, should have posted them earlier than other counties. But unexpectedly, they only posted them today.”

The peddler’s confirmation set off another wave of discussion among the people. Some questioned, “How can there be so much land in Guannei Dao and Longyou? We don’t even have any vacant land here. It must be a scam!”

As soon as the doubts were voiced, someone sneered, “Thirty thousand Han families were moved to Anxi, and the authorities cracked down hard on the nobles who seized land. Of course, there’s more land available. Do you think Hebei Dao can impose land restrictions like they did there?”

“Shh!” someone hissed. “Don’t talk nonsense! Be careful someone might hear you.”

The complainer immediately fell silent. At that moment, the two clerks standing by the notice board smiled at the crowd and said, “The imperial order arrived long ago. It’s just that our county magistrate fell ill a few days ago, so it was delayed by two days. Those who are interested should hurry up and sign up! There are only a limited number of spots, and other counties are also competing fiercely.”

Hearing this, many people turned and rushed home. Gao Fugui also pushed through the crowd. The peddler, who was about to leave with his load, smiled at him and said, “Fugui, this is a great opportunity for you! Don’t miss it.”

“Mm!”

Gao Fugui replied excitedly and asked, “What about you? Aren’t you interested? Your family doesn’t have any land either!”

The peddler, Qiao Wulang, glared and said, “Who said I’m not interested? I came all the way back from Tangyin just for this. I must go to Longyou. Anyway, Tubo has been destroyed, so there’s no danger there anymore.”

“Let’s go back to the village together!”

“You go ahead! I’ll sell the remaining stuff and head home right away.”

“Alright, Wulang. I’ll be going first.”

With a burning heart, Gao Fugui said goodbye and rushed back to the village. His home was in Gaoqiao Village, ten miles outside Anyang City. As the name suggested, it was mainly inhabited by the Gao and Qiao families. It was a large village with 300 households. Surrounded by fertile farmland, the Anyang River flowed by, providing convenient irrigation. Nearly a hundred hectares of land used to belong to their village, but now, aside from a few households still having land, the rest had been seized by An Lushan’s troops and turned into military farmland, distributed to the families of military personnel or used as grain fields.

Actually, this is no different from land annexation in Guanzhong. The only difference is that in Guanzhong, it was the imperial family and nobles who seized land, while in Hebei Circuit, it was An Lushan’s army that took over the fields. Otherwise, how could his nearly half-million-strong army be fed?

Gao Fugui’s family originally owned eighty mu of high-quality land, which was ancestral land left by his grandfather. Thirty years ago, his father fell seriously ill and sold twenty mu of the land to raise money for treatment. After his father died, the three brothers divided the remaining land, with each getting twenty mu. In the third year of the Tianbao era, there was a severe drought in Xiangzhou, with no harvests of summer or autumn crops. At that time, farmers had no choice but to sell their land to survive, and the only buyer was An Lushan. With no competition, An Lushan acquired farmers’ land at extremely low prices. Gao Fugui’s family sold their last twenty mu of land at that time for eight hundred wen per mu, while in normal years, the market price was at least nine guan per mu.

From then on, Gao Fugui, like other farmers in Gaoqiao Village, became a tenant of An Lushan. After working hard all year, they could barely make ends meet. Today, Gao Fugui went to the city to buy salt when he happened to see an announcement about immigration. He stopped buying salt and rushed back to the village in a hurry.

“Fugui’s back?” someone greeted him cheerfully at the village entrance.

“Great news! Uncle Qiao Si, the government is sending people to Guanzhong and Longyou and giving them thirty mu of good farmland!” Gao Fugui said while running.

Someone followed him and asked, “Fugui, is it true?”

“Go to the county town and see for yourselves!”

He rushed home like the wind. Gao Fugui’s home was in the village, consisting of a few dilapidated mud houses. He lived there with his wife and one son and one daughter. Next door were his second and third brothers’ homes, in similar situations—they were all tenant farmers working for An Lushan.

When he reached his doorstep, he happened to meet his second brother, Fu Hong. He shouted, “Second brother, go call my third brother right away! I have important news to discuss with you. It’s very serious—hurry!”

His brother Fu Hong was stunned for a moment. Seeing his eldest brother extremely excited and his face red with enthusiasm, he knew it must be good news, so he turned and went to his third brother’s house.

Gao Fugui rushed into his yard. His wife was feeding chickens in the yard. Seeing him return in such a hurry, she complained, “Elder son, why are you in such a rush?”

Seeing that his husband had empty hands, she frowned and asked, “Where’s the salt you bought?”

“Wife, forget about the salt!” Gao Fugui, overcome with excitement, picked up his wife and spun her around, laughing heartily. “Our luck is about to change!”

His wife punched his shoulder and scolded, “You fool! Put me down!”

His ten-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter ran into the yard, laughing happily. “Dad, what good news is it?”

“Immigrants!”
“Immigrants?” His wife was stunned. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“It’s not nonsense. It’s really immigration—to Guannei Dao or Longyou. We’ll have our own land. The whole family can go there, and the government will even give us a plow ox.”
Gao Fugui closed his eyes, overwhelmed with happiness. This was the dream he had longed for for years, and now it was about to come true.
“Elder brother, what good news is it?” His second brother, Fu Hong, and third brother, Fu Hou, came in.
“Your elder brother has gone mad—he wants to immigrate! Hmph! Listen to what he’s saying!” Gao’s wife said discontentedly.
“Don’t listen to this woman’s nonsense! Sit down and let me explain it to you slowly.”
The three brothers sat in the yard, with their daughter and son each leaning against their father, while Gao’s wife continued sweeping, though she pricked up her ears as well.
Gao Fugui then explained in detail the announcement issued by the county government. Finally, he said, “Qiao Wulang has confirmed this too. I happened to meet him, and he said similar announcements have been posted in other counties. I think it’s true—thirty mu of land per family! That’s worth dozens of guan in market value, something we could never afford in a lifetime. If we go as a family, we’ll also get a plow ox. I’ve decided to immigrate to Guannei. I won’t miss this opportunity.”
“Elder brother, let’s discuss it more carefully! Don’t be so hasty,” Gao’s wife couldn’t help but remind him.
“Go! Go! Go!” Gao Fugui waved his hand impatiently. “It’s men talking—why should women interfere?”
Gao’s wife glared at him fiercely and raised her bamboo broom, as if to say, Dare you insult me?
“Elder brother, come inside. I need to talk to you.”
Gao’s wife’s voice was stern. If it weren’t for her two uncles present, she would have already hit him with the broom.
Although Gao Fugui was a bit afraid of his wife, he couldn’t afford to lose face in front of his brothers. He pretended not to see or hear anything and asked his brothers again, “What do you think?”
His second brother, Fu Hong, was more cautious. He lowered his head and thought for a while before saying, “Elder brother, although this sounds great, I still can’t believe the government would give us land. Many details aren’t clear—like exactly where in Guannei Dao? Is it Jingzhou or Ningzhou in the south, or Yanzhou or Suizhou in the north? Although they’re all part of Guannei Dao, they’re very different places. And then there’s Longyou—could it be the Tibetan Plateau?”
“Ah! Second brother has always been timid. If it’s not good there, we can just come back. Sell the plow ox and the land, take back dozens of guan, and we can still buy a dozen mu of land here!”

It was the third brother, Fu Hou, who spoke. He had a cunning nature and always favored unscrupulous methods. The second brother, Fu Hong, sneered and said, “Is it that easy? Do they think we’re fools? Our eldest brother made it clear just now—only after three years can the land belong to us, and whether it can be sold is another matter. You think this is really a good thing?”
“Whether it’s a good thing or not, I advise all three of you brothers to leave.”
Suddenly, an aged voice came from the door. The three Gao brothers stood up immediately. It was one of their elders, a man in his seventies named Gao Jin. In his younger days, he had served as the county magistrate of Ye County and was the most experienced and wise person in Gaoqiao Village.
Gao Fugui and his second brother hurried forward to help the old man up. Gao Fugui asked, “Uncle, how did you come here?”
“I heard you shouting at the village entrance just now. Coincidentally, Qiao Wulang also returned. I asked him what was going on and came to inform you. Tell your women to pack their things quickly, and the men should go to the county office to register. This is a matter of life and death!”
The three Gao brothers were stunned. Gao Fugui stammered, “Uncle, what do you mean?”
Gao Jin sat down and sighed. “I’ve served as a county magistrate for a few years, so I see things a bit clearer than you do. I think this isn’t about immigration; it’s the court trying to relocate you all.”
The three brothers looked at each other and suddenly said in unison, “Why relocate us?”
“You three fools! Don’t you know An Lushan is planning to rebel?”
Everyone in the world knew about An Lushan’s intention to rebel, and the three Gao brothers were aware of it too. But they never connected rebellion with relocation. It was the second brother, Fu Hong, who reacted quickly. He asked, “Uncle, do you mean the court is trying to protect us?”
Gao Jin nodded. “That’s likely! If war breaks out, the entire Hebei region will suffer. The most pitiful ones will be us commoners—many families will be separated from their loved ones. Alas!”
“But… but… we’re just An Lushan’s tenant farmers!” Gao Fugui still couldn’t quite believe it.
Gao Jin glanced at him and shook his head. “Fugui, you’re usually quite clever. Why are you acting stupid now?”
Lady Gao also came out, holding her children. She asked anxiously, “Uncle, please explain what’s going on.”

“Alas! An Lushan’s soldiers are all barbarians—fierce, cruel, and driven by plunder. They don’t care who your tenants are; they kill, loot, and destroy villages and counties like locusts, sweeping everything clean in their path. I know this well. You three brothers, hurry and leave! Flee to the areas inside the passes or in Longyou—it’s safer there. Even if it’s barren land or highlands, it’s better than staying here to die!”
Lady Gao turned pale with fear. Trembling, she urged her husband, “Elder brother, go to the county office right away to register. I’ll pack up the house. Second uncle and third uncle, you should go too.”
Gao Fugui stood there for a moment before suddenly jumping up and shouting, “I’m going! I’ll leave right now!”
“Elder brother, wait a moment. I’ll go tell my wife first!” The third brother dashed off.
The second brother, worried about Gao Jin, asked, “Second uncle, aren’t you going?”
Gao Jin shook his head and sighed. “I won’t go. I’m seventy years old. If I’m to die, it should be in my homeland. But I hope the younger generations leave. I’ll go persuade others. You guys, hurry up and go!”
The old man leaned on his staff and staggered away. Soon, the three Gao brothers rushed off in the second brother’s carriage toward the county town. Soon after, the entire Gaoqiao Village was in upheaval. Almost every family headed for the county town, and some even went to warn relatives in other villages. The news spread rapidly through Gaoqiao Village, from person to person, from village to village. Whether true or false, it caused great panic in the area around Anyang County.
In front of the county government in Anyang County, thousands of people had already blocked the entrance, preventing anyone from entering. These were the first to arrive, with more streaming in continuously. Not only farmers but also many commoners from the county joined in, demanding to be relocated inside the passes.
Nearly a hundred clerks were shouting themselves hoarse trying to maintain order, leaving all other affairs in the county government paralyzed. In the main hall, the county magistrate, deputy magistrates, military officers, clerks, and various officials worked together to register people. Still, they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of arrivals.
The county magistrate of Anyang County was Wang Jicheng, a man from Huazhou, a frail scholar in his thirties. He had passed the imperial examinations in the ninth year of Tianbao and had served as the county magistrate for two years. Due to poor health, he often took sick leave, earning him the nickname “the sick magistrate.”

As a county magistrate, it was natural for him to feel uneasy at the idea of having so many of his people relocated. Yet Wang Jicheng understood that this was an order from the imperial court to relocate as many people from Hebei as possible in order to minimize the threat posed by An Lushan’s rebellion. Even he would eventually have to leave Hebei, or at least his family would. Realizing this, Wang Jicheng no longer had any reservations. No matter how many people came, he would register them all. He knew well that the so-called 300,000 households was just a figure; it wouldn’t be a problem even if a million households moved.

After registering one household, Wang Jicheng felt tired and instinctively wanted to ask for sick leave. But seeing the massive crowd and the officials desperately trying to stop farmers from entering the hall, he could only sigh and say, “Next!”

The next ones were the three Gao brothers. As the saying goes, there are always those who arrive earlier. Although the three brothers rushed here in haste, thousands of others were already waiting. It was the youngest brother who found a solution—he paid 100 coins to bribe an official, who then led them to the front.

The three Gao brothers stepped forward together and bowed, saying, “Your Excellency, we would like to register.”

Wang Jicheng frowned. “Are you one household?”

“No! No! We are three brothers, three separate households, but we hope to be relocated to the same place.”

“Hmm!” Wang Jicheng nodded. He agreed that they could stay together and said, “That’s fine. I’ll note it specially. But where do you want to go? The Guannei Route or Longyou? You can choose first. Also, where are you from? What are your names?”

The three brothers had discussed it for a long time on the road. They thought that going to Longyou might mean going to the plateau. Although Longyou was prosperous, the plateau wasn’t ideal, so they preferred the Guannei Route, as it was closer to their hometown in Xiangzhou.

“Your Excellency, we are from Gaoqiao Village. We are three brothers—Gao Fugui, Fu Hong, and Fu Hou. Also, we earnestly request that you allow us to go to the Guannei Route!”

“Alright!”

Wang Jicheng swiftly registered them and handed them three iron plaques. “These are your relocation IDs. They’re very important—make sure to keep them safe. Come to the county office in three days for the departure notice.”

At that moment, an official rushed over to Wang Jicheng and whispered something in his ear. Wang Jicheng jumped in surprise.

“Ah! Hurry… hurry and get me changed!”