Chapter 570: Pacifying the People of Qizhou

As early October approached, the season for sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn arrived, and bustling scenes of autumn harvests began to appear across Guanzhong. These activities started gradually from late September. For the imperial court, both spring sowing and autumn harvest were crucial times. At such times, high-ranking officials would leave the spacious court halls to inspect agricultural conditions directly in the fields. This was not mere pretense but part of an established system—agriculture was the foundation of the nation. Without taxes from farmers and without sowing or harvesting, the court would struggle to survive.

Thus, starting from late September each year, aside from a small number of officials left to maintain court operations, all high-ranking officials would head to various regions to inspect the autumn harvests. The information they gathered would serve as the basis for formulating policies in the following year.

Qizhou, located in what is now Baoji, Shaanxi, was an important region in the Guanzhong Plain during the Tang Dynasty, second only to Jingzhao Prefecture. Several famous cities in Guanzhong, such as Chencang, Guo County, Yong County, and Mei County, were all within Qizhou’s territory. The region had a population of one million, hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land, abundant water resources, and convenient transportation. For centuries, it had been one of the strongest provinces of the Tang Dynasty. In December of the second year of the Zhide era, after recapturing Chang’an, Emperor Suzong upgraded Qizhou to Fengxiang Prefecture.

However, history took a different turn in the later Tianbao era. The status of Qizhou became a symbol of political instability. After Li Heng and Li Qing’an reached an agreement to divide governance in Guanzhong, Qizhou was temporarily renamed Fengxiang Prefecture. But after Li Heng seized the throne by force, he reverted Fengxiang Prefecture to Qizhou. Unfortunately, the officials in the Imperial Secretariat, led by Pei Min, refused to acknowledge this change, creating an awkward situation where Qizhou had both a governor of Fengxiang Prefecture and a prefect of Qizhou. Two months ago, Li Qing’an reached a final agreement with the Imperial Secretariat: Fengxiang Prefecture was renamed Fengxiang Military Governorate, becoming a military institution that handled only military affairs, with Cui Guangyuan appointed as its governor, while Qizhou continued to oversee civil affairs. This separation of military and civil governance resolved the awkward overlap of the two administrative bodies in Qizhou.

At the beginning of October, Li Qing’an arrived in Yong County of Qizhou to begin his inspection tour of the region.

The Fengxiang Military Governorship had 30,000 troops, all new recruits from last year. However, their official designation had changed—no longer called the Anxi Army, but instead the Fengxiang Army. Now, Li Qing’an served as the Supreme General of Tiance and the Grand Marshal of All Armies, concurrently holding the position of Anxi Military Governor. He could no longer use the Anxi Army to represent all Tang forces. The Anxi Army still existed, but its scope had been greatly reduced, referring mainly to the 40,000 main force under Li Siyue. Other troops stationed in the Central Plains—such as the Longyou Army led by Li Guangbi, the Tongguan Army led by Wang Sili, the Datong Army led by Lei Wanchun, the Hexi Army led by Li Fei Shouyu, the Hanhai Army led by Cui Qianyou, and the Neiwei Army led by Nan Jiyun—were all directly under Li Qing’an. Together with Guo Ziyi’s Shuofang Army and Hedong Army, they were collectively referred to as the Tang Army. To distinguish them from the Southern Tang, they were also called the Northern Tang Army.

By the time Li Qing’an arrived in Qizhou, Cui Guangyuan had already set out from Chencang with his troops toward Nanzheng. He would soon be appointed as the Military Governor of Hanzhong and lead his troops there. Li Qing’an did not meet Cui Guangyuan in person; only Tian Zhen, the new Fengxiang Military Governor, came to greet him.

Li Qing’an stationed 3,000 of his elite cavalry outside Yongcheng City, in a military camp ten miles away, where he set up a large sheepskin tent—his temporary headquarters.

Li Qing’an was studying the situation in Hanzhong at a sand table when he received a message via messenger pigeon: Li Siyue had captured Baocheng County without losing a single soldier and was now advancing toward Nanzheng. Although Li Qing’an wasn’t surprised by the progress in Hanzhong—given the Anxi Army’s combat prowess, capturing it was inevitable—the key questions were timing and the extent of losses. The fact that Li Siyue had taken the heavily fortified city of Baocheng in just one hour without any casualties truly amazed Li Qing’an. Li Siyue had indeed made great progress. Now, it was time to see how he would take Nanzheng.

At that moment, a report came from outside the tent: “General, General Tian has arrived.”

“Let him in!”

Footsteps echoed as General Tian Zhen rushed into the tent, knelt down on one knee, and bowed. “Your humble servant, Tian Zhen, pays his respects to the General!”

“General Tian, please rise.”

Li Qing’an smiled, stepped forward to help Tian Zhen up, and patted his shoulder. “Well? Has being the Fengxiang Military Governor been satisfying?”

A few years earlier, Tian Zhen would have grinned and said, “It would be great to marry a few more beautiful women.”

He would say so, but as Li Qing’an’s authority grew stronger, his subordinates began to revere him and dared not joke with him casually. Even though Li Qing’an was only speaking in jest, Tian Zhen still bowed and said, “I will devote my utmost effort to defending Fengxiang and will never slacken in the slightest.”

Li Qing’an stared at him for a moment, feeling a hint of disappointment. With a dampened interest, he said lightly, “Please sit down and talk.”

“Thank you, General!”

Tian Zhen sat down, and Li Qing’an returned to his seat. Then he smiled and asked, “Tell me, how is the situation in Qizhou?”

Instead of asking about the situation at the Fengxiang military governor’s office, Li Qing’an inquired about Qizhou. Tian Zhen understood his intention and replied, “Reporting to the general, these past few days, Qizhou has been busy with two main tasks. One is to prepare military provisions for Hanzhong. I heard that yesterday, the first batch of 30,000 dan of provisions along with a supply of sturdy military uniforms were sent to Hanzhong, escorted by Han Jun, the military officer in charge of Qizhou.”

“What about Governor Cui?” Li Qing’an asked further.

Governor Cui was Cui Ning, who had almost been accused of colluding with the enemy. He was the new head of the Cui family and the central figure in the recent turmoil within the Cui family. He was a thorn in Li Qing’an’s side.

However, Tian Zhen did not understand Li Qing’an’s thoughts. He gave a thumbs up in admiration and said, “This Cui Ning is truly remarkable—worthy of respect!”

Li Qing’an asked calmly, “In what way is he remarkable?”

“A few months ago, 5,000 immigrants from Hebei arrived, and the imperial court wanted to settle them in Qizhou. The land designated for this purpose was the Qiwang’s farmland along the Shengyuan Canal north of Guoxian County—about 5,000 hectares of fertile land. Originally, this land was meant to be distributed among local tenants, but due to the arrival of the immigrants, the plan changed. I heard that thousands of local tenants were very dissatisfied and armed themselves, determined to fight the immigrants from Hebei. Governor Cui went alone, with only two attendants, to the villagers and negotiated with dozens of local clan elders. He stayed there for three days and three nights, and surprisingly, those local farmers who wanted to defend their land at all costs were persuaded to give half of their land to the government to settle the immigrants. It was truly remarkable! He is admirable.”

Li Qing’an nodded and said, “It seems Governor Cui is very popular among the people!”

“Yes! Governor Cui truly deserves his status as someone from a noble family. He is honest and upright, and he cares deeply for the people. During Qingming, Zhongyuan, and Laba festivals, he personally visits the lonely and widowed. I heard this has been the case for over a decade. In the counties he has governed, the people live in peace and prosperity, even during years of disaster. Everyone who mentions Governor Cui speaks of him with sincere praise.”

“Is that so? You’ve piqued my interest. I’d really like to meet this Governor Cui,” Li Qing’an said indifferently.
…
The Prince of Qi’s estates were located north of Guo County, adjacent to the Shengyuan Canal. It was a highly fertile area of farmland stretching as far as the eye could see, covering over 5,300 hectares. Dozens of nearby villages, with thousands of tenant farmers, cultivated the land, along with nearly a thousand serfs. The Prince of Qi had spent a decade acquiring these lands. He had died many years ago, and his sons divided the land among themselves, though it was still referred to collectively as the Prince of Qi’s estates.
After Li Yu ascended to the throne, he launched a campaign to seize lands from powerful nobles and royal families, and the Prince of Qi’s estates were not spared. They were confiscated by Li Yu and turned into government land. The Prince of Qi’s sons fled to Chengdu and became staunch supporters of the resistance against the Northern Tang.
The land was taken away long ago, but the process of distributing it was full of setbacks. After Li Yu’s death, the distribution efforts came to a halt. Shortly after the government passed a decree on land distribution, Li Yan, the official in charge, was assassinated, further delaying the process. Later, Li Heng forced his way onto the throne. Not only did he reject land distribution, but he also tried to reclaim the already distributed land and return it to its original owners. It was not until Li Heng fled to Chengdu and Li Qing’an reestablished the government that land distribution was brought back onto the agenda. First, the imperial estates in Weinan County were distributed, marking a significant event that sparked a wave of land distribution efforts across Guanzhong.
The Prince of Qi’s estates were also among the key areas for land distribution. According to the principle of territorial allocation, the 5,300 hectares of land should have been divided among over 3,400 tenant farmers and 1,200 serfs from the surrounding areas. Those who calculated this quickly realized that each household would receive just over one hectare of land, which undoubtedly filled the local farmers with great joy.
Although the early Tang land distribution laws allowed adult males to receive 100 mu of land, that was merely a quota. An average of 20 mu per household was already considered quite generous. So when news of land distribution from the Prince of Qi’s estates spread, farmers throughout the area north of the Shengyuan Canal were overjoyed.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. Suddenly, news came that 5,000 immigrants from Xiangzhou in Hebei would also be settled north of the Shengyuan Canal. This was like a thunderbolt, stunning the local farmers. Filled with disappointment, anger, and despair, they firmly refused the arrival of the immigrants from Hebei and spontaneously organized armed groups to protect their lands and homes.
It was under such dangerous circumstances that Governor Cui Ning entered the villages alone and negotiated with the villagers for three days and nights. Eventually, he convinced them to give half of their land to the immigrants from Hebei and allow them to settle north of the Shengyuan Canal.

Cui Ning’s reasoning was simple: the government had never issued an official order to distribute all of the Prince of Qi’s farmlands to peasants. The so-called distribution of land was merely rumor among farmers. The Prince of Qi’s farmlands would be divided into two parts—2,300 hectares to be distributed as farmland, while the remaining 3,000 hectares would remain as government-owned land. The 5,000 immigrants from Hebei were to be settled on this government-owned land, which had nothing to do with local farmers.

As compensation, Cui Ning promised that once the situation in Hebei stabilized, many immigrants would return home. In that case, the land vacated by those returning immigrants would not be reclaimed by the government but distributed to local farmers. If local farmers refused this arrangement, the government would no longer allocate land from the Prince of Qi’s farmlands for free but would instead use a purchase method, requiring the original owners to pay back the amount they had received for selling the land in order to reclaim it.

Under Cui Ning’s combination of threats and inducements, the local people eventually accepted his plan and agreed to allow the Hebei immigrants to participate in the land distribution.

At the end of September, the first batch of 2,000 Hebei immigrants arrived in Guo County; they were from Xiangzhou in Hebei.

The Shengyuan Canal was an irrigation canal north of the Wei River, running almost across the entire Guo County, about 100 li long. Tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land lay along its banks, making it a key agricultural area for Guo County and even Qi Province.

Before dawn, a milk-like mist covered the fields, and the air carried a hint of cold. The Shengyuan Canal, about 25 zhang wide, drew water from the Wei River and provided ample irrigation for tens of thousands of hectares of farmland along its banks. At that time, it too was shrouded in thick mist. Through the mist, a group of cavalry rushed forward—about 300 people in total. Leading them was Li Qing’an, followed by his 300 personal guards. Although Li Qing’an had brought 3,000 cavalry, he feared disturbing the local population, so he stationed them in a military camp about ten li away. He himself brought only 300 cavalry, as long as they could deliver messages for him.

They rushed across a wooden bridge and headed toward the other side of the Shengyuan Canal. Soon, they arrived at a ditch that was of great importance—currently under excavation. To the south was a small river called the Pan Nan River. Once dug through, this ditch would connect the Pan Nan River with the Shengyuan Canal. Moreover, it would serve as the boundary between the land of the Hebei immigrants and that of the local farmers—east of it belonged to the locals, and west of it to the Hebei immigrants.

Since it was still early, both sides of the ditch were quiet, with no one around. The immigrants were responsible for digging the ditch, but work had not yet begun. The rice fields on both sides had already been harvested, and their surfaces were covered with rice straw ash, which served as excellent fertilizer.

“General, take a rest!”

A bodyguard handed the gourd to Li Qing’an, who took it and drank some water. At that moment, he saw thick smoke rising not far away, so he urged his horse forward, saying, “Let’s go! Take a look.”

After riding for a while, they arrived at the place where the smoke was thick. On the path beside the Shengyuan Canal, several farmers were burning rice stalks. From their attire, it was clear they were immigrants from Hebei. The farmers heard the sound of horse hooves and turned to stare blankly at the cavalry emerging from the mist, fear showing in their eyes. Three of the women hid behind their husbands out of fear.

Seeing the farmers about to run, one of the bodyguards dismounted and rushed over, saying, “Don’t be afraid. We won’t hurt you.”

Perhaps realizing they couldn’t outrun horses with four legs, the farmers gave up the idea of fleeing and moved to the side of the road to make way.

Li Qing’an also dismounted and stepped forward. After taking them in, he smiled and asked, “Are you all immigrants from Hebei?”

A man in his thirties nodded. “Reporting to the general, we all are.”

“Hmm! Is there any team leader among you?”

There were about four hundred thousand immigrants from Hebei, a large group. After the incident at Jingxing Pass, the imperial court adopted Li Qing’an’s suggestion to implement a militia system for these immigrants, meaning semi-military management. Each hundred households formed a group, with a group leader elected by them; each ten households formed a team, with a team leader also elected by them. Each household was given a knife or a set of bows and arrows, and the male heads of household were required to undergo regular military training to enhance their self-defense capabilities.

Seeing that there were at least five or six families of farmers burning rice stalks, Li Qing’an guessed there might be a team leader among them. Sure enough, the man in his thirties stepped forward and bowed. “Reporting to the general, I am the team leader.”

Li Qing’an asked further, “Where are you from? What’s your name?”

The team leader pointed to the other farmers. “We are all from Gaoqiao Village, Anyang County, Xiangzhou. My name is Gao Fugui.”

“Hmm! That’s a good name.”

Li Qing’an smiled and said, “Let’s sit down and talk.”

Seeing Li Qing’an’s friendly demeanor and his cavalry several dozen steps away, their fear gradually faded. Two bodyguards ran back and brought over a dozen stools. Li Qing’an handed them to the farmers, saying, “Please sit wherever you like. There’s no need to be formal.”

The farmers took the stools. Some, seeing how finely crafted they were, examined them carefully before slowly sitting down. At that moment, Li Qing’an smiled and said to everyone, “Let me introduce myself first. My surname is Li. I am a general in the Anxi Army and have just come from Chang’an. It was actually my suggestion that led to this large migration to Hebei. I’ve been wanting to learn more about the situation of the migrants. It’s a good chance to meet you all. Speak freely—no one will be blamed for what they say.”

Hearing that it was his suggestion for the large migration to Hebei, everyone felt deep respect for him, indicating that his rank must be quite high. Gao Fugui, feeling a bit uneasy, stammered, “General, what do you want us to talk about?”

Seeing that this man seemed quite honest, Li Qing’an felt a bit fond of him and said with a smile, “Then let me ask first! Do you regret this migration?”

Everyone shook their heads and said in unison, “How could we regret it? We’re overjoyed! This is Guanzhong!”

“Let me speak,” said Gao Fugui shyly. “My three brothers and I signed up for the migration. We originally applied to move along the Guannei Route, but luckily, just before reaching Yuanzhou, the authorities notified us that we could instead move to Qizhou in Guanzhong. Everyone was thrilled. And when we arrived in Qizhou, each family was given forty mu of arable land…”

“Wait!” Li Qing’an suddenly felt something was off. He asked curiously, “I remember it was thirty mu per family! How did it become forty mu?”

“Well…” The farmers exchanged glances. Gao Fugui replied, “The announcement said each family would also get a cow, but there weren’t enough oxen in Guanzhong, so they gave each family an extra ten mu of land instead.”

Li Qing’an nodded. One cow for ten mu of arable land—quite a good deal! However, oxen were available. Next spring, 300,000 oxen would be brought from Hexi to the Central Plains, so basically each migrant family would have one. But Li Qing’an didn’t mention this and instead said with a smile, “What about food? The autumn harvest has just ended. Do you have any share of the autumn crops?”

“The authorities have set aside five dou of rice and one jin of salt per family per month. If that’s not enough due to a large family size, people either have to pay extra or split up and start new households. Another option is to join the civilian military training or work on water conservancy projects in winter. In that case, the government will provide the rice, allowing families to save some of their own rations.”

Overall, Li Qing’an was quite in agreement with Cui Ning’s approach. From what he had seen and heard along the way, he felt that Governor Cui was an excellent person. He really wanted to meet this man.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from afar. Five or six people were riding toward them. Gao Fugui stood up and said, “That’s Governor Cui. He’s here!”