Chapter 59: Valuing Agriculture (3)

“Enough, enough! Stop arguing!”
Li Kuo had to interrupt their dispute. “Although the An Lushan rebels are strong at present, they lack successors, which is why they’re so eager to open up the regions of Jianghuai. What’s most important now isn’t expanding territory but defending our Tang provinces from the rebels taking advantage of them again.”
Li Kuo had learned this the hard way after the battle at Yiluo River. Maintaining such elite troops like those at Yiluo River required massive amounts of food and supplies, which is why the rebels kept attacking nearby cities to plunder. Yet they didn’t know how to plant crops properly—only taking without giving—so they inevitably got stuck in a dilemma.
While the Tang court’s military might wasn’t as sharp as that of the rebels, it had the advantage of vast territory, including the two major grain reserves in Shu and Jianghuai, allowing it to sustain a long-term struggle against the rebels. Yan Zhuang, An Lushan’s top advisor, was well aware of this, which is why he strongly advised the rebels to attack Chang’an directly.
Though Chang’an had fallen, it wasn’t a disaster for the Tang dynasty.
Ultimately, this battle was one of timing. The rebels, with their sharp military strength, wanted a quick victory, while the Tang, with their ample supplies, preferred to drag out the conflict and wear down those 200,000 Yuyang cavalry.
“So, General Li means to strengthen the defenses and take things slowly?”
Xue Gui seemed to remember something and uttered a phrase often seen in military books.
“Hey, how does a tavern owner like you know so much? Just listen to what our general says. If you don’t understand, ask later!”
Wang Xiaochun hadn’t read many military books and hated it when others acted learned. If it were their general, it might be okay, but it was just some annoying tavern owner—how could he tolerate it?
“Ah, ah, I’m listening, I’m listening…”
Xue Gui bowed slightly, showing goodwill to Wang Xiaochun.
“Tavern owner Xue is right. That’s exactly what I mean. To be honest, I came to your shop with a request.”
Li Kuo smiled and nodded at Xue Gui.
Hearing this, Xue Gui was surprised. “Oh, General Li, what are you saying? I’m just a merchant—how could I deserve such a polite request from you? Just tell me what you need. As long as it’s within my ability, I’ll do my best to help.”

Li Kuo nodded and said, “In that case, I won’t hold back. As I said before, it’s impossible to confront An Lushan head-on right now. Our only chance is to stall things out—until An Lushan can no longer afford 200,000 cavalry troops, until the rebels are too busy to take care of both ends of their operation. To achieve this, besides having a strong army, we also need a highly efficient and ample logistics supply system. Now that I actually control over thirty counties in Tangzhou, Nanyang, and Fangcheng areas, it’s a fairly large territory. Before I arrived, these places were occupied by the rebels, and many people fled to Huainan to escape the chaos. Now that I’ve regained these cities, it’s only right to redistribute the land.”

“You mean distribute the uncultivated land?”
Xue Gui’s mouth was as wide as an egg, staring at Li Kuo in shock, as if afraid he was dreaming.
“Look at you, so surprised! What’s there to be amazed about?”
Wang Xiaochun shrugged disdainfully. “During times of regime change, there’s an abundance of uncultivated land. The peasants have all fled for their lives—who has the heart to care about farming? These wastelands are better allocated to farmers to cultivate and enrich the treasury.”
Stockpiling food and building strong walls are the best ways for the weaker side to deal with the stronger one, especially in chaotic times. Back in the end of the Sui Dynasty, the country was in chaos, with eighteen rebel kings rising up, causing widespread destruction. In the end, only a few major forces remained—Wang Shichong in Luoyang, Dou Jiande in Hebei, Gaozu in Guanlong, and Du Fuwei in Jianghuai. All of them adopted this strategic approach, appearing weak while secretly building strength.
When you can’t knock your opponent out with one punch, the best thing to do is gather strength and wait for the right moment!
Xue Gui seemed to recall many scenes from legendary novels and felt his blood boil. Could General Li also have ambitions to seize control of the Central Plains? The fact that he shared such important plans with him must mean he trusted him greatly!
The more Xue Gui thought about it, the more pleased he became. Slapping his chest, he said, “A general is indeed someone who aspires to achieve great things. Just tell me how to distribute the land—I’ll do my utmost to help you!”

Li Kuo smiled slightly and said, “Actually, there’s nothing new about it. It’s just a slight modification of the well-field enfeoffment system from the early days of Emperor Gaozu. My initial plan is as follows: for the people in Tangzhou, Nanyang, and Fangcheng areas, each household will be allocated fertile land based on the number of people—each man counts as one, and each woman as half. I had people roughly estimate the total amount of fertile land in the vicinity and divide it into three categories: upper fields, middle fields, and lower fields. Each man can be allocated 20 mu of lower fields, 15 mu of middle fields, and 8 mu of upper fields. I estimate that the population of these thirty-odd counties totals around 400,000, and after accounting for those who have fled, there are still about 200,000 left. There will still be surplus land after distribution.”

After a brief pause, Li Kuo continued, “I will recruit local warriors from the able-bodied men in these areas to form a reserve force. During the farming season, they can focus on their fields, and during the off-season, they can be trained by experienced soldiers. This would essentially serve to reestablish the military command structure.”

Hearing this, Xue Gui finally understood Li Kuo’s intention. If this plan were truly implemented, the self-protection capabilities of the people in Tangzhou would greatly improve.

“The able-bodied men who join these local warriors will be allocated some of the surplus land, of course, the amount depending on how diligently they train. As for the grain they need to pay annually, I’ve set it at 20% initially.”

Li Kuo laid out all his ideas in one go and then waited for Xue Gui’s analysis.

“General, you are truly a kind-hearted man! I thank you on behalf of the people of Tangzhou!”

Xue Gui was deeply moved, tears streaming down his cheeks. He bowed deeply to Li Kuo and said, “Taking 20% is something even the Kaiyuan era of our Tang Dynasty never saw. With your words, I believe that next year those barren lands will be planted with wheat and millet!”

Li Kuo waved his hand and said, “You don’t need to thank me. In times of crisis, everyone must work together to resist the enemy. Although the rebels are strong, as long as we stay united, there’s still a chance.”

Xue Gui repeated, “You’re absolutely right. So, what should I do?”

Li Kuo sighed and stood up. “Although I’ve been in Tangzhou for half a year, I haven’t yet established complete authority, so I’m afraid I can’t fully win the trust of the people in these areas. I will post notices outside the government offices in each county, and the soldiers will inform every household. However, to reassure the people, I will select some households as examples, and you, Master Xue, are one of them.”

Xue Gui was surprised and asked, “You mean… you’re going to allocate land to me?”

“Mm, of course. That’s exactly why I came today.”

Li Kuo nodded. “I know you have extensive connections and have met many people. I hope you can help me promote this plan further.”

The speed at which official institutions spread news could never compare to word-of-mouth transmission among the common people. It was understandable for Li Kuo to choose places like taverns and teahouses as channels for dissemination.
“But, but I’m not a farmer. How can you…?”
“Didn’t my general just say that only farmers can be allocated land? He said that people from Tangzhou, Nanyang, and Fangcheng can all be given land, regardless of their status.”
Wang Xiaochun, annoyed by Xue Gui’s constant stunned expressions, quickly stepped in to stop him.
“General, you are truly a great benefactor to our three regions!”
By now, Xue Gui was crying uncontrollably, wiping his tears with his sleeve as he said, “With such a policy, I dare say the people in the counties controlled by the rebels will flock to these three regions. If all Tang generals were like you, the day when Tang recovers its lost lands and quells the rebellion will not be far off!”
Since ancient times, the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants has remained an unchanging truth. Apart from scholars, farmers were the most noble class, while merchants, ranked lowest, were far inferior to farmers and even lacked the qualification to serve as officials.
Yet now, General Li was attempting to break this established pattern and pursue a new path.
Xue Gui seemed to envision a prosperous future: in the near future, Tangzhou and its surroundings would have hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land, with its people wealthy and strong enough to boldly attack the fierce rebels.
Because they were Tangans, because they were Tangans!