Chapter 156: Settlement Policy

Xue Banner Officer did not put on airs. Since he knew there were scholars here, he couldn’t let them stand there craning their necks to look up at him.

What kind of image would that create?

As the city gates opened, Xue Banner Officer led his men out. Sitting tall on his horse with his saber at his side, he made for an imposing sight.

His gaze fell upon Yan Huaiwen.

He had to admit, Old Yan had quite the striking appearance and an extraordinary bearing, giving off a refined and dignified impression.

Xue Banner Officer couldn’t come up with such literary descriptions himself, but one look at this man, and he knew—he was no ordinary person.

A few exchanges later, he had already figured out the identities of Yan Huaiwen and Liang Manshan.

After verifying their household registration, there was no doubt left.

“So, you are Scholar Yan and Student Liang,” Xue Banner Officer cupped his fists politely.

“I’ve heard that bandits are rampant in Leshan Prefecture, but to think even the official roads are unsafe?”

Xue Banner Officer sighed. People often said Guanzhou suffered frequent barbarian raids, making it a bad place to live. But looking at Leshan Prefecture now, Guanzhou didn’t seem so bad in comparison.

Otherwise, why would all these Leshan people be fleeing here?

Something occurred to him, and he spoke seriously, “His Highness has decreed that Guanzhou will take in refugees, but they must officially settle here.”

Afraid that they might be unwilling, he quickly listed the benefits: “After registering as residents, each person gets five mu of land, along with three months’ worth of rations. Seeds can also be collected from the yamen, and there will be no land tax for three years.”

Yan Lao’er (Yan’s second brother) was overjoyed.

Guanzhou was this generous?

He quickly started doing the math in his head.

Five mu per person. Their family had six and a half members.

That “half” was still in their mother’s belly—would it count? If not, they’d be short five mu!

Wuwuwu! (Crying sounds)

Yan Lao’er felt a stab of pain in his heart!

Yan Huaiwen gently asked, “After three years, what will the land tax be? And how long is the corvée labor required? We are all villagers; could we be settled together? Manshan and I wish to continue our studies. May I ask, Banner Officer Xue, does Guanzhou have any reputable academies? Where are they located?”

Xue Banner Officer: Feeling awkward enough to want to scratch his feet.

An academy in Guanzhou…

All the famous ones were in the prefectural city!

Where were they located? Asking him? Who could he ask?

“The official school! Yes, the official school! Our Tiger Roost City’s official school is quite good—hahaha, we’ve even produced a few scholars!”

The moment the words left his mouth, Xue Banner Officer regretted it.

Damn it. Not just Tiger Roost City, but the entire Guanzhou Prefecture had so few scholars they could be counted on one hand. Even a rough man like him knew that Guanzhou’s scholars couldn’t compare to those from major provinces.

Forget scholars—even the few successful candidates in the provincial exams (Juren) from Guanzhou were the best of a bad bunch.

Guanzhou’s Juren rarely dared to travel to the capital for the national exams. Why waste the money when they knew they wouldn’t pass…

“In Guanzhou, we only plant one crop per year, so the land tax isn’t high. As for corvée labor…” Xue Banner Officer glanced at Student Liang and spoke with great sincerity, “It’s definitely lighter than in Leshan.”

He chuckled, “Building city walls, digging ditches, paving roads, constructing houses—just the usual work. Outsiders misunderstand Guanzhou, thinking we forcibly conscript people into the army. It’s all a misunderstanding!

“We only have people train with us during the off-season. We provide food and lodging, and when the time is up, they go home.

“Guanzhou is vast. Beirong often raids us, and sometimes Xirong joins in the fun. The garrison troops are too few, and they can’t guard everywhere. Training with us lets the villagers protect themselves.

“If a small group of Tartar raiders appears, they can even kill them for rewards—one head is worth one diao of silver!”

Xue Banner Officer immediately regretted his words again.

Damn it, why did he mention the bounty? He might scare them away!

“Haha! But such chances are rare. Our Tiger Roost troops are strong, and our position is good. We’re not like Longxing, which faces the Tartars’ grazing lands, or Fengming, which borders three tribes and has constant tensions.

“Tiger Roost is closest to Xizhou, and we support each other—it’s the safest place! Ahahaha!”

Yan Lao’er: I don’t believe a word of that.

Training during the off-season and providing food and lodging? What a scheme!

A bunch of young men training together all day—how could they not bond?

After a few years, they’d be emotionally attached to the military.

And if Beirong attacked a few times, and their comrades got injured or killed, wouldn’t these hot-blooded men rush into battle with a roar?

Such a trap!

A deep trap!

“You all want to settle together? No problem! If nothing else, we have plenty of land in Tiger Roost City…”

Everyone understood what he meant.

This Xue Banner Officer wanted them to stay in Tiger Roost City.

But they were aiming for Yongning. Even if that failed, there was still Gufeng, and if all else failed, Changping. Guanzhou’s three border cities were never part of their plans.

“Banner Officer Xue, where do we register for settlement? Are there any specific requirements?” Yan Huaiwen asked politely.

Xue Banner Officer brightened up!

Was his enthusiasm working?

His tone became noticeably warmer as he said, “Haha! Just head to the city yamen. The magistrate is Lord Tian—I know him! Wait here, I’ll send word to him and make sure everything is arranged properly. Ahahaha!”

As he turned to leave, Yan Lao’er grew anxious and kept signaling Old Yan with his eyes.

But unexpectedly, Xue Banner Officer suddenly spun back around and grinned, “Oh! I almost forgot.

“You don’t have to worry—Gufeng and Changping give out less land and charge a settlement fee.

“Yongning is even worse. Since it’s the prefectural capital, they don’t allocate land at all, and guess what? Settling there costs ten taels of silver per person!

“Ten taels! Tsk tsk!

“But we in Tiger Roost City don’t follow their example. You’re all disaster victims—how could we take your money? We don’t charge a single coin!

“If anyone dares ask for a settlement fee, just come find me! I’ll bash their head in!”

“Oh, right! We’ve set up porridge stations by the city gate, serving breakfast and dinner. You’ll have to stay in temporary shelters outside the city for three days, and after that, someone will take you to your new land.”

With that, Xue Banner Officer hurried off, his loud voice carrying every word clearly to their ears.

His enthusiasm was palpable.

Village Chief Luo, who had been silent all this time, finally muttered, “My goodness, ten taels per person!”

Uncle An instinctively patted his money pouch.

“We can’t go to the prefectural city—we’d have nothing left after settling.”

Village Chief Luo nodded. “And they don’t even give land. We’re farmers—how can we survive without land?”

Uncle An agreed. “Those other two cities also give less land. But what kind of land is Tiger Roost offering? Is it good for farming?”

“Forget top-grade fields. If even one mu out of five is decent land, that’s already lucky,” Village Chief Luo said.

The two old men kept discussing the “five mu” policy, clearly dazzled by Tiger Roost City’s settlement offer and already leaning toward staying.

Yan Lao’er whispered to Old Yan, “Brother, so this was the ‘requirement’ you were asking about? Settling costs money?”

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—Yamen (衙门) refers to the government office or administrative headquarters of a local official in imperial China. It served as the center for governance, law enforcement, and judiciary matters.