Chapter 52: The Four Great Military Camps

[Commander, the updated total population of the Empire is now 1.76 million.]

With an addition of thirty thousand people, Lin Shu immediately thought of Zhu Ba, who was leading the westward campaign. Major General Zhu Ba's army of twenty thousand infantry and cavalry had, up to this point, subdued seventy thousand people. Now, with a sudden increase of thirty thousand, it seemed they had achieved a great victory.

The East was still in the Bronze Age, while the West was even more desolate. The scattered wild tribes, armed only with stone and wooden spears, naturally stood no chance against an army of twenty thousand clad in steel.

No great battle had occurred in Liaodong City, which remained intact and continued to serve as the Empire's temporary military and administrative center.

With the founding ceremony a month away, Lin Shu spent most of his leisure time cradling his daughter Yan'er, sipping tea, and watching several beautiful women discuss affairs of state.

After sending off the bronze box two days ago, Consort Yan, finally fulfilling her wish, officially joined Lin Shu's small inner cabinet today.

"Consort Yan, the snowy lands to the north and the East Sea together hold over four hundred thousand people. The various former Donghu tribes have just over six hundred thousand, and Liaodong and northern Liaoning have a population of six hundred thousand, of which four hundred and fifty thousand are the old Yan people. Adding the tens of thousands of tribes in the West, the Empire's total population is now around 1.8 million."

"Each tribe maintains its original autonomy, the armies are commanded by their respective generals, and our cabinet's main task is to provide stable governance for the forty-five thousand Han people in the Liaodong region."

Jingni's earnest demeanor brought Consort Yan into the right frame of mind. Looking at the stacks of documents on the table, the Junior Priestess felt overwhelmed, yet she willingly reviewed them, for these were matters concerning the fate of hundreds of thousands.

Yet this infuriating king did nothing but issue orders, leaving all the actual work to them.

"Your Majesty, in recent times, most of Liaodong's officials and bureaucrats have departed! But those who remain are barely sufficient."

The Moon Goddess hadn't expected that even managing just a few hundred thousand people would entail so much trouble!

Jingni sighed gently, "Your Majesty, with the reputation of our barbarian clan, not even the scholars from the Seven States will serve us, not even those from humble backgrounds!"

Even those scholars who remained in Liaodong could scarcely be bothered with this so-called Empire, let alone those in the other states!

Lin Shu frowned in contemplation. It was clear that his notorious reputation in this era only drove people away.

Had this been at the end of the Song or Ming dynasties, there might have been droves of collaborationist scholars clamoring to serve.

"Your Majesty, why not divide the people of Liaodong into small tribes and let them govern themselves?"

Consort Yan made a quiet suggestion. With the entire Empire's administration left to just these few women, exhaustion seemed inevitable.

"That would not do," Jingni replied with a wry smile and a shake of her head. Reverting to tribal governance would mean the Empire would forever remain a barbarian land.

Military and civil affairs had now been formally divided. While there was a shortage of civil officials, the military command was still just about adequate.

The Empire had established four main military camps: Liaodong Camp, Liaoxi Camp, Mo Dong Camp, and Beihai Camp.

Liaodong Camp boasted a total of one hundred thousand troops. There were twenty thousand Liaodong infantry, twenty thousand northern infantry, and the remaining sixty thousand cavalry were mostly of barbarian origin.

Wuyang Jingyao, with a single transfer, had become the commander of the Liaodong Camp, mainly responsible for leading the forty thousand infantry.

Although Halong served as deputy, he directly commanded the sixty thousand iron cavalry.

Liaoxi Camp consisted of forty thousand infantry and cavalry, with twenty thousand infantry all drawn from the Liaodong region. General Xuan Jian commanded, with Lei Ming as his deputy in charge of the cavalry.

Though the Xiongnu had retreated, their strength still posed a threat to the tribes of the snowy north.

The Beihai Camp in the southern snowy lands was established specifically to counter the Xiongnu.

The Beihai Camp numbered sixty thousand troops, including twenty thousand heavy infantry drawn from the wild tribes.

The so-called 'useless' General Yi Mu was the commander of the Beihai Camp.

Mo Dong Camp had fifty thousand cavalry, mainly stationed along the borders with the Xiongnu and the Yan-Zhao region, commanded by the young Fuyu Xite.

The four great military camps were not only composed of soldiers; the soldiers' families had also been relocated to the adjacent military towns.

During this period, Lin Shu had constructed more than a dozen family towns for the four camps, though the houses within would have to be built gradually by their inhabitants.

The majority of able-bodied men from the former Donghu and northern tribes had been drawn into the four major military camps. With the transfer of the soldiers' families, the population of each tribe had been halved.

Among the three major surrendered Donghu generals, the first to return was naturally General Daha.

While the Donghu tribes remained largely autonomous, someone was needed to oversee and mediate their affairs.

Thus, the cunning and cowardly chief of the Fat Pig Daha tribe conveniently became the supreme leader of the East Sea tribes, equivalent to a provincial inspector.

So long as the four great military camps remained stable, even if Lin Shu were to disappear, the scattered tribes would lack the strength to rebel within the next fifty years.

The combined forces of the four camps totaled two hundred and fifty thousand, the maximum force Lin Shu could currently muster, with the militia only to be mobilized in times of war.

As for Zhu Ba's forty-thousand-strong corps in the distant west, they were not counted for now.

With the military settled, Lin Shu finally had time to attend to civil affairs.

At this moment, everyone in the cabinet was lost in thought.

Consort Yan, too, could not think of a good solution for now. The main issue was that the Yin-Yang and Confucian-Mohist schools were at odds; otherwise, they might have approached these two great scholarly traditions.

"Though we lack scholars for now, it is only temporary. Once the Empire is stable, the people of Liaodong will be won over. When Your Majesty unifies the steppes, the scholars of the Seven States will no longer dare to look down on us."

Jingni was confident that as long as they endured a few years, there would be no shortage of people willing to serve.

Consort Yan nodded, then turned to Lin Shu. "When does Your Majesty plan to unify the steppes?"

Though an expedition could commence at any time, the development of Liaodong was of greater importance.

After glancing at Consort Yan, Lin Shu replied, "With the shortage of military provisions, it will be at least another year or two before I campaign westward."

So soon? Consort Yan had expected it to take three or four years at least.

The Moon Goddess smiled, relieved. "There is no need to rush. The Xiongnu tribes can manage their own affairs, but major tribal matters will still require cabinet oversight."

Shaoshao had hoped her elder sisters had a good solution, but it seemed: they would have to endure another two or three years, at the very least.

Watching her husband dote on little Yan'er again, Jingni could only smile wryly.

"Husband, why not let the maids look after Yan'er? The ruler of a nation cannot leave everything to us womenfolk!"

Lin Shu shook his head at once. How could he let anyone else care for his precious daughter? As for changing diapers and lulling the child to sleep, diligent Xinying handled all these chores, and he did not find them bothersome.

"Ah, what a king you are!"

There was nothing for it; Jingni could only resign herself.

Hmph, this wretch! With a muttered complaint, Shaoshao picked up another file from the table.

Lin Shu bowed his head in thought, for he already had a plan in mind.

"Xinying, I intend for you to take up the role of teacher. It should not be an issue, correct?"

Xinying had a detection range of ten kilometers and could relay and monitor orders within a one-kilometer radius. As a teacher, she could instruct ten thousand students at once.

[At your command, Commander. Xinying's remaining computational power is sufficient to monitor thirteen thousand students. However, a large supply of coal will be needed.]

Excellent! It was indeed possible.

Even if the scholars of this era were willing to serve, Lin Shu had no desire to employ them.

This chaotic Warring States period featured seven scripts and seven major regional dialects, with a bewildering variety of contending philosophies, forever at each other's throats.

Most importantly, he had no wish to learn all those ancient scripts!

Lin Shu stood up and tapped the table. At once, the four beauties turned to look at him.

His expression sobered, and Lin Shu shed his usual air of nonchalance.

"Cabinet, draft a royal decree."

A royal decree! Jingni and the Moon Goddess picked up blank notebooks, waiting quietly.

"Decree: All land is to be nationalized. Nobles, officials, and landlords are to relinquish land ownership immediately. No private citizen, regardless of status, is permitted to trade or dispose of land privately."

"Decree: Each person in Liaodong is to receive the usage rights to ten acres of prime farmland and ten acres of dry land. Village residents may use and manage their allotted land, but may not trade or dispose of it."

This... Jingni stopped writing. Such measures would make civil administration even more difficult for the cabinet!