Busy Choosing a Site for the Tiger Guards Martial Hall

Lan Tian, undeterred by the fatigue of travel, got straight to work on government affairs without even catching his breath. The officials in charge reported on the situation in their offices, and as the discussion went deeper, it became clear that everyone had accepted the Six Ministries system. Given time, its advantages would become apparent.

Lan Tian's jurisdiction extended beyond Jiao Province to include the three Southern Jing commanderies of Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang. But because these three commanderies administratively belonged to Jing Province, they fell outside the Six Ministries' "service" area, and were managed more loosely.

Remembering that floods had struck the south this year, Lan Tian interrupted the discussion and instructed Jiang Wan, "Rain has been frequent this year, so the whole south is bound to suffer more flooding. Tell the three commanderies of Changsha, Guiyang, and Lingling to take extra precautions. They must protect public safety while safeguarding food production. Have the county and township officials encourage the people living in the mountains to move down and settle together. That will make them easier to manage and increase the number of registered residents."

"Population has grown considerably across the land these past few years. All the fertile land has already been divided up, leaving only barren plots for the people in the mountains. That's why they'd rather stay up there and hunt than come down and settle," Jiang Wan said with a shake of his head and a sigh.

Lan Tian stroked his beard and replied, "Local officials need to find ways to deal with this. Just because the fertile land is gone, should we do nothing? Plenty of mountain slopes can be cultivated, too. It just takes a long time to reclaim them. The government can provide some relief grain and even exempt them from taxes