"Your Majesty, there is no need to speak of benevolence or morality when dealing with these foreign tribes. Only slaughter can cow them!"
"I propose beheading every last prisoner, then using their heads to build a Jingguan on the frontier!"
"That will surely ensure peace along the border!"
In his youth, Lü Bu had often dealt with foreign tribes. In his eyes, they were all cut from the same cloth.
Only when you killed until they feared you would they dare not invade!
"You are mistaken, Duke Wen."
Jia Xu was the first to step forward in opposition. Shaking his head, he said, "Killing them would be far too wasteful."
"Rebuilding Luoyang requires a great deal of labor. Why not send all these prisoners to rebuild the imperial capital?"
"That would save considerable money and grain without wasting so much labor. Would that not be splendid?"
For the rebuilding of Luoyang, the Great Aristocratic Families supplied money and grain, while the Imperial Court recruited workers to carry out the construction.
Traditional corvée generally offered no payment whatsoever. Sometimes, people even had to provide their own food and drink.
Only enlightened emperors would feed the commoners performing corvée, but many officials overseeing the projects would skim off those funds.
Thus, many commoners paled at the very mention of corvée.
But Liu Xie had specifically instructed that the Imperial Court must not shortchange those commoners on their meals and must also pay them a certain amount.
These were undoubtedly enormous expenses.
But if Wuhuan prisoners were used to rebuild Luoyang, why pay them anything?
They should count themselves lucky to get a mouthful of food!
As for whether they died of exhaustion or starvation, that did not matter. All the money saved could go into the state treasury.
"That does make sense."