SFS Chapter 1289 Governing the Plateau and Liberating Slaves
Chapter 1289 Governing the Plateau and Liberating Slaves
Ma Chao looked at the sheepskin scroll from the plateau on the table. On it, a crooked charcoal drawing of a "God-King" was made, surrounded by a dense array of small pebbles—offerings collected by the herders, each pebble polished smooth. He suddenly smiled, his fingertips no longer tapping the table, but gently pressing against the sheepskin scroll:
"A sword can break shackles, but it can't grow barley. Since they believe in 'gods' and 'order,' then give them a god they can believe in, an order that allows them to live like human beings." He looked up at the crowd, his gaze intense. "Send the order: agricultural officials take the best grain seeds, medical officials take enough medicinal herbs, and the Taoist priests continue their sermons. Tell them that if they follow me, Ma Chao, they no longer need to kneel before mountain gods, no longer need to fear nobles. The grain they grow is their own, the words their children can learn are their own—this is the blessing that 'gods' have given them."
The candlelight flickered, illuminating the understanding in everyone's eyes. The silence in the council hall dissipated, replaced by a calm certainty. They might have to spend years, decades, or even lose the entire savings of Xiliang, but looking at the land outlined in vermilion on the map, everyone vaguely felt that this might be a much longer-term matter.
The wind and snow on the plateau were still howling, but the candlelight in the council chamber had already brought a different kind of light to that land.
As Ma Chao listened to the arguments from all sides, his helplessness deepened. He looked out at the deep night and seemed to see the people huddled in their tents on the plateau, their eyes numb, obedient to the nobles' orders, and even willing to kneel and be whipped.
He couldn't do the "plunder" that Li Ru spoke of; he was afraid he couldn't afford the "education" that Lu Su spoke of; he feared that Xu Shu's "gradual approach" might lead to unforeseen changes; he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to grasp the right balance between "kindness and severity" that Jia Xu spoke of; and Zhang Lu's "doctrine" was ultimately just an empty constraint.
"Enough." Ma Chao raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his voice carrying an unquestionable decisiveness, "Among the nobles, those who have committed heinous crimes shall be killed; those who are willing to submit shall have their power stripped but be spared, and their subsequent behavior shall be observed."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "The people will all be given land to individual households, and they will no longer be allowed to be called 'slaves.' Half of the officials sent will be taught agriculture and sericulture, and the other half will be taught the law. Tell them that from now on, the grain they grow belongs to them, and no one can beat or scold them at will."
"As for resources..." Ma Chao took a deep breath, "We need to allocate 30% from Xiliang to get through this winter. We must fight in the Central Plains, and we must also establish roots on the plateau."
He knew it was the most foolish method, neither ruthless nor fast enough, but it held onto that sliver of compassion in his heart. Those people born into slavery deserved a chance to see if they could live like human beings without relying on others.
The council chamber gradually quieted down, the candlelight illuminating everyone's faces, and finally, they all uttered a single, "As Your Majesty commands."
Ma Chao stared at the densely marked plateau map on the table, his fingertips tracing the unfamiliar place names. The road to ruling this land was destined to be difficult, but he wanted to try—without swords and bloodshed, but to let the sunlight shine into those generations-old, dark corners, to let those who had never been treated kindly truly understand the weight of the word "freedom."
As night deepened, the candlelight in the council chamber remained bright, like a star suspended between the plateau and the Central Plains, illuminating a path that no one had ever walked before, yet it was full of hope.
The morning mist on Zhuque Avenue had not yet dissipated, but two rows of armored soldiers already stood solemnly in the Heroes' Monument Square. Their black armor gleamed coldly in the morning light, and the blades of their long halberds reflected the gray sky. At the end of the square, the stone monument engraved with names stood majestically.
As Ma Chao walked along the bluestone slabs, the clanging of the armored soldiers abruptly ceased. He wore a long black robe with dark gold patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs, and a plain-sheathed longsword hung at his waist. He wore neither a crown nor a jade belt, yet his slow, deliberate gait exuded an unadorned majesty.
The highland nobles below were bound by ropes, their coarse robes still stained with the dust and snow of the plateau. They had been keeping their heads down, but upon hearing footsteps, they instinctively looked up, and when their eyes met Ma Chao's calm gaze, they all shivered involuntarily.
"Is it him?" The chieftain's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice extremely low. He had imagined the king of the Central Plains to be clad in golden armor, his face full of ferocity, but the man before him... wore a black robe and carried a plain sword, his brows even carrying a hint of gentleness. Only the occasional flash of cold light from the long sword at his waist reminded them who this was, the man who made the plateau tremble.
The leader of the Faqiang tribe gritted his teeth, his nails digging deep into his palms. He remembered the tribal shaman saying that the rulers of the Central Plains were bloodthirsty and would make wine vessels from the skulls of rebels. But now, there were no instruments of torture, no executioners, only the whistling of the wind through the stone tablets and the steady breathing of the armored soldiers.
Ma Chao stopped in front of the stone tablet, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below. Among them were elderly men with white hair, middle-aged men, and even a few arrogant young men, but at this moment, that arrogance had long been worn down by fear into cowering.
"Raise your head." Ma Chao's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
The nobles hesitated, then slowly raised their heads.
"I have taken over your land," Ma Chao said, his tone as calm as if he were stating a common matter. "I have released your slaves."
A murmur of commotion arose below the steps. Some people's eyes flashed with panic, while others were bewildered. They did not understand what "releasing" meant. On the plateau, slaves were slaves, belonging to their masters like cattle and sheep.
“You might be thinking that I will kill you, like you treat slaves,” Ma Chao said, looking at their expressions. “But I will not kill you.”
These words stunned everyone, even the civil and military officials beside him were slightly surprised. Li Ru stepped forward and whispered, "My lord, these people..."
"Wenyou, wait a moment." Ma Chao raised his hand to stop him, his gaze returning to the nobles. "You can live, but there are conditions."
Ma Chao's gaze swept over the dozens of faces below the steps, a mixture of fear and curiosity. These were clever men chosen from among the slaves, now clutching the hem of their clothes, their eyes timidly glancing at the hero's monument in the center of the square. Unlike the arrogance of the nobles, these men's eyes held awe for this unfamiliar world, and a faint glimmer of light imbued with the doctrines of the Celestial Masters.
"Look carefully." Ma Chao's voice suddenly rose, causing the snow on the square to slide down in a flurry. He raised his hand and pointed to the stone tablet behind him. "The characters on this are the script of the Han Dynasty. Each character is engraved with a name—the names of the soldiers who have been buried on the plateau in the past two years. Their lives have given you the opportunity to stand here today."
The nobles below stirred. An old man with white hair struggled to raise his head, his withered finger pointing at the slaves: "We never intended to be enemies with the Central Plains! It was you who raised troops to invade and destroy our homeland, and you dare to talk about teaching us a lesson? We have lived like this for generations. It is only natural for nobles to control slaves. Who are you to interfere?"
"It's only natural?" Ma Chao sneered, stepping down the stone steps and stopping in front of the old man. The hem of his black robe swept across the remaining snow on the ground. "Last winter, the Faqiang tribe sacrificed thirty slaves to the mountain god, including seven children. You dare to say you didn't know about this? The Green Lion chief ground the slaves' bones into ritual implements and hung them in front of his tent. Is this also your 'only natural'?"
The old man's expression changed drastically; he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word. The surrounding nobles all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Ma Chao's gaze—these matters had never been questioned on the plateau, but now, being exposed in public, it was as if their respectable robes had been stripped away, revealing the bloody and ferocious nature beneath.
Ma Chao turned around and walked up to the group of slave representatives. They were so frightened that they all backed away, but the calmness in his eyes made them stop in their tracks. “Look,” he said, pointing to the dejected nobles, his voice carrying a penetrating power, “they say this is inheritance, but this inheritance means you will be slaves for life, and you won’t even be able to eat a hot meal in peace.”
A young slave suddenly raised his head. His face still bore the marks of whipping, and his voice trembled but was clear: "Divine messenger... what you said about growing barley and being able to keep it, and children being able to learn to read, is that all true?"
“Of course it’s true.” Zhang Lu stepped forward at the right moment and handed a scroll of doctrine to the young man. “You are no longer slaves, but citizens of Xiliang. As long as you are willing to work and learn the rules, your lives will only get better than before.”
Ma Chao's gaze returned to the nobles, his tone cold and hard: "I'm not killing you out of mercy, but so you can see for yourselves that what you call right and wrong is nothing but a rotten shackle. These people you once trampled underfoot will show you what true 'inheritance' is through a new way of life."
He gestured to the soldiers: "Take them away and distribute them to farmhouses in various prefectures, so they can learn farming and bookkeeping. We can talk about anything else when we learn to respect the hard work of these people."
As the nobles were led away, their faces were ashen. The slave representatives watched their retreating figures, then glanced at the hero's monument in the square, and then at the hem of Ma Chao's black robe. Suddenly, someone knelt down, and then more people followed suit, their foreheads pressed against the cold stone slabs, chanting the scriptures of the Celestial Masters Sect, and also chanting "divine messenger" and "peace."
Ma Chao stood atop the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the group of men and women who had once been slaves below. Though their heads were still bowed, their backs were straighter than when they had arrived. He cleared his throat, his voice carrying across the square on the wind: "From this day forward, you are all citizens of Xiliang."
A slight commotion arose below the steps, and someone quietly raised their eyes, their gaze filled with disbelief. Ma Chao continued, "From now on, just focus on farming and weaving, sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn, and paying taxes according to the law. There's no need to fear the whip anymore, no need to live a life of hiding."
He paused, his gaze shifting to the distant military camp, his tone becoming more somber: "If war breaks out, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry will be there to protect you. The soldiers on the city walls and the armored warriors in the camp are your support."
Suppressed gasps rose from the crowd, and a bearded man suddenly looked up: "General, can we... truly be the masters of this land?"
“It’s not just about the land.” Ma Chao nodded. “You are familiar with the local people and understand the environment here. When you return, you should not only spread the teachings of kindness and compassion, but also help me look after neighborhood disputes and mediate conflicts. As for government affairs, you can discuss and handle them yourselves; I will only send officials to supervise.”
He pointed in the direction of the drill ground: "As for military affairs, the garrison in the village will be stationed there permanently. If any of you are willing to join the army, you can go to the drill ground today to register, put on your armor and take up your spear, and defend this homeland with us."
The wind ruffled the tattered hems of their clothes. Some clenched their fists, others wiped tears with their sleeves; their earlier timidity was gradually being replaced by a burning passion. Ma Chao gazed at this scene and suddenly recalled when he first met them, they were all like grass wilted by frost, but now, they clearly showed signs of taking root and sprouting.