Surviving Chaos (5): The Emperor Makes Heodo the New Capital
Heohyeon had officially been renamed Heodo, and the masses of subjects erupted in cheers at the Han imperial family's fresh start.
"Woooooo!!"
I shouted right along with them.
Not because the Han court had finally laid the groundwork for revival or anything like that.
What had my heart pounding, what had me losing all composure and screaming in joy, stemmed from the new capital—but it sure as hell wasn't about the court's resurgence.
"Say it again, Fengxiao."
"Your land value just doubled."
"Doubled?"
"Yeah. Heh, want me to brag a little? See, I..."
Guo Jia had played a major role in developing Heodo. And when erecting the city walls, she'd made sure to enclose the district where my estate lay inside them.
In other words, thanks to Guo Jia, my property value had skyrocketed twofold!
"I love you, Fengxiao!"
I pulled her into a tight hug.
"Putting my estate inside Heodo's walls just for me—ugh, it's got me tearing up! You really gotta pick your friends wisely!"
"Heehee. You know it was all me."
"Damn right! Hell, if you told me to kiss the top of your foot, I'd do it in a heartbeat!"
"Then do it."
"...Pardon?"
Guo Jia shoved me away, plopped her butt on the bed, and stuck out her foot.
"Come on. What're you waiting for?"
"...You won't regret it?"
"Why would I?"
"......."
I dropped to my knees before her. Cupped her dainty foot reverently in both hands, and bowed my head.
I—
"Kidding! I'm kidding! Hey, what if you actually did it...!"
Guo Jia folded first.
"Are you nuts? Touching some random woman's body like that?! And you were seriously gonna kiss my foot?!"
"Bit late to play coy now."
"Th-that's true, but what if your disciples or academy folks saw? What would they think?!"
"They're all out gawking at Heodo right now, so we're good. Besides, everyone knows how much I obsess over land values."
I leaned in until my lips nearly brushed the top of her foot.
"My assets just doubled—can't I at least get a foot kiss out of it?"
"Ugh... What happens if it triples? You gonna shove your head under my skirt?"
"Wouldn't put it past me. Heh."
"......Hmph."
Guo Jia pointed at the basin beside her, cheeks flushed red.
"Wash my feet, then."
"My honor, big sis."
"What? We're the same age, you know."
"You made me money—you deserve the royal treatment."
I dragged over the basin of warm water and soaked her feet.
"Y'know, your feet are prettier than I expected."
"And just who are you calling 'you' like that?"
"Can't I say it now and then?"
Her feet were already spotless—no real need for a wash—but I kneaded the tension from them, pressing firmly here and there.
"Seriously, thank you. You could've kept your own land safe but swapped it for mine inside the walls instead."
"Just happened that way while I was trying to stay aboveboard."
"Sure, sure."
"...It's just mutual aid, that's all."
Guo Jia leaned forward, gazing down at me.
"Thanks, big bro."
"Why am I 'big bro' now?"
"You called me 'big sis' after boosting your assets, so fair's fair. Heh."
Her swept-aside hair cascaded down, swaying before my eyes.
"Thanks to you, our Tuntian system paid off big from the first harvest. You hear? The lord held a Tuntian contest for Heodo's overseers—gold prizes for whoever yielded the most in their district."
...No way.
"How'd it go?"
"Obviously, I took first. Just like you said—stoking their greed lit a fire under everyone. Heehee."
The advice I'd given Guo Jia was on Tuntian methods: rewards for top performers, exclusion as punishment for slackers.
"Spent three hundred taels of gold and reaped thousands of shi of grain plus a thousand more in gold. Not just profitable—a windfall. Thanks a ton."
"If you're grateful, treat my academy kids nice later. They chipped in too."
"Even the one who said better farm tools boost yields?"
...Looks like Zhuge Liang's input wasn't all that helpful.
"...Well, it's not wrong."
"True enough."
Guo Jia had once come to me—to all of us—for tips on effective Tuntian. Not just her; others too. But she especially embraced and implemented our suggestions.
"The best advice? Just a tenth tax on the first year's harvest. I covered the rest myself... but we overproduced by heaps. All thanks to you and your disciples. Really grateful."
Not just me—Sima Yi, Seo Seo, Zhuge Liang all threw in their unfiltered ideas.
"Doubt I'd have hit half without you guys."
"Humble much?"
"No joke. I tested my own method in one spot? Total flop."
"......."
No matter how Guo Jia ran her Tuntian, we'd helped her sincerely. Farmers are the root of the world. Debating Tuntian was the path to feeding the realm's people, so Suyeon Academy's scholars threw themselves into aiding the strategists.
Farmers are the root of the world. In these chaotic times, we yearned to fill bellies.
Cao Cao's a pain, but her people aren't. Even Zhuge Liang pitched solid plans, knowing they might reach Cao Cao's ears.
...Low odds of real adoption, but theoretically flawless.
Me, Sima Yi, Seo Seo, Zhuge Liang. Four heads pooling trial-and-error from Sinyahyeon refined into "civilian Tuntian," polished once more before passing to Guo Jia.
Her district outyielded others by about thirty percent.
"I'm genuinely thankful. Landed me that gold prize."
"You'll pocket the gold—what about the surplus grain?"
"The excess? Still stacked in the warehouses."
Harvest season now.
"Honestly stumped. How to use it."
Her district's farmers had exceeded quotas massively, leaving surplus disposal to her.
"I could hog it all or tax it as revenue. But it'd feel like such a waste."
"Obviously. They busted their asses for it—snatch it as taxes, and they'll never hustle like that again."
Quotas met, no more contests—just apathy.
"You haven't spent that prize gold yet, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Buy the grain with it."
"......Why?"
Guo Jia's face soured a bit.
"It's surplus from my land. I say 'hand it over,' and they can't utter a peep."
"But you'd lose their trust."
"Wouldn't the lord lose face with her farmers?"
"That's why buy it with gold. Not dirt cheap—fair market."
"Why buy at all? It's surplus—sell at full price, or higher. Reselling to farmers is worth more?"
"Damn right."
I kept massaging her feet while laying out my thinking.
"Give it free, some'll exploit your generosity. Hoard it all, they'll call you heartless. But buying with gold? Changes everything. Now they know surplus sells."
"And that'll supercharge Heodo's economy?"
"Commerce blooms from wanting more. Craving what you lack—that desire."
I nodded at the gold ring on her finger.
"Farmers see gold, others covet it. Trade goods for it, whatever."
"I see. Barter sparking commerce revival."
"Heodo wants big-city status? Gotta start there."
A city's growth isn't just from being the capital.
"Goods flow in, trade thrives, city booms naturally. Chang'an sat at the crossroads to Bashu and Yangzhou; Luoyang had five centuries of history. Heodo catches up only if goods flood through."
"Boost the city's value, your land prices soar too, huh?"
"You know it."
Heodo thrives, my retirement's secure.
"Maybe build a Taeyang Academy branch in Heodo someday."
"Ooh, for real? Fire me later, hire me as instructor?"
"Instructor? You? What're you good at?"
"Drinking? Heehee."
Absurd. I flicked her instep.
"Ow, why hit me?"
"A talent like you rotting as faculty? National tragedy."
"And you?"
"......."
Guo Jia met my eyes, serious now.
"No plans to enter service?"
"...Hell no. Hate responsibility."
"Hmm, too bad. Thought I'd poke while you're high on rising land values. No dice."
"Land's land. Beliefs are beliefs."
I know my limits better than anyone.
"Let officials handle state affairs. I'll just bask in peace."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Suckin' on honey water, livin' quiet..."
I looked up.
Guo Jia stroked my hair with a grin.
"Want some honey water?"