Entry

The Feng-cheng Marquis Li Bin, regional commander of Jiao-zhi, advised: "Jiao-zhi is newly attached and, as the region is wild and distant, grain rations are not getting through. It is requested that each of the guards under the military commission separately set up military farms, so that they can grow their own food grain. Using the method of dividing the troops of each guard into ten groups and, determining whether an area is safe or dangerous and whether the situation is pressing or otherwise, it can be decided how many of the troops should be used for farming and how many should be used for defence or deployment. Although the native troops of the various guards are registered as troops, during fighting they are in two minds and often their full fighting abilities cannot be brought into play. It is now proposed that a greater number of native troops than Imperial troops be used for farming. It is suggested that in the Jiao-zhou Left, Right, Central and Forward Guards, and in the Zhen-yi, Chang River and Qing-hua Guards, one-tenth of the government troops be used for farming and nine-tenths be ready for expeditions and defence, while seven-tenths of the native troops be used for farming and three-tenths be ready for expedition or deployment. In the Jiao-zhou Rear Guard, the San River Guard and the Shi Bridge Battalion, two-tenths of the Imperial troops should be used for farming and eight-tenths should be ready for expedition or defence. Of the native troops, eight-tenths should be used for farming and two-tenths should be ready for expedition or deployment. Each of these farming soldiers should be subject to a tax of 35 shi of paddy annually. In the three guards of Yi-an, Xin-ping and Shun-hua, three-tenths of the Imperial troops should be used for farming and seven-tenths should be ready for expedition or defence. Of the native troops, six-tenths should be used for farming and four-tenths should be ready for expedition or deployment. In the three battalions of Yan-zhou, Nan-jing and Xin-an, none of the Imperial troops should be engaged in farming, while of the native troops, three-tenths should be used for farming and seven-tenths should be ready for expedition or deployment. Each of these farming soldiers should be subject to a tax of 18 shi of paddy annually." This was approved.