```
In addition, a heavy military presence must be stationed in the immigrant areas, responsible for clearing out wild beasts, bandits, resistant locals, as well as suppressing any unrest among the immigrants.
Which of the above is not an extreme drain on resources?
During the hardest times, to support these immigrants, develop new territories, and maintain local garrisons, Chu State had to expend tens of millions of stones of grain each year, and an equal amount of silver.
Originally, to sustain this consumption, Lu Yuan had invested the entire production of three counties and seventeen prefectures, over six million subjects, into this immigration project, and even then, had barely managed to get by through external plundering.
Thus, what we see today is the flourishing outcome after all the hardship, the achievement of a great empire.
