Chapter 202: The Newly Drawn Curtain in the Painting Building (4)
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xu Ji said slowly, "Eighty-nine percent of my talents are in financial management, so I like to look at everything from a financial perspective... This is also an economic perspective recently proposed by Guan Zhong College of Sungkyun University."
Well, this is OK.
Looking at problems from an economic perspective is very novel, but very effective! Unexpectedly, Zhang Shuye actually discovered a talent!
"I was entrusted by Governor Zhang to take charge of rural governance. In four months, I visited 59 villages in 11 counties in four states. I talked with local elders, squires, powerful people, big households, etc. all of them.
I have also talked with hundreds of ordinary people, farmers, tenants, hunters, craftsmen, and even with temple priests, witch doctors and other heretics, and recorded more than a dozen notebooks."
Hearing this, Zhao Si couldn't help but give Xu Ji a thumbs up in his heart. This work attitude alone is worthy of Mr. Ji Zhong's high regard for you!
"Your Majesty, I feel that when it comes to rural governance, we must first clarify what our country in the Song Dynasty is like now. After Wei Chen's visit and investigation, we found that the current situation in the countryside in the Song Dynasty is unfavorable transportation, lack of information, fragmented governance, and low productivity. Especially
It’s the last one, low productivity, which is the most critical.”
"The first two current situations, poor transportation and lack of information, are one of the reasons for low productivity; fragmentation is the consequence of low productivity. Another point is that when production is low, we need to face natural disasters such as floods and droughts.
, relying on one household alone, even if you are given hundreds of acres of fertile land, it will be difficult for you to survive."
Zhao Si interrupted and asked, "Then why do you think it is?"
Xu Ji replied: "Your Majesty, I think it is because of low productivity and unpredictable weather conditions that the people's ability to resist risks is extremely poor. I saw six families in a village near the Taihang Mountains in Xingzhou.
The land was opened deep into the mountains, more than ten miles away from the village, and far apart from each other. Within three years, almost all the six families died, except for two families, with only three people left, who came out of the mountains to join relatives in the village.
, and thus survived.”
"I have counted six households. One of them died of starvation and illness within a few months because their child was eaten by a wild wolf. The man was so angry that he went up the mountain to fight the wolf. As a result, he broke his leg. The family lost support and died of starvation and illness within a few months.
When a mudslide occurred, everything was wiped out overnight. One family cleared too much wasteland, and the seven members of the family worked hard to farm and had some savings. However, they worked too hard, and people in the family fell ill one after another, and the savings were quickly used up.
Starve to death and die of illness.”
"One family had difficulties in farming. In a famine year, they had no place to borrow food and starved to death. The other two families had been suffering in poverty and struggled. Nine members of the family died of starvation and illness. The remaining three were really suffering.
Unable to survive, they fled the mountains and fled to relatives... These six families were too far away from the village and could not be saved by anyone else, let alone the government's support."
"Your Majesty, I have discovered from this that in today's time of low productivity and frequent natural disasters, people of one clan and one village must work together and help each other in order to survive."
Xu Ji talked eloquently, "I found that the more people are united, or the more prestigious the clan leaders and village elders are, and the more people can gather people's hearts, the better their lives will be. The more scattered they are, the more difficult their lives will be...
"
"So Wei Chen feels that the current focus of governing the countryside is not to punish the powerful so that they will no longer bully the villagers. Setting up township offices and using government power to suppress rural power is currently useless. Wei Chen feels that it is best to
The best way is to fully give rural people the freedom of choice."
"You have your own choice?" It means something.
"Yes, Your Majesty. There are all kinds of people in the countryside. People who have their own land want to form a village community on their own to help each other and work together; people who have no land and labor want to work for large households and do long-term work.
Tenants; landless families with skills who are ready to use their skills to help villagers and neighbors in exchange for rewards; others who are willing to leave the village to apply for recruitment and work in factories; those who are willing to sign up with their families to join the Huguang Reclamation and Expansion Corps..."
"Weichen feels that these choices of the people should be allowed one by one, and in addition, great conveniences need to be provided - such as going to the countryside to promote and teach the latest farming technology of the Agricultural Science Institute of Gewuyuan; informing people that if they don't farm, there are many other ways to make a living.
There is no need to be limited to one village or one place. As long as you have choices, many problems can be easily solved..."
The more Zhao Si listened, the more excited he became. Unexpectedly, after several years of sowing, he would finally cultivate a group of usable talents that fit his own needs?
"As long as the people are allowed to choose what they want, no matter how powerful the wealthy families are, they have to lower their status. Even if they have thousands of hectares of fertile land, someone must help them plant it. The "Civil Code" in the Six Codes of the Song Dynasty clearly stipulates that in exchange for labor,
Remuneration must be voluntary for both parties... The "Criminal Law" also stipulates that non-police departments are not allowed to detain others or restrict their own possessions. This is illegal and shall be severely punished..."
"If a big family dares to use coercion to force the people to work as slaves and farm hard, there is no need to set up township offices, the national law will punish him! Therefore, as long as the government has good laws, at the same time let the people know that there are good laws to protect them
It doesn’t matter to them whether they set up township offices or not. On the contrary, Wei Chen feels that the rural publicity team that opens up people’s wisdom is more important than township offices!”
"My Healing Game"
"The purpose of the publicity work team is to eliminate the disadvantage of lack of information. It is easier to do than the disadvantage of transportation. After all, building roads and bridges costs a lot of money. Now the court is only building trunk roads. The county is only building county roads to connect the states.
"
"The road that leads directly to the countryside has been missing for some time. So I think it is better to put more effort into eliminating the blockage of information... and then change the way of doing things in the countryside, and mobilize the people as much as possible to abandon the mountains and wilderness,
Move to riverbanks and other disaster-prone fields, and move to prefectures and counties with relatively convenient transportation and flat terrain..."
"According to statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, millions of people are needed to cultivate land in Jianghuai, Huguang, and Lingnan counties. Instead of letting them be trapped in the mountains and fields of Hebei, Hedong, Qilu, Qinchuan and other counties, it is better to mobilize them to open up wasteland in these places.
..."
Zhao Si nodded approvingly.
Piloting means trying all the methods and using whatever works. And maybe the methods that are effective in Hedong may not be effective in Hebei. What works in the north will have different effects in the south.
So why do you want to set up a county and give the county governor so much power? The reason is to adapt measures to local conditions and use good methods.
"Xianzhi is absolutely right. Do you like to watch "Half Moon Miscellany"?"
Zhang Shuye answered for him at the side: "Your Majesty, Xu Xianzhi has never finished a single issue of "Half Moon Miscellaneous Talks". He also often corresponded with his old colleagues and classmates who taught at Sungkyun University to explore these topics, and also asked for academic fees.
He took great pains to read and read the journals of various colleges in Jun University, especially those of Guan Zhong College and Guo Zhong College. I also asked him for advice on many new terms and theories."
Xu Ji hurriedly said humbly: "Prefect Miao Zan, my subordinates just like to read books, it's so fresh!"
After chatting with Huo Anguo for another half an hour, Zhao Si gave Zhang Shuye a wink. He understood and said: "First of all, Anguo, you go back to the Yamen and go about your business. I have something important to report to Your Majesty!"
"
After Xu Ji and Huo Anguo left, Zhao Si paused for a while and said: "Mr. Ji Zhong, I want you to return to Beijing and become the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in charge of people's livelihood. Starting from the first year of Tianqi, the court spent three years
, Inspecting the land and population of the world. I want to finish this work well and make it a regular rule. It will be updated every three years, reviewed once every five years, and searched again every ten years."
"I have discussed with Mr. Zhang and Mr. Xu that the National Situation Inspection Bureau will be placed under the management of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and will be dedicated to this matter... After you finish these things, it will be the end of the year. At the beginning of next year, Mr. Zhang will resign from the post of Dazai.
With Xu Gong taking over, I want you, sir, to be your right servant, in charge of the civil, legal and military departments."
Zhao Si paused and then said: "Mr. Ji Zhong, you should have heard that the Ministry of Finance has issued a letter to the Ministry of Education, and Mr. Xigu (Chang Anmin) has been appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. I have approved it and it will take effect today.
After discussing with Duke Xu, he will be appointed as Dazai next year, with Duke Han (Han Zhongyan) as Zuopushe; Mr. Yuan Chang as Youpushe, in charge of planning, agriculture, industry, and Yu; Mr. Xigu will be moved as Youpushe, in charge of
Officials, studies, and rites; together with Mr. Shangshu, minister of personnel affairs, it was decided."
Zhang Shuye listened quietly, and after Zhao Si finished speaking, he asked.
"Your Majesty, I dare to ask, who will take over Hebei?"
"Mr. Zhongyan (Liu Kai)."
Zhang Shuye was stunned. It was indeed a bit sudden that Liu Kai, who was currently serving as Privy Council member and the military commander, Yuhou, suddenly transferred to Hebei County. But after he thought about it, he seemed to understand something.
"Your Majesty, do you want Liu Zhongyan to secretly mobilize and recruit the soldiers and civilians of Yanshan counties and counties?"
"Yes. The monarchs and ministers of the Liao Kingdom are greedy, cruel and ignorant. I think that they will not live a good life for a few years, so they must be prepared. We have loosened the soil on the Tokyo Road to a similar extent, and the soil on the Nanjing Road should also be loosened a little."
"Mr. Zhongyan has always been in charge of the Dian Military Administration. He pioneered the political and ideological work of the Song Dynasty military police. He was based in Hebei and did ideological work for the soldiers and civilians in Liaozhou and County in the north. This was a good use of his talents."
Zhang Shuye couldn't help but mutter in his heart that political and ideological work was pioneered by officials, and Liu Zhongyan was just an excellent executor. This chapter has been completed!
