On the vast Shuo River plain, there were two green-brown Northern Liang horses galloping at full speed. They stopped and stood up when they jumped onto a slope.

Chenyue and Yu Yanbai spent five days visiting several counties to see the lives of the people and the officialdom.

Generally speaking, they are similar to those in An County. The refugees in Liang can have the most basic living security, and there are no corrupt officials.

"Your Majesty, this is Shuo County." Yu Yanbai pointed out his hand and said.

"This is probably the largest county in the interior of Shuozhou." Chenyue murmured, looking at the market town in the distance.

Shuo County is located along the Shuo River, at the intersection of a three-way branch, with two tributaries, one east and one west, extending into the territory.

Looking at it, Shuo County is quite densely populated, and there are also small boats in twos and threes docked on the shore in several rivers, loading and unloading goods.

According to the idea of ​​Song Zhilu and Yu Yanbai, Shuo County was to be built into the most important place in the hinterland of Shuozhou. After all, Shuofeng City was at the forefront and it was inconvenient to travel around. It was more of a symbol.

The two rode their horses towards the center of the county. The faces of the people coming and going were filled with smiles, and there were also many shirtless men walking around carrying cargo boxes.

Even many inns and wine shops, which are rare in other counties, have opened here, and the prosperity can be seen at a glance.

Yu Yanbai said as he walked: "The location chosen in Shuo County was decided after many discussions between my teacher and me.

It is located in the hinterland of Shuozhou, so safety can be guaranteed. It is close to Liangzhou and is at the intersection of three rivers. Water and land transportation are very convenient.

Especially during the autumn harvest, grain and grass can be transported by water and then loaded on trucks and transported to Liangzhou, saving a lot of manpower and material resources."

Yu Yanbai said eloquently that although he rarely came to the mainland of Shuozhou this year, he was still familiar with these things, and the farewell trip to Shuozhou was not for nothing.

"Will all the grain and grass in Shuozhou be transported to Liangzhou from here?" Chenyue asked in surprise.

"Of course not, I can only say most of them." Yu Yanbai shook his head and said: "We transport grain based on the principles of convenience, speed and safety, and we have a detailed plan."

"Not bad." Chenyue nodded with satisfaction.

The two of them slowly arrived at the depths of the market town. Like other counties, Shuo County was not protected by tall city walls, and the bustling flow of people came from all directions.

However, in the center of the market town, a small city was built with loess and bricks, which is where the official office of Shuo County is located.

The government office occupies a small area. In addition to the yamen being set up in it, it is also used as a place to store grain, so a wall was built to ensure safety.

"Let's go, Mr. Song must be waiting for us." Chenyue chuckled and rushed towards the official office.

…

In the county office of Shuo County, Song Zhilu was discussing matters with a middle-aged civil servant in his thirties.

This person's name is Jiang Mu, and he is the newly appointed Shuozhou Biejia. He is one of the first batch of officials transferred from Youzhou to Shuo, and he is quite capable.

"Master Song, the prince has arrived." Ben Hu stood at the door and announced softly.

After parting ways with Chenyue in Shuofeng City, Bihu came to Shuo County in advance to wait. According to the plan, Chenyue would leave for Liangzhou after inspecting Shuo County, and the matter in Shuozhou was over.

Song Zhilu and Jiang Mu were about to go out to greet them when a hearty laughter came in:

"Master Song, I came here uninvited, haha."

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The two people who had not yet recovered from their emotions hurriedly saluted.

"No gifts, no gifts." Chen Yue, who walked into the official office dressed in casual clothes and said with a smile: "I guess this is the new Mr. Jiang of Shuozhou. Thank you for your hard work."

Although Chenyue heard Yu Yanbai mention Jiang Mu several times along the way, this was the first time he met him.

Chen Yue, a fourth- and fifth-grade civil servant in the Northern Liang land, rarely appoints himself. Basically, Song Zhilu and the provincial governors select talents, and then submit them to Chen Yue for approval.

"This is what a lower official should do." When Jiang Mu heard Chen Yue call out his identity, he raised his hands in excitement.

Everyone sat down one by one, and Song Zhilu asked with a smile: "Your Majesty's trip to Shuozhou has been a little over half a month, how is it?"

Chen Yue took a sip of the tea brought by the servant and said, "Yes, the situation is better than I imagined. This is all the credit of you adults."

Yu Yanbai and Jiang Mu both had a comfortable smile on their faces.

To be recognized by King Liang, you should be proud when you should be.

"Your Majesty just said a good thing and you want to send us colleagues away?" Song Zhilu said with a smile: "Since I took office as the Northern Liang Economic Envoy, most of my energy has been put into Shuozhou Mansion, what can I not reward you with?"

"Hey, Mr. Song, let's talk about it. You have drank the celebration wine, and officials at all levels have been promoted according to their merit. Why are you still thinking of getting some benefits from me?" Chen Yue said seriously.

"Ha ha."

Song Zhilu laughed loudly, but Yu Yanbai and Jiang Mu did not dare to laugh too wildly. After all, the relationship between Mr. Song and the prince was too close.

"Okay, let's get down to business. Your Majesty is going to Liangzhou soon. Is there anything else you want to explain about Shuozhou's government affairs?" Song Zhilu asked.

Jiang Mu on the side also sat upright and listened carefully.

Chenyue stood up and glanced at the Shuozhou map spread on the table, and said in a deep voice: "Yanbai also discussed this matter with me along the way, and there are three things that need to be done.

First: Shuozhou is hundreds of miles away, and there is still a lot of wasteland available for reclamation, so the population must continue to expand.

Second: develop commerce and trade.

Third: There is still a shortage of officials in Shuozhou. Each county office has one person holding multiple positions. What I mean is that we can boldly select talents from the three states and add them to the government first. Those who lack ability can be eliminated in the future.

The fourth is not just a matter for Shuozhou, but something that the entire Northern Liang and Liaodong need to do. Attract scholars into Liang, so that as many Liang children as possible can read and write from an early age.

Of course, the most important thing is to expand the population. Once we have more people, everything will be easy."

In fact, Chen Yue and Yu Yanbai discussed more than these four points along the way, but these four points are what Chen Yue thinks are the most important.

Song Zhilu nodded frequently and said, "Your Majesty, what you said makes sense, I will arrange these things as soon as possible. It's just that the burdens on Governor Yu and Jiang Biejia will become heavier!"

"Haha, this is a rare opportunity to practice. I believe in your abilities." Chenyue laughed and looked at the two civil servants sitting next to him.

Yu Yanbai and Yu Yanbai didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They stood up and saluted: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, we will do our best!"

"Okay, I'll stay soon." Chenyue patted his butt and stood up.

"Um? Are you leaving just now?" Song Zhilu looked stunned, but Chen Yue didn't even have time to drink a cup of tea when he sat down.

Chenyue spread his hands helplessly: "You are busy and I am busy too. The land of Qizhou is about to run away."
Chapter completed!