Xi Yazhou continued to educate them: "Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is a small way to divide and rule. Our Senate is not so stingy in its governance! Mobilize the masses, mobilize the masses, who is mobilizing? Of course it is not the big gentry - of course.
As long as they are honest, we are determined not to embarrass them. But in Foshan, they are used to being local emperors and cannot let go of their past prestige. They must not look down upon outsiders like us who follow rules in everything and govern the country according to law.
We are used to it - not only can we not stand it, but they may even kick us out if we get the chance. Therefore, what we want to unite with are ordinary people."
Lin Ming cautiously interjected at this time: "This is indeed appropriate. However, in order to recruit militiamen, food and salary are required - the militia members used to be borne by the local wealthy..."
Xi Yazhou laughed: "Comrade Lin, you haven't turned your head yet. Once Foshan Town is captured by bandits, who will suffer the most?"
"Of course they are the old wealthy people." Lin Ming actually understood what Chief Xi meant at this time, but he still pretended to be confused.
"That's right, so whoever benefits will pay for it." Xi Yazhou said, "Liu Si, now that you are the mayor, you need to start collecting taxes as soon as possible - if you have money and soldiers, don't panic."
Liu Si respectfully responded "Yes". He knew the Senate's approach. He would never ask big households to pay for food directly. He would have to openly levy some kind of national tax, and then pass various "tax exemption clauses" to
Most of the tax amount is passed on to large households. Finally, the tax money is used to pay the militiamen. This is called "two lines of income and expenditure." The purpose is to let the soldiers know: it is the Senate that feeds them, not
Big house.
Liu Si added: "It's just food and weapons..."
"Foshan is just a big ironware shop. There were so many regiments in the past. Why are the militiamen worried about not having weapons? As for food, you don't have to worry about it after the transportation lines are restored." Xi Yazhou was confident and pointed to the country, "Comrade Lin, I heard that your family
Have four little wives?”
Lin Ming was startled, wondering why this concubine suddenly asked about his four concubines? In the past, when talking in official circles, family members were generally not mentioned, and the most common greetings were "Madam". The concubines were slaves.
, it was not his turn at all. He was worried in his heart, thinking what if this concubine wanted to give up his concubine? He was reluctant to part with any of them - even if he was willing to give up his concubine, his wife would definitely not agree. But since the boss asked
, had to answer: "Yes, there are indeed four little stars in the humble family, and the chief is laughing at them."
"What are you laughing at?" Xi Yazhou said with a smile, "I heard that although there are many wives and concubines in your family, they can live in harmony. It can be seen that you are good at running a family. Since ancient times, you have managed a country and brought peace to the world. You are a local native, and you are very aware of the local situation.
Familiar with me, you must also contribute more to the governance of this town - you have served the Senate in the past, and the Senate will never forget your contribution, and your peace and wealth will never be forgotten."
"Yes, thank you very much for the grace of the Senate. I am humbled and my whole family is filled with gratitude..." Lin Ming knew that these words were a reassurance for him, and at the same time, they were also a "support" for him to serve as the deputy mayor here.
After Xi Yazhou inspected various affairs, he returned to the Octopus and ordered the ship to sail.
The waterway from Foshan to Sanshui is about 30 kilometers. Although the Octopus is a steamship, its speed can only be six or seven kilometers per hour. It also towed several barges and couldn't move faster even if it tried. Xi Yazhou was delayed for several hours in Foshan.
Fortunately, due to the war and chaos, there were few ships sailing on the Xijiang River, so the boat sailed smoothly all the way, and finally arrived at Sanshui County before sunset.
Xi Yazhou stood on the bridge and saw that the red sun had set, the stars were vaguely visible, and the black silhouette of the city emerged from the rice fields and river network in the twilight. Hekou Town, where Sanshui County is located, was already close at hand. Kui
The Wen Pagoda on the hillock towers over the river, towering over the Han River. Outside the city, the river is open and filled with vast water. Xi Yazhou can't help but feel broad-minded.
Most of the various ships of the Senate were moored in Sixianjiao. Various transport ships, large ships, medium-sized boats, gunboats... one by one, parked neatly. The various signal lights on the ship flashed accordingly, and the entire Sixian
Jiao is like the Milky Way.
This waterway is 5 meters deep, 100 meters wide at the west mouth, 200 meters wide at the east mouth, 500 meters wide in the middle, and 1.5 kilometers long. It is not only a suitable anchorage, but also connects the west and north rivers, making it very convenient for ships to enter and exit. Starting from here, not only
Military materials can be supplied through the waterway, and it can also be used as a blood pipe to continuously obtain various materials from the central and west roads. When Thorpe was on a staff trip to Guangdong, he made a special trip to inspect this place.
On the pier of Hekou Town, the flagship of the Navy's Pearl River Squadron, the newly built Type 798 river gunboat "Lijiang", is moored. The profile of the 130mm front-loading rifled gun is particularly conspicuous under the dark blue night.
Although Xi Yazhou didn't care much about land and sea disputes, when he saw this gunboat, he couldn't help but curse in his heart:
"nnd, all the limelight has gone to you! You are still the kind of person who spends a lot of money to be in the limelight!"
Because of his important position, the General Staff specially sent Hong Huangnan to take charge of the forward supply business - which also avoided Liu Xiang's noise: Liu Xiang had already been nagging the military for a long time because he thought he stretched his hands too far in Guangzhou.
It faded away for a long time.
Hong Yuanlao was not happy with this appointment - his original plan was to take advantage of the east wind of the Northern Expedition to build a few farms or orchards directly under Lianqin in the rich and fertile Guangzhou Prefecture. He had already set his sights on Luogang in Panyu. However, before he could start, he
He was sent to Sanshui with a transfer order. Although he was still responsible for the joint logistics business in Guangzhou, he was not there, so things were not so smooth.
The Octopus stopped at the dock of Hekou Town. The Senate's general headquarters in Sanshui is located in Kuigang outside the south gate of Sanshui County. It is less than 1 kilometer away from Hekou Town. Whether it is to contact the civil affairs agencies in the city,
It is also very convenient to command and control ships on the river. After Hong Huangnan took office, he immediately fell in love with this place.
Seeing a bright light on the top of the tower, Xi Yazhou thought that he was using it as a lighthouse. Hong Huangnan really had an idea!
There were already guards on the pier to greet him. Xi Yazhou thought that if there is a pagoda, there must be a temple. Hong Huangnan's headquarters was probably in the temple. Unexpectedly, the guard who greeted him said that the headquarters was actually in the pagoda.
"What? How can there be so much space in the tower?" Xi Yazhou was puzzled.
Although this literary pagoda looks like a pagoda, it actually has nothing to do with a Buddhist temple, but is a kind of Feng Shui architecture. The purpose of building the literary pagoda is to encourage learning and inspire scholars, and is similar to the Zhuangyuan Well, Jinshi and the first archway.
Such buildings have similar functions. They are called promoting literary movement and promoting literary style. Although they are rare in other areas, they are common public buildings in Lingnan area.
Hong Huangnan is a native of Guangzhou and has always been interested in Guangdong's culture and history, so he naturally knows the origin of this literary tower. What's more, the omen of the Kuigang Wenta is also very good. It is said that before Sanshui built the literary pagoda, "there were no literary people in the county"
In Hanlin, there are no guards and no wealth of one hundred thousand." After the Wen Pagoda was built, Sanshui's literary style became more and more prosperous in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and there were many Jinshi and Jinshi. In modern times, there was even the famous Prime Minister of the Beiyang Government.
, "Second President" Liang Shiyi. If non-natives like Zheng Tingkui who started their careers in Sanshui are included, then after the construction of the Wenta Tower, Sanshui is really star-studded with celebrities.
Under the guidance of the guards, Xi Yazhou walked through the heavily guarded cordon and came to Kuigang. It turned out that there were no buildings around the literary tower, but it was surrounded by a masonry wall, which made it very convenient for the guards to guard. When he walked into the gate, he saw
Many temporary buildings had been erected against the wall. The lights were brightly lit at this time, and officers, messengers and naturalized cadres who came to do business were coming in and out, looking busy.
Xi Yazhou looked at the pagoda and saw that it was a planar octagonal, nine-story masonry pagoda imitating a pavilion. It was more than 40 meters high, facing west and back to the east. It shrank gradually from the bottom floor. A copper gourd more than ten feet high was installed on the top of the tower.
There are octagonal floors, and a copper bell is hung on the corner clip. It is night time, the wind blows the bell, and the sound can be heard several miles away. The base of the tower is made of granite, which is more than 1 meter high from the ground. It is 2 meters wide.
It has eight stone steps, each of which is more than 2 meters long and nearly half a meter wide. It is quite majestic.
Because this literary tower is imitation of a pavilion, the area of each floor is quite large, especially the lower floors, which can indeed be used as a simple office building.
"Chief, please go this way." the guard said.
Xi Yazhou held the command knife in his hand and climbed up the stairs. The first floor has been set up as an office, with several desks lined up, large maps hung on the walls, and a bright and dazzling carbide lamp hanging from the ceiling. Because of the lower floors
The height is nearly 5 meters, and it doesn't feel cramped at all.
The Kuigang Wen Pagoda at this time was built in the 27th year of Wanli. It was still a fairly new building in terms of age. After Hong Huangnan took over, he did some cleaning and decoration work. The original small inverted U-shaped window opening was
It was completely dismantled and equipped with large windows inlaid with glass. If it weren't for the octagonal interior walls, it would feel a bit like an old-fashioned office building when you walk in. But the stairs are still narrow and steep.
The guard said that Chief Hong's office and dormitory were located on the fifth floor. Xi Yazhou had no choice but to climb the stairs. He saw Hong Huangnan already greeting him at the top of the stairs.
Xi Yazhou saw that although this floor was not large, it was kept clean and tidy. There were curtains on the windows, a camp bed, a desk, and bookshelves. The kerosene lamp was brightly lit, and there was a flower table in the corner with a pot of water.
I know what flowers are. They look peaceful and comfortable.
"You are living a good life as a child." Xi Yazhou said, "You have moved into a building."
"Compared to front-line commanders, I am quite comfortable here. But doing logistics requires a lot of brainpower, so I have to have a good rest to avoid making mistakes." Hong Huangnan chuckled, "Sit down first and have a sip of tea.