Yu County was called Yuzhou in ancient times and was one of the sixteen states of Yanyun.
During the Warring States Period, after the State of Zhao was invaded by the Qin army, the remaining nobles of the State of Zhao retreated to the Yu County area and established a short-lived regime called Dai State.
Of course, this so-called Dai Kingdom is just one more battle for the Qin people who are dominating all directions.
At least in terms of geographical location, Daiguo, also known as Yu County, guards Feihu Valley and leads directly to the hinterland of the Taihang Mountains. It can be attacked when advancing and defended when retreating. The strategic location is very important.
Zhu Qizhen still did not lead any troops, and there were only three people around him, namely Fan Zhong who never left his side, and Yuan Bin, the leader of the eagle and dog, who smoked, drank, and permed his hair... No, it was Yu Qian, an all-round talent.
Due to the restructuring of the Jiangnan Army, Li Zhen's 3,000 Battalion cannot return to Beijing for the time being. Instead, they serve as instructors and are scattered in various military camps to conduct all-round training and guidance.
In order to ensure the safety of the emperor, Yuan Bin brought twenty disguised spies to Yu County to make preparations in advance.
For a time, people doing business, visiting relatives and friends, people passing by... In short, as the new year approaches, Yu County suddenly has some strange people.
When Zhu Qizhen and his party arrived in Yu County, they clearly felt the difference.
It should be said that it is a feeling of sudden enlightenment.
A brand new and straight road came into view. This road was forcibly built by Shang Ren under the opposition of the gentry in the county. It was paved with gravel and cement plastered. Compared with the surrounding dirt roads, it can only be described as luxurious. This road leads directly to the capital. There are trucks constantly coming and going on the road, which is very lively.
In the distance are patches of wheat fields. Although it has already entered winter, it can be seen that the crops in the wheat fields are growing well, and next year will definitely be a bumper harvest.
Yu Qian suddenly said: "Your Majesty, this wheat... seems to be a little different."
Zhu Qizhen nodded and said: "This is barley, also called highland barley."
Yu Qian thoughtfully said: "I see, it's just...the wheat ears are dense and full, and the yield must be equivalent. Why haven't I seen such wheat seeds in other prefectures and counties along the way?"
Zhu Qizhen knew this very well, because he was the one who asked Shang Ren to plant highland barley in Yu County.
"I specially sent people to buy highland barley wheat seeds from Uzang. It has not been promoted yet. It is mainly planted in Mobei. The Yu County area is just a test field. In other words, these wheat seeds are not grown for food, but are specially grown for food.
An agricultural research group was established to cultivate improved seeds and then promote them throughout the world."
The group continued to move forward and passed a dam. Zhu Qizhen introduced it eloquently: "There was a man named Chen Fang in the county government. Although he was just a civil servant, he was very good at managing rivers. At that time, I specially gave him
Yu County allocated a sum of money to develop agriculture, including building reservoirs, strengthening river embankments, diverting water to irrigate some fields, and introducing breeding cattle to the desert..."
Yu Qian felt a little shocked. The emperor was so knowledgeable about the situation in Yu County.
The closer to the county seat, the more lively it becomes, and workshops are set up one after another.
There are work sheds everywhere, manpower is recruited, raw materials are purchased, and production begins.
Many young people are working here, and they are very busy.
Yu Qian couldn't help but frowned and said doubtfully: "If all the young and strong people come to work, won't the farmland be abandoned?"
Zhu Qizhen smiled faintly and said, "Did you see abandoned farmland along the way?"
Yu Qian scratched his head and said: "It seems... I really didn't see it, but I am a little confused..."
Zhu Qizhen said: "The gentry are all smart people, and they have a calculation in their hearts. It is impossible for them to engage in loss-making business."
Yu Qian still didn't understand and said: "Farming depends on the weather, and food prices fluctuate. If there is a disaster, there will be no harvest. I just saw that after Yu County's new policy, the cattle and new farm tools,
There are also high-yield and improved varieties that are being cultivated. Not to mention how they will grow in the future, if they suffer from insect pests, droughts, or floods, they will lose their money. Even if there is a bumper harvest, wouldn't it be possible if food prices plummet?
Was it also a heavy loss?"
Zhu Qizhen nodded, shook his head, and said: "You are only half right. It is precisely because farming depends on the weather. Therefore, if you want people to be willing to farm and to invest, to cultivate intensively and to increase output, the government must do
It is not a matter of letting things go, but of doing something about it. For example, strengthening river embankments can prevent and control floods; building reservoirs and irrigation ditches can prevent droughts. In addition, building roads can make roads accessible, even in remote places.
, it can also guarantee that grain can be sent to the market at any time, which is enough to guarantee profits. With these, those gentry and ordinary farmers are willing to invest more energy in their fields, instead of doing what they did in the past.
After sowing the ground, whether you can get a good harvest or not depends entirely on heaven."
Yu Qian tried hard to digest these words. They sounded like very simple and popular truths. Even if he pulled an old man from the fields, he could understand them. However, when he tasted them carefully, they contained a kind of meaning that said no.
The feeling.
It seems that there is some truth hidden in every small, sparse and ordinary daily life.
He couldn't help but think of what the emperor said when he was in Nanjing. The Four Books and Five Classics could no longer satisfy the development of the Ming Dynasty. We must vigorously develop basic education and popularize natural science.
At that time, I thought that natural science was just astronomy and geography, and it was no big deal. However, when I saw it today, even the small farmland contained such profound truths...
Zhu Qizhen looked around at the novelty. All he knew about Yu County before was in Shang Ren's letters. Seeing it with his own eyes today made him feel very good.
There was a carpentry workshop on the roadside, which was busy with work. Zhu Qizhen looked at his casual clothes, and with a thought in his mind, he said: "Let's go over and have a look!"
Yuan Bin suddenly became nervous. There was no mention in the plan that he would go to the workshop!
The Jinyiwei spies have entered the city, and there is no one around to protect them. What if something happens?
"Your Majesty, it's getting late, why not... go to the city first!"
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Yuan Bin couldn't stop him, so he had to find an excuse.
Zhu Qizhen looked at the sky and said, "It's okay to just delay for a while!"
After saying that, he got off his horse and walked towards the workshop first.
Fan Zhong followed him like a shadow and immediately followed him. Yuan Bin had no choice but to follow him step by step.
When Yue Qian realized it, the three of them had already entered.
The people inside were so busy that they didn't even notice that there were a few more strangers.
Zhu Qizhen walked around and saw a middle-aged man hurriedly walking out with an account book.
When he saw these people, he subconsciously thought they were shop assistants. He didn't pay attention at first, but when he took a second look, he saw that no, their faces were very strange, and judging from their clothes, they didn't seem to be ordinary people.
"What do you guys...do you want?"
Zhu Qizhen smiled politely and asked, "Are you the shopkeeper?"
The middle-aged man nodded and said: "Yes, you are..."
Zhu Qizhen had already prepared a set of words: "It's like this. We came from the capital and wanted to purchase a batch of furniture. When we saw you here..."
"I'm so sorry!"
Unexpectedly, he was rejected before he finished speaking.
"Our workshop's orders have been scheduled for half a year, and we really can't do anything about it. You'd better go to another place and have a look!"
At this time, Yu Qian had just walked in. When he heard these words, he was surprised and said: "In half a year?"
The shopkeeper nodded and said, "No, it's already half a year later."
Yu Qian looked around and asked: "Is the furniture...so in short supply now?"
"It's not just furniture. Everything is in short supply now. Many workshops only supply goods to the capital."
"Since demand exceeds supply, why not recruit more people to do the work?"
"It depends on what you said..."
The shopkeeper smiled helplessly and said: "There is a shortage of people everywhere, how can we find jobs!"
Yu Qian added: "If we are really short of people, we can recruit them from neighboring counties."
"To tell you the truth, most of the people working in this workshop are from neighboring counties!"
Yu Qian was speechless. He didn't expect that the popularity of the workshop here had exceeded his imagination.
Zhu Qizhen was just looking around casually and was about to leave when he saw a policeman walking in.
This person was wearing Tsing Yi, walking in a hurry, and carrying a bag.
"Dragon Zhou's family!"
"Yeah, it's Brother Wang!"
The shopkeeper hurried forward and it seemed that he was very familiar with this servant.
The guard said: "The New Year is coming soon, the weather is dry, and all the furniture here is made of wood. You must take precautions to make sure nothing goes wrong!"
"Don't worry, everything that the county magistrate personally ordered last time has been rectified. Six water tanks have been installed in the entire workshop, filled with water, and are ready at any time!"
"That's good!"
The officer surnamed Wang was not in a hurry to leave, but started patrolling back and forth.
Yu Qian suddenly heard that Yuan Bin and Fan Zhong were whispering.
"One hundred taels, I bet he is here to extort money!"
"Follow me, I bet he won't take any money!"
Yu Qian came to the two of them and whispered: "What are you two doing?"
Fan Zhong chuckled and said, "Master Yu, do you want to place a bet?"
"What kind of note should I add?"
"Bet on whether that little official is here to extort money!"
Yu Qian frowned. Indeed, petty officials in such a place like to bully small traders.
This person talked about fire prevention, but he didn't leave even after he said it. Most likely, he was waiting for the shopkeeper to give him some money.
"Well, if something happens, you must notify the county government as soon as possible!"
"Okay, definitely!"
After the two of them finished speaking, the young official in green clothes turned and left.
Fan Zhong was a little confused and murmured: "That's strange, aren't you here to extort money?"
At this time, Zhu Qizhen also left, and several people hurriedly followed.
On the way, Fan Zhong took out a banknote with an annoyed look on his face and threw it to Yuan Bin.
Yuan Bin took it with a smile and said: "Lao Fan, don't you see it?"
Fan Zhong asked in confusion: "What do you see?"
"Have you noticed that the man just now is very capable? Have you ever seen such a clerk in any yamen before?"
After saying this, not only Fan Zhong but also Yu Qian was stunned.
Yuan Bin is right. Except for people who have been serving as officials for generations, the vast majority of officials in the government are recruited. This is a type of corvee service. All of those people are dull-eyed and confused.
The appearance, or the honest appearance.
Thinking back to the little official just now, his energy and energy were completely different.
Fan Zhong asked: "So what if you are capable?"
Yuan Bin said with a hint of sarcasm: "Thankfully you are still with the emperor every day. Didn't you hear how the official system was changed? This is the new policy in Yu County. That official is by no means an ordinary person, at least he is a scholar!
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Fan Zhong asked: "How can we see it?"
But Yuan Bin shook his head and said: "I can't explain to you, so let's go!"
Fan Zhong said dissatisfied: "Hey, please speak clearly..."
Yuan Bin ignored him and walked forward.
Fan Zhong had no choice but to look at Yu Qian and asked, "Master Yu, what do you think?"
Yu Qian also had this doubt and shook his head.
However, he soon understood.
In the New Deal, great changes were made to the official system.
In the past, officials were officials and officials were officials. No matter how good you were, it was impossible to change from a official to an official.
The new official system has broken this gap.
If you do well, you will have the opportunity to be promoted to become a magistrate, chief registrar, or even a county magistrate or a county magistrate...
In this way, the people below will have a head start and will naturally be full of energy.
Moreover, under such a promotion channel, scholars will no longer look down on officials. If they cannot directly become officials, they will settle for the next best thing, starting from officials and working their way up step by step.
As a result, the officials were replaced by a group of energetic, motivated, and literate young people from the illiterate people in the past.
These people have energy and can learn.
Of course, the most important thing is that they have hope.
Originally, these petty officials were called cheap officials, but now, their status is different.
After thinking about this section, Yu Qian felt relieved.
At this moment, he had a feeling of enlightenment.
When I was in Nanjing, I only listened to the emperor talk about how good the New Deal was. Although he talked about everything in great detail, I still had a vague feeling. Only when I came to Yu County today did I fully understand those truths.
Before dark, the group entered the city, and Yuan Bin asked: "Your Majesty, are you staying at the county government office or at an inn?"
Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said: "Seeing that they are very busy, let's go to the inn!"
"There is an inn ahead, which is quite clean. I have already sent someone to make arrangements!"
On their way to the inn, a few people happened to pass by the county government office and saw the brand new gate of Yu County, which occupied a large area. Although the sun was setting, there were still many people coming and going in a hurry.
Yu Qian couldn't help but said: "Officials don't build yamen, but this Yu County has broken the rules."
Zhu Qizhen said: "Yuxian County is different from other places. Here, everything has rules and the yamen must be lenient. Look, how many people need to go to the yamen to do things? If the old shabby little yamen had ever
Seeing people coming in and out? What the new government wants is efficiency. Whether the yamen is good or not depends on how efficiently it handles things. Besides, the yamen is the face of the court, so why can't it be repaired?"
Yu Qian nodded and said: "What the emperor said makes sense, I understand!"
Zhu Qizhen said: "You don't have to be too impatient. I have nothing to do these days. Take a walk around and take a look. In the future, the new policy will be promoted nationwide, and the burden will fall on you!"