The best and largest guest room in the inn is the so-called sea view room. There are four characters "watch the sea and listen to the waves" written in the middle above the door. It is quite impressive. I don't know who wrote it.
At this time, the heir of this inn, Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Shaodong, was sitting cross-legged on the bed near the window in this room, looking out the window at the sea, listening to the waves, and was lost in thought for a moment. As for his two men
The scribes, Lou Gui and Wang Xiu, were also sitting on the other side of the bed, but one raised his head and the other lowered his head, and then said nothing.
"Young Master," after a long time, Han Dang, who came from outside, broke the silence. "The shopkeeper has handed over the notice strictly prohibiting the leakage of internal books to our caravan, and then urgently sent it to various places along the caravan route.
; The letter you wrote to the mistress has been sent away quickly; and the shopkeeper also helped us exchange some white horses from the caravan and nearby merchants; as for him, I also comforted him according to your wishes.
."
"That's good." Gongsun Xun suddenly looked away from the window, and then breathed a long sigh of relief. "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Justice... This matter is actually my mother's whimsical idea, and the people below were just negligent for a moment, so we are here.
That’s it for now, no need to say more.”
Lou Guihe, Wang Xiu, and Han Dang, who had just sat down, quickly nodded in agreement.
"However, since I have revealed my identity in an inn with so many merchants, I can no longer hide my whereabouts." Gongsun Xun answered with force. "Rest for a day or two, and when I recover,
Let’s march directly into Xiangping.”
The three of them hurriedly agreed.
"But if that's the case," Gongsun Xunfu sighed again. "It's my first time here. I have no experience in running a political party and I don't know the details of that place. How should I behave when I arrive in Xiangping?"
"This is hard to say, but not hard to say." Lou Zibo always likes to be the first to speak. "After all, the world has many things in common, and the political affairs of a county are nothing more than those things."
"Let's hear it..." Gongsun Xun was helpless at this time, and since there was no one around him, he could only choose to listen to the other party.
"The first is to encourage farmers; the second is to promote religion; the third is to maintain public security." Lou Guinixu replied calmly. "These three things are the fundamental responsibilities of a county magistrate. As for more things, what?
Military affairs and personnel affairs are the prefect's responsibilities and have nothing to do with the county magistrate. Therefore, the county magistrate's administration must focus on these three matters no matter what."
As soon as these words came out, Han Dang didn't care, but Wang Xiu next to him nodded repeatedly. Even Gongsun Xun could only nod his head after thinking about it... Well, it is true, these three things are indeed the three things that a county magistrate must do to manage politics.
The general principle is also the main business within the scope of a county magistrate's responsibilities.
Even when it comes to the prefect of a county, the so-called county is the country, and he can be called the king of a country. At most, he has the important task of selecting talents, and then adds the responsibility of military garrison in the border counties... And it really needs to be detailed.
Generally speaking, talent selection is actually part of the work of establishing education, and military activities are also part of public security work.
"In that case," seeing Lou Zibo rarely say something right, Gongsun Xun inevitably became more serious. "How does Zibo think these three things should be carried out in detail?"
"Let's talk about farming first." Lou Gui talked eloquently. "Farming is nothing more than two strategies. One is called promoting agronomy, which is to fertilize the land and increase production; the other is called building water conservancy, which is to prevent disasters, open up wasteland, and expand
cultivated area……"
Gongsun Xun nodded slightly and agreed: "When it comes to building water conservancy, disaster prevention and land reclamation, I suddenly thought of Zhang Kan, a famous official of this dynasty. I think that Yuyang County was just a medium-sized county at the beginning, but Guangwu used Zhang Kan to make Yuyang
The prefect, he was able to fight against the Huns while clearing wasteland along the Gu River. In the end, not only did the Huns dare not invade the border, but he also opened up more than 8,000 hectares of wasteland, giving Yuyang an additional Hunu County, making Yuyang a
Becoming a famous county should be the ultimate achievement of this move... Liaodong has a vast territory but is crisscrossed by rivers, which may be suitable for water conservancy land reclamation."
"Then there is the establishment of education..." Lou Gui became more and more proud when he saw Gongsun Xun agreeing with his statement. "There is no need to say more about this matter. It is nothing more than establishing a school and rewarding customs."
Everyone nodded again.
"As for public security, there are actually two strategies. The first is to resolve lawsuits and jails and promote the rule of law; the second is to prevent and control the masses in order to reward the countryside." At this point, Lou Gui couldn't help but wink at his lord. "Liaodong will eventually win.
This is a border county, and warriors should be selected and trained for civil defense in case of emergencies... This county has iron officials, so we cannot waste them."
Gongsun Xun naturally understood what the other party was talking about, and nodded slightly to express his understanding.
"Brother Zibo is absolutely right." At this moment, Wang Xiu suddenly frowned and asked. "I guess it is also the principle of governance... But as far as I know, most officials in the world understand these principles.
But in the end, few people are able to do it, so there must be some real difficulties involved, right?”
Gongsun Xun also immediately frowned and looked at Lou Gui.
Unexpectedly, the latter seemed to have been prepared for it. Instead of feeling offended by the young newcomer Wang Xiu, he praised the other party with a twist of his beard: "Shu Zhi's words are exactly to the point. He can have such thoughts at such a young age.
, there will definitely be achievements in the future!”
Wang Xiu quickly thanked the other party for the compliment, and then lowered his profile to ask for advice... This was actually a question for Gongsun Xun.
"Everyone knows the truth, but why can't we do it?" Lou Zibo said with a smile. "Actually, there are only two reasons, and that is holding back and being weak!"
"What does it mean to lift one's elbow, and what does it mean to be powerless?" Gongsun Xun couldn't help but ask seriously.
"The so-called holding one's elbow means that as an official, he will inevitably be disturbed by officials above and below him, as well as his colleagues on the left and right, and all his thoughts are consumed in the officialdom... As the saying goes, the superior officials have something to ask for, the subordinates have something to hide, and then the colleagues come again
Fighting for power, there is no time to do these things."
"This really gets to the root of it." Gongsun Xun couldn't help shaking his head and laughing. "From the central government to the local government, and in the officialdom, where are the parties not united and opposed? How can we explain this?"
"This matter is unsolvable!" Lou Gui suddenly said sternly. "If you want to achieve anything in the officialdom, you can only go up and fight with others! And you must win the fight before you can govern!"
Wang Xiu made a promise for a moment, but he stopped talking.
"That's good advice." Gongsun Xun's spirits were obviously higher. "But how can we win the battle?"
"In Xiangping City, Gao Yan is the lord of a county, and he is also your lord, Shaojun. Let's see what his posture is." Lou Gui was obviously prepared, so he immediately answered. "As for the rest of the people,
It’s nothing more than excluding dissidents! From the county government to the county officials, if anyone doesn’t obey, then get rid of him! And how to get rid of him... It’s up to the young master to decide for himself!"
Wang Xiu was speechless for a moment, and even Han Dang was a little shocked. Only Gongsun Xun nodded slowly: "I already know this, so what do you mean by being powerless?"
"The so-called powerlessness refers to the implementation of policies, which requires manpower and material resources. However, in today's world, most of the manpower and material resources are in the hands of wealthy families, powerful families, and clans." At this point, Lou Gui couldn't help but sneer. "And.
Most of them are greedy and ignorant people who bully superiors and subordinates. They are not even willing to hand over the most basic calculations of taxes, let alone ask them to contribute. Therefore, even if the officials and officials are united and govern seriously, if they cannot restrain and control these
A powerful family may not be able to accomplish anything, and this is called powerlessness!"
Wang Xiu, who was originally a little silent, couldn't help but sigh at this time: "What Brother Zibo said is true. When I was in Qingzhou, I often saw powerful people who had no morals and no behavior and did whatever they wanted... So thinking about it, no matter how to win over or suppress, this will restrain the powerful people.
Is this the eighth plan that Brother Zibo offered to your Majesty?"
"That's right!" Lou Gui replied proudly, twisting his beard. "Promote agriculture, build water conservancy, build schools, reward customs, handle lawsuits and end prisons, prevent and govern by groups, eliminate dissidents, restrain powerful people... This is how I, Lou Zibo, become a young king.
Eight strategies for governing Xiangping!"
When Gongsun Xun heard this, he couldn't help but get excited. Then he stood up on the couch, held the other person's hands and said with emotion: "We have been separated for three days. I should look at each other with admiration. I really shouldn't regard Zibo as the same person who was the same person that day."
To levy the sons of aristocratic families who don’t know the inside story of money calculation! I, Gongsun Xun, have accepted all these eight strategies!”
Lou Gui also smiled proudly: "Young Master, don't worry about it. The so-called knowing shame and then being brave. If I hadn't been shocked by what I saw and heard in Zhongshan that day, I wouldn't have learned more from the people around me when I was in Fengshi, Liaoxi.
These things."
Gongsun Xun stroked his hand and smiled... The previous embarrassment after landing was gone forever.
Just like that, they were speechless all night. When they set out on the road again, Gongsun Xun and his party, who had decided on the "eight strategies to listen to the waves", confidently headed for Xiangping.
And sure enough, what everyone saw along the way was that Liaodong is a vast territory with fertile soil. Although it is outside the Great Wall, it has a pleasant climate. It is vaguely like Qingzhou and is a natural land for cultivation. No wonder there are many refugees in Qingzhou.
Coming outside the fortress...and this is also vaguely consistent with the two strategies proposed by Lou Zibo to promote agriculture.
However, it was the seventh month of the lunar calendar and it was the beginning of autumn. The crops were all in the fields. Gongsun Xun and his party were pointing to the rivers and mountains while riding northward, but they always felt that there were too many wastelands around... When they arrived in Wen County
(later Yingkou), after entering the scope of the Liaohe Plain, seeing that the surrounding land was fertile and flat, but still desolate for a long time, everyone finally felt that something was wrong.
So Gongsun Xun went straight to an official temple and went in with his attendants to find a local miser. Then he revealed his identity in the local temple and asked about farming here.
Although this countryman was a little confused, when the other party revealed his identity, he immediately became respectful, and then asked Gongsun Xun to be the host. He stood aside and answered this question:
"Reporting to Lord Gongsun County, this county has indeed never built water conservancy projects or reclaimed wasteland to build farmland..."
"Why is this?" Lou Gui took the lead and interjected.
"This is because there is no shortage of land here!" The village stingy man became much more calm when he faced Lou Gui, and he immediately spread his hands and said, "I don't know how many of you, in our place in Liaodong, a county is no less than half a state in the Central Plains, and
From our Wen County to the north, there is a plain with crisscrossed rivers and fertile soil. Therefore, let alone the locals, they are Qingzhou and poor people who came from Jizhou to escape famine. As long as they are willing to work hard, they can easily find it.
If a fertile land can be freely cultivated and cultivated, why do we need the county or the township to do this? Isn’t this a waste of already scarce people’s power?”
Lou Gui was speechless for a moment. Even Gongsun Xun, who was sitting there silently, also doubted life, really doubted life... You know, he worked as an official in Liaoxi County when he was young. There is no shortage of land in border counties like this.
The only thing missing people is that Liaoxi is far less obvious than Liaodong, so he should actually know that.
But why didn't Da Shi think of these things that day and instead believed Lou Zibo's lies?
Is it because I have been running around all these years that I have gradually forgotten the scenery outside the Great Wall? Or was it because I was too seasick that day?
"Is it the same in Xiangping?" Lou Gui asked unwillingly.
"This is natural." The village stalwart said bluntly. "Although Xiangping has a larger population, the overall situation of less people and more land has not changed... And if you think about it, one day there will be a shortage of cultivated land in Xiangping.
As long as the prefect gives the order, they can move directly to us, why bother to go all out to repair water conservancy?"
Lou Zibo felt sad for a moment.
"There is no need to mention the construction of water conservancy projects and the reclamation of cultivated land. Brother Zibo's other seven strategies are also excellent." Wang Xiu is an honest man and quickly comforted him when he saw this. "For example, promoting agriculture..."
Just in the middle of his words, Wang Shuzhi stopped abruptly... In fact, if you think about it carefully, you will understand that since there are fewer people and more land, and it only lacks people's power but not arable land, then rough farming is just like it, why do we have to learn from the mainland to promote it?
What about the so-called agronomy? Don’t the agronomic techniques promoted vigorously by the officials in the past, such as fertilization and fine cultivation, not require manpower?
In fact, in China, the so-called persuading farmers is based on the contradiction between cultivated land and population. If this contradiction does not exist, then the traditional means of persuading farmers will not make much sense.
Even Gongsun Xun on the side and Aunt Gongsun who was far away in western Liaoning probably didn't know that in history, the land conflicts in Liaodong were not that serious, and there were no wars, so from the late Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, its
The agricultural level is very developed, even surpassing that of the Yangtze River Basin.
Moreover, in the next hundred years or so, the cold climate here did not actually affect the development of agriculture, because most of these years were harvested once a year. The cold climate not only did not erode the agricultural cycle, but indirectly made the large swamps and saline-alkali lands in the lower reaches of the Liao River become natural.
It was transformed into good arable land and became the foundation of many Liaodong separatist regimes...
In a word...for a long time, there was no shortage of land in Liaodong, only people!
"I should have thought of it earlier," Lou Zibo observed the expressionless face of his lord sitting there, and then couldn't help but said with a smile. "That day in western Liaoning, I saw people from Qing and Hebei states going there all day long.
The reason for moving outside the Great Wall is because there is a way to survive here. Young Master..."
"Let me ask you again," Gongsun Xun, who had not spoken for a long time and did not know what he was thinking, suddenly asked the village man again. "How are the education and education matters in the schools here in Liaodong? Eleven counties in Liaodong, various counties
Is there a school in middle school? Is there a private school in the countryside?"
"Isn't this serious?" Lou Zibo was also a little panicked.
"Return to the County Lord Gongsun." The local mischievous man really became respectful again. "The County Lord is indeed a rare 'wise and brave' person in Youzhou. He already knows the truth before he takes office. When it comes to schools, we are also outside the Great Wall.
There are not many schools, but since last year, I heard someone said that probably after the grandma Gongsun came back from a trip, your Anli family began to take the initiative to carry out so-called "donations to support students" in cities outside the Great Wall. Now, in cities outside the Great Wall, more than
In Liaodong, even Lelang and Xuantu have schools in every city."
Gongsun Xun had no expression on his face and remained silent again.
"But where do the teachers come from?" Lou Gui became more and more panicked. "I have also heard about donating money for education in western Liaoning, but didn't I say that I was worried that scholars would not want to teach classics in commercial schools and would bring shame on themselves?
?”
"I don't know much about this," said the country man frankly. "I only know that your company seems to have invited a great scholar from the mainland to live in seclusion in Liaodong to teach at Xiangping School. As soon as this person came forward,
The retired officials who had been pushing back and forth all around have come out to take charge of schools in various places, and even the county princes in various places now often give lectures in person... They say it is an act of enlightenment!"
"What is this person's name?" Wang Xiu asked curiously.
"That's what's strange," the country man continued. "Those officials and scholars know this person's name, but they are unwilling to tell us ignorant people..."
Gongsun Xun couldn't help but smile awkwardly. He didn't know that Zhang Jian and Zhang Yuanrang, who had been raised outside the Great Wall for who knows how many years, had come out in person. He didn't know how his mother was willing to use this kindness now.
"What about private school?" Wang Xiu caught a glimpse of Gongsun Xun's face and knew something was wrong, so he quickly changed the subject.
"There are not many private schools." The country man said frankly. "After all, there are not many famous Confucian scholars outside the Great Wall. It is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice... But since there are schools in every city, and as long as the students are not too bad, Amway Hao will be the best."
If you can practice on your behalf, why do you ask about private training?"
Wang Xiu nodded with relief at first, but then looked helplessly at Lou Zibo who was at a loss. He was a pure martial artist. Han Dang, who had been standing guard at the door, also felt the taste at this time... The feelings were not yet there.
When we arrived at Xiangping, four of the eight strategies Lou Gui proposed that day had been abandoned!
And when we get to Xiangping, it’s hard to say what the remaining four strategies are, right?
"How dare you ask me," Gongsun Xun suddenly asked again. "You are also an official under the rule of Liaodong. Do you know who the prefect of this county is?"
The local mischievous man laughed for a moment: "If someone else comes to ask, I will not dare to say anything easily, but Gongsun County Lord is one of my own family members. If you ask, I will naturally respond..."
"My family?" Gongsun Xun also laughed. "I am also from a foreign county in western Liaoning!"
"What the county gentleman said is that the population outside the Great Wall is sparse and foreign races are everywhere. The five counties should be united. How can we talk about Liaodong and Western Liaoning?" The country man also continued to hold his hands and chuckle. "And besides, the Amway has been traveling outside the Great Wall for twenty years.
, I have heard of his name since I was a boy, and it has continued to this day. And now your name is used to donate money to fund education, and to circulate business channels, how can we Liaodong people regard Mr. Gongsun County as an outsider?"
Gongsun Xun laughed dumbly and raised his hand to signal the other party to continue.
"I'm not going to hide it from the county lord," the local stingy man stepped forward and said. "I, a small official who fights for food, don't know much about the governor's affairs. However, there is a saying in the places outside the Great Wall, which is that this matter is said outside the Great Wall.
The two governors of Liaoxi and Liaodong..."
"Please try to speak." Lou Gui quickly urged.
"You are loyal, filial, brave, and brave in the western Liao Dynasty, but you are too cowardly to defend the eastern Liao Dynasty!" The local mischievous man said immediately. "Every kid on the roadside knows this."
Gongsun Xun laughed more and more and was speechless, while Lou Zibo couldn't help but look at Wang Shuzhi speechlessly.
"Actually, at first, everyone thought that Governor Gao was a descendant of a noble family in the mainland. He only admired culture and hated martial arts." The local mischievous man became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke. "Later, we gradually realized that this man is really cowardly and incompetent.
No one has the magnanimity of a county king! Not to mention the prefects of several nearby counties, even the big families in the county and the prominent officials in the county can deceive him at will, but he just sits there all day long, unwilling to argue with anyone.
."
"Speaking of big families." Gongsun Xun suddenly interrupted and asked, "Do you know who is the most powerful family in the county?"
The country man who had been chatting in a lively manner just now suddenly looked strange.
Gongsun Xun sneered: "Could it be that the surname is Gongsun, and the head of the family is called Gongsunyu, and he is the former Xuantu prefect who just resigned from Xuantu?"
The country man nodded awkwardly.
When Gongsun Xun heard this, he didn't ask any more questions. He just cupped his hands slightly, got up and strode out of the temple.
"Young Master!" Lou Gui quickly caught up from behind and asked directly. "Is this Gongsunyu a member of the same family as yours in Liaoxi? It seems that we have been separated from your family for more than ten years? I have been in the Amway account book
I’ve seen his name on the Internet, Xuan Tu, and he accounts for the majority of Liaodong’s business!”
"Yes!" Gongsun Xun said frankly as he packed up his horse gear. "Although this man is older, he is my clan brother who is not too far away. And I just remembered that the current minister of Liaodong is Gongsun Shi.
Zhao is also my uncle, and the family has not been separated yet! Isn’t this the most powerful person in Xiangping, and even the most powerful person outside the Great Wall, my Gongsun family?!"
"I'm really ashamed!" Lou Gui blushed and said awkwardly, holding up his hands. "I don't want to think that today I am still high-minded and low-handed, exaggerating! The so-called eight strategies are mostly conjecture and nonsense, and they are of no use at all..."
"Why are you, Lou Zibo, so stupid this time?" Gongsun Xun stopped his hand and turned around to comfort him seriously. "It's true that someone arranged it in advance, and you and I didn't know about it!"
Lou Guideng was startled, and then immediately frowned and asked: "Young Master means that in this place in Liaodong, the old mistress has her own exclusive business? But how can she know that Young Master is appointed as the Xiangping Order?"
"How could she not know?" Gongsun Xun looked up to the sky and sighed after hearing this. "I'm afraid that I, the Xiangping Order, were all arranged by her! She has arranged everything for me so clearly. I really don't know whether I should kneel down and thank her."
The old man has a loving heart and good intentions, so we should admire her for knowing her son better than her mother... That day in Yanmen, I was only thinking about it secretly, but before I spoke out, she took the initiative to find a compromise plan as soon as she came back!"
Having said this, seeing Wang Xiu still saying goodbye to the local miserly man in the village temple, with only Han Dang and Lou Gui in front of him, Gongsun Xun couldn't help but whisper: "Uncle, my righteous father-in-law is with me.
Life and death, there is nothing unspeakable... In fact, my mother's previous intention was just to let me occupy western Liaoning, cross Lulong, and exclude foreign races from outside the wall, so as to see the success or failure of the world! But after Yanmen and his party checked my thoughts, they probably took a step back.
, want me to occupy the five counties outside the Great Wall, advance, attack, retreat and defend, and then calmly watch the rise and fall of the world!"
Lou Zibo and Han Yigong both changed their expressions and could not speak for a long time.
————————I am a clear dividing line————————
"Lou Zibo was extremely clever and resourceful. He knew it before the Han Dynasty was destroyed, and he rushed to the Yan Dynasty before it was established. He followed him for a long time, examined people's hearts, and repeatedly proposed strange strategies. He had the merit of being a decisive figure. Therefore, Taizu also sighed:
'Zi Bo's plan is worse than mine.'" - "Xin Yan Shu". Volume 70. Biography No. 20
PS: There is also a new book group 684558115, please add it
