“So what if I’m the number one scholar, and what if I’m a Jinshi?
Even if his Confucianism and Taoism are good, he may not be that good at being an official.
What's more, this Anding County has the basic base of the three of us, so he can handle county affairs without our support.
I hope this No. 1 Scholar will be better than the previous county magistrate, Leng Touqing."
…
Chen Hongyu was originally a war horse, so his endurance was very good. He only stopped briefly in Dianjiang and then rushed directly to the county seat.
Two hours later, Chen Hongyu finally arrived at the county town. He first visited the county guard and several other big shots in charge of Linjiang's political affairs, and then headed towards the garrison camp.
In the military camp, military tents are lined up one after another, and soldiers are constantly patrolling them with a strict demeanor.
Chen Hongyu followed a guard and secretly exclaimed: "This Linjiang army is really extraordinary."
The last time he came to Jiangjiang was on his way to the capital with Xu Yan. At that time, because it was night, all the army lieutenants were resting, and he only had a chance meeting with the higher-ups in the army.
At this time, it was afternoon, soldiers were still training in the military camp, and there were constant shouts of killing.
He also had military skills during his time in the Great Qian Dynasty, so he was no stranger to military matters. From the formation and movement of these soldiers, it can be seen that this must be an elite division.
In the blink of an eye, we have arrived at the Chinese army's tent.
"Xu Ping, I have met all of you uncles!"
The army is informal, and Xu Yan has a deep friendship with these generals, so he directly addresses them as uncle.
Seeing his respectful attitude, the generals in the tent laughed.
"It seems like we have become a little bit more familiar after not seeing each other for two years."
"Okay, no need to be polite!" Xu Hang looked at Chen Hongyu carefully and then said: "It has only been two years, Xu Ping, you are already the number one scholar, and you are so young, your future is limitless!
When we got together last time, I still remember you saying, ‘We should treat each other with admiration after seeing each other for three days,’ but now, it has been directly verified by you.”
"Uncle, you are so complimentary." Chen Hongyu smiled modestly.
As the tallest and tallest garrison in Lin'an County, Xu Hang's status is naturally very high, and due to the special characteristics of Linjiang County, he is at the top in the entire Bazhou.
If an ordinary scholar received such praise, his mood would definitely be affected, but he has taken it indifferently.
After chatting for a while, Chen Hongyu got straight to the point.
"Uncles, this time I come to Anding County to serve as the county magistrate, so naturally I need to know something about the situation in Anding County.
Although I have learned a lot about Kyoto through various channels, I still feel that I need to ask your uncles for advice!"
Hearing this, Xu Hang laughed directly!
"You have asked the right person. Isn't your uncle Shen Zhi from Anding County?
Regarding An Ding's affairs, I'm afraid no one in the account knows more than him."
"Xu Ping, what do you want to know?" Ma Shen said with a smile.
"Since you, Uncle Shen, are from Anding, I can understand you in more detail.
I would like to know more about the situation in the Anding County government, including local families, and why the former magistrate resigned from office on his own initiative."
"But it's so simple. In fact, these things are not difficult to find out if you spend some time. But you are about to take office, so you probably don't have much time to find out about these things."
Ma Shen paused and continued: "In Anding County, the three families of Ma, Zhou, and Du are considered powerful in the county.
Generally, official positions such as county magistrate and a large number of low-level official positions are basically held by people from these three families or related persons.
As for me, I naturally come from the Ma family.
…….”
After talking about the situation in Anding County, Ma Shen continued: "As for the former magistrate you mentioned, he resigned on his own initiative, but it was all for his own reasons.
You also know that the three surrounding counties of Anding are often invaded by barbarians, so the people's life is relatively difficult.
The county soldiers need to guard against the large tribes among the barbarians and must not move lightly.
The county soldiers cannot resist the small group of barbarians, so many people will be attacked.
In order to protect themselves, these people will automatically join the three powerful families to seek protection.
Although the ownership of the land has been lost, even the taxes may be slightly heavier, but after all, there is no need to suffer from invasion.
Therefore, many people became tenant farmers.
The previous county magistrate came from a poor family, and everyone had a pretty good impression of him.
But it may be that they have been oppressed and insist on going against our three families, saying that our three families deliberately annexed the land with the help of barbarians.
Even if we have to deal with our three rivals, we naturally cannot sit back and wait for death. Without the support of the three rivals, he naturally lost any power and resigned directly after staying for a few years."
Having said this, Ma Shen smiled and said: "Xu Ping, you don't have such idiotic ideas, do you?"
"Of course not!" Chen Hongyu smiled helplessly.
Because Ma Shen was in the army, he was informal and didn't care about the wording of some questions. He also directly asked questions about his thoughts.
Since the former magistrate can become a magistrate, it means that he has broken away from the bottom and has become a layer of the ruling class.
To have such an idea in such a feudal society is a typical traitorous class.
Although the foundation of the three powerful families in Anding County is certainly not particularly clean, they do not act like this.
However, this is just what the Ma Shen family said, and the truth remains to be discussed.
…
The next day, Chen Hongyu, who rested in the county town for a night, set off again and did not arrive in Anding County until the afternoon.
At this time, there were already officials waiting outside Anding County.
"We have met the magistrate!"
In front of the officials, Zhou Yang looked at Chen Hongyu who was leading the way in the distance and secretly sighed in his heart.
"This county magistrate is really young!"
"Excuse me!" Chen Hongyu recalled the portraits he had seen in his mind and had already recognized some officials.
After verifying documents and many other procedures, Chen Hongyu headed towards the county seat with many officials he was familiar with.
Anding County is also a middle county, but there are nearly 10,000 people in the county seat, and due to its resistance to barbarians, the walls of the county seat are very tall.
All the way into the county government office and the magistrate's office, you can see that it is extremely clean.
"As expected, the three families in the county will not easily express their stance before they know my intention to govern.
However, I am not the stupid Qingzhi County magistrate I was before, I just want to find a way to work together with the three families.
With the help of these three companies, water conservancy projects were built, schools were expanded, and political achievements were achieved before leaving here.
However, the three companies are not fools. Cooperation matters need to be discussed, and the county government's financial situation is not very clear.
At the very least, within the next few months, we should get to know the county government and the three offices of Anding County.
Of course, some positions that should be moved should also be moved, and I think they won't mind. No matter what, a county magistrate always needs some manpower of his own."