Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

When he arrived at Dezhou Yamen, Zhu Ming first went through the formalities for taking office, then asked all the officials to disperse, and only took Huang Gui with him to the backyard of Zhou Yamen.

Puzhou has four counties, one is Wangxian, two is Shangxian, and one is Qinxian.

Jinzhou has five counties, two middle counties and three lower counties.

Once you compare it, you will know how poor Jinzhou is. Let alone Wang County, there is not even an upper county.

However, the government offices in Jinzhou are even more impressive than those in Puzhou!

The area of ​​​​the state city is very narrow, while the area of ​​​​the state government office is huge. Together with other yamen, as well as state schools, tribute colleges, schools and other places, official institutions account for a quarter of the city.

In addition to the government offices, the city is mostly occupied by shops, wealthy households, and the middle class. The people at the bottom basically live outside the city.

Zhu Ming asked Zheng Yuanyi to serve wine and invited Huang Gui to the garden to enjoy the scenery and have a drink.

After clinking a few glasses, Ju Ming asked: "I am new here and not very familiar with Jinzhou. I would like to ask Brother Meiying to explain."

Huang Gui put down his wine glass: "The difficulties of Jinzhou are: firstly, the land is small and the people are poor; secondly, the taxes are heavy and excessive; thirdly, there are many tributes."

"Tugong?" Zhu Ming really didn't expect it.

Huang Gui told in detail: "The tributes from Jinzhou include glutinous rice, musk, aurantium aurantium, Eucommia ulmoides, white gum fragrant and cork barberry."

There were six tributes, five of which were herbs or spices.

In Puzhou, which Ju Ming was previously in charge of, there was only one kind of tribute: silk cloth.

They were already extremely poor, and there were as many as six categories of tributes. The burden on the people of Jinzhou can be imagined.

In order to distinguish the tribute from foreign states, the tribute from domestic state capitals, also called "local tribute", has a fixed quota every year.

Huashi Gang is not a tribute, it is called "promoting tribute".

Huang Gui said: "Take musk as an example. The annual tribute is five kilograms, but you have to ask for extra money. Even I don't know the specific amount."

The amount of tribute in ancient times was set very reasonably by the imperial court. Not only would it not disturb the people, but it would stimulate the local economy.

but!

Tribute collecting officials often "extract from the outside", collecting as much tribute as they want, and lowering the price as much as they want.

For example, Bao Zheng served as the magistrate of Duanzhou. The local area was rich in fine inkstones and was listed as a tribute. Bao Zheng's predecessor levied dozens of times every year. However, Bao Zheng only collected tribute according to the quota, and his reputation for honesty spread everywhere.

Ju Ming asked: "Where does the tribute from Jinzhou come from?"

Huang Gui said: "Servants, buy."

There are four sources of tribute: procurement, government offices, tribute households and servants.

Procurement means the government purchases from the private sector, often at low prices and by force.

Government-owned enterprises are provided by state-owned enterprises, such as the Royal Tea Garden and the government-owned bank.

Gonghu is a special household registration, such as the snake-catching households in "The Snake Catcher".

Serving as a slave means forcing people to produce. The most disgusting example was during the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty. Zhao Gou moved south with hundreds of officials and needed a lot of luxury goods to enjoy. In order to quickly collect the Sichuan embroidery tribute, even a ten-year-old Sichuan girl was detained to embroider day and night.

One of Jinzhou's tributes, bran gold, is gold as thin as wheat bran. This kind of top-grade alluvial gold is generally not smelted and is more expensive than ordinary gold.

Therefore, not only Cai Jing, the transfer envoys, the punishment envoys, and Tong San had to share the gold in Jinzhou, Song Huizong also had to pay tribute. The gold output every quarter is definitely more than 80 taels, because too many farmers are forced to dig for gold, and 80 taels is really not enough.

Ju Ming suddenly laughed. He had already found a suitable reason for the few kilograms of gold he had seized.

Since bran gold is a tribute, the magistrate has the right to expropriate it, because collecting tribute is the prefect’s power and responsibility!

Ju Ming asked again: "Are there any famous families in the five counties of Jinzhou?"

Huang Gui shook his head: "There has been no Jinshi in Jinzhou for a hundred years. Although this place is rich in gold, no one has become rich with gold. The few wealthy businessmen are also tea merchants. Since the tea introduction system, even tea has Business is also deteriorating. The land here is also barren, and wealthy businessmen are not very enthusiastic about annexing land. They only buy a few lands along the river valley. The richest man in the state only has a fortune."

He is so poor, and the richest man only has a fortune.

Ju Ming thought for a while and then said: "Five of the six tributes are medicinal materials. There should be many medicine dealers here, right?"

"There are many medicine dealers," Huang Gui said, "but the tribute purchases are excessive, and even other medicinal materials are classified as miscellaneous tribute. The government buys and sells by force, and medicine dealers are miserable. Many of them cannot make ends meet and go bankrupt."

Ju Ming already understood that before he arrived, the magistrate made money by borrowing tribute, and Tongxuan made money by mining gold.

Everyone gets what they need and doesn't interfere with each other. You are breaking the rules.

After chatting with Huang Gui all afternoon, Zhu Ming returned to his study to write a management plan——

First, comprehensively promote corn and sweet potatoes, so that the five counties in Jinzhou with scarce flat land can make more use of mountainous areas to grow food.

Second, focus on the development of tea planting and processing. He cannot control the heavy taxes imposed by the Tea Horse Company, but the privately established railheads (toll booths) within the country must be abolished.

Third, focusing on the development of the medicinal materials industry and eliminating private columns will also enhance the competitiveness of pharmaceutical companies.

Fourth, use one year to improve your prestige first, and next year you can organize people to build water conservancy projects.

Fifth, encourage the development of the shipbuilding industry, focusing on building small and medium-sized inland river vessels. First, it can revitalize Jinzhou's water transportation business, second, it can promote commercial development, and third, it can prepare for the future construction of the Han River Navy.

Sixth, encourage the development of the iron smelting industry.

Before that, the administration of officials must be rectified!

In the evening, Zheng Yuanyi walked into the study: "Ms., it's time to eat."

Ju Ming put away his pen and paper and asked, "Have you settled down in the back house?"

Zheng Yuanyi said: "We have hired several servants, and they are all handled by Bai Sheng."

Zhu Ming took Zheng Yuanyi to dinner. After the meal, he called Bai Sheng over: "I'm going to find a carpenter tomorrow."

Two days later, Zhu Ming came to the gate of the state government with his personal entourage.

"Stay far away from the main entrance and avoid the sight of the gatekeepers." Ju Ming commanded.

Zhang Boring held a wooden box in his arms, and Li Bao held a hammer in his hand. The two found a wall and nailed the box to the wall.

Zhu Ming said again: "Zongru, go and write."

Liu Shiren finally received his first task as secretary.

He first wrote the words "opinion box" on the wall.

He also wrote: If you know people, you will be wise, and you will be able to judge them. Animating the people will bring benefits, and the people will embrace it. The people of the five counties of Jinzhou will make progress if they have ideas, and complain if they have grievances. You can put the book in the box and the prefect will open it and read it every day. The signature goes first, the anonymous one comes last, and the words of Xinar and others.

Ju Ming said: "Bai Sheng is responsible for the key to the public opinion box, and Liu Shiren is responsible for opening, sorting, and summarizing the letters."

Zhu Ming took people back to the state government office. After hearing the news, the officials came to check. Soon, even the county government officials came, whispering around the public opinion box.

"Call me the money!"

Ju Ming returned to Huangtang and immediately ordered his officials.

Changshi, Sima, and Biejia are all subordinate officials of Zhizhou. They do not have any actual positions and are usually used to place demoted high-ranking officials.

Ju Ming looked through the official directory and found that he actually had an individual driver.

Qian Chen is watching the public opinion box. He comes from the Qian family in Liangzhe. It was a common surname that was divided into many branches in the Wuyue area. Qian Chen's family was engaged in business.

This guy is an official fanatic. After inheriting the family property, he spent money on food and donated 8,000 dan, and finally got an official position as an individual driver. Then he left the family property to his younger brother to take care of, and he happily came to Jinzhou to become an official.

(Note: There are three sources of prefecture biejia. One is from demoted officials, the second is from envoys of the third class who are over seventy years old, and the third is from those who donate more than 8,000 dan in grain during times of famine.)

Although Qian Chen does not have any functions, he is more dedicated than anyone else.

He clocks in to work every day, never arrives late or leaves early, and always wears an official uniform and hat. Read the Di newspaper carefully and write to the magistrate to provide suggestions.

His monthly salary is not enough for his own expenses, but he happily contributes money to become an official.

"Don't use the money, the prefect invites you!"

Standing in the crowd, Qian Chen suddenly turned around and said in surprise: "Zhizhou called me?"

The state official said: "The prefect has invited me."

Qian Chen was overjoyed and quickly ran back to the Yamen. Once outside the Huangtang, he carefully arranged his appearance.

It has been two years since he came to Jinzhou, and this was the first time he was summoned by a Shangguan.

Even for normal banquets, it was difficult for him to get invited. Even if he attended, he would sit in the corner. Even the subordinate officials always made fun of him, regarded him as the enemy, and persuaded him to treat him to dinner.

"Your Majesty, Qian Chen, pays homage to the prefect!" Qian Chen was trembling with excitement.

Ju Ming waved and said, "Come and sit."

"Yes!" Qian Chen dragged the bench over.

"Closer." Ju Ming said cheerfully.

Qian Chen was even more excited, he was finally looked at seriously.

This is a fat man. He usually eats well. He is as fat as a toad and can't even see his neck.

Zhu Ming asked: "You are not an official in the capital, but you are serving as a chariot. You must have donated food to become an official, right?"

"I paid 8,000 stones for disaster relief, and the imperial court gave me a reward." When Qian Chen talked about this, he felt inferior and bent his waist unconsciously.

The man in front of him was Tan Hua Lang, and Qian Chen seemed to be radiating light when he saw it.

Zhu Ming asked again: "The state does not pay attention to practical matters, and the salary is very low. You have no power and no profit, why do you donate food and become an official?"

Qian Chen answered honestly: "Only when you become an official can you shine on your family name and return home in glory."

"That's why? Haven't you ever thought about benefiting the people?" Zhu Ming said, "If it benefits the people, then everyone in the area will admire and respect you."

Qian Chen said: "I think so too, but don't have any authority."

Ju Ming said: "Chang Shi, Sima, Bie Jia, the rule of the imperial court is that you cannot sign official affairs without a special charter. In this case, you can sign official affairs with a special charter. This charter is not made clear. It can be an official charter or a private charter. The prefect's permission. As the prefect, how about I allow you to sign official documents?"

Qian Chen stood up immediately and said in disbelief: "Is the prefect trying to coax me?"

"Why are you coaxing me?" Zhu Ming said, "I don't get along with Cai Jing. If you agree to sign official documents, you will be my person from now on. Cai's party may retaliate against you. Think carefully before replying."

Qian Chen said without thinking: "If you offend the eunuch and retaliate, Chen will die in repayment. Chen's family has hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he is not an official for profit, but just to shine on the family. If he is pragmatic, he will benefit the people! Chen can swear to God. , if there is any malpractice due to favoritism, the sky will strike with lightning, and the descendants will be cut off!"

Zhu Ming smiled and said: "Then I will give you an errand. I will order the suspension of Huashi Gang and collect tribute at a fixed rate. When the order is passed to each county, there may be county officials who violate it, so you can inspect the five counties of Jinzhou on my behalf. By the way, take a look. Let’s see if anyone dares to tear down the sign, especially the one about the poll box.”

"Chen will live up to his mission!" Qian Chen's blood surged and he was full of energy.

(Sorry, Carvin.)