Chapter 199 Taking the Blame

"Yes, the paddy fields in every village and hamlet have been well maintained and are waiting to be planted. We are counting on the two seasons of rice to double the grain production!" County Magistrate Hu was full of confidence.

Thinking about the doubling of the county's grain production, County Magistrate Hu was excited. He thought that in the future, he, Hu Sansi, would be recorded prominently in the county annals. Even if he could not be famous in history, at least he would have left a mark.

This is much higher than the yield of regenerated rice. The grain production has doubled. Hu Sansi is the number one person in Wu County, Wuzhou, Lingnan Road, and even the Tang Dynasty! Just thinking about it is awesome!

"Wait! I remember!" Su Ying said suddenly.

Putting the strange words of those people in the morning together with the words of County Magistrate Hu, Su Ying immediately understood why those people were weird.

"Sir Hu, have there been a lot of land transactions recently?" Su Ying asked.

"How did Ah Ying know that?" County Magistrate Hu was surprised.

On the last day of the New Year, several land transactions suddenly emerged, and all of them were completed before the government sealed the land.

There were a lot of miscellaneous things to do at that time, and the people below would check that the procedures were correct and then come to him to stamp them.

He was wondering why several land transactions were carried out at the same time.

Lingnan is a vast area with a sparse population and plenty of wasteland. After reclaiming the wasteland, you only need to register it with the government and apply for a land deed.

But at the same time, several land transactions broke out unprecedentedly. Who would be so desperate as to buy land here?

"Sir! Can you find a way to stop the transaction?" Su Ying slammed the table and asked anxiously.

Su Bucheng also stood up with a serious expression.

"What's going on? What's the problem here?" County Magistrate Hu felt uneasy.

"This is a big problem!" Su Ying took a deep breath, "Someone is here to pick the peaches!"

"What?" County Magistrate Hu was astonished. "This poor, uncared-for county is already being targeted before any results are even produced?"

Su Ying recounted what happened in the morning, and County Magistrate Hu was in disbelief. He really didn't expect someone to act so quickly.

"Lord Hu said it was conservative. These people have a keen sense of smell and are prepared for a rainy day!" Su Ying said self-deprecatingly.

These wealthy and powerful families are really well-informed. They come to grab the land before the two seasons of rice are planted, and wait for the harvest in a few months. What a good plan!

They were not afraid of the remoteness and miasma of Lingnan, and came from thousands of miles away to grab land.

Su Ying felt upset. The original intention was to ensure that the people had enough food to eat, not to build granaries for the wealthy families and let rats steal the fruits.

Once the wealthy and powerful families gathered the land, either by buying it at high prices or by force, local taxes and grain dropped sharply after a large amount of fertile land was taken over.

Even if the wealthy and powerful families were allowed to collect rice rent per head, how much could they collect? That's tens of millions of hectares of fertile land!

Some of them were even turned into fiefdoms after further operations, and they couldn't even collect rent!

Once the yield of the two seasons of rice is really released, I am afraid that more aristocratic families and powerful people will flock in and scramble for land.

The imperial court gained nothing, and the farmers lost their land and became hired farmhands, working the land for them.

"Oh no! I was careless!" County Magistrate Hu slapped his thigh in frustration, feeling heartbroken.

When it comes to land, the poor and the rich are in opposition.

Magistrate Hu and the Su family were both from humble backgrounds and low-level officials. Taxes and grain were one of the evaluation criteria for their political performance, so they naturally sided with the people and the court.

The wealthy and powerful mostly come from big families, and they are eager to annex large amounts of land and hold all the fertile land in their hands.

This is why the aristocratic families have stood for thousands of years. As long as they have food in their hands, they will not panic!

No matter whether the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind, I will remain unmoved.

For the sake of family interests, they invested money to support a new regime in order to gain greater benefits.

"What should we do?" County Magistrate Hu was anxious.

As long as the land transactions are carried out in accordance with procedures, the government cannot stop the transactions.

The land in Wu County is not valuable. If someone with ulterior motives offers a little inducement and someone else helps to promote the business, he can buy a large amount of quasi-fertile land at a low price.

The ignorant farmers thought that they could just take a large sum of money and go reclaim wasteland.

Little did they know that everyone thought this way, and not only were the remaining wastelands scattered, but everyone was scrambling to reclaim them. When the time came, they would fight over the reclamation of the wasteland, and even cause deaths.

The villages and towns that had just enjoyed harmony and stability fell into hatred and disputes again.

"Sir, stop the transaction!" Su Bucheng said decisively.

"How to stop it? What's the reason given by the county government?" asked County Magistrate Hu.

"Just say that the official seal was stolen and it was kept secret without being stamped. At the same time, it's just a show, so that the yamen runners can arrest the thieves with great fanfare and take away the land for trade." Su Bucheng said after thinking for a moment.

"Delay? Keep delaying? There are so many matters to deal with in the government office, we can't just not have the official seal on them!" County Magistrate Hu felt that this idea was not feasible.

"This is only temporary. I think it's not just a case in Wu County, it should be a case in Wuzhou and even Lingnan Province.

"Hurry up and write a letter to the governor to take precautions, otherwise when the grain harvest comes, others will be the ones who rejoice!" Su Bucheng suggested.

Having served as a county magistrate for many years and traveled to several counties, I have seen a lot. Those big families are like locusts. Wherever there is fertile land, they will find ways to take it over.

"Yes, yes, write a letter to the governor quickly! Fortunately, Aying is here, otherwise others would have bought all the land and we would still know nothing!" County Magistrate Hu was thankful.

"Sir, this matter is extremely urgent. We must find a reliable person to meet the governor in person and persuade him!" Su Ying thought of something.

"Persuade?" County Magistrate Hu was puzzled. Could it be that the governor didn't care?

"Yes! Only Wuzhou is producing two crops of rice this year. The governor is from the Lu family of Fanyang. Since the news spread so quickly, the problem must be with him.

If Lord Lu doesn't stand on our side, we won't be able to stop this force.

It's best to report this quickly, through Lingnan Province, to the imperial court, requesting an imperial decree prohibiting the private transfer of fertile land in Lingnan Province. All private land transactions must be sold only to the government." Su Ying's words became increasingly serious.

No matter whether Lu Cishi reported the leaked information to the court or told his family privately, the information could only come from him.

Whether reporting to the court or informing the family, we can only say that these families are really powerful, reacting quickly and with great momentum.

Wuxian and Wuzhou will face a tough battle.

"Is this a big deal?" County Magistrate Hu hadn't expected the situation to be so complex.

"We have to make a big fuss. Even with the imperial court's clear ban, local officials may not be able to withstand the threats and inducements of the aristocratic families." Su Ying said bluntly.

Not only the Khan, but emperors of all dynasties have a love-hate relationship with the aristocratic families.

People love their mountains of gold and silver, but hate that they are uncrowned kings who can easily influence the court and constrain the emperor.

If this matter is brought to the court, the Khan will never allow his granary to be taken away and will definitely order a ban.

The prerequisite is that this matter can be delivered to heaven.

Reports can only be submitted step by step and cannot be submitted to higher levels. Otherwise, not only will you offend your superior, but you will also make the superior at the next level more wary.

No one in the officialdom likes subordinates who do not abide by the rules of the game and like to stir up trouble.

"This..." County Magistrate Hu was confused.

He just wanted to achieve some political achievements, get promoted a little bit, become a governor and retire, and have a perfect life.

This was just a little ambition that he had developed over the years, and he never thought of getting involved in official struggles or conflicts of interest.

"Sir, there are still sugarcane fields and brown sugar behind us! If we don't stop it now, even blood sacrifices may not be able to stop it in the future! Perhaps rivers of blood will flow.

You have no power, no influence, and no background, so in the end you can only take the blame," Su Ying coldly stated the cruel reality.

"I'll write it!" County Magistrate Hu gritted his teeth and stamped his feet.

The hand holding the pen was shaking, with fear of the upcoming storm and even more unwillingness.

I don't want others to reap the fruits of my efforts, and I don't want to become a victim of others' struggle for interests.