Chapter 7 proposes a solution: Let everyone work for her!
Jiang Ge stood in front of the bronze mirror, carefully adjusting his blue official robes.
This was the first time she had worn the official robes of a county magistrate. Although the fabric wasn't particularly luxurious, the tailoring was impeccable, making her stand tall and exude a spirited air. She reached out to smooth out the wrinkles on the hem of her robes. In the mirror, the young county magistrate had handsome features and a spirited demeanor, truly embodying the image of a dashing young magistrate.
She had just stepped out of the inner courtyard when she met Magistrate Xu.
Magistrate Xu avoided eye contact, clearly still embarrassed by his blunder the previous night. Jiang Ge didn't deliberately expose him, but simply smiled and greeted him as if nothing had happened.
The two walked towards the courtroom one after the other. Jiang Ge deliberately slowed down and walked side by side with Magistrate Xu.
He slowly began to speak: "County Magistrate Xu, I have Hei Fu inform the village heads of each village that the new county magistrate wants them to come and discuss this year's tax revenue."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Xu hurriedly bowed and said, "Magistrate Jiang, we just suffered from a locust plague last year. The people haven't had time to recover this year, so how can they possibly pay taxes and grain to the county government?" His tone was filled with anxiety and helplessness. "Magistrate Jiang, you may not know this, but last year the people sold their houses and land and barely survived by eating tree bark and wild vegetables."
Speaking of these things, a deep worry appeared on Magistrate Xu's face.
Last year's locust plague plunged Songyang County into an unprecedented crisis. People were displaced, fields lay barren, and many were even forced to sell their children to survive. As the county magistrate, he witnessed all of this firsthand, yet was powerless to do anything. The tax payment was repeatedly delayed; everyone knew this couldn't continue, but there was simply no other way.
Jiang Ge had heard that the current emperor was old and senile, favoring his youngest son born to a concubine, while his eldest son had grown up and had his own faction in the court. Father and son were locked in a power struggle, with treacherous officials in power, both sides acting out of self-interest, causing suffering for the people. The court was in turmoil; forget about distributing disaster relief grain, it seemed even the powerful figures didn't take the locust plague in Songyang County seriously.
Jiang Ge smiled and lifted Magistrate Xu's hands, his tone gentle yet firm: "Why are you alarmed, Magistrate Xu? I know that in order to collect taxes from the people, we must first ensure that they have surplus grain in their homes. However, I have thought of a way that may improve the current situation."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Magistrate Xu's eyes. Although he didn't know what method Magistrate Jiang had, some trouble wouldn't be a bad thing for Songyang County. It couldn't get any worse than it was now.
Just as Heifu was about to go on duty, he was called back.
"Hei Fu, ride the donkey to notify all the village heads to come to the county government. It'll be easier on the way," Jiang Ge instructed.
After bowing, Hei Fu turned to leave, but was stopped by Jiang Ge.
“Magistrate Jiang, there’s no need,” Hei Fu declined, clasping his hands in refusal. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to ride a donkey, which would be easier, but rather…
He looked down at the heavy armor he was wearing; it must have weighed at least several dozen kilograms. Combined with his own weight, the donkey couldn't possibly handle such a heavy load. He couldn't say this outright, so he had to convey it through his eyes.
Django glanced at Blackie's physique and then at his hesitant expression, and immediately understood. The donkey was too skinny!
She waved her hand, no longer insisting, indicating that he should handle it himself.
Magistrate Xu placed the organized case files on Jiang Ge's desk for her to review. The security situation in Songyang County was relatively orderly; the files recorded only minor cases of theft and petty theft, which were not frequent occurrences.
"County Magistrate Xu said he hadn't accomplished much, but in such a large county, there are very few murders. Doesn't that mean he's accomplished something?" Jiang Ge said with a smile. She was taking over the county and naturally hoped for stability in Songyang County.
Upon hearing Jiang Ge's words, Magistrate Xu paused for a moment as he opened the file, without replying.
"The population check is due at the end of the year, and we've lost more than two thousand households. With such a huge deficit, Songyang County will probably be downgraded to a lower-level county," Xu, the county magistrate, lamented, his voice filled with deep sorrow. Having served in Songyang County for over thirty years, he had long developed a deep affection for the people there.
Counties are classified based on population and economic level. Counties with more than 5,000 households are considered upper-class counties, those with more than 2,000 households are middle-class counties, those with more than 1,000 households are lower-middle-class counties, and the rest are lower-class counties. Last year, Songyang County had 3,224 households, but this year only 816 households remain.
Jiang Ge flipped through the files in his hands, his brow furrowed. Of the more than eight hundred households, apart from a very small number who had solved their basic needs, most were eating two meals a day and still weren't full. The most important thing right now was to solve the problem of food and clothing for the entire county.
Once you've solved the problem of food and clothing, you'll accumulate points. With points, you can unlock the system shop and summon new historical figures.
Jiang Ge couldn't help but rub his fingers together, secretly planning: Zu Long, Wild Boar, Er Feng, A Wu, Judy, Ma Zi... Hehehe~ Let them all come and work for her!
Heifu notified the village heads one by one. These village heads were all old and walked slowly, which made him so anxious that he stamped his feet.
"Hurry up, everyone, Magistrate Jiang is waiting." Hei Fu had just taken office and wasn't familiar with these seasoned village heads yet, so he was always a bit polite at first.
The village head, leaning on his cane, replied slowly, "It's already very fast."
As he was speaking, a small yellow dog trotted past him.
Seeing this, Hei Fu remained silent, only waving his weapon, which made a whooshing sound. The wind from the swing blew into Luo Lizheng's face, causing his neck to tighten, and he quickened his pace, managing to pull the other village heads along with him.
The village heads were late, but Jiang Ge wasn't in a hurry. She drew out the steps of making the curved plow on paper, along with written instructions. A cold voice echoed in her mind:
Why doesn't the host use money to buy grain seeds from the system store?
“Of course we should save money wherever we can. 004, you really don’t know how to manage money!” Jiang Ge replied with a laugh.
004 Silence.
In fact, Jiang Ge herself had thought about this problem. On the one hand, she didn't have enough points, and on the other hand, even if there were grain seeds that could yield 3,000 catties per mu, the people probably wouldn't believe it if they didn't see it with their own eyes.
Growing grain is easy, but promoting a new grain is not.
Songyang County is sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped, lacking any distinctive industries. These factors have contributed to its poverty. To improve the livelihoods and economy of Songyang County, Jiang Ge carefully considered the situation and devised a plan for this small county. The first step was to start by reclaiming wasteland to increase the area of arable land available to the residents.
It's the season for plowing. After last year's famine, Songyang County has few able-bodied men left; most are women, the elderly, and children, who are not very strong. Plowing is extremely strenuous, and with a curved plow, a lot of effort can be saved. The saved effort can then be used for land reclamation, making it the most cost-effective method.
Just then, Hei Fu led the village heads to the county government office.
Jiang Ge shifted her gaze to the village chiefs in the hall. The twenty-odd village chiefs, all elderly men, bowed to her in unison.
"Greetings to the new magistrate."
Jiang Ge sat steadily in the chair, his tone calm: "My surname is Jiang, and my given name is Ge. Please get up."
It's customary for the village head to pay a visit when a new county magistrate takes office. I was too busy the other day, but now I can discuss important matters with him all at once.
"Thank you, Magistrate."
"Why are this year's taxes and fees delayed? What are the problems? Let's raise them and discuss them together." Although the tax and fee issue isn't urgent, we still can't ignore it.
The oldest man bowed and said, "Sir, Da Li Village cannot pay its taxes this year. All the able-bodied men have fled to escape famine, leaving only the elderly, women, and children in the village. Farming is too strenuous for them, and I'm afraid this year's harvest will only be enough to feed the villagers."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other village heads also began to complain.
"Yes, our village is in an even worse situation. There are already few people, and now the land is all hard. How can we cultivate it? There aren't even any people to cultivate the land."
"Our village is the same. The locusts have eaten everything in the fields. We've finally recovered a little, but the little we have left isn't even enough to fill our stomachs, let alone save money and food."
"Our village..."
Django had anticipated this scene. She waved her hand, signaling them to be quiet.
"I have called you all here because I have an important announcement to make. This will not only solve the problem of food and clothing for the people, but also solve the problem of tax revenue for the county government. It can be described as a win-win situation."
A note from the author:
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Please add this to your favorites ^_^ I'm working hard to write 10,000 words!
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