Dading Prefecture, the prefecture of Far North Road.
Ning Yuchun has been here for more than a month and has lost a lot of weight.
This time, Fu Xiaoguan did not give him any instructions, and he had to handle everything on his own.
What he faced was a road that was about the same size as the former Yu Dynasty!
This Dao is extremely poor due to years of wars, and its business is far from comparable to any other Dao in Daxia!
He had thought of various possibilities on his way to take up his post, but when he stepped into the Far North Road and traveled all the way to Dading Prefecture, he realized that he had been thinking too optimistically.
Spring plowing is not even halfway done and more than half of the fields are already abandoned.
The peasants were starving and poorly clothed, living a life worse than that of pigs and dogs.
Nine out of ten households were emptied of able-bodied men due to the conscription of able-bodied men, and in many villages only a few elderly people, women and children were left.
The government agencies are cumbersome and lazy, receiving a lot of salary but with few people actually doing any work.
The numerous exorbitant taxes and levies weighed on the people like a mountain, making it difficult for them to survive and stand up straight.
Therefore, when Daxia destroyed the Liao Dynasty, although the people did not praise it, they did not blame it either.
Not to mention the common people, even the merchants of the Liao Dynasty were watching quietly. They had no intention of resurrecting the fallen Liao Dynasty, nor did they show much goodwill towards Daxia. They were just watching like bystanders.
The first thing Ning Yuchun did when he took office was to exempt farmers from all taxes without the consent of the three provinces. This move caused quite a stir among the people of the Liao Dynasty, and the people seemed to have regained a glimmer of hope after hearing it.
However, this move caused a huge response in the officialdom and business circles of Far North Province.
Immediately, Ning Yuchun issued an order to summon officials from the three prefectures and twelve counties under the jurisdiction of Yuanbei Road to gather in Dading Prefecture on August 20th.
Sitting in the Zhongshu Province's office, Ning Yuchun frowned as he looked at the former Ministry of Revenue documents. After a long while, he raised his eyes and looked at Ning Zhiyuan, the former Minister of Revenue.
"Every year, the official salaries alone cost over six million taels of silver... How many officials did the Liao Dynasty have?"
Ning Zhiyuan sat on Ning Yuchun's left and said quietly, "Your Excellency, there are more than 30,000 officials in the Liao Dynasty."
Ning Yuchun's brows furrowed even tighter instantly. There were only about ten thousand officials in the entire Great Xia Dynasty, but there were more than thirty thousand in the Liao Dynasty...!
He looked to the Minister of Personnel, Chen Baiqiu, who was standing to his right. "Do you have the list of officials from the Ministry of Personnel with you?"
Chen Baiqiu held a box and handed it over tremblingly. Ning Yuchun did not take it, but said very seriously: "Your Majesty is kind and wants to use you Liao people to govern this Far North Road, the same policy as in Chi Lechuan."
"But! What I want to tell you is that there are still thousands and thousands of students in Daxia waiting to enter the officialdom. I don't know any of the officials on this list. I only want you to do one thing—"
"Select three thousand men from among these officials!"
Ning Yuchun emphasized his tone, "Remember, I only need 3,000 people! The entire Far North Road, including this government agency, only needs 3,000 officials!"
"So these three thousand people must be useful and capable people!"
"This..." Chen Baiqiu was shocked. From 30,000 people to 3,000 people, more than 20,000 people were going to be killed in one go.
The relationships among these officials are extremely complicated, involving many high-ranking officials in the court, including himself. Who can be killed?
“Sir Ning,” Chen Baiqiu took a deep breath and said in a low voice: “The officials here are not easy to cut.”
Ning Yuchun laughed, "In that case, your position as Minister of Personnel is of no use at all."
This scared Chen Baiqiu so much that he quickly waved his hands: "No, no, no, sir, I'll do it right away!"
"stop!"
Ning Yuchun stopped Chen Baiqiu as he was about to leave in a stern voice. "You probably don't know that Daxia has a special department called the Censorate. Its duty is to supervise all officials, including you and me. Every official, even a small county magistrate, is under the supervision of the Censorate."
"Sir Chen, if the person you choose fails to achieve achievements in the corresponding position that will be praised by the people...then it won't be me, the Taotai, who will cause trouble for you."
"I was invited by the Censorate to drink tea in Guanyun City. Sir Chen, that tea is not good!"
Chen Baiqiu, who was originally making plans in his mind, immediately swallowed his saliva when he heard this. He held the box anxiously and listened to Ning Yuchun say:
"This is no longer the Liao Dynasty; this is the Far North Road of Daxia! You need to understand the current situation. You don't need to cling to anyone. You just need to do your job and serve the Daxia people. As for other interferences, just come to me!"
"I'll make the decision for you. Anyone who dares to interfere will have their entire family killed!"
This sentence was like a reassurance that made Chen Baiqiu feel much more at ease. He naturally understood how many of the more than 30,000 officials were just sitting there doing nothing.
He was originally worried about retaliation from all sides, but now after listening to Ning Yuchun's words, he truly understood that the situation in the Liao Dynasty had changed.
Yes, why should I be afraid of their revenge?
I am now an official of Daxia. This Taotai looks quite young, but he has been very decisive in doing things these days. He is a person outside the old forces, and he came here to break the old forces. If I want to keep this official position now, I naturally need to submit him the most perfect letter of allegiance.
Chen Baiqiu held the box and bowed, "Please rest assured, sir. I will hand over this list to you in the evening."
"Very good, go ahead."
Chen Baiqiu withdrew, and Ning Yuchun looked at the Minister of Revenue, Ning Zhiyuan:
"For the remaining 3,000 officials, including me, our salaries will be reduced by half for two years, based on Daxia standards! Next, the Ministry of Revenue must allocate half of the 14 million taels of silver to the construction of the Far North road network, allowing the people to earn some money. Otherwise, they won't be able to survive this year."
"The rest of the money must be kept. The Ministry of Revenue will be conducting a census next. I need detailed population and farmland data for every village! Within two years, grain production in the Far East must be increased to at least self-sufficiency."
"As for business, I believe merchants from all over Daxia will arrive soon. I've brought all the business laws with me. Minister Yun Xiyan of the Ministry of Commerce is also on his way. Everyone in the Ministry of Revenue must be familiar with the business laws."
"You all must remember to throw away everything from the past!"
"All officials, from top to bottom, must relearn Daxia's policies, laws, and ways of doing things. As for those who are conservative... I'll give all of you six months. If you can't keep up with the times, you'll be eliminated!"
The former civil and military officials standing below all gasped, looking at each other but no one spoke a word.
Ning Yuchun's meeting lasted two hours. He briefly explained the operating system and relevant rules of the Great Xia court to these officials. Finally, he said:
"A brand new era has arrived. The days of tyrannical oppression are over. Remember this: All officials of Daxia must serve the people wholeheartedly!"
"Anyone who violates this will be judged by the law!"
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