In April, after the heavy snow in Yunlai County had just stopped, thick fog gradually enveloped the mountains and spread to Yunlai County at the foot of the mountain.
The light in the side room in the backyard of the Yunlai County government office was still on, and the dim light shone through the window lattice into the yard, dyeing the clouds with a touch of orange, light, like gauze.
Zhuo Liuyun drank a lot of wine with his county magistrate. Although there was a stove burning in the side room, he still felt a chill.
Zhuo Liuyun sat by the stove, warming himself by the fire, and said with drunken eyes:
"Old Yan... do you know how long I've been here?"
County Magistrate Yan Gao was a native of Yunlai County. His dim eyes looked at the drunken boy with a hint of pity and smiled slightly, "It's been more than a year."
Zhuo Liuyun supported Yan Gao's shoulders and stood up unsteadily. "Let me tell you, it's one year, three months, and three days... This shabby place... In the eighth year of the Xuanli reign, I was among the top ten Jinshi in the eighth year of the Xuanli reign!"
"I don't know how many of those bastards Zhang Wenhan is. He was the county magistrate in Pingling. That place is even poorer than ours, but he happened to meet Fu Xiaoguan..."
"You know, Mr. Fu, right? Mr. Fu, I once drank with you and went to Hongxiuzhao with you..."
Yan Gao quickly stood up and supported him, "Your Excellency, you are drunk."
"I'm not drunk..." He suddenly laughed and pointed at Yan Gao, "You don't believe it!"
How does Yan Gao write the letter?
This young man is also pitiful. As one of the top ten Jinshi, it is normal for him to be appointed as a county magistrate, but what is abnormal is that he was sent to this hellhole.
He definitely has no background!
He had been in this place for more than a year and was full of confidence, but after visiting various villages in Yunlai County, he became desperate and had no idea what to do.
No matter who comes, there is nothing we can do!
The fields were already barren, and now they are becoming more and more barren.
The population loss is extremely serious. It is called a county, but after the registration at the end of last year, the total population of the county was only over 200,000!
This is less than the population of a town in the south and north of the Yangtze River!
Without people, there is nothing. This is an eternal truth. There is no one to farm, and business... there is no business in this crappy place.
So Zhuo Liuyun, who had come to terms with it, lost his ambitions and instead fell in love with alcohol.
This wine is not the same as Hongxiuzhao's Tianxiang, nor is it as good as Xishan Tianchun. It is just the most ordinary wine, the kind that can buy ten kilograms for one or two taels of silver.
Zhuo Liuyun is a good person in every way except that he likes to brag when he is drunk.
He always talked about going to the capital and the ten successful candidates in the imperial examinations before the eighth year of the Xuanli reign. For example, the top scholar Shi Yiming was implicated in the rebellion of the Shi clan and is now imprisoned in the Dali Temple. He is afraid that he will be beheaded this autumn.
Yan Gao believed this, after all, it was a rebellion.
When Zhuo Liuyun got drunk, he talked about Fu Xiaoguan and Master Fu the most. Once he started talking about them, he would not stop, and he spoke in a very serious manner, as if it were the truth.
What kind of person is Lord Fu?
Don't say that you are just a Jinshi. Even if you are the prefect, I am afraid you would not be in the eyes of Lord Fu.
This kid must have heard many legends about Master Fu in Jinling, and he might have even seen him from afar. If he wanted to talk about friendship, it would be a bit far-fetched. Otherwise, if Master Fu knew that he was in trouble here, he would be able to escape with just a word!
Not to mention directly joining the business department led by Lord Fu, it would be easy to just change places, right?
But this county magistrate has been here for one year, three months and three days. Not to mention moving, he will probably have to stay here for the rest of his life.
Alas...it's a pity to waste such a talent.
Yan Gao sighed inwardly and said with a wry smile, "I believe it, I believe it. It's a cold night with heavy dew. Let's rest early."
"Why rush? Anyway, no one cares about us here, so we're free... No, I really do know Master Fu, and he knows me too! Before leaving Jinling, Yan Xiwen hosted a banquet at Sifanglou, where Master Fu wrote his essay 'On the Young Man of the Yu Dynasty.' I was there and witnessed Master Fu's extraordinary talent firsthand!
Of course, I first met Master Fu on September 25th, the eighth year of the Xuanli calendar. Lan Ting was gathering for literary sacrifices. Master Fu had just arrived in the capital, but he snatched away Dong Shulan... You know Dong Shulan, right? She's the daughter of Minister Dong of the Ministry of Revenue. Everyone originally thought Miss Dong would marry Yan Xiwen. It wasn't just me, the entire city of Jinling thought so. But Master Fu quietly won Miss Dong's heart, so Yan Xiwen wanted to save face..."
"Those bad things are over now, and now Brother Xiwen and Master Fu have become good friends. He has made a career in Linjiang Yao County, and has received great help from Master Fu."
Yan Gao was stunned. He had never heard Zhuo Liuyun say this before. It seemed that this gentleman really knew Lord Fu!
Is it possible that the two of them never had much emotional interaction?
It makes sense. Lord Fu is in a high position and has great power. How could he care about a small county magistrate like him?
However, since there has been such a good relationship in the past, if this county magistrate writes a letter to Lord Fu, including Yunlai County in the economic pilot program, and businessmen come to invest, won’t Yunlai County be able to be completely transformed?
His heart warmed up, and he said, "Since you are acquainted with Lord Fu, this new policy was proposed and promoted by Lord Fu..."
Upon hearing this, Zhuo Liuyun waved his hand before he could finish his words. "I understand what you mean. I've thought about this a long time ago... In Yunlai County, apart from the wild beasts and mountain products in the towering Yunshan Mountain, what else does it have? The key is the people!
I also thought about attracting investment to set up a workshop, but there is no one!
Why……"
Zhuo Liuyun sighed, "We don't have this crucial condition right now. You said writing a letter to Lord Fu, wouldn't that put him in a difficult position? So I thought about it for a long time. We can't go on like this. We have to turn the current situation around."
"How can this be reversed? If there is poverty, there will be no people. If there are fewer and fewer people, we will become poorer and poorer."
Zhuo Liuyun laughed, "So we have to solve the human problem first."
"What's the solution?"
"Aren't there so many barren fields? Tomorrow morning, gather all the officials and hold a meeting at the county office. I want to remeasure all the barren fields and take them back as the property of the county office..."
Yan Gao was shocked. "Sir, this is impossible. Even though those fields are barren, they still belong to someone! What will we do when they come back?"
"I don't care about that anymore, so tomorrow we have to issue a policy. All farmland that's been left idle for a year will be considered ownerless! Also... we have to send people out to spread the word. Those who settle in Yunlai County will have their land allocated according to their population. They won't have to pay taxes for five years, and all the output from the land will belong to the owner."
"Remember this: every household that has a new child, regardless of gender, will be rewarded with land. As for the amount of the reward, I'll decide tomorrow when I sober up!"
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