Fu Xiaoguan had some impression of Luo Binglin, the magistrate of Yuzhou.
Because the six states of Beixiao were too poor, he paid great attention to the six states of Beixiao and the five states of the Western Regions when he was in the palace.
This man came here from Yuzhou City, naturally because of the administrative problems in Siyang County.
It seems that this incognito tour has now failed. I am afraid that the entire three lower states know that I am in Siyang County.
That's fine. We have to stay in Siyang County for a while, waiting for the arrival of the people from the Divine Sword Third Army and the Academy of Sciences.
Of course, he also wanted to see how the officials in the court would react when the two imperial edicts arrived at the palace.
Luo Binglin walked in trembling with fear and knelt down in front of Fu Xiaoguan with a plop. "Your Majesty, I, Luo Binglin, the governor of Yuzhou, pay my respects to Your Majesty!"
"Get up."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty is guilty and dare not rise!"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed and looked at Luo Binglin. His back was soaked, which was quite pitiful. Am I that scary?
"Tell me what crime you committed."
Luo Binglin quickly said, "Your Majesty, I failed to discipline my subordinates, allowing Bai Qiusheng, a scoundrel worse than pigs and dogs, to wreak havoc in Siyang County for four full years. This is my fault for negligence, and I implore Your Majesty to punish me!"
Fu Xiaoguan took a sip of the sour plum soup and said, "You seem to understand it very well... Get up, I have something to ask you."
These words sounded like heavenly music to Luo Binglin's ears. He knew that he had passed the first crucial hurdle, and as long as he responded appropriately next time, he would keep his position.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
He stood respectfully in front of Fu Xiaoguan, who pointed casually and said, "Sit down. It's so hot, standing is tiring... Xiaoqi, give this Luo Zhizhou a bowl of sour plum soup to cool him down."
"Okay."
Luo Binglin was shocked, "Your Majesty, I am terrified!"
"Sit down... Let me ask you, are there any iron mines in the entire Yuzhou?"
Luo Binglin sat halfway on the chair and said, "Your Majesty, Chi County, over 500 miles east of Siyang County, is a major iron ore producer. Chi County is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has two government-owned iron ore deposits. However, due to transportation issues, mining of these two deposits is limited."
This is good news. As long as there is iron ore, it will be easy. The things used most by the Academy of Sciences are iron and other metals. This way, we can avoid transporting iron ingots from farther places.
"According to the Chixian County Chronicles, Chixian County has enormous iron ore reserves. The traitor Zhou once sent people to survey the area, but they also had difficulty in transporting the ore, and ultimately gave up."
Fu Xiaoguan nodded. "How do the conditions in Chi County compare to Siyang County?"
"Your Majesty, the two counties have similar populations, but Chi County has more farmland. The main problem is the black pool in Siyang County... It occupies a vast area, and the stench spreads far and wide, making an area of a hundred miles uninhabitable. A huge amount of land is wasted."
"What is the annual income of the people in Yuzhou today?"
Luo Binglin was silent for a moment, then bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed. The conditions here are truly too poor. The farmland can only produce one crop per season, and the yield is extremely low. This spring, Gaoyang County, Yuzhou's best county, planted your Majesty's rice seeds and sweet potatoes. We will have to wait until the autumn harvest to know the actual yield of these two sacred items in Gaoyang County."
"Last year, His Majesty ordered the construction of a road network. The roads between the three capitals of the Lower Three Provinces are still under construction. Those farmers who are not busy with farming are being hired. According to the rules set by His Majesty, each person is paid 20 coins. The farmers are eager to work, but they don't need so much labor. They can only recruit according to the requirement of one male per household."
"Right now, road construction is the main source of income for these people. As for the rest of the income, I dare not deceive Your Majesty. It is almost nothing. Being able to fill our stomachs is already the best case scenario."
After saying this, Luo Binglin prepared himself to be scolded by the emperor - generally speaking, the emperor does not need so many reasons, he only wants a result, and he will not care about your difficulties.
If he could be scolded by the emperor to relieve his anger, he would probably treat himself as nothing.
Just as Luo Binglin was feeling anxious, he did not receive a scolding from Fu Xiaoguan. Instead, he saw Fu Xiaoguan nod slightly.
Then he heard Fu Xiaoguan say, "Well, what you said is true. I have two things to do next."
"Your Majesty, please give your orders!"
"The first thing to do is to gather the workers and build a road to the mine. This road will be built to Siyang County. Let them prepare the roadbed first. I require the roadbed to be wide enough for three carriages to pass side by side."
Luo Binglin was stunned. Is His Majesty going to open a mine?
"The second thing is also to gather workers and build a wall a hundred miles away from the Black Pond to isolate it. This wall can be made of earth, three feet wide and six feet high. Make sure it's compacted!"
"You must prepare a budget within ten days, and the Ministry of Revenue will allocate special funds to Yuzhou. Remember, special funds must be used for their intended purposes only. If you dare to misuse a single cent, I will not forgive you!"
Luo Binglin hurriedly cupped his hands, "Your Majesty, I will never touch a penny!"
This is a great thing!
Both projects are huge and require probably hundreds of thousands of workers. There is not much farming work now, so farmers would rather earn the 20 cents a day.
In this way, the farmers' income this year will increase a lot, so even if there is no project income next year, they will still have the money to tend to the crops and raise the fragrant pigs.
He could guess why His Majesty built the road, but he couldn't understand why His Majesty fenced off the black pool. He guessed that he was afraid that the stench would drift into the city.
"By the way, I've appointed a county magistrate for Siyang County. He's the young man who just brought you in. His name is Jiang Shang. The Ministry of Personnel will send you a letter. From now on, your documents will be sent directly to him."
"Also, I want you to complete these two projects as quickly as possible. You can ally with the other two states and have them send in labor. Don't worry about the people under your rule losing income if the projects are finished too quickly."
"I'll tell you something. After these two projects are completed, the people under your rule will have many more job opportunities. They'll have endless work to do, and their income will increase many times over!"
"I, I obey your order!"
Luo Binglin originally wanted to leave these two projects to the people under his rule, but now he has to give up this idea.
He didn't understand where the job opportunities were and thought that at most they could just go mining.
"Where else in the six states of Beixiao can find this kerosene?"
"Your Majesty, there is only one here in Siyang County. The others are recorded in the Beixiao Chronicles. There was one in Huangzhou in the Upper Three Provinces in history, but it was covered by yellow sand and is probably difficult to find."
It’s a bit of a pity. I don’t know how much oil reserves there are. I hope it is a huge oil field.
"Alright, go back and prepare the budget and publicity first. Remember, once the Ministry of Revenue has the funds, both projects must begin simultaneously!"
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