Chapter 138: New Official Takes Three Actions [VIP]
Faced with this sudden inspection, officials from various counties felt like they were facing a powerful enemy and were full of complaints against Yang Jizong.
I know this is his second act as a new official, but this move is a bit too hasty and too fast.
Piles of files were sent to the prefectural government. Yang Jizong and Zhao Xiaofu worked tirelessly day and night, reviewing the situations of each county under their jurisdiction one by one, copying down the key points, and then listing corresponding strategies.
Since Yang Wenying came to her brother's side, she has been taking care of his daily life. Occasionally, the wives of her brother's colleagues would come and invite her to visit their homes.
After Yang Wenying went there twice, she never went again.
Drinking tea, arranging flowers, and traveling were originally her favorites, but for some reason she couldn't get along with those girls now.
One time, she was looking at the wild ducks in the lake and suddenly asked, "Do you know how long it takes to raise these ducks?"
Those girls had no idea about this, they just thought Yang Wenying was weird.
Later, Yang Wenying stopped going there. She opened up a small vegetable garden in her house and raised some chickens and ducks. She wrote letters in her spare time.
As to who the letter was written to, Yang Jizong never asked.
Not long after, officials from various counties arrived at the prefectural government office one after another. On the way, these people were thinking about how to embarrass Yang Jizong when they arrived at the prefectural government office.
After all, no official can fully understand the situation of each county under his jurisdiction when he first takes office, and even they themselves may not be able to do so.
But they underestimated Yang Jizong. When Xing Fang and Zhao Xiaofu moved the files one by one to the table in front of everyone, and listened to Yang Jizong's description of the situation and countermeasures in each county one by one, the officials below were so scared that they broke out in cold sweats.
Yang Jizong fulfilled the promises he had made to Chen Yao one by one.
He not only ordered these officials to go to the countryside to inspect the fields and soil and measure the wasteland, but also to inspect the waterways and springs.
Opening up large and small irrigation channels in each village, building sluice gates, and promoting irrigation can save manpower during the busy farming season.
He said at the top that officials from various counties were writing furiously, fearing that something would be missed, because Yang Jizong said that after the end of the year he would go to the countryside to conduct spot checks one by one to ensure implementation.
No, which official would go to the countryside in person?
Aren’t the people the ones who come to see the officials because they have been wronged?
But no one dared to say this to his face, because Yang Jizong mentioned the saint when he promulgated these policies.
Moreover, the higher the rank, the more powerful they are, so they have no choice but to do as they are told.
But some people raised questions, such as Peng Dingqiu who actively cooperated.
"Master Yang, if you want us to raise livestock for our tenants, where will the money come from? As far as I know, the salaries of county officials cannot afford to buy these animals."
"Yes, each household must also raise two pigs and five chickens. This is a considerable expense. How can we officials afford such a large sum?"
"Let's not talk about the money. What if he dies? What are we going to do?"
Peng Dingqiu asked with good intentions, but he didn't expect to cause complaints from his colleagues.
Yang Jizong pursed his dry lips. Zhao Xiaofu was very considerate and came forward with a teapot to add water to everyone, interrupting their conversation and giving the teacher a chance to speak.
Yang Jizong stood up, leaning on the table in front of him. "I have already arranged for the animals. When you return, I will harness them to your carts and take them back."
"Such a good thing actually exists, Lord Yang. There are many tenant farmers in Yun County. Is it true that each household gets two pigs?" Gao Hao stretched his neck and asked loudly while sitting at the end.
They said that Yun County had the most tenants and was also the poorest county in Ezhou.
Yang Jizong flipped through the booklet in his hand quickly and looked up. "If the records in the file are correct, there are 22 villages in your county, with a total of 680 tenant households. Each household has two pigs and five chickens, which means there are 1,260 pigs and 2,400 chickens."
As Yang Jizong was speaking, the officials below took out the counting sticks they carried with them, and it was indeed this number.
Gao Hao nodded repeatedly, still a little incredulous. "Sir, are these animals free for the tenants to raise, or do they have other requirements? What if the tenants kill them?"
"And Sir Yang, where did you buy so many animals at once?"
Yang Jizong had been planning this matter for a long time, and he was able to buy the livestock thanks to Li Menghong's help.
He was the newly appointed Internal Affairs Minister, and all agricultural and livestock matters in various places were under his jurisdiction. If anyone wanted to get these animals, he just had to say something, and his subordinates would do it.
When Li Menghong received Yang Jizong's plan, he carefully calculated that each tenant farmer would raise two pigs and five chickens, and when they were sold next year, the tenant farmers would only need to return the price of the two piglets and five chickens, and the rest would be profit.
By repeating this cycle, the tenant farmers had enough cash to buy land.
With land, you no longer have to bear heavy rent.
to?
Look, the saint has just raided the residences of several corrupt officials in the capital. Money can get things done easily, but it’s just a purchase.
The officials sighed when they heard this, and they also witnessed the swift and decisive methods of the new governor.
Those in power are practical people, so of course they don’t like those below them to be cunning and dishonest.
So when Yang Jizong put everything out, all the officials felt very uneasy.
Who can guarantee that these tenant farmers can raise their livestock well?
"Sir Peng, did you bring the copy of 'A Collection of Essentials of Farming'?" Yang Jizong saw that the officials did not dare to sign the document, so how could he not know their concerns.
, he had prepared it early.
Of course Peng Dingqiu brought it, but he only brought the unnamed book he got from the saint. The books he ordered to be copied were not there yet.
"Sir, I've never heard of 'A Collection of Essentials of Farming'. Have you ever read or heard of it?"
“I haven’t seen it.”
"I haven't seen it either."
The moment Peng Dingqiu took out the book, he was a little hesitant.
Yang Jizong brought in the books he had printed long ago: "Su Xing, take them down and show them to the gentlemen."
When Peng Dingqiu held the new book and looked at the title, he couldn't help but smack his lips in amazement: "Master Yang, this is, this is written by a saint?"
"No wonder we haven't heard of it. It turns out it was compiled by a saint."
Yang Jizong interrupted the officials and said, "This book was compiled by Fang County Lord Chen Yaoji, an old farmer, based on his own experience. It not only records farming techniques, crop cultivation, and animal husbandry, but also records food processing, such as winemaking, sauce making, and how to store food. It also covers land reclamation and management, adapting to local conditions, and promoting crop rotation and composting."
"Princess Fang County, isn't that..." Everyone fell silent. How could they discuss it in front of Yang Jizong?
Yang Jizong may not care about his own face and reputation, but he cannot tolerate if outsiders dare to slander Chen Yao.
"Everyone, you might as well take a look first. These are all the county lord's experiences."
The officials flipped through the books in their hands. At first, they didn't take it seriously, but the more they read, the more they felt that they could all find a piece of land according to the above method. One day, when they no longer served as officials, they could become free and easy wanderers who lived in seclusion.
Gao Hao excitedly closed the book and walked up to Yang Jizong first, bowing to him and saying, "Sir, I would like to sign this document. I thank you on behalf of the people of Yun County."
"Think carefully. If you raise them to death, you will be sent to the army for every head you have."
"Serving as a soldier and still having a meal to eat is quite good for the tenants. I've thought it through." Gao Hao signed the document and pressed his fingerprint. "Can I have another copy of this book?"
"Every household in the village will be asked to collect the book. If the tenant farmers are illiterate, the village head will be responsible for implementing it. It is necessary to ensure that every household can recite this book by heart."
If they couldn't read, they had to memorize it. If they couldn't memorize it in one day, they had to memorize it in two days. If they couldn't memorize it in two days, they had to memorize it in three more days. He instilled this into the tenant farmers every day, and he didn't believe that it couldn't be implemented.
"Yes, sir, I will do my best to see to it."
"If you encounter any difficulties, you can come to the prefect's office and ask me, or go directly to Fang County to find the county lord." Yang Jizong continued.
Peng Dingqiu also took dozens of books and signed documents.
When the remaining officials saw that both of them had signed, they looked down at the "Collection of Essentials of Farming" in their hands, gritted their teeth and signed as if they were forced to do something.
They had to sign. By the end of the year, their political achievements were mediocre, and they didn't believe that Yang Jizong would not report this to the emperor.
Moreover, this book was titled by a sage, which shows that the sage also approved of this book.
When carts loaded with livestock left the Ezhou prefectural government office, the people in the city were once again shocked by the grand spectacle.
When the people in the city learned that these animals would be distributed to tenant farmers in each county and village, they were envious and jealous, but when they thought that they would be sent to the army if they failed to raise them well, they no longer had any interest in them.
All he could say was, "Our governor is a good official who cares about the people."
When officials from various counties brought the livestock and distributed them to the tenant farmers, the words "good officials" were as sweet as honey, making them so happy that they couldn't stop smiling.
However, the village heads were miserable. Most of them were managers of wealthy families. When they received the government order to teach the tenant farmers to recite "Essentials of Farming", they felt that something was wrong.
The book is written in plain language and is easy to understand. Although the tenant farmers are illiterate, they are good at growing crops. Don’t these experienced farmers understand whether the methods in this book can work?
"Hurry, take this book to the masters in the capital, otherwise, it won't be long before we will be the ones to farm this land."
When Wang Xiang held the book, the tenant farmers had already started raising livestock according to the instructions in the book.
Every household began to make compost in the fields. After finishing their daily farm work, collecting grass for the pigs and feeding the livestock, they would always gather outside the headman's house to listen to him read.
"This group of people think they can shake our foundation with the support of the saint. Give the order to increase the rent by 20% after the autumn harvest this year. I want to see how they are going to fight me." Wang Xiang threw the book to the ground, his eyes as cold as a poisonous snake.
How could these aristocratic families who were vassals of Wang Xiang dare to question his decision? They could only follow his instructions and tell their subordinates to increase the rent by 20% in the autumn.
In recent days, in order to find out the situation in the village under his jurisdiction as soon as possible, Peng Dingqiu distributed livestock to the tenants. At the same time, he took Li Xin, Liu Chuang and other yamen runners to investigate from house to house, and personally went to the fields to check the winter wheat that could be rotated.
As for some villages that were not suitable for growing winter wheat, he also wanted to try to get everyone to convert the wasteland into paddy fields based on the methods of land reclamation in "Nong Geng Ji Yao", and then purchase Champa rice for the tenant farmers to cultivate.
"Let's go to Xiahe Village and find the county lord." Peng Dingqiu stuffed the book into his arms, jumped on his horse, and rushed to Fang County with the yamen runners.
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