Chapter 95
Su Chengyuan was shocked when he heard in Pingxiang that the county government had dealt with the bandits from Huya Mountain who were causing trouble for the local people. He was on his way to the county town to do some work, so he decided to hear what was going on. The new county magistrate is so powerful, he sighed in his heart.
As soon as he arrived in the county town, he found that the deserted streets in the past were very lively. Someone saw his curious look and took the initiative to ask: "Sir, do you want to rent a stall?"
"What stall?"
"Don't you know? Recently there is a play being performed in the county, about the story of the hero Yang and the government working together to capture the bandits on Huya Mountain. It is wonderful and the show is packed. Many vendors are looking for the opportunity to sell food, so the stalls are hard to get. If you are interested, I can give you a discount."
Su Cheng found it novel and said with a smile: "No need, I came to the county town for something."
"What's the matter? I know everything. I know all the major events in the county." The man said enthusiastically.
"I heard that the county is planning to recruit a group of minor officials..." Su Cheng asked carefully.
"Hey, what do I think? Go over there, there's a notice posted there, telling you that County Magistrate Lu has also posted an ode to chivalry. It's so well written that everyone praises it. Not only do the scholars in the county imitate it, but someone in Dingyuan City even wants to worship County Magistrate Lu as his teacher after reading it."
Su Cheng became more and more curious. He thanked him and walked in the direction he pointed. He thought he would not be able to squeeze in, but when he got there he saw that there were officers guarding the place. The people around him were very orderly. He walked forward a few steps.
"Sir, may I ask if the recruitment of clerks is here?" Su Cheng asked with a bow.
The officer looked him up and down, pointed at the paper and ink on the table and said, "Write down your name and place of origin, and you can go to the county government to take the exam."
Su Cheng guessed that this should be the first hurdle. Being able to write these meant that one could at least be literate, which could prevent someone from taking advantage of the situation. He nodded, picked up the pen, wrote on the paper, and handed it to the officer.
The officer took it and examined it carefully before saying, "Take this to the county government office and someone will take you in."
Su Cheng took it and saw that it was a note with the words "Qingquan" printed on it. He put it away carefully and walked towards the county government office.
At this moment in the county government office, Lin Shuge and Lu Yuechuan were marking test papers together. The candidates were of varying qualities, with many of them only having a rough understanding of writing and could give random answers based on some cultural allusions, not to mention some math and policy questions.
Lu Yuechuan sighed and handed the paper in his hand to Lin Shuge, "This is a good answer. The text is well-versed in terms of words and allusions, and the laws are also quite familiar."
Lin Shuge stretched his head to take a look. He saw that the handwriting was neat and the words made sense, so he nodded.
"But it's also because the questions you set are too difficult, sir. Some of them are multiple choice, judgment, and short answer. What kind of questions are these?" Lu Yuechuan complained.
"No matter how things change, they still remain essentially the same. It's just a matter of flexible application. It hasn't deviated from the Five Classics and the laws. It's just the question types that have changed. Moreover, policy essays take up the majority, and these are just minor questions." Lin Shuge wrote an "excellent" on a paper in his hand.
"The ones we picked out are very excellent. I will examine them personally later. For the rest, we will select a few grassroots officials from them and focus on their personalities and behaviors." Lin Shuge instructed.
"Grassroots official?" Lu Yuechuan put down his pen and asked.
"Yes, we don't interact with the people on weekdays, and we are not good enough to listen to their voices. We should select a group of minor officials to be posted at the grassroots level, so that we can solve any problems of the people in the remote villages as soon as possible. These minor officials don't need to know too much poetry and books, just a little literacy is enough. Let them come back to the county government every ten days to report on the situation of each village."
"Sir, this is feasible. Didn't the local people help us to wipe out the bandits in Huya Mountain last time? These petty officials must be well behaved, but not too rigid. They are close to the people, so they can naturally serve as a bridge between the county government and the common people."
Lin Shuge heard Lu Yuechuan mention the people who helped Huya Mountain. He had been busy these past few days and had not yet rewarded them. "Let them come to the county government in a few days. They will be rewarded for their contributions."
"Don't worry, sir. I have already given them a reward. I think there are a few who are good. I want to let Yang Yan train them. Maybe they can be used by the county."
At that time, Lu Yuechuan followed Lin Shuge's advice and, based on Meng Hu's confession, found some brave and careful people from the villages near Huya Mountain and asked them to keep an eye on the movements of Huya Mountain at all times. Therefore, he dared to carry out internal and external cooperation. When Yao Dajiang fled, there were also people watching him at each exit.
The local people suffered from oppression by bandits, and some even had a blood feud with them. When they heard that the government wanted to wipe out the bandits, they didn't believe it at first. Lu Yuechuan had to work very hard to make them believe it. Unexpectedly, there was a pleasant surprise. Later, when Lu Yuechuan heard about their battle record, he was really impressed. Some of them were really brave and almost sneaked in by providing vegetables to the bandits. Now he thinks that they are indeed good seedlings.
"Oh? That's perfect. A lot of people were cleared out of the county last time, so we can fill some vacancies. But they still have to be tested and taught to read. What about Cao Yong? Let Cao Yong and Yang Yan work together to see if they can be hired." Lin Shuge said after thinking for a moment.
When the officer at the door heard Lin Shuge's voice, he immediately trotted over to call Cao Yong over.
Cao Yong has been in high spirits these days. He has won the favor of Lin Shuge because he did his job well, and he walks with a breeze.
"Sir." Cao Yong saluted.
"There is a group of people that you and Yang Yan should test together to see how their skills and reactions are."
Cao Yong agreed cheerfully. Although he had met Yang Yan before, he only knew that he was the insider who got rid of the bandits in Huya Mountain and that he had been recruited by the adults. However, after watching the big drama in the county, he began to admire Yang Yan. Of course, he admired Captain Wei Sui even more. However, he was a little scared because Captain Wei Sui looked too cold.
Lu Yuechuan watched him run away and said to Lin Shuge, "Sir, do you think it's a bit exaggerated to write about Yang Yan enduring humiliation, sleeping on straw and tasting gall, and finally beheading his enemy with his own hands?"
“I asked him, and he agreed. Besides, drama is inherently fictional and exaggerated, and it wouldn’t be fun without conflict.” Lin Shuge replied. Otherwise, why are there still so many people watching modern bloody dramas even though everyone is criticizing them?
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let the people I just mentioned go to the official residence for the final test."
Lu Yuechuan nodded, went out and gave a few instructions to the officer, then went to the official residence with Lin Shuge to wait.
After a while, a middle-aged man led a few people in. "Sir, the people have been brought here."
"Master Yan has worked hard."
Yan Hongye used to be a minor official in the county. In the Huyashan case, the county magistrate and the chief clerk in the county had all been executed. Lin Shuge could only select from the remaining minor officials in the county. Unexpectedly, there was a capable official who was proficient in studying laws and collecting taxes. Yan Hongye was quite proficient in all of these, but he just didn't want to go along with the crowd. Therefore, like Cao Yong, he was squeezed out and sat on the bench. Lin Shuge would naturally not let go of such a talent, so he promoted him to be the chief clerk in the county.
"Can you please introduce yourselves first?" Lin Shuge said to them in a serious voice.
Someone suddenly became nervous and stuttered. Lin Shuge smiled and said, "I am not Yao Dajiang from Huya Mountain. What are you afraid of? Don't worry. Just say it again."
The man wiped his sweat and paused for a moment before speaking fluently. After the others finished speaking, Lin Shuge took out everyone's papers and asked, "I just came to Qingquan County and I know that the county is poor. Do you have any way to change this situation?"
Someone immediately replied that they could emulate Ganzhou and make paper and cashmere, and the county would become rich in no time. Lin Shuge looked at him, wrote down his name without saying anything, and then looked at the second person.
The second person was cautious and thought for a while before saying, "The county produces too little grain, and it's a problem for the people to have enough food. The most urgent task should be to let the people have enough food before discussing other issues." Lin Shuge saw that there were many patches on his sleeves and nodded.
The third person bowed and saluted, "Sir, what the two previous people said makes sense, but the difference between Qingquan County and Ganzhou is that we are surrounded by powerful enemies. We haven't had a major war with the Xiongnu in the past few years, so although there are thieves and bandits, we can still live well. If the Xiongnu are ready to make a move, Qingquan County will be the first to bear the brunt..."
He paused, and continued, "Every time the Xiongnu came south, it was harvest season, and the crops grown by the people became the spoils of the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu were extremely vicious, and although there was a Duwei Mansion stationed at the border, if the Xiongnu invaded in large numbers, and the Qiang people in the west took advantage of the situation to loot, Qingquan County would be in danger."
Lin Shuge was relieved and asked, "What will you do then?"
"Sir, although I am just a scholar, I am willing to follow Ban Dingyuan's example and join the army to repel the Xiongnu." He scratched his head again and said, "Unfortunately, I am not good at martial arts, so I can only be a clerk. However, the county can also learn from the Duwei Mansion and train county officials and civilians during the slack season, so that we can fight back against strong enemies."
Ban Dingyuan is Ban Chao, and the story of giving up his pen to join the army is about him.
Lin Shuge smiled, "Your name is Su Cheng? You are from Pingxiang."
Pingxiang is a relatively remote area among several townships in Qingquan County.
"Your Excellency has a good memory. Although Pingxiang is poor, the villagers are friendly and amiable. When bandits broke out, Pingxiang suffered the least losses because someone gathered the able-bodied men from all the villages and towns and sent them out on patrol every night. Once there was any movement, every household would go out together."
"Who is this?" Lin Shuge stood up from his chair and asked.
Su Cheng replied, "He is my best friend, named Xiang Ze. He learned some martial arts from an old soldier before, so he is quite skilled."
Lin Shuge and Lu Yuechuan looked at each other and smiled, "Yes, what you said today is all right. After receiving your official uniform and seal, you can come to work the day after tomorrow." He looked at Su Cheng and said, "Bring your best friend with you. I want to see him."
Several people were overjoyed and thanked Lin Shuge before leaving. Lin Shuge remembered the man's embarrassment just now, so he told Yan Hongye a few words and let him leave as well.
Su Cheng stayed behind. Lin Shuge looked at him strangely. He said with some embarrassment, "Sir, my best friend has a rather unruly temper. I'm afraid he might offend you."
Lin Shuge said, "I thought it was something. No matter how unruly he is, there is still Zhongxuan... It's okay, just come with him, and everything else will be easy to deal with."
Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him before leaving.
Finally finished, Lin Shuge stood up and stretched. Just when he wanted to turn around and talk to Lu Yuechuan, he saw him looking at him with a smile, his eyes full of teasing. Lin Shuge coughed lightly and said, "Let's go to the dining hall to eat."
Just as he finished speaking, an officer came to report, "Sir, there are several women outside the county government office who want to see you. They seem to be the ones who were rescued from Huya Mountain that day."
Haven’t most of those rescued at Huya Mountain returned home?
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