As time went by, rumors of the county town's relocation had already spread, and people were eagerly anticipating it.
Six months passed quickly, and people heard nothing more, nor was there any news about the relocation of the county seat.
During this period, the soldiers who participated in the suppression of bandits in the eastern coastal areas began to return in triumph one after another. By the time the last batch of soldiers returned, another six months had passed.
A full year has passed since Prefect Lu and Magistrate Wang last inspected Shuixian Town, and in that year, no one has heard any news about the relocation of the county seat.
On this day, a group of people arrived in Narcissus Town. Wang Zhibo was leading the way. They went directly to the Marquis's Mansion, where Zhao Xian came out to greet them and led them inside.
Wang Zhibo brought with him Xu Qidong, a third-rank official in the Ministry of Works of the Imperial Court, who was in charge of urban construction in the Great Northern Dynasty.
"Your humble servant Xu Qidong greets Marquis Zhengyang."
"Lord Xu has come from afar, no need for formalities, please have a seat."
After the group was seated, Xu Qidong explained the purpose of their visit: they had come to discuss the relocation of the county seat.
The position of Vice Minister of Works is equivalent to the second-in-command of the Ministry of Works, which is a very high rank. The fact that the court assigned him to be in charge of the relocation of the county seat shows that the court attaches great importance to Zhengyang County.
Most of the people brought by Vice Minister Xu were experts in urban construction in the Great Northern Dynasty. Their mission was to investigate and survey Shuixian Town and formulate the best plan for the relocation of the county seat.
It seems that the relocation of the county seat has officially started, and the investigation and surveying of Shuixian Town have already been carried out.
The Ministry of Works sent people here mainly to verify the preliminary data. The workload is not large and should be completed quickly.
Half a month later, the relocation plan was released. Because Zhao Xian and Wang Zhibo had done a lot of work beforehand, the relocation of the county town was basically carried out according to their ideas.
There are two core issues in this relocation project. One is to establish an administrative district, where the county government and other government departments will be concentrated.
Another project is to build the fourth phase of the project, which follows the third phase of the Shuixian Town market. According to the plan, the fourth phase is a large-scale project, equivalent to a modern economic development zone.
This relocation of the county seat is different from the past, when urban relocation was basically a natural process.
Throughout history, the development of human society has been inseparable from the rise of cities. Without considering market towns, county towns can be regarded as small cities at that time.
In ancient times, the emergence of county towns was also a necessity for people's daily life and economic activities. As agriculture, handicrafts and other industries in a place gradually developed, the population began to concentrate.
As the population grows, government intervention becomes necessary, leading to the emergence of county towns.
In ancient times, resources were relatively scarce, and people had to work on limited land to seek survival and development.
In such cases, people often choose a relatively flat location with convenient transportation to establish a county town.
Such a place is conducive to agricultural production, facilitates commercial activities, and also needs to be able to defend against foreign invasion and ensure the safety of the county town.
Shuixian Town has a special geographical location. Although it does not have high city walls, its strategic location is very important.
Back then, Shuixian Village only had a few thousand people, yet it defeated a foreign army of 100,000, thanks to the advantageous geographical location of Shuixian Town.
Relocating the county seat is a massive undertaking. Shuixian Town has a sound industrial base and market system, all of which need to be protected.
Moreover, the government also intends to take advantage of this opportunity to develop and expand the region's advantageous projects.
Since there were no government offices in Shuixian Town, it was necessary to build a county government office and various other government offices in the new county town to maintain social order and ensure the peace and tranquility of the people's lives.
In the county town, the county government office was the core of the town, and it was the power institution established by the imperial court. The construction of the county government office required rigor and solemnity to demonstrate the authority of the government.
The county government office and other power institutions must conform to the rules of etiquette in terms of architectural style and layout. Various administrative offices, such as the prison, finance, and document offices, must also be built within the county government office. Construction must be completed in one step.
Given that Shuixian Town has a good educational foundation, which is also a major feature of the new county town, the government will build a university palace and academies on the basis of the existing academies.
In ancient times, healthcare was fundamental to people's livelihood, and this will be an important part of the construction of the new county town. Some high-quality clinics, pharmacies and other medical institutions are already in the planning stages.
The establishment of these medical institutions will provide a large number of medical professionals, which will help improve the health of the people and enhance their quality of life.
In order to create a better development environment for the new county town, Wang Zhibo set about vigorously developing the transportation industry, a concept that was very advanced at the time.
Shuixian Town has already built a canal connecting it to the outside world, making water transportation very developed. The next step is to build roads and develop land transportation.
In ancient times, the government attached great importance to building roads and bridges to facilitate the travel of the people.
A few years ago, this was just a small village, and there was no official road leading to the new county town. The construction of the official road was already in the works as the county town was being relocated.
Once high-quality roads are built, it will benefit the further development of the new county town.
Construction of the new county town has been fully launched, and the construction is progressing very quickly.
A year later, the fourth phase of the government affairs district and farmers' market project has taken shape. In less than a year, all the projects will be completed, which will indicate that the relocation of the county town is complete.
That day, Wang Zhibo brought several officials to Wufang Academy. The old man guarding the gate of the academy was not surprised, because the county magistrate was a regular visitor.
Ruan Fang quickly came out to greet them and invited the group into the academy.
In the past, when Wang Zhibo came to the academy, he was very casual, usually traveling in plain clothes, and at most he would bring one or two attendants.
But today was different. Wang Zhibo came to visit in his official robes, and the officials accompanying him were also in their official robes. Ruan Fang recognized most of these officials; they came from the county Confucian Academy.
As the headmaster of the academy, it was perfectly normal for officials from the county Confucian academy to visit Wufang Academy.
What puzzled her was that Magistrate Wang had brought them here this time, so it seemed that the entire staff had been mobilized.
Upon seeing Wang Zhibo, Ruan Fang bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Your Excellency."
"Professor Ruan, there's no need for such formalities. They are all officials from the County Confucian Academy. Professor Ruan should know them."
Ruan Fang nodded. Several years ago, when Yu Jie held a solo calligraphy and painting exhibition at Wufang Academy, officials from the Confucian Studies Department came here.
Later, students from Wufang Academy went to the county town many times to participate in the county examinations. Ruan Fang had many contacts with officials of the county Confucian Academy and their relationship was quite good.
But today, the county magistrate came to visit, bringing all the officials from the Confucian Academy with him, which puzzled her.
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