Ten days passed like this. Although the war at the border showed no signs of stopping, the people of Rongcheng became more and more calm.
From the panic when I first heard about the war to now doing what I should do every day, life is still going on in an orderly manner.
If there is any change, it is that many caravans have left the city recently, and the business of the inns in the city has slowed down a bit.
The originally bustling market seemed a little deserted after the foreign merchants left.
However, this is not a big problem for County Magistrate Zheng. In his opinion, at this stage, as long as the people's daily necessities can be supplied, the prices in the city will be relatively stable.
Therefore, he is quite satisfied with the current situation in his jurisdiction!
Just as there are county towns with good management like Rongcheng, there are naturally also cities where the government does nothing.
As soon as the news of the war at the border spread, grain merchants in various counties began to raise prices to varying degrees.
This is undoubtedly a further blow to some refugees at the border and some already poor people.
The severe situation and growing panic are growing in the hearts of the people. If they continue to sit and wait for death, they may starve to death before the enemy arrives!
I don't know where the news came from, saying that the price of food in Rongcheng is cheap. These people are refugees or homeless people. Instead of staying where they are with no hope, they might as well come to Rongcheng to seek a glimmer of hope.
So after stabilizing the people's emotions, County Magistrate Zheng discovered another troublesome problem: there were many more beggars in Rongcheng!
A beggar fight broke out in the city today. The cause of the incident was that local people saw a skinny child kneeling on the street begging for food, and out of sympathy they gave him a piece of bread.
After the kind-hearted person left, the other beggars saw that the child was small and had no one to protect him, so they wanted to snatch the food from the child!
When the child saw several people trying to snatch his food, he turned around and ran, stuffing bread into his mouth as he ran. However, he was small and had been hungry for many days, so he was no match for those adult beggars.
Even when he was caught up by the other party, he remained unmoved. He curled up on the ground and refused to hand over the food no matter how the other party beat him.
Fortunately, a policeman patrolling the street heard the noise and rescued the little beggar.
After the officers rescued the little beggar, they asked him about his hometown and family. The child just kept shaking his head, tears falling down his face.
After calming down, he told the officers that he had escaped from the border with his grandfather, but his parents were killed in the looting of the Hu people!
It's just that hemp ropes tend to break at the thinnest part, and misfortune tends to pick on the unfortunate. When he was about to reach Rongcheng, his grandfather also passed away. He had no choice but to beg along the way, and only then did he reach Rongcheng!
Because the child was still young, the officers had to take him back to the county government office. After reporting to County Magistrate Zheng, they finally placed him in a charity!
Although life there is not very good, at least you can be guaranteed to have something to eat, so you don’t have to risk your life for a bite of food!
After settling the little beggar, County Magistrate Zheng asked Li Erlang, who was standing beside him, "What do you think of this matter?"
"My Lord, these are extraordinary times. To ensure the safety of the people in the city, I suggest that starting today, we strictly review the information of those entering the city!"
"Those people left their homeland and came to Rongcheng as a last attempt for themselves. If we turn these people away, will they cause damage outside the city when they have nowhere else to go?" County Magistrate Zheng said with some concern.
After all, when people are extremely hungry, they can do anything. If you are not allowed to enter the city, then we will go to the nearby villages to cause damage!
You have to know that these people who have reached the end of their rope can do anything!
Li Erlang hurriedly explained, "Sir, you misunderstood me. The main purpose of checking the identities of people entering the city is to prevent people with unknown origins from entering the city and committing illegal acts. As the saying goes, we must always be on guard against others!"
Magistrate Zheng nodded, signaling Li Erlang to continue.
"As for those poor people coming from the border or other counties and towns, you can actually gather them together and provide them with work in lieu of relief. Your Excellency, our warehouses are full now, so you can purchase some of the grain with silver. On the other hand, you can also ask some wealthy families to donate some grain!"
County Magistrate Zheng suddenly remembered that Li Erlang had mentioned this method to him when he was preparing to resettle the refugees last time.
However, most of the refugees were later settled as military households, and only a small number came under his jurisdiction, so this law was shelved.
Li Erlang saw the county magistrate pacing back and forth excitedly.
He continued, "Sir, this matter may appear to be a crisis on the surface, but if it can be handled successfully, it will actually be a meritorious service to you in government affairs!"
"Where did this come from?" asked County Magistrate Zheng in confusion.
"As long as these people are willing to stay, they will become registered citizens under your jurisdiction!"
In ancient times, the performance of local officials was assessed not only by how much grain was produced in the jurisdiction, how much tax was paid, and how many scholars and juren were trained, but also by how many registered households were added in the jurisdiction!
If these people who had left their hometowns because of the border wars could finally settle down in Rongcheng, it would definitely be a great political achievement for him as a county magistrate.
In short, as the number of registered households increases, the tax revenue will naturally increase as well! When the Ministry of Personnel conducts the assessment, maybe I can even get a top grade!
County Magistrate Zheng couldn't help but clap his hands. "This is a great idea. County Lady Li's mansion hasn't been built yet, so we can hire these people to build it!"
"Your Excellency still has an inn. The inn we mentioned last time has been idle for a long time! In addition, you can expand some small restaurants and teahouses outside the city. This will attract other interested merchants to invest. Your Excellency has money in hand, so hiring refugees to do work will not be a difficult task!"
"Now all the inns in Rongcheng are empty, so should we build one?"
"While there are not many merchants now, we can start a large-scale construction project. Once the war ends, those merchant caravans will naturally return!"
County Magistrate Zheng has been convinced by Li Erlang's words. He believes that the current predicament may help his career. The more County Magistrate Zheng thinks about it, the more he feels that there is great potential for this matter!
The two men discussed many details in the clerk's room. Afterwards, County Magistrate Zheng said with emotion, "You are becoming increasingly experienced in handling government affairs. When you take the imperial examination and become a local official, you will surely be even better than I was!"
County Magistrate Zheng felt fortunate that he had the foresight to recognize a talent. Since Li Erlang came to the county government office, he had helped him solve so many problems!
Li Erlang said modestly: "Sir, Miao Zan!"
In fact, what he just said to the county magistrate were all ideas he got from talking with his daughter these days!
Without his daughter's help in analysis, he wouldn't have been able to come up with a coping strategy so quickly!
Magistrate Zheng thought he was being modest, patted Li Erlang on the shoulder, and ordered, "Next, do as you just said!"
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