Chapter 133
Chapter 133
Early June of the 41st year of Huayuan.
The road renovation between Zhennan Pass and Ning'an Prefecture officially began.
This road concerns the merchants traveling back and forth, as well as the livelihoods of the people in both places, so Ji Yuan naturally pays great attention to it.
With the help of Mr. Ye, the engineer sent from the prefecture, and Mr. Cheng, the former director of the Ministry of Works, the renovation of this road is the best in the entire Dianzhou prefecture.
Lord Ye understands the local situation, and Lord Cheng is familiar with all the road conditions in Tianqi State.
If the two factors are combined, it would be strange if the road could not be repaired.
Ji Yuan also made a rough calculation using the mathematics he had learned.
The new plan saves at least one-fifth of the manpower. One cannot help but sigh that it is a great loss to classify civil engineering as a craft.
During this period, Cheng Yisan was invited back.
The official school in Ning'an Prefecture cannot do without her now.
Whether it is the standardization of veterinary medicine or the opening of adult classes in the logging association, she was the one who built them up.
Both men and women can study and take exams for these two things, and naturally there will be more things to do.
Cheng Yisan originally thought that she would be hindered in recruiting female students in the official school.
Unexpectedly, it was just as Ji Yuan said, that I could just let go and do it.
From top to bottom, Ning'an Prefecture was able to perfectly execute Ji Zhizhou's orders.
This is rare in the entire Tianqi Kingdom.
This trend is also happening in Zhennan Pass today.
Who told Ji Yuan to keep his word? He would definitely do what he said.
This is the consensus of almost everyone.
The construction period for the road from Zhennan Pass to Ning'an Prefecture was finally set, not counting the busy farming season and taking into account the number of prisoners in the two places.
It will take until the end of the year for the renovation to be completed.
At the end of the year, there are still six months left.
This is plenty of time to repair the ancient mountain roads.
The construction period of this road has been set.
The news naturally reached the ears of all the merchants in Changyan County in the east and Yonglin County in the west.
Half a year.
In other words, we can start building other roads next year?
In the next six months, I must find some connections and let Ji Zhizhou decide the direction for me!
The people in those two places were just beginning to think of ideas when new news arrived.
The local governor of Tongyuan Town said: "Our Ji Zhizhou has a plan for everything he does."
“He said that since the construction period of the first road has been set, planning for the second road should also begin.”
"So, by July at the latest, Magistrate Ji will decide which road to repair and will send Lord Ye and his men to investigate the situation."
What? !
Will it be decided in July?
Less than a month left until the deadline?!
Ji Zhizhou, Ji Zhizhou, how come you do things so quickly?
The plan for the first route has just been put forward.
Is it also necessary to come up with a plan for the second route?
What a cruel person.
Jiyuan's efficiency really shocked merchants from other places.
People also said in private: "If our local leaders were half as efficient as they are, we can also develop very well here."
Of course, some people also say: "How can we develop well in a mountainous area like ours?"
"Zhizhou Ji said it! Dianzhou Prefecture is a treasure trove! It will be no less than the Central Plains and Jiangnan in the future!"
ah?
How dare you say that?
But what Ji Yuan said might be credible? !
The original six months suddenly became one month, and everyone became really anxious.
It was not easy for the county magistrates of the two places to go directly to Ji Zhizhou. After all, they belonged to other states and could only ask for instructions from their own prefect.
But thinking about the efficiency of their own prefect, the two county magistrates gritted their teeth and went directly to the prefecture to block the people.
The governors of the two places also knew about this matter and naturally would not stop it.
Just a little different.
The prefect of Changyan County said, "What? Fight with the people of Yonglin County? Then you must get it."
The prefect of Yonglin County used almost the same tone.
Competition is something that is really hard to say.
Once a person's competitive spirit arises, who can stop him?
Plus the urging of local merchants.
The county officials in both places responded at an unprecedented speed.
After all, if this is not done well, it will be difficult to explain to the superiors and the subordinates.
The evaluation at the end of this year will definitely be a failure.
But what if it succeeds?
hey-hey.
Promotion and salary increase!
Just around the corner!
On June 15th, after Ji Yuan checked the progress of today's road construction, he went to the rice fields to check the condition of the fields.
When he returned to the Zhennan Pass Prefecture, the magistrates of Changyan County and Yonglin County were staring at each other.
Ji Yuan pretended not to notice the two's attitudes and only said, "Are you two here for the second road in Ning'an Prefecture?"
They both nodded at the same time.
Ji Zhizhou was indeed straightforward and got straight to the point.
Oh, if it weren't for that eyesore, they would definitely be able to reach a deal quickly.
In the following time, the two of them elaborated on the advantages of their respective places.
For example, the state where Yonglin County is located has rivers that can be navigated by ships. The water system is well developed and the draft is deep, so large ships can pass through.
On the other hand, they said that the best well salt produced locally would be transported to Ning'an Prefecture, which would definitely be of great benefit to the local people.
The two of them spoke eloquently, both talking about their own advantages.
Ji Yuan just listened, and Chai Feng beside him poured three cups of tea for Ji Yuan before he finished speaking.
Ji Yuan looked at the two county magistrates and thought, they only talked about the advantages but didn't say what benefits they would give up, which made it difficult for him.
The two men saw that although Ji Yuan was young, he was very calm. No matter what they said, Ji Zhizhou showed approval on his face. He was very approving of both sides and showed no bias at all.
In the first phase of the negotiations, it seemed like they had reached a draw?
The county magistrate of Changyan County said first: "Speaking of which, the salt merchants of our Changyan County said that they are very supportive of Ning'an Prefecture's road construction, so they are willing to donate money and materials to help Ning'an Prefecture build its second road."
It's finally here.
Chai Feng from Ning'an Prefecture expressed his great happiness!
No wonder Lord Zhizhou told them not to worry.
Ji Yuan finally showed real interest and said, "The salt merchants actually care so much about the people. If they can repair it, it will be a great deed."
"But the cost of the road is quite high. I wonder how much Changyan County can afford."
Waiting for them here?!
The two county magistrates understood instantly.
The reason why Ji Zhizhou did not express his opinion just now was that he was waiting for them to give up their real interests.
That’s right, how could he suffer any loss when doing things in his era?
The magistrate of Yonglin County immediately followed up: "The major merchants in Yonglin County are willing to pay 10,000 taels of silver. Please consider Yonglin County for this route."
How many?
Ten thousand taels?
Chai Feng felt that he had never seen so much money.
But Lord Ji looked at him and told him to come back to his senses.
He is a loser as well. He forgot that building the road would cost more than ten thousand taels of silver!
Their Lord Ji really paid the workers and let them rest on time.
So the cost of building roads is very high.
Not to mention, repairing mountain roads is extremely expensive.
Taking all factors into account, the cost of one mile is more than two hundred taels of silver.
There is no other way, since this is a mountain road, it is really difficult to repair.
Otherwise, the people of Yonglin County, Changyan County would not be so eager to build the road.
The price offered by Yonglin County now is almost one-quarter of the cost.
This means that they can take on one-quarter of the road leading to the two places, and Ning'an Prefecture can take on three-quarters.
Ji Yuan smiled and didn't say much. Instead, he looked at the magistrate of Changyan County.
This clearly shows that they are dissatisfied with the price offered by Yonglin County.
The salt merchants in Changyan County were very wealthy and said directly, "Our two places are a little far away. The people in our Chamber of Commerce said that they would pay 20,000 taels of silver."
At this price?
Ji Yuan laughed again. After calculation, it only accounted for one-third of the silver needed to travel from Ning'an Prefecture to Changyan County.
A road that benefits both parties.
Half for each person, that’s the most basic, right?
Ji Yuan didn't say much, just said: "It's late today, everyone should rest first and talk about it tomorrow."
The two county magistrates looked at each other. The price they offered was already very good!
Almost half of their respective costs?
This is because the two parties have different ways of calculating costs.
The two places did not take into account any labor costs at all, and tacitly accepted that both Ning'an Prefecture and the two places would have to collect free labor to build roads.
Anyway, building roads benefits the people, so there will be no problem in letting them build them.
The algorithm on the Epoch side is serious about paying the workers.
So the cost of epoch calculation is higher.
The two diametrically opposed county magistrates sat together late at night and couldn't help but complain: "Isn't this nonsense?"
"For something like road construction, corvée labor must be imposed."
"Their fifty-year tax exemption for Ning'an Prefecture expired last year. It's time to start collecting corvée labor as normal."
“Who counts manpower?”
"According to his calculation, how much more silver will we have to pay?"
But after they finished speaking, they looked at each other.
You have to pay as much as you can.
This is no longer just a road, but also a competition between two parties.
Ji Yuan really gave them a big problem.
Considering Ji Yuan's straightforward personality, the magistrate of Yonglin County simply went and asked directly.
The next morning, he expressed his doubts: "How can corvée labor be paid? Isn't it enough to just give food?"
"Besides, if the road is repaired, local people will also benefit."
Let’s talk about this in modern times.
A road leading to the outside world can indeed benefit local people.
But this was in ancient times, when the flow of people was not very large.
Ji Yuan smiled and said, "Really? Is it really the common people who benefit more, or the people in the Chamber of Commerce who benefit more?"
Nowadays, those who come and go frequently are all merchants.
It’s not that merchants are bad, they also make great contributions to the prosperity and connectivity of various places.
But they are the most direct beneficiaries after the road is repaired, otherwise why would they be so excited?
There is no such thing as no gain, and this is true for everyone.
Ji Yuan did not push the magistrate of Yonglin County out, but directly said: "Tianqi State originally emphasized agriculture over commerce. Do we want to protect the interests of merchants and let local farmers suffer more? If we touch the foundation of agriculture, we will touch the foundation of the country."
Epoch is not exaggerating, this is indeed the reality.
Finally, he added: "Once this road is repaired, rubber and other products from Ning'an Prefecture can be shipped out."
Once this is accomplished, the imperial court will certainly be able to see it.
This is the truth.
Ji Yuan was also euphemistically saying that "sacrificing" the interests of the Chamber of Commerce would bring you rapid advancement, isn't that a good thing?
Okay?
Of course!
Therefore, he and Ji Zhizhou are not in opposition, and he does not need to compete with Ji Zhizhou in wits and courage!
All he has to do is ask his own Chamber of Commerce for money!
That’s right!
As soon as he walked out of the prefectural government gate, the magistrate of Yonglin County immediately came to his senses.
Something is wrong.
Why are Ji Zhizhou's words so bewitching? !
Why was he taken away?
But what he said is true.
Not only do they benefit the people, but whoever benefits the most will pay, and this is definitely true.
At noon, the magistrate of Changyan County also came out.
The same doubt about life was on his face.
Alas, Ji Zhizhou is right.
After they left, Chai Feng asked, "Didn't you say that these officials are connected to the local Chamber of Commerce and will definitely speak for the Chamber of Commerce?"
There is collusion between officials and businessmen, that’s for sure.
But this was ancient times.
This is the Tianqi Kingdom where power is above all else.
Most officials do not care about the real interests of those businessmen; what they care about is whether they can get promoted.
They are happy to exploit the people together.
But when it comes to promotion, that’s another matter.
Therefore, Ji Yuan does not regard them as his opponents, but analyzes them from the perspective of an official.
Ji Yuan couldn't explain so much, so he just said briefly: "The road has been repaired, which is a great political achievement."
A good resume is still very useful for promotion.
After several rounds of exchanges, both sides made bids.
Everyone wants to have the road on their side, so they will definitely have to contribute more money and effort.
It was not until the end of June that both sides offered their most sincere prices.
Changyan County in the east was willing to contribute 35,000 taels of silver, send their local prisoners, and collect local corvée labor, and the silver and money would be paid according to the regulations of Ji Yuan.
Yonglin County in the west directly offered 30,000 taels, which was equivalent to paying three-quarters of the money. They were also willing to send local prisoners to build the road, but did not pay for corvée labor, as Yonglin County had other construction projects to do this year.
For this road, officials and chambers of commerce from both places really fought hard.
While ordinary people were marveling at the achievement, they were all considering whether or not to build the road.
Building roads is tiring and deaths are common.
But the road was built under the supervision of Ji Zhizhou, and they were given money and food, as well as reasonable rest time.
If that's the case, they're willing to make some extra money.
They are not afraid of working hard, but they are afraid of not being appreciated for their work.
If it's Ji Zhizhou, there shouldn't be any problem, right?
Thinking of this, many ordinary people are eager to try it out.
Speaking of which, there are so many things that can make money nowadays.
We can eat Rice-flavored fish and Rice-flavored duck, and we can also cut trees and make rubber. If we are diligent, our lives will be better.
So the people of Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass were hesitating.
The people of Changyan County and Yonglin County signed up enthusiastically.
Seeing people from all four places, people are excited about this road.
Which road is Ji Zhizhou building?
Is there any news soon?!
In early July, the final answer came from Tongyuan Town, where the four places meet.
That is, build both roads!
Repair at the same time!
After the road from Zhennan to Ning'an was completed after the New Year, construction began immediately.
Lord Ye and Lord Cheng have already set out to draw a road construction map!
ah? !
Du Xiu! ?
Didn’t we agree to only repair one?
Wait a minute.
Ji Zhizhou never said that he would only build one line.
When he met the two local county magistrates, his attitude was even the same.
How did this fake news spread?
The local official of Tongyuan Town, where the four places meet, sat down on the ground: "Did I say that?"
He seems to have been misled!
That's right, Ji Zhizhou said it ambiguously. He only wanted to build one road. He received benefits from both places and then spread the news.
Facing Ji Zhizhou's understanding gaze, the local official felt a chill on his neck.
Ji Zhizhou had long known that he had accepted money from Changyan County and Yonglin County, so he had been tipping off the emperor.
But Ji Zhizhou did not expose him, but used him to pass on true or false news? !
They were all fooled around by the 17-18 year old Ji Zhizhou?!
The news got out.
The county magistrates and chambers of commerce of the two places were both dumbfounded and understood.
Yes, isn’t this Ji Zhizhou’s style of doing things?
Besides, as long as the road can be built, it's good enough as long as they can pass through.
They really paid too much just to raise the price.
That's not right either.
Although they have borne a lot, can Ning'an Prefecture afford the rest of the money?
Adding the two together, Ning Anzhou himself would need at least 25,000 taels of silver.
Can they do it for the small Ning'an State?
Unless it is said that the profits from rubber have allowed this originally poor place to quickly accumulate wealth.
Thinking of this, more people became excited.
This road needs to be repaired!
Must be repaired!
Fortunately, the matter has been settled.
They will definitely be able to repair the road to Ning'an Prefecture.
Why?
Because of the era!
Ji Zhizhou!
The road construction was finally decided.
Lord Ye who came down from the provincial capital and Lord Cheng, who was sometimes clear-headed and sometimes confused, cooperated quite well.
They have different personalities, but they have strong professional knowledge and they get along very well when they talk.
It’s just that Lord Cheng needs someone to take care of him, so Ji Yuan carefully selected several people and finally asked the grandson of Grandma Bai from Baiyue Village to accompany him.
Grandma Bai's grandson is strong and smart.
Ji Yuan felt very relieved to be with Lord Cheng.
Speaking of this, the Cheng family's situation is already on the right track, and Ji Yuan even wrote a letter to Teacher Cheng to reassure him.
As long as Mr. Cheng concentrates on his work, the situation will be much better. As long as he is not stimulated, the duration of his madness is getting shorter and shorter.
Mrs. Cheng recovered even faster. I heard that she was able to do housework now. However, Ji Yuan still wanted her to take care of herself more.
Mrs. Cheng had been suffering from the unfamiliar climate all the way here, and she was able to hold on only with a strong will.
After coming to Ning'an, Ji Yuan found the best doctor in Wuxin Prefecture and recovered very well.
As for Miss Cheng and Young Master Cheng, they are different from each other.
Cheng Yisan worked in the official school and was already the top leader of the Ning'an Prefecture School.
The young master of the Cheng family is only seven years old this year and is always by his mother's side.
To be honest, he has reached the age for enlightenment, but he definitely cannot go to the state school. The most he can do is study at home.
This is not good news for the Cheng family, a family that has inherited poetry and literature from generation to generation.
Ji Yuan said in the letter that when he was free, he would teach the young master of the Cheng family. Besides, with Miss Cheng around, enlightenment would not be a problem.
Miss Cheng's knowledge is beyond the reach of ordinary Jinshi.
It was almost July when the letter reached Teacher Cheng.
As he was already the seal holder of Cheng, he always felt that this letter was not in Ji Yuan's style.
But I think, maybe Ji Yuan wrote it in such detail just to reassure him?
Cheng Zhangyin even said to his wife, "The luckiest thing in my life may be accepting Ji Yuan as my student."
After reading the letter, the wife of Master Cheng looked at Lord Cheng again, and felt disbelief in her heart.
But then I thought maybe I was being too sensitive.
I always feel like there’s something wrong with Ji Yuan mentioning her niece?
Cheng Zhangyin mentioned another thing: "Ji Yuan also said that he would do his best to help the Cheng family clear their grievances."
"It is an honor for me as his teacher that he trusts our family so much."
Hearing her husband say this, Mrs. Cheng couldn't help but ask, "Maybe there are other reasons?"
"What's the reason?"
"Because Ji Yuan hates evil? That's true."
Cheng Zhangyin said immediately.
Okay, okay, just assume that he hates evil.
However, Ji Zhuangyuan is indeed different from others.
Even her husband's promotion was thanks to this student.
Dianzhou Prefecture, outside Zhennan Pass.
A majestic general galloped along with his personal guards.
The new general of Zhennan Pass is coming!
When Ji Yuan heard the news, his eyes immediately became excited.
Someone finally came!
Then could he discuss going outside of Tianqi to look for Champa rice? !
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