In the final analysis, Liu Mengren still doesn't understand Beihai Town. But this is normal. He is a county official in a remote mountainous area. No matter how well-informed he is, he can only cover ten miles and eight villages in one county. The "Northern Pirates" who strictly block information have a correct understanding.
Four years ago, when the Northern Navy attacked Rongcheng and Wendeng counties and recruited poor farmers in the surrounding villages, Liu Mengren was just a clerk in a household. Later, Bei Haijun left, and the original magistrate and Dianshi were dismissed by the court and questioned, and everyone in the sixth house also underwent a major change. After the new county magistrate Zhou Luduan took office, he relied on bribing Zhou Luduan's long-term and easy-going staff, and used curve tactics to please the county magistrate's wife. He emptied his family fortune, and even borrowed and borrowed more than a thousand taels of silver to become a householder. Official.
Now Liu Mengren has only been working for less than two years, and the money he borrowed has not been repaid before the Beihai Navy comes. And unlike four years ago, Bei Haijun even put up the sign of the new government office this time, clearly showing that it is determined to take root and never leave.
Faced with his wife's constant complaints at home, Liu Mengren thought about it for a day and a night, and finally decided to take a gamble and take advantage of the arrival of the "new dynasty" to take the lead in seeking wealth. He came to see Kong Shaoan today, hoping to leave a good impression on him and find a way to continue taking over Wendeng County's annual work of collecting money and food.
Who would have thought that Kong Shaoan mentioned "Shun Zhuang Register" without saying a few words when he came up? How could this not make him nervous? Although Liu Mengren knew exactly who held the private records in the six capitals and fifty miles of Wendeng County, once he revealed it, he would offend all the big clans in Wendeng County!
The full name of "Shunzhuang Book" is "Shunzhuang Actual Registration Book". In some provinces, it is also called "Red Book", "Fish Scale Book" and "Xijun Book"; it lists the grain and silver that each household in the county should pay. , number of meters, changes in collection and taxation, as well as changes in land ownership, are important basis for finding out the taxation and cultivated land situation at the grassroots level.
Before August every year, the county government will determine the total amount of money and rice that will be taxed for the next year. Then the household house clerk will summon the Li Shu and Jia Shu to allocate it to each capital, map, and Li according to the number of taxable acres and tax rules in the county. , A's flower account, then log it into the register, and report it to the county magistrate.
After that, all states and counties must submit the "actual recruitment register" to the provincial chief secretary before the end of October with a sealed letter, and then return it to the states and counties before the start of the campaign the next year. The county government office will issue a rolling bill based on the data in the booklet - that is, a triple tax notice. The Li Shu and Jia Shu will send the bill to each household and ask them to go to the township or the county government to submit their tax receipts.
There is one copy of the actual recruitment book in the hands of the county government and one in the hands of the local secretary. It is said that the content should be the same, but in the process of compilation from bottom to top, the draft book in the hands of the clerk is the most original and most authentic. The grass-roots actual collection book is also called the "private book", and the one placed in the county government is called the "county book".
From ancient times to the present, it is the nature of all people in society, regardless of high or low, not to want to pay taxes. Flowery households who pay taxes dare to fool the county magistrate in order to evade taxes, but they cannot hide it from the clerk, mainly because the "private records" in their hands can be tracked at any time. The transfer and sale of households and land, knowing who to collect money and grain from.
Because the imperial court did not pay wages to low-level subordinates, it was necessary to spend money to work as a clerk, and to provide fees and banquets to the relevant personnel of the household. Therefore, collusion and fraud for personal gain became inevitable. They would first make a fuss in the "County Book", usually using illegible handwriting, or listing numerous tax items and units of measurement in such obscure and lengthy terms that even the county magistrate would read it like a book from heaven.
Some county magistrates were forced to do something urgent because they could not complete the taxation tasks, so they would preside over the compilation of actual tax collection or land clearing, and gain control over rural people's land and other tax sources by re-compiling measurement books; some would also resort to "killing" The "chicken is shown to the monkey" approach is to spend a large amount of money to buy back control of the private book through private agreement. However, when the current county magistrate ends his term and is transferred, the next one will have to go back to his old ways.
For Kong Shaoan, although he can grasp the actual local situation through the work team going to the countryside to re-clear the land and compile household registration books, he will inevitably waste most of the work team's energy on fighting wits and courage with the big clan and flower households. , it won’t be finished until it takes a year and a half!
Therefore, before going to the countryside, the North Navy working team must know the whereabouts of the "private records", or even obtain them in advance, so that they can be well aware of them and make targeted decisions.
Liu Mengren's heart was filled with the conflict between heaven and man at this time, and he said: "Director, the other recruitment book is not in the hands of the villain... Wendeng has a total of six capitals and fifty miles, and there is one book for each mile. You have to ask the li chief and the armor chief to find out."
Kong Shaoan probably understood something when he saw him like this. Right now, he needs someone like Liu Mengren to help him get familiar with the local situation and restore economic order. He cannot punish him directly as soon as he comes up. He then relaxed his brows, thought about his words, and said in a gentle tone: "Mr. Liu, I know that under the rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, people like you were not in the upper class. If you don't have the honor of being an official, you will be no more than an official in your life. Many people even It doesn’t even have an establishment.”
"The director is wise! I have studied for several years and passed the scholar examination, but I really have no luck, so I have to ask someone to do an errand in the yamen to support my family. Although the villain's previous job was as a clerk. The county government appoints officials, but they only serve for five years, and they must retire after expiration."
In the Qing Dynasty, the office staff of various departments in prefectures and counties were roughly divided into three categories, namely, Dianli, Jingcheng and Sanshu. Taking Liu Mengren's household as an example, only he has a formal establishment, and everyone else is a contract worker.
"Well!" Kong Shao'an nodded and asked, "Let me tell you about the situation in Beihai Town. People like you and your men are all professional management talents in our place. The so-called specialization in the industry, only In terms of knowledge and experience in tax collection, household registration and land management, even Hanlin, who was born as a Jinshi, is far behind you. In Beihai Town, we classify people like you as "technical talents" and you are expected to enjoy high salaries. of."
Although Liu Mengren didn't understand what "technical talents" meant, he still understood when the other party was praising him, so he quickly handed over his hands and said: "The director is serious, these are trivial and trivial matters in the countryside, and they cannot be judged by the superior!"
"No! It is precisely because of thousands of people like you, Mr. Liu, that a country's financial taxation and land management system can be built. Without your hard work, those high-ranking governors, governors, ministers, and even the emperor , it is impossible to govern the country well. But the salary package given to you by the Manchu Qing Dynasty is too low, so I think it is not so much that the subordinates are greedy, but that you did not get the compensation corresponding to the content of the work."
After listening to Kong Shaoan's words, Liu Mengren suddenly felt a surge of heat in his heart, and his nose also felt a little sore. Having been a subordinate official for more than 20 years, I have always heard people say things like "the harm caused by subordinate officials" and "all subordinate officials in the world should be killed". Today is the first time that a Shangguan has spoken about the status of people like himself. So high.
It is true that people like me are a bit greedy, and they have done many things for personal gain and malpractice. But the problem is that the salary given to people like them by the court is only twelve taels or seventy-two taels per year at most, and the average is only two taels per day. Three cents of silver was only for one meal for the couple, and even then the full amount was often not distributed. In addition, the expenses for transportation, accommodation, food, and favors when going to the countryside on errands every month must be paid out of one's own pocket; on every New Year's Day, gifts must be given to the Shangguan and his staff; what's more, in years of famine, deductions will be made Industrial silver. If it is not taken from the people through illegal means, it will simply push the whole family to a dead end.
Liu Mengren wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes and was thinking about how to reply when he heard Kong Shaoan say something shocking: "In our Beihai Town, a person with professional talents like you can be a deputy county magistrate. If you do Well, I can still be the county magistrate.”
Liu Mengren looked at Kong Shaoan in disbelief. The pie thrown by the other party made him a little confused. Can someone like me still be the county magistrate, or even the county magistrate? Oh my God! That was a position reserved only for those who were promoted to Jinshi.
"You think it's incredible, don't you?" Kong Shao'an smiled slightly and continued: "Many county magistrates and deputy magistrates under Beihai Town started their careers as illiterate farmers step by step. It is not surprising at all. As for each of them, The monthly salary starts at 30 taels of silver, and the highest one can get 50 taels a month. If you do well, there will be a bonus equivalent to one to three months' salary at the end of the year."
"Ah! So high!"
Liu Mengren was an old man, and he calculated the salary range from 450 taels to 750 taels with a little mental arithmetic. The annual salary of a seventh-grade county magistrate under the Manchu Qing Dynasty was only 45 taels of silver, 45 dendrobium rice, plus A few hundred taels of Yanglian silver. Of course, the county magistrate must be even more greedy, otherwise he won't be able to survive with the little money he has.
Kong Shaoan then drew another pie and heard him say: "Mr. Liu, if we verify that you have not committed any serious acts of bullying the people, then I would like to hire you as the deputy director in charge of agriculture on behalf of the Wendeng County Military Control Commission. .When the place becomes stable in the future, the deputy director of the Military Control Commission will be the deputy county magistrate."
Oh my God! Liu Mengren shivered all over, his heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate, and his ears were filled with buzzing tinnitus. He never imagined that he, a code official, would have the opportunity to become an assistant official. Maybe, as Kong Shaoan said, there will be another chance to be a county magistrate in the future?
Oh shit! Fight! What kind of Li Shu Jia Shu, what kind of big family clan, in the face of the prospect of reaching the sky in one step, that's nothing!
"Pfft!" Liu Mengren immediately knelt down, leaned over and said to Kong Shao'an: "Although Liu used to do things in the past, although he did things such as covering up, cushioning, and squeezing, he did it to the point of no harm and never harmed people's lives. . I hope the director will see clearly! I am valued by the director and entrusted with a high official and a generous salary. From now on, I am willing to work hard to repay the director's great kindness!"
"Get up quickly, why is this necessary?" Kong Shaoan saw that the strategy was working, a smile appeared on his lips, and then he slowly stepped forward, stretched out his hand to help the other party up, and then said: "Having said that, the procedures that should be followed must still be followed. You go back and wait, within two days...three days, someone will send the appointment letter from the Military Control Commission to your home."
"Yes, yes!" There was dirt on Liu Mengren's body and forehead, and he did not dare to wipe it off. He said sheepishly: "The villain was so excited that the director laughed."
"Okay, you should go back and rest first. You are tired after standing for a long time."
Kong Shaoan watched Liu Mengren walk backwards and out the door, bowing step by step. When the other party's footsteps were far away, he clenched his fists and waved, shouting excitedly: "Oh yeah!"
Just a few days ago, when Wu Siyu went to inspect Anping Port, he brought a personal letter from Zhao Xin to Kong Shaoan. In this letter, in addition to words of encouragement, Zhao Xin also told Kong Shaoan how to employ people after arriving in Shandong.
"...Xiaokong, you have to remember that when it comes to the use of Manchu officials, try not to use the word 'upright official'. You must know that the official's job is to serve as an official for one term and benefit the party. An upright official who does nothing is often worse than Corrupt officials are even more hateful.
Secondly, subordinate officials and local bullies must be suppressed severely and quickly after sufficient evidence is collected to establish the prestige of Beihai Town.
Finally, I would like to warn you that when appointing officials of the old school, you must adopt the strategy of "doing more good than you have done". As long as there is no serious evil and the person is capable, it can be used. However, you must understand the past behavior of these people and have evidence of their past crimes. The purpose of this is to let the other party understand that you don't care, but you don't care at the moment. Once you want to replace him, the new and old accounts will be settled together, and he will be completely slapped to death!
Let’s discover talents! There are many people in the local clerk's office who are engaged in specific affairs. These people have been taught by each other privately and inherited from generation to generation. They are both shrewd and capable, but also cunning and cunning. But I think that as long as they are properly paid and supervised, they can play a big role in our smooth takeover of local power. In the future, we can also let some of them return to Beihai Town to train for a year or two, and let Lao Yu train a few more times, and our team of cadres will become bigger and bigger..."
After lunch, Kong Shaoan met with Yu Heli, the former jailer of the execution chamber, and almost said the same thing. Like Liu Mengren, Yu Heli was also greatly surprised when he learned that he could also jump to the Dragon Gate and serve as the Second Assistant Officer, and then expressed his loyalty. But he was not as excited as Liu Mengren, because there were too many unclean things about this guy's hands and feet.
According to the Qing Dynasty system, prefecture and county magistrates did not leave the county government gates unless there were special circumstances. This resulted in a large part of the custody and execution of prison proceedings being delegated to the execution room staff. The execution room is mainly responsible for filling in judicial documents, writing legal documents and subpoenas, detaining suspects, filling out judgment documents, and organizing and keeping documents. Specifically, it can be divided into judicial documents and litigation execution.
Due to the complex format of official documents and strict wording, county magistrates who are not professionals are often not as knowledgeable as the subordinates of the execution room. Therefore, the execution room clerk's office is responsible for issuing subpoenas, legal documents, sorting out evidence materials, and writing transcripts and other official duties.
However, unlike the household room, since the prisoner's office is also under the jurisdiction of the execution room, it can almost be said to have a "final word" authoritative effect on the inquest results of the corpses in murder cases. However, once this is done, innocent lives will often be ruined. .
For example, the famous "Yang Naiwu Xiaobaicai Unjust Case" in the late Qing Dynasty was actually a case in which a subordinate in the execution room abused his power and colluded with officials to commit the crime of intrusion; by letting the prisoner play tricks on the autopsy, and the county magistrate credulously believed in the prisoner's test results, Eventually leading to an unjust case.
Like other subordinate officials, although the daily affairs handled by the execution room are extremely complicated, except for the clerk, the salary of others is only a meager salary and copy fees, which are all paid by the county magistrate from his own money. It is difficult to To meet the daily expenses of subordinate staff. Many prison clerks will make a fuss about the "summons" to defraud money; the more sinister ones will eat the plaintiff and the defendant until both the original and the defendant have lost a lot of money and the prison has made a lot of money.
However, the above-mentioned two methods are just to steal people's money, and the most heinous one is "killing the white goose"-that is, finding someone to take the blame and die as a scapegoat. Some of them were unable to survive with their families, so they were willing to die as "white geese" for money in order to save their families; others were bullied by subordinate officials and squires, and were forced to embark on this miserable road. Return. No matter which way it is, the people in the torture chamber are involved.
At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, Kong Shaoan finally ended his formal work for the day. In addition to meeting two subordinates this day, he was also busy with meetings, signing official documents and even expense reports, issuing orders, signing messages sent and received, etc. He was very busy.
After dinner, Kong Shaoan, accompanied by guards, went to the military camp outside the south gate of the county. He chatted with Lu Shoushan for a long time, listened to the other party's report on the progress of the troop operations, and also held a small meeting.
By the time he returned to the county office, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening. After the guards helped lay the bedding, Kong Shaoan lay down to rest after washing up, and did not look at the dizzying account books again.
He had been very tired this day, but when he thought that he would be like this almost every day in the future, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious. In addition to thinking about official matters, I was also thinking about what my sister was doing.
In his wild thoughts, he thought that Wu Siyu had mentioned that Zhao Xin wanted to go to Europe, and he didn't know what was good about Europe at the end of the 18th century, so why bother to go there in person.
He tossed and turned on the bed over and over again until after 12 o'clock, he fell into a deep sleep...
