The team that welcomed and escorted Xin Qiji went all the way from the Chuzhou border to Jiankang. After passing Jiankang, they went all the way south and went straight to Lin'an.
Along the way, the entire team encountered three days of snow. The snow was deep and the road was difficult to travel.
In order to allow Xin Qiji to reach Lin'an faster, Wang Lun decided to take the waterway if he could.
If the ice on the water surface is thick and it is really impossible to walk on the waterway, then ask the officials from the states and counties along the way to recruit laborers to clear the snow and remove all the snow on the official road, so that the convoy escorting Xin Qiji can move smoothly and not be blocked. Yu Fengxue.
Seeing those laborers who were thinly dressed, covered with snowflakes and shivering from the cold, Xin Qiji couldn't bear it and suggested that he didn't need to make them work so hard and just walked down by himself.
"This is normal labor. It is labor that the local people have to bear every year in compliance with the laws of the Song Dynasty. They are not allowed to clear the snow. There are also other things to do, sooner or later, it is indispensable."
The accompanying officer said with a smile.
Xin Qiji was speechless after hearing this.
The accompanying officials thought that Xin Qiji did not understand this, so they specially explained some contents to him.
The people of the Southern Song Dynasty not only had to bear heavy taxes, but also had to bear a period of free labor every year to do some engineering projects or other things for the government.
The official is only responsible for taking care of food and not paying.
Of course, one can imagine the quality of this meal, as long as it allows them to eat without starving to death.
It's okay if the relevant officials in charge of this part have some conscience. Those without conscience don't care about the life and death of the laborers. It is only right to deduct fees and make money from them.
Originally, the food expenses provided by the government to the laborers were the hardest hit area for the relevant officials to make money. They tried every means to get some bargains to deal with the laborers, and made a lot of money for themselves. They made a lot of money and were very happy.
But the Ming Dynasty was not like this.
Although the Ming Dynasty also had regulations that required people to participate in labor, they not only provided food, but also provided money. If local finances were tight and they couldn't come up with money for a while, they would follow the old practice of the Liberation Army era and give them free notes.
This white note can not only be exchanged for money when the government has sufficient funds, but if you don't want to exchange money, you can also use the white note to deduct taxes. 899 Chinese /
When the tax collector comes to collect taxes, just hand this note to the tax collector, which will offset the corresponding tax, and that part of the tax money will not have to be paid. In short, the people will not suffer losses.
This regulation has been implemented for a long time since the era of the Liberation Army.
As of now, in many places, farmers are using the IOUs they received from working for the Liberation Army to deduct taxes, and the tax authorities accept them in full. There is no such thing as not accepting the IOUs but having to collect money.
Therefore, this Baitiao has great credibility among the people.
When the government proposed to use IOUs to pay people who participated in labor, the people were willing to accept IOUs. Sometimes, if the two parties doing transactions in the market could not come up with the money for a while, they would use officially certified IOUs instead of money. Transactions can also be recognized.
This is a reflection of Baitiao's credibility.
As for the food issue for working people, there are also clear regulations.
The person in charge of the project needs to use funds to provide meals for the people participating in the labor force. The food requirement is three meals a day, and there must be at least one dry meal. There is not much that can be done, but it must be fed. If the hungry people participating in the labor force cause protests, there will be problems It will be huge.
On his way south, Xin Qiji passed several construction sites for small-scale water conservancy projects. He personally made unannounced visits to the labor and food supplies on these construction sites, but found no cases of personal enrichment.
But the scene he saw now convinced Xin Qiji that these Southern Song people who were clearing snow in the harsh cold wind must not be able to get enough food to fill their stomachs, and starvation was probably a common occurrence.
The Ming envoys including Xin Qiji never lacked three meals a day while on the road.
Every meal was not only filling, but also delicious. No matter where he was, even on official roads far away from the town, as long as it was meal time, Xin Qiji could eat hot soup prepared by local officials.
The taste is very good, the ingredients are also very good, there is no shortage of chicken, duck and fish, and the dishes are also quite exquisite, with a complete restaurant style.
So Xin Qiji raised questions.
"Isn't this too expensive? It seems that this place is not close to the town. Are these officials and cooks waiting here long ago?"
Wang Lun smiled.
"Your Majesty said that only by making the envoys from the Northern Dynasty feel at home can we show the sincerity of the Song Dynasty. Even the food alone cannot satisfy the envoys from the Northern Dynasty. The Song Dynasty does not know how to treat guests."
"All the expenses?"
"The local government has its own arrangements. Don't worry about this, Mr. Xin. Can't Da Song even afford a few meals?"
Wang Lun smiled and drank the delicious fish soup from the bowl, with a happy face.
Xin Qiji looked at the cook who served them fish soup and hot rice and vegetables, and saw that their faces and hands were red, with many cracks on their skin and many blood marks.
Xin Qiji looked at the bowl of fish soup in his hand again, sighed slightly, and drank every drop of the fish soup.
The taste is very delicious, the soup is very rich and delicious. These cooks are obviously not ordinary cooks, and the food treatment is not ordinary food treatment.
Xin Qiji couldn't help but remember that he didn't get this kind of treatment when he went south from Zhongdu to Haizhou.
After Su Yonglin founded the country, due to the huge expenditure in various aspects and the tight financial situation of the court, he would definitely save where he could.
He will definitely try his best to save any expenses that can be saved and use them on other official items that cannot be saved. To this end, he also convened several meetings with officials from the Ministry of Finance to review many expenditure items that existed under the previous government. Rectification.
Su Yonglin was the first to take action on the royal family's expenses. He cut the royal family's expenses for food, clothing, housing, transportation, celebrations, sacrifices, etc., which were greatly reduced compared with the previous dynasty.
First chop the knife on yourself to set an example, and then attack other parts, which will look better.
The emperor has set an example and slashed himself with a knife. Can't you ministers keep pace with the emperor?
As a result, a comprehensive plan to reduce public expenditures was implemented, and many items were rectified, including various expenses incurred by officials on business trips.
All kinds of expenses incurred by officials in the past dynasties on official business trips were paid with public funds. There was no official business trip where officials had to pay for it themselves. Even if Su Yonglin was stingy, he certainly would not be so crazy.
He also stipulated that officials traveling on official business could have free meals and accommodation at designated inns on designated roads. Officials did not need to spend any money on the whole trip, and all expenses were paid by the state finance.
But judging from the actual situation, the business trip system changed by Su Yonglin still has many difficulties.
For example, if you cannot arrive at the inn within the specified time due to various force majeure reasons, such as too early or too late, all the cooks in the inn will have a rest, and there will be no one to cook for you.
It was very helpless to be unable to reach the inn when it was time to eat, to be so hungry and to have no food to eat.
And even if you arrive at the inn on time and have someone to cook for you, Su Yonglin has also set a certain level of detail for each inn to eat and drink with public funds.
That standard is comparable to what Xin Qiji saw when he was eating from a big pot in the army.
The ingredients are strictly stipulated, and the amount of ingredients used in a dish is set within a certain range, which cannot be exceeded. It can be said that it is an extremely strict restriction on the space for officials and station managers to seek personal gain.
In order to further save funds, the Ministry of Finance has also set up a post management department. Every post on every official road is recorded. Who is the manager and who is the staff?
In addition, this department is also responsible for auditing the financial expenditures of each station, and strives to ensure that every account is accounted for. If there is any problem, the station manager will face serious scrutiny.
As a second-rank official, Xin Qiji's meal when he was on a business trip only consisted of three dishes and one soup, one meat, one vegetarian, plus an egg dish, and the last vegetable broth, which was rich in nutrients and comprehensive.
The other officials, according to their respective ranks, also have two dishes and one soup or one dish and one soup, which are always meaty.
Of course, the portion is not big, but the food is enough to fill you up, so you won’t be hungry no matter what.
But what embarrasses traveling officials the most is the taste of the dishes.
ps: Please give me a monthly pass~~~
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