Lan Tian looked around vigilantly and found that no one was paying attention to them, so he lowered his voice and asked, "What happened?"
"The traitor Cao was defeated in Nanyang in the first month of the year. He should have withdrawn to Xudu or returned to his fiefdom of Yecheng, but instead he went all the way north to Luoyang. It's really strange..." Song Chen looked puzzled.
Lan Tian was shocked after hearing this. Because Guan Yu had changed his destiny against the will of heaven, he thought that Cao Cao's lifespan would also be changed. Unexpectedly, he still went to Luoyang, the end of his life.
"Do you have any detailed information?" Lan Tian asked.
Song Chen shook his head gently: "Fancheng has just experienced a war. It is not easy to get news back so quickly..."
"You're right, I've only been back for two days." Lan Tian said relieved.
The waiter in the shop was looking around at his own three-quarter acre of land. He noticed that there was an extra person at Lantian's table, and immediately came over to greet him and asked: "Do you have a new customer? Do you want an extra portion of shabu-shabu?"
"Have the same order." Lantian pointed at the shabu-shabu and nodded.
"Okay." The waiter shouted, throwing the rag on his wrist over his shoulder and letting it float away.
Gao Yuan chewed the fish wrapped in sauce, with an incredulous expression on his face, and murmured: "This dipping sauce is similar to what Mr. made. The taste and texture are exactly the same. I don't know where this restaurant comes from..."
Song Chen stroked his fake beard and whispered: "I secretly checked the identity of the shopkeeper. He was a severely wounded soldier from the trapped army in the Battle of Changsha. He left the military camp because he was physically disabled and could not go to Lu Tie's martial arts hall to teach, so he used The pension fund opened this restaurant to make a living. We came here often after discovering it, so we met Mr. by chance..."
"It turns out that he has a pretty good mind and knows how to make money with his skills." Gao Yuan said with a slight smile.
After hearing this, Lan Tian's expression was solemn. He hurriedly told the two of them: "Let's stop talking, finish eating quickly and go to the Chamber of Commerce to have a look."
"Only...good..."
Gao Yuan almost made a fist reflexively, but swallowed it down under Lan Tian's gaze.
So the three of them stopped talking and concentrated on eating. They only heard the sounds of chewing food and drinking soup, which contrasted with the lively scene in the hall.
After the meal, Gao Yuan walked out of Yanji Shabu Shabu, turned around and wrote down the plaque, and said solemnly: "I will go back and tell Lao Lu and the others that when I have more money, come here to support me more."
"That's exactly what it should be." Song Chen nodded in agreement.
Lan Tian didn't say anything after hearing this, and followed Song Chen through the streets with an expressionless face. He soon arrived at the headquarters of the Jiaozhou Chamber of Commerce. From the outside, it looked unremarkable, no different from an ordinary trading house, but after entering, he suddenly became enlightened.
Song Chen opened two secret doors and led Lan Tian to a small study. Then he quickly returned to the room to take off his disguise, and then served tea and wine in his true colors.
"After the Jiaozhou Chamber of Commerce was fully established, this is the first time that sir has come here." Song Chen stood aside and looked very restrained.
Lan Tian waved his hand and motioned for the other party to sit down. "It seems that you have understood what I said. You have scattered the people from the Chamber of Commerce among the people. There are all kinds of life hidden in the corners. You can understand the thoughts of all walks of life, especially those from outside. You can do it." Very good, keep it up.”
"Well, in fact, in this city, in addition to the fine work in Jiangdong and the north, there are also the descendants of the gentry in Jingzhou, Yizhou and other places. They are also paying attention to your husband's reforms, and they don't know whether they are enemies or friends, so at the end of this period, I think of a way." Song Chen replied with his fists clasped.
"If you have ideas worth encouraging, tell me and I'll listen." Lan Tian sat upright.
"The city Mr. built is too big. For the prosperity of Guangzhou's trade, you gave the people a high degree of freedom. However, as more and more outsiders enter, there are more and more places where you can hide, and the Chamber of Commerce's manpower is stretched thin. ..."
Song Chen paused for a moment. He wanted to know Lan Tian's reaction. Because the Jiaozhou Chamber of Commerce has great authority and the Chamber of Commerce's expenditures account for a high proportion of various yamen, Jiang Wan has repeatedly questioned him on this and now wants to increase manpower. , worried that Lan Tian would not understand.
Lantian was very calm after hearing what surprised Song Chen, and motioned for him to continue.
"The general thinks that it may be possible to recruit people from all walks of life, including vendors, academy teachers, vegetable farmers, craftsmen, and even officials, etc. The more ordinary they are, the more hidden they will be, and they can also learn more useful information, so that those who There is no place for evildoers to hide." Song Chen replied solemnly.
Before Lan Tian could answer, Gao Yuan followed up by questioning: "Vendors and vegetable farmers are nothing. College teachers and officials all have salaries. Should we let them work for nothing with the Chamber of Commerce, or should we get an extra salary?"
"Uh... I haven't figured this out yet. It depends on what your husband thinks..." Song Chen stared at Lan Tian with big eyes.
Lan Tian frowned and said, "It is appropriate to receive double salary. After all, they are the eyes of the state. Your idea is very good. This way, you can accurately grasp the criminals and their movements, and you can also supervise the officials, understand the people's livelihood, and understand the needs of the people. Not only If you want to do it, you have to do it well.”
"The Chamber of Commerce's expenses are... Jiang Biejia's place..."
"I personally went to Gongyan and said that although it is right to be diligent and frugal in running a household, some money cannot be saved. Instead of living a life of scratching and digging, it is better for us to govern well and make the place safe, the politics clear, the officials clean, and the people wealthy. Wouldn't it be better to have it in the field, in the pot, in the bowl, and in the barn?"
Song Chen bowed in admiration and said: "Sir, it is better to think far ahead. My original intention is to supervise the work carefully..."
"Actually, there is no conflict between monitoring detailed work and understanding people's opinions. The Jiaozhou Chamber of Commerce can be divided into two parts. One part is mainly responsible for supervising detailed work and reporting on the safety of the state and county, and the other part is dedicated to understanding people's opinions." Lan Tian nodded.
"Sir, are you too cautious? With your economics and talent, it will be a matter of time before the common people live a good life. Besides, there are Yangtze River News and Lingnan News to attract people to do good. There is no need to worry about those trivial things, right? What do you want? To support the Han Dynasty for King Kuang of Hanzhong, he also said that he cannot do everything by himself..." Gao Yuan reminded kindly.
Lan Tian shook his head gently: "Some things must be formed into rules first. If there are rules, the radius can naturally be determined. Those officials who come from noble families have had enough food and clothing to open their mouths since they were young. He sits in the Yamen every day and is busy with official duties. How can he know the sufferings of the people? ?
If you meet capable subordinates, you can still listen to the voices of the people. If you meet the subordinates who are mediocre, corrupt and perverting the law, they talk about prosperity and have dirty money in their pockets. If you accumulate it for a long time, you will become a slave. The Second Yellow Turban Rebellion. "
"Is it so serious? Didn't Sir, in the three counties of Cangwu, Nanhai and Yulin, employ many descendants of Guizhou as officials? They were born in poverty, so they should know how to be grateful, right?" Gao Yuan asked.
Lan Tian continued: "In one generation of Guizhou leaders, two generations of officials, and three generations of officials, there are always smart people who can stand out. In addition, power is easy to corrupt people. Officials who are descendants of Guizhou leaders may not be corrupted and commit corruption and pervert the law, so they can only Constantly improve the rules and let the rules trap despicable human nature.”
"I will eventually be taught..." Gao Yuan seemed to understand but was still shocked.
