The capital city of Kuizhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with various types of houses standing in rows and extending upwards in sequence. The southern city wall is on the embankment near the river, while the government office is on the top of the hill, with an observation tower built there.
Standing on the attic and looking down, you can clearly see everything from the riverbank ferry outside the city wall to the restaurants and shops that can be seen everywhere in the heights. Behind the government office is the north gate, which leads directly to the lotus pond, which is the official residence of the governor of Kuizhou.
The huge height difference in the city means that it is not as boxy as Chang'an, nor as clear-cut as a large city, nor does it have numerous defensive fortresses, nor even a fixed market. Instead, it is full of vitality and vitality, and A strong and abnormal commercial atmosphere.
Pedestrians, cars and boats are constantly coming and going, and porters transporting goods are everywhere.
The ferry on the river embankment was very large, and there were many fleets of boats filing in. There were several rows of large and small boats parked along the shore. The watermen were unloading the goods on the boats, and the porters in the city were queuing up to pick up the goods and bring them into the city.
There are also many fishermen and boatmen who use special square stoves to light fires and cook meals on the boats.
It can even be said that the entire Kuizhou City is a giant market!
With breath, with energy.
Fang Chongyong looked at this beautiful scene in the attic and felt quite emotional.
"Guarding a golden mountain and still complaining about poverty is like a rotten tree that cannot be carved."
Fang Chongyong said with a sigh.
Zheng Shuqing was a bit beyond his expectation. In Fang Youde's eyes, maybe this was a real corrupt official, but in Fang Chongyong's view, such local bureaucrats were rare to encounter in the feudal era.
No one can transcend the limitations of the times.
But the really powerful one is Li Linfu behind him! All the governance strategies in Kuizhou were inspired by Li Linfu behind his back.
Fang Chongyong yawned and stayed awake all night. He asked Zheng Shuqing about the people's sentiments in Kuizhou that night. A strange thought suddenly popped into his mind:
It has been a month since the customs duties were robbed. It is hard to imagine that the central court during the prosperous Tang Dynasty would not deal with Zheng Shuqing's loss of the Kuizhou Jiangguan customs duties! Not to mention that the misappropriation of tariffs was half a year ago!
What is certain is that not only Li Linfu knew about this matter, but it can even be judged that Li Longji must also know about it.
However, until now, Zheng Shuqing is still firmly serving as the governor of Kuizhou, and no one has taken him down! So this can show that this matter is within the scope of the imperial court's tacit approval, and it may even be "not a matter at all"!
Fang Chongyong had a guess in his mind, but he was not sure. Because it was too arrogant and bizarre, beyond the limits of what people could imagine. But various signs kept pointing to that conjecture, making him extremely anxious.
Fang Laique was taken hostage by Zheng Shuqing. Within three days, Fang Chongyong had to find a way to make money... He knew very well that he got this opportunity because his father Fang Youde was the supervisory censor, so Zheng Shuqing was willing to cooperate. , if he were just an ordinary civilian, I'm afraid he would have been brutally murdered by now.
A high-ranking official is in charge of the military and civil affairs of a state. Who is willing to be at the mercy of a child with no official position?
Before breaking out, Zheng Shuqing could give Fang Youde some face. This was the official rule.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Suddenly there was a loud sound of drums in the city!
"The Liao people burned the mountain!"
"The Liao people burned the mountain!"
"The Liao people burned the mountain!"
Someone in the government office shouted at the top of his lungs.
Following these shouts, as if they felt something in their hearts, the pedestrians who were still wandering around in the city entered the nearest wine shop in an orderly manner, while the porters rushed to the ferry.
The streets that were originally bustling with activity became deserted in an instant, and all kinds of shops closed down in a very short period of time.
"So you're still here, which makes it easier for me to find you."
Zheng Shuqing's voice came from behind, seeming to be relieved. Fang Chongyong turned around and said to him: "I see that all industries are prospering in the capital of Kuizhou, and it is not difficult to make up for the customs duties. I already have an idea, but I just need time to verify it."
Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing was overjoyed. He didn't care about his superiority or inferiority. He grabbed Fang Chongyong's arm and said excitedly: "Come on, come on, come with me to watch the show. If your subordinates make trouble, watch us kill them!"
Are the officials making trouble?
Fang Chongyong was stunned. He was very suspicious. Because he had little education, Governor Zheng was treating him as a fool and deceiving him! Just now I saw residents and tourists in the city calmly retreating into their houses, so I knew that something like this would happen every three days. Zheng Shuqing probably thought that he could gain military merit by doing anything casually?
This is neither Lingnan nor Annan! This is the throat between Shu and Jingxiang, the core place where Han'er lives!
Why are the officials causing trouble? Are you not afraid that Feng Da will flash your tongue?
"Zheng Shijun, false reporting of military exploits is a serious crime. The imperial court did not pursue the case in the past and just treated it as a child's play. This does not mean that it will never pursue the case."
Fang Chongyong retorted unceremoniously.
Being straightforward and forthright about what he has to say will make Zheng Shuqing put down his guard and not say "This son's coin is very valuable, so he must not keep it" after the matter is completed.
As expected, anger flashed across Zheng Shuqing's face, and he immediately explained: "The elite soldiers of Dongyang Mansion (Fu Bingjun Mansion) in Wushan County, east of Kuizhou City, do not listen to the orders of this governor. Only the unified troops in the city can be of great use. Rebellion by officials often happens, but our government still has its merits in protecting the territory."
The implication is that the Liao people often cause trouble, but in fact they can't make anything happen. I just go to maintain a sense of existence. I don't get any credit, but I still have the hard work.
"Your Majesty, in Kuizhou, as long as political achievements have nothing to do with money or silk, they can be ignored. Why would you sacrifice the big for the small?"
Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Shuqing helplessly and asked, Zheng Shuqing couldn't see what he could see. Didn't the court know that there was no "military disaster" in Kuizhou? If you don't have any military merit and still do hard work, it's like your brain is stuck in the door.
"How can you, a childish kid like you, understand the ways of being an official? Why don't you keep silent!"
After being exposed by someone's words, Zheng Shuqing scolded with a calm expression, feeling relieved in his heart.
A child prodigy is a child prodigy, and he has no inhibitions about what he says, so there is no need to worry about it. When he arrives in Chang'an, he can be manipulated at will.
Fang Chongyong sighed softly and listened to others' advice and had enough to eat. This Governor Zheng really didn't seem to be very good at it. He had already learned last night that the situation in Kuizhou was extremely different! He and Zheng Shuqing talked at length all night and got a clear picture of the situation here!
Not to mention the fact that Kuizhou has many mountains and few fields, the "Red Lotus Rice" grown in the hundreds of hectares of paddy fields near mountain springs is actually a tribute from the royal family, and not a single grain of rice is left to the local area! Officials directly assigned by the imperial court were responsible for daily management, harvesting and shipping, and they were not at all in the hands of Zheng Shuqing, the governor of Kuizhou.
Governor Zheng also wanted to know what the red lotus rice tasted like. When he was in Chang'an, he once heard a clan member say that after eating a meal made from red lotus rice, there was a fragrant aroma in the bowl of rice that lasted for a long time. Disperse!
What a luxurious experience!
Of course, let’s not mention the coquettish thing like Red Lotus Rice. It's just that the Tang Dynasty now implements a "renting system". Each household has a fixed amount of grain and cloth!
Ordinary people in Kuizhou Prefecture don't even have land, or they don't have enough land, so how can they pay rent?
The court did not stipulate that people who did not have land did not have to pay rent. As long as the court's "account book" said that you had land, then you must have land!
As for whether there is actually one, that doesn’t matter. At least that’s not an issue that the court center needs to be concerned about!
However, the locals in Kuizhou seem to be living quite well, because ordinary people here eat fish and mountain products every day, and rely on the food supply from Shu and Jingxiang to make up for the food gap. There is no rice produced but there is rice in the treasury. Commercialization has reached the extreme!
To summarize briefly, Kuizhou is a land of slash-and-burn primary industry, mediocre secondary industry, and abnormally prosperous tertiary industry.
Except for red lotus rice, the rice produced here has no competitiveness in the fierce commercial competition and has sadly withdrawn from the stage. Anyone who has some ideas is not willing to farm!
That's why Fang Chongyong believes that as long as there is no war, the only meaning of the Kuizhou government's existence is to make money!
Whoever can make money and provide enough money to the court is a good official! If more money can be provided, then he has outstanding talent and can be admitted to Chang'an and the center.
Zheng Shuqing thought that he would be able to do business by "defending one's territory and meritorious service". That would be a lot of fun for a middle school boy.
Last night, Zheng Shuqing personally admitted a "secret", which was the content of his father Fang Youde's complaint to the court:
The account books about money and food in Kuizhou Mansion are all fake! And it's so fake.
The local rent mediocrity cannot be collected at all, and the rosters in the account books are all fabricated! Many of them don’t even match the head count, but the total number does!
Kuizhou cannot implement the court's tax policy mechanically. If it is imposed forcefully, the government will force the people to rebel!
Every year in the past, local people used their earned money to buy grain and cloth shipped from Jingxiang and Shu in the capital of Kuizhou, and handed it over to the government for rent! This is also one of the important reasons for the commercial prosperity of Kuizhou.
Although Kuizhou's aquatic products are developed, they do not have fresh-keeping technology. They can only eat them themselves and cannot sell them at a high price. The result was that the city's catering industry was extremely prosperous, providing enough meat for travelers to and from Shu.
As for the local specialty linen, it has to be sent to Shu and Jingxiang in exchange for a lot of money. Who among the locals would spend their time weaving ordinary cloth and hand it over to the court?
Linen, a specialty of Kuizhou, is loose, breathable and comfortable. It is especially suitable for wearing in the hot and humid areas of Shu and Jiangnan. In fact, Zheng Shuqing's official robes were also made of this kind of linen cloth, rather than silk official robes like other places.
The account books of Kuizhou Prefecture are fake, but the taxes paid are real, so nothing has ever happened! In other words, Zheng Shuqing, including his predecessor and the previous governor, were all using wrong means to do the right thing, and the imperial court only looked at the results in assessment!
Whether it is a real rent or a "rent" that residents use money to buy goods in exchange for, these goods will not have names or sources.
Is it really just those in power who are causing this phenomenon? Who is clinging to the mediocrity that has been implemented for hundreds of years?
Fang Chongyong didn't know how to answer this question.
After Zheng Shuqing received Li Linfu's instructions, he went a step further and only accepted copper coins and gold. Then he used the money to purchase large quantities of cloth and grain from merchants in Shu and Jingxiang, and finally transported them to other places via the Yangtze River and canals.
Kuizhou has prosperous water transportation and many merchants. It is easy for locals to buy copper coins and even gold and silver, so there is no problem of difficulty in collecting money.
The government purchases in large quantities and spends less money to buy more things. The wholesale price is always lower than the retail unit price. This is the same truth from ancient times to the present. As for where the extra money went, this is a secret, don’t ask more, don’t say more, don’t mention it more!
Those are the "legitimate income" of the bureaucracy. Even if someone sues Li Longji for the money he earns based on his own skills, he will not win! Of course, Li Linfu will not let this happen, he will take the big head himself!
It has always been a gray area when the government comes forward to "make the difference" and who gets the "profit". The same kind of behavior is, to a certain extent, legal in this day and age.
In order to strive for political achievements, Zheng Shuqing collected taxes. In fact, he only collected 90% of the imperial quota in exchange for fame and official status! Fang Chongyong believed that in the eyes of the people of Kuizhou, perhaps the governor Zheng was the good guy, and the self-proclaimed incorruptible father Fang Youde was the bad guy.
In the future, Zheng Shuqing gained popularity in Kuizhou and showed his "financial management" ability to the court. It is also foreseeable that he would naturally enter the center and develop his ambitions under the protection of Li Linfu.
Good and evil in the world are so complicated sometimes!
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh and sigh.
However, if Uncle Zheng is really going to fly to the branches, he must sort out the tariff mess here in Kuizhou.
No matter what era, operations such as forging account books are illegal operations! If the secret of Kuizhou Mansion is "revealed", Zheng Shuqing will shed his skin even if he doesn't die. There are many things that can be done but cannot be said!
Therefore, the governor Zheng was also controlled by Li Linfu!
While thinking about trivial matters in his mind, Fang Chongyong was taken to the north gate by Zheng Shuqing, and saw a group of lightly-armed infantry coming towards him. Wearing Liuhe boots on their feet, they wear black crotchless robes, carry swords at their waists, hold crossbows in their hands, and carry arrow pots behind their backs. Each of them has fifty arrows.
Fang Chongyong glanced at it. There were five people in each row, a total of ten columns, a total of fifty people. This is the standard equipment of a team of crossbowmen of the Tang Army, but without armor they look a bit shabby.
The United Soldiers are not counted as soldiers with Tang Dynasty military status. They cannot leave the state or county. After completing their military tasks, they have to go home and farm the fields. The army has no military pay and only cares about food. With this equipment, the momentum is great. Fang Chongyong also understands them. situation.
After waiting for a long time, there were only these fifty people, plus a leading general. Fang Chongyong was a little confused for a moment.
With such a small number of people, are they planning to treat the officials like paper?
"Zheng Shijun, the Liao people are taking advantage of the fierce mountain fire to kill each other. It would be better for us to sit on the wall and wait until the Liao people are tired of killing each other, and then intervene to mediate."
The burly general came forward and asked Zheng Shuqing for instructions.
"Shan, you have full command."
Zheng Shuqing nodded businesslikely, expressionless.
The burly general then brought his soldiers up to the city wall. Everyone saw the mountain fire burning in the distance and it became more and more intense, with different expressions. Except for Fang Chongyong who was a little confused, everyone else acted relaxed and no one took this matter too seriously.
"This one was born as a martial artist."
Zheng Shuqing whispered in Fang Chongyong's ear, pointed at the back of the general, and said with teasing and ridicule. After getting along with him for a day, he felt that this child prodigy Fang Chongyong was quite interesting and quite to his liking.
"His name is Guo Ziyi?"
Fang Chongyong was shocked. He remembered that Guo Ziyi was born in martial arts and was the number one scholar in martial arts back then!
"Guo Ziyi?"
Zheng Shuqing was stunned, then waved his hand and sneered: "What Guo Ziyi? His name is Yang Ruoxu. He offended Prime Minister Li and was sent to Kuizhou."
What can I say about Kuizhou? If you are a civil affairs official, you will be easily promoted. It is a blessed place for local bureaucrats.
Because here there are river passes to collect customs duties and commercial ports to collect commercial taxes. There are no wars and no military expenditures. In this case, how could it be impossible to achieve the targets set by the imperial court?
Zheng Shuqing was arranged to come here, which means that he is Li Linfu's confidant and got a good job.
But for generals, Kuizhou is simply disgusting!
There is no war here, not even civil unrest! Whenever an aspiring general comes here, he can only watch the beautiful scenery on the top of the city, waiting for his youth to slowly pass by without achieving anything.
If a good man makes great achievements, he should go to the Western Regions and Tubo! No matter how bad things get, we have to fight against Khitan and go to Silla and Baekje!
Li Linfu sent Yang Ruoxu to Kuizhou, which was really a classic case of killing people in their physical bodies.
