Passing the place where the road builders were working, there was a row of big willow trees ahead. Under the willow tree, Wang Zhong was dredging the river with his servants.
Seeing Wang Xiaolie's arrival, Wang Zhong hurriedly stepped forward and saluted Wang Xiaolie and Chen Qiudao.
Wang Xiaolie asked: "What is this place? You are leading people to dredge the river. What are you planning to do in the future?"
Wang Zhong said: "Back to Xuanfu, this is the pond left after the sea dried up in Xiyuan in Sui Dynasty. I am going to dredge this place and dig the pond, and the village will be located here. With the pond, the village will have good fengshui." "
Wang Xiaolie didn't understand Feng Shui, but there was a pond next to the village, so he wasn't afraid of drought or flood, so it was true. He stepped forward and took a look. The servant was using a shovel made by Xuanfu Division. It was made of good steel, had a reasonable shape, and could work quickly. Those who moved the soil used wheelbarrows made by Xuanfu Division equipped with bearings, which were much lighter than ordinary vehicles.
After looking around, Wang Xiaolie said to Wang Zhong: "We won't go back today at noon. We will eat here. By the way, let's see what the people who work here eat like. Here, the Xuanfu Division spent a lot of money, Don’t treat those who do things harshly.”
Wang Zhong blushed anxiously. Said: "Xuanfu still can't trust me? I'm doing things myself. When have I ever been greedy for money?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "It's one thing to trust you, but it's another thing to take a look. Dad, don't worry about these things. By the way, I see there are a lot of ponds and swamps here. Let's catch a few more catfish." When the fish comes, we grill it and eat it. There are many days when I don’t eat grilled catfish and I still miss it.”
Wang Zhongdao said: "Whatever Xuanfu wants to eat, I will let people catch it. There are really a lot of catfish in the ponds and swamps in this place, and they are very fat."
After chatting for a while, Wang Xiaolie and Chen Qiudao walked into the village being built next to them.
The houses here are based on nearby residential buildings and improved upon them. Each family has an area of nearly one acre, with three main rooms and two side rooms. To the east are three wing rooms and a kitchen. There are two wing rooms on the west side, as well as a cowshed, and the toilet is in the southwest corner. Between the door and the toilet is a utility room for farm tools.
There is a vegetable garden in the yard, flowers and trees near the main house, and a small fish pond to the east. There are lotus flowers planted inside and several carps raised.
After reading it again, Chen Qiudao sighed: "How many farmers in the world can be like this? People who have lived here are afraid of being extravagant."
Wang Xiaolie said: "The counselor is wrong. In fact, such a house does not cost much. It looks neat, but it is just a large area and the household items are divided into categories. In the countryside, land is not valuable, and such a large house is common. The real cost It’s these houses that make the money.”
Most of the buildings at this time were block-built, but the houses in this village were made of blue bricks and gray tiles. People who live in the city don't think so, but farmers think it's strange. I am used to living in mud houses with thatched roofs, so it can be said to be a kind of enjoyment to live here.
Chen Qiudao looked at the built model house and nodded: "Yes, firing green bricks is not cheap."
Wang Xiaolie said: "It's actually not expensive to make bricks with coal. What's really expensive is the freight. Here we bake bricks ourselves, so the price is not high. In the countryside, if the kiln is not far away, it is actually cost-effective to build a house with bricks. . It’s just that the kiln is so close, how can we still make money?”
The population density in rural areas is low. If the kilns are close to each other, there will be fewer customers and no money will be made. Therefore, kilns can only be built near towns, and bricks will be expensive for people in remote places. It’s not the bricks that are expensive, but the shipping cost of the bricks.
After walking around the house, Chen Qiu said: "If everyone in the world could afford to live in such a house, the country would be prosperous and the people would be prosperous!"
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "So we are asking you and me to work hard so that the people can make money. With money, of course they will live well and eat well."
Chen Qiudao shook his head, obviously not believing it.
Wang Xiaolie stood in the yard, looking at the lotus in the pond in full bloom and a few butterflies flying up and down. The pomegranates on the planted pomegranate tree turned red and the branches were bent. It's just that the chickens and ducks are missing, which makes the yard feel less alive.
After looking at it for a long time, Wang Xiaolie said: "If the people under my rule can live in such a house, eat meat once every three days, have no shortage of oil and water, and are not tired from farm work, then my work as an envoy will not be in vain. What? When can we do it?"
Chen Qiudao shook his head. He didn't dare to think about letting the people live such a life.
Wang Zhong came over and said to Wang Xiaolie: "Where will Xuanfu have dinner at noon today?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "It's right here in the yard. By the way, I brought a few bottles of wine with me today and drank two glasses. There should be some elderly people here. Go and ask them to come over and say "Xuanfu please" They eat."
Wang Zhongdao: "There are several carpenters and masonry workers who have been working here for many years and guide others in their work. They support others for two days a day, and many people are willing to come."
Wang Xiaolie nodded after hearing this: "That's right! Although corvee work is fifty times a year, it cannot be the same and should be treated as a basic number. Otherwise, how can a craftsman like this be willing to work for many years?"
Chen Qiudao said: "If it's not all the same, I'm afraid the officials below will work together and ruin things."
Wang Xiaolie said: "At this time, the usefulness of officials comes to light. If this kind of thing is not handled well, it means that the officials are unqualified and must be replaced in time. Thinking about what system I use and what regulations I have, the people below cannot How is that possible? Officials must be given power and responsibility. Everything cannot be done the same way from top to bottom. People at the top think that the officials at the bottom are obedient, and things go wrong."
Chen Qiudao nodded. Wang Xiaolie often said this, but he just couldn't do it for a while. When people at the top delegate power, many people cannot grasp what should be delegated and what should not be delegated. If power is delegated to the lower level, the lower level officials will not be able to meet the requirements for a while and will not be able to effectively exercise their power.
Wang Xiaolie has always advocated that officials should not take care of everything, but should take care of what really should be taken care of. Senior officials should delegate power to their subordinates, while junior officials should delegate power to private guilds and chambers of commerce, and officials and messengers. On the one hand, it delegates power, and on the other hand, it supervises and checks for leaks and fills them at any time. I would rather have stronger supervision than have the government take charge of everything. For the government, supervision is even more important. The government must not control everything but neglect the power of supervision.
For this era, supervision of lower-level officials and civilians is new, and everyone has no experience. Chen Yuyi began to establish a supervision system when he was in Xiangyang. Now the system for supervising officials has just been established, and private supervision is far from being established.
After occupying Luoyang, Wang Xiaolie not only occupied a larger territory, but more importantly, his sphere of influence was stabilized. Many things that could not be done in Xiangyang before can be done in Luoyang. The entire bureaucracy began to slowly become complete.
(There is only one update tonight, and the other one will be tomorrow morning. I said this last time, but I actually didn’t make it up the next day, I still remember. Try to make up all the money you owe this month. Sorry.)
