After seeing Zhang Di's expression, He Yan said: "You Caifeng officials can act independently in the local area and are not restricted by local officials. If there are any violations of laws and regulations, it will be handled by the Caifeng Institute itself and will not be controlled by local officials. However, you report Things must be true and cannot be fabricated. As long as the things are true, you don’t have to worry, let alone see Cao Zhixian’s face. Do you understand?”
Zhang Di said: "Understood."
Even though he said this, he was still worried in his heart. If this is said, will the local magistrate comply? When they get to other people's places, they have all kinds of ways to make themselves want to die. Just like the magistrate of Xin'an County, who in the entire county dares to disobey him?
Looking at Zhang Di's look, He Yan knew that he didn't believe what he said, so he didn't say anything more. It doesn't matter how many times you say something like this, you still have to rely on facts to convince people. It is better to say it a thousand times now than to say it once when summarizing the case at the end.
He Yan said: "Since what you said is true, go over there and explain the case to Master Cui in detail. How to deal with it will be handled by Master Cui."
When he went to Xin'an County this time, He Wei brought several officials at the chief-book level, as well as old officials from the yamen. How to investigate and how to collect evidence is up to them. He Wei and Chen Yu were mainly responsible for grasping the direction and solving some problems. Also, the officials of Xin'an County cannot be shaken by just two people.
Zhang Di came to the side and told Chief Cui about his sources, what he found for verification, and detailed his interview process.
He Wei stood up and said to Cao Yuping: "The three of you, the county magistrate, the chief registrar, and the county lieutenant, come with me. I have something to tell you. By the way, Chen Zhuanping is here with us."
After saying that, he walked out of the official hall, sat down at the stone table under the pavilion in the yard.
Cao Yuping and the other three, feeling extremely unhappy, followed them out of the official hall. Arriving at the stone table, he sat down angrily.
Chen Yu ordered the officials to make a pot of tea, took it himself, and went to the pavilion. The officials came over and put down the tea bowls, and Chen Yu poured tea for several people himself.
He Yan picked up the tea bowl and invited everyone to have tea.
After taking a sip, He Wei put down the tea bowl. Said: "Actually, I don't know how to deal with this kind of thing. This is unprecedented and unheard of. In the past, did the prefectures and counties have officials who could control the sky with one hand? Of course there were. In some places, the local tyrants even forced the local officials to do nothing. It is not uncommon. However, the Xuanfu envoys in charge of government will never allow such forces to exist, and will never allow the people to have the power to compete with the government."
Chen Yudao: "That's true. Xuanfu is different from others in that he requires the government to manage everything among the people. However, Xuanfu also requires that officials should be worthy of the official uniforms they wear. What do you mean? It means that when you put on this official uniform, Your words and deeds must be consistent with your status. Therefore, officials should not be afraid of investigating themselves. Being constantly investigated is something officials will inevitably encounter in their career, so there is no need to make a fuss."
He Wei nodded and said: "Yes, officials are not afraid of being investigated. Only those who can be trusted can be found to be fine. This is the first time in Xin'an County, so Xuanfu sent me and Chen to sign the verdict, just because you officials are afraid that you can't think about it." What is there actually? If there is a problem, it is nothing more than a demotion and a lesson learned in the future. If there are no problems, it would be better. A promotion is equivalent to an extra promotion opportunity. I see how many of you think about the two of us. People come to Xin'an to report resistance. This is wrong. The two of us are here to investigate matters and have nothing to do with people. You don't have to think too much."
Cao Yuping calmed down and said in a gentle tone as much as possible: "The director is worrying too much."
He Yan said: "I hope I am overly worried. I don't know how to investigate. Xuanfu specifically explained it before leaving. As officials, we must be responsible to the people. We cannot make any omissions during the investigation, let alone cover up. You must be serious when you rush into the matter because of officials. During the investigation process, do not treat the officials as criminals. In principle, you are still the chief officials of Xin'an County, and you have the final say on matters in the county. However, when the investigation is completed, You must be transferred. Regardless of whether there is something wrong or nothing, after you are investigated, you are not suitable to serve here. It is just based on the results of the investigation, some people are promoted and some are demoted. "
Cao Yuping looked at the two of them, and after a while, she said: "I understand."
He Wei nodded: "Okay, understand." After saying that, he concentrated on drinking tea and looking at the nearby scenery.
Putting down the official document in his hand, Wang Xiaolie said to Gao Ying: "According to the official document from He Ji, the problem in Xin'an County is mainly due to the negligence of several officials. Especially the county magistrate Cao Yuping, who only thinks about political achievements and arranges things. Regardless of the consequences. He was taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives and ended up where he is today."
Gao Ying said: "Now it seems that this is it. This member Mo is very thoughtful and clever, and he is really hard to guard against. He flatters officials in every possible way, and he is double-dealing with the people. On the surface, he seems to be smiling, but in private he is vicious, and no one can Don’t dare to offend him.”
Wang Xiaolie looked at Gao Ying and slowly shook his head. Said: "Do you believe this? After more than a year of administration in Xin'an, how careless must this Cao Yuping be to not discover anything about Yuan Wai? How can such an official manage a county? Normally, it's not Cao Yuping It's better to ignore it if you can't find it. It's his indulgence that makes people like Mo Yuanwai exist. It's just that the two of them are officials with clever methods and can't grasp the handle. Mo Yuanwai is careful and can't find any flaws. He Wei Many people go to investigate, and Mo Yuanwai must have something. It just depends on the person's ability, whether the illegal things discovered are serious, and whether he can be sentenced severely."
Gao Ying was stunned: "Since Xuanfu thinks this is the case, it would be fine if the county magistrate punishes him severely and Mo Yuanwai punishes him severely. Why bother to investigate again?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Whether you are in charge of a country or a place, the most important thing is to have rules and regulations. It is best for officials to follow the rules and regulations, whether they make meritorious deeds or make mistakes. Of course, it is also Don't be limited by rules and regulations. But only special things can be done without following rules and regulations, which is called extrajudicial punishment. Extrajudicial punishment is a special thing, so it can be done as little as possible."
Seeing that Gao Ying was still full of doubts, Wang Xiaolie said: "Actually, the most important thing about this kind of thing is to convey our will. How will these people be dealt with? Will the officials who committed the crime be protected by others? Will they be thorough in their crimes?" The people are watching the inventory. As long as the officials who go down do their best, what more can they ask for? Let the people believe that under our rule, as long as they follow the rules, they can live happily. Even if If there are officials who are unqualified, we will correct them quickly."
Gao Ying nodded: "Conveying the will? It is to reassure the people."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Yes, the most important thing is to reassure the people. They are always worried, how can they live their lives?"
Gao Ying carefully thought about this sentence and slowly understood it.
How could Wang Xiaolie be in charge of everything about local affairs? Moreover, it is impossible for Luoyang to know everything about how local officials govern. Xin'an County is near Luoyang and is easily accessible from Luoyang. In that place far away from Luoyang, do the people deserve to be unlucky?
To make people believe in the system, you must first maintain the system yourself. If you want people to believe it, should you just rely on your words? Once or twice the people believed it, but then they never believed it again. It is very terrible for a regime to lose credibility in the eyes of the people. The more credibility is lost, the more unstable the regime becomes, leading to collapse.
It is inevitable for officials to have problems of one kind or another when administering policies. How can they do everything right? Some major mistakes, especially those that harm the people, must be dealt with promptly. We must make the people have full confidence in the government and make their wishes come true.
Now Wang Xiaolie's power has not been established for a long time, and none of his officials have great power. If we don't start from the side at this time and nip all mistakes in the cradle, when will we do it? Tolerating your subordinates at this time seems to be winning people's hearts, but it is actually losing people's hearts.
Seeing that Gao Ying was still in a daze, Wang Xiaolie said: "Don't think too much about this matter, just handle it normally. But remember, at this time, don't use your cleverness, thinking that by doing this, I can not only save the official, but also You can win people's hearts. Keeping officials should not be a concern for officials, they must do their job well."
Gao Ying nodded repeatedly: "Xuan Fu has profound thoughts, which are beyond the reach of me!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "The so-called deep thinking means that there are still things that I can't figure out. If you can't figure it out, go back and think about it slowly. By the way, how is the summer harvest in Luoyang this year?"
Gao Ying said: "This year, a total of 2.3 million acres of wheat have been planted in Luoyang. The average harvest per mu has exceeded two shi, and the total harvest has been 4.86 million shi. Xuanfu, this is an unprecedented bumper harvest in recent years! Henan Prefecture and its subordinate counties, with a total population of 610,000, with an average of eight dan per person!"
Wang Xiaolie nodded, this was indeed a good harvest.
The population of Luoyang is still too small now, and wheat is grown in the best land. It's just that although the rain is good, the land in Luoyang is not very fertile, and the yield of two stones per mu is not bad. Coupled with the small population, there will be a larger food surplus this year.
Two stones in this era are roughly equivalent to three hundred kilograms in later generations. Without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, this yield has basically reached its peak. Of course, the best land is cultivated now. In the future, as more cultivated land is reclaimed, the yield will continue to decline.
What does a wheat yield of three hundred pounds per mu look like? Most people in later generations have never seen it. The plants are low and sparse, with not many wheat grains per plant, and they look really shabby. But in this day and age, that’s a bumper harvest.
This kind of wheat can be harvested very quickly, which is far beyond the reach of later generations. A skilled worker can harvest two acres a day. If you use a harvester, you can harvest twenty to thirty acres a day without any problem. Although we sow much, we are not slow to harvest.
Generally speaking, an average of 500 kilograms of grain per capita is sufficient for food and clothing, and the wheat in Luoyang far exceeds that. If other crops such as millet and rice are added, Luoyang can export one to two million shi of wheat.
