Zaoyang is the birthplace of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, which was densely populated and had developed agriculture during the Han Dynasty. Later, after repeated wars, especially in the late Tang Dynasty, this is the place where several forces meet, and there are constant wars. The population fled, the land was barren, and it was now a wild land.

Du Zhongxiao and his entourage arrived at the county seat, and Lou Zhixian had already brought officials to greet them outside the city gate.

Everything was as polite as a ritual, and Lou Zhixian pointed to a few people around him: "The local elders learned that the judgment came to Yingtian, and they came to greet them." ”

After speaking, a thick man with a big waist stepped forward, held a wine and said: "Xiaomin Ruan has merit, for the luck of the judgment and the longevity of all the prime ministers!" ”

Du Zhongxiao took the wine and drank it all. looked at Ruan Degong, then looked at the other members, and nodded: "Okay!" ”

Ruan Degong said: "The judges of Zhiyun came to camp the fields, and the small people and local big households specially offered 100 cattle to help the imperial court. ”

Du Zhongxiao thought for a moment and said, "When you first arrive in the place, how can you take advantage of the people?" Lou Zhi County, write it down for the time being, count the cattle into money, and wait for a few days, when the people who are engaged in the fields arrive, return some of the property to them. ——Ouyang Xianggong and I walked all the way to Zhizhou, and saw that the county was sparsely populated, and the people were having a hard time. The imperial court sent people to camp the fields, not for the money and grain here, but for the barren land and the non-governing scene. Cultivating the fields and gathering people is also beneficial to the place. ”

Listening to Du Zhongxiao's words, Ruan Deli was stunned for a while. This is the first time I have heard that the people give money and property, and the government insists on giving money. Usually, for the sake of taxes and food, the government does everything, why is it so kind this time?

Lou Zhixian said: "The judgment came from afar, Zhizhou and Ouyang Xianggong walked together, and they worked hard all the way. Xia Guan omitted the wine feast and picked up the wind for you. ”

Zaoyang is a small county, and the finances are difficult, and this kind of wine feast has always been shared by the officials in front of the ya. Du Zhongxiao's visit to Yingtian this time is a major event that affects local affairs, and several large household members contribute together to help the officials contribute. The officials received this benefit, and they were very diligent.

Of course, the money is not for nothing, they will participate in wine feasts and have a relationship with these big officials who have not had the opportunity to contact before.

This kind of thing is both public and private, and the officials feel that they have eaten a big family, and the big family is familiar with each other, and there are endless benefits in the future. Don't say that this era is developed in later generations, and powerful people show off to others who I have eaten with, or is it a kind of capital.

Looking at the dilapidated county government, Du Zhongxiao said to Lou Zhixian: "The yamen is the face of the imperial court, so shabby, it is conceivable that the place is difficult, and it is difficult for you." When the camp is built, and the farming season is off, I will help you repair it. ”

Lou Zhixian hurriedly thanked him, but he didn't know what Du Zhongxiao meant, so he didn't dare to say more.

There is no money in the county, and all expenses are distributed to the officials on errands or to local large households. The officials are the upper class households, and all the expenses of the actual government depend on how much money is squeezed out of the hands of the large households. It's not as good as when Du Zhongxiao was in Yongcheng, he also farmed fields, and Yongcheng Commune made money, and all expenses were self-sufficient, and there was a surplus.

Ouyang Xiu said: "Actually, it can't be said to be shabby. A few years ago, I was an official in Yiling, and the county government only had a few thatched huts, and even the errand soldiers were not enough. There are tigers and wolves in the market, everyone is accustomed to it, and there are many businessmen here in Zaoyang, which are far from comparable. ”

Du Zhongxiao smiled and nodded: "What Long Tu said is." No matter how bad it is, it's much better than those remote places. ”

Yiling is located in the Three Gorges area of the Yangtze River, which has not been developed at all, and certainly cannot be compared with here. Zaoyang has been a rich and prosperous place since the Qin and Han dynasties, but in the last few hundred years, it has been ruined because of the war.

When he arrived at the back office, Lou Zhixian hurriedly ordered wine and meat to come.

In a moment, the wine and dishes are arranged, which is nothing more than cooked chicken and live fish, the most ordinary meal. It's not that Lou Zhixian doesn't care, being a magistrate here already shows his marginal status in officialdom. I don't have many people in the world, and I've seen this kind of scene. There is wine and meat, in Louzhi County, it is already a dream life. Today, a few fat chickens and two big fish make Lou Zhixian feel extremely rich. He didn't know if he could eat a meal of meat in a month, but today he had enough wine and meat, and he felt very embarrassed in front of several ministers.

For more than a year, Du Zhongxiao has been accustomed to a life of good wine and food in the wine prison, and when he looked at the wine and food on the table, and looked at Lou Zhixian's enthusiastic and attentive appearance, he couldn't help but feel funny. This is the daily life of a low-level official, and he has never lived this kind of life since he became a sergeant.

Lou Zhixian toasted, and several officials in the county got up one after another, introduced themselves, and persuaded them to drink in turn.

A master bookkeeper is a servant who comes out of office. However, he became an official because of his family connections, and he got this official position after decades of mixing. I know that I don't have a future, and I'm just messing around.

The county lieutenant persuaded the wine, and a stout man who was not tall next to him stood up, held the wine and said: "Xiaguan Huang Tianzheng, the county lieutenant of this county, toasts to all the ministers." The Sprinkle family is a rough person, and the ministers are not strange. ”

Du Zhongxiao frowned and asked Shuzhi County: "This is a small county, how come there are two county lieutenants?" ”

Xiang Zong on the side sighed: "This person is from Jinghu Road, he was originally a barbarian, and he won the county lieutenant because he helped the court to suppress thieves." I don't know what's going on with the imperial court, so I sent him here to be a county lieutenant, and I had an official document to the official, but I sent a county lieutenant again. The state and county have played many times, but the imperial court has always ignored it. It's been six years since Lieutenant Huang came here, and he has never done anything, that's it. ”

Du Zhongxiao hadn't heard of this kind of thing, and he thought it was incredible. These official positions have always been a turnip and a pit, and the official position is insufficient, and the imperial court's method is to shorten the term of office and increase the number of officials who are vacant, and there is still this practice?

Ouyang Xiu said: "There are many barbarians on Jinghu Road, and they make trouble from time to time. Those who have made contributions to the court have always had many court rewards. Jinghu River Gorge is not comparable to the Central Plains, there are many strange things. ”

Du Zhongxiao still can't figure it out, he has made meritorious contributions to the court, but he is only given an official body, and Huang Tianzheng does not have many people who directly give the ministry. Even if he is given the ministry, then he should be the county governor of his own county, how can he send people again.

In fact, Liu Neiquan and the Third Class Courtyard are in charge of the lower-level officials in the world, I don't know how many there are, and where will it be clear. In addition, the county lieutenant and the shogunate officer are both ministries and rank officials, so it is not uncommon to be mistaken. Huang Tianzheng is like this, it may be that the officials who handled it regarded the county lieutenant as a rank official, and the other people as a ministry, so something went wrong. Anyway, it was already wrong, and after the state and county reported it, the handler pressed it there, and the mistake was wrong. The person who handles the correction of the matter may be punished, so why bother. This kind of trivial matter, and it will not be stabbed at the top, the officials have the final say.

These petty officials, if they are not from Jinshi background, and they are not from the family of eunuchs, they have a relationship with the imperial court, and most of them are ignored by the imperial court. As long as you don't get into trouble, you will always have two dollars a month, and more is better than less.

Huang Tian is being a county lieutenant, but in fact, the yamen never arranges things for him, but only gives him money and food, and he doesn't even have a job field, let alone other treatment. He is well-behaved, and he is more diligent than other officials every morning. After that, he went to do his own thing, rented a vegetable plot next to the city, and supported his family. As for the county lieutenant's money and food, it should be regarded as a subsidy for the family. Without power, there is naturally no benefit, and there is no prestige of other full-time officials. But he doesn't care about himself, he just wants to live in peace, and others will not be surprised.

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