Daxianguan

Chapter 468 Potential Crisis

Inside the state capital, Chu Xian frowned as he looked at the government documents handed over from the Changshi Mansion.

Chang Shi was in charge of the internal affairs of a prefecture, and every once in a while he would sort out the internal affairs of the prefectures, cities and counties, compile them into documents, and report them to the governor Chu Xian.

Chu Xian has not been in Liangzhou for a long time, and most of the time before that was dealing with the case of Prince De's disappearance, so he only paid a little attention to internal affairs.

But after being formally appointed by Jingzhou, of course he had to focus on Liangzhou's government affairs.

At this moment, when Chu Xian saw the internal affairs document in his hand, he finally couldn't help it, and asked someone to call the Chief History Li Ji.

After waiting for a while, Shi Li Ji, governor of Liangzhou, came.

"Li Changshi, sit down!" Chu Xian ordered, and Li Ji nodded and sat down: "I wonder what orders the Inspector has?"

For Chu Xian, Li Ji is very afraid of the long history. To be able to sit in the position of the long history, he has more or less connections in Jingzhou, so he naturally knows Chu Xian's background.

So although Li Ji was much older than Chu Xian in terms of age, he dared not show any disrespect.

Li Ji had a feeling that in a few years, Chu Xian might still be promoted, and at that time, he might have to rely on the support of this superior.

"Li Changshi, I read your internal affairs book, and the above items are listed in detail, but there are a few things I want to ask you in person." Chu Xian said very politely, but Li Ji didn't dare to put on airs, and hurriedly He said: "Master Inspector, but it's okay to say, Li Ji will answer any questions."

Chu Xian nodded: "I see that there is no money in the account of the state capital, and I have read the previous internal affairs documents. In the past few years, the maintenance of the state capital has mostly depended on asking the Ministry of Households for money. ,How is this going?"

When Li Ji heard that this was the case, he immediately sighed: "This matter is difficult for the lower officials. Lord Inspector once stayed in Liangzhou in the early years, so he should know about the monster clan's rebellion, right?"

Chu Xian nodded.

He has personally experienced it, and he has played a huge role in it, of course he knows it.

Li Ji continued: "Before the Yaozu rebellion, Liangzhou's finances were surplus every year. Although it can't be compared with other states, it is not the worst among all the states in the Holy Dynasty. But After going through that war, including resettling refugees, providing homes for the fallen soldiers, according to the law of the holy pilgrimage, they died from the line, folded [-] pieces of treasures, and made spirit beasts, and delivered them back to the mansion. Two pieces of silk, the guard gave one piece of silk to fill the mortuary clothes, and gave it to the coffin and ordered it to be delivered back home. Calculated in this way, there are tens of millions of taels. The silver of the entire Liangzhou government was empty at that time. , and owed a lot of money to various banks. Although officials use silver, it is not calculated as interest rate, but they still have to pay back the money. Therefore, after these years, our state capital can be said to be poor, and even the salaries of subordinate officials Silver, and even the salaries of officials at all levels, are halved, and sometimes, they have to be delayed for a month or two before they are issued."

At this moment, Li Ji is complaining.

Chu Xian's head got dizzy.

He had just taken office, so he hadn't paid attention to the matter of salary, but it seemed that the situation was more serious than what he knew.

Anywhere, no money is a terrible thing.

What's more, the state capital, asking for money from the household department of the Holy Dynasty every year, is afraid that it will lose face.

Chu Xian asked again: "Li Changshi, you are in charge of internal affairs, what can you do?"

Li Ji smiled bitterly at this moment, shook his head and said: "There is no way, our Liangzhou is a remote place, and the road is difficult to travel, but thanks to the hard work of the people and farming, we can barely support ourselves. There are merchants from neighboring countries coming and going, the tolls and the entry tax can also make up for it, but it is far from enough. As for the county, then..."

Chu Xian signaled to the other party that there is no need to talk.

Chu Xian knows the county situation best. After all, he was a county magistrate in Dinghai County, Liangzhou, and was in charge of a place, so he naturally knows the local situation very well.

It can be said that the official treasury is poor, and the common people have no money.

The problem is that he was still self-sufficient in the past, but after experiencing the plague of the monster clan, the whole Liangzhou has not recovered for several years.

Although it is possible to ask for money from the Ministry of Households every year, and there is a special allocation of money from the Ministry of War at the military mansion, after all, it is an important matter for border defense, even if it loses money, it has to be paid.

But as the governor of a state, Chu Xian knew very well that if he couldn't solve this problem, then the way to promotion in the future would be completely blocked.

Just thinking about it, the governor of Yizhou, like a beggar, has to go to Jingzhou to ask for money every year. Is there any face for this?Most importantly, the higher ups will think you are incompetent.

All of a sudden, Chu Xian felt that his previous governor, son-in-law Guo, had been dismissed and transferred, but strictly speaking, son-in-law Guo probably wished for that.

Because if you stay in Liangzhou, you are providing for the elderly, and there will be no promotion in the future because you have no political achievements.

If it is to defend against the invasion of the monster race, it is a duty and something that should be done. If it is prevented, it will be useless, but if it cannot be prevented, that is the biggest fault.

The more Chu Xian thought about it, the more he felt that he had been cheated.

Thinking about it carefully, the person who cheated himself seemed to be Mr. Zhongshu.

Of course, it can't be said to be a scam, but it can only be said to be a test by Mr. Zhongshu, or a kind of trust.

Chu Xian was helpless, secretly thought that Master Zhongshu trusted him too much, and threw himself to this Liangzhou. Although he is a governor, the scenery is incomparable, but if he is a governor who can no longer be promoted, no one will want to come if he is changed Dry.

This can't compare to the comfort of being a criminal officer Zhonglang in Jingzhou. In Liangzhou, you are stimulated by all kinds of troubles every day, and the pension is not peaceful.

For a moment, Chu Xian was speechless, and Li Ji, the chief minister beside him, also smiled wryly.

He can understand Chu Xian's situation best. He was also very happy when he was promoted to be the chief minister, because he was promoted to a higher level, and he was also a state governor, so he could be regarded as the second in command of the state capital. Infinity is right.

But after coming to Liangzhou for a few years, Li Ji finally understood that this place is definitely not a suitable place to be an official. The burden of defense is heavy, and people's livelihood must be taken care of. Internal affairs must also be done. There are too many things to do Well, let's say that I go to the household department to ask for money every year, and I lose all my dignity and face.

Thinking of this, Li Ji reminded: "Lord Inspector, it's almost the new year, we have to get in touch with the Ministry of Households as soon as possible, and it's really hard to predict how much we can ask for. If the approved money If it’s not enough, then we’ll have to tighten our belts for a year.”

When Chu Xian heard this, he gave Li Ji a blank look. He really wanted to reprimand you, you are still a state governor, a senior official from the fifth rank, don't you have a bit of backbone?How to say it is the same as beggar refugees.

But Chu Xian didn't say that.

Firstly, he has to save face, and secondly, he dare not say such big words. If he can't handle this matter himself, he will be properly slapped in the face, because when the time comes, those who live by tightening their belts include him The governor himself, and strictly speaking, as the highest official in Liangzhou, if he loses face, he will be the first to bear the brunt.

At this moment, Chu Xian's expression was solemn, and he thought to himself that this matter had to be resolved. In Xiaoli's case, it was a matter of face, in Dali's case, it was related to his future promotion.

The most important thing is that Chu Xian finally understood that Lord Zhongshu sent him to Liangzhou to investigate Prince De's case, and to see if he could reverse the current embarrassing situation in Liangzhou.

A long way to go.

Can Chu Xian put down the pick?
Certainly not.

So no matter how troublesome it is, we have to find a way to solve it. If this matter is not resolved, it will be the end of Chu Xian's career as a fifth-rank governor.

Of course, this matter only involves him, the governor, and Li Ji, the long history. Defense, as long as there is nothing wrong with Liangzhou, it is meritorious service, and meritorious service can be promoted.

The more he thought about it, the more Chu Xian felt that the governor's seat under his buttocks was a bit uncomfortable.

And now there is no time for Chu Xian to come up with a solution.

Now there is no money in the state government account, so I have to go to the household department to ask for money in the past few days. If there is no money, the salaries of officials at all levels will not be paid next month.

This is a top priority.

And Chu Xian didn't know until now that the salaries of officials in Liangzhou from top to bottom have been halved in recent years, not only halved, but also delayed.

This kind of thing is no joke.

Chu Xian understood very well that for some officials, the salary may not be that important, even if it is halved, even if it is delayed, there is no problem.

But for some low-level officials, the salary is very important. To put it bluntly, the salary of low-level officials is to support their families. If it is halved and the payment is delayed, what kind of life are the officials below? , just think about it.

In this way, if it is the kind of honest official, it may be able to hold back, but if it is in a bad mood, maybe something will be done because of it.

Like corruption and bribery.

This is a big deal. Although the matter of the salary and silver seems insignificant, it is a huge hidden danger. It may directly lead to the corruption of the officials below. It is good if this kind of thing does not explode. To make a fuss about this kind of thing, even if I, the governor, want to retire in Liangzhou, I can't do it.

So Chu Xian felt that where he was sitting in the governor's seat, it was as if he was sitting with a knife.

"Li Changshi, we have to deal with this matter well." Chu Xian also knew that it was useless for him to be in a hurry now. He was already in this kind of mess. Of course, he couldn't blame the previous governor, Mr. Guo, who should be upright. , but the ability is a little weak, it should not be a big problem to govern other states, but in places like Liangzhou, Guo's ability is slightly insufficient.

Since it was useless to be anxious, Chu Xian simply calmed down and discussed the countermeasures with Li Ji, his deputy chief Shi, because this kind of thing not only had something to do with him, but also had a lot to do with Li Ji.

(End of this chapter)