Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Qi Renli realized, "You are doing this for the sake of the trees on the mountain. If that's the case, then you are not allowed to cut down the trees on the mountain."

"Trees still need to be cut down," Meng Changqing said, "not only for heating, but also for building houses and making furniture.

If we directly order not to cut down trees, or set regulations on what kind of trees can be cut down and what kind of trees cannot be cut down, our ideas may be good, but it may not be implemented well by the people below. By then, each layer of checkpoints will become a path to wealth.

In order to make their lives more convenient, people will inevitably bribe the higher officials. Then it is the people who suffer, we who are scolded, and the middle-level officials who take the benefits without showing it.

Once corruption is rampant, it will be difficult to suppress it. Those corrupt officials don’t care what happens to Beishan County.”

"Your Excellency thinks long term."

Meng Changqing said: "I have seen such things."

Qi Renli asked again: "Why is it forbidden to brew wine?"

"Where does the wine come from?" Meng Changqing asked back.

"Grain brewing." Qi Renli understood again, "Your Excellency doesn't want the people to waste food?"

Meng Changqing nodded, "When people are hungry, the only thing they want is to fill their stomachs. At this time, their wishes are easy to satisfy, but after they are full, they have more desires and are not easy to satisfy.

How much profit can be made from selling wine? How much profit can be made from selling grain? But how much grain is needed to make a jar of wine?
Beishan County’s current grain output does not meet the conditions for brewing wine.”

Meng Changqing added: "It's just that brewing is prohibited, but the sale of alcohol is not prohibited."

Qi Renli frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "Your Excellency's thoughts are always one step ahead of others. It is because of you that the county can avoid a lot of trouble."

"Brother Qi, if you had said something like this in the teahouse, I wouldn't have dared to invite you over."

Qi Renli smiled sheepishly, "Excuse me, sir, but I am speaking from the heart, not with the slightest intention of flattery."

"I know Brother Qi is sincere, so I am confident that I can leave many things to you. Just let go and don't be restrained."

Qi Renli nodded, "I asked you to read the plans I wrote before, and you said they were good, but I always feel that...

I have put a lot of effort into writing those things, but I always feel that what I think is far inferior to what you think.

Sir, please give me some advice. "

Meng Changqing stood up and took everyone to sit down next to the small round table. “For those who are trapped in the puzzle, it is naturally difficult to solve the puzzle. It is precisely because you put yourself in the shoes of the locals that you fall into the puzzle.

It’s not that what you think of is not as good as mine, but that the current mystery has not trapped me.

If you want to get out of your current dilemma, you have to look at the root of everything, or at a more macro perspective. "Qi Renli listened very carefully.

"To make money, it all comes down to figuring out where the money is going to come from," Meng Changqing said. "Obviously, there are two main paths before us."

"Which two roads?" Qi Renli asked.

“People and resources.”

"What?" He didn't understand.

"How can people make money? Labor and skills can all be sold.

Resources are the mountains, forests, land, and even things buried underground in our county. They are extremely valuable. But the more we give away these things, the less we have. We must be cautious when exchanging them for money."

Qi Renli kept repeating what Meng Changqing had just said, and suddenly he quickly buried his head in writing, "I have to write these words down."

Qi Renli not only wrote it down, he also hung it in his room. Every morning when he woke up, he would ponder over the piece of paper.

Meng Changqing saw his intentions.

But any wealth that comes from legitimate and legal means takes time to accumulate.

Meng Changqing gave him enough time, but she never told Qi Renli, and she always cried poor in front of him. After crying poor, she told him not to take it to heart. She took it step by step. This behavior really did not seem like that of a good person.

The cold grew deeper that morning.

Meng Changqing didn't even have time to practice sword skills when he got up. He hurriedly ate breakfast and went to Liangzhou City with his group.

When they arrived at the Liangzhou government office, there was a group of people dispersing in front of them.

After Meng Changqing saw who was leading the group, he immediately dismounted and trotted forward, "Sir, the Governor." After saying this, he stretched out his arm to help Wei Fangyun up the steps in front.

"Changqing!" Wei Fangyun's tired eyes showed surprise, "Why are you here so early in the morning?"

Meng Changqing smiled and replied: "Well, the tax revenue from the grain fields has been almost collected, and it's time to pay back the debt."

"Haha, how does the yield per mu this year compare to last year?" The two men walked inside while talking. The yamen runners in front of the government office skillfully led the horses of Meng Changqing and others.

When he sat down in the study, Meng Changqing had already given a general report on this year's autumn harvest.

(End of this chapter)