Do you know that it starts with Meng Tong?

In fact, what Wei Chen didn't know was that Sun Zhuo admired him very much in his heart.

Generally speaking, Zhengyin officials are located in prefectural government offices, and they cannot go out through the front door or the second door.

But Wei Chen is different.

Not to mention anything else, in the past three months alone, he made five or six trips to Mi County.

Based on Wei Chen's diligent attitude towards political affairs and his hands-on attitude, Sun Zhuo can guarantee that there are not many such officials in the entire Zhou Dynasty.

……

After inspecting the thirty-mile embankment, it was getting late, so Sun Zhuo invited Wei Chen to a village beside the embankment.

This village was requisitioned, but everything was arranged in an orderly manner. The cook outside was already preparing dinner and roasting a whole lamb in the yard.

The resting room had been uninhabited for a long time, and there was a slight odor in the room that was not easy to detect. Wei Chen didn't pay attention to it, but Sun Zhuo immediately called the maid, brought the incense box and incense burner, and incense to drive away the smell.

Sun Zhuo said: "Your Excellency has come to Mi County to inspect the river embankment several times. I thought that the next time your Excellency comes, I will always find a place to shelter from the wind and rain, so I prepared this Zhuangzi in advance.

I didn't expect it to come in handy so quickly. "

"Zhixian Sun is attentive."

Wei Chen smiled and nodded, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. An official like Sun Zhuo, who is capable of doing things and always thinking about Shangguan, wasted decades to become a county magistrate just because of his family background. This shows the gold content of the Jinshi title. !

But if Sun Zhuo is obedient, Wei Chen can consider adding a few points to his evaluation and push him to a higher level. After all, the achievement of building embankments alone is enough to advance to the first level.

Wei Chen rested for a while, took a few sips of hot tea, and then said slowly: "Since you're here, let's handle official business here."

"Yes."

Sun Zhuo responded quickly and ordered his scribes to bring account books to Wei Chen for review. These were all detailed accounts of Hegong.

The state government allocated 5000 taels of silver one after another. Wei Chen naturally wanted to find out where all the money was spent.

Wei Chen first asked his confidant Fang Yuan to come forward and check the accounts. Fang Yuan carefully read through the accounts and marked a few places with a pen, which were all errors and omissions in the accounts.

Sun Zhuo saw it clearly from the side, he was so frightened that he was sweating profusely and felt uneasy in his heart.

He knows best about the accounts he makes himself, and there are indeed some false statements in the accounts.

He thought he did it perfectly and could hide it from Wei Chen.Although Wei Chen is very capable, he has only been in office for more than a year and has not yet developed a sharp eye.

However, I didn't expect that Wei Chen would have such a powerful staff member beside him, who could see through his tricks at a glance.

Seeing Sun Zhuozhan's trembling look, Wei Chen couldn't help but smile and said, "It's just official business. Magistrate Sun doesn't need to be so nervous. However, I won't write off these false accounts for you."

"Damn the lower officials!"

Sun Zhuo was sweating profusely when he heard this, and quickly knelt down to apologize to Wei Chen.

Wei Chen chuckled: "You should understand that although these hundreds of taels of silver are not much, every cent is taken from the people's fat and the people's anointing. It should be taken from the people and used for the people..."

Sun Zhuo heard the coldness in Wei Chen's tone and said hurriedly: "I understand, I understand, I will definitely make up for the falsehoods in the accounts!"

Wei Chen nodded with satisfaction. It was easy to deal with smart people. He said in a slightly slower tone: "I am the governor of Yuzhou. What I want is not an honest but useless official, but an official who can really get things done.

Your achievements in river management are all seen by me. I will recommend you to the imperial court during this year's evaluation.Officials move every three years. You have been a county magistrate for 12 years, so it’s time to move up. "

Sun Zhuo was overjoyed when he heard this. He burst into tears and said, "I would like to thank Lord Zhizhou for your kindness in cultivating me."

At this time, the roasted whole lamb was also brought up. The maids carried the food boxes into the house and opened them one by one. The smell was fragrant.

Wei Chen then asked Sun Zhuo to get up and eat with him. The meal was a feast for both host and guest.

The next day, Wei Chen and Gu Tingye left Mi County in a carriage.

On the way, seeing that Gu Tingye was a little unhappy, Wei Chen couldn't help but curiously asked: "What's on your mind, Zhong Huai?"

Gu Tingye held it in all night, and finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He asked in confusion: "Although Sun Zhuo has extraordinary political achievements, his conduct is lacking. Why do you want to recommend such an official to the superiors?"

Only then did Wei Chen understand Gu Tingye's confusion, and he smiled and said: "In the past, Chen Ping stole his sister-in-law's gold, and Liu Bang used it, and the world praised him, why?

Just because it was a time of war, one should act on the basis of talent.Only in an era of great governance can we proceed to discuss virtue.Zhonghuai, do you think the current Great Zhou Dynasty can be called a time of great governance? "

The era of great rule?

Gu Tingye thought of a lot in an instant.

The Khitan is eyeing you in the north, the newly rising party in the west, the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, which has long been defeated by its rivals, and the treacherous situation in Bianjing City...

"Xingyun, I understand."

Chapter 236

In August, there is a heavy flood in late autumn.

After several days of heavy rain, the Yellow River swelled and flooded its inner embankment.

All townships and villages along the river in Yuzhou mobilized all fronts and organized people to go to the embankment to guard the embankment.

Wei Chen and Sun Zhuo, the magistrate of Mi County, both lived on the embankment, carrying lanterns and patrolling around, and they were busy all night.

Although it sounds a bit thrilling, it is actually a common occurrence during the Yellow River flood season. A true once-in-a-century flood is much more severe than this.

When the sun rose the next day, the flood finally receded, and the newly built inner embankment emerged from the water again, safe and sound.

Taking advantage of a break from the heavy rain, Wei Chen put on a coir raincoat and walked out of the rain shelter to inspect the embankment.

Wei Chen didn't say much during the whole process, he just let Sun Zhuo lead him to see how the people on the embankment repaired the river embankment, and then went to see whether the meals provided by the county were thoughtful, that's all.

After all, Sun Zhuo was the official directly in charge of the river, and he had proven his ability. Therefore, Wei Chen did not go beyond Sun Zhuo to point out the river defense. Instead, he showed up and down that he had completely entrusted the river defense to Sun Zhuo and Zusun. Great respect.

Sun Zhuo has been working hard for decades. Because he was born in Juren, he had to live under others for a long time. He was used to the hardships of his bosses who were high-minded and low-minded. Naturally, he was grateful for Wei Chen's trust and wished he could repay Wei Chen with all his heart. The grace of knowing someone.

Wei Chen stood on the top of the embankment, looking at the scene on the river beach, and couldn't help but sigh.

In any case, in this first quiz on the Yellow River, the Yuzhou River Control Project received a perfect score.

At this time, he suddenly saw a group of people under the embankment using small carts to transport soil and compact the embankment feet under the command of several old river workers, and he couldn't help but feel moved.

Then he turned to Sun Zhuo and said: "These old river workers are rich in experience. One person can equal dozens of people in river management. Such talents must be retained, so that the embankment can be kept intact for a hundred years."

Sun Zhuo rubbed his hands, a little embarrassed: "Master Zhizhou clearly knows that this year, the government paid for hiring, so there are so many old river workers. In previous years, when they were sent to serve, these people were actually unwilling to serve.

They did not dare to tell the government that they knew about river engineering, for fear that if the government found out, they would send conscripts to his head every year, and eventually die of exhaustion on the bank of the Yellow River. "

When Wei Chen heard this, he became angry and snorted coldly: "This river defense matter is related to the lives and fortunes of the people along the river. The people should be more anxious than anyone else to repair the embankment. Otherwise, when the flood comes, the first They are the ones who suffer.

However, the government forced conscripts to repair the river, which caused the people's families to be destroyed, which was more harmful than the river disaster. So much so that the people complained about the river construction, and everyone fled from the service.Whose responsibility is this? "

"This... is the official's incompetence in handling the matter. Please forgive me!" Sun Zhuo lowered his head in fear.

Wei Chen didn't mean to blame Sun Zhuo. After all, this was a chronic disease that had existed in the imperial court for many years, and it was not something that Sun Zhuo, a small county magistrate, could change.

After pondering for a while, Wei Chen said to Fang Yuan, the accompanying staff member: "I want to set up a river engineering department to be responsible for river engineering. Those experienced river workers, whether they are good at measuring water potential, repairing embankments, compacting soil, or plugging breaches, in short As long as you have a skill, you can

Recruited and employed by the River Engineering Department.After you get back, you can draft a detailed charter and send it to me for review. "

"Yes, Dong Weng."

Fang Yuan wrote down Wei Chen's requests one by one and planned to start handling the matter immediately after returning to his residence.

When Sun Zhuo saw that Wei Chen was serious about it, he was secretly speechless.

In the past, it was okay to hire workers to build the embankment. After all, it only took three months, but now Wei Chen actually had to pay to keep those old river workers.

Wouldn't it cost thousands and hundreds of taels of silver every year from now on?

Over time, this extra expense is not a small amount!

Yuzhou has experienced so many Ren Zhizhou, and Wei Chen is probably the only one who has such courage.

Of course, this is also because Wei Chen has laid a solid foundation and has sufficient treasury. Otherwise, if he wants to serve the people, it will be difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.

As far as Sun Zhuo knew, the revenue from the burgeoning Cuju competition in Yuzhou City alone was more than a thousand taels of silver a year. This alone was enough to cover the expenses of establishing the River Engineering Department.

The people do not have to be taxed but their finances and taxes are sufficient. Wei Chen can be said to have interpreted this sentence vividly.

When it comes to making money, we still need to learn more from Master Zhizhou!

Sun Zhuo sighed in his heart, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, and he thought of something that might be suitable for Wei Chen.

At that moment, he stepped forward and raised his hands to Wei Chen and said, "Master Zhizhou, the hundreds of hectares of silt fields between the inner embankment and the outer embankment are worth a lot of money. Do you want me to summon the local gentry to discuss the purchase and sale of the silt fields?"

"silt field?"

Wei Chen was slightly startled when he heard this, and immediately followed Sun Zhuo's instructions and looked into the narrow passage between the inner embankment and the outer embankment.

After the heavy floods in Fuqiu, the river water retreated from the outer embankment and the inner embankment, and the river channel was re-contained within the inner embankment.

Because of the construction of the horizontal embankment, the river water that overflowed the inner embankment did not take away the silt. Several feet of silt were left between the inner embankment and the outer embankment, forming a large silt field.

This is a precious place in the eyes of the people.

As the saying goes, the grain fields in the north are about fighting, and the grain fields in the south are about rocks.

Ten buckets are equal to one stone.

In the south, where the soil and water are pleasant, it is not uncommon to produce two, three, or even four or five shi per acre.

In the north, even in a good year, only six or seven bushels can be harvested from one acre, and on normal days, only three or four bushels can be harvested.

Only this silt field is different.

A yield of three or four stones per mu is common.

There are currently two to three hundred hectares of such high-quality land. As long as it is sold to the big families in Yuzhou, it will naturally be a large amount of income. This is what Sun Zhuo had in mind, so he diligently asked Wei Chen Offer suggestions.

Wei Chen understood what Sun Zhuo meant, but he shook his head and said, "These are wastelands, not official fields. How can we do business?"

"wasteland?"

Sun Zhuo was stunned: "But these are the benefits of spending manpower and material resources to build embankments. They should be counted as official land."

Wei Chen said calmly: "The construction of water conservancy projects is a matter within the scope of the government. How can there be any reason to make money from the people?"

Of course Sun Zhuo understood what Wei Chen meant.

Confucius once said, if the people are enough, which king is not enough?If the people are not enough, which king will be enough?

This is the Confucian idea of ​​hiding wealth in the people, and this is what Wei Chen said.

But Sun Zhuo still didn't understand.

Wei Chen had obviously been so enthusiastic about the art of cultivating goods before, so why was he not moved at all when faced with the large sum of money that was so readily available in front of him?