The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 259 Xu Xuan’s work report
The heavy snow in November arrived as expected.

A carriage with a thick layer of snow on its roof stopped in front of the gate of Jiedu Mansion. The curtain was opened. Xu Xuan got out of the carriage and stepped on the footstool. He looked up at the county government office. Jiedu Mansion is not very grand in size.

Xu Xuan took out a bunch of coins, about [-] yuan, and handed them to the coachman. The coachman stuffed them into his arms and said with a smile: "When the official leaves, go to the 'gust of wind' carriage shop in the city. Take out the voucher and someone will help the official arrange it." Drive back to Nongken Town."

After the coachman finished speaking, he bowed and turned the carriage around towards the gate of Yacheng.

Xu Xuan looked at the windmill horse riding ticket in his hand and carefully put it into his purse.

After patting the snowflakes on his body, Xu Xuan took his official documents and walked up the stairs. The guards on duty in front of the mansion stepped forward to stop him.

"Xu Xuan, the mayor of the agricultural reclamation area, was ordered to report to Shi Jieshuai and the young envoy!"

Xu Xuan presented the document with both hands and stated his intention.

The guard took it and checked it was correct, and handed it to him, clasped his fists and said, "Mayor Xu, please!"

"Thank you!" Xu Xuan crossed the threshold and entered the house.

After coming to Jingzhou for so long, this was the first time he entered Jiedu Mansion.

This shabby mansion is the core of power of Changyi Army in two states and eight counties.

A porter came forward and led Xu Xuan to the middle hall. He asked him to sit in the middle hall for a while, served hot tea and cakes, and said that someone would come to take him to see Shi Jieshuai in a while.

Xu Xuan sat upright on the chair and was busy on his way. He hadn’t eaten after noon, and he was a little hungry. After hesitating for a while, Xu Xuan picked up a piece of crispy sugar cake. It was sweet, glutinous and smooth, very delicious. piece.
This kind of pastry also comes from Guanghe Store. Xu Xuan has seen it before. One piece costs more than ten cents, which is really expensive.

Zhangyi Jiedu Mansion is a bit dilapidated, and the furniture in the living room is also old. Unexpectedly, the food is generous.

Xu Xuan thought silently in his heart, and in line with the principle of not wasting, he ate the last piece of candy cake on the plate together with some broken bits.
A burst of footsteps came from the side door, followed by a familiar voice: "Mr. Xu!"

Xu Xuan hurriedly stood up and looked, stunned: "Master Chu? How could it be you?"

Zhu Xiu was dressed in a green-robed scholar's uniform. He quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands: "It's a long story. Long time no see. Is Mr. Xu okay?"

"Thank you Mr. Chu for your concern. Everything is fine with Xu." Xu Xuan looked behind him and then outside the hall. No one else appeared.

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "Mr. Xu doesn't know something. The students' grades in Jingzhou Academy are not bad. Thanks to the young envoy's promotion, he elected me to the Jiedu Mansion. I usually help sort out official documents and do some easy copying and excerpts. live."

"Oh? Congratulations to Mr. Chu!" Xu Xuan handed over his hand in surprise. Although this job is idle and has no authority, but he can stay with the young envoy, is he afraid that he will not be reused in the future?

This obviously means vigorously cultivating talents!

Zhu Xiu said modestly: "For a moment of luck, Mr. Xu laughed."

Xu Xuan smiled and wondered why he didn't understand what kind of luck there was. It was clearly his own excellence coupled with human manipulation.

Chu Xun’s second uncle, Shopkeeper Chu, must be adding fuel to the fire.

Shopkeeper Chu is not easy either. He can arrange for Chu Xun to enter Jiedu Mansion and follow the young envoy.

"How are you, brother Li Jiaxian?" Zhu Xiu pretended to be concerned. All the movements of Xu Xuan and Li Congjia were under his control.

Xu Xuan smiled and said: "Thank you, Young Master Chu. Li Jia returned to Anding after the Mid-Autumn Festival and has been studying hard. He studied in the school during the day and had to complete his homework when he returned to the residence at night. It is also hard work."

"That's good. A few days ago, the student went to Yuanzhou with the young envoy and was not in the school. He left in a hurry and didn't have time to say hello to Brother Li Jiaxian and Mr. Xu."

Xu Xuan said: "Master Chu also went to Yuanzhou with the army?"

"The young envoy asked me to go out with the army, which is a great experience." Zhu Xiu said with a smile.

Xu Xuan hurriedly said: "Master Chu must know the details of the Yuanzhou War. Can you tell me about it?"

"As the mayor of the town, Mr. Xu should receive a copy of the battle report, right?"

"I've read it, I've even read all the news published in the newspapers, but most of them are words of praise and there is very little analysis of the war." Xu Xuan shook his head.

Zhu Xiu's face turned red. This was all a publicity campaign arranged by him.

"When you have time later, I will tell Mr. Xu slowly. The young envoy is already in the official room, so Mr. Xu should come with me to pay my respects first."

Xu Xuan patted his forehead and said with a smile: "Business matters, let's go."

The two talked all the way, walked through the corridor and pavilion, and went to the office and official room in the northwest of the central hall.

"Mr. Xu, please wait a moment. Let the students come in and report." Zhu Xiugong raised his hands and was about to leave when he heard bursts of snoring coming from the office room and secretly screamed something bad.

"This..." Xu Xuan was stunned, and smiled bitterly in a low voice: "The young envoy must be sleeping soundly, Xu should come back later."

Zhu Xiugan smiled and said: "Young Envoy has been busy with official duties for the past few days. But it doesn't matter. The student will go in and wake him up."

With that said, Zhu Xiu opened the door and entered the house regardless of Xu Xuan's obstruction.

Shi Xiangwen was wearing an oversized scribe's robe. His huge body was squeezed into the small Taishi chair, and he lay on the desk and fell asleep.

Zhu Xiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and hurriedly stepped forward to wake him up.

Shi Xiangwen was sleepy-eyed and confused.

"Remember what I taught you? Don't cheat later!" Zhu Xiu warned in a low voice.

Shi Xiangwen yawned, held his head up, and muttered: "I'm hungry."

"We have stew for dinner tonight, please bear with it for now!" Zhu Xiu helped him tidy up his clothes and tightened his loose robes, just like coaxing a child.

"Young Envoy, please invite Mr. Xu into the room to talk." Zhu Xiu walked forward quickly and smiled.

With a serious expression, Xu Xuan followed Zhu Xiu into the house with his head held high and his chest held high.

The spacious official office is uniquely decorated, simple but not simple.

The large, high-legged desk was impressive. A hill-like figure sat behind the desk, holding his head and looking at him dully with wide eyes.

Xu Xuan was shocked. The famous young envoy turned out to be such a majestic giant?

"Xu Xuan, mayor of the Nong Reclamation District, have met the young envoy!" Xu Xuan saluted meticulously.

Zhu Xiu stood aside and gestured secretly to Shi Xiangwen.

Shi Xiangwen blinked and said in a low voice, "Sit down." Zhu Xiu quickly moved the chair behind Xu Xuan.

"Thank you." Xu Xuan handed over his hands, put down his robe and sat down facing the desk. He couldn't help but look at the giant man sitting opposite.

The more I looked at him, the more I felt something was wrong. This man's eyes were empty and lifeless, his face was dull, and he seemed to be a little stupid.

"Chu Xun, you" Shi Xiangwen forgot what to say and looked at him blankly.

Zhu Xiu hurriedly said: "Young Master, please ask Mr. Xu to introduce the recent situation in the agricultural reclamation area."

Xu Xuan looked at Zhu Xiu and then at Shi Xiangwen. He felt more and more that these two people were a little weird. He cupped his hands and said: "Since Xiaguan took office in September, the agricultural reclamation area has completed the production tasks for the year. Thanks to the smooth water canals, today's farmland An increase of [-]% compared to last year.”

Xu Xuan talked eloquently and introduced the situation of the agricultural reclamation area in an orderly manner.

Zhu Xiu nodded frequently while Shi Xiangwen yawned.

"Young Envoy, are you a little dissatisfied with Xiaguan's work since he took charge of Nongken Town?" Xu Xuan said solemnly, cupping his hands.

Shi Xiangwen looked at him blankly, his mind was far away and he didn't even listen to his words.

Zhu Xiu coughed lightly and said, "Mr. Xu, I don't know something. Recently, I have a sore throat. The doctor has told me to talk less. There are some questions that I have told the students in advance, and the students will ask them on my behalf."

Xu Xuan was full of doubts, but after thinking about it, he nodded and said, "Your envoy can just ask."

"Mr. Xu, what problems do you think currently exist in Nongken Town?" Zhu Xiu asked.

Xu Xuan thought for a moment and said: "Young Shijun has completed the plan for the agricultural reclamation area. Since Xiaguan took office, he has implemented the development plan step by step. Generally speaking, everything is stable. There is just one thing that Xiaguan feels is a little inappropriate."

"Mr. Xu, I just said it's okay." Zhu Xiu took the opportunity to pour tea and secretly poked Shi Xiangwen's waist to cheer up the guy.

Xu Xuan cleared his throat and said: "Young Master strictly prohibits the establishment of clan forces in the countryside. Villagers and villagers cannot interfere in specific affairs and can only make suggestions to the town office. I feel that something is wrong."

Most of the people in Nongken Town are migrant households. When they come to a foreign land, they often gather together with relatives and fellow villagers. If the villagers cannot be allowed to govern themselves and some power is delegated to them, it may be difficult for them to have a sense of belonging, which will be detrimental to the stability of the town.

I don't know about this, have you ever thought about it? "

Shi Xiangwen yawned, then changed his hand to support his head and continued to doze off.

Zhu Xiu hurriedly said: "What you mean by this question is that in the past, clan forces controlled the power of counties and townships and practiced favoritism and malpractice in taxation, labor, land division and other matters. In order to retain the wealth, they did not hesitate to harm the interests of the government, so we must vigorously Promote the decentralization of government power, prohibit local clan, township and party collusion, and evacuate the power of counties and townships.”

Xu Xuan frowned and said, "But if this happens, it will inevitably affect the interests of the local nobles and will not be conducive to Jiedu Mansion's efforts to win the support of the nobles."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "There is a large-scale relocation of people in Jingzhou. The influx of people from Pizhou into Jingzhou is a good opportunity to re-clarify the household register and count the tax households. Naturally, we cannot allow the local wealthy families to hide their tenants like in the past. There have been cases of underreporting land taxes.

Taking away the power from local gentry representatives such as village elders and county and township elders is an important step to expand government tax households and curb land annexation."

The young envoy kept silent, but it was Chu Shaolang who answered his question. Xu Xuan felt strange, but it was not easy to ask more questions. It was inconvenient for the young envoy to speak, so Chu Shaolang could only be used as the mouthpiece.

Xu Xuan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "If Zhang Yijun's method is used elsewhere, it will definitely cause an uproar! The gentry and bureaucrats in various places will also regard Zhang Yijun as aliens, and will be resistant or even hostile to Zhang Yijun. If it were used in Jiangnan, I am afraid that it would have already Stir up civil unrest."

Zhu Xiu sneered and said: "Mr. Xu's words are wrong! The changes in the world are the annexation of land. Farmers depend on the land for their livelihood. The bureaucrats and nobles steal the land through plunder and turn the farmers into tenant farmers, hiding the news from the superiors. The household tax exploits the tenant farmers, making the poor people of the country unable to make a living, but they themselves are full of fat. In this way, how can the world remain unchanged?

But don't forget that the vast majority of the world are farmers who work hard. Once they can no longer survive, the day of rebellion is not far away.

Chen Sheng and Wu Guangzhi's shocking cries are still in my ears, and the disaster of Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao is still in front of my eyes!
If the hungry rebel army runs over you, your thousand-year-old family or your dynasty that has been greeted by all nations will turn into scorched earth and cease to exist."

Xu Xuan was speechless and sighed bitterly: "But there will always be imperial power, bureaucrats, and noble nobles in the world. We must rely on them to govern the people's livelihood in the world."

Zhu Xiu said calmly: "So we just exclude local nobles from grassroots power. As long as they pay taxes in accordance with the law and honestly sign up for the number of tenants, they can be allowed to survive safely. The people are suffering, and the country's policies The law should be tilted towards them."

Xu Xuan was silent for a while, then stood up and bowed deeply: "What Mr. Chu said is a real plan to benefit the country and the people. Please accept Xu Xuan's worship!"

Zhu Xiu hurriedly turned aside and said to Shi Xiangwen, who was sleeping on the desk, "Mr. Xu misunderstood. These are the original words of the young envoy. The student is just conveying them on his behalf."

Xu Xuan bowed to Shi Xiangwen again, but unfortunately all he received in response was a series of snores.

"That's all. I think you just came back from Yuanzhou and you are too tired. I'd better not bother you for too long and take my leave first."

Xu Xuan smiled bitterly and stood up to leave.

Zhu Xiu said hurriedly: "Send me off, sir. Sir, don't be surprised. The young envoy has been feeling unwell lately. He read the manuscripts of various county residences last night and didn't rest for a while until dawn. It was too hard."

"Really?" Xu Xuan was full of doubts. Before going out, he turned around and looked at the young envoy who was sleeping on the desk and snoring loudly.

The image of this person was completely different from what he imagined.

"Sir, why don't you come and sit with me in the study, and I will tell you about the war in Yuanzhou." Zhu Xiu suggested.

"That's what I meant!" Xu Xuan happily accepted.

When walking through the middle courtyard, a civil servant in his 30s walked towards him, holding a stack of books and walking in a hurry.

When the man saw Zhu Xiu, he hurried forward and said, "I'd like to pay my respects to the young master."

Zhu Xiu felt anxious when he saw him from a distance. This man's name was Su Zhenchang. He was an official under Pei Jin who was responsible for managing the military grain storage. He occasionally went to Jiedu Mansion for work, but he didn't expect to be bumped into by him today.

He didn't know Zhu Xiu's arrangement to deceive Xu Xuan by concealing his identity.

"Young Envoy is in the official room, please ask Su Cao to go and see you!"

Zhu Xiu shouted loudly before he could speak, which frightened Su Zhenchang.

Zhu Xiu secretly winked at him, but Su Zhenchang was not stupid at all. He cupped his hands in confusion and said, "I understand."

Zhu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly pulled Xu Xuan away at a faster pace.

Su Zhenchang stood there and watched, with confusion and thought on his face.

What did the young envoy do?
But the elegant man next to the young envoy caught his attention.

No one knew that Su Zhenchang was from Xuanzhou in the south of the Yangtze River, and had traveled and studied in Jiangning for many years.

"This person's appearance seems to have been seen somewhere before?" Su Zhenchang was puzzled, suspecting that he was dazzled.

Shaking his head, he walked towards the official room while recalling and thinking.

(End of this chapter)