My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 248: Providing relief to suppress bandits and calming the people
After receiving Lu Yi's order, Huang Song immediately and enthusiastically led Lu Yi to tour the entire Pingcheng, while at the same time introducing Lu Yi to the various conditions of Pingcheng.

From Pingcheng officials, to the big families in Pingcheng, to some relatively famous common people.

Huang Songdu's introduction was very detailed, which made Lu Yi nod in affirmation.

There was the Han Dynasty.

The county is at the same level as the marquisate (liehou), and both are county-level administrative units.

among them.

The county magistrate and county head are the top officials in the county.

The chief official of a marquisate is the prime minister of that state.

Among them, those with a population of over 10,000 households are considered large counties and thus have a county magistrate to govern them.

Those with less than 10,000 households are classified as medium-sized counties or small counties based on their specific household registration, and all are governed by a county magistrate.

The magistrate of a large county had a rank of 1,000 dan, and the rank of his assistants, such as the chancellor and the lieutenant, was 600 dan.

The rank of the county magistrate of Zhong County is 400 dan, and the rank of his assistants such as the chancellor and the lieutenant is 300 dan.

The rank of the county magistrate of a small county was three hundred dan, and the rank of his assistants, such as the chancellor and the lieutenant, was two hundred dan.

Pingcheng, where Lu Yi is currently working, is considered a small county in the assessment of the Eastern Han court, and an even smaller county among small counties.

It was a staff position that was almost going to be disbanded.

Therefore, it was naturally the smallest county at the bottom among them, and his salary was only 300 shi.

For him, the only benefit might be that the donation money given to Xiyuan was not much, which was a pleasant surprise.

In a general county, the county magistrate and the county head are the highest officials, but they are not like those in the movies and TV dramas that Lu Yi watched in his previous life who can do whatever they want in the county.

In order to prevent such officials from becoming too powerful, the imperial court would arrange varying numbers of assistant officials based on household registration and evaluation. In name, they were subordinates of the county magistrate, but in fact they did not completely obey the county magistrate and could be considered as peers who could provide checks and balances.

一般来说，县令、县长的佐官会设丞1人、尉1-2人、典1人、主簿1人。

Among them is the clerk of the county magistrate's office.

The county lieutenant is in charge of thieves.

The county magistrate is in charge of the warehouse prison.

The chief clerk is similar to the county magistrate.

However, even before the Xianbei invasion, Pingcheng's population had always been low.

Therefore, there were only three people: the county magistrate, the county magistrate, and the county lieutenant.

The positions of county magistrate and chief clerk were omitted.

After all, there are only so many households under its jurisdiction, and it is not in the court's interest to set up so many redundant officials, so naturally they would save wherever possible.

Therefore, Lu Yi himself as the county magistrate, Chen Gong as the county magistrate, and Gao Shun as the county lieutenant had already controlled all the power in the upper echelons of Pingcheng.

The political orders of Pingcheng were actually completely controlled by Lu Yi.

Below the county-level officials, there are many administrative agencies, which employ clerks whose number far exceeds that of officials.

There are Hucao, Bicao, Shicao, Tiancao, Shuicao and Jiangzuoyuan belonging to the civil affairs system.

There are Cangcao and Jincao belonging to the financial system.

There are Ji Cao, Cao Cao and Fa Cao belonging to the transportation system.

There are Bingcao and Weicao belonging to the military system.

There are thieves in the public security system.

There are the Decision Department and the Resignation Department belonging to the judicial system.

Finally, there are academic officials and medical officials belonging to the education and health systems respectively.

These institutions are very comprehensive and cover all aspects.

Even from Lu Yi's perspective in his previous life, it was perfect.

At the county level above the county, the various Caos are similar to those at the county level.

Cao Song, who is currently serving as the tour guide for Lu Yi and others, is the household officer of Pingcheng County, which belongs to the civil affairs system. He is in charge of civilian households, ancestral temples, agriculture and sericulture. The household officer of the county government is also mainly responsible for civilian households, and is also responsible for matters such as prison litigation, rituals and customs, and ancestral temples.

So Huang Song's name is really as good as his character.

But the same logic applies. Officials in the Han Dynasty had to receive salaries from the imperial court, so the principle that has always been established is that it is enough to have enough.

There are counties like Heisei that are not worthy of their name, and their administrative agencies are also incomplete.

Many institutions were set up with inadequate equipment, and some were not set up at all by the previous county magistrate.

They even feel that it is not enough to fill their own pockets, so how can they have any money left to pay their subordinates?

However, Lu Yi was determined to do something big. Even if the court did not give him a position, as the county magistrate he had the power to make decisions on the spot. As long as he was willing to pay, he could fill the vacancies and no one could blame him.

Even if the imperial court knew about it, they would even praise his political talents.

Of course, it is impossible to get money from the court, even if you are beaten to death.

After being led by Huang Song to visit Pingcheng and several of its subordinate townships, Lu Yi had a general idea of ​​the situation in Pingcheng, but before deploying the next action, there were still several key situations that needed to be understood.

Therefore, before officially starting work, Lu Yi asked Huang Song, who behaved very obediently, a few key questions.

"I have been troubled by Huang Hu Cao for taking me around these past two days. Now I have made up my mind about the politics of this county, but I still have some doubts in my mind, and I would like to ask Huang Hu Cao to answer them for me."

Lu Yi's attitude was no longer as stern as when they first met.

He was used to appreciating talented and obedient subordinates. Now that Huang Song was so sensible, he didn't mind giving him a smile.

As the saying goes, when the water is too clear, there will be no fish; when a person is too strict, there will be no followers.

If a superior is too ruthless and impartial, his subordinates will inevitably become disloyal and pretend to obey his orders but actually disobey them.

As long as it does not affect his own development, Lu Yi will not be completely intolerant even if the Huang family has some shady dealings in private.

"This is my job, why should I say it's hard work?"

"What's more, you fought hard against the Xianbei several months ago and avenged the victims of the Pingcheng people. I and the other surviving people in Pingcheng are grateful for your kindness, so we consider it an honor to serve you."

"If you have anything else to say, please feel free to ask. If I knew, I would not dare to hide it."

Huang Song kept a very humble attitude.

Pingcheng, as a border town, was not rich.

The Huang family is said to be a big family in Pingcheng, but if compared with the Central Plains, they are simply local rich people.

After the Xianbei people came and caused trouble, the Huang family and several other big families in Pingcheng suffered heavy casualties and never recovered.

Therefore, long before Lu Yi took office, several big families in Pingcheng had discussed privately that no matter which official the court sent to be the county magistrate, they would serve him wholeheartedly and would not dare to make too many small moves for fear of bringing about a catastrophic disaster.

Now that they knew that the county magistrate was the martial arts master Lu Yi, they naturally dared not act rashly.

"Don't be nervous, Huang Hucao. Just tell the truth."

Lu Yi nodded, and then asked continuously.

“There are four questions.”

"Let me ask you, how many households are there in Pingcheng now?"

"Second question, how much money and grain is there in the government office?"

“Question three: Is there a backlog of official complaints?”

"Fourth question: Is the county peaceful and quiet?" Lu Yi's questions were very tricky, covering almost all the major issues in Pingcheng at the moment.

Upon hearing this, Huang Song knew that Lu Yi was definitely not the brave and reckless man as rumored. He either possessed great political talent or had an expert to guide him.

Otherwise, he would not have asked such a sharp question directly, pointing out the crux of Pingcheng's current government affairs.

At that moment, Huang Song's heart trembled, and he completely extinguished the last trace of contempt that naturally arose from Lu Yi's age. He immediately explained Lu Yi's problems in detail.

"Today, after the Xianbei Rebellion, there are still more than a hundred households left in Pingcheng, but the population is less than a thousand."

"The lord of the county originally had some surplus money, but the Xianbei killed the county magistrate immediately after they captured Pingcheng, and looted all the money and grain in the county. Thanks to the Xianbei, there was no spring plowing this year, and naturally no autumn harvest. Now, let alone surplus money and grain, even the salaries of the officials have not been paid for several months. Now the county is struggling to operate with the support of several large families in the county."

"And the people have suffered severely from the Xianbei. Not only has every family lost a member, but many minorities and even entire clans have been wiped out by the Xianbei. Now the people have no surplus food and no harvest, so every family is struggling to make ends meet. To be honest, sir, people are already cannibalizing their own children in the county."

"As for the food in the government office, there is not much. All the official business has been handled by the clerks like me. The people are now hungry and naturally have no energy to sue the court."

"It's just this last one..."

Huang Song's expression remained calm as he spoke. Even when he mentioned the cannibalism in Pingcheng, he did not show much emotion. It seemed that he was already used to such things.

But when he answered Lu Yi's last question, he looked at Lu Yi with some caution, obviously worried that Lu Yi would punish him after hearing what he said.

"Strong winds reveal strong grass, and turbulent times reveal loyal ministers."

"The current situation in Pingcheng is caused by the Xianbei people."

"It is commendable that you can still hold on to Pingcheng under such circumstances."

"Therefore, no matter how bad the situation is, it has nothing to do with Huang Hucao and others. Huang Hucao can speak without worry!"

Lu Yi naturally saw the concerns of Huang Song and others, but seeing that Huang Song and others still respected him, he did not intend to pursue responsibility, and instead spoke gently to reassure Huang Song.

"Thank you for your consideration, sir. We are deeply grateful."

Huang Song couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he heard this, and immediately seized the opportunity to say what he had not dared to say just now.

"After the Xianbei started the trouble, Pingcheng has not harvested any crops for another year. Some rural thugs have occupied the mountains and fields and plundered the local area. I originally wanted to lead people to suppress the rebellion, but now there are so many thieves, hundreds of young and strong thieves. It is difficult for me to defend the city, let alone catch them. Now this group of thieves robs houses every day. The number of people has already exceeded a thousand, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to stop them!"

"Humph!"

"At this time of national crisis, this guy dares to take advantage of the chaos and commit treason. He really doesn't know how to write the word death!"

Lu Yi was furious when he heard this.

He has no control over banditry and disasters elsewhere, nor does he want to care.

But now, everyone in Pingcheng is regarded as his forbidden delicacy.

How can I allow villains to cause trouble next to my bed?
Lu Yilian dared to lead an attack on an army of 300,000 Xianbei soldiers, so he naturally did not take a mere thousand-strong bandit seriously.

"County lieutenant, listen to my orders!"

"The subordinate is here!"

Lu Yi shouted loudly, and Gao Shun immediately stepped out of the crowd, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and obeyed his orders.

"The thief is rampant and must be eliminated. I will order you to return to Jiuyuan and gather all the soldiers in the Xianzhen Camp. Follow me to eliminate this beast as soon as possible!"

"Your Majesty, take your orders!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Shun took a few people with him, mounted his horse and hurried back to Jiuyuan.

Pingcheng was not far from Jiuben, and each soldier in the Xianzhen Camp had two horses, so they could return in two days.

By then, this group of bandits will inevitably face a devastating disaster.

"Where is the county magistrate?"

After arranging the matters of eliminating the bandits, Lu Yi immediately turned to the people's livelihood.

Nowadays, cannibalism has occurred in Pingcheng, which Lu Yi believes is absolutely intolerable.

He could accept his failure in his bid for world domination and being destroyed by Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others, but he could never tolerate such tragic things as cannibalism happening under his rule.

"I am here!"

Chen Gong was not a military general, so upon hearing this he simply stepped out of the line and bowed to Lu Yi.

"I know that the people of Pingcheng are having a hard time. I have brought emergency food with me. It is enough to feed all the people of Pingcheng temporarily. You must quickly distribute the food in the convoy according to the number of people. Don't miss anyone. You must do it yourself and deal with it fairly!"

"I will obey your orders and live up to your trust!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Gong also accepted the order with a serious expression.

Food is the most important thing for people. Now the people of Pingcheng are almost struggling on the brink of death. Chen Gong, who is a farmer himself and knows the suffering of the people, feels sorry for them. He secretly makes up his mind to do well the task that Lu Yi first gave him.

It is not only to show himself, but also for the people of Pingcheng.

After Lu Yi made the arrangements, he did not follow to check.

His business is getting bigger and bigger now, so he just needs to delegate some things to the people below him.

Moreover, Chen Gong was a man who had left his name in history after all. He was able to assist Lu Bu in governing a state with ease, so a simple relief matter would naturally not be a problem for him.

Therefore, Lu Yi can rest assured.

Besides, if he has to do everything himself, wouldn't he be exhausted to death?
Even a great man like Zhuge Wuhou was exhausted to death by government affairs. Lu Yi felt that his talent was far inferior to that of Zhuge Wuhou.

Therefore, he ordered Huang Song and others to assist Chen Gong, while he himself stayed alone in the county magistrate's office and began to look through the official documents and papers left by the previous county magistrate.

The Xianbei people only knew how to plunder and destroy, and they looted the little money, silk, and other items in the county government.

However, the most valuable official documents and papers were thrown away casually in the corner of the county government office like waste paper.

After Pingcheng was recaptured by the Han army, Huang Song and others immediately collected these precious documents again.

This made Lu Yi's expectations worthwhile.

These documents include books exchanged with the imperial court, geographical maps of Pingcheng’s mountains and rivers, and household registration information of all the people in Pingcheng.

If it weren't for these documents accumulated by countless previous county governors over many years, Lu Yi would be like a blind man. He would have to start from scratch to count and register everything, which would waste a lot of his energy and time.

Although Lu Yi is cautious by nature and wants to know everything clearly, he will still check these documents again soon.

Now that he has these picture albums, it saves him a lot of effort.

"Hu people..."

"Humph!"

Thinking of this, Lu Yi couldn't help but snorted three times in contempt, thinking of the Xianbei people who were short-sighted and wanted to occupy the Central Plains.

……

Just as Lu Yi was patiently reading through documents in the office.

Chen Gong’s porridge stall was also successfully set up in front of the south gate of Pingcheng.

Not only did Lu Yi donate a considerable amount of grain himself, but Huang Song and other local wealthy families in Pingcheng also spontaneously took out their own food reserves to help the people.

The people of Pingcheng heard that the new county magistrate not only did not collect the taxes owed by the people this year, but instead paid out of his own pocket to provide relief to the hungry people.

They were surprised and at the same time afraid that they would be too late and even the porridge would have been eaten up by others, so they helped the elderly and children and led their families to the south gate of Pingcheng.

They have already plundered all the grass roots and tree barks in Pingcheng to fill their stomachs. Now that there is free rice porridge available, why would they be willing to queue up?

The hungry people were clamoring and making a lot of noise, fearing that they would be left behind. The entire South Gate of Pingcheng was crowded with people.

……

(End of this chapter)