Ming politicians

The fifth day of November.

The meeting convened by the governor's yamen was finally held, and those people who attended the meeting were still those people, officials of the fourth rank and above, prefectures and county magistrates, a total of more than 100 people.

The officials who participated in the meeting did not feel much surprise. It should be said that the work of the year is almost done, the grain harvest is bumper, and winter wheat is being planted in various places. The refugees still need the government to provide a certain amount of seeds, and the local people will not open their mouths. They either save seeds or spend money to buy them. The government has helped them enough, and they are embarrassed to continue to extend their hands.

The prefectural and county yamen strictly enforce the prescribed taxes. When collecting taxes, they are not allowed to increase the burden on the people at will. Once such a situation is discovered, the officials involved will be severely punished. No one will use their official hats to make jokes Yes, the process of collecting taxes was very smooth. The common people almost all went to the Yamen to pay them automatically, and all of them were exchanged for silver. There were also a very small number of people who turned in grain, all because there was no time to trade.

Merchants who went to buy grain from all over Shaanxi are overwhelming. The mutual market requires a huge amount of grain, and the price of grain trading is high. Being able to buy grain from the hands of ordinary people means that you can earn a lot of money. When this happens , To a certain extent, the price of grain purchases has been raised, and the people who benefit are the common people, and merchants will also settle accounts. Buying grain from other provinces will consume a lot of money just for transportation. It is better to raise some prices and purchase locally. It is also wise The merchants put down a deposit and agreed that after the winter wheat harvest, there would be surplus grain.All are bought, the price will not be very low.

Another situation that appeared in various places is that most villages and towns are starting to build houses, or renovate dilapidated houses before, when Su Tiancheng learned about these situations.And after I personally went to the villages and towns near Xianyang to see it, I felt much more relieved. It has been like this for thousands of years. The conditions of farmers are slightly better. The first thing that comes to mind is to repair the house better, so that I can also be decent. of.

It is a pity that there is basically a pity situation in various places, and many officials are participating in the meeting this time.It must be a summary of the results. The governor's office may also propose commendations. It may organize inspections. At the last meeting, the governor personally said that inspections will be organized at the end of the year. The governor's office will organize inspections at the end of the year. be commended.Everyone cares about such a commendation.This is the greatest affirmation of their own achievements.

Among the people who attended the meeting, Chen Yutai was probably the most disappointed, including many magistrates in Gongchang Prefecture. Some magistrates had great opinions on Chen Yutai, and they learned about the situation in other prefectures and counties.I also know that people can get the monthly payment, but Gongchang Mansion can't get it, because the food production situation is not good, Chen Yutai prefers to grow wheat, but they grow sweet potatoes and corn.Interplanting has also been carried out, and the grain output has been greatly increased. There is more grain, and it can be traded.

Besides, the governor's office has long stipulated that government governments at all levels should be rewarded according to the grain output. This money is actually extracted from the profits of the mutual market. It is said that Yan'an, Xi'an, and Hanzhong They all got a lot of money, but Gongchang Mansion didn't get any money, and the life of officials was still hard.

In such a situation, officials at all levels in Gongchang Mansion can only admit that they are unlucky. The regulations are very clear. If you can't do well, you can't blame others.

Of course, the prefectures and county magistrates who came to the meeting were not much worse. They still had money to use, but compared with others, they felt uncomfortable.

When Su Tiancheng walked into the conference room, he already knew what everyone was thinking. He had always paid attention to Chen Yutai. He was well aware of the situation in Gongchang Mansion this year. No matter how much he emphasized, it might not be very effective. Big, Chen Yutai is not his confidant, the relationship between the two is mediocre, and there is not much time in contact. Forcibly criticizing or finding other ways to exclude them may not be very effective. We must also pay attention to the suspicion of the court and speak with facts , Chen Yutai has nothing to say, this is the best way, I believe that after this meeting, Chen Yutai can't sit still, he can do well, and his knowledge level is not as good as his own, Chen Yutai is the number one in the palace examination, In fact, the performance of the work done is far inferior to others, so where should I put my face.

The agenda of the meeting is decided in advance, and the time is one day.

In the morning, Xi'an, Yan'an, and Hanzhong will all speak. They will describe in detail the changes that have occurred in the local area, what measures they have taken, including what to do next, and an hour will be allocated in the afternoon. They will be divided into three groups. , Discuss, exchange experience with each other, and finally Su Tiancheng speaks.

The mode of this meeting is exactly the same as the working meeting hundreds of years later.

It's a pity that the traffic is inconvenient now, otherwise Su Tiancheng would hold an on-site meeting, that is, bring everyone to the place where the biggest changes have been made to see it on the spot, hearing is believing, seeing is believing, that would have a better effect, unfortunately within a short period of time , there is no such opportunity.

At the meeting in the morning, everyone listened very carefully. Did anyone think deeply?

What made Su Tiancheng most gratified was that although the agenda of the meeting was the same as that of hundreds of years later, the speakers were different, and the concepts of the speeches were also different. There were no such things as slogans, and what they said was real. Things are summed up with examples. For example, Yan’an Mansion’s speech talked about the state and counties under the jurisdiction of Yan’an Mansion. What is the actual income of the common people, and how many common people have started to rebuild their houses? The speech of Xi’an Prefecture focused on the changes in commerce and trade. The scope of Xianyang County has been greatly expanded, and the area of ​​​​the city has almost tripled. This is only a short period of one year, and everyone has seen it with their own eyes. The speech of the Hanzhong Mansion focused on the changes of officials at all levels. The change is the most critical reason for the development of a place.

These speeches were praised by everyone, and even Chen Yutai, who thought he was very capable and somewhat dismissive, listened without blinking his eyes.

The one-hour discussion and the heated situation exceeded Su Tiancheng's expectations. He thought that no one would say much, but unexpectedly everyone rushed to speak. When it came to local changes, they all agreed that the Governor Su Tiancheng The policies proposed must be persisted for a long time.

The many officials in the governor's office who are responsible for recording have almost no time to rest.

It finally came to Su Tiancheng's final summary.

Su Tiancheng affirmed the work of nearly a year, pointing out that food production is still the most important thing, and there must be no negligence in the slightest. Shaanxi still lacks the foundation. In case of a famine, there is still the danger of starving to death. Government offices in prefectures, prefectures, and counties must do their best to organize grain production. Only by ensuring a bumper grain harvest for three consecutive years can we increase Shaanxi’s ability to resist natural disasters. Secondly, we must pay attention to business matters, which are the key to the development of a locality. Why can Xianyang County expand three times in size in a short period of time? It is due to the development of merchants. Other places lack the advantages of Xianyang County, but they can also do some work in attracting merchants. We must not underestimate it. Merchants, otherwise, they will be the ones who suffer, and in the end it is the cognition of the officials. Officials must be loyal to the emperor, obey the court, and do things for the common people. Since they are called parents officials, they must do things for the common people just like parents care about their family and children. .

Regarding the current tasks and the work for the coming year, Su Tiancheng emphasized that winter has come, all localities must care about the suffering of the people, and there must be no death from freezing and starvation, especially those refugees who were resettled later. Support and relief to get through this difficult time.

During Su Tiancheng's speech, some smart officials finally understood that the speeches of the Xi'an, Yan'an and Hanzhong Prefectures were all targeted, and that the governments at all levels should follow this requirement in the coming year.

"... Dear colleagues, it is a fate we have cultivated for thousands of years to serve as an official in Shaanxi together. The great changes that have taken place in Shaanxi are the result of the joint efforts of all colleagues, and it is also the result of the emperor's trust and support. Think about it, Shaanxi used to be a place where bandits plundered, and it was also the origin of bandits' rebellion. When I first arrived here, I heard that the folk customs were tough, but this year has passed, and you have also felt that the common people here , It’s not unreasonable, as long as our understanding changes and we actually do things for the common people, the common people will support and support the government...”

"...Last time we talked about the inspection. After this meeting, it will be carried out immediately. The content of the inspection is three aspects. The situation, all inspections are in the top-ranking prefectures and counties, and the governor's office will take out 50 taels of silver to reward them. All the rewarded silver will be cashed in to many officials. This system must also be finalized. If you do well, you should be rewarded. Of course, if you don’t do well, even very poorly, you should also criticize and even impeach..."

After the meeting ended, a banquet was arranged as usual. Many officials found that the Governor had toasted almost everyone and expressed their gratitude. Of course, everyone would not have thought that Su Tiancheng would leave Shaanxi two months later. (To be continued..)