Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 534 The Eighth Year of Hongwu
"After this battle, we should have learned our lesson."

In the September harvest season on the outskirts of Luoyang, Liu Jilong, sitting in a carriage, took in the contents of the memorial in his hand, which contained a double entendre.

The advance ship sent by Geng Ming returned to Mingzhou Port seven days ago, and Liu Jilong had just received the memorial delivered by a fast horse from the Jiangnan East Circuit Governor's Office.

In his memorial, Geng Ming, following his instructions, went to Sado Island and embarked on an eastern expedition to explore the Americas.

In addition, Geng Ming also mentioned the situation on Sado Island that he learned from Fujiwara Hirosada, and how he planned to govern Sado Island.

Sado Island has more than 3,000 Japanese fishermen, farmers and criminals. These people naturally need to stay, since they are indispensable for continuing to mine gold and silver on Sado Island.

After taking over Sado Island, Geng Minghui left 5,000 troops to garrison the island and used the navy to block Sado from communicating with Japan. However, the exact amount of gold and silver that could be mined would only be known after sending shipboard craftsmen to investigate.

"Your Majesty, is Sado Island really that important?"

Inside the carriage, Jing Xiang, who was sharing the carriage with Liu Jilong, couldn't help but ask a question.

His words drew the attention of Zhang Ying and Xie Tong, who were standing nearby, while Liu Jilong nodded slightly: "Very important."

Liu Jilong's statement is true. First of all, compared with the gold and silver mines on the four main islands of Japan, such as Iwami and Mutsu, Sado Island is located at sea and is not developed. It has a small population, but its gold and silver reserves are not small.

According to the data Liu Jilong saw in his previous life, Sado Island produced more than two million taels of gold and sixty million taels of silver throughout the Edo period.

Today, the mining and metallurgical technology of the Great Han Dynasty is comparable to that of the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty. The amount of gold and silver that can be obtained from Sado Island each year should range from hundreds of thousands to millions of taels.

It is important to know that in the mid-to-late 16th century, the amount of silver flowing into the Ming Dynasty from around the world ranged from two to five million taels per year. In just a few decades, this influx directly promoted the monetization of silver in the Ming Dynasty.

At that time, the actual population of the Ming Dynasty had exceeded 100 million. Although the Han Dynasty had not obtained as much gold and silver from Sado, its population was only 40% or even less of that of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, Sado Island is a gold and silver producing area directly controlled by the Han Dynasty. Once Sado Island is stabilized, Liu Jilong can find ways to improve Japan's mining technology and promote the technology in places such as Iwami, Mutsu, Hyogo, and Akita.

If the technology is widely adopted, Japan could easily produce millions of taels of silver annually.

Japan has a population of only five or six million, yet it produces so much silver every year.

If there are not enough goods to consume the outflowing silver, the silver will naturally depreciate.

Only the Han Dynasty, which borders Japan, could absorb such a large amount of silver. The influx of silver would promote the monetization of silver in the Han Dynasty, thereby reducing the demand for raw copper.

However, if silver is to be monetized, it needs to look like a monetized commodity, and the minting of silver coins should also keep up with the process.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong turned his gaze to Zhang Ying and took the initiative to ask, "Have any samples of silver coins from Longyou Road been sent over?"

"Not yet," Zhang Ying quickly replied, then added, "The Director of the Imperial Household Department is currently in Linzhou, using the method His Majesty instructed a month ago to add raw copper to silver to make coins of one string, five hundred, one hundred coins, and fifty coins."

“These coins each weigh one tael, so we need to adjust the appropriate proportions and then try to mint a large quantity of coins.”

"Now that we have the samples, we should be able to get news soon."

In the Tang Dynasty, one jin was equal to sixteen liang. One liang of silver was exchanged for between eight hundred and two thousand copper coins from the An Lushan Rebellion to the eve of the establishment of the Han Dynasty.

Eight years after the founding of the Han Dynasty, the exchange rate between gold, silver and copper coins has stabilized. One tael of silver is equivalent to one string of copper coins, or one thousand coins.

Under these circumstances, once the Han Dynasty's operations in Japan are successful, it can obtain two million strings of silver from Japan annually.

This silver would be minted into coins through the Imperial Household Department and gradually circulate in the private market, promoting the monetization of silver and reducing the Han Dynasty's demand for copper.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong couldn't help but sigh that the Central Plains' location was truly blessed by nature.

For Europeans, spices required traveling to India and Southeast Asia, while silk, porcelain, and rock sugar required traveling to Central China, and gold and silver required traveling to the Americas.

However, for the Central Plains, the sources of the gold, silver, and spices they needed were all right at their doorstep, and the country had enough goods, so there was no need to explore trade.

With a large population, as long as there are no natural disasters or man-made calamities that lead to food and commodity shortages, consuming several million taels of silver each year is not a big problem.

If the late Ming Dynasty had not been affected by the Thirty Years' War in Europe and Japan's isolationist policies, which cut off the inflow of silver, it would not have faced such a severe financial crisis.

Subsequent natural and man-made disasters further exacerbated the already strained finances, making annihilation imminent.

Fortunately, the Han Dynasty was powerful enough that as long as it continued to develop its domestic commodity technology and production, and then dumped its goods to Silla, Japan, South Asia and Central Asia, it could live a prosperous life.

However, the dynasty's wealth alone is not enough. To maintain the dynasty's strength, the distribution problem needs to be solved so that the people can be prosperous, thus ensuring long-term stability.

Regarding the distribution of wealth, Liu Jilong adopted a strategy of undertaking massive infrastructure projects across the entire country, distributing the imperial court's spoils to the common people to achieve equal prosperity.

Even if there are instances of official corruption leading to inadequate policy implementation, the people can still benefit as long as the administration is properly rectified.

This approach was quite effective in the early stages of a dynasty when the government was efficient and the people were harmonious.

As time goes by, when problems arise in the dynasty's administration, even if the emperor orders a daily wage of thirty coins, only twenty or even ten of those thirty coins will likely reach the people. In some cases, the people will even have to contribute their own labor and money to do the work.

Liu Jilong naturally wanted to change these future events, but human power has its limits. He could only manage things before he was born, and only heaven knew how things would end after he was born.

Thinking of this, he looked out of the carriage at the autumn harvest scene. Seeing the people happily harvesting wheat in the fields, even someone as well-dressed as him couldn't help but feel a little happy.

"This year, heavy rains have caused rivers to overflow in Guanzhong and Jianghuai, while Henan has also experienced a slight drought. If Your Majesty had not ordered the relevant officials to repair the canals and dredge the waterways year after year, this year would probably have been another year of disaster, and how could we have had such a bumper harvest?"

Jing Xiang followed Liu Jilong's gaze and looked outside, praising Liu Jilong's foresight with a smile on his face.

After all, since Liu Jilong ascended the throne, all the projects he ordered the officials to build were related to people's livelihood, and none of them were for personal gain.

Throughout history, many emperors have been keen to build palaces for themselves, but Liu Jilong only slightly repaired the original Ziwei City and dismissed many palace staff left over from the former Tang Dynasty.

During the Qianfu era, there were more than 8,000 eunuchs, palace maids and musicians in Ziwei City. This was 4,000 to 5,000 fewer than during the Xiantong era, but it was still a large number.

After Liu Jilong founded the country and ascended the throne, most of the eunuchs were retained, the number of palace maids was reduced to just over 500, and only 300 musicians were retained to maintain the court's rituals and music.

Eight years have passed, and Liu Jilong has not recruited any new eunuchs. If any eunuchs in the palace want to leave, he does not stop them. Instead, he provides them with money and food so that they can enjoy their old age in peace.

Today, the number of eunuchs, palace maids, and musicians in Ziwei City is only about three thousand. Although this is still a lot, it is a very frugal number compared to the tens of thousands that often existed in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty.

If it weren't for the fact that eunuchs faced discrimination when leaving the palace, Liu Jilong would have even wanted to lower the standards further.

After all, with more than ten concubines in his harem, he really didn't need so many eunuchs and palace maids.

Thinking this way, Liu Jilong felt that he could follow Zhu Yuanzhang's example and have Silla and Japan contribute eunuchs and palace maids.

"Have there been any unusual movements recently from the Silla, Daejee, Khitan, Xi tribes, Dangxiang, Shatuo, and other barbarian tribes?"

Liu Jilong asked the three men, and Xie Tong, one of them, bowed and said, "The bureaucracy in Silla is corrupt, and the sale of official positions is rampant. Some city lords even have their own mercenaries who refuse to pay tribute. The imperial court is also controlled by the Jin and Park noble families."

"The people there are suffering greatly, displaced on the roads, and constantly rebelling. Even if envoys are willing to pay tribute, they are unable to reach the border safely."

"After learning that the imperial court had gathered troops around Dali, Chief Long of Dali calmed down and began building stone cities south of the Yak River and in the Tuodong area, which exhausted the people and caused them to complain."

"Many nobles and officials of Dali intended to remonstrate, but Qiulong insisted on his own way. Instead, the nobles were suppressed after remonstrating, and the conflict became serious."

"After the Khitan and Xi tribes repeatedly invaded and were repelled, they were attacked by Li Keyong and Li Sigong. Now the two sides are locked in a fierce battle, and it is difficult to find out the situation."

Liu Jilong's arrival changed too many things. You Shilong should have died from carbuncles during the invasion of Jiannan, but due to his own reasons, he could only wander around the Jinsha River, thus living four years longer than in history.

Given the current situation, it seems he can still survive, and his survival means that the Great Ritual will not be plagued by the problem of a young ruler causing uncertainty and the five surnames vying for power.

Although You Shilong was somewhat militaristic, he was quite capable. With him in power, families like the Yang, Zheng, and Duan dared not raise their heads.

It's fine this way, let him continue to live. In a few years, when we send troops to recover Yunnan, Liu Jilong will personally meet this chieftain of the southwest.

As for Li Keyong and Li Sigong in the north, although they formed an alliance to attack the Xi and Khitan tribes and incidentally integrated the Tatar tribes in southern Mongolia, their strength was limited.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have fought with the Khitans; instead, they would have planned to move south long ago.

With An Pohu and Husi Guang stationed in Hedong and Hebei respectively, it would be unlikely that they would be able to launch an invasion.

For now, let them fight with the Khitan and Xi tribes. When they are both exhausted, the Han Dynasty can send troops to first seize the land north of Yan and Liao River, then go south to deal with Da Li, and finally deal with the two of them.

"Your Majesty, what about the Crown Prince..."

Seeing Liu Jilong deep in thought, Zhang Ying tentatively asked him a question, to which Liu Jilong replied:
"The boy is young and makes things difficult for people. Just teach him a lesson, and there's no need to keep a close eye on him."

“If others are willing to help him, they naturally have something in mind. It’s good for him to understand this.”

"By the time he returns from his post, he should have grown a lot."

Liu Jilong's meaning was quite clear: he would not take the initiative to help Liu Lie, but he would not stop those in the local government who wanted to curry favor with Liu Lie.

Liu Lie was, after all, the crown prince, and he needed his own faction, a fact that Liu Jilong did not object to.

He never imagined that Liu Lie would follow the rules he set in the future, even if Liu Lie acted obediently in everything. He still thought so, not to mention that Liu Lie's personality was so different from his own now.

"How are things going with the official schools under the Imperial Academy lately?"

As he gestured for the carriage to return to Ziwei City, he asked the three people inside. Jing Xiang, one of the three, replied, "There are many students who have enrolled, but also quite a few who have dropped out."

Seeing that Jingxiang's description was roughly accurate, Zhang Ying added: "Since the imperial court established official schools in all the prefectures, counties, townships and villages of the country in the first month of the third year of Hongwu, it has been six years."

"After the first batch of students from the official schools graduated, there were still 560,000 students in primary schools. The first batch of graduates numbered over 96,000, of whom over 64,000 participated in the imperial examinations for various universities."

After Zhang Ying explained in detail, Liu Jilong learned about the situation of the official school.

In the third year of the Hongwu reign, 480,000 students enrolled in schools across the country, but less than 70,000 of them graduated and chose to continue their studies by taking the imperial examinations to enter universities. Some of these students were from Longyou.

Most of the students from other disciplines perished on their path of learning, mainly due to the high cost of paper, pens, inkstones, and the excessive labor required to support them.

Ordinary families always believed that it was enough for their children to be literate and know some arithmetic, so most students would drop out of school after about two years.

This idea is not wrong, after all, not every household has the determination and ability to support a child's education.

How many university students are there in the world?

Liu Jilong asked in a deep voice, and Zhang Ying still spoke first to explain: "There are more than 48,000 in Longyou Road and more than 55,000 in the other roads."

"However, Longyou University has students in its five-year program, while Zhudao only has students in the first year, with the remaining vacancies."

The gap between Longyou and the other regions is obvious. Although the world has been at peace for eight years, the population of Longyou has only increased to more than 1.4 million.

With fewer than 300,000 households, the fact that nearly 50,000 people in Longyou were able to support university students demonstrates the prosperity of the people in Longyou.

The remaining eight million households in the other regions were not only able to support fifty thousand students, but many of them were still in primary school.

Even so, it will be difficult for the number of students in Zhudao University to exceed 150,000 in the future, while Longyou can maintain around 50,000.

This situation was partly due to Liu Jilong's bias towards Longyou, but mainly because there were too many officials from Longyou in the imperial court.

With them around, it would be difficult for Longyou not to become wealthy, and since Longyou is wealthy, it can naturally support more students.

This was not a situation that Liu Jilong wanted to create, but he did not prevent it either.

Firstly, he also favored the people of Longyou Road; secondly, he hoped to use this method to transfer wealth to the Northwest.

In the future, maritime trade will inevitably become the mainstream, and silver will flood in. It will not be difficult for people in coastal areas to use silver as currency, but it will be different in the west.

The amount of silver produced in Longyou Road was far from enough to compare with the silver flowing in from overseas, and the inland areas would inevitably fall into a situation of silver scarcity.

The simplest and most direct solution Liu Jilong could think of was to temporarily maintain the prosperity of the Northwest and channel fiscal revenue to the people of Longyou through government salaries.

In addition, the government recruited people to work and distributed the money equally among them.

With this two-pronged approach, the amount of currency circulating in Longyou and the Northwest will inevitably be considerable. Even if it cannot be compared with the coastal areas where silver flows directly in, it will still ensure that there is no shortage of currency in the Northwest.

In addition, since Longyou Road took the lead in reform, most of the land in the area was public land that could not be bought or sold. Even if people sold their private land, they still had public land to rely on.

Liu Jilong had also considered that someone might take advantage of the loophole to convert public land into private land, so he ordered the Censorate to investigate this matter thoroughly. Although it was only a temporary solution, it was better than doing nothing.

He cannot address every aspect, and many of his policies are merely stopgap measures that are suitable for the current situation.

As literacy rates among ordinary people continue to rise, even he himself is not entirely sure what path the Han Dynasty will take in the future.

Thinking this, he turned his attention back to Zhang Ying's introduction...

According to Zhang Ying, there are currently as many as 120,000 university students enrolled, with nearly 10,000 graduating each year.

In addition, more university students will flock to Zhudao in the next three years.

At that time, many university students will be studying, and more than 40,000 people will graduate and enter the officialdom every year.

The most outstanding among them would be selected to enter the Imperial Academy, where they would be specifically responsible for researching firearms, metallurgy, and various projects to improve productivity.

By that time, it was time for the Han Dynasty's officialdom to undergo a generational change and receive some fresh blood.

As for those students who only graduate from primary school, their numbers will increase over time, but the value of their knowledge will decrease.

They could only become citizens, working in various industries, while illiterate ordinary people either continued farming or were eliminated from the market.

Liu Jilong did not intend to interfere with the livelihood issues of so many scholars who flocked to the countryside, and he also believed that the Han Dynasty could accommodate them.

During the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, there were 100,000 students (xiucai) and the number of children (tongsheng) reached as many as one million.

Under the official school system of the Han Dynasty, the number of primary school graduates was at most roughly the same as the number of students who passed the imperial examinations in the early Ming Dynasty.

There is no reason why students in the Yongle era could make a living on their own, while students in the Han Dynasty could not.

Even if he couldn't, he would have other means to solve the students' survival problems.

"Official schools are the foundation of the Han Dynasty, and must be carefully considered."

As Liu Jilong sensed the light outside the carriage window dimming and the noise gradually increasing in his ears, he knew that the carriage had returned to Luoyang City.

As the carriage became more stable, he continued to give instructions to everyone on things to pay attention to, especially the recruitment of laborers in various prefectures and counties after the autumn harvest, which was a matter he emphasized.

At his command, countless memorials were sent to the three provinces and six ministries after he returned to the Forbidden City, and after being discussed and finalized by the three provinces and six ministries, they were then sent to local prefectures and counties.

As the imperial edicts were continuously delivered to the localities by fast horses, the prefectures and counties of various provinces also received the imperial decrees one after another.

In Puning County, Magistrate Zhao Bingzhong sat in the main seat, facing the officials seated on either side of him. Before everyone, he took out the official seal issued by the prefectural government and read it aloud:

“The mountain streams in central Guizhou are treacherous, the post roads are blocked, the ditches are silted up, and farming and sericulture are delayed.”

"According to the report from the patrol officer, the official road in Puning County is dilapidated, the canals are silted up, the waterways leading into Guizhou are turbid, which hinders public and private travel and also disrupts irrigation; it is advisable to repair it as soon as possible to facilitate passage."

"From Shilipu in the north of the county to Paiyi in the south, all official roads were filled with rammed earth and reinforced with stone to ensure smooth passage for carriages and horses."

"Three branch canals run through the county, connecting to the Qian River. Each canal retains its original depth and width, and the reeds and silt have been cleared away."

"The waterworkers traced the source of the river flowing into Guizhou, drew maps and marked the points of siltation and diversion, and submitted reports."

“Each day, we will hire craftsmen and laborers, paying each person thirty jin of wages and two liters of rice. We will use the money according to the actual needs of the workers and will not allow any fraudulent use.”

"The required bamboo, wood, and stone materials will be allocated from the county granary; if there is a shortage, please request supplies from Shenzhou."

"Those who dare to withhold wages or reduce materials will be punished according to the law if the work is completed within the year."

After Zhao Bingzhong finished reading, he casually handed the official document to the clerk beside him, who then passed it on to the others for inspection.

The official document bore the inscription "Upon receipt of this document, act accordingly; upon arrival of this document, comply accordingly," and bore the signatures of the Guizhou prefectural governor, his registrar, and two military advisors, as well as the prefectural seal. After confirming everything was correct, Zhao Bingzhong continued:
"The county's warehouses are now well-stocked. Since this is the order from the prefectural government, I will trouble you all to do your best."

"We obey..."

After Zhao Bingzhong gave his instructions, the officials responded one after another, and then began to discuss how to allocate funds and grain, and how many laborers to recruit.

Due to the deadline of completion within the year, the project timeline is naturally tight, and it is estimated that more than 2,000 laborers will be recruited.

For Puning County, with a population of just over 10,000, it would be necessary to recruit almost all the able-bodied men in the county. Fortunately, the wages offered by the imperial court were high, so there was no need to worry about not being able to recruit people.

After the meeting, Liu Lie, the official in charge of household affairs, returned to the household office with ten assistants and worked through the night to calculate the approximate amount of money, grain, and materials needed.

"Four thousand six hundred and twenty-five strings and one hundred and fifty-seven coins. The yamen (government office) cannot come up with this amount. We can only hope that the prefectural government will allocate it."

As Liu Lie frowned and stated the amount, the other officials nodded in agreement.

Puning County's annual tax revenue was no more than 4,000 strings of cash. Because it was located on the frontier, 60% of the tax was transported out and 40% was kept.

However, this was only a nominal shipment and retention. In reality, Puning County would report to the prefectural government to retain a portion of the taxes after they were collected, based on the actual situation.

For the impoverished Puning County, it was considered good if 30% of the annual tax revenue could be transported to the prefectural government, while the prefectural government would continue to retain the tax due to the heavy burden of paying the salaries of the prefectural soldiers and yamen runners.

If 20% of Guizhou's tax revenue could be transported to the provincial capital, that would be considered very good. Occasionally, the Guizhou Provincial Administration Commission would need to allocate funds to help the province overcome difficulties.

Fortunately, not every prefecture or county can do this. Normally, only border prefectures and counties can do this. Prefectures and counties in the He, Huai and Jiangnan regions do not have this privilege.

This is why the warehouses in Puning County had little stock; Zhao Bingzhong's claim that the warehouses were full was simply an exaggeration.

Currently, Puning County only has the grain and tax money that were recently collected, which is barely enough to pay salaries, and the county government still needs to provide support to recruit workers.

Thinking of this, Liu Lie looked up at the officials who had stayed up all night and instructed them, "Go back and rest first. I will personally discuss this matter with Magistrate Zhao tomorrow."

"We respectfully withdraw..."

Seeing that Liu Lie had given his permission, the group of officials bowed and then left the office of the Revenue Department.

Liu Lie spent the night in the yamen (government office), and the next day he found Zhao Bingzhong, who was handling official business, and handed him the registrar's documents, adding:

"Given the state of the warehouses, there is just enough to pay the salaries of 67 officials in the county. There is simply no spare capacity to recruit people to do the work."

"If we want to get this done, we'll have to ask the prefectural government for some allocations..."

Liu Lie spoke in a businesslike manner, while Zhao Bingzhong smiled and accepted the document, then continued:

"Don't worry, Zhang Hucao. We received news from the prefectural government yesterday that the five thousand strings of cash are on their way. The government only needs to take care of the laborers' food and labor."

Upon learning that the state government had made preparations in advance, Liu Lie was not surprised, thinking that it was probably the imperial court that had prepared the newly minted coins in advance, which were transferred from Jiannan, Shannan and other places.

He had been working in Puning for half a year and was very familiar with the situation in Qianzhong Road.

After reorganization and restructuring, Qianzhong Circuit consisted of ten prefectures and twenty-four counties with a population of nearly 600,000. However, it had less than 2.7 million mu of arable land, which was not even enough to be self-sufficient. It was necessary to transport nearly one million shi of grain, hundreds of thousands of guan of copper coins, and nearly 10,000 shi of official salt from Shannan and Jiannan to support the development of Qianzhong.

Judging solely from his economics studies at university, the imperial court had absolutely no need to invest so much money and grain in such a place.

However, Liu Lie knew that his father's investment in Qianzhong was mainly for the purpose of attacking from Qianzhong and recovering the southern lands in the future, so economic issues were not so important.

After the recapture of Nanzhong, the imperial court will likely gradually reduce its investment in Qianzhong and instead increase its efforts in developing Nanzhong.

Thinking of this, Liu Lie bowed to Zhao Bingzhong and said, "In that case, I will wait for the arrival of the prefectural government's carriages and horses before posting notices to inform the people of Puning about the government's recruitment of workers."

He intended to leave after speaking, but Zhao Bingzhong asked with a smile, "Zhang Hucao is a dutiful and promising young man. I have a problem that is troubling me. May I ask Zhang Hucao for advice?"

"They're here..." Hearing Zhao Bingzhong's words, Liu Lie couldn't contain his excitement, even though he knew all his efforts would be rewarded.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down before asking Zhao Bingzhong, "I wonder what's troubling Magistrate Zhao? Please tell me."

Since he had accepted Zhao Bingzhong's help, Liu Lie could only help him in return, but only if he didn't cross Zhao Bingzhong's bottom line.

"Hehe..." Zhao Bingzhong smiled and stood up to gesture for Liu Lie to sit down when he saw Liu Lie speak, and said at the same time:

"I have been serving as an official in Puning for almost three years, but I have only been rated as average. I am afraid that even if I am transferred to another place, I will only be able to serve as the magistrate of a medium-sized county or the assistant magistrate of a superior county."

"What does Zhang Hucao think I should do?"

Zhao Bingzhong knew that Liu Lie had a powerful background, but he never really had a rough idea of ​​just how powerful it was.

Now that he is about to be transferred, if he can get guidance from Liu Lie and stay in a place where he can easily make merit, it would be much better than him wandering around like a headless fly.

Thinking of this, he stared intently at Liu Lie, and Liu Lie breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

He was worried that Zhao Bingzhong would ask him to help him get promoted, but fortunately Zhao Bingzhong did not do so, he only asked about his future plans.

Although this is somewhat borderline, Liu Lie is no longer the reckless guy he used to be, so it's not entirely unacceptable for him to skirt the line a little.

"If Magistrate Zhao trusts you, you can stay in Qianzhong for the next few years, especially in the counties under the jurisdiction of Guizhou and Juzhou."

After Liu Lie spoke, Zhao Bingzhong's expression stiffened, because he knew how difficult it would be for him to stay.

The counties under the jurisdiction of Guizhou and Juzhou are sparsely populated, so staying in his post is definitely not an option. He doesn't want to linger in these counties any longer.

If that's the case, then his only option is to be transferred to the prefectural government and serve as a military advisor in one of the six departments.

Thinking of this, he hesitated for a moment, but seeing Liu Lie's nonchalant attitude, he still smiled and said:

"I understand, thank you very much, Zhang Hucao."

"It was just a casual remark, Magistrate, please don't take it to heart. Since there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

Seeing that Zhao Bingzhong had made a decision, Liu Lie immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless, he had at least repaid some of Zhao Bingzhong's favor. What happens next depends on whether his own choices are right or wrong.

He got up and left the government office, and Zhao Bingzhong respectfully saw him off. He then returned to his desk and began writing furiously, presumably having decided where to go.

While he was writing furiously, Liu Lie had already returned to the Sihu Yamen (the county office) to continue his duties. However, the news from the Yamen somehow got out, and the already impoverished people of Puning County became lively around the Yamen after learning that the Yamen was about to recruit workers and that the wages would still be thirty coins.

Countless people, dressed in coarse linen clothes and with thin builds, did nothing but hug their quilts and surround the county government office, waiting for the notice to be posted.

This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the county constable, but no matter how the constable sends people to drive them away, they always return after the yamen runners and state soldiers leave.

The sight of them enduring hardship and sleeping outdoors to make a living touched Liu Lie deeply.

These days, while on duty in Puning, he was busier than when he was in Luoyang due to the constant imperial decrees, which inevitably caused him to harbor resentment.

Seeing the people of Puning still wearing old clothes and with thin bedding that barely shielded them from the cold wind, he felt the hardship of people's lives and the disparities between different regions.

Although the wage of thirty coins was high, it was common in prosperous areas. Even if people were eager to sign up, they would not have to wait for the notice in the open.

However, in this impoverished place in central Guizhou, thirty coins of wages were enough to buy two jin of official salt, enough for a family of five to eat for a month.

If I can get this job, working for it for a month is better than farming for half a year.

The family could have an extra two bushels of grain, or five bushels of salt, and could save a strong laborer's food rations for a month.

As a result, as the news spread, more and more people gathered around the Puning County government office. It wasn't until the evening drum sounded that these people were forced to leave against the curfew.

"Life is tough these days..."

Watching the reluctant figures of the people leaving, Liu Lie, who was about to relax after leaving the government office, couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, if it weren't for His Majesty's great kindness, the world would probably be even more difficult."

A voice sounded behind Liu Lie. He turned around and saw that it was Yang Duan, the county magistrate, walking out. He bowed to him, but Yang Duan raised his hand to stop him.

“Zhang Hucao, there’s no need for that. Now that the term of office has ended, let’s treat each other as equals.”

Yang Duan was a very generous man. Seeing his magnanimity, Liu Lie immediately regained the spiritedness he had once had in Linzhou and nodded to him, saying:

"I heard that County Magistrate Yang has been in Guizhou for more than five years, so I suppose he knows the hardships of the people in Guizhou."

“Of course!” Yang Duan didn’t hide anything and said directly, “I was able to enter Guizhou after graduating from the official school in Chang’an, and it has indeed been five years now.”

"If nothing unexpected happens next year, he will probably be transferred to another place to serve as a county magistrate."

The county commandant in the Han Dynasty had a higher status than in the old Tang Dynasty. Even the county commandant of a lower county had the rank of the eighth grade, while the county assistant was the seventh grade.

Although under the Han Dynasty system, the power of a county magistrate was not as great as that of a county commandant, this was an important step in the transition to becoming a county magistrate, and Yang Duan had long been prepared for it.

"Where is Magistrate Yang being transferred to?"

Liu Lie asked specifically because he also wanted to repay Yang Duan's favor, but Yang Duan didn't give him the chance.

"I intend to stay in Qianzhong. If possible, I would like to be transferred to Guizhou or other counties in Juzhou."

Yang Duan spoke with a smile, and his choice made Liu Lie glance at him sideways.

Seeing Liu Lie's reaction, Yang Duan explained, "Your Majesty is a man of great talent and ambition; how can you tolerate the constant provocations from the southern barbarians?"

"Now that Liaodong has been recovered, His Majesty will probably recover the land north of Yan and along the Liao River, and then launch a military campaign against the Southern Barbarians."

"I believe that it will only take three to five years to send troops to pacify the southern barbarians."

“As long as the court does not transfer me to any other place outside of Guizhou, I am still willing to stay in Guizhou and make contributions.”

Yang Duan's words made Liu Lie think more highly of him, but at the same time he felt troubled because he couldn't repay the favor.

"It's getting late, and I should head home now. Farewell, Zhang Hucao."

"Take care, Magistrate Yang..."

Yang Duan smiled and left, while Liu Lie stood there watching his figure recede into the distance, frowning to himself.

Yang Duan didn't mention asking him for help, which clearly meant he was confident he could continue to rise in rank.

If that's the case, he might want to save this favor for a crucial moment, which would be a bit tricky.

However, since he has such insight, helping him shouldn't be a problem; he might even be entrusted with important responsibilities in the future.

Thinking of this, Liu Lie's lips curled into a slight smile, and he turned to walk towards his residence in Puning County...

Five days later, as the prefectural government sent soldiers to escort the five thousand strings of cash, the government also posted a notice after the official money was returned to the treasury.

As expected, the notice was posted and within half a day, two thousand laborers were recruited. The following day, Puning County followed the trend and began to repair the official roads, canals and waterways within the county.

Meanwhile, projects across all prefectures and counties in the country were proceeding in an orderly manner.

If Puning, a sparsely populated area, can recruit 2,000 workers, then the more populous counties can do so.

As the twelfth lunar month approached, amidst the massive construction projects in various counties, the Ministry of Revenue collected and compiled the documents submitted by each county.

"During the off-season for farming that year, all counties in the country recruited 3,765,000 laborers..."

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, as Li Shangyin and two others arrived with officials from six ministries to report on their duties, Liu Jilong, who was sitting in the main seat, closed his eyes and listened quietly.

"By the eve of the Lunar New Year (the 30th of the twelfth lunar month), the total amount of money and grain consumed by various departments and prefectures should be over 9.47 million strings of cash, while the imperial court has accumulated..."

After Feng Bangyan finished compiling the report, he also reported on the still abundant reserves in the imperial treasury.

The national treasury currently holds over 55 million shi of grain and over 14 million guan of cash, which is still very abundant and sufficient to continue the infrastructure construction as it has this year for the next four years.

"Very good."

Liu Jilong slowly opened his eyes, gave a brief assessment, and then asked with an inquiring gaze, "How many civilians and soldiers are there in Liaodong right now?"

"Your Majesty..." Cui Shu began by bowing, and then said:

"By October of this year, the Liaodong authorities had stationed 2,970 troops and relocated 22,657 households and 113,557 people from Henan, Hebei and other places."

"According to the memorial submitted by the Liaodong Provincial Administration Commission, there are 14,850 mu of military farmland and 1,280,577.6 mu of public land in Liaodong."

Following Cui Shu's memorial, the situation in Liaodong gradually became clearer. Although the population of 110,000 was small, and nearly 30% of them were former subjects of the Ming dynasty, this was only the second year after the recapture of Liaodong.

As long as we persist in relocating people and cultivating wasteland, Liaodong will eventually recover to the population of 380,000 during the Yonghe era of the Eastern Han Dynasty, or even exceed one million.

"The speed is still too slow. Order the officials in Hebei, Hedong, Henan, Huainan and the eastern and western circuits of Jiangnan to provide each household that has migrated to Liaodong with a draft ox and exempt them from taxes for five years for clearing wasteland."

“Each household will receive grain and farm tools according to the number of people in their household. Regardless of gender or age, each household will receive five shi of grain, two sets of padded jackets, and two bolts of coarse cloth!”

Compared to previous policies, Liu Jilong has invested more this time, with padded jackets, coarse cloth, and grain alone enough to attract many people.

Seeing this, Li Shangyin and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. In the end, Li Shangyin took the initiative to stand up and said, "Your Majesty, relocating the people to Liaodong is naturally a good thing."

"However, the land in Liaodong is barren, with an annual yield of only six or seven dou (a unit of dry measure), and it still needs to supply rations for 30,000 regular soldiers. The yield is just enough to feed 140,000 soldiers and civilians."

"If too many people are relocated, we will have to purchase grain and fodder from Henan and Shandong to supply the people, which will be very costly. It would be better to proceed gradually..."

Li Shangyin felt that things could be done slowly; even if only 20,000 to 30,000 people moved in each year, there would be over 400,000 people in a dozen years.

In his view, 400,000 people were enough for the Han Dynasty to firmly control Liaodong, but Liu Jilong was not satisfied at all.

During the Hongwu era, the population of the northern provinces was only about ten million. Zhu Yuanzhang was still able to relocate more than 500,000 people to Liaodong. Although it was a forced relocation, more than 300,000 people were eventually left behind.

The Han Dynasty now has a population of over 28 million in the north, and the price offered is higher than that for migrations in the early Ming Dynasty. It's impossible that in the end it would be worse than in the early Ming Dynasty, right?
"Although the cost is high, the sooner we settle the immigrants, the sooner we can pacify the Khitan and Xi tribes in the north."

"If 20,000 of the 30,000 troops are divided to go from Liaodong to attack the Khitan, at least 80,000 laborers will be needed."

"Currently, the Liao population numbers only 110,000, with no more than 50,000 men. How can they possibly supply the army to quell the Khitan?"

"This matter is not up for discussion. Henan and Huainan will each send 500,000 shi of grain by sea to Liaodong every year. The Liaodong authorities are to repair military granaries, ever-normal granaries and official granaries for storage."

"If grain becomes moldy due to unsuccessful repairs of the official granary, it shall be punished according to the law!"

Liu Jilong's tone made Li Shangyin and the others realize his determination, so they naturally dared not continue to persuade him and could only bow and agree.

Seeing everyone's response, Liu Jilong then thought of the fact that students across the country would be graduating from university in three years, and then spoke up:

"The imperial examinations have not been held for a long time. Now, many students have graduated from the official schools. I intend to hold the imperial examinations in the tenth year of Hongwu, and divide them into the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination."

Liu Jilong shared his idea of ​​a three-stage examination with his ministers and extended the anonymous grading system from the palace examination to the provincial examination.

This action prompted Li Shangyin and others to nod in agreement, bowing and praising the emperor's wisdom.

“University students can take the imperial examinations or choose to go to the countryside to join the army or become officials.”

Seeing that everyone agreed, Liu Jilong retained both systems for selecting talent. This was mainly because he was worried that the imperial examination system was not mature enough or that local education was inadequate, so that he could terminate the imperial examination system in a timely manner.

If there were no problems with the imperial examination system, then retaining the selection process of going to the countryside to serve in the army or become an official would not have made much difference. After all, graduating from university and undergoing six years of observation, even if one's abilities were not as outstanding as those of officials selected through the imperial examination, would still make up for the shortcomings of those selected through the imperial examination system who were unaware of the people's livelihood.

At his signal, Li Shangyin and the others withdrew one after another, and soon the process was completed, and the matter of the imperial examination and the three-stage metropolitan examination in the tenth year of Hongwu was made public.

(End of this chapter)