The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 378 Transfer
A few days later...

Early in the morning, Fu Songqing had just gotten up and was about to go for his morning exercise.

Then the captain came in from outside: "Congratulations, you've been transferred."

Fu Songqing was greatly surprised: "Huh? A transfer? Why?"

Captain: "You did a great job with your suggestion last time."

Fu Songqing: "Wasn't the merit I earned that time offset by the eighty lashes?"

The captain laughed and said, "You're literate, how can you stay in the army as an ordinary soldier with us illiterate people who can't read a single word? Ultimately, it's time to use your skills where they're needed. Hurry up and pack your things to go see Young Master Yue; he has something more suitable for you to arrange."

Fu Songqing had doubts, but as a "hostage," he had no choice but to obediently pack his things into a small bundle and head towards the prefectural government office in Sizhou City.

The prefectural government office was already bustling with activity at this time...

A large number of officials who had come to reinforce Chuzhou were already working in the yamen, bustling about and making a great commotion. Some officials were directing grain carts to be transported into the granary, while others were running in and out carrying stacks of documents.

Fu Songqing walked through them and entered the hall, where he saw Yue Wenxuan and Gong Erniangzi, surrounded by a large group of civil officials.

Yue Wenxuan: "Gentlemen, do not bother to search through the account books in Sizhou City. Just burn them. Only keep books and documents such as the county annals. Burn all those tattered accounts made during the Southern Song Dynasty."

Fu Songqing was startled when he heard this as soon as he entered. Were people in the Northern Song Dynasty really this brutal?

Yue Wenxuan continued, "We must use the same methods we used to develop Chuzhou City to develop every city we conquer next. We must be prepared to break down the old system and rebuild a new world. Chuzhou City is the model for everyone."

Civil officials: "Yes, sir!"

Yue Wenxuan then turned around and faced Fu Songqing, beckoning: "Lord Fu, you've come at the right time. I have a small matter I'd like to entrust to you."

Fu Songqing: "I am just a prisoner, there is no need to be so polite to me."

Yue Wenxuan chuckled: "But I'm a person who values ​​etiquette. Even when facing an enemy, I will still be polite. I only become more vicious when facing scum."

Fu Songqing thought to himself: Does this mean I'm not a scumbag? Should I be happy?
Yue Wenxuan: "A few days ago, I had Lord Fu spend some time among the lower ranks of our Northern Song army. What were his impressions?"

Fu Songqing answered truthfully: "Incomparably powerful! No wonder the Jiaodong Peninsula was able to defeat the Jin army several times."

Yue Wenxuan: "Then, Lord Fu, what do you think is the fundamental reason for the survival of such a powerful army?"

Fu Songqing: "That is of course a matter of domestic affairs. If there were no money, no food, no iron, and no gunpowder, the Northern Song army would not have been able to maintain such a strong momentum."

Yue Wenxuan chuckled: "Alright, next we'll let Lord Fu experience the internal affairs of our Northern Song Dynasty. I'm now appointing you as a low-level official in the 'Sizhou City Construction from Zero to Height Committee.' Your job is to do odd jobs and assist your superior in rebuilding Sizhou City."

Fu Songqing had already served as a low-ranking soldier in the army, so when he heard that he was going to be a minor official in the civil service, he wasn't too surprised. His face was expressionless, showing neither joy nor sorrow, and he silently accepted it.

Yue Wenxuan: "Because your job is to do odd jobs, it's not limited to any government department. People in any government department can assign you work."

Fu Songqing: "Huh?"

He was a little happy but worried about whether he could handle the workload. However, for some reason, he felt a sense of excitement deep down. He thought to himself: If I do this job well, I will have a clear understanding of both the military and political aspects of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Yue Wenxuan waved his hand and said, "Gentlemen, Fu Songqing is now in your care." The civil officials in the hall responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The next moment, the agricultural official took the initiative to speak: "Mr. Fu, our office now needs to notify all the people to come and learn the new planting method that can double the yield of farmland. This notification work will be entrusted to you."

Fu Songqing sighed, somewhat confused.

But he immediately remembered that when he first arrived in Chuzhou City, the female knight had taken him to visit the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Engineering, where many people were learning from the official craftsmen of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Now that I think about it, I understand how agriculture was promoted in the Northern Song Dynasty.

He quickly took action, leading a working group of officials into the countryside to spread the word and encourage people to learn farming techniques. As the propaganda work progressed, he learned from his colleagues that the Northern Song Dynasty had a policy that if a family's farmland "adopted the new planting method," the portion of the farmland could be exempted from taxes for a year.

Which farmer wouldn't want to be exempt from taxes?

As a result, farmers would allocate at least half of their farmland to implement the "new planting method," while using the old methods they had used all their lives for the other half as a guaranteed income.

Knowing this, it became much easier to gather the farmers to learn.

If he just keeps promoting the tax exemption policy, a large number of farmers will naturally go and learn it on their own initiative.

I just figured this out...

The Faculty of Engineering then gave him an order to recruit apprentice craftsmen.

He had no choice but to put aside the work he had only half-finished in the agricultural department and start researching the engineering department.

And so, he was busy during the day and busy at night, going from one government office to another.

The more Fu Songqing wandered around the various government offices, the more he discovered the advantages of the Northern Song government offices over those of the Southern Song government offices. The officials there didn't engage in corruption, bribery, or extortion. This was because they were paid by the emperor! They had official positions.

Although their official ranks didn't even reach the ninth grade, making them "unranked," their status was still much higher than that of the officials in the Southern Song Dynasty.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, officials had no official positions or salaries; their income came entirely from "squeezing," which meant extracting money from the people. To ensure their livelihood, the Southern Song court could only turn a blind eye even when it knew they were exploiting the people.

But things were different in the Northern Song Dynasty. Officials had official positions and salaries, so they didn't need to exploit the people. If they did, their superiors would punish them severely. Some officials cherished their hard-won positions and dared not break the law; they might even report other officials for their shady dealings.

In this way, it becomes much easier to rectify official corruption.

When officials refrain from embezzling public funds, all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies will naturally disappear.

The lives of ordinary people became much easier all of a sudden. They only needed to pay the regular tax and no longer had to pay a bunch of inexplicable miscellaneous taxes.

Fu Songqing also studied Wang Anshi's reforms and knew that one of the important reasons for the failure of Wang Anshi's reforms was the corruption of the bureaucracy. Many good policies turned into bad policies when they were implemented.

Unexpectedly, the Northern Song Dynasty greatly improved the situation by simply "assigning official positions to lower-level bureaucrats".

Fu Songqing couldn't help but think: If I could go back to the Southern Song Dynasty, I would definitely suggest that the government reform the system, establish official positions, and pay salaries.

But as soon as he thought of this, he immediately sighed. He knew this wouldn't work; the Southern Song Dynasty didn't have the same high productivity as the Northern Song Dynasty and couldn't afford to pay the salaries of so many officials across the country...

(End of this chapter)