Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 263 Prefect of Fengzhou
Prime ministers must rise from local government positions, and valiant generals must emerge from the ranks of soldiers.

The Jiedushi was a high-ranking official who oversaw both military and political affairs. Some important Jiedushi, such as Lei Shuai Gao Pian, would also receive the honorary title of "Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi," which was equivalent to the prime minister, and were called "Shixiang."

Zhu Wen hoped to become a military governor before he turned thirty.

He fought his way to his current position, one sword and one spear, and can be considered to have "risen from the ranks." But in order to establish merit and make a name for himself, Zhu Wen felt that he still needed experience "starting from the local government."

In life, the most important thing is, of course, to realize one's ambitions. For Zhu Wen, this meant seizing power and becoming a superior person.

But Zhu Wen did not want to use his power to bully others.

He disliked luxury and had little desire for women.

In Zhu Wen's view, besides personal gain, the best way to obtain power is to benefit the people and earn their genuine love and respect. Otherwise, how would he be any different from those corrupt and harmful officials in the court?

After Huang Chao appointed himself as the military governor of Lingnan, Zhu Wen quickly requested a title from Huang Chao and was granted the position of prefect of Fengzhou.

This appointment was primarily intended to deal with Liu Qian, the former Guangzhou yamen school principal who had fled Guangzhou and occupied Fengzhou.

Liu Qian was from Fengzhou. After fleeing back to Fengzhou, he quickly gained the support of the local people and appointed himself as the governor of Fengzhou, attempting to continue his resistance against the bandit army.

Zhu Wen led only his own thousand-strong army to drive Liu Qian away.

Liu Qian hastily gathered two or three thousand local people to meet the enemy, but their weapons and armor were in disarray and their troops were untrained; how could they possibly be a match for Zhu Wen?

After a crushing defeat, Liu Qian's entire army scattered. Unable to enter the city, he fled into the mountains with only a few dozen loyal subordinates.

In the Lingnan region, with its high mountains and dense forests, they were difficult to capture.

After Zhu Wen entered Fengzhou, his men read aloud the official document issued by Huang Chao, and the officials of Fengzhou all bowed respectfully.

Originally, official appointment certificates were issued by the imperial court and stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Personnel. When appointing officials, military governors also needed to obtain several blank official appointment certificates from the imperial court before filling in the names of the appointees.

Huang Chao only appointed himself as the military governor of Lingnan, and the official document he issued was not legal.

By creating his own official documents and being granted official positions, Huang Chao demonstrated a fundamental improvement over previous rebel armies, including those led by Pang Xun. He attempted to break free from the makeshift structure and establish a sophisticated administrative system.

Huang Chao was, after all, a man well-versed in literature. Although he hadn't passed the imperial examinations, he had visited Chang'an multiple times. Even if he hadn't tasted pork, he had seen pigs run, so he was quite familiar with the court's systems and etiquette. This was something that ordinary outlaws couldn't match.

Zhu Wen swept his sharp eyes over the officials, noticing their timid expressions and seeing in their eyes that they were "outwardly respectful but inwardly convinced."

These people do not welcome outsiders.

In their view, although the bandit army occupied Lingnan, it was enough for them to actually control Guangzhou, and the local authorities should let these local tyrants govern themselves.

In fact, Huang Chao did the same thing in most of the prefectures and counties in Lingnan.

Previously, most of the prefects in Lingnan were appointed by local powerful families.

The gentry and powerful chieftains who assisted the Grass Army needed to preserve their vested interests. Since the Grass Army had only recently established itself in Lingnan, it was also not advisable to drastically replace them.

Why did the people of Fengzhou support Liu Qian and resist the rebel army? Zhu Wen was already being lenient by not killing a number of people to establish his authority when he entered the city.

After taking over the administration of the prefecture, Zhu Wen immediately appointed Lan Suting as the Registrar of Households, in charge of household registration, accounting, roads, transit points, tax exemptions, miscellaneous taxes, arrears, the status of the poor and commoners, fodder, inns, marriage, land disputes, and honoring filial piety and brotherly love; Huo Cun as the Judicial Officer, in charge of law enforcement and prison administration, supervising the arrest of thieves, and recovering stolen goods and bribes; Zhu Zhen as the Registrar of Records, in charge of general record keeping, checking for omissions, and reporting corrupt officials; and Ge Congzhou as the Chief Clerk, in charge of documents and archives, case trials, land reclamation, and water conservancy.

As for the original few, they should hand over the documents, pack their things, and get out of here quickly.

Lan Suting was a girl, and Ge Congzhou was only thirteen or fourteen years old. This arrangement would surely cause resentment among the people of the prefecture. But Zhu Wen had brought troops with him; if anyone caused trouble, he could simply deal with them with his guns. Zhu Wen thought to himself, Xingxiang's father, Zhang Rui, had been the prefect of Songzhou before his death. He and Xingxiang had been separated for many years, and now he too was a prefect.

Although upon closer examination, the differences are still quite significant.

The current dynasty divides prefectures into upper, middle, and lower prefectures. The governor of an upper prefecture is a third-rank official, the governor of a middle prefecture is a fourth-rank official official, and the governor of a lower prefecture is a fourth-rank official official.

A state with more than 100,000 households is considered an upper state; a state with more than 20,000 households is considered a middle state; and a state with fewer than 20,000 households is considered a lower state.

Songzhou has a large population, ranking first among the ten most important prefectures and among the top prefectures.

Fengzhou, located in the remote Lingnan region, was naturally a small prefecture with fewer than 20,000 households. Its governors throughout history were either local powerful figures or disillusioned officials who had been demoted there.

In addition, the barbarian tribes in the mountains could not be included in the household registration, so the number of households that Fengzhou could actually control was less than that of a single county in Songzhou.

The city is located at the confluence of the Fengxi River and the Xijiang River. The accumulation of silt has created a small plain at the confluence of the three rivers, which is suitable for farming.

A few days later, the people of Fengzhou received news that their newly appointed governor was going to personally cultivate the winter wheat.

People in Lingnan eat rice, and rice can be harvested twice a year.

Wheat needs to be ground into flour and made into noodles before it can be eaten. This also doesn't suit the tastes of most people in Lingnan.

However, wheat has one advantage: it is sown in winter and matures in spring, thus avoiding the growth cycle of rice. Winter-sown wheat can yield three harvests a year.

Throughout history, from emperors to low-ranking officials, there has been a practice of farming alongside the common people. For emperors, this was called the "personal plowing ceremony," demonstrating the emperor's emphasis on agriculture.

According to Zhu Wen's idea, persuading farmers should not only be a performance for the people, but should bring real benefits to them.

Planting an extra crop of wheat in winter can increase a year's grain production by 30%, which translates into a visible increase in income for ordinary people.

He brought a large quantity of wheat seeds, as well as a group of experienced farmers skilled in wheat cultivation. The locals, unfamiliar with wheat farming, could seek guidance from these experienced farmers.

The notices printed using woodblock printing were sent to various villages in Fengzhou, where literate people read them aloud to the people.

Curious people flocked to the fields outside the state capital.

They saw that the new governor was about twenty years old, with handsome features and a strong, muscular physique despite being shirtless. He was dressed like an ordinary farmer, with his hair tied in a high bun and his long, coarse hemp trousers tightly bound at the bottom, the cuffs rolled up high. He was pushing a curved plow, loosening the soil.

A folk saying goes: When winter comes, the paddy fields dry up, and the children call out to each other.

The fields near the city were mostly paddy fields. In winter, when the water in the paddy fields dried up, they were perfect for planting wheat.

However, wheat is not completely immune to water. As the saying goes, "An inch of wheat is not afraid of a foot of water, but a foot of wheat is afraid of an inch of water." Wheat needs water during its growing season, but it is afraid of water during its ripening season. Land near rivers is perfect for carrying water for irrigation.

A Han Dynasty folk song goes, "Wheat planted on high ground will never grow into ears. A man far from home, how can he not grow haggard?" This means that high-lying fields are not conducive to carrying water, so wheat struggles to grow.

The plow rope tightened around Zhu Wen's body, causing him sharp pain.

Having not tilled the fields for many years, he was somewhat rusty. Besides, Zhu Wen had always been lazy when it came to farm work in his youth.

The sun isn't very strong in winter, but after working for a long time, sweat keeps streaming down your face, shoulders, and back.

The people gathered on the edge of the field, pointing and gossiping about Zhu Wen as he worked hard in the field.

(End of this chapter)