GBP Chapter 306 Let me preface this by saying something ugly.
Chapter 306 Let me preface this by saying something ugly.
As Emperor Zhu's decree was relayed from the capital to Zhaoyuan, Xu Zheng and other officials and their families officially embarked on their journey to the capital, and their lives began to count down.
The flags that could mobilize the four guards of Dengzhou and the Shangfang sword that could kill officials below the second rank were also handed over to Lan Yu, who was to take them back to the capital and return them to Emperor Zhu.
It started with great fanfare, involving the entire Shandong province and the capital, but ended with almost no commotion. The whole Plowshare Case was like a farce, with a rather anticlimactic ending.
Lan Yu stood in front of the prefectural government office in Penglai, smiled at the stone lions in front of the office, and said, "This grand show has only just begun. You should be careful in Dengzhou."
After a slight pause, Lan Yu added, "The Leopard Guard and that naval battalion will be stationed in Penglai from now on. If any special circumstances arise, they will protect you and help you leave. Don't you dare throw a tantrum at them, understand?"
Yang Shaofeng was slightly taken aback and asked, "What special situation could there be in Dengzhou? Could Hu Yuan possibly have the ability to launch a counterattack from the sea?"
Lan Yu shook her head. "Hu Yuan certainly doesn't have that ability, and Japan and Korea are even less capable. However, the 'Japanese pirates' do have that ability, understand?"
Upon hearing Lan Yu emphasize the words "Japanese pirates," Yang Shaofeng immediately understood what was going on.
Yang Shaofeng smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry. As long as it's not Hu Yuan's navy, the Japanese pirates are actually the least of our fears."
Lan Yu hummed in agreement, then patted Yang Shaofeng on the shoulder and said, "Whether the Japanese pirates are fearsome or not, preserving your life is the most important thing."
“Remember, no matter how wronged you are, your superiors, your uncle, and your Uncle Chang can make amends for you. But if you let anger cloud your judgment, no amount of making amends will help you later.”
After giving Yang Shaofeng a few more instructions, Lan Yu mounted his horse and said, "Alright, go back and take care of your official business."
Yang Shaofeng hummed in agreement, watched Lan Yu leave, and then turned back to the main hall of the prefectural government office.
Strictly speaking, Yang Shaofeng is currently in the county government office of Penglai, because the prefectural government office of Dengzhou has not yet started construction, so he can only work together with the officials of Penglai County.
Yang Shaofeng glanced at the numerous officials under the prefectural government and the newly appointed magistrate of Penglai, Xu Jingyu.
"It is now May of the third year of Hongwu. This year's spring plowing has been delayed. I do not want the wheat harvest, summer sowing, and autumn harvest to be delayed as well, and I do not want even the winter land reclamation to be delayed."
"Therefore, I will preface this by saying some unpleasant things, so that you will not be unaware of my rules and may offend me in the future."
"First, I don't care how well you write your articles or how eloquently you speak in officialdom; I only care whether the people under your rule can live and work in peace and contentment."
"From now on, I will visit various counties from time to time without prior notice, without your hospitality, without your accompaniment, and without listening to your official pronouncements. I will directly ask the people and see their living conditions."
"Do not doubt my ability to do this."
“When I was serving as the magistrate of Ningyang County, I wore out four pairs of boots in two years, and I traveled to every corner of Ningyang County. I don’t mind wearing out a few pairs of boots in Dengzhou as well.”
"Secondly, this case of the plowshare has ended, but it is not completely over."
"Don't think that the matter is over just because Qu Mingjie and Xu Zheng were taken to the capital. This only applies to the Dengzhou area, or rather, to the Dengzhou prefectural government and the ten county magistrates like you."
The most unfortunate people in this plowshare case were the officials of Ninghai Prefecture, because Ninghai Prefecture was directly demoted to a county. Liu Yu, who was originally a fifth-rank prefect, was inexplicably demoted to a seventh-rank county magistrate. The assistant prefect and judge in the prefect's office were also demoted at the same time.
After secretly feeling sorry for Liu Yu and the others, Yang Shaofeng continued, "I can tell you now that the Plowshare case is far from over. In the end, who knows how many people will be implicated. You should take this as a warning and never make the same mistakes as Xu Zheng and the others."
"Third, I will give you one month to make two copies of the household registration books and land ownership books of the people under each self-governing jurisdiction. One copy will be kept in your county government office, and the other will be submitted to the prefectural government office."
"Furthermore, we need to have accurate figures on whether each household has stored grain, how much grain they have, what farming tools they have, what farming tools they lack, how many cattle and horses they have, and how many cattle and horses they still need, based on the standard of one cow for every five households."
"Take two of these students from Ningyang County School with you from each county. If there's anything you don't understand or know how to do, ask them."
"Don't expect them to stay and assist you, because three months later, I will send these students back to Ningyang County School to continue their studies."
"Have you written it all down?"
As Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, the ten county magistrates and several assistant officials from the prefectural government bowed and said, "We have taken note."
Yang Shaofeng then nodded and continued, "His Majesty has exempted the entire Shandong province from taxes for three years, which is a good thing for our Dengzhou Prefecture. However, because of those scoundrels Xu Zheng and Qu Mingjie, more than two years have been wasted, and now there is less than a year left."
"When you return, you must tell the people under your jurisdiction that all the miscellaneous taxes originally set by Xu Zheng and Qu Mingjie have been waived. As long as they work hard in farming, whatever amount of grain they have left this year is their own."
"As for you..."
Yang Shaofeng sneered and said, "If anyone dares to follow Xu Zheng and his gang in creating all sorts of pretexts to impose exorbitant taxes, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
The ten county magistrates felt a chill run down their spines, and Yang Shaofeng then turned his gaze to the several assistant officials in the prefectural government office.
According to the organizational structure of the Ming Dynasty, a prefectural government office had a prefectural governor of the fourth rank, several assistant prefects of the fifth rank, several sub-prefects of the sixth rank, a judge of the seventh rank, an official of the eighth rank, a clerk of the ninth rank, a clerk of the prefectural office, an inspector of the unranked office, and a prison warden of the unranked office.
Dengzhou Prefecture currently has only one Assistant Prefect and one Sub-Prefect, but all other assistant officials are in place.
Yang Shaofeng even wanted to shout like Lao Li: I've never fought such a rich battle before!
After glancing at the numerous assistant officials, Yang Shaofeng continued, "You were all transferred from other places by the Ministry of Personnel. You have all done corresponding jobs before. I hope that you can support our Dengzhou Prefecture government."
Xu Liang, the fifth-rank official in charge, immediately stepped forward, bowed to Yang Shaofeng, and said, "Yes, we will do our best."
Yang Shaofeng nodded. "I will be visiting various counties later, so you must pay close attention to the official business in the yamen."
After Xu Liang, the magistrate, agreed, Yang Shaofeng turned his attention to the prefect: "I will give you one month to find out if there are any prisoners in the jails of each county, and how many unresolved cases there are. I want to see accurate figures after one month."