Chapter 386 Be careful not to catch fire

Chen Xie is telling the truth. Last year's summer tax and autumn tax, Chen Xie asked the money house to advance the payment. He did not collect money and grain from the governments. It was not that Chen Xie was kind-hearted, but that he was digging a pit and burying people. If Shandong officials were all responsible officials, it would not be digging a pit and burying people, but that he was sincerely good for the people below. It can even be said that as long as these officials are not so greedy, the pit will not work. The question is, who are these officials?

Since the beginning of spring this year, grain prices have been rising. Grain merchants from all over Shandong have been selling grain to the capital, Henan and other places. Especially the two places, Dongchang Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture, relying on the canal, it is more convenient to do grain trading. Grain merchants have earned a lot of money, and they have almost sold the grain in their hands, so they have started to make other ideas. For example, the grain in the treasury colludes with officials, buy at low prices, and wait for the drought to become more severe, and sell at high prices to maximize the benefits.

So, who are the people who do these things? Are they all merchants? No? Wrong? I would be very wrong to think so. If a merchant was a simple merchant in the Ming Dynasty, he would have been gnawed for a long time. For example, the maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty was booming, and a large amount of silver flowed into trade with Europe and the United States every year. So, who are the maritime traders?

Before answering this question, let’s look at another question. Those people who opposed the opening of the sea in the Ming Dynasty? Why did these people oppose the opening of the sea ban? Comparing the first two questions, and looking at the Chongzhen Dynasty’s financial difficulties, but it was not until the last few years that the local sea ban was opened. It is not difficult to see who is the vested interests of the sea ban.

In the Ming Dynasty, it was completely normal for bureaucrats and merchant groups to collude. Many officials' families were doing business, or even huge merchants. It is not difficult to understand why the Shanxi merchants could rise so quickly in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It is not difficult to understand why the gentry in Jiangnan still lived a luxurious life after the capital fell by Li Zicheng, and Songjiang Mansion still cared in a step-by-step carnival.

As long as it is a human society, corruption will exist, it is nothing more than the changes in form and the differences in a lot. Some officials are corrupt, but they are still willing to do things. Some officials are corrupt but do not do things well. The Ming Dynasty can be said to be greedy for all officials, but they are just a few. What about the officials in Shandong? Well, Shandong can be said to be a severely affected area.

Before this meeting, Chen Xie's intelligence agency had already obtained evidence of officials from various prefectures, prefectures, counties, colluding with gentry and merchants, and reselling grain. However, Chen Xie would not bring out this evidence, nor would even expose the scam they prepared for the inspection of the governor. Only in this way can this pit be called a pit and bury many people.

After an hour of meeting, everything that should be said was first mentioned before and a letter was issued. After the meeting, a group of officials dispersed, some left in groups, and some left in their own way. Anyway, they didn't take the content of the meeting seriously. In their opinion, the only unlucky thing was Shangguan Xi, who was forced by Chen Xie to complete the so-called identity card distribution work within one month. It seems that Chen Zhongcheng was determined to make things difficult for Shangguan Xi and find some work for him. This time, he was quite polite. I wonder if the Shangguan Palace will be punished a little worse next time.

Zhang Bingwen was quite satisfied with Chen Xie's arrangement. He only had to be in charge of a Jinan Prefecture, and Chen Xie took over other prefectures, which showed that he respected the governor's office and took care of his work. Since this was the case, he would naturally have to work hard. After returning, Zhang Bingwen ordered to convene his subordinates to hold a meeting and deploy drought relief work.

Zhang Bingwen is still a competent official. He can see that Chen Xie's deployment will play a huge role. Once there is a drought, the identity card system can control the situation in the city in a short period of time. This thing has been available in Denglai Prefecture for a long time, and the overall effect is said to be very good. The situation in Jinan Prefecture is stable and the provincial capital city is not in chaos. This is the basis of everything. Food reserves, preventing possible disaster victims, and ensuring continuous relief, there will be no major chaos. It is really that all prefectures can prevent this according to this requirement. Shandong is not likely to be in chaos. In Zhang Bingwen's opinion, this meeting was held in a timely manner, and the measures are effective and effective. Chen Xie's governing ability is worthy of recognition. Prevention is definitely better than dealing with things when things come.

Chen Xie set out early the next morning, and the entourage was two divisions, the guards and the two hundred cavalrymen. The first stop was Qingzhou Prefecture. When you arrived in Qingzhou, ask about the prefect's drought resistance and check the reserves of the granary. Everything was pretty good. Qingzhou Prefecture seemed to be preparing for these things. According to Chen Xie's information, half of the grain he saw was no longer part of the treasury. Chen Xie knew it clearly, so he took a quick look and continued to inspect the prefectures of Qingzhou Prefecture, and the counties along the way also went to see it. The focus was naturally on inspecting the granary. The so-called food in his hand was not panic. Chen Xie's move was correct.

Every time he went to a place, Chen Xie would check the granary and then ask someone to record a note. How much grain is stored in Qingzhou Prefecture, and then carefully check the fire prevention work, so as to ensure that there is no problem. Before leaving Qingzhou Prefecture, Chen Xie asked the prefect Zhang with a smile on his face: "The fire prevention of the granary in Xianguan is fully prepared, and the Qingzhou granary will not catch a fire, right?"

Zhang's heart beat, and he kept saying, "Do your best and do your best." Chen Xie said lightly: "If something happens to the granary, be careful of your head. Benxian holds the Shangfang sword in his hand. Even if you are a civil servant, you can kill first and then report."

Qingzhou was followed by Yizhou (now Linyi) in Yanzhou. The Yanzhou prefect brought local officials to welcome him here. In the Ming Dynasty, no one was deliberately careless. Hai Rui was not a freak. This guy was a clean official, but in some specific situations the harm of the clean official is greater than that of corrupt officials. Objectively speaking, the clean official is worthy of affirmation, and there is no dispute.

When he arrived in Teng County, Chen Xie deliberately stayed for a day, which made Teng County uneasy and thought that Mr. Chen had discovered something. In fact, Mr. Chen only remembered that more than three hundred years later, a battle occurred in this small county town, which also resisted foreign invasion. Three hundred years later, a general was killed here. In the near future, what about the Qing army after entering the pass? Haha, Shandong almost surrendered without fighting, and the resistance was minimal, and the Qing army could be said to be able to be obtained by hand. Local officials, those who held the surrender in their hands were like crucian carp trees crossing the river.

Perhaps for this reason, Chen Xie carefully inspected the granary of Teng County. When he left, he said to the magistrate Xie: "Teng County has prepared well and the work is effective. That's it, don't catch a fire in the granary."

The next stop to Yanzhou, this place can be called an important town in Shandong Province. Jining Prefecture, under his jurisdiction, is on the canal. In Yanzhou, there are two places that have to go. The first place is the Prince of Lu's Mansion. Chen Xie sent someone to submit a visit. As a result, the King of Lu replied, "I am afraid of visiting the border of a province and I dare not accept it." In theory, Chen Xie should have accepted Chen Xie's visit three times in a row, which was called an unspoken rule. As a result, Chen Xie only sent a visit to the Confucius family in Qufu. The Kong family refused according to the rules. Then, Chen Xie refused.

Such a naughty official, Daming is really the only one! Amid the secret ridicule of the entire Shandong officialdom, Chen Xie went to Jining. After the inspection, he went north along the canal to Dongchang Prefecture. When he boarded the ship, Chen Xie still looked for no one else and secretly said to the Yanzhou Prefect: "I've prepared well, be careful of a fire in the granary."

After leaving Yanzhou Prefecture, Chen Xie soon learned that King Lu killed an eunuch because of his anger. This was in principle the family affairs of King Lu, and even if he was in charge, it was the affairs of the clan mansion. The head of the Kong family jumped and scolded for an hour. It is said that this guy was ignorant and did not read much. He relied on his ancestors to make a living, so he should not be too demanding of him. However, there was a talent in the Kong family, who was currently in the cabinet, Kong Zhenyun, the Grand Secretary of the East Pavilion! He would not lose a pound of meat after cursing for a few words. Chen Xie continued to go north with peace of mind. This time he went north, Chen Xie's speed slowed down a lot. He inspected the hundred households in various places along the river. He would stop and go down to see the actual situation of the hundred households. After reading it, he left silently, and did not say that he would trouble someone with a bad luck.

The focus of inspections along the way was to deal with drought resistance and prevent drought conditions, namely grain reserves, local security, etc. There were many things and they were very complicated. Chen Zhongcheng worked tirelessly. After inspecting Dongchang Prefecture, Chen Xie carefully wrote a very long memorial and reported it to the capital. He also listed a form, the amount of grain and how much treasury and silver were found in the accounts of each prefecture, prefecture, county, and county. He also entrusted a certain Dongchang Head to report to Wang Zhixin secretly. Shandong summer and autumn taxes were all private accounts that Chen Xie left, and asked the money house to advance payment. He was worried about the possible problems in the early spring of Shandong.

The memorial and form arrived at the capital. After entering the Minister of Revenue, Hou Rong, the guy followed a hot potato and immediately threw it into the cabinet for others to see. Why did he throw it out so quickly? Because Hou Rong saw the problem? No, what Hou Rong saw was Chen Xie's accounting method and the function of the form. Once other officials saw it, they would naturally write a letter to ask for national promotion. Even if this matter was offended to death by civil officials in the world. If you do something like accounting, you can see at a glance, how can you do anything? Chen Xie's modern accounting method was a death-hunting talisman in the Ming Dynasty. Insiders looked at the tricks and laymen watched the excitement. Other members didn't understand this, so they didn't take it seriously. After reading it, they said that Chen Xie was very good and was very diligent.

Then, these things were entered into the hands of the Sili Supervisor and Cao Huachun. After reading this, the old man was very happy. He immediately found the emperor and sold them out: "Chen Sihua governed Shandong, and he was doing his best. He traveled all over the three prefectures in Shandong in one month. Prevent the possible consequences of drought in advance. This means that everything is planned and if it is not planned, it will be abandoned. It should be promoted throughout the country." (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!