Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 450 The New Official (Part 1)

On January 3, 1641, as the warm winter sun pierced through the morning mist and bathed the earth, Liu Wencheng rode in an oxcart to Hewan Village, a dozen miles southwest of Yongping Fort.

The villagers who were driving the cart greeted the militiamen on duty and drove straight into the village, heading towards the village office.

"We've arrived, Secretary Liu." The oxcart stopped, and the driver smiled ingratiatingly at him.

"Hmm." Liu Wencheng responded reservedly, jumped out of the car, subconsciously straightened his wrinkled clothes, and then looked up.

Immediately, he was stunned by the sight before him and stood frozen in place.

There were no ornate government offices, no poetic staff; everywhere you looked, there were immigrants carrying timber, and the sounds of tamping earth, shouting, arguing, and clashing metal all mingled together.

On an open space on one side of the village, several men in short jackets were using an ink line to draw lines on the ground, with piles of soil (cement), bricks, and pieces of wood next to them.

There was also a group of women herding a flock of ducks toward a stream not far away to forage for food.

Not far from the village, in the fields, groups of migrants were bending over to level the land, the marks left by the iron plows on the black soil gleaming in the sunlight.

This is where the military settlement office under the jurisdiction of Yongping is located.
"Hey, is this Liu Wenshu?" a gruff voice called out.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a dark-skinned man with a towel around his neck and a notebook in his hand.

"May I ask..." Liu Wencheng cupped his hands in greeting and asked cautiously.

“What’s there to ask or not ask!” the man said with a smile. “I’m Zhang Dahe, the militia captain of Hewan Village. A few days ago, I received an official document from Lord Ye saying that new clerks had been sent to us. Come on, don’t just stand here, Village Chief Zhou is waiting for you in the office!”

Liu Wencheng forced a smile and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Captain Zhang..."

He wanted to exchange a few more pleasantries, such as "It's an honor to meet you" and "I've heard so much about you," but Zhang Dahe turned and walked away with a brisk pace, so he had to hurry after him.

Two villagers came out from the gate of the public house and greeted Zhang Dahe with a smile: "Chief Zhang, the new clerk has arrived?"

Zhang Dahe raised his chin: "Those personally selected by Lord Ye, be quick-witted."

The public housing consisted of three brick houses connected together, with blue tiles on the roof and many unopened burlap sacks piled up in the corner.

In the center of the room were two pine wood tables, on which were spread a pile of documents and materials. The covers were labeled "Field Ledger," "Material Consumption," and "Work Hour Registration." Seven or eight men dressed in coarse cloth shorts sat around the two sides of the wooden tables.

Liu Wencheng noticed that their trouser legs were covered in mud, and one young man's straw sandals had holes in them, revealing his dark toes.

Zhou, the village chief of Hewantun, stood in front of a rough sketch on a wooden board by the wall, holding a charcoal pencil and marking something.

Seeing Zhang Dahe lead Liu Wencheng in, he turned around, glanced at him, and nodded slightly: "You've arrived? Please have a seat."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wencheng found a wooden stool and sat down. Without making a sound, he moved his position slightly away from the "peasants".

After a while, Zhou Zuomin turned around, first scanning everyone around, then pointing to Liu Wencheng: "This is Liu Wenshu, sent by the Colonization Division. You will need to report to him on many matters in the future. Now, report on the progress of each group's work."

A gaunt man spoke first, his rough fingers clutching a crumpled piece of paper: "Our group has reclaimed thirty-five acres of land as of yesterday, but the irrigation canal hasn't been built yet. We estimate it will be finished in the next day or two..."

Next came the report from Group Two: "...32 mu of newly reclaimed farmland and 750 meters of irrigation canals were built..."

"...Three groups felled 120 trees and cleared 26 acres of wasteland. Considering the large number of tree roots to be dug up, we need to apply for several oxen..."

"..."

Liu Wencheng was getting drowsy listening to the story; these trivial matters were far removed from his imagined "painting of the landscape." "Liu Wenshu?" Zhou Zuomin suddenly called on him, "Tell me your thoughts."

Liu Wencheng immediately straightened up, adjusting his non-existent wide sleeves, and declared loudly: "In my opinion, the key to the settlement and reclamation of Hewan lies in implementing benevolent governance. We can emulate the Zhou Rites by establishing schools to teach the people etiquette and righteousness; and follow the Han Dynasty's Ever-Normal Granary system, borrowing in spring and returning in autumn, granting the settlers the benefit of free cultivation..."

As he spoke, he took out a manuscript from his pocket. “Before coming here, I spent several days at Yongping Fort drafting the ‘Twelve Strategies for Settlement and Colonization.’ I would like Lord Zhou to take a look.”

The room suddenly fell silent, and everyone cast strange glances at them.

Zhou Zuomin took the manuscript, glanced at it, and his brows furrowed more and more.

"Lord Zhou, if there's anything you don't understand, I can explain it to you..." Liu Wencheng said cautiously upon seeing this.

Could this settlement official from Hewantun be illiterate?

“Liu Wenshu…” Zhou Zuomin’s voice was as cold as ice, “Do you know what we lack most right now?”

"This... education is the foundation of governance..."

“It’s oxen, it’s draft horses, it’s labor!” Zhou Zuomin suddenly slammed his hand on the table, causing the carbonated beverage to spill out of the bottle. “The entire village of over 120 immigrants needs to cultivate 800 mu of land by the end of March. With just this small population, it’s incredibly difficult. But the targets set by the colonization zone must be strictly met, which requires mobilizing all manpower and rationally arranging various colonization affairs.”

"Furthermore, to date, more than thirty immigrant families have not yet moved into proper houses and are crammed into drafty thatched huts. They cannot build wooden houses because they lack enough nails! Recently, there has been continuous rain, and many people have fallen ill, but there is no way to get treatment and medicine in the short term. What they need are doctors and medicine!"

He held up the manuscript, shaking it. "Do you think your methods of teaching will be of any use?"

“My lord…” Liu Wencheng retorted in a low voice, “My lord, you must know that governing a region should begin with education. I once submitted a memorial to the Commissioner on the expansion of the Qiongjiang River, mentioning the strategy of ‘civilizing the people with virtue’…”

"Did the Commissioner adopt it?" Zhou Zuomin interrupted him impatiently.

“Uh…” Liu Wencheng paused, carefully choosing his words: “After the Commissioner finished reading my ‘Qiongjiang Colonization Report,’ he issued an appointment, ordering me to come to Yongping Colonization District to serve as its director…”

This shows that the Commissioner approves of me!
"Oh, really?" Zhou Zuomin picked up the "Work Hour Registration Form" on the table and turned to a certain page. "The day before yesterday, some immigrants in the fifth group feigned illness to show up for work hours, receiving money and food but not actually working; yesterday, five immigrant households in the sixth group went to the government office to argue over the unequal distribution of farm tools. Can you resolve these matters by 'converting people with virtue'?"

He pushed the booklet in front of Liu Wencheng, saying, "You need to investigate these two issues thoroughly and give me the specific reasons tomorrow. Remember, you need concrete evidence, not just empty talk."

Liu Wencheng took the form, his brows furrowed: "Sir, although I am a clerk in the fortress, I am still a scholar. How can I do such menial and menial work?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zuomin's face darkened: "Liu Wenshu, in the colony area, everyone must perform their duties, obey the orders of their superiors, and not disobey. Didn't Lord Ye tell you before you came here? There are no idle people in Xinhua, and there is no rule of 'those who labor with their minds govern others.' If you are unwilling to do this, you can return to Yongping Fort now and resign from your position as clerk to Lord Ye!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Liu Wencheng's head.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but saw that Zhou Zuomin had already turned to instruct the others in the room, no longer paying attention to him, the "scholar," and immediately lost his momentum.

The meeting quickly ended, and everyone went about their business, leaving only Liu Wencheng standing at the door of the public housing unit, clutching the "Work Hour Registration Form".

The early winter wind, carrying fine dust, brushed against his face, smelling of pine and damp mud.

He gazed at the busy figures in the village, his right hand unconsciously touching the edge of the manuscript—the "Twelve Strategies for Settlement and Colonization" that Zhou Zuomin had dismissed as "armchair theorizing," now clutched in his bosom like a branding iron.

"Liu Wenshu, are you still standing there?" Zhang Dahe walked by, a knife slung over his waist, sweat stains on the shoulders of his coarse cloth jacket. "The village chief said you need to come with me to Group 3 to check the number of households that went to work today."

Liu Wencheng's throat moved, as if he wanted to say "A gentleman is not a vessel," but the words that came out of his mouth were a dry "I understand."

He followed Zhang Dahe through the village. The dirt road under his feet was uneven and full of potholes. The muddy ground, which had just been rained on, was filled with countless footprints of varying depths.

He walked carefully on tiptoe, but the hem of his trousers still got quite a few mud spots.
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(End of this chapter)