Qing Yao

Chapter 197 Lord Zhao is a good official!

During the Ming Dynasty, Huai'an was the second largest administrative center in Liangjiang after Nanjing, and it was very prosperous.

Because the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner at that time not only concurrently held the position of Governor of Fengyang, but also managed the canal route spanning several provinces and more than 3000 li, making him a true high-ranking official of the imperial court.

If the Ming Dynasty had a ranking of governors-general, the Grand Canal Transport Governor-General would have been ranked below the Governor-General of Southern Zhili at most.

This made Huai'an, where the governor's office was located, the de facto provincial capital, with a GDP far exceeding that of Yangzhou to the south.

Although Huai'an is no longer the political center north of the Yangtze River due to the removal of the governor-general of the Grand Canal from the local power of the governor, its prosperity is still unmatched by other provincial capitals.

Zhao An and his party traveled north along the Grand Canal to Huai'an, not going directly to the Grand Canal Administration Office, but stopping frequently along the way.

Why?

Because Imperial Censor Zhao needed to conduct an on-site investigation.

You have no right to speak without investigation.

The old man was saying to see what the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner was doing, so we have to focus on the word "see".

Of course, Zhao An's identity as the young master was kept strictly confidential. Apart from Ren Chaoyang, Baili Yunlong, and others who knew that he was actually the Cao Gang's "inside man" in the government, no one else knew, and ordinary gang members knew even less.

Therefore, Zhao An, in his capacity as the Imperial Inspector of Grain Transport, interacted with the grain transport workers along the route. If news reports were to document these interactions, they would likely be described as follows: "Lord Zhao accurately grasped the pulse of society, fully listened to opinions from all sides… During his visits, Lord Zhao repeatedly pointed out and emphasized…"

Although he only used a few official words, Zhao An's investigation was actually very thorough.

This truly represents the imperial court's close contact with the canal workers, listening to their grievances, understanding their demands, expressing condolences on behalf of the court, and indicating that the actual situation will be reported to the court to strive for the canal transport authorities to settle the overdue wages as soon as possible.

In the Gaoyou section, Zhao An even went into the shacks built by the canal workers along the canal and chatted cordially with the workers' families, showing no disgust at the pungent and unpleasant smell in the air. Before leaving, he ordered people to distribute the hundreds of bags of rice and flour he had bought along the way to the workers' families.

After several visits, even before Zhao Anren arrived in Huai'an, the banks of the Grand Canal were already filled with rumors that Zhao Qingtian had come, and everyone was already talking about how he was going to be saved (with money).

Hou, a former professional soldier, felt that it was unnecessary for Lord Zhao to keep stopping to interact with the canal workers and even setting aside his official airs to "talk" with the women and children of the canal gang. In his opinion, the canal workers dared to cause trouble this time because they did not take the government seriously. If the higher-ups sent troops to crush the canal workers who had gathered together, the problem would be solved. There was no need for officials to "humbly" negotiate with them.

"Is that what you think too?"

Zhao An was asking the Green Standard Army soldiers who were sitting by the roadside waiting for him, the Imperial Censor, to get into his carriage and depart.

"Uh?"

The soldiers looked at each other, unsure how to answer Lord Zhao's question.

One of the sentries mustered his courage and said, “Lord Zhao, our Lord Hou is right. Those who cause trouble are just troublemakers. You can’t deal with troublemakers by talking nicely to them; you have to draw your knives. Otherwise, the troublemakers will think that the government is afraid of them.”

After hearing the officer's words, many soldiers nodded in agreement. The imperial court supported them precisely so that they could deal with unruly people.

Seeing this, Baili Yunlong and the others who were sitting opposite him as Zhao Yushi's attendants were naturally dissatisfied, but they did not show it, because they could not reveal that they were members of the Canal Gang, as that would expose that the young lord was in the government but his heart was in the gang.

Zhao An smiled and casually pointed to a soldier, asking him kindly, "Young man, where are you from?"

"Replying to you, my hometown is Baoying County, not far from here."

The soldier who was called out by Zhao An looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old and seemed quite excited because the official was asking him a question.

Zhao An nodded and asked the soldier, "Then let me ask you, if your family member worked for someone and not only didn't get paid, but was also beaten up by the employer's men, what would you do?" Without thinking, the soldier blurted out, "Of course I would settle accounts with them! How can someone work without being paid and then get beaten up!"

"But according to your officers, if you go to settle accounts with someone, you're considered a troublemaker, and troublemakers are considered unruly. To deal with unruly people, you have to draw your knives. So, it would be you soldiers who have to deal with these so-called unruly people. Do you think that makes sense? Does it make sense?"

Zhao An looked a bit like a political commissar doing ideological work.

In fact, that is him.

The only difference was that the soldiers in front of him weren't his men.

The small battalion soldiers stood there stunned, while the other soldiers were also somewhat confused by Zhao An's statement.

"I come from a poor background, and I imagine that you Green Standard Army brothers don't come from much better circumstances either, otherwise you wouldn't have joined the army. As the saying goes, a good man doesn't become a soldier, and good iron isn't used to make nails. Put yourselves in each other's shoes. You brothers come from poor backgrounds, and so do the canal workers. We all come from poor backgrounds, so why should the poor make things difficult for each other?"

Zhao An smiled and looked at Captain Hou and the other officers, “You all serve the court just like me, but have you ever thought that while we can serve the court in our lives, our descendants should also be able to serve the court? If not, they will still be ordinary people.”

If ordinary people who are bullied and seek justice are considered troublemakers, then our descendants will one day be killed by officials and soldiers in the name of suppressing troublemakers.

To prevent this from happening, we officials must put ourselves in the shoes of the people and think from their perspective. Only by always prioritizing the interests of the people can we prevent so many innocent deaths in the world.

After saying this, he looked around at the soldiers who were listening intently and said, "We are all of the same origin, why should we fight each other so fiercely? If you brothers don't understand this, you can ask someone."

"grown ups,"

General Hou swallowed hard, feeling a little ashamed, because what Lord Zhao said made perfect sense. If he could become an official, could his son and grandson also become officials?

There will always be descendants who don't become officials, and there will always be times when they encounter injustice.

If things had gone according to his original plan, the stone would have eventually fallen on the heads of his descendants.

"Lord Zhao is a good official; it's the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner who owes people money and refuses to pay that he's the bad one!"

The soldier who shouted this was the one who had been singled out by Zhao An for questioning. It was like throwing a firecracker into the crowd, and the shouts of "Lord Zhao is a good official!" instantly rang out.

The soldiers who had previously only worked hard because they had received a reward from Lord Zhao now looked at him differently.

No dynasty or era has ever had a good official like Lord Zhao who cares so much for the people!
Before getting into the car, Zhao An said meaningfully to the still ashamed Captain Hou, "We officials must be connected to the higher authorities and grounded in reality."

"What kind of antenna are you referring to, sir?"

Hou Ba always understood "earthly energy," but what exactly was an "antenna"?

Zhao An smiled without saying a word, but simply pointed to the sky.

Hou always wanted to improve, so he figured it out himself.

Who is the sky, and who is the line connecting the sky?

The signal just released by the "antenna" not only shows that the poor will not bully the poor, but also conveys an important message: those who are not from the same root can be tested.

(End of this chapter)