You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 148 Recruitment Criteria: Illiterate!
In the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign, in the middle of the third month of the lunar calendar.

It is springtime, the grass is growing and the birds are flying, and the whole place is lush and green.

Jiang Qingyun and his entourage of over 200 people left Beijing in a grand procession. Their first stop was Mentougou, located in the southwest of the capital.

Mentougou belongs to Wanping County.

Shang Zhou, the magistrate of Wanping County, accompanied him throughout the journey, showing him great courtesy.

"Vice-Governor, this place is full of ravines and rolling hills, with beautiful scenery. It's the perfect time for a spring outing. I've prepared some wild game for you to enjoy."

As he spoke, Shang Zhou glanced at the military-clad lady behind Jiang Qingyun.

He swallowed the second half of the sentence.

He originally wanted to say: "In this rural area, I am sorry for the lack of hospitality. In addition to wild game, I have also prepared a few pretty village girls to pick mushrooms by the stream."

The gentlemen of the capital were used to eating refined grains, so occasionally going out of the capital to eat some coarse grains and experience the original ecological atmosphere was a way to change their tastes and add a lot of fun to them.

……

What is the situation at the Mentougou coal mine?

"This humble official does not know."

Jiang Qingyun only glanced at him, and Shang Zhou, feeling immense pressure, told the truth.

"Vice-Governor, please forgive me. The Mentougou area is rich in coal mines, and some people are secretly mining here because of their powerful connections. I dare not interfere."

"who?

"Behind them are high-ranking Manchu and Han officials from the capital."

"Pen and ink are at your service."

The four large characters of "Jingxi Coal Mine" are powerful and vigorous.

"Oh my, the Vice-Chancellor's calligraphy is sharp and unique, truly a style of its own."

Jiang Qingyun laughed heartily, and Shang Zhou laughed along with him.

"To have one's own style" is the highest praise for calligraphy enthusiasts, but unfortunately, most of the time it's just self-praise.

The smokeless coal from Mentougou is very famous.

Jiang Qingyun couldn't possibly miss out on this lucrative opportunity.

"Frame it. From today onwards, the Jingxi Coal Mine is officially established and placed under the Guangxi Department of the Ministry of Revenue. Vice Minister Zhou, the specific affairs are now in your hands."

"Yes."

The Ministry of Revenue could directly open mines, which was perfectly legitimate.

Zhou Shao turned his head and gave a few instructions to the other person.

The man nodded vigorously, his eyes shining. He was the son of a guerrilla fighter in Tongzhou Town, neither good at literature nor martial arts, with a bleak future.

Being appointed as the supervisor of the Jingxi Coal Mine is at least a position, and there's money to be made from it.

……

Half an hour later, the group reached the top of the mountain and looked down at the surroundings, where a clear view suddenly appeared.

Mentougou is a place with mountains, water, black smoke, and bandits.

“Vice Magistrate, those places that are smoking are private mines. Every mine owner has connections that reach the highest levels. When the county yamen runners go there, the mine owners have them beaten to death and thrown into the mine pit.”

Jiang Qingyun was not surprised. Mentougou has always been like this: it is prone to floods and bandits. Solo tourists are best advised not to join the crowds.

"Supervisor of the Jingxi Coal Mine?"

"The mark is on."

"Listen carefully. I'll give you four clerks, three months, and 300 taels of silver to get started. After three months, you must supply all the smokeless coal in the southern part of the city."

"I obey."

"come here."

Jiang Qingyun pulled the person to the edge of the cliff and lowered his voice.

"Hire 10 people from the South City Coal Industry Association to assist you, and 30 more from the South City temporary patrol team to guard the mining area. Also, get 30 sets of swords and spears from the South City Military Command. Handle these matters discreetly. Then, you can recruit refugees to work in the mines, paying them double the wages of those working in illegal mines. Mining is hard work; if you drive the miners into rebellion, I will not only kill you, but also your entire family. Don't worry too much about profits; the Ministry of Revenue is short of officials and has many vacancies, so you should do your best."

"Rest assured, sir, I have pledged my allegiance."

The supervisor's face was trembling with excitement; he never dared to dream of working for the Ministry of Revenue.

"it is good."

Jiang Qingyun patted his shoulder meaningfully.

……

"Vice-Minister, let's go down the mountain and rest in Dayugou Village tonight."

"The village we passed through west of the pass on our way here?"

Jiang Qingyun nodded.

The large group of people crossed the pass and returned to Dayugou Village in Wanping County, where they arranged their headquarters in the only three-courtyard house with blue bricks in the village.

It's very quiet at night.

There was no sound except for the dog barking.

Jiang Qingyun could only peruse the fish scale picture book of Wanping County by the light of a candle.

"Magistrate Shang, in such a vast area as Wanping, the cultivated land that pays taxes is only a little over 1 mu?"

“Vice-Governor, the rest are flag fields and imperial estates.”

Jiang Qingyun thought to himself, "This is where the problem lies."

Trying to reform within the framework of the imperial system would be futile, even if you had 100 Wang Anshis or 100 Zhang Juzhengs.

There's no point in being a wallpaperer.

They dared not overturn the situation, so they themselves did.

They changed the things they dared not change themselves. They killed the people they dared not kill themselves.

When Jiang Qingyun stretched and walked into the room, Jiang Nan quickly stood up.

"Husband, are you tired?"

"Hmm, I'm tired. Let me soak my feet and rest."

Inside the room, bows and arrows, swords, and soft armor from Jiangnan hung on the walls.

……

The next day, it was cloudy and rainy.

The next day, Jiang Qingyun dispatched a small team into the Mentougou mountain area. The yamen runners and soldiers climbed over mountains and ridges, banging their gongs loudly.

"The government is recruiting. Two taels of silver a month, plus room and board. Gentlemen, come down the mountain, your ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke."

Several days later, traces of mountain people began to appear at the pass.

They peeked around cautiously, looking timid and disheveled.

Zhou Shao: "Third brother, are you really going to recruit these illiterate mountain people?"

"Correct."

"To be a city patrolman?"

"No, stuff it into the Ministry of Revenue."

"You...you really mean it?"

"I need a group of people who are absolutely reliable, absolutely loyal, and have never seen the world. Do you think these people perfectly meet these criteria?"

Zhou Shao's eyes widened; he felt as if he had touched a thin layer of paper.

……

Jiang Qingyun personally served as the interviewer, and due to the difficulty in understanding the dialect, a translator was even needed.

"what is your name?"

"Zheng Wuliu".

"how old are you?"

"29."

When Jiang Qingyun looked up, he thought the man looked 39. He knew that people in the mountains lived a hard life and looked much older.

"Zheng Wuliu, when did your ancestors move to Mentougou?"

"When the Song Dynasty attacked the Liao Dynasty."

"How do you know so clearly?"

"This is a saying passed down from generation to generation by our ancestors, and I dare not forget it."

"You haven't moved house in all these hundreds of years?"

"Yes, all my ancestors are buried on the hillside behind the house."

How many graves are there?

"I can't count them all."

"You count how many silver ingots are on my table?"

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6~"

Six is ​​the limit.

Resources are extremely scarce in the mountains. Zheng Wuliu only needs to know six numbers; having more knowledge would be a waste and only cause more trouble.

……

"Are you literate?"

"There isn't a single literate person in our village."

"How many people are in the family?"

"Me, my wife, three kids, a pig, and a dog."

Where has the farthest you've ever been?

"This is the place. I'll bring the hides and dried fruit down the mountain to exchange for some salt."

How do you usually support your family?

"Planting crops, digging holes, and harvesting fruit."

"I'm here in Mentougou on behalf of a major government office in the capital to recruit directly. The pay is good; you'll get two taels of silver a month, plus room and board. Zheng Wuliu, congratulations, you've been accepted."

"Sir, what's this 'admission'?"

"That's right~ you can receive your salary monthly now."

Zheng Wuliu asked a question that seemed to be of particular concern to him, with trepidation.

"Sir, how much is two taels of silver?"

"Two liang is two liang."

The local translator quickly explained in a low voice, "Sir, the people in the mountains have never seen silver ingots before."

With a clatter, a pile of copper coins fell onto the table.

"Here is two taels of silver."

"Too much, I can't spend it all, I simply can't spend it all."

Zheng Wuliu rubbed his hands excitedly.

(End of this chapter)