Prime Minister

Chapter 125, Section 124: [In the Prime of Life]

Human strength has its limits.

Zhang Shi slowly began to speak, his tone slightly heavy: "Since Your Excellency has mentioned these five long-standing problems, I will now share my views."

"These five diseases are not clearly distinct. Although each has its own causes, in my opinion, they are interconnected and influence each other, ultimately forming intractable diseases that are difficult to cure."

"The problem of land consolidation has always existed. This is not unique to our dynasty. It has been the same in every dynasty for thousands of years. Generally speaking, when the world is peaceful for decades or hundreds of years, land will be concentrated in the hands of officials, gentry and landlords, and the lives of the poor will become more and more difficult. Our county is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, and floods will definitely exacerbate the problem of land consolidation."

"After last year's floods, land prices in this county plummeted. Although I opened the granaries to distribute grain to relieve the people, it still couldn't meet the needs of all the people. In addition, grain merchants hoarded and speculated, and rice prices remained high. The people had no choice but to sell their land to survive. Under the deliberate suppression by powerful families and wealthy gentry, land prices were more than 30% lower than in previous years."

"In the end, the powerful and wealthy families seized the land at low prices, and the common people became tenants, cultivating the land that originally belonged to them, only to receive a meager amount of food in return. As a result, the gap between the rich and the poor in this county has widened, with the rich dressed in fine silks and satins, while the poor people are dressed in rags. This is the scene that Your Excellency saw earlier."

"As for the Grand Canal and the salt administration, these are chronic problems in the entire Jiangnan region. The complexity of the forces involved and the enormous interests involved are enough to make too many people unable to control their own lives. Not to mention a mere county magistrate like myself, even the provincial governor would not dare to easily intervene in this matter."

"However, I have also analyzed the root causes of these two long-standing problems."

"The drawbacks of the canal transport system lie in losses, checkpoints, smuggling, and monopolies. A single canal boat can involve the interests of local officials, gentry, merchants, canal soldiers, canal workers, the central government, and the inner court. Who dares to investigate? Who can investigate? Even if there are oversights that cannot be concealed, it is only a matter of sending out a few scapegoats to give an explanation to the court and the public."

"The problem with the salt administration was that the monopoly led to layers of exploitation, and the salt producers at the bottom could not survive at all, so they had no choice but to take risks and sell smuggled salt. The Suzhou uprising in the twelfth year of Taihe, the Haimen uprising in the thirteenth year of Taihe, the Anfeng uprising in the fifteenth year of Taihe, and the Yongjia uprising in the sixteenth year of Taihe were all caused by the harsh salt administration. Even if they did not form a large-scale impact, it is an indisputable fact that the tension was getting tighter and tighter."

Zhang Shi finished speaking in one breath, his weathered face full of helplessness.

"A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study."

Xue Huai didn't care that Zhang Shi was resistant to him. If Zhang Shi, after experiencing such hardships, immediately placed his trust in him, a stranger, then he would carefully examine the other party's character.

More importantly, Xue Huai did not want to meet a pretentious, pedantic scholar who was trying to curry favor with the authorities. Fortunately, Zhang Shi gave him a pleasant surprise.

Judging from Zhang Shi's statement, this seventh-rank county magistrate was indeed worthy of being a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He had a very profound understanding of the issues and never resorted to pedantry. He used the most plain language to reveal the truth about the so-called prosperous era.

After praising him, Xue Huai asked, "Then, in your opinion, how should we deal with these five long-standing problems?"

"This……"

Zhang Shi hesitated again.

He wasn't being overly protective of his own knowledge; rather, he had experienced too much suppression and deception, and instinctively dared not trust others. If Xue Huai hadn't had such a good reputation and was not so sincere in his respect for scholars today, he wouldn't have even wanted to say those things earlier.

After all, for him, the most terrifying thing in the world is not a bleak future, but having hope and then being disappointed, and then being repeatedly hit with such blows.

Xue Huai roughly understood his inner thoughts, so he calmly said, "If Magistrate Zhang doesn't mind, how about I offer this as a starting point?"

Zhang Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his head, saying, "I would like to hear the details."

"I wholeheartedly agree with your detailed explanation of the underlying causes of these five long-standing problems."

Xue Huai reached out and plucked a willow branch, drawing a line on the ground in front of him. He slowly said, "Let's assume this is the river embankment of our county. We can see that our county is surrounded by water on three sides and backed by the Yangtze River. The canal runs through the city, and the riverbed is accumulating silt day by day. Once the river rises, the flood will quickly backflow into the city. If the embankment is stable, it's fine. But if the embankment breaks, nearly half of Yizhen County will be flooded."

Zhang Shi squatted down to observe, and said with slight surprise, "Your Excellency is so knowledgeable about the local hydrology."

Xue Huai said frankly, "My father once managed the waterways in Yangzhou and left behind a handbook on river engineering. I have studied it repeatedly, so I have a fairly good understanding of it."

"I see."

Zhang Shi looked up at Xue Huai, asking expectantly, "Does Your Excellency have a solution?"

This was clearly still a test, or rather, Zhang Shi wanted to know if the two of them shared the same idea.

Xue Huai also squatted down and said slowly, "Flood control cannot be accomplished overnight; it requires a lot of patience. In my opinion, the key to the flood in Yizhen lies in reinforcing the river embankment and dredging the canal. In addition, we also need to divert water."

"Please explain in detail, Your Excellency!"

Zhang Shi's tone became involuntarily excited.

Xue Huai used a willow branch to extend three lines along that line, saying, "The methods for diverting the flow are: first, to build a flood discharge channel at the eastern water gate; second, to connect it to Shaobo Lake, which can store water during the dry season and reduce the pressure on the river embankment during the flood season; and third, to build a weir and drainage ditch in the canal. With these three measures combined, the stability of the river embankment and both banks of the canal can be ensured."

"This strategy is feasible!"

Zhang Shi felt a sense of kinship with Xue Huai and then said, "In addition, we can reinforce the river embankment by planting willows and sinking stones. These projects can also serve as a form of work relief, giving the poor people of this county another option."

Xue Huai nodded and said, "That makes sense. When the people can find work from the government, they won't have to suffer on the docks. I suppose those wealthy gentry won't dare to continue to mistreat them so ruthlessly in order to retain their manpower."

Zhang Shi looked intently at Xue Huai and asked, "I wonder how Your Excellency intends to resolve the problem of land annexation?" This time, Xue Huai did not speak directly, but instead asked, "What are your thoughts, Magistrate Zhang?"

"It's out of the question."

Zhang Shi understood Xue Huai's unspoken meaning: if he really wanted to follow this young superior, he would have to show some real skills.

After a brief moment of thought, he said calmly and sincerely, "Your Excellency, to be honest, I believe this is an unsolvable problem. It may be delayed, but there is no way to cure it. I have searched through history books and walked through the fields countless times, but I still cannot figure out how to solve it."

Xue Huai appreciated his rationality more and more.

If Zhang Shi were to boast and talk big without any sense of shame, or if he were to still harbor unrealistic idealism, he would only feel that he had misjudged him.

After all, based on his understanding from his previous life, land annexation was a fatal flaw of feudal dynasties, and even a renowned minister like Zhang Juzheng could not eradicate it. How much less could he, an outsider raised under the red flag, and Zhang Shi, a forty-year-old county magistrate whose life had been full of hardships?

He said gently, "It's just a casual chat between us, so please feel free to speak."

Zhang Shi nodded and said, "Then I will speak. To curb the problem of land annexation, the first priority is to conduct a mandatory land survey to uncover the hidden lands of wealthy landowners, and on this basis, rebuild a fair tax system. Secondly, we should clarify the progressive land tax system, where the more land a person owns, the more taxes they pay, and then use the collected land taxes to provide relief to ordinary people. Thirdly, we should investigate the gentry who have illegally seized the people's land and allow the people to redeem their land at the original price."

Xue Huai pondered for a moment and said, "Have you considered how much resistance there will be?"

Zhang Shi said, "I have thought about it. If I were to forcibly implement these policies within the territory, the best outcome would be my dismissal or transfer."

"if……"

Xue Huai slowly said, "I mean, if in the future the imperial court intends to change the status quo and slow down the escalation of land annexation in various places, and decides to conduct a trial in a few areas first, I wonder if Magistrate Zhang has the courage to take on this task?"

Zhang Shi was taken aback, then a look of resolute emotion appeared in his eyes, and he nodded heavily, saying, "This humble official has no choice but to do so!"

Xue Huai said approvingly, "Even if there are thousands of people, I will go. Magistrate Zhang has great courage."

Zhang Shi sighed and said, "Your Excellency, this is all the courage I have left."

"You're only just over forty, what are you afraid of?"

Xue Huai smiled and said, "Second Grand Secretary Ouyang is already over sixty years old, yet he is still full of ambition. I'm afraid that when he's seventy or eighty, he will still be able to stand firmly in the court, and may even have the opportunity to sit in the Grand Secretary's chair. Compared to him, we are still just children."

When Zhang Shi was an official in the capital, he had seen Ouyang Hui's demeanor. Hearing Xue Huai's teasing, he couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Xue Huai stood up, looked at the Yangtze River that stretched like a ribbon, and said, "One must eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time. Whether it's the canal transport or the salt administration, these are not problems that can be solved overnight, but at least we have a direction. Right now, the most important thing for Yizhen County is to solve the problem of flooding and give the people a stable environment. Only then can we seek other solutions."

Zhang Shi wholeheartedly agreed. Recalling their previous conversation, he said with a hint of trepidation, "Your Excellency, I wonder how much silver the government can allocate for these matters?"

"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you."

Xue Huai turned to look at him and said truthfully, "Prefect Tan said long ago that I can have people, but I have no money. Although Yangzhou is rich, the amount of money that can actually enter the treasury is pitifully small. After all, he doesn't have the guts to embezzle money from the Provincial Administration Commission, the Grand Canal Administration, and the Salt Administration."

Zhang Shi forced a smile, his initial enthusiasm gradually calming down. He said with empathy, "I understand. This year's flood situation should not be serious. We can ask the government to arrange the allocation next year."

"As I said, I'm here to solve problems, not to cause you trouble."

A slight smile appeared on Xue Huai's lips.

Zhang Shi asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that, Your Excellency?"

"As long as we try hard enough, we'll eventually find the money."

Xue Huai stretched his arms slightly and said calmly, "Since you know about my deeds in Jiangdu County, you should know that I now bear the reputation of Xue Qingtian and absolutely cannot let the people down. Yizhen County is so big, surely there are no rich and unkind people? No old cases? No disputes among the people?"

Zhang Shi immediately realized what was going on. He hadn't worried about the wealthy merchants of Yizhen County for a moment, and said without hesitation and decisively, "Your Excellency, there are many!"

"It's good to have it."

Xue Huai winked at him.

At this moment, the setting sun casts patches of rosy light across the river.

Xue Huai turned and walked forward, with Zhang Shi following closely behind. Unlike the distance he had deliberately maintained before, Zhang Shi now walked much more easily behind the young official.

That heart, dormant for many years, unexpectedly burst forth with boundless passion.

(End of this chapter)