Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"I couldn't even pass the final exam."

"Later, he sent his servants home to raise a great deal of money,"

"Finally, I can be appointed as an official in a remote area,"

"But he only gave it to a guest envoy."

"More than ten years of hard study,"

"A legitimate Jinshi degree holder,"

"They actually want me to be a guesthouse envoy!"

"That was really wrong!"

Emperor Huizong quickly echoed his sentiments, but what he was thinking was:

You dog thief!

He has no skills whatsoever.

Making you a guest envoy is already too much of an honor.

Xie Ze became increasingly angry as he spoke, and slammed his fist on the table, saying:

"A foolish ruler and treacherous officials are in power,"

"The tyrannical Song Dynasty deserves to perish!"

"Someone like me, whose talents are not recognized,"

"There are countless others like this across the land."

Chapter 1927 An Old Acquaintance

Emperor Huizong of Song wanted to strangle this guy, so he changed the subject:

"Was Zhao Huan really an official in Shandong?"

Xie Ze laughed and said, "Isn't that right?"

"I not only knew that he was an official in Shandong,"

"I also know that he went to Shandong specifically to grow cotton."

Emperor Huizong then asked, "What about the concubines, princesses, and princes of the previous dynasty?"

"The Emperor was merciful and did not make things difficult for them,"

Xie Ze was probably drunk, he winked and said...

"The emperor favors married women,"

"Zhao Ji's young and beautiful concubines,"

"I'm afraid we'll continue to enjoy good fortune in the future."

Emperor Huizong of Song was so angry he gritted his teeth.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

I'm not in the mood for flattery anymore.

He picked up his glass and drank a few mouthfuls of wine in silence.

.....

Zhao Yuan inspected Shandong.

He only brought two thousand guards.

A thousand heavily armored soldiers,

A thousand musketeers.

Including the officials from the Grand Marshal's Office and the Privy Council,

And military logistics personnel,

A total of 3,200 people.

Following the ancient Bian Canal southeastward,

The fleet headed straight for Xuzhou.

The route passes through Yucheng, Dangshan, Xiaoxian and other places.

The prefectures and counties along the way,

It can only be said that the public security is stable.

It's far from enough to restore people's livelihoods.

Shandong was already exhausted.

It was repeatedly ravaged by various rebel groups.

The population has plummeted to levels seen a hundred years ago.

In the administrative divisions of the Ming Dynasty,

Xuzhou remains under the jurisdiction of Shandong.

To prevent separatism and rebellion,

Shangqiu and Ningling were placed under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Xiapi and Suqian were assigned to Huainan Province.

Based on the current river conditions,

It is equivalent to transporting by water.

Cut Shandong Province into two parts, east and west.

As for the border between Shandong and Hebei

The river is divided along its former course.

When Emperor Huizong of Song first ascended the throne,

The Yellow River's course change was extremely violent.

According to later place names,

The Yellow River now flows through the following areas:

Puyang, Daming, Qiuxian, Qinghe, Hengshui, Xianxian, Cangzhou, Qingxian, Tianjin.

Yes, the Yellow River flows into the sea at Tianjin...

Anyway, Zhao Yuan made a stroke of his pen,

Liaocheng, Gaotang, Dezhou, and other places

It was finally incorporated into Shandong territory.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

Outside Xuzhou City,

Yuwen Chang, the prefect of Xuzhou

He led officials and civilians out of the city for ten miles to kneel and welcome them.

Yuwen Chang was still an official in Jiangxi last year.

After Jiangxi surrendered,

Zhao Yuan immediately appointed him to govern Xuzhou.

Even the Ministry of Personnel in the capital didn't need to report it.

Zhao Yuan personally helped Yuwen Chang up, and said with a smile:

"Brother Quan Ke, we meet again."

"The new dynasty's ritual system does not apply to major occasions such as sacrifices, grand court ceremonies, enthronement ceremonies, announcements of imperial decrees, or triumphant returns,"

"At other times, officials and commoners are not allowed to kneel down at will."

"Don't kneel down next time."

“Yes!” Yuwen Chang replied.

Zhao Yuan then said to the others, "Everyone, please rise."

"Your Majesty, do you still remember me?"

Geng Dingchen, who was standing nearby, couldn't wait to step forward.

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "Of course I remember."

"When I was the prefect of Puzhou,"

"You are the registrar of Leize County."

Geng Dingchen wept with joy, wiping away his tears as he said:

"Your Majesty actually remembers,"

'What virtue or ability do I possess to deserve such an honor!'

How important is Xuzhou?

Just look at these two officials, and you'll know.

They were all Zhao Yuan's old colleagues and subordinates.

This region has the highest steel production in the country!

Geng Dingchen was the supervisor of the Liguo Supervisory Office.

They specifically manage that area of ​​iron ore.

The rank is similar to that of a prefect in a lower-level state.

The Ming Dynasty continued the system of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Mining and metallurgical institutions are divided into five types: supervisory, administrative, site, pit, and smelting.

The supervisory authority is a regional administrative body.

The business is a combination of tax department and purchasing station.

The site is a mining site.

The pit is a mine pit.

"冶" refers to a smelting plant.

The remaining officials and local celebrities,

After the group stepped forward to pay their respects,

The group then accompanied Zhao Yuan into the city.

Zhao Yuan casually inquired about steel production, and Geng Dingchen rattled off the details with ease:

"Since the Liguo Bureau adopted the new smelting method,"

"It can produce 18 jin of raw and wrought iron per month,"

Merchants, artisans, and ordinary people all benefited from it.

That translates to a monthly production of around 100 tons.

Moreover, both pig iron and wrought iron are included in the calculation.

These raw and wrought iron,

Most of it was produced by private ironworks.

Merchants only pay taxes on 20% of their production output.

The rest had to be purchased by the Liguo Supervisory Bureau.