Chapter 271 Rich Harvest (I)
Li Wei was not only prepared to be dismissed from office, but also considered being imprisoned. However, thinking back to Yongzheng's favor and promotion, Li Wei did not regret what he said to Hong Zhou.
When Li Wei learned that the Thirteenth Emperor had invited him over, he set out immediately. Seeing the Thirteenth Emperor sitting on the couch, Li Wei hurried forward to greet him. The Thirteenth Emperor did not let Li Wei get up, but sighed, "Li Wei, seeing you reminds me that there are not many people left after the previous emperor promoted him."
Li Wei's nose felt sore and tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly said, "Please take care of yourself, Your Majesty. We have to rely on you to hold the situation together."
Old Thirteen ordered Li Wei to stand up and said, "When you see Huo Chong, tell me what's going on."
Having reported to Hong Zhou before, Li Wei spoke much more simply and clearly this time. Old Thirteen remained silent. When Li Wei finished speaking, he suddenly started coughing. The cough became more and more severe, as if he was going to cough out his lungs. The imperial physician and Old Thirteen's personal attendants hurried forward and finally helped Old Thirteen to recover.
After sending the imperial physician and the others away, Old Thirteen called over the uneasy-looking Li Wei and asked, "From what you have seen, can Huo Chong do what he said?"
Li Wei quickly responded, "Your Majesty, I have only seen that Shandong has a good harvest. There is one more thing that I cannot understand. According to the court, Huo Chong has never been to school. I have talked with Huo Chong and he has definitely been to school, and he has been studying since he was young. If the court still regards Huo Chong as a bandit craftsman, it is a big mistake."
The Thirteenth Master frowned. "The late emperor had seen Huo Chong's calligraphy, your Fourteenth Master had seen it, and so had Emperor Kangxi. They are all experts in calligraphy, and they can tell at a glance whether someone is pretending to be bad at calligraphy or really is bad at it."
Li Wei reminded him, "Master Thirteen, I have seen so many scholars who can't even make sense. Huo Chong is not just making sense. I really don't understand what kind of background this guy has."
Hearing this question, Old Thirteen felt that he had found the key. However, he did not continue the topic, but said to Li Wei: "The memorial you wrote to the emperor is full of nonsense. Those principles are the principles of traitors, how can you take them seriously!"
Li Wei was stunned. Although he had expected such a rebuke, he still hoped that Old Thirteen was just perfunctory. So he replied, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."
"If you know you're wrong, go back and reflect on it. Don't say anything else. Go!"
Li Wei wanted to persuade them again, but he knew that he could not persuade these powerful people. He could only obey the order and leave.
While the high-ranking officials of the Qing Dynasty were getting furious about this contact, Gao Pang, who had just returned from the rural front line, excitedly reported on his gains from this visit to the grassroots. He could not help but ask why Huo Chong had revealed the core ideas of the Han regime to the Qing Dynasty.
"Gao Pang, do you think these ideas are wrong?"
"Of course not. Governor, I just think that if the Qing Dynasty acts according to our ideas, wouldn't it become stronger?"
"Haha. Don't use your ideas to impose on others. Let alone the Qing Dynasty, how much do the people who have come back from the grassroots and have acted according to the policies formulated by the concept know about this theory?"
Gao Pang was stunned, and the excitement in his heart immediately weakened. "Governor, what the people want is not theory, but the benefits brought by the policy."
"That's right. Those who really care about theory are not the majority. Only a few can make fine-tuning of specific policies suitable for the local situation based on theory and the actual situation at hand. As for those who use their basic understanding of the world to analyze the current situation and construct theories, even fewer can do so. You are also the top scholar. How many people do you think can make policy construction in the Qing Dynasty?"
After a moment's thought, Gao Pang's excitement completely disappeared. He sighed and said, "Commander-in-chief, I have not seen such talents in the Qing Dynasty. If that's the case, then no matter what we say, it will be useless."
"Of course it is very useful. If we don't have theory, what can we say to the people? But the needs of the people and the needs of the Qing Dynasty are not only different, but also contradictory. The more the people can understand and accept something, the more the Qing Dynasty cannot accept it. Because there are two kinds of risks in the world. One is the bellows faced in order to achieve a goal, and the other is the risk faced in order to improve capabilities. The Qing Dynasty is already corrupt, and they will not choose to improve their capabilities."
Gao Pang felt that he could barely understand what Huo Chong said, and his heart was filled with inexplicable melancholy. Finally, he could only sigh: "General, when I saw the change of dynasties before, I always felt that there was a chance for a sudden inspiration to save the dynasty's fate of decline. Now I know that decay starts from the root. Once the root is rotten, no matter how prosperous the dynasty is, it will have no future. I never thought that after understanding all this, I would feel sad."
"Gao Pang, you still consider yourself a petty bourgeois scholar. You learned literary and martial arts and sold them to the emperor. So it is inevitable that you have some so-called incense and incense feelings. If you regard yourself as a common people, you will see a different world. The darkness that has oppressed the people for thousands of years is being torn apart. The light is about to shine, and the people finally have the opportunity to stand up and become the masters of the country. If you take this standpoint, you should be more happy and expectant."
"Governor, you are so talented, why do you consider yourself a commoner? If it is not really of great benefit, I think you would not do this."
Huo Chong was somewhat moved by Gao Pang's words. Among so many people in the Han regime, Gao Pang was the first to raise such a question. Huo Chong originally thought that Master Changxin would be the first to raise such an opinion. However, after being in contact with Master Changxin for such a long time, Huo Chong has found that he underestimated Master Changxin.
Master Changdao, who is obsessed with metaphysics, pursues the "unspeakable" avenue with all his strength. In the eyes of Master Changdao, there is no difference between emperors, generals and ordinary people, but they are all just existences in the operation of the avenue. In the eyes of these masters, the concept of "human" may not exist, let alone the concept of equality for all based on the human world.
If we must ask further, Master Changxin might ask disdainfully, "Did the Tao also create the concept of equality for all?"
When Huo Chong thought of Master Chang Xin, he felt powerless. If we don't talk about knowledge, but only about realm, Huo Chong would be inferior to Master Chang Xin.
Gao Pang, a layman like Huo Chong, asked, "What does equality mean for all in the eyes of the governor?"
"In the past, I would have told you that equality for all is a moral principle above all others. Now I don't think so. For me now, equality for all is a value among the three gates that are the foundation of life. This concept is like the stone under our feet when we cross the river, which is a piece of the bridge surface. If we don't have this concept, when we encounter certain situations, we will definitely have no foothold and will not be able to make it through."
"Is the governor exactly the same as ordinary people?"
"The only difference between me and the common people is my job title, not my status. Human power is very limited. At least for now, it is impossible for one person to solve everything he faces. In order to continue to make progress, we must cooperate. Since it is cooperation, it is harmful to distinguish between high and low. No one is a fool. You treat others as fools. Do you really think that others don't know?"
Hearing Huo Chong start to sing the tune of "People's eyes are sharp", Gao Pang felt powerless again. But at this time, Gao Pang was no longer willing to spend time thinking about others. Before he came back, he had decided to follow Huo Chong wholeheartedly. At this time, he asked: "Since the only difference is the position, I wonder what position the governor will assign to me."
"Do you think you can be a village chief?"
Gao Pang immediately became conflicted. As the top scholar, Gao Pang certainly felt that he was fully qualified to be the village chief. However, having just returned from the grassroots, Gao Pang knew that he did not have the ability to completely handle local affairs. Even for a village, Gao Pang might not be able to handle all the affairs.
Just when Gao Pang was in a dilemma, he heard Huo Chong say, "I have high hopes for you. Gao Pang, you are still young. As long as you spend a few years at the grassroots level and work your way up, with your values and aspirations, you can be a prefect, governor, or even a governor-general. However, we Han people must not repeat the same mistakes, thinking that we can be officials just because we know a few words and read a few books. They are not far away. No, I have seen a tragedy unfolding. Why should we continue to play out this tragedy after driving the Qing Dynasty out of power?"
Gao Pang talked with Huo Chong for a long time, and finally felt that his ideas made sense, so he accepted Huo Chong's suggestion.
When he came out, he saw Qian Qing coming in. The two nodded to each other and went about their own business. When Qian Qing saw Huo Chong, he immediately asked, "Sir, now everyone wants to compete for the position of governor of each prefecture. I'm afraid there will be a commotion."
"That's right. But I still don't want them to make trouble." Huo Chong said, and his mood became worse.
"What are you going to do, sir?"
Huo Chong took another look at the Shandong map. In the Qing Dynasty, Shandong was divided into ten prefectures, namely Jinan, Dongchang, Tai'an, Wuding (now Huimin), Yanzhou, Yizhou, Caozhou, Laizhou, Qingzhou, and Dengzhou (now Penglai).
In addition, there were three directly-administered prefectures, namely Linqing, Jining and Jiaozhou, and eight scattered prefectures.
If we do not count these states with frequently changing administrative divisions, and only consider the administrative regions with more stable administrative divisions, the entire Shandong Province has 96 counties under its jurisdiction.
There are more than one hundred administrative officer positions for administrative heads alone. If the political affairs officer positions are also included, the number will be nearly 250 top and second-in-command positions.
It's not surprising that there's competition for these positions; it would be strange if no one wanted to compete for them.
"Qing'er, if you are included, how many people can accept the replacement of the prefect's position at any time?"
Qian Qing frowned slightly, "What do you mean, sir?"
"Now none of you have reached the level of a prefect that I am satisfied with. I can only put people who have such cognition in the position of prefect first, and then transfer them later. If it is you, there are a few people who I can trust. I am not very confident about others. After becoming a prefect, they were transferred from their posts and sent to the local areas to do more grassroots work. Many people cannot accept it."
"If you put it that way, I can't accept it either." Qian Qing expressed his attitude.
Huo Chong replied: "That's what I'm worried about. At least you won't think I look down on you."
Qian Qing continued to express his objection, "Sir, I roughly know what you are thinking. But now everyone knows that they can do it, but they will definitely not satisfy you. At this time, shouldn't you give everyone enough face ? As long as you don't let everyone lose face, they won't be really angry if they are transferred in the future."
Huo Chong felt that he had some realization at that time, "You are right."
Qian Qing immediately became , "Of course. I always speak the truth to you, sir."
Huo Chong was also very happy to have the advice from his caring disciple. After chatting with Qian Qing for a while, Huo Chong had an idea. Soon, the Han regime held a meeting after the autumn harvest.
Huo Chong directly posted the prepared work responsibilities on the blackboard, and the hundreds of current core members attending the meeting also received the same printed document.
Without talking about the appointment of officials, Huo Chong explained in detail the work that each county, state, and prefecture would undertake. Before he had finished talking for less than a third of the time, some people began to yawn. Others who were obviously interested in applying for positions had a look of fear on their faces.
As expected, he had to give everyone face. Seeing everyone's performance, Huo Chong calmed down. He had been a little obsessed with the issue before, only thinking about how to transfer personnel. If he respected everyone and made everyone understand their responsibilities, some people would naturally recognize the facts.
Pausing the story for a moment, Huo Chong asked, "Do you all know that we must take up the responsibility for Shandong?"
Everyone nodded, "We are all people who have endured hardships, and we know what it feels like to be bullied by those corrupt officials and gentry. I have heard a story that there was a dragon in the mountains before, and it ate people every year. Finally, everyone worked together to prepare armor and weapons for a hero. The hero went to kill the dragon..."
Huo Chong tells the story of a brave man who killed a dragon, but ended up becoming a dragon himself because he lived the life of a dragon.
After the story was finished, the guys who usually loved to listen to stories fell silent. It was obvious that the story had a great impact on them.
Even though he knew that everyone didn't like to hear such fables, Huo Chong still had to make it clear, "I know that many people hate landlords and gentry because they have suffered from them. But this doesn't mean that everyone doesn't envy the landlords who own a lot of land, rely on land exploitation, and live a life of food and clothing. Our revolution is not to replace the landlords ourselves, but to break this cycle and let everyone live a better life. Everyone has heard this truth, and now I ask again, are you still willing to follow this truth now?"
Seeing that Qian Qing was about to respond to Huo Chong first, Lei Hu shouted in front: "Commander-in-chief, I am willing to follow reason. Let everyone live a good life."
Qian Qing glared at Lei Hu and shouted, "Sir, I will follow you all my life. Wherever you point, I will fight!"
However, the number of people who immediately expressed their support for Huo Chong was far less than the previous war when everyone was united against the same enemy. Only one in three people immediately expressed their firm support for Huo Chong. After thinking about it, only two-thirds of them expressed their full obedience to Huo Chong.
Another one third actually hesitated and remained silent, which shows that they have their own ideas.
Hu Yue had already shouted to the people beside him: "Wang Weichang, are you not going to listen to the governor now?"
Wang Weichang was startled and immediately shouted, "Nonsense, what nonsense are you talking about!"
"What nonsense am I talking about? The governor has already given the order, why didn't you listen!" Hu Yue shouted.
Huo Chong immediately interrupted Hu Yue's questioning. Although he recognized Hu Yue's loyalty in his heart, Huo Chong still hoped that the meeting could follow the collective meeting model.
As long as there are people, there are rivers and lakes. Since Huo Chong is not going to do the Qing Dynasty's way, he must ensure that everyone has a voice. Otherwise, it will become like the Qing Dynasty court, where the emperor gives orders and the people below verbally applaud, but actually do things according to their own selfish interests.
Wang Weichang saw Huo Chong coming out to take charge of the situation, and he immediately said, "Commander-in-chief, I am your man. Of course I will go with you. But when I got home, the villagers said that I was a battalion commander, but I didn't make any money or get any land. Many people said that I was just bragging. In fact, I didn't become a battalion commander. If I had become a battalion commander, things would have been different."
Huo Chong was very unhappy. Although he knew that his subordinates were pursuing personal interests, he did not expect that someone would make such a simple request so early. Wang Weichang was really a typical example.
But Wang Weichang’s request was not wrong. In this era, in any era, if good people do not receive any benefits or good rewards, then who would be willing to be a good person?
Just as he was thinking about how to deal with Wang Weichang, he saw Qian Qing was about to speak. Huo Chong's mind moved, and he remembered Qian Qing's words before, "give everyone enough face." When he first heard it, Huo Chong just thought it was about everyone's pursuit of positions, but now it seems that it may not be the case.
"Commander Qian, do you want to say something?" Huo Chong called out.
Qian Qing immediately stood up and said, "Sir, these brothers are indeed wrong. We cannot relax now. Although Shandong is not small, it is only a province compared to the Qing Dynasty. The governor said that we have to kill three million enemies before we can conquer the world. Up to now, we have killed three hundred thousand at most. It is only one tenth. But after all, we have conquered Shandong, and we must let people know about the brothers' contributions. People live by reputation, and trees live by shadow. Even if you have nothing, you must have a reputation first. Now many brothers feel that they have not been able to make a name for themselves in the village."
After hearing what Qian Qing said, those who did not immediately express their support for Huo Chong immediately agreed. Wang Weichang said loudly: "Governor, what makes me most angry is not what I have lost, but I just don't want to be looked down upon by those people."
Huo Chong didn't know what to say for a moment. If this was the "face" his subordinates wanted, Huo Chong was afraid he really couldn't afford it.
If they were just after some land, they could only expect to live the life of a landlord. However, they were after fame, that is, the status of a local tyrant. A local tyrant is a local snake. Such a request has even exceeded the status of a landlord.
How should he deal with the demands of these people? Huo Chong began to think about it.
