Above the big river, the waves crash on the shore, and the turbid waves are surging.

Wei Chen boarded the embankment to inspect, and everywhere he went, he squatted down to check it carefully, and from time to time asked Gu Tingye to take out a hoe and cut the embankment on the spot to see if there was any "shaving of the head and pedicure" and other cases of cutting corners.

Sun Zhuo was secretly frightened when he saw it in the back, Lord Zhizhou's move was too serious, fortunately, he was holding the eggs in advance to repair the river, and he didn't dare to do anything on the embankment, otherwise I am afraid that I would be ugly on the spot at this time.

Soon Gu Tingye reported to Wei Chenyu: "Xingyun, there is no doubt that this outer embankment has just been renovated, I have found several embankments to plan, all of them are good stones and materials, and there is no problem with the embankment work." ”

Seeing this, Sun Zhuo also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest and said: "Lord Zhizhou, rest assured, the lower officials will guarantee with the head of the Xiang, this embankment is as solid as gold, and it can protect the peace of the people of Yuzhou for thirty years!" ”

An old river worker on the side also helped: "Lord Zhizhou, according to the rules of the Ministry of Engineering to repair the embankment, every foot of empty soil must be tamped to seven inches to be a good embankment."

My lord, the amount of river silver you allocated is sufficient, the food you give is good, and the people and their wives have used their lives to tamp a foot of empty soil to six inches, which is already a rare good embankment. ”

Wei Chen nodded when he heard this, and looked at Sun Zhuo in front of him with interest.

As far as he knew, Sun Zhuo came from a very poor background and was only a man, but he had decades of experience in the local area and had a lot of experience at the grassroots level.

Wei Chen inspected Mi County several times, and although he talked to Sun Zhuo as an official, he still benefited a lot.

Wei Chen also understands Sun Zhuo's past deeds, and summarizes it in one sentence, small virtue is damaged, great virtue is not lost, and he is quite capable of doing things, and can be called a follower.

Although Wei Chen himself was a member of the clear stream, when he arrived at the local level, he understood the meaning of "re-following the officials and ignoring the clear stream".

If you really want to do things, you still have to appoint a follower like Sun Zhuo, although it is a little slippery, but as long as the officials are willing to put some effort into spurring, they can do things well.

In the final analysis, a small Yuzhou, officials who can achieve both ability and political integrity are rare, and Weichen's principle of employing people is to focus on talent, followed by virtue.

Sun Zhuo is a typical example.

In fact, what Wei Chen didn't know was that Sun Zhuo also admired him in his heart.

Generally speaking, the official of the seal is in the state government, and the door is not stepped, and the second door is not out.

But Weichen is different.

Not to mention anything else, in these three months alone, he went to Mi County five or six times.

With Wei Chen's diligent attitude in political affairs and his personal attitude, Sun Zhuo dared to guarantee that there would be no such officials in the entire Great Zhou.

……

After inspecting the thirty-mile embankment, it was not early, and Sun Zhuo invited Wei Chen to a village on the side of the embankment.

The village was requisitioned, but everything was well arranged, and the cook outside was already preparing dinner, and a whole sheep was roasted in the courtyard.

The house used for rest has been uninhabited for a long time, and there is a slight imperceptible smell in the house, Wei Chen didn't care, but Sun Zhuo immediately called the maidservant, brought the incense box and incense burner, and smoked incense to drive away the smell.

Sun Zhuo said: "The adults came to Mi County to inspect the river embankment several times, and the lower officials thought that the next time the adults came, they would always find a place to shelter from the wind and rain, so they prepared this Zhuangzi in advance, but they didn't expect it to come in handy so soon." ”

"Sun Zhixian is attentive."

Wei Chen smiled and nodded, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, an official like Sun Zhuo who has the ability to do things and always thinks about Shangguan is just because of his background and he is still a county magistrate after decades, which shows the gold content of Jinshi's fame!

However, if Sun Zhuo is obedient, Wei Chen can consider adding a few strokes to his evaluation and pushing him to the next level, after all, the achievements of building the embankment alone are enough to be promoted to the next level.

Wei Chen rested for a while, took a few sips of hot tea, and said slowly: "Since you are here, let's handle official business here." ”

"Yes."

Sun Zhuo hurriedly responded, and ordered his subordinate scribes to show Wei Chen a book of accounts, which were all detailed accounts of the river workers.

The state government allocated 35,000 taels of silver back and forth, and Wei Chen naturally wanted to see where the money was spent.

Wei Chen first asked his henchman Fang Yuan to come forward to check the accounts, Fang Yuan carefully flipped through the account books, and at the same time picked up a pen and ticked a few places, all of which were errors and omissions in the accounts.

Sun Zhuo saw it really from the side, and couldn't help but sweat profusely and feel uneasy in his heart.

He knows best in his own account that there are indeed false statements in the accounts.

He thought he was doing it seamlessly, and he could hide it from Wei Chen. Although Wei Chen's ability is not small, after all, he has only been an official for more than a year, and he can't practice a pair of sharp eyes.

It's just that he didn't expect Wei Chen to have such a powerful staff member by his side, and he could see through his tricks at a glance.

Seeing Sun Zhuo's trembling appearance, Wei Chen couldn't help but smile and said, "It's just business, Sun Zhixian doesn't have to be so nervous." However, the official will not write off these false accounts for you. ”

"Damn it!"

Sun Zhuo was sweating even more when he heard this, and hurriedly knelt down to ask Wei Chen for his guilt.

Wei Chen smiled: "You should understand that although these hundreds of taels of silver are not much, every penny is taken from the people's fat and people's ointment, and it should be taken from the people and used for the people's ......."

Sun Zhuo heard the coldness in Wei Chen's tone, and hurriedly said: "The lower official understands, the lower official understands, the lower official must make up for the false places on the accounts!" ”

Wei Chen nodded with satisfaction, it was easy to deal with smart people, and he said in a slightly slower tone at the moment: "This official guards Yuzhou, and what he wants is not an honest but useless official, but an official who can really do things."

Your achievements in governing the river are all seen by the officials, and during this year's evaluation, the officials will sponsor you to the imperial court. After three years as an official, you have been the magistrate of the county for 12 years, and it is time to move up. ”

Sun Zhuo was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately said with gratitude: "Xiaguan thank you for the cultivation grace of Lord Zhizhou." ”

At this time, the roasted whole sheep was also served, and the maidservants entered the house with food boxes, opened them one by one, and the fragrance was fragrant.

Wei Chen asked Sun Zhuo to get up and eat with him, and the meal was very enjoyable for the guests and hosts.

The next day, Wei Chen and Gu Tingye left Mi County in the same carriage.

On the way, seeing that Gu Tingye was a little sullen, Wei Chen couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is on Zhong Huai's mind?" ”

Gu Tingye held back all night, and finally couldn't hold it back at this time, and asked puzzledly: "Although this Sun Zhuo has extraordinary political achievements, he has a loss in conduct, such an official, Xingyun, why do you want to recommend it to the top?" ”

Only then did Wei Chen understand Gu Tingye's confusion, and said with a smile at the moment: "In the past, Chen Ping stole his sister-in-law and stole gold, Liu Bang used it, and the world respected it, why?"

Just because it was a war-torn world, it should be a meritocracy. Only in the world of great rule can we proceed to talk about virtue. Zhong Huai, do you think that today's Great Zhou can be called the world of great governance? ”

The world of great rule?

Gu Tingye thought a lot in an instant.

The Khitan in the north, the newly rising party in the west, the sixteen states of Yanyun that have long been in the hands of the enemy, and the treacherous situation in Bianjing City......

"Xingyun, I understand."