Chapter 201

Under such circumstances, local officials are almost struggling to survive under the hands of ghost handlers, and rarely talk about their status and status.

Pang Qing used to live such a frightened life, but at this time, he rashly encountered a ghost rider like Zhao Fusheng, who was completely different from his impression, and he was faintly still a little unaccustomed to it.

His reaction made Pang Zhixian can't help but think that he had served several ghost handlers, and when he was feeling emotional, he saw his cousin holding back his inner emotions, his eyes were slightly red, and he said in a low voice:

"Your Excellency is right, the poor cannot withstand the temptation, and if they learn that they are transporting food, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not be able to disagree."

He said:

"But these government affairs are managed by my cousin, and it is inconvenient for me to interfere, so I only talk about things from the account room."

He suddenly swept away his previous malaise, his back straightened, and his eyes were a little eager:

"My lord intends to repair Baoding Lane, and wants to rebuild part of the mansion, house and gate of the Demon Suppression Division, and I have calculated the cost of this part repeatedly, and the preliminary estimate is 25,000 taels of silver."

This part of the expenditure is still based on the main framework of the Demon Suppression Division.

"After talking with the craftsmen in the handyman, I calculated that at least 500 pieces of wood and some stones would need to be prepared."

The cousin introduced by Pang Zhixian is indeed a usable person.

He was originally not from the accounting office, and he didn't know anything about repairing houses, but he was able to quickly sort out the equation after taking over this matter, which shows that he has put a certain amount of effort into getting things done.

Zhao Fusheng glanced at him appreciatively, nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"Because of the difficulty of transportation, if the stone is purchased externally, it may consume additional manpower and material resources, and the gains outweigh the losses."

He said:

"It's mid-October now, it's not the busy season for farming, and many people are idle at home, so it's better for adults to order the purchase of stone."

In this way, some people can earn money to subsidize their livelihoods, and at the same time, it can also reduce the number of people who become traitors.

Pang Qing glanced at Zhao Fusheng and added:

"In my experience, in the winter, there will be more thefts and brawls, so instead of making trouble, it is better to find a job for these people."

After he finished speaking, he got a nod from Zhao Fusheng, obviously more energetic than before, and said:

"And then there's the missing wood."

"Wan'an County is not the source of timber, this part of the timber needs to be purchased from outside, adults might as well save the grain temporarily, and buy and transport the timber first after recruiting people, firstly, it can make the Demon Suppression Division repair as soon as possible, and secondly, it can also restrain these temporarily recruited people, gradually cultivate loyalty, and then when transporting food, it may be more comfortable."

After speaking, Pang Zhixian also added:

"Then the team can be led by a person of prestige, and the money will be handed over to him, and it is expected that the others will not dare to make trouble."

Pang Qing's thoughts are sound.

Zhao Fusheng's main purpose was to open up the now closed situation in Wan'an County and have dealings with outside businessmen.

As for whether it was grain or timber that was traded, she didn't care.

"Yes." She nodded:

"When the time comes, Zheng He and Gu Jiansheng can lead the team."

She quickly came up with a suitable candidate in her mind, and Pang Zhixian was overjoyed when she heard this.

"If Deputy Zheng orders the horse, it will naturally be possible to suppress Diao Min."

Zheng He's ghost is in his body, which is feared by ordinary people, and with him, even if the team is mixed, there will be no chaos.

Pang Qing is also happy.

He had not been in the Demon Suppression Division for a short time, but he had also heard of the prestige of Deputy Ling Zheng.

This well-known ghost rider in Baozhi County did not expect to give up the opportunity to be promoted to the general level and transferred to the state capital, and was willing to run to a small county abandoned by the imperial court to serve as an envoy.

When Pang Qing came to Wan'an County and learned that Zheng He, the former deputy commander of Zheng, was on an errand under Zhao Fusheng, he was particularly surprised.

But after being happy, Pang Qing was a little apprehensive:

"Is Vice Commander Zheng willing to go on such an errand?"

Most of the ghost riders are unruly, obedient and willful.

Zhao Fusheng asked him to do business, maybe he would think that he was humiliated, maybe he would agree on the surface, but he would be angry in his heart, and he would vent his anger on the people below.

"It's not a big problem."

Zhao Fusheng smiled.

Although Zheng He has been riding ghosts for many years, he is not a fool, and he knows very well what he can and can't do.

What's more, compared with handling ghost cases, although traveling and doing business is not as decent as being an official, it is better than safety.

An old fritter like Zheng He, who almost walked through the Ghost Gate, should know which thing is better.

"He won't refuse my words." Zhao Fusheng is very confident in this.

"That's good."

Pang Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

He was worried that Zheng He would hold a grudge and would not dare to trouble Zhao Fusheng, and if he knew that he was making suggestions by himself, he would make things more difficult for himself.

After solving the problem of the leader of the purchase, Pang Qing's thinking turned quickly:

"My lord, 500 pieces of wood is not a small number, and Yizhou, which is adjacent to us, is rich in wood."

As he spoke, he laughed:

"There is the Bailing River between Xuzhou and Yizhou, and if you take the land route, it will not be easy to transport this timber."

At this time, the road is difficult, especially after entering Yizhou, the mountain road is rugged and difficult to walk, and many deep mountains and old forests, if you are not a local, you will lose your way as soon as you get into it.

"In comparison, the waterways are much more convenient." His eyes were shining, and his whole person was refreshed:

"It's better to let Deputy Ling Zheng lead the team to set off lightly, and after arriving in Yizhou, they will buy timber from local merchants, which can be temporarily purchased at a high price, but on the condition that they hire their own cargo ships."

Pang Qing is worthy of being the respect of a county, and when it comes to doing business at this time, his mind is also turning quickly:

"I boldly propose that we hire another group of people to repair the docks of the cargo port in the meantime, and collect money from these ships when they are unloaded."

"......" Zhao Fusheng looked serious and nodded:

"It's a good idea."

When the time comes, these merchants will come and will definitely pay.

"But this money should not be collected too high, if it is slaughtered too hard, they may not come next time."

As soon as Zhao Fusheng finished speaking, Pang Qing's eyes lit up:

"But you can't charge too low, you have to find a source for the money to repair the dock."

The wool comes out of the sheep.

"And the unloading money collected here has to be well summed up, and it is best to keep it in order to let them make a small profit, but if you count the trip back, it has to be a little bit of a chicken rib." Zhao Fusheng showed a slightly sly smile.

"Your Excellency is clever."

Pang Qing praised:

"In this way, if these merchants want to return to their capital, they will have to fill the cargo ships that go back."

To fill a cargo ship, merchants would buy it in Wan'an County.

"It's a pity that there are no special items in our county for the time being." Pang Zhixian regretted.

"First take some silk, cotton and linen cloth collected before to make up the number, and the people and the people, some woven objects are also purchased at low prices." Zhao Fusheng said, and suddenly thought of the situation in Wulidiantun.

The people in Tunzhen were poorly clothed, with yellow faces and thin muscles, and they looked like they were having a hard time.

At that time, after she left, she asked Zhou Song to deal with the affairs of Kuailiang Village, and after dealing with it, she returned to Wan'an County to call her back, but Zhou Song still hasn't come.

She was thinking about something, but Pang Zhixian hesitated when he heard her words:

"My lord, this is a tax of the imperial court, if it is misappropriated-"

"Afraid of what?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled and looked at Pang Zhi County:

"We are an exiled county, and we can't pay taxes and tribute to the court for the time being, if someone comes from the court later, everything will be discussed at that time, anyway, I am here."

Her words gave Pang Zhixian great confidence, and Pang Zhixian nodded:

"Everything will be done according to the adults."

"But this time we reopened business, some money can be collected, and some money cannot be earned." Zhao Fusheng restrained his smile and said:

"If you sell just ordinary items, you can lower the price appropriately and lose money for the first time, mainly so that these businessmen can come back next time."

Her words made Pang Qing look at her strangely and secretly several times.

Zhao Fusheng's origin is not a mystery.

In this era of frequent ghost crimes, reading is not the only way to survive, but a character with extraordinary power like the ghost rider is above everything.

Pang Qing's initial impression of Zhao Fusheng was that she was a country girl from a humble background, who had the power to control ghosts and controlled a county because of an accident.

Although Pang Zhixian blew her to the sky, Pang Qing didn't fully believe it at first, he only thought because of Pang Zhixian's words: Zhao Fusheng is strong, willing to handle ghost cases, and emotionally stable, and there is no risk of losing control for the time being.

After arriving in Wan'an County, Pang Qing found that everything was as his cousin said, this adult had a sincere and direct temperament, and he had the majesty of a ghost master, but he did not have a cold and weird sense of oppression.

It wasn't until today that she talked about business, Pang Qing found that her thoughts turned quickly, and when she talked about business and trade, she didn't lose her conversation with Pang Zhixian because of this, but seemed to be very accustomed to such a scene, and faintly grasped the initiative.

He was curious, but he didn't dare to ask more.

After that, several people discussed the repair of the dock and some other miscellaneous matters, Pang Qing had a huge workload, and was anxious to take stock of the budget, so he left first.

After he left, Pang Zhixian couldn't sit still, and he still had a lot of official business to do.

"Last time, my lord mentioned that recruiting people started near Huanggang Village and Fengmen Village, and I have recently asked the people in the local Tun Town to count the people's household registration and register."

Speaking of this, he showed a headache:

"In recent years, the errands of the imperial court have become more and more difficult to do, many fertile fields have been barren, many people have fallen into the grass, and they have no food and money to come out to rob their homes, many villages have ten rooms and nine empty, and some household registrations have long been empty, and they can't match the number at all."

The taxes of the imperial court were based on household registration.

In recent years, the ghost cases in Wan'an County have been very serious, and the power is in the hands of the Demon Suppression Commander, most of these commanders are short-lived, and they are violently collected during their lifetimes, and they can't take care of the people's livelihood at all.

The county's household registration register was compiled more than 40 years ago, and the directory, number of people, and fields have long been inaccurate.

However, according to the rules of the imperial court, the amount of taxes was counted according to the directory.

That's a hassle.

Pang Zhixian got along with Zhao Fusheng for a while, and he also knew a little about her temperament, so he had the courage to complain as if he was joking:

"Take Huanggang Village as an example, forty-seven years ago, there were 967 people in the village, and these people had to pay taxes and silver—"

He is familiar with a series of numbers:

"But this register is certainly not accurate."

In such an era, the life expectancy of people is short, many people have died, and newborns may not be able to grow into laborers in a short time, but the taxes are like mountains, and the people in the village still have to pay the tax according to the amount of 967 people.

Some of them were forced to flee into the mountains and settle down in the grass, while the remaining villagers had to pay heavier taxes.

In this way, a vicious circle is formed.

"Many people don't believe the government's letter at all, and the recent recruitment of strong men has not gone well, and some people think that this is a conspiracy of the government, and they just want to trick them into going down the mountain to arrest people."

Pang Zhixian said that when he got down to business, his face showed a look of pain:

"And many people began to make trouble, throwing feces on the office and spreading rumors that the government was going to collect taxes."

The people were ignorant, and many people did not know what was going on, and when they heard the rumors, they began to flee with their families.

Speaking of these things, Pang Zhixian's face was extremely ugly.

"Have you ever considered finding a local to break the ice?"

This was Pang Zhixian's task, and Zhao Fusheng was not annoyed that his plan was disrupted.

She knows very well that the situation in Wan'an County is not caused by the deterioration of a day or two, and if you want to deal with it, it is not something that can be adjusted in a short time.

It's just that Pang Zhixian worked for her, so she simply spoke out and enlightened him.

Pang Zhixian complimented:

"My lord is right, I thought so at first, I found a local surnamed Guo, and wanted to ask him to help win over a few nearby village elders with high prestige as guarantors——"

When he said this, he began to frown again:

"At first, he did a good job, but yesterday he asked someone to send me a message, saying that he couldn't do this thing, and asked me to find another person."

Zhao Fusheng's brows furrowed:

"Did you find someone to do something and give you money?"

"Given." Pang Zhixian knew Zhao Fusheng's personality and didn't dare to slack off, as soon as he saw Zhao Fusheng frowning, he immediately got up and replied:

"I gave 300 money, and I said that I would ask him to help the village elders of Hefengmen Village and some people in Huanggang Village, and he promised to do well."

"Then he took the money from the government and dared to go back? Ate a bear's heart and leopard gall? Zhao Fusheng's face sank.

The treasury of Wan'an County is empty, and no matter how capable Pang Zhi County is, it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice.

When Zhao Fusheng took over the Demon Suppression Division, the government officials of Wan'an County had been unable to produce silver for several months.

After she got the sponsorship of the gentry, a sum of silver was sent to the government to solve the difficulties of Pang Zhi County.

It can be said that the expenses of Wan'an County today are all her money!

Someone dared to take her money and not do anything, it's really the opposite!

Zhao Fusheng slapped the table:

"This bad atmosphere can't be raised, if he has no reason, he will arrest this surnamed Guo first."

It was the first time for Pang Zhixian to see her face and anger, she was shocked for a while, and after reacting, she was a little overwhelmed, and before she could speak, Zhao Fusheng calmed down a little for a while, took two steps back and forth, and wiped his forehead:

"Did he say he regretted it?"

Pang Zhixian's back was numb, and cold sweat came out of his forehead, and he replied:

"He didn't mean it, when he sent a message, he said that someone in his family was missing-" Pang Zhixian sensed Zhao Fusheng's sense of intimidation at this time, and hurriedly replied.

After speaking, he added:

"If he didn't lie and deceive, it would be forgivable."