Father Han Gaozu

Chapter 835

"Sheriff! We really miss you!!"

"Sheriff!!"

Many officials knelt down in front of the sheriff, lowered their heads, and spoke reluctantly.

Chen Mai had a straight face, without any emotion on his face.

Bashu and Liangguo have been serving as important missions of internal historical granaries all year round, transporting a large amount of grain to Chang'an every year, and even Bashu took on this mission earlier. As early as the Qin Dynasty, this place was already a large granary in the rear. Every year, a large amount of grain is provided to the Qin State, which is used by the Qin State to conquer the east. After Liu Chang came to power, in order to better control the rear granary, and also to strengthen the connection between Bashu and the Central Plains, he deliberately sent two of his confidants to the Here, the overall governance is carried out.

At that time, the temple thought that Bashu and other places were too large to set up only two counties, and believed that at least five counties were the most appropriate.

But Liu Chang didn't think so. He thought that although Bashu was better than the Central Plains, affected by the war, both roads and people's livelihood were damaged. It was dredged, the people from all over the place were appeased, the barbarians who fled to the mountains were called down, and the place was restored to its previous appearance, and then detailed management was carried out.

Up to now, Chen Mai and Guan A have governed Bashu for a long time.

Finally, I received an order from the temple, asking Chen Mai to go to Chang'an.

But this trip to Chang'an was not to report the progress of the work. With the implementation of the tax system, the national treasury has been enriched a lot, and the local talent pool is not weak. It can be refined and managed. The current rough division will be subdivided into Hanzhong County, Guanghan County, Qianwei County, Wudu County, and Yue County. Juan County, Yizhou County, Cang County, Ba County, and Shu County are eight counties, which also means that Bashu and other places will usher in a new development.

But Chen Mai is about to leave Shu County and enter the temple.

This is of course a good thing for Chen Mai.

It's just that the local officials seem a little sad.

When Chen Mai first came to Shu County, the officials here had despised him, but after a fishing trip by Chen Mai, they used this place to make up for it, and almost killed all the evil officials. Therefore, many merchants survived, commerce was developed, and many officials colluded with merchants to do evil. Each big merchant was like a local emperor, with countless fertile fields and tens of thousands of slaves, but such a situation can no longer be seen in Shu County today. .

Chen Mai has a very strong background in the temple. At the beginning, there was Qu Niwenhou in charge, and of course the emperor backed him. Now Wenwenhou is gone, but Chen Mai himself is already a powerful man with ten thousand households.

There were not many Marquis Wanhu in the Han Dynasty, and their status was extremely high.

What's more, Chen Mai's work in the county is also very good. He is very decisive in doing things, never hesitates, and can always get full support from the temple. During these days, Shu County has been comprehensively rectified Well, Shu County can't be said to be richer than Liang Pei and other places, but in terms of public security and official management, it is second to none in the entire Han Dynasty, and there is nothing comparable.

As for the local officials, Chen Mai can also be rewarded for their merits. As long as they are talented people, he doesn't care about their background and trains them with all their strength. Therefore, all the local officials today have been promoted by him. Yes, I couldn't bear him to leave.

"Okay. It's not my decision whether to leave or not, nor is it up to you."

"I have fulfilled my mission. Don't say that Shu County cannot be without me. Shu County does not belong to me. Shu County belongs to His Majesty. Moreover, now that Bashu is subdivided, I will continue to stay here. Wouldn't it be an overkill? ?”

It was the first time that the officials heard Chen Mai say such funny things.

In the past, he was always very serious and never smiled at anyone.

Chen Mai once again looked at the officials in front of him who had been trained by himself, and said in a low voice: "This time, the temple needs a lot of capable ministers to govern Bashu. Some of you may become county guards, and some may become county magistrates. It all depends on your daily political achievements and talents, but no matter what you become, don’t forget my teachings, you need to be cautious in doing things, and consider your actions.”

"only!!!"

The crowd hurriedly bowed.

Chen Mai waved his hand, "Go back, I'll be leaving in a few days, you don't need to come see me off, and you don't need to make it known to everyone. If anyone dares to flatter and delay my trip, I will definitely not forgive him."

Everyone saluted again. In fact, they all knew in their hearts that the sheriff was not worried about delaying his trip, but worried about affecting the cultivation and harvest.

The sheriff is a person who, if you get to know him a lot, you will know that he has a cold face and a soft heart.

After seeing off everyone, Chen Mai returned to the inner room, and his wife had already started to lead the servants to pack the things at home.

Chen Mai was unwilling to take care of these trivial matters. After turning around a few times, he returned to his study, and took out the detailed situation of various places in Shu County again, frowning, and compared them.

Just as Chen Mai was seriously verifying and thinking about how to better help His Majesty implement the fine governance policy, a person broke in directly.

Those who can break into Chen Mai's place are naturally not outsiders.

It was Chen Hui, the son of Chen Mai.

Chen Hui is not very old, but he is not small. Chen Ping is very tall, much taller than the generals. Chen Mai is a little shorter than his father, but when it comes to Chen Hui, his blood seems to be He went back again, growing extremely fast, big and thick, he rushed in eagerly, sat directly beside Chen Mai, his eyes widened, "Father? Are we going back?!"

"It's me who wants to go back."

Chen Hui was taken aback, and hurriedly asked, "What about me?"

"You still have to stay here and continue your studies."

Chen Mai found a sage who lived in seclusion in the local area and asked him to teach his son. Bashu came to escape the war, and there are many treasures at home. Chen Hui learned the knowledge and principles of Legalism from that person. Up to now, it can be regarded as a medium level. In Chen Mai's opinion, it is still very incompetent and empty-handed. No real talent.

Chen Mai's wife had hoped to send her son to the Taixue, but Chen Mai asked angrily, "Do you want me to be ridiculed by the sages in Chang'an?!"

Hearing that he wanted to stay, Chen Hui's face was mixed with joy and sorrow.

He is also not very willing to stay with his father. It is a good thing to be able to leave his father's supervision, but he is somewhat reluctant to part with his mother.

"Hui, your eldest father is recognized as a virtuous prime minister in the world, but my talent is not half as good as his. Every time I think about this, I worry because I worry about losing his face. Now your talent is in the local talent The reason why I don't let you go to Taixue is because I am afraid that you will indulge in the flattery of others there, and you will not feel at ease with your studies. This knowledge is not about how much you have mastered, but the degree of mastery. Now Although you only have one teacher, if you can master all his skills, you will be enough to be a member of one party in the future."

"After I leave, you must concentrate on studying, don't be moved by external things, and do your duty."

Chen Mai gave a lot of instructions, and Chen Hui listened carefully with his head down.

On the next day, Chen Mai left here and headed for Chang'an.

However, along the way, he still had to meet his old friend, Guan Ah from Berkshire.

Because he had written a letter to him earlier, Guan Ah led the people to wait on the only way they had to pass.

Chen Mai's appearance changed a lot, his face was more or less wrinkled, he looked no longer young, and the traces of the years were very obvious, but Guan Ah was different, this guy still looked fine-skinned and tender, It's still the same as before, it really hasn't changed at all.

When he walked up to Chen Mai with a smile, those who didn't know thought they were a generation behind.

Chen Mai was also very suspicious, looking up and down at Guan A in front of him, "Why do you look younger and younger?"

Guan Ah laughed, and hastily grabbed Chen Mai's hand, "I can't help it, I'm younger now, so I naturally look younger."

Although the two are next to each other, it is not possible to see each other often.

I also cherish every opportunity to meet each other very much.

Guan Ah hosted a banquet for Chen Mai on this road, the two sat in a pavilion, and someone was cooking wine beside them, they took a sip, and then chatted.

"Have you heard? Your Majesty is going to divide Bashu into eight counties, and even Wudu will have to be divided again. From then on, it will be included in Yizhou."

Chen Mai nodded, "I was the first to receive the news. Your Majesty originally wanted to set it up as twelve counties, but it was only because Luan and other people dissuaded him that it was set up as eight counties."

"This is normal. It's not just Bashu, it's the case in many places. Starting to divide in detail, the county is getting smaller and smaller, and the status of the county guard is getting lower and lower. In the past, there were only more than 20 counties in the whole world. Take a look. Now, there are no more officials than the Sheriff."

"It is also beneficial to divide it carefully."

"What's the benefit? Don't you know what His Majesty is thinking?"

Guan A said proudly: "Your Majesty, he told us at the beginning that the number of prefectures and counties of the Han Dynasty should be increased by ten times. Later, when we expanded the territory, we found that this goal could not be achieved, so we decided to increase the number of counties in the Han Dynasty. If you don't believe me, you can wait and see, and in half a year, His Majesty will say that he has opened eight counties in Bashu, and that he has made great achievements in expanding the territory."

Chen Mai couldn't help laughing, "You have studied His Majesty very thoroughly."

"Haha, in order to be an official these years, I did nothing else, so I was busy studying Your Majesty."

Chen Mai listened to his teasing, and then asked seriously: "Since you know that the counties will be divided, why don't you want to go back?"

The smile on Guan Ah's face suddenly disappeared.

"Buy, over the years, we have governed Bashu, the changes in Bashu, we both know it well, the land of abundance, this is His Majesty's evaluation, the roads are flat, there is a lot of arable land, and the household registration has increased dramatically year after year. The whole world treats us well. The evaluation of both of them is very good. If you say that we are capable ministers of the court, how about the details? You also know in your heart that you have real talents and real learning. Relying on your own ability, you can manage this place in an orderly manner. Those barbarians have come down the mountain voluntarily. Farming. In the past, rebellions broke out every year, but now, there have been no riots in our two places for more than ten years, right?"

"As for me, my talent is far inferior to yours. In fact, it is very difficult to be a county guard. I just got the favor of His Majesty, the strong support of the temple, and this place is full of outstanding people and talents. I don't do much on weekdays. , is to let those people do things freely, if they do well, I will ask for credit for them, if there is a problem, I will write a letter to bear it myself. I can barely be equal to you, and my reputation is not weaker than yours, but, if you let me go to the temple, then I will have to show my true colors."

"I've also seen it. I'm just a county magistrate. I've been favored by His Majesty, and I'm already content to be a county magistrate. Why bother to climb up?"

"It doesn't matter if the county under management is smaller. If I go to another place, then I will be dumbfounded."

Chen Mai shook his head, "Why do you despise yourself so much?"

"The grain production in Berkshire, if I remember correctly, was the number one among all the counties in the world last year, right?"

"It's the first, and four officials have been promoted because of this credit"

"Ah, knowing how to employ people is also a very important talent."

"You don't need to persuade me anymore. I have already told His Majesty that I don't know how to employ people. I always follow whoever says something makes sense. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail. Anyway, what I have achieved now will be said in the future. Maybe I can also build a sculpture here, and future generations can come to admire my achievements in governing Bashu. Isn’t that enough? I can work for more than ten years, and I can also retire and go home. When the time comes, I will go to Chang’an to accompany Let's go!"

Chen Mai shook his head, "Since that's your decision, I won't persuade you much. It's a good thing for you to stay here. After they are separated, those county guards still need an old man to teach. You just can impart some experience. .”

The two drank and chatted, and talked about interesting things in the past, feeling more and more comfortable.

"You go to Chang'an this time, what is your majesty's first sentence, do you know?"

"do not know."

"Your Majesty will definitely laugh and ask why you look so old, and then show off your physical strength, and tell me how you are so young and powerful, do you believe it?"

"I believe!"

Saying goodbye to his friends, Chen Mai set off again, heading towards Chang'an.

However, what Chen Mai didn't know was that Liu Chang was not in Chang'an at the moment, and he was rushing towards Liang Guo at the moment.

In terms of the wealth of the county, there is nothing better than Bashu, and in terms of the wealth of the country, nothing is better than Liang.

As the richest vassal state in the world, Liang State is not peaceful at this moment.

Liu Chang has been to Liang State many times, and every time he goes to Liang State, he can feel the difference of Liang State, the kind of laziness from the bottom of his heart, and the fat people that can be seen everywhere, just like their monarch. Because it is located in the center of the Central Plains, even if Liang Guo does nothing, he can still make a fortune by relying on the merchants who come and go. In addition, his own arable land is extremely fertile, there are many people, and everywhere is flat. It is an important gateway to Chang'an. The right time, place, people and everything are gathered together, it's hard not to get rich.

In this case, as long as the officials don't torment the people, the local area can develop on its own.

Therefore, Liang Guo's officials are used to doing nothing, but Chao Cuo is not a person who can live at leisure.

When Liu Chang came to Liang Guo again this time, Liu Chang was even prepared.

Because of the low taxes imposed by the Han Dynasty today, coupled with the fertile land of Liang State, in the past, local people could even be seen gathering together to chat and bask in the sun, and their days were extremely leisurely.

But now that Chao Cuo has come here, those people who used to bask in the sun may gather tools and rush to the corvee at this moment!

However, when Liu Chang officially entered the state of Liang by car, he did not see the common people going to serve corvee, nor the officials waving whips to drive the common people to work. Everything seemed so harmonious.There are golden wheat on both sides of the road, and some people are harvesting it leisurely, and then they pile up the wheat on both sides of the road, so that they are not afraid of being stolen. You can see a few people sitting on the side of the road, There was a kettle and some cakes in front of them, and they ate them while talking and laughing.

Some officials led the horses, passed by in a calm manner, and did not pay much attention to the common people.

This is a bit different from what Liu Chang had imagined. Could it be that the Fifth Brother suddenly became violent and subdued Chao Cuo? ?
Or is it that the countryside has not been greatly affected?
When he came to the county seat, he found that the situation here was no different. Merchants were sitting in carriages, forming a long queue at the gate of the city. The soldiers were checking their conditions one by one, and then let them go to the city. , is also the same situation, there are no officials riding back and forth on horses, the common people are still the same as in the past, there are many people on the road, coming and going, Liu Chang frowned suddenly.

Dou Guangguo couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "If the people of the whole world can be like Liang Guo, then the prosperity that His Majesty wants will be realized."

But Lu Lu asked suspiciously: "Why does this place look the same as in the past? Didn't it mean that Chao Cuo has already driven the officials here crazy??"

Liu Chang suddenly grabbed a passing official.

This person was wearing an official uniform, and he was not angry when he was suddenly grabbed. Instead, he asked kindly, "What's the matter?"

"I'm a merchant in the past. I heard that after Chao Cuo came to Liang Kingdom, there was a lot of trouble. I didn't dare to come here for a long time. Why does it look like it doesn't have any influence now?"

The official suddenly realized it, and then explained with a smile: "These are all rumors, don't believe them. After you go back, remember to tell the people over there that Liang Guo is still the same as it used to be, and Prime Minister Chao has never done anything wrong. Everything is fine. Since Prime Minister Chao took office, the people have been stable and happy, and Prime Minister Chao regards the people as his foundation, keeps quiet and does nothing, is friendly with merchants, and supports good people.”

Liu Chang's face changed drastically, he got into the car immediately, and left here in a hurry.

Lu Lu and Dou Guangguo hurriedly followed, and heard Liu Chang shout: "It's broken! Chao Cuo may have been killed! Go to the palace!!"

ps: I forgot to mention, today I want to take my mother for a walk, she came to see me specially, I have been too busy with coding these days, I couldn’t accompany her, today I want to take her to see the sea or something, I would like to ask for a half-day leave and hope everyone approves it.

(End of this chapter)