My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 111 Xu Qiuxing County
On the one hand, Xu Qiu led by example, traversing the entire Donghai Kingdom to set an example and give confidence to the people, letting them know that the Prime Minister had not abandoned the western counties.

On the other hand, he also wanted to see firsthand the extent of the damage in the west, so he could have a better understanding of the situation. If he knew nothing, how could he rebuild the western counties in the future?
Therefore, he resolutely headed west, but unexpectedly, he saw smoke rising from chimneys as soon as he entered Xiangben territory.

Could it be that the dilapidated state of the western counties is far better than imagined?
Thinking of this, Xu Qiu became interested and repeatedly urged the team to speed up.

As the saying goes, "Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death," meaning that seeing smoke from a chimney and actually reaching the smoke are two very different things.

Fortunately, Xiangben is also a plain area, and by the afternoon, the convoy had arrived at a village.

This village, which appears to have forty or fifty households, is called Xishan Village, and it turns out to be a newly built village.

Xu Qiu was greatly surprised upon hearing this and asked the farmer in front of him, "When did you build this place? Do you have a village head or a pavilion chief?"

The farmer had already discerned that the old man before him was no ordinary person. He knelt respectfully on the ground and replied, "We came from Tancheng two months ago, appointed by the governor. The village head and the pavilion chief happen to be here as well. Your Excellency may go to the village to receive you."

Xu Qiu nodded upon hearing this, still somewhat puzzled.

It was arranged by Fang Bo.

Where did Liu Bei get the money and provisions?

He actually dared to spend money and grain on the common people?

However, Xu Qiu also knew that it was already quite good that the farmer in front of him could answer these questions. Many common people would become incoherent and unable to speak coherently when they saw a distinguished person.

At least this farmer knew where the village head and the pavilion chief were, and he even knew to invite him into the village.

After a moment's hesitation, Xu Qiu said to his coachman, "Give him twenty coins and let's go into the village."

Under the farmer's delighted gaze, the attendant gave him twenty coins, to which the farmer repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

Twenty coins may not be much, but it's enough to buy half a bushel of millet, enough for the whole family to have a full meal.

Indeed, in places like Tancheng, Kaiyang, and Juxian where grain is plentiful, twenty coins can buy a peck of millet. But in Xiangben, twenty or thirty miles away, where there is just enough grain to eat, the price of grain has already doubled.

Therefore, the price of grain is never an average price, but rather depends on how much the last person who buys the grain can afford.

Upon entering the village, Xu Qiu saw that the village was clean and tidy, with no excrement on the roads and lime powder paved in the corners and ditches.

Xu Qiu silently kept these things in mind, and would naturally ask the village head and the pavilion chief later.

The village head of Xishan Village is now Gu Jiang; the head of the previous village head has been hung on the city wall.

However, Gu Jiang and the other eight village heads are all on trial, which means they are temporary workers. If they do well this year, they can be promoted to permanent positions next year.

At this time, he was entertaining Wu Zheng, the village head, at home, asking him about the inside story of the village head.

“Brother Lao Gu, you don’t need to worry too much. With my years of experience, you just need to organize everyone to pay their grain and taxes during harvest time. The county won’t be too demanding about anything else.”

Wu Zheng drank some turbid wine and popped a peanut into his mouth. Many people in later generations believed that peanuts were introduced to China from the Americas during the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, this plant already existed in the Western Han Dynasty, but it was difficult to cultivate, and due to yield issues, it was never widely cultivated in China.

There were four dishes in front of Wu Zheng. In addition to peanuts, there was also a small dish of salted meat, which was quite a delicacy. Coupled with peanuts, a dish that was no less substantial than meat, it was truly a fine feast.

It was clear that Gu Jiang had invested a great deal, and Wu Zheng was very satisfied. Since he had enjoyed the meal, he also gave the other party some serious advice.

"Regardless of the prefecture or county, taxes are the heaviest burden; other things can be tolerated to some extent. Especially now, with war and chaos, prefectures and counties are supporting tens of thousands of soldiers. Without money and provisions, how can they support those soldiers?"

Wu Zheng was a veteran soldier who had rendered meritorious service and suffered injuries. After retiring from the army, he was assigned to the position of village head.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that you have to pay 50% of the taxes and levies. These taxes and levies include the poll tax, the land tax, and the watchman's fee. Plus, we're giving you houses and farm tools for free. You should be secretly happy about this."

Wu Zheng was actually quite envious. The Han dynasty system levied a tax of one-thirtieth, but that was only the grain tax. In addition, there were various other taxes, which far exceeded the grain tax by more than ten times.

Currently, for most farming families, taxes account for almost 60-70% of their total income, while Gu Jiang and his family only have to pay 50%, so aren't they getting a great deal?

However, they were not without their own problems. Although the land was distributed to individual households, the ownership remained with the government. They were essentially tenants hired by the government.

However, the government left a loophole, allowing them to save up money to redeem their land. As long as they could afford it, they could convert the land into private property. It was this loophole that attracted people like Gu Jiang, who were not desperate, to join the civilian settlement.

However, none of this prevented all the villagers in Xishan Village, Xiangben County, and even the three western counties of Donghai from being deeply grateful to the Liu family.

In Wu Zheng's view, this is just the beginning. His gratitude towards Prefect Liu will reach its peak when the summer harvest is in, the taxes are paid, and the rest belongs to his family.

At that time, even if these farmers were asked to die for their lord, there would probably be plenty of people willing to do so.

Gu Jiang kept urging Wu Zheng to drink, but the wine he prepared was not good wine. It was a sour and cloudy inferior wine, but Wu Zheng had not been able to bear drinking it for half a month.

This time, we really enjoyed a delicious meal.

As the two were chatting, several children suddenly ran in and shouted to Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng that their esteemed guests had arrived.

Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng were immediately startled, their slight drunkenness vanishing in an instant.

Regardless of who the visitor is, anyone who can be called a distinguished person must be extraordinary.

The two quickly fetched water to wash their faces and get rid of the smell of alcohol. Then they straightened their headscarves and clothes and prepared to go out to greet the distinguished guests.

Unexpectedly, the important person arrived quickly, and in no time at all, they were already at the door of the Gu Jiang family.

"Which of you is the head of the village, and which is the village chief?"

A man in a brocade robe walked into the courtyard, looked around, and, finding nothing amiss, asked Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng.

Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng quickly introduced themselves.

"I am the village head."

"I am the head of this pavilion."

The man in the brocade robe nodded: "Do you know who has come?"

Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng shook their heads, looking bewildered.

The man in the brocade robe snorted coldly: "The one outside is the Prime Minister of the Eastern Sea Kingdom, Lord Xu Qiu."

Mr. Fu! ?
Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng almost collapsed to the ground.

The highest-ranking official they had ever met in their lives was a high-ranking official with a salary of 100 shi (a unit of grain), let alone a prefect with a salary of 2,000 shi.

Gu Jiang had met the young master of the Fang family before, but she didn't know how much salary this young master received.

Seeing Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng huddle together like two frightened quails, the man in the brocade robe revealed a smug expression.

"Alright, you two don't need to be afraid. My lord loves his people like his own children. As long as you tell the truth, you will not only be innocent, but you will also be rewarded."

The man in the brocade robe changed the subject, comforting the two men before him. With just a few rubs and massages, he had Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng obediently following his orders.

Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng nodded repeatedly, expressing their deep gratitude to the man in the brocade robe, and followed him out of their courtyard.

The road outside was blocked by the convoy. Xu Qiu had already gotten off the carriage and stood there looking around.

Although the village wasn't very populated yet, it was full of vitality, as if spring was just around the corner, which made Xu Qiu quite happy.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Led by the man in the brocade robe, Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng knelt and bowed to Xu Qiu.

"Get up. Do you have any wine or food at home? Go and arrange some. If you don't have enough, you can take the money and go to the villagers to buy some."

Xu Qiu was indeed quite easygoing. After confirming that Gu Jiang was the village head, he instructed him, "My subordinates have also been working hard for days, traveling through the wilderness. They will not be leaving today and will be staying in your village for one night. I will trouble you to make proper arrangements for them."

Those in positions of authority can be polite and approachable, but their demands cannot be compromised.

Although Gu Jiang didn't understand this point, his actions were exactly the right answer.

He quickly responded and immediately mobilized all the villagers, asking them to bring out all the meat, chickens, and fine wines they had treasured at home.

The villagers naturally dared not resist in the slightest, nor did they even express any dissatisfaction.

This is the Lord of the Prefecture!
The entire Xishan Village was bustling with activity. The men took their family treasures to the village head, Gu Jiang's house, while the women led their children home, afraid that the children might misbehave and bump into the magistrate's carriage. Xu Qiu was indeed approachable; he showed no disdain for Gu Jiang's family at all, and even sat down on a stone stool, gesturing to Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng, "Sit down, everyone sit down."

After Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng sat down, Xu Qiu said with a kind expression, "There is no need to be nervous. As long as you have not committed any crimes, I hereby pardon you today."

Seeing that Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng's expressions had relaxed somewhat, Xu Qiu nodded to himself, it seemed that these two had indeed not done anything wrong.

Actually, what Xu Qiu just said was a test. Anyone with a guilty conscience would not only not relax after hearing this, but would also be on tenterhooks and trembling with fear.

In the past, Xu Qiu had used this method to uncover many corrupt officials, and it had never failed him, demonstrating just how effective this method was.

Seeing that the two men were not cunning and shrewd officials, Xu Qiu became much more direct and began to ask about preparations for spring planting, whether the food rations were sufficient until the summer harvest, and whether the village was facing any difficulties—all very practical questions.

Gu Jiang was no longer flustered at this point. Although she was a little slow, she answered Xu Qiu's questions one after another.

However, every time he answered a question, he couldn't help but express his gratitude to the governor and his son, which surprised Xu Qiu.

Logically speaking, Gu Jiang shouldn't have acted this way; even if he were to flatter someone, it wouldn't be his place as a lowly village head.

As he listened, Xu Qiu began to understand.

It turns out that the food rations, seeds, farming tools, and even oxen they used for farming were all painstakingly procured by Fang Bo and his son.

"Oh, do you know where Uncle Fang got these things from?"

Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng shook their heads together: "We don't know."

Xu Qiu wasn't disappointed. He hadn't expected them to know anyway; he was just asking tentatively.

However, Liu Bei was able to raise supplies and gather refugees to cultivate land, which shows that he had underestimated this border warrior in the past.

Xu Qiu was a powerful and influential family in Xuzhou. Although they were far inferior to Chen Deng's Chen family, they were still a prominent family in Guangling Haixi, known for their ice-cutting and were among the most powerful and influential families.

His own father was the General Who Pacifies Liaodong of the Han Dynasty, who happened to be in charge of military affairs in Youzhou.

Therefore, he didn't really think much of Liu Bei; he only maintained a certain level of respect out of gratitude for Liu Bei's assistance in Xuzhou.

Seeing that the other party actually cared about the people's livelihood in Xuzhou and raised funds and money to restore the area, Xu Qiu's goodwill towards Liu Bei increased greatly.

He was particularly impressed when he heard that Liu Bei had established large-scale settlements in Xiangben, Lanling, and Chengxian, and had organized the first batch of 5,000 households this winter, bringing together half of the refugees outside Tancheng County.

Xu Qiu was a capable and pragmatic official who was not ignorant of practical matters. He simply did some calculations and soon figured out how much grain and money these civilian settlements would consume.

It would require at least tens of thousands of bushels of grain and millions of coins in cash.

Xu Qiu concluded that Liu Bei was more skillful and courageous than Tao Gong.

Having only been in power for a few months, he has already managed to procure such a large amount of food and supplies, and is even willing to invest in people's livelihoods. He deserves praise for putting people first.

If the magistrate can truly be law-abiding, care for the local people, and restore production and sericulture, then I can lend him a hand.

Guangling has not been ravaged by war, and the people there have a considerable amount of grain stored up. He can send people back to the countryside to collect the grain to help the governor implement benevolent policies.

From Liu Bei just now to the current governor and regional governor, it's clear how much Liu Bei's land reclamation efforts benefited him from Xu Qiu's policies.

When Xu Qiu heard Gu Jiang say that a month ago, Liu Feng had executed more than thirty minor officials in Xiangben County, his expression immediately changed.

He inquired carefully about what had happened and learned that these petty officials had even embezzled the villagers' rations and seeds. He was filled with rage and muttered, "These utterly depraved people deserve to die."

Xu Qiu has always hated corruption. Back then, when Zhang Zhong, the nephew of Emperor Ling's mother, was corrupt and no one in the entire Jingzhou dared to impeach him, Xu Qiu dared to do so, and not only did he dare, he also succeeded.

This forced Emperor Ling to transfer Zhang Zhong away from Nanyang. At the same time, he also took on the challenge of rectifying the entire officialdom of Jingzhou, successively accusing the governors and their subordinates of corruption and embezzlement in five counties. In the end, these officials were all arrested and convicted.

This is Xu Qiu's integrity.

Xu Qiu stroked his long beard, feeling that Liu Feng was somewhat bloodthirsty, despite his young age.

However, Liu Feng did not do anything wrong in this matter. As for the issue of killing, if he encounters such a person again in the future, he can simply give him a few words of advice and make him restrain himself.

I never expected that the Duke's son would also have such ability; it seems that there is a worthy successor.

Unbeknownst to Xu Qiu, Liu Bei's status in his heart had risen another level, from a regional governor to a wise and virtuous ruler.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jiang smiled happily. In his opinion, even the Prefect said that the young master did a good job killing, so the young master must have done a good job killing.

Then they talked about Liu Feng's great victory over Chang Xi, which surprised Xu Qiu again.

"Where did this news come from?"

Xu Qiu couldn't help but ask for confirmation: "The governor has actually gone to war with Chang Xi?"

He traveled to the county for two months without knowing that Liu Bei had already started fighting with Zang Ba, and naturally he didn't know why Liu Feng was fighting Chang Xi.

Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng were stunned. They didn't expect that the Prefect would not even know such an important matter. However, they only dared to think about it in their hearts and honestly told him what they knew.

Xu Qiu's face immediately darkened, even after hearing that Liu Feng had recently achieved a great victory over Chang Xi. It wasn't that he couldn't stand seeing Liu Bei and his son doing well, but rather that he felt Liu Bei was so impatient and recklessly resorting to war.

In his view, although Zang Ba was dissatisfied with the state government, it was ultimately a problem within the state and could be resolved through negotiation.

Even if Zang Ba was arrogant, he never openly defied the prefecture or raised an army in rebellion.

Xu Qiu had just been happy that Liu Bei had stabilized the region and resumed production, but now he was already somewhat annoyed.

In Xu Qiu's view, since Liu Bei was able to raise enough grain to start the war, why didn't he use the money and grain to restore people's livelihood first?
Even if we simply save up for a famine, it's still a hundred times better than waging war.

If Zang Ba is not convinced, he can be taught a lesson through etiquette. If we rashly launch a military campaign, even if we win, we will lose money and supplies; if we lose, it will bring another disaster of war to Xuzhou.

"How is the battle going in Kaiyang?"

Xu Qiu couldn't help but interrupt Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng's praise of Liu Feng and directly asked about the situation on the main battlefield.

Unfortunately, Xiangben was still west of Tancheng, with a river blocking the way, not to mention that there was no one around for twenty or thirty miles, so news couldn't be easily transmitted.

In addition, Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng were of low status, so naturally they knew nothing about it.

Xu Qiu became somewhat anxious, but outwardly he suppressed his urgency and merely gave his attendant a look.

The attendants quickly came over.

Xu Qiu whispered, "Go, tell them not to drink alcohol. After they've eaten and drunk their fill, we'll set off immediately."

The attendant was stunned for a moment. Hadn't they agreed that they wouldn't leave today and would get some rest?
Why are we setting off again?
The attendant instinctively asked in a low voice, "My lord, where are we going?"

Xu Qiu replied somewhat angrily, "Return to Tancheng."

Soon, Xu Qiu and his group finished eating and drinking, and then completely forgot about their earlier request to stay overnight. They left a total of eight hundred coins for Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng to distribute among the villagers, and then turned around and left again.

Left with no other choice, Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng had to start dividing the money according to the value of the items.

He took the most ginger, and contributed all five catties of cured meat that Jin Rui, the county magistrate, had given to his wife, along with half a jar of wine.

Although Xu Qiu later forbade drinking, in reality, his relatives, attendants, and guards had already started drinking. The order ultimately only prevented them from getting drunk.

Other villagers brought out some winter wild vegetables, pickled vegetables, and other food, as well as some cheap liquor. They also received some money and dispersed happily.

After Gu Jiang and Wu Zheng were left alone, the two looked at each other in bewilderment.

I remember the Lord's attitude just now. He was quite happy at first, but then his face suddenly turned cold.

It must be because of Fang Bo's suppression of the rebellion.

Gu Jiang looked at Wu Zheng, then at her own home, gritted her teeth, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Wu, what do you think of this matter..."

Wu Zheng hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "You handle this. I've had too much to drink and I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep now!"

Gu Jiang was very grateful: "Brother Wu, I'll go now."

Wu Zheng waved his hand and left on his own.

(End of this chapter)