The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

Captain Hao of the garrison left without taking a single piece of soil with him.

After saying goodbye to Sun Shan, he arranged for his men to transport the bodies out of the city.

Sun Shan was completely bewildered. Why were they leaving in such a hurry? Aren't they going to have lunch before leaving?

There is still half an hour before lunch, and we are in a hurry.

Sun Shan pretended to be polite and asked Captain Hao to stay for dinner.

Captain Hao waved his hand and said, "No, Magistrate Sun, we've been in Yuanlu County for several days now and need to return quickly to report. I'll have dinner with Magistrate Sun again when there's a chance."

After saying this, he hurriedly led his men out of the city.

Although Sun Shan didn't understand why the guards left so quickly, he thought it would be better not to stay for dinner, as it would save money.

However, when it came to suppressing bandits, Sun Shan always felt that there were some things he didn't know.

Alas, it’s a pity that Chenzhou Prefecture has no one of its own, so it’s difficult to find someone to gather information.

I can only blame myself for being new here and not having made deep efforts to cultivate Yuanlu.

If I had been here long enough, I would have heard about it to some extent, and I wouldn't be so passive now.

Sun Shan recalled how Captain Hao left and felt very happy. It seemed that there should be no problem in doing this.

I just don’t know if it will be like this: the pigs weigh themselves and help count the money after being sold.

After seeing the guards leave, Master Zhang immediately walked in and asked, "Master, what did the guards say?"

As a legal advisor, he should help his master relieve his worries. Seeing Sun Shan frowning, the legal advisor felt that this matter was not simple.

As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. Sun Shan told Captain Hao everything about his meeting with him.

He asked doubtfully, "Do you think there are any problems with the bandits we caught? The guards came here in person this time, and they seem to take these bandits very seriously."

Master Zhang followed Sun Shan in frowning, then shook his head and said, "Master, I don't know either."

Then, grasping the key point, he asked, "Master, Captain Hao said he won't forget you. Does that mean he wants to give you some benefits?"

Usually when this sentence is said, it is either a threat or an offer of benefits.

Obviously Captain Hao meant the latter.

Sun Shan nodded and said, "I don't know either. But Captain Hao was quite happy when he left. I'm just not sure if this is the benefit we want."

The so-called benefits are either fame or profit, and I don’t know what Captain Hao is referring to.

Hey, why can’t we be more clear-headed when dealing with people and doing things?

It’s really hard to guess this way.

Sun Shan shook his head and said, "Forget it. I'll just ignore it. Let's just leave this matter of the bandits alone."

Then he whispered, "Master Zhang, the guards are here, and County Magistrate Wang will definitely be paying attention. He'll definitely want to know what happened. County Magistrate Wang has connections in Chenzhou Prefecture, so it's much easier for him to get accurate information than us. When you have time, talk to County Magistrate Wang more and find out more so that we can have a better idea."

It would be great if County Magistrate Wang was one of our own. Just write to Chenzhou Prefecture and ask. I'm sure we'll find out soon.

Sun Shan sighed again. Being an official in a strange place was like floating on the surface of a duckweed, with no place to settle down.

It would definitely be much easier to be an official in Guangnan. Or to be an official in the capital, so that you can have connections.

Master Zhang immediately accepted the order: "Yes, Master, I will get along well with County Magistrate Wang."

Find out the truth carefully.

Mr. Zhang took out another land deed and said, "Master, this is the deed for the mountain behind Da Niao Village. That mountain is ownerless. It currently belongs to the government office."

After a pause, he added, "Master, these mountains can be bought and sold. Fortunately, we took them here. If someone gets the news, they might actually buy them back."

The main reason is that mountain land is cheap and land taxes are also cheap. Buying a large piece of mountain is not as much as buying a few acres of land.

Master Zhang didn't know why Sun Shan wanted this piece of mountain behind, but it must be very important.

So I went to find the household office early in the morning and got the title deed.

I believe that the news of him taking the land deed would quickly spread throughout the government office and would be known to those with ulterior motives. However, with the land deed in hand, it would be difficult to trade it.

Sun Shan looked at a large area of ​​mountains behind the mountain and directly took over the uninhabited mountains and forests in the area and turned them into "official fields".

The so-called official fields are not limited to plain areas, but also include different types of land such as mountains.

Including official land, returned official land, confiscated official land, interrupted official land, school land, imperial farms, etc.

According to Daqian law, official land belongs to the state and its sale is strictly prohibited.

The ownership of these lands belongs to the state, and farmers only have the right to use them but not the ownership.

Sun Shan was worried that the bird droppings in the mountain behind him would attract prying eyes, so he directly designated this area of ​​forest as government property, which meant that no one was allowed to buy or sell it.

Of course, doing this only adds a small barrier. After all, if the right path is blocked, there are still many crooked ways.

It is impossible to completely prevent the powerful from snooping.

Those with a conscience would use the leasing method to permanently use the government land.

The unscrupulous people used various methods to turn government land into private land, and then pocketed it with white gloves.

All Sun Shan can do now is to turn this piece of forest into government farmland, making it more difficult to turn it into private farmland.

Sun Shan said to Zhang, "Go to the household office and have the clerk immediately designate this area of ​​forest as government farmland."

Master Zhang nodded quickly: "Yes, Master."

Then he asked, "Master, is it related to bird droppings?"

There were a few sacks of bird droppings in the backyard of the yamen. Fortunately, the backyard was big enough, so they were placed far away and the stench was not noticeable.

Last night, Master Zhang took a hurried look at it, wondering what the specific use of this bird droppings was. Now that he saw that Sun Shan had designated this piece of forest as government land and also marked it as prohibited from buying and selling, it was clear that this bird droppings was unusual.

Sun Shan said with a hint of joy, "Yes, these bird droppings are very useful."

With these bird droppings, we have primitive chemical fertilizers, and with chemical fertilizers, the grain yield in the fields can be increased.

Of all things, eating is the most important thing. Bandits are no match for the common people in their pursuit of food.

When Master Zhang saw Sun Shan's smile, his tone was very cheerful, which showed that bird droppings were really important.

After looking around and finding no one around, he said with relief: "Master, why did you assign this piece of forest to the government farmland instead of..."

These words are indeed difficult to say, but as Lord Sun's advisor, his interests are the same as Lord Sun's. If Lord Sun is well, then he will be well too.

I stubbornly suggested: "Master, why don't we buy this piece of forest?"

If Sun Shan can't buy it, he can find a white glove to buy it. If it is of great use, it will be better for Sun Shan to buy it.

Sun Shan had naturally thought about this question.

First of all, he was an official from another place. If he bought it, it would be very conspicuous. Even with white gloves, people with ulterior motives would know it was him.

Secondly, the world is bustling with people, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for profit. Sun Shan's gain will inevitably lead to "mass attacks."

Third, Sun Shan was truly selfless, thinking that the benefits he and a few local gentry would bring to the common people were not as great as the benefits they would bring to the common people. They were already living better than the common people, so why were they still competing with them for profit?

Fourthly, if the people of Yuanlu County live a good life, it will also help his official career. He should not only focus on this little benefit, but also climb higher. Otherwise, why would he be an official?