Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Liu Ye narrowed his eyes. This Xing Mingtang was not given to him for nothing. He had already pulled the county officials to his own camp with just his words. The position of governor was vacant, Tan Tingxiang had been transferred, and the governor of Shandong Province was concurrently the governor. Now the governor and the governor had just taken office. Xing Mingtang naturally became the backbone of officials at all levels in Shandong. If he expressed his intention to strictly rectify the Shandong officialdom, I am afraid that everyone would vote under Xing Mingtang.

Liu Ye put down his wine glass, stood up, and replied, "Master Xing, since you asked, I will make a statement."

Upon hearing this, everyone put down their glasses and focused their attention on Liu Ye.

Liu Ye said in a clear voice: "Everyone, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager and the Prince Regent sent me to Shandong. Naturally, they want me to rectify Shandong. Shandong is adjacent to the capital and has an important position. It cannot be neglected. Of course, I am not here to punish anyone present. What happened to you in the past is not my business. I want to see your future. Even if you were corrupt and abused your power in the past, it was just a passing note. From today on, if you violate the law again, I will not be polite."

Liu Ye's words were both kind and strict, gentle but firm. He let go of all the past grievances and showed them kindness, but would hold on to them tightly from today onwards. This was a way of intimidating them, which allowed everyone present to breathe a sigh of relief and not have to worry about the three major things a new official would do upon taking office. At the same time, they also had to be vigilant at all times and not be complacent.

Everyone's minds were immediately relieved. As long as the governor didn't make any trouble, they would be much more relieved. Wouldn't it just be a little quieter? Okay, we're all smart people. We have to give the governor a favor. Let's just be honest for the first six months and eight months. Once the rumors have eased, it won't be too late to make some small calculations. It seems that this governor is the same as Mr. Tan. With a little money and beauty, it is not impossible to buy him off.

Liu Ye went on to say, "Everyone, let me put it bluntly. Right now, people's livelihoods in Shandong Province are in dire straits. As parents, we are ashamed. What's worse, the Nian bandits from Henan and Anhui have also entered the country in large numbers, causing quite a bit of unrest in Shandong. When I was passing through Gaotang Prefecture, the Nian bandits were laying siege to Gaotang. The Gaotang Prefecture Governor Zheng Yi died in battle, and all of his family, young and old, except for the young lady, were killed. Other areas like Liaocheng and Dong'e are also plagued by the Nian bandits. This is a critical and difficult time. We need to work together to overcome this difficulty. Only with achievements can I have face in front of the Prince Regent, and everyone else can have face too, right?"

Li Junfeng, the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture, said solemnly, "Your Excellency, we, the humble servants, will naturally obey your orders. Speaking of which, within Dengzhou Prefecture alone, people's livelihoods are indeed in decline. Especially since the opening of ports like Yantai, the continuous influx of foreign goods into Dengzhou has had a huge impact on people's livelihoods. The current situation is worrying. I am so inexperienced and ashamed of my limited knowledge. I beg Your Excellency to provide some guidance on how to prevent foreign goods from becoming an increasing threat to us."

Liu Ye looked at Li Junfeng in surprise. This prefect was quite young, and looked to be only in his early thirties. He was already a fourth-rank prefect at such a young age. He must have a powerful backer in the court, or he was a shrewd and capable official. Now that he spoke out about the current situation of Dengzhou Prefecture and expressed his concerns, the latter possibility must be more likely.

Liu Ye asked: "Master Li, how much was the annual revenue of Dengzhou Prefecture last year?"

"Your Excellency, last year Dengzhou's annual revenue was 500,000 taels, and its expenditure was 427,000 taels, leaving a surplus of over 70,000 taels!"

"So what's the current population of Dengzhou? What's the situation in each county within the prefecture?"

"Your Excellency, Dengzhou now has a population of over 2.376 million and over 7.63 million mu of arable land. However, these days, more and more land is concentrated in the hands of landlords and wealthy families. Farmers have no industry, and some artisans are struggling due to the run on foreign goods. Life is really tough. This is also the reason why the Nian bandits are wreaking havoc in Shandong. Many people went there and naturally joined the rebels."

Liu Ye nodded, stood up, and said, "Everyone, these foreign goods will eventually enter China. Their prices are cheap and the quality is good, so naturally the people are willing to buy them. What should we do? The only way is to produce cheaper products to compete with them, drive out foreign goods, and even sell our products to the West. I have already asked the emperor for permission to act at my discretion in Shandong. From now on, Dengzhou and Laizhou prefectures will be established as special districts. For two years, these two prefectures will not have to pay any taxes to the governor's office. Correspondingly, anyone who opens factories and mines in Dengzhou and Laizhou and starts an industry will be exempted from all taxes for two years. The other seven prefectures will exempt all miscellaneous taxes for landless farmers. Within three years, I will inspect each prefecture in turn. Anyone found collecting taxes from the people will be dismissed and investigated!"

Everyone present was horrified when they heard this. This move was truly appalling. Exempting all landless farmers in Shandong from taxes, Shandong's entire annual finances depended on these taxes! Without these sources of income, would officials like us be left starving?

Tan Tingxiang barely suppressed his shock and asked, "Master Liu, I have a question. If we don't collect taxes from the peasants, where will the taxes come from? Without taxes, where will the salaries of our officials at all levels come from? We have to spend money everywhere. How can we fill this huge hole?"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "That depends on your abilities. Everyone, you should all be aware that Prince Gong has been very kind to me. Before I left the capital, the prince had already given me instructions to select local talents. As long as you have the ability, I will naturally not hesitate to give you the opportunity to be promoted. Within three years, I want to see Shandong Province's commerce flourish and all industries prosper. How you do it is up to you. Come up with a plan and submit a proposal to me. As long as it is suitable, I will naturally support you in your efforts. As long as everything is revived under your rule, a promotion is just around the corner!"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. What on earth was this Governor-General up to? He had painted a huge pie for everyone to grab, but it seemed this pie was not easy to grab. How could it be so easy to make all the prefectures look brand new?

Li Junfeng was very excited and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it or not."

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Prefect Li, if you have anything to say, please speak up."

Li Junfeng's face straightened, and he said loudly, "Your Excellency, I request that a large seaport be built in the Jiaozhou Bay area to specialize in international trade. A unified tax will be levied on all goods entering and leaving the port. In the next few years, the customs duties alone will be enough to cover Dengzhou's expenses!"