"What's wrong?"
Seeing that Wu Tiehu did not retreat after receiving the order and instead looked like he wanted to say something but was hesitant, Wu Ming frowned and could not help but ask.
"There are some things that I don't know if I should say!"
Seeing Wu Ming's expression, Wu Tiehu gritted his teeth and said.
'This is the beginning again. Basically, there won't be anything pleasant. I'm 90% sure he's going to complain …'
Wu Ming sighed and put his hand on his forehead.
After the incident with the Overgod, no matter how Dazhou's world turned upside down, it would not attract his attention.
Of course, he did not show it on his face. "I'll forgive you. Just say it!"
"Yes!"
Wu Tiehu gritted his teeth. "Since the Master's wedding, some people in the Wu Clan have been jumping up and down. Their words are very rude and they even called me the slave of the son-in-law. It doesn't matter if I die, but if I tarnish the Master's reputation, I will not be able to absolve myself!"
"So it's this …"
Wu Ming rubbed his eyebrows.
To be honest, the people in the Wu Clan were not happy with Wu Zhi's monopoly of power. Secondly, they were afraid that an outsider like him would usurp the Wu Clan's position.
Especially during the New Year's Eve and the Wax Festival, when they had to worship the ancestors, it was even more obvious.
"Wu Tiehu, are you a member of the Wu Clan or the Wu Clan?"
Wu Ming asked softly.
"I am a member of the Wu Clan in life and a ghost of the Wu Clan in death!"
"Good!"
Wu Ming said. "Wu Zhi married into the Wu Clan and the New Year's Eve will be his. Can't you understand such an obvious thing?"
If he was really the son-in-law, Wu Ming would have to follow Wu Zhi to Nanfeng County to worship the ancestors of the Wu Clan. He would not even be able to enter the ancestral hall and could only wait in the square outside.
The difference between the two was naturally huge.
"From now on, if you encounter anyone who insults the Wu Clan, be it an official or a member of the Wu Clan, arrest them and punish them severely. Do you understand?"
"I understand!"
Wu Tiehu's eyes lit up. He bowed again and left.
"Someone can't take it anymore?"
Wu Ming rubbed his chin and a smile appeared on his face. "Looks like I'll have to punish the chicken to warn the monkey. I'll also promote Wu Tiehu to the rank of County Lieutenant to take over Chu Feng's military power. I'll treat it as his repayment …"
…
Chu Feng County City, Regional Governor's Residence.
"Lord Provincial Governor, the various county magistrates have already made arrangements. All the officials have been prepared, and the spring ploughing next year will not be delayed!"
In the side hall, there was a red sandalwood table about ten feet long and more than three feet wide, which was filled with official documents. Wu Zhi was dressed in a brocade robe without any makeup, but he still looked valiant and formidable. At this time, his slightly frowning eyebrows were smoothed out as Ceng Yu reported.
"Not bad!"
Wu Zhi nodded slightly, knowing how difficult it was for Ceng Yu.
After all, not every official could see a woman in charge of the government, and even openly set up a military town.
Nanfeng County was still alright, but in Chu Feng County, following the Li family's surrender, more and more county magistrates chose to resign. Wu Zhi racked his brains on how to select enough talents to govern the county.
He immediately said warmly, "As the Provincial Governor, I specialize in conquering and killing. I have the authority to start the process. Today, I'll set up the Shogunate to directly govern two counties and fifteen counties. The original County Magistrate and County Magistrate will retain their respective positions. You shall be the Chief Official of the Shogunate!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
Ceng Yu calmly bowed, but her heart was slightly moved.
She knew that Wu Zhi's establishment of the Provincial Governor's Residence was to take over the power of the two counties and completely remove the Prefect. After all, there were only two Prefects in two counties. Wouldn't he be handing over the power to others?
As for the County Magistrate and County Magistrate, they were empty positions. They were specially arranged for the Li family, which had a high status and had already surrendered.
As the Shogunate that governed the two counties, the Chief Official was equivalent to the Prime Minister. Although his rank was not high, he was in charge of the Yin and Yang. He held great power and had the responsibility of checking and making up for any loopholes. Wu Zhi could be said to value him very much by appointing him to this position.
"I will do my best to serve you, my lord!"
Ceng Yu had first saved his life, and now he was indebted to Ceng Yu. If she did not repay him, she would definitely be reviled by the world and bear the name of a villain.
"Hmm! Agriculture is the foundation of a country. The spring ploughing is stable, and the autumn harvest is ready. When the warehouses are full of corn and wheat, the people of the two counties will no longer be surprised by my rule, right? "
Wu Zhi was deeply aware that the common people were greedy for favors! Although there were many discussions today, saying that he was a woman, as long as they endured one or two good harvests, those common people would not care who was ruling them.
The real people left to deal with were the scholar-officials. They were the only ones whose interests were damaged, and their ideas were deeply rooted, so it was difficult for them to surrender.
"Last time, I ordered all the families to recruit talents, but only a few responded. Hehe …"
Wu Zhi sneered, "This time, many poor disciples have been promoted. They can't blame me anymore. Who asked them to not seize the opportunity?"
"My lord is wise!"
He was talking about the previous matter of the officials in the mansion.
Those aristocratic families and county lords were afraid of getting involved. They had a lot of assets and didn't dare to take the risk. Wu Zhi directly ordered for a recruitment notice to be put up. It didn't matter one's family background, only talent mattered. It immediately attracted a large number of unsuccessful disciples from poor families who wanted to make a name for themselves.
In this world, the road to promotion was mostly controlled by aristocratic families. Now that there was such an opportunity, how could the poor not try their best!
The higher the status, the more they cherished their power and refused to change. However, the poor were fearless.
However, if Wu Ming were here, he would definitely give up.
Because the county and county magistrates were the big landlord class, and the poor were the small landlord class. Those who really had nothing and could break all the shackles were those at the bottom of society who had no place to stand and even had little personal autonomy.
Of course, now he and Wu Zhi were members of the 'meat eaters' class, so they would not help outsiders and betray their original class.
Even in history, Cao Cao supported the poor scholars and suppressed the aristocratic families, but it was the internal strife of the landlord class. It had nothing to do with the common people!
After all, how could the peasants who really had nothing in ancient times have the capital to read and write?
"I have two plans!"
Wu Zhi was quite proud of himself. He stood up and paced around. "One policy and the other military. With a two-pronged approach, we can definitely take Dingzhou in one fell swoop in three years!"
"I'm all ears!"
This was the policy program, a great opportunity to understand the will of the superior. Ceng Yu naturally pricked up her ears.
"These two plans, one is to grant land for military merits! The other is to take the examinations and select scholars! "
Speaking of this, Wu Zhi's face turned slightly red. He would never admit that they were in a boudoir and on the bed, and Wu Ming had casually mentioned it to her.
"For military merits, soldiers will be graded. Every battle will record their merits, and they will be promoted. They will be given land according to their merits. The disabled and retired soldiers will be given care. They will be given priority in the selection of local military equipment, village officials, and pavilion chiefs!"
"In this way, soldiers will have to use their lives, but we need a large amount of land without owners!"
As a civil official, Ceng Yu felt a little uncomfortable when she heard this policy of preferential treatment for military personnel. However, when she thought of the chaotic times and military personnel in power, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
"The second plan is to take the examinations and select scholars. Every year, scholars from all over the world, regardless of their origin, can take the examinations. There will be subjects such as mathematics, agriculture, and commerce. Official positions will be awarded according to the results! This examination will be the blueprint, and it will be a model in the future! "
Wu Zhi's voice was powerful, but Ceng Yu's forehead was covered with cold sweat. "In this way … in this way … I'm afraid it will cause criticism!"
But in her heart, she was very clear that it was more than criticism.
Throughout history, aristocratic families had occupied land and villages, and even controlled the channels of promotion. Even the local village officials, pavilion chiefs, and tax collectors were their own people. That was how they spread their roots and became a power that even the governor and the court had to be afraid of.
But now, if these two plans were carried out, the rule of aristocratic families would immediately be shaken, and it would lead to a crazy counterattack!
"Criticism? Haven't we attracted a lot of criticism? "
Wu Zhi sneered. "Even if we compromise, it will be in vain. Why don't we just break everything and start again?"
"My lord, you are so heroic. I will carry out these two plans for you even if I have to sacrifice my life!"
Ceng Yu had already said this much. If she continued, it would be an unsolvable problem. Other than bowing, what else could she say?
"Good!"
Wu Zhi nodded. "Don't worry, I naturally know the severity of the matter. We should plan slowly. The first thing we should do is to grant the land for military merits and grab the morale of the army. In this way, there will be nothing to fear!"
Political power came from the barrel of a gun. This was a truth that could not be broken anywhere. Naturally, Wu Zhi couldn't ignore this point. "If we want to grant the land for military merits, we need a lot of idle land. Since the chaotic times, the soldiers in the two counties have been in trouble, and the people have been exiled. It's enough for now. Report the statistics!"
"Yes!"
Ceng Yu found the documents and slowly reported, "Chu Feng County and Nan Feng County are under our jurisdiction. Among them, Chu Feng County has eight counties, and Nan Feng County has seven counties. In total, there are two prefectures and 15 counties! The three counties are Cloud Flat County, Crane Platform County, Cangtong County, and the five counties are … "
"After investigation, it is confirmed that the 15 counties in this town have a total of 2.7 million mu of farmland, and 300,000 households … The government can still award 54,300 mu of public farmland!"
"So little?"
Wu Zhi sighed, but he knew where these acres of farmland went.
Although there were nearly 3 million mu of farmland in the two counties, at least half of it had fallen into the hands of the aristocratic families. Their fertile land was crisscrossed, and fertile land was connected. When they went out, they would be surrounded by servants and beautiful maids. Fine horses and fragrant carriages were their seats. However, the tenant farmers had to bear more than 50% of the taxes, and there was even the government's apportionment and labor.
Unfortunately, the largest among them was the Wu family! Especially after Wu Zhi conquered Chu Feng County, the local tyrants in Nan Feng County, led by the Wu family, started a new round of expansion.
"Hehe … Big rat! Big rat!!! "
Wu Zhi sneered. His shocking murderous aura even made Ceng Yu's legs go weak. "If we confiscate a few families, we might be rewarded with farmland and military expenses. We might even have seeds for next spring!"
"My lord, you must not!"
Ceng Yu knelt down with a thud, and his sweat flowed like a spring.
"I know how powerful you are. Naturally, I won't make the whole world my enemy. I just have to make an example out of you!"
Wu Zhi's smile was beautiful, but it was cold. "Some people are so used to poaching that they even forget about me, the family head!"
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