The best county magistrate

In the eleventh year of Jianwen, March 28th, it was cloudy.

Today, there are several rows of tables and chairs in the square of Qingshui County Government Office.

At three o'clock in the morning, all the people expected to attend the meeting were present. There were less than three hundred people.

On the half-height steps, Yang Xuanchen bowed his head and said, "I, Yang Xuanchen, would like to thank you all for your support over the past year."

"Qingshui County can achieve such changes within one year, which is inseparable from everyone's efforts."

He pressed his hands slightly to stop everyone's flattery, and continued: "Today is the first enlarged meeting of Qingshui County Government."

"This is also the summary, commendation and criticism meeting of this official for the past year since he took office."

"Present here are the heads of various offices and classes in the Qingshui County government office, as well as Li Zheng, the village chief of the eleven villages in the four townships."

"There are also factory directors and workers' representatives from each factory and workshop..."

Yang Xuanchen didn't like meetings, let alone long speeches. After some simple politeness, he got straight to the point.

Zhang Biao escorted several people to the crowd.

"Isn't this the former chief of the barracks? What did he do?"

"Hey, isn't that the deputy director of the brick kiln factory?"

"I'm going to blanch. Look, it's Liu Genfa from Liujiacun. Why did he commit a crime?"

Under Zhang Biao's roar, everyone gradually became silent.

"Everyone, take a closer look at these people on the steps!"

"Everyone is in charge, and everyone has some power in their hands!"

"Although they are not guilty of murder or arson, they are suspected of corruption and perverting the law."

Yang Xuanchen said a few words righteously, paused, and continued.

"Over the past year, bribery, bribery, corruption, and swindling and robbery have been commonplace."

"I would like to reiterate to everyone here..."

Having said this, sharp eyes glanced at every principal in the county government, and then at the principals, village chiefs, etc.

They were so frightened that they trembled all over.

"From the yamen servant to the chief officer, each of you must put down your dignity for the officer."

"As parents and officials, we should think about the people. The people are our food, clothing and parents."

Then he pointed at the people kneeling on the ground and his tone became cold.

"As long as they are affiliated with the county government, whoever commits the crime will be punished with an additional three levels of punishment!"

"The rest of the people will be punished with one year of corvee service, and their dirty money will be confiscated!"

Yang Xuanchen changed the topic and said.

"In the future, Qingshui County will only become more prosperous, and all industries will usher in more opportunities."

"For example, if the doorkeeper gets some silver reward, and the subordinate clerk in the household is greedy for petty advantages, I can understand it."

"But! Nothing is too much or too little!"

"You must master this speed."

"I have countless pairs of eyes that will stare at everyone here in the dark."

Of course, punishment is only a means, and encouragement is also essential.

After dealing with a few people with problems, Yang Xuanchen clapped his hands, and several carts of snowflakes and silver were pushed onto the stage.

He put on a spring-like smile and said to everyone.

“Next comes the commendation.”

"In a moment, the person named by Master Wei will come up to collect the money!"

With a bang, the sound in the county government office was like a pot exploding.

Yang Xuanchen was very satisfied with their reaction.

This method of making gold every year is a means of motivating people, whether in modern or ancient times.

Especially in this era of simple folk customs, everyone who was awarded the award would be even more furious for him.

Money is undoubtedly an important tool to win people's hearts.

The commendations and awards lasted for a long time, and basically everyone received a lot of money.

The most outstanding performers, cement factories and miners, saw their monthly income rise by 20%.

Zhang Panfeng, the director of the cement plant, couldn't kneel for a long time when receiving the award and burst into tears of gratitude.

If his eldest brother Zhang Quandan hadn't insisted on it, he would have almost recognized Yang Xuanchen as his adoptive father on the spot.

Next, Wei Junzhi, Zhang Biao and the heads of the three classes and six rooms took turns to take the stage to summarize the work of the past year.

At the end of the meeting, Yang Xuanchen made a concluding speech and explained new goals and expectations.

"The next work in the sixth house of the government office is particularly important."

“I hope that within the next three years, there will never be another leaky and dilapidated building.”

"The common people can eat white rice every meal, and every meal must have fish and meat!"

"Understand what five lectures, four beauties and three loves are."

Then the tasks of each factory and workshop were arranged again and the meeting was dismissed.

Time flies by like a white horse, as the population of Qingshui County skyrockets.

The size of the county is getting bigger and bigger.

The benefits of a large population base are reflected in the fact that more and more talents are being hired and more craftsmen are invested in the development of Qingshui County.

Two major industrial parks have been built in the south and north of the city.

The south of the city is dominated by heavy industry, with cement, brick kilns, glass and other factories.

The north of the city is dominated by light industry, including Shenxianju, Textile Bureau, Soap Factory, etc.

These industries are money-spinners, and talents with core technologies are selected at all levels, so there is no doubt about their loyalty.

It can be said that in Qingshui County, everyone has work to do and everyone has money to earn.

The so-called demon lands near Mang Mountain were rectified by Yang Xuanchen.

Fruits and vegetables began to be planted on a large scale, especially vineyards, which were vigorously developed.

Soon, Shenxianju’s wine will be available.

On this day, several masons and prospectors, together with Yang Xuanchen and others, went out of the north gate and went boating across the Hongfeng River.

In a mountain depression in Arashiyama, exposed iron ore can be seen everywhere.

Looking at the rough rocks all over the mountains and plains, Yang Xuanchen felt both happy and worried.

The matter of salt and iron has always been a state matter, and if it is not reported to the court, it will inevitably lead to disaster.

If he reported it to the court, he would not get much benefit from it.

Just as he was looking at the ore and worrying, Zhou Miaomiao beside him said in a low voice: "Brother, this side of Lanshan is theoretically considered the boundary of Qingshui County."

"You can do whatever you want in your fiefdom without having to worry too much."

Yang Xuanchen frowned and shook his head, denying her statement.

"Miaomiao, you don't understand. Other resources are easy to talk about, but this is iron."

"Why the Great Yan soldiers can't get out of Haiyang Pass has something to do with this iron."

"Although the land of Northern Liao is mountainous, it has a lot of iron ore. The soldiers are not very strong and the horses are not strong, but the victory is because there is a lot of iron that can be used in war."

"His weapons, armor, etc. are all better than my Great Yan by a hair."

"If the court learns that I have secretly hidden iron ore, I will definitely be held accountable."

"This matter needs long-term consideration."

Zhou Miaomiao pulled Yang Xuanchen aside and whispered, "Brother, my master will return to Qingshui County in a few days."

"This time she went to find the person who originally made Wu Feng. She sent a letter back not long ago, saying that she had found the person."

"Back then, he was only twenty years old, and now he is in his early thirties. When it comes to iron smelting skills, he is unparalleled in the mainland."

"It is said that he can turn decay into magic."

"There was also a famous sword made by him back then. According to legend, the sword was made entirely of iron."

"If I can get help from this person, I should be able to refine the steel you mentioned."

Ironmaking and steelmaking have long been in Yang Xuanchen's plans, but he did not have enough knowledge in this area to promote it on his own.

Talents in this field were urgently needed, so Zhou Miaomiao's master searched all over the world to find the original blacksmith.

The light in his eyes kept flashing, and Yang Xuanchen thought about the pros and cons.

"That's all, let's wait until the master comes."

"First send people to build the bridge and open up the access to Lanshan."

"Build a factory in this mountain valley for mining and iron smelting."

"Miaomiao, please work harder. You must arrange for someone trustworthy to take charge of the project here."

So Yang Xuanchen wrote two letters to Yan Chenghai and Liu Qingshan respectively, reporting on the Lanshan Iron Mine.

The letter stated that the mineral deposit was much smaller, so naturally the court did not make things too difficult for the matter, and the approval for mining was soon obtained.