Promotion Letter for the Chief Executive

Spring in the Northwest is not pleasant. The sky is full of dust brought by the wind from afar. If you don’t cover your mouth and nose when you go out, you will definitely have a face of ashes when you come back.

The city is fine, after all, the roads are paved with bluestones, as long as you are diligent in cleaning, it will always be clean.But there was dust everywhere outside the city, and after going out for a trip, he had to take a bath once.

It's better when it rains, but there's no dust in the air and the ground is muddy.The ancient robes were long and flowing, and after walking a few steps, the corners of the robes were stained with mud, making them look dirty and gray.

When Ping An came out of the "retreat", he was faced with such a situation.He frowned, thinking that it was time to build a cement factory.

As the saying goes: To get rich, first build roads, have fewer children and grow more trees... Ahem, remove the last sentence, the current population is too small, and productivity is very low, so the current population is the primary productive force.Considering that he will need more people to develop his industry in the future, Ping An feels that having more births is not a bad thing.

But it can't be the ignorant life that is now, even if it can't support them, they will still be born one after another.Ping An has always believed that the most important thing to be a human being is to be able to take responsibility.This is especially true as a parent. It is easy to have a child, but it is very difficult to take on this responsibility.

One day when the people of Dachu begin to understand this truth and start consciously choosing whether to live or not to live, maybe what they want to do will be considered a success.

For the manufacture of cement, Ping An remembers that limestone and clay are used for firing. As for the ratio, it can be done like gunpowder, and an experimental control group can be produced. At that time, it will be clear which one has the best effect.

The verbs limestone and clay are ubiquitous, but not uncommon.At present, there are quite a few people available under Ping An's hands. This matter can be done as soon as it is said. Those who dig stones dig stones, those who dig earth dig earth, and those who build kilns build kilns. Everything is ready in a short time.

In addition, Ping An also sent people to dig sand by the river. ——It is said that the problem of the Huijiang River is similar to that of the Yellow River in later generations. Due to soil erosion, a large amount of sediment is carried in the water flow, which makes the river course higher and higher.In later generations, it is not uncommon for the embankment of the Yellow River to be much higher than the flat ground.In that case, once the river breaks its embankment, it will inevitably cause a huge disaster.

Although the current Huijiang is not so exaggerated, it is an indisputable fact that the river is rising year by year.

Where the Huijiang River flows through like Qinzhou, although the transportation is convenient, the land is fertile, and the tax revenue is higher, river governance has always been the top priority.Fortunately, nothing happened. If something happened, the black hats on the heads of local officials could not be kept.

Therefore, river governance has always been their most worrying thing.Think about it in peace, anyway, road construction requires a lot of sand and gravel in addition to cement. In this case, river sand can also be used, which can not only meet the requirements of road construction, but also solve the hidden dangers of the river, which is the best of both worlds.

So after Ping'an made this request, the magistrate of Qinzhou readily agreed, and even took the initiative to send someone to help.

After the cement factory was built, the decree of the capital city had already been issued.

The governor of the Northwest was not harsh, and the credits of Ping An and the Bow and Arrow Factory were naturally reported truthfully.So this time, there is also a share of peace in rewarding meritorious deeds.But the specifics will be discussed after he returns to Beijing.

An old acquaintance, Eunuch Tian, ​​Eunuch Bingbi, Eunuch, came to pass the decree. ——Of course, with Ping An's own level, it is naturally impossible to work for such a person.The main reason is to go to Xinzhou to announce the decree to the Northwest Governor, and bring his share along the way.

The relationship between this eunuch Tian and Ping An can be traced back to when Ping An was in Jingchang.At that time, he was the eunuch who organized the memorials in the supervisor's office, but he suppressed Ping An's memorials on movable type printing, so that Ping An almost lost a great opportunity.

Fortunately, Zhao Can helped a little bit, and they didn't know each other later on. After Ping'an was transferred to the duty room of the Supervisor of Rituals, they worked under Eunuch Tian.And it was Ping An's help that allowed him to be admitted to the Concubine Zheng's line, won the favor of the emperor, and was promoted to the eunuch of the chief of ceremonies.

The eunuch in the hall seems to be just running errands, but in fact, he can often show up in front of the imperial court, which can be described as a humble position.No, in a few years, he became a eunuch of Bingbi, and he was only one step away from the seal of the supervisor of ceremonies.However, Zhang Dongyuan's position is very secure at present, and eunuch Jian Tian will not be able to go up for a while.

In this case, there are several options.One is to switch to another yamen as a palm print eunuch.Although he is not in front of the imperial court, being able to monopolize the power can be regarded as achievement and fame.This path is suitable for those eunuchs who have no intention of continuing to climb up and are looking for a place to live their lives.Without ambition, naturally there is no need to fight.

The other way is to go to other places to be a supervisor.In this way, if you are not in front of the emperor, your favor may gradually decrease, but you have real power.And just like the officials of the DPRK and China must be released before they can continue to be appointed, these eunuchs who have been trained abroad will naturally have a bit more advantage than others when they return to the capital.

Not to mention anything else, if you have served as a supervisor on the battlefield, it is considered "knowledge of military affairs". When the emperor wants to know something, but it is not convenient to ask the courtiers, such a person is naturally the best choice .Once the answer satisfies the emperor, the status will naturally rise.In the future, if Zhang Dongyuan retreats, the possibility of going further will naturally be greater.

The last one is not willing to go out and stay in the supervisor of ceremonies to work hard for qualifications.If one can seize the opportunity, it is possible to gain the trust of the emperor—even among the eunuchs who hold the pen, there is a difference between superior and inferior.

The eunuch Tian chose, obviously, the last one.However, he is a flexible person, and it seems that he will not let go of this opportunity to pass the decree.After all, it's only a few months since I came out. I can not only see the customs and customs along the way, increase my experience, but also make friends with ministers who have made meritorious deeds and pave the way for my future. Why not do it?

Of course, for Eunuch Tian, ​​having a relationship with Ping An Lala is also a good thing.

He was in the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and he knew very well that Zhang Dongyuan and His Majesty attached great importance to safety. Before coming to announce the decree this time, the emperor specially summoned him, and mentioned the credit for Ping An in his speech. Eunuch Tian is so clever, how could he not know what to do? work?

So he was not in a hurry to go to Xinzhou. Instead, he came to Qinzhou first and met with Ping An.

What he brought to Ping An was basically good news.The first news is that the emperor named the improvised bomb invented by Ping An, "Lei Zhenzi", and rewarded him with real money for it.However, these things have not been released yet, because the second purpose is to let Ping An hand over the affairs of the bow and arrow factory and return to Beijing to meet Sheng.

As for the rewards of other people in the bow and arrow factory, it goes without saying.

Eunuch Tian announced the decree, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, you are safe. I have to go to Xinzhou for a trip. You can make some preparations. When you come back, come to Beijing with me, so you can be a good company."

Judging from his attitude, it was obvious that the palace had no intention of punishing Ping An for abandoning the bow and arrow factory and going to the front line.It is almost the same as what Ping An imagined.The emperor might punish him a few words, but that would have to wait until he returned to Beijing safely.

Finally, and that is the most important issue, Ping An is most concerned about the captives.The emperor didn't say whether Ping'an's treatment method was good or not. After all, how to deal with the tens of thousands of captives was a headache for his old man.

It's just that according to Eunuch Tian, ​​the ministers in the court have already quarreled over this matter.

Most people cannot accept Ping An's approach.They cited scriptures to prove that there has never been a precedent for treating captives like this from ancient times to the present.After all, the country of the Great Heavenly Dynasty is naturally different from others. The people who were captured before were either killed, released, or set up a place to resettle.

Some people also suggested that if they abused the captives in this way, the news spread to Xirong, and the Xirong people sent envoys to protest, how should they explain it?

However, this person was ridiculed immediately. After all, Da Chu had just fought with Xirong, but there was no friendly relationship. The Xirong people kidnapped many people in the northwest. The fish that slipped through the net were taken away.

The relationship between Xirong and Dachu is the hatred accumulated by the people on the frontier with their blood and lives for generations, which cannot be resolved at all.Some ministers in the DPRK and China think of "good neighborliness and friendship" as soon as they think about it, and they don't look at the fact that the DPRK and China are still dominated by the main combat faction!

As a result, a small number of ministers who are more supportive of the safe approach have the upper hand.Even if it's an account, Xirong has kidnapped so many people from Dachu, so naturally no one will do those corvees.That being the case, wouldn't it be appropriate for the people of Xirong to do it?

Those who oppose Ping'an's approach are implicated by the pig teammates, so it is difficult to state their position again.After all, if you object, do you feel that Da Chu is afraid of Xi Rong like those people?

At this time, the emperor made a decision: whoever objects, whoever proposes a resettlement method.If this problem can be solved, it is okay not to follow the safe approach.

The result can be imagined, naturally can not think of any good way.The only reliable way is still to allocate land for resettlement, but some of the courtiers have served as officials on the border, and they understand that this kind of thing is difficult to handle, and there will be problems everywhere when it comes to management.This clearly added unnecessary trouble to the local government, so it was denied.

So until eunuch Tian left Beijing, the court still hadn't come to a conclusion about this matter.However, judging from the general situation, it is inevitable to agree with Ping An's handling method in the end.

Ping An doesn't really care about that.After all, it took him so long without the court's consent.

Regarding this matter, Eunuch Tian revealed that the emperor meant that no matter how the captives were disposed of, Ping An could not take over and asked him to return them to the local government.

In fact, Ping An wanted to go back to the capital by himself, and it was obviously impossible to take all the prisoners away.But handing it over to the local government is different.

First of all, nearly half of the people are already working in the mines.Are these people from the mine, or from the Qinzhou government office?The current Zhizhou has a good relationship with Pingan, but what if the person in charge changes in the future and wants to mobilize these people?

But for this matter, Ping An himself actually has a plan.It's just that he didn't think about it before, and the news brought back by eunuch Tian made him have to refine this idea immediately and find a solution.

In addition, Eunuch Tian vaguely revealed that after he returned to Beijing, he might be able to return to the Supervisor of Rites and formally enter the core of the Dachu political group. ——Even if he is a eunuch.

All of this was expected by Ping An, but before that, he still had to do his own thing well.

So when Eunuch Tian came back from Xinzhou, Ping An did not go with him, but asked him to convey to the emperor that he still had some things to do here, and he would naturally return to Beijing when he was done.

Eunuch Tian had heard about Ping'an's boldness for a long time, but he never expected that Ping'an would be so unhurried after receiving the imperial decree.However, he has long seen that Ping An is a person with great ambitions. Seeing that he can reach this position at a young age, it is obviously a success.

So he didn't try to persuade Ping An, but asked curiously, "I heard that you have handed over the management of the bow and arrow factory to others, so what's the point of staying here?"

If it was someone else, when they received the imperial edict summoned by the emperor, they would pack up their things and go back immediately, and they would never deal with it as calmly as Ping An.

Pingan was about to use his mouth to pass the matter back to the capital, so he immediately said, "If I just say this, and there is no basis for it, Eunuch Tian may not believe it. That's all right, Eunuch Tian came to Qinzhou once , it seems that you haven’t seen the bow and arrow factory, why don’t you come with me to have a look, how about it?”

"I will stick to what I want, but I dare not ask for it." Eunuch Tian immediately agreed.

Everyone knows that the purpose of Ping An coming to Qinzhou is to build a bow and arrow factory.In this war, the Bow and Arrow Factory made a lot of contributions, and it was precisely because of this contribution that Ping An was able to return to Beijing in a glorious manner.In the eyes of Eunuch Tian, ​​this bow and arrow factory is naturally a proud work of Ping An, and it is also where his foundation lies.Now that Ping An invites him to visit the bow and arrow factory, it is clearly a gesture of favor, so why not agree?

So Ping An took Eunuch Tian out of Qinzhou City and went to the bow and arrow factory.

Ever since he saw the bow and arrow factory from a distance, Eunuch Tian's mouth had never closed, and there were endless exclamations along the way. When he saw the inside of the bow and arrow factory, he was so surprised that he couldn't even speak admiration.

It's not because Eunuch Tian was surprised, and it's not because he is short-sighted. In fact, the bow and arrow factory is very different now than it was when it was just built last year.

It is said to be a bow and arrow factory, but in fact a small industrial park has been initially built.In the middle is the Bow and Arrow Factory. Because it is an important military area, it is heavily guarded by soldiers.On the left side of the bow and arrow factory is the family area and the folding fan factory.On the right is the cement factory.

All the houses are built according to the standard. The outer walls are plastered with cement and then painted with white lime. From a distance, the neat white houses look quite beautiful.

And in the interior of this area, there is not even an inch of yellow land, and all roads are paved with cement, which is clean.Street trees are planted on both sides of the road, as well as a green belt composed of bushes and various flowers and grass.

Even though there is not a lot of dust due to the existence of the bow and arrow factory and the cement factory, it is still very clean because of the diligent cleaning.At least much better than Qinzhou City.The urban construction in this era was not as advanced as it was later, and domestic garbage was thrown everywhere. In addition, many people in the city raised livestock, cattle and horses, so the urban environmental sanitation can basically be summed up in three words: dirty and messy.

Even the capital city, as the prosperous capital at the foot of the emperor, is only slightly better than other places in this aspect.

Especially the roads.Not every place in the city has bluestone paved roads, most of them are dirt roads.The wind blows yellow sand everywhere, and it rains muddy. How can it compare to the smooth and clean concrete road in front of you?

"What does Eunuch Tian think of me?" Ping An asked with a smile.

It took a long time for eunuch Tian to come back to his senses, and sighed, "Ping An, I have convinced you." He pointed to the concrete road on the ground and asked, "What is this, and how can this road become so... smooth? hard?"

Sure enough, he is worthy of coming out of the palace, with extraordinary knowledge.Ping An remembered that when the project was just finished, those craftsmen and family members were stunned, and they all exclaimed that the fairyland on earth, I am afraid that the palace is nothing more than this, which made Ping An embarrassed for a long time.This kind of house without any special features looks like a mass-produced house. How is it compared to the palace?

But to be safe, these houses built by myself are indeed much better than the imperial palace in terms of house layout and utilization.

"This is cement." Ping An pointed to the direction of the cement factory. "It was produced there. Mix it with water and sand, put it on the ground, and it will look like this after it dries."

"There is such a thing? I think it is your masterpiece of Ping An?" Eunuch Tian understood the purpose of Ping An immediately, "Do you want to dedicate this thing to His Majesty?"

Pingan nodded and shook his head, "Even if this thing is offered, His Majesty won't need it. It is very much needed by the people." After all, the road to the palace is already very good, even if it needs to be repaired, it will not use much cement.If this thing is just presented as a rare item without promotion, wouldn't it be a waste of effort?

"Then what are you going to do?"

Ping An slowly considered his words, "There is such a good thing, I hope everyone can use it, and pave the roads of the whole world. It will be much easier to travel by chariot and horse. At that time, whether it is It will be a hundred times easier to convey the government order, or to deploy the army and transport the supplies. At that time, wherever this road reaches, it will be the land under my Emperor Chu's rule!"

"Okay!" Eunuch Tian was also excited by the future depicted by Ping An.

What men like are nothing more than those things, beauty, power, money, and fame.Eunuchs can no longer enjoy beauty, and the only thing left is power, money and fame.And eunuch Tian's favorite thing is obviously fame.

It's just that eunuch Tian didn't have a very clear awareness of the roads and houses left by his predecessors. If he wants to leave his name through the ages, he should do something.

But now that he saw what Ping An had done, Eunuch Tian was enlightened and suddenly came to his senses.Once this matter is done, I am afraid that after a thousand years, someone will still mention it.This is the real name that will go down in history, otherwise even if he stays in the Supervisor of Rituals and becomes a eunuch with palm prints, it will only be a momentary glory.How can future generations know?

"Ping'an, you have done too much in this matter." Eunuch Tian came back to his senses, only to realize that his heart was beating frighteningly fast.But this is not to be scared, but to be excited!

Pingan said, "Eunuch Yitian sees, can it be done?"

"Of course it is possible. It will benefit the country and the people, and the merits will last forever." Eunuch Tian said.

Only then did Ping An hear a little meaning from his tone.He smiled and said, "If eunuch Tian is interested, we can do it together."

"Really?" Eunuch Tian was surprised and delighted.Although Ping An brought himself here, there is more or less such a meaning, but there is still a long distance between having this kind of meaning and asking himself to join.

Ping An smiled and said, "Of course it is serious. I am afraid that such a big matter should not take more than ten or even decades? How can I handle it alone? The more people who can join in, the better. Besides, " He glanced at Eunuch Tian meaningfully, "I'm young and ignorant, I'm afraid I won't be able to suppress this matter, it's just an idea. In the future, Eunuch Tian will have to take the lead."

This idea appeared suddenly, but the more Ping An thought about it, the more he felt it was good.

He had so many things to do, it was impossible for him to do everything himself.As for cultivating people to do it by yourself, Ping An also learned a little lesson from Youtai, not everything may develop according to its own hope.

So the real solution to this problem is to bring other people in.

Once everyone becomes a "comrade", they will naturally work together to do this, and the resistance in front of them will naturally not be so terrible.

Now he is a Tian eunuch, what if he is a courtier?What about a gentleman?

In fact, Ping An said that he wanted to oppose the ruling class, but according to his understanding, class is not something that can be eliminated at all. As long as this society exists, classes will inevitably be separated.When these rulers are overthrown, new ones will naturally be born, but in different forms.

That being the case, why should he stick to it?As long as the vast majority of people can "benefit" from this transformation, they will naturally get on their own boats, tie themselves together, and even take the initiative to overthrow everything in the past. , to establish a new social order.