bayedsolid Chapter 362 The strength of Bingzhou!
Chapter 362 The strength of Bingzhou!
The city of Kyoto was peaceful for the next few days.
With the emperor personally issuing an order to transfer the governors of the four counties of Bingzhou to the capital, the appointment of officials from the Ministry of Revenue was a foregone conclusion.
The aristocratic families do not have the power to challenge the emperor at the moment, nor do they dare to give the royal family a reason to take action at the most critical moment.
The Crown Prince and the other princes also quieted down, as if they were waiting for something.
Taking advantage of this period of time, Chu Ning convened various departments to coordinate the imperial examination.
The first step was to persuade Prime Minister Yang Wende to ask local governments to cooperate in escorting those taking the exams and to attach importance to the imperial examination.
Next, the Minister of Justice Ling Haoran was received and demanded that starting from the joint examination, the officials of the Ministry of Justice must be responsible for protecting the safety of the students and guarding the examination halls.
Next was the Ministry of Rites. Although Chu Ning himself was the chief examiner, it was impossible for him to be the only examiner. Officials from the Ministry of Rites were also needed to supervise the exam.
In response, the prime minister expressed his full cooperation and was willing to issue documents to local governments in the name of the Secretariat.
Ling Haoran, the Minister of Justice, did not reject Chu Ning's request and said that as long as the imperial examination was held, the Ministry of Justice would fully cooperate.
As for the Minister of Rites Wang Wenguang, although he expressed some difficulties, he would also give his full support.
In just a few days, Chu Ning took care of three government offices.
Once the imperial examination policy was promulgated, it caused a huge response in government offices across the country, and the weak scholars who were originally not valued suddenly became popular.
Officials from all over the country understand that once these students pass the imperial examination and become the top scorer, they will surely rise to the top!
To this end, officials from all over the country responded and made great efforts to make this happen.
In the past, they would not have pushed this matter forward at all, but this time it was different, the Ministry of Revenue gave the money!
Having money and being able to recommend talented people to Kyoto is a great thing for them.
Once someone passes the imperial examination and becomes the top scorer, the local government will be rewarded, and it will not be difficult to get promoted and make money.
To take a step back, even if he did not pass the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, he could still take care of the local government office when he became an official in Kyoto in the future.
All in all, this imperial examination is a good thing for local officials.
You don't have to spend any money yourself, you can please the court, and you can also train local students and build your network. Why not do it?
All of a sudden, government offices across the country began to make intensive preparations for the imperial examination.
At the same time, grain was harvested in various places, and the entire Chu Dynasty seemed to be thriving for a while.
And a month later, a team from Bingzhou appeared in Kyoto City.
"My lords, we have arrived at Kyoto City."
The guard wearing black armor and holding a spear came to the carriage behind him, bowed, and reported in a low voice.
Then, four officials came out of four carriages.
Looking at the majestic Kyoto City, one person sighed: "I haven't been back for so many years. Now that I see this city again, I am filled with emotion."
Another person laughed and said, "Yes, when I was sent to Bingzhou, I thought I would never be able to return to the capital in my lifetime."
The third person said in a serious tone, "My Lords, it is getting late. We should meet His Royal Highness the King of Chu in person."
The last person nodded in agreement: "It took us a month to get here after receiving the order and handing it over to the other four adults. I'm sure Your Highness and Master Liu must be anxious."
The four of them looked at each other and then ordered to enter the city.
These four people were none other than the prefects of the four counties of Bingzhou who were ordered to come to the capital.
Half an hour later, the four arrived at the Prince of Chu's Palace.
"See His Royal Highness the King of Chu!"
In the living room, four people bowed to Chu Ning.
Chu Ning smiled slightly and gestured with his hand: "The four adults don't need to be polite. Sit down and talk. Come on, serve tea!"
The maid brought the fragrant tea, and immediately the aroma of tea filled the air, making people feel refreshed.
The four people, who had been traveling for more than half a month, brightened their eyes and picked up their teacups to drink.
Chu Ning glanced at the four people who looked exhausted, nodded and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work these days, I wonder what the current situation in Bingzhou is like?"
As he spoke, his eyes turned to the thin old man in the front.
Zhang Xuan is the oldest, has served in office the longest, and is the most experienced person among them. Apart from Di Wenyao, he is the one who knows the business in Bingzhou best.
Henry Zhang put down the teacup, stood up, and reported with a smile: “Your Highness, don’t worry, the facial mask business has been put on the right track. It can now be sold to the four major dynasties of Dajin, Dazhou, Datang and Dahan, and the monthly profit is no less than one million taels.
Although the refined salt business has just started, because it is a consumable and the demand is huge, the profit is higher. Although it has only been started for two months, the profit has already caught up with the facial mask business.
For this reason, Lord Di Wenyao has ordered that while accepting refugees from all over the country, he will also select strong and healthy people from among them and let them dig pits. "
Chu Ning's eyes lit up. He didn't expect that the refined salt business would grow so quickly.
The facial mask business has been going on for almost a year, but the refined salt business has caught up in just two months.
"Very good, it seems that you have lived up to my trust and have managed Bingzhou very well!"
Chu Ning showed a satisfied look, and then asked: "How many refugees from all over the world have been accepted during this period?"
Zhang Xuan did not hesitate: "About 1,500 people a day. Since we left Bingzhou, we should have recruited about 50,000 people."
Fifty thousand people, this is a huge number.
After all, the population of Da Chu is there, and it can accept 50,000 people a month. It can be said that most of the refugees in the surrounding areas went to Bingzhou.
If a place wants to develop, population is the key.
Although it is inevitable, Bingzhou has ways for them to get rich, which will definitely allow this group of people to become self-reliant.
Chu Ning smiled with satisfaction and said, "At this rate, by the end of the year, Bingzhou's population will be the largest in the Great Chu!"
After a pause, Chu Ning continued to ask: "What's the situation with the troops?"
Zhang Xuan's face straightened: "Your Majesty, after nearly a year of recuperation and continuous recruitment, plus a series of measures issued after General Han Xing's arrival, the current army has expanded to 120,000."
One hundred twenty thousand!
This is double the 60,000 people when I left.
But this is not the most important thing.
As refugees from other fiefdoms continue to pour in, Bingzhou's recruitment speed will only increase.
One hundred and twenty thousand is not the upper limit!
"very good!"
Chu Ning was in a good mood, he stood up and said with a smile: "With these 120,000 troops, we can protect Bingzhou!"
There was nothing serious happening in Bingzhou, so Zhao Yu didn't need to rush back. He could stay in Dunhuang County to recruit soldiers and train white horse cavalry.
From now on, the guard work will be done by Ran Ming, and the troops originally under the command of Ran Ming will be handed over to Commander Han Xing!
Thinking of this, Chu Ning looked at Zhang Xuan and the other three with satisfaction: "The four of you have worked hard and made great contributions in Bingzhou. This king specially recommended you to the emperor to serve in Beijing.
Lord Zhang Xuan and Lord Lu Xiuwen serve as assistant ministers of the Ministry of Revenue, and Lords Yun Jianye and Wen Kaicheng serve as officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Finance, respectively. "
"Thank you, Your Highness, for the recommendation!" The four of them bowed in greeting.
Chu Ning nodded slightly: "Although you have been successfully transferred, the capital city is in crisis. You should be careful. For the next period of time, you should first help Lord Liu Shouren stabilize the Ministry of Revenue and complete the summer grain harvest."
It was the time of grain harvest, and the main responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue was to collect the grain handed over by local governments.
Only by accomplishing this task could Liu Shouren and others completely control the Ministry of Revenue.
This matter was of great importance, so Chu Ning had to explain it personally.
Because he knew very well that some people in the court would not allow them to control the Ministry of Revenue so easily.
As long as Liu Shouren did not take full control of the Ministry of Revenue, the imperial examination would not be supported by money, and the enthusiasm of the lower-level officials would not be high.
A small move can affect the entire body, so we must never give anyone a chance.
But sometimes the more you fear something, the more it will come!
The unexpected happened the next day.