Chapter 2208: Guizijuan recruits people and lays a solid foundation
"Ziying, your appetite is too big. Hami and Shazhou are already at their limit. Even in these two places, the court can no longer support them. The consumption of grain and fodder is too great. Here in Shaanxi..." It seems that he understands something. What, Zheng Chongjian thought about it, "Do you think potatoes and sweet potatoes can be popularized in Shaanxi, Shaanxi Xingdusi, and the garrison in the three sides and four towns?"
Zheng Chongjian knew that Feng Ziying had been promoting the cultivation of potatoes, and later sweet potatoes. It was said that these two crops were very suitable for planting in the dry and mountainous areas of Shaanxi, and the yields were also very high.
He even tasted the taste of potatoes and thought it was passable, not as delicious as rice noodles. But as Feng Ziying said, it may be a matter of habit, and when you don't even have to eat grass roots and bark, these potatoes are simply delicious.
If potatoes can be grown in places like Xingdusi, Shaanxi Province, and the yield can be close to the level of Yan'an Prefecture, then most of the grain supply problem can indeed be solved.
And as Feng Ziying said, this area was under the jurisdiction of the imperial court during the Han and Tang Dynasties. Why couldn't the Great Zhou Dynasty do the same?
You must know that the current Huguang and Jiangnan were still barbaric lands during the Han and Tang Dynasties, but now they have replaced the Central Plains and become a sacred land, supplying the needs of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Well, Dazhang, you have also seen the harvest of potatoes in Yan'an Prefecture. Mr. Li went to Yan'an to travel around the prefectures and counties, and he suddenly became a fan of potatoes, bragging about potatoes everywhere. The benefits are more positive than mine. Fengxiang sown 5,000 acres this spring. It can only be regarded as a pilot project. But I think it can be expanded to 30,000 acres by autumn sowing. By then, the harvest should be 40 million kilograms. No problem, the refugee problem will basically be solved by then."
Li Tengfang has now completely transformed into a potato brag, bragging about the benefits and advantages of potatoes everywhere, encouraging various regions to vigorously plant potatoes, and always beating and urging officials in various regions.
I was really frightened by the disaster caused by the drought in Shaanxi. I thought that if potato cultivation was promoted and developed, the problem of people starving to death could be solved at once, then these refugees in the countryside would not become rioters. If we do this, That's an act of sainthood over there.
Feng Ziying’s words made Zheng Chongjian happy, “Is this the next task you will give me?”
"Not only that, this is just one of the most important tasks. There is also the need to renovate the road from Fengxiang to Ganzhou..." Feng Ziying smiled, "Don't think that is the matter of Gongchang Mansion, maybe Next step, you will be the prefect of Gongchang Prefecture? You first build the road in Fengxiang, and then continue on the Gongchang Prefecture. As long as the potato production keeps up, the homeless, hungry and disaster victims can be completely transformed into these road construction workers. The main force, the road from Suzhou to Xi'an must be maintained at a high level and smooth, this is also one of the things I have to do."
Zheng Chongjian took a breath and said, "Ziying, are you planning to leave me in Shaanxi for the rest of my life?"
"Haha, a life is too long. Ten to eight years is possible. Maybe in the future, if you become the governor of Shaanxi, you will feel more fulfilled in this position and don't want to leave?" Feng Ziying looked at Zheng Chongjian and said: " Who wouldn’t want to be able to expand territory and become famous in history?”
For scholars, this is the biggest temptation, and Zheng Chongjian is no exception. Feng Ziying's temptation conditions are really touching.
Seeing that Zheng Chongjian was moved by him, Feng Ziying knew that he had moved this guy's heart. Of course, this was still a long way off, but it was worth fighting for.
“If we can really achieve that step, it will be worth guarding the border all our lives.” Zheng Chongjian took a breath and said thoughtfully: “But to achieve this, the court may still...”
Hmm did not continue, but Feng Ziying understood that Zheng Chongjian was not optimistic about the current situation in the court.
Especially since he, Sun Chuanting, and Chen Qiyu have been working in Shanxi and Shaanxi for more than a year, they have become aware of all the dark evils in local official circles, and they must be a little disappointed in their hearts.
The chaos in Shanshan and Shaanxi was certainly caused by severe drought, but the fundamental reasons were the lack of water conservancy, serious land annexation, corrupt official administration, and the greed of the gentry.
Under the pressure of these factors, the common people could no longer live any longer, so they had to rise up and rebel. Who would risk beheading to rebel if they had a mouthful of food to eat?
"Dazhang, it seems that you have also seen the difficulties of the current court, but what is the source of the difficulties?" Feng Ziying said leisurely: "Some people say that military expenditures are too large and the military pressure from the north is too great, leading to financial depletion; others say Some people say that the population is growing too fast, and the contradiction between more people and less land is becoming more and more prominent, which has led to intensified conflicts between the common people and the gentry and landlords. Once a major disaster occurs, the only way to counteract it is with riots; others say that the administration of officials is corrupt. Officials colluded with the gentry to exploit the people, making them miserable; some people said that the court was overstaffed and lacked clear plans..."
Zheng Chongjian laughed and said, "Ziying, do you think this is a repeat of the same old tune? But can you deny that these problems exist in both the imperial court and local governments, and are serious?"
"It does exist, but there is always a root and cause here. So what is the core and most critical issue?" Feng Ziying asked back: "We need to analyze which of these issues is the most fundamental issue. The Zhou Dynasty was only founded less than a hundred years ago. Is it abnormal to have come to this point? How can we prevent these contradictions from turning into big problems? I think we all need to think carefully, find out the reasons, and find countermeasures in daily affairs in the future."
Feng Ziying’s words struck Zheng Chongjian.
He is also a person who is good at thinking. Of course, he understands that the questions raised by Feng Ziying point to the entire system of the Zhou Dynasty. The seven cabinets under the emperor plus the procuratorate, the local provinces, capitals, states and counties, this kind of stacked roofs and beds. What are the pros and cons of the model? Should it be overthrown and restarted, or should the pros and cons be eliminated?
Also, should the imperial court conduct a targeted study on various problems currently existing in the north, south, east and west? Which areas have major problems and need improvement, and which areas need to break the pattern and seek innovation and change? These are all worthy of careful consideration and exploration.
Of course, Zheng Chongjian also knew that he was too young and was not familiar with the government affairs from the central to the local level throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, so Feng Ziying hoped that he would stay in the local government and start with the specific affairs of Fuzhou and County, and get in touch with them seriously. , Only when thinking about these issues in the future can we be targeted.
"Ziying, I have to say that you have thought more deeply than us. You have seen many problems and have begun to think about solutions, but we are still a little confused." Zheng Chongjian said with a bit more admiration in his tone, "You also It convinced me that I really should work hard in Fengxiang. At the same time, I should also explore and understand and see if there is a better strategy to change something. The only thing I am worried about is that if you leave Shaanxi, change to another one. If someone comes to be the governor, I'm afraid..."
"Don't worry, Dazhang. I estimate that if I return to the court, the governor of Shaanxi may not be here for the time being. You have also seen the situation of Mr. Zheng and Mr. Li. Mr. Zheng may not stay long. Mr. Li is a pragmatic person. Yes, and Pan Ruzhen, they are all good, and Mr. Zhang from the Inspectorate is also good. At least this will be the pattern of Shaanxi in the next three to five years. Xi'an, Yan'an, and Fengxiang, these three prefectures are the key. If Jun Yu goes to Xi'an, you will be in Fengxiang , and brother Chu Cai is in Yan'an, and with the three of you at the helm of these three important places in Shaanxi, it will be safe."
Feng Ziying's words also made Zheng Chongjian laugh, "Ziying, I'm just a colleague, why should I take charge? Just do my job well."
"People who have no long-term worries must have immediate worries. You are right to be a Tongzhi, but you must know that one of the most important tasks of a Tongzhi is to assist the prefect with various affairs. I am a Tongzhi in Yongping Prefecture and a prefect in Shuntian Prefecture. Cheng, we all have to think about the problem with the mentality of the prefect and governor, and there is no harm in helping the prefect and governor think about the problem more comprehensively. It is their business to give them suggestions and they do not accept them, but we must take it into consideration."
Feng Ziying's attitude is very clear. Officials who don't want to be the leader are not good officials. But if you want to be the leader, you must always put yourself in the shoes of the leader and consider issues from the perspective of the leader. You can't just focus on your own job. That would be too narrow-minded. .
When Feng Ziying said this, Zheng Chongjian had nothing to say. Could it be that he didn't want to be a prefect or move to a higher level? That's so hypocritical.
After thinking for a while, Zheng Chongjian said again: "Ziying, you are now the governor of a province. Your position and perspective of thinking about problems are also different. I just heard your tone, and you were already talking like a cabinet minister. Okay, I'm really curious. You are a few years younger than us, how can you think so far-reaching? You proposed the strategy of opening up the sea, you planned the development of coal, iron and military industry, and you also did this large-scale introduction of potatoes and sweet potatoes. You pushed hard, even Mr. Xu couldn't push it, but you did it. This was certainly due to the civil unrest in Shaanxi, but the drought in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong was also severe in the past few years. Why didn't anyone dare to try it? I don't understand if you come here. We are all studying in an academy, so why are you different from others?"
This is a fair question. There are so many people in Qingtan Academy, but only Feng Ziying is a character with amazing talents. She is far behind even in practicing state affairs, let alone the others.
Now in her early twenties, Feng Ziying has already achieved a position that is difficult for many Jinshi to achieve in their lifetime. It seems that it is only a matter of time before she joins the cabinet and becomes the Prime Minister. No wonder Zheng Chongjian and the others are so emotional that they can't even feel jealousy. There is such a gap. Too big to be jealous.
Feng Ziying could only shrug and smile gracefully. What could he say? Say you are a time traveler?
(End of this chapter)