Fu Song

Chapter 633
It snowed suddenly at night.

When Xiao Cheng got up in the morning, a layer had already accumulated on the ground, and when he stepped on it, it just covered his feet.

This aroused his interest, and he stopped riding in the carriage, insisting on going to work in the public hall on the other side of the imperial city.

The chief assistant was in high spirits, but it was the guards below who suffered.

Ever since he was assassinated in Xuzhou, Xiao Cheng's security work has suddenly improved several levels.

The carriage he was riding in was specially processed.

It looks nothing special from the outside, but in fact, iron plates are installed on the front, back, left, and right sides. Not to mention ordinary crossbows, even eight-ox crossbows, at most one crossbow can overturn the entire cart on the ground , but it is also impossible to penetrate the compartment.

The number of accompanying samurai has also increased greatly. In the past, there were only eight followers, but now it has become thirty-two, which has directly quadrupled. I heard that this was an order issued by the small official after hearing that the first assistant was assassinated. , Shoufu was unwilling, and the official even cried.In the end, it ended with the first and auxiliary compromise.

The two close-fitting warriors were carefully selected, and they were both above seven feet tall. Their greatest advantage was that if there was any trouble, they could enclose Xiao Cheng as soon as they were close together. They were quite qualified. meat shield.

Of course, what the world doesn't know is that in Xiao Cheng's wide sleeves, there are actually two short blades that can cut iron like mud.

Xiao Cheng has always been known by his literary name. When he was young, he was known as the seed of reading. At a young age, he won the Jinshi.Few people know that Xiao Cheng is actually not weak in kung fu. Although he is not as good as top generals like Xiao Ding and Yelu Min, he is still a good player.

Xiao Cheng was in a very happy mood.

Wu Ke's errands this time are pleasing to the eye.

People are in good spirits on happy occasions, so Xiao Cheng walked extremely slowly along the way, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Speaking of which, although he walks along this road every day, he really didn't have a good time to take a look at this street.

It wasn't until he found that wherever he passed, all the pedestrians on the street gave way to one side, bowed their heads, and some even hurriedly hid in the alley. I missed other people's affairs, so I quickened my pace.

He left the street, and the street finally regained its vitality.

Immediately it became bustling.

For ordinary people, regardless of whether it snows or not, they have to come out to do things.

Although Jiangning Mansion is now the capital of the Great Song Dynasty, there are still quite a few people who don't work today, knowing that they won't be able to eat.

The Jiangning people are actually quite satisfied with the new Chief Assistant.

At this time in previous years, the price of grain would have risen by at least [-]% to [-]%, and once grain rose, it would inevitably drive up other prices. Those who pulled two feet of cloth to make a new shirt, because of the price increase, lost it all at once.

Compared with new clothes, food is obviously more important.

The festival is a celebration for those who have surplus food, but for many people who have no surplus food, it is a difficult year!

No price increase this year.

On the contrary, meat prices are still falling.

Whether it's pork, or chicken, duck and fish, it's all on the decline.

The only thing that went up was lamb.

It is said that the first assistant ordered a lot of food to be transferred from Guizhou Road, Yunnan Road, and Guangdong and Guangxi.

Jiangning people are very strange.

In their images, Guizhou Road or Yunnan Road is a place of smog. The most familiar Lingnan has always been the place where prisoners are distributed. How can there be food transported there?

Probably because Jiangning is now the residence of the officials, the imperial court wants to have some face, so it does not hesitate to get food subsidies from there, and Jiangning must also make the people here feel grateful.

Many Qingliu scholars basically have this understanding, thinking that this is just the first assistant's move to buy people's hearts.

How could it be possible for a poor and white place to breastfeed in reverse to a rich place like Jiangnan!
This is far beyond their cognition, so they can only explain it with their own ideas.

What they don't know is that in the past few years, places like Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangdong and Guangxi have undergone earth-shaking changes under the careful management of Xiao Cheng and others.

Of course, a lot of the food here was extorted from further south.

When the Song Dynasty bordered Chen Bing, some small countries in the south could only offer tribute to this giant in fear and sincerity. After all, Dali, a country of ten thousand chariots, had not been destroyed for many years!
That battle gave Song the prestige that is still spread in the south.

Even though Da Song was beaten by the Liao State and even the emperor was arrested, it is clear that even if Da Song is now a sick lion, it is not something a sheep can provoke.

In fact, in the eyes of these small southern countries, Song Dynasty is really not a sick lion, because the Yunnan and Guizhou places in front of them are all tyrannical and tyrannical.

With a happy mood, Xiao Cheng went to his office.

The two corridors on the left and right of the imperial city are the official halls of the officials.

The first assistant, Xiao Cheng, and the second assistant, Junchao, lived on one left and one on the right, with only a lotus pond between them.If two people want to, they can sit on the bench in the porch and have a good chat with each other over a cup of tea without making too much noise.

But the fact is that in the past two years, these two have never appeared in the same picture at the same time.

The two seemed to have a tacit understanding that when Xiao Cheng came out, Si Junchao would not appear.

The two will not come to the public hall at the same time, because it is very likely that they will meet when entering the door, and the two will not go off work together, anyway, they are one in front and one behind.

When he stepped into the door, Xiao Cheng glanced at the opposite side. This year, the second assistant came quite early!

In the past, Si Junchao would arrive at the public office and start working basically when it was almost noon.

Today he came earlier than Xiao Cheng.

With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, Xiao Cheng lifted the cotton curtain and stepped into the room with a smile.

The chill outside was immediately replaced by a warm breath.

In the outer hall, more than a dozen green-robed officials were busy in front of their desks, and when they saw Xiao Cheng coming in, they just bowed their bodies to signal.

It's not that they are rude, but that Xiao Cheng doesn't care about these etiquettes, and doesn't let them give gifts to himself when they are busy to delay their progress.

These low-level officials always come much earlier than the chief officials.

Before the chief officer arrived, they had to prioritize a lot of things and submit them to their immediate superiors, and then the immediate superiors would examine them first before sending them to Xiao Cheng.

Although these people are humble, their power is really not small.

If you offend them, it is commonplace for your paper to be pressed for ten and a half months. Of course, if you are respectful, your paper will be placed in the best position as soon as it arrives.

Liu Xin was promoted to rank seven this year and served as the immediate boss of this group of green-robed officials.

His Lao Tzu is Liu Jun who has made great achievements in seizing Xuzhou.

This is another method Xiao Cheng uses to win over Liu Jun.

Everyone knows that this location is the most convenient channel for a successful career.

Luo Xin was the last person to hold this position, and now he is in the sixth department. Although he has only raised a level, once he goes outside, he will immediately be able to get a red robe.

Holding a stack of folded papers, Liu Xin stepped lightly into the inner hall.

Putting these excerpts in front of Xiao Cheng, Liu Xin did not leave immediately, but said with a smile: "Shoufu, Jiangning City last night was really lively!"

"Oh, have you heard anything?" Xiao Cheng asked with a smile.

"I don't know exactly what happened, but I think it must not be a bad thing!" Liu Xin smiled reservedly, and glanced outside. Isn't the opposite side the Cifu's office?
He and Xiao Cheng are about the same age, but their status is far apart.

It is necessary to show one's ability and not let the first assistant think that he is flattering, this time must be grasped well.

What Laozi can win for himself is the current position. Whether he can go further depends on his own performance.

Fortunately, since he took office, he hasn't made any mistakes.

This position, without any mistakes, is the best achievement.

This is what his father Liu Jun has repeatedly warned him about.

In some places, you need to be unconventional, like Lu Wan, the county magistrate of Qiao County, who set up refugee camps, promoted urban sanitation, built public latrines and other things, and then fell into the eyes of the chief minister, and soon the carp jumped into the dragon's gate. Put on the red robe.

From being a sixth-rank official in Shangxian County, he was promoted to three ranks in one click and became a fifth-rank official, jumping over a hurdle that many people would never be able to cross in their lifetime.

But for him, it is to put the most important things in front of Xiao Cheng at the first time, and then when Xiao Cheng needs to consult something, he can give the corresponding answer without hesitation.

It's easy to say, but really hard to do.

Because the chief assistant is the great steward of this huge country, taking care of everything.

After hearing Liu Xin's words, Xiao Cheng laughed out loud.

"It's really not a bad thing! It should be a good thing."

Liu Xin said no more, bowed slightly, took two steps back, then turned and walked out.

Being able to discover the happiness of the boss and applauding it appropriately is also a must-have ability for a subordinate. Of course, although everyone has a high or low status, they are all scholars, so flattery can only be limited to a certain level. His flattery has always been subtle.

Xiao Cheng was very happy.

So I feel that today's Liu Xin is also very pleasing to the eye and very handsome.

Much stronger than his old man.

This person has a quick mind, is familiar with going around in the officialdom, and understands the in-depth operation of the bureaucratic system. This is something even Luo Xin can't match.

After all, Luo Xin was born in a family of merchants, but Liu Xin's ancestors were officials for generations, and his family has a long history.

What's more, Liu Xin is a person who can endure hardships. From the very beginning, he didn't understand Xiao Cheng's political philosophy. Now, he even has a deeper understanding than Cen Zhong. He really put in a lot of effort.

He will carefully study every notebook and report from Guizhou and Yunnan. Every time someone comes from there, he will spare no expense to invite them to dinner, and then inquire about everything about Yunnan and Guizhou. He is a businessman. , is also among his studies.

Just imagine him in this position, who would refuse him?
Being able to endure hardships like this, the progress is of course amazing.

Xiao Cheng is quite optimistic about his future, and even thinks that Liu Xin will be released from the imperial court earlier than Luo Xin to stand alone.

If you want to implement your own ruling philosophy, you must have such a group of people to go to the localities. Castles in the air will never fall to the ground, and they will not produce real results.

No matter how well the direction of Yunnan and Guizhou is done, in the south of the Yangtze River, because they do not have their own manpower, many policies come to an abrupt end at the county level. There are also high-ranking officials like the Second Assistant Secretary Junchao covering for them, so they are even more confident.

All of this will change soon.

How could Xiao Cheng be unhappy?
Liu Xin had brewed high-quality black tea a long time ago, took a sip, and Xiao Cheng picked up the topmost booklet.

His brows frowned.

A sudden mountain torrent on Guizhou Road caused a mudslide that flooded a village and killed hundreds of people. At the same time, the mudslide went all the way down, destroying fertile fields, roads and various infrastructures. Right now, the traffic in this county has been completely cut off from the outside world. .

Sighing, Xiao Cheng picked up a pen and wrote instructions on the notebook.

He sees such catastrophes every day now. The place is big. Either there is a problem here, or there is a problem somewhere.

After watching too much, I became a little numb.

In front of him, these excerpts were just numbers, and they didn't make any waves.

Compared with the things he has to face every day, these things can only be regarded as insignificant little things.

The major affairs of ordinary people are not on the same level as the major affairs of his chief assistant.

It is no wonder that many times the common people scold officials for disregarding people's livelihood, but in fact they are not disregarding, but the perspectives of officials and ordinary people will never be the same.

So, everyone feels wronged.

Compared with the disaster in Guizhou this time, Xiao Cheng actually cared more about the second report, which was an intelligence analysis.

The Northland has been relatively warm this winter.

According to experience, such a warm winter can only indicate one thing.

In the coming year, the Northland will inevitably usher in a prolonged drought.

The people's livelihood in the north is already very bad now. The Liao people are constantly sucking blood to absorb nutrients. In order to consolidate their rule, the puppet regime has continued to recruit troops and increase taxes. If there is another drought, I am afraid that the local government will It will be very unstable.

And to solve such a crisis, the simplest and rude way is to launch a war outside.

If there is nothing to eat, go grab it.

If you don't have anything to wear, go grab it.

Of course, if you die during the robbery, it is your leeward.

The best way to divert domestic conflicts is always to initiate disputes with the outside world.

After signing this intelligence analysis to Lu Wenhuan of the Ministry of War, Xiao Cheng picked up another copy.

Time flies by in such a booklet.

(End of this chapter)