There is a space for passenger planes in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 7: Encountering a big pit after taking office
  Fugu County is very small, with a circumference of only four or five miles. The city wall has been cracked in many places and has been repaired with mud.

This kind of city wall is okay for blocking the mob that has just risen and has no firearms. But it is probably difficult enough to meet the elite peasant army that is getting stronger and stronger.

There were many refugees lying in groups outside the city wall. Their faces were yellow and skinny from hunger, and some were already dying. They stretched out their hands in despair, begging for some food from people entering and leaving the city gate.

It became a little more popular after entering the county town. There were more people on the street, and there were about a dozen shops open, and the shop assistants were shouting feebly.

In short, the whole county has one outstanding temperament from the outside to the inside - poverty.

When we arrived at the county government office, it was also in a dilapidated state. In ancient times, there was a tradition of "not repairing government offices when serving as officials." If the government offices were about to collapse, there would be no one to repair them. What's more, in a poor county like Fugu, it is even more impossible to repair it.

When the concierge heard that the new county magistrate had arrived, he showed no enthusiasm. After checking the credentials in a formal manner, he ignored Lin Feng and others and went in to report on his own.

"Damn it, even the disciples dare not look down on me, the new county magistrate. It seems that Ding Dianshi is really covering the sky in the Yamen." Lin Feng thought to himself.

In the house of Fugu County Yadian Shigong.

"Master Youtang, the county magistrate surnamed Lin came to report, but the villain left him at the door." The disciple said flatteringly.

In the Ming Dynasty, county government officials generally addressed the county magistrate as the county magistrate, the county magistrate as Zuotang or Eryin, and the Dianshi as Youtang or Shaoyin. They could also be called Da Lao Ye, Er Lao Ye, or Third Lao Ye.

The paperwork for a new county magistrate in Fugu arrived a few days ago. Ding Dianshi, who originally thought there would be no problem with his promotion, got angry and cursed the court for messing around, so his subordinates knew his attitude.

"Nonsense. If you don't invite the county magistrate Lin in quickly, I'll invite the county magistrate." Ding Dianshi is an official after all. Although he is not popular, he still needs the basic dignity.

"Yes! I'll go and invite him right away." As soon as Menzi heard Dianshi's tone, he knew that he wasn't really scolding him, and that he was right to flatter him just now.

Most of the people at the bottom of the county government were very snobbish, and they felt that the new county magistrate was a foreigner and would definitely not be able to defeat Ding Dianshi, a local snake. The choice was obvious.

After a while, the concierge changed his face, repeatedly saying that he was eager to report the mistreatment of the county magistrate, and led Lin Feng to the county government hall.

When they arrived at the entrance of the lobby, the doorman called Lin Feng and took Lin Jiakang and others to the side room to wait.

Lin Feng walked into the lobby of the county government office, where two people were already sitting. Sitting on the main seat was an official in his forties who was wearing a seventh-grade official uniform. He was quite thin and was stroking his beard and drinking tea. He should be Zhang Yingjie, the magistrate of Fugu County.

Lin Feng took a step forward, cupped his hands and said, "The new county magistrate of Fugu, Lin Feng, has met the county magistrate."

"There is no need to be polite, County Magistrate Lin. I have been waiting for you to take office for a long time. Come sit here and I will introduce to you. This is the history of the county government Ying Qi Ding Dian." County Magistrate Zhang said with a smile on his face.

At this time, Ding Yingqi, who was sitting on the left side of Magistrate Zhang, stood up and said with a smile: "I have met Magistrate Lin."

Lin Feng looked him up and down. Ding Dianshi was quite strong and had a fierce look on his face, making him difficult to get along with.

The county magistrate is the assistant official of the county magistrate, which is equivalent to a deputy position and the eighth rank. And Dian Shi is the chief official of the county government, and he is an official who is not in the upper ranks except the ninth rank.

When he saw Lin Feng, the county magistrate, come in, he not only did not stand up, but also sat majestically on the left hand seat of the county magistrate who respected the left in ancient times. This was because he did not take Lin Feng seriously at all.

"Zhang County Zun, you don't know where I should sit?" Lin Feng ignored Dian Shi and asked insinuatingly.

"Haha, it doesn't matter where you sit. Come on, come over to me so we can talk." Zhang Zhixian was not a novice in officialdom, so he naturally knew what Lin Feng meant. However, he didn't want to offend Ding Yingqi, so he said haha, and personally pulled Lin Feng to sit down. to his right.

Magistrate Zhang is relatively old among county magistrates and does not have much ambition. He only wanted to be transferred out of the dangerous area of ​​Shaanxi. He always believed in not offending others and did not want to take charge of affairs. Therefore, the real power of the county government gradually fell into the hands of Ding Dianshi. He developed the habit of being arrogant and arbitrary.

Seeing that the county magistrate came out to smooth things over, Lin Feng restrained himself from getting angry and flipping the table, and came to sit on Zhang Yingjie's right hand side. The main reason is that there is no foundation when we first come here, and there is no way to end it even if we turn the table over.

"President Lin, our Fugu is a small county, and we have three county government officials. You and Ding Dianshi are both my right-hand men, so we must unite sincerely." Of course, County Magistrate Zhang saw the signs, no matter how useful they were It’s no use, you have to give me some advice.

"That's natural. Before I took office, it was really hard for Ding Dianshi to assist the county magistrate by himself. I also hope to be familiar with official duties as soon as possible and help the county magistrate share more of the county government affairs." Lin Feng continued.

The meaning of Lin Feng's words is also very clear. I, the county magistrate, am a serious official and second-in-command in the county. It is my responsibility and I have to do it.

"Well, County Magistrate Lin has just arrived, so let's settle down first. Don't worry about official matters." Magistrate Zhang was still laughing. He doesn't care who the county government officials are assigned to, as long as his interests are guaranteed. It would be more to his advantage if the two deputies competed with each other. However, he knew that Ding Dianshi had a deep foundation and did not want to break up with him.

"Eating the emperor's salary is a matter of loyalty to the emperor. I don't want to just receive the salary and not work. I can't explain it to the court."

Lin Feng was not polite when he heard this. He meant that I, the county magistrate, was an eighth-rank official appointed by the emperor. If you guys really want to ignore me, then I'm sorry and can only react to the court.

The county magistrate is the deputy of the county magistrate. He usually assists the county magistrate in handling daily affairs and is in charge of grain distribution, tax collection, public security and other matters.

In the Ming Dynasty, the power of the county magistrate reached its peak. He had the same signing power as the county magistrate, and could even make reports beyond his level. By the Qing Dynasty, the power of the county magistrate was increasingly weakened, and it was basically just a decoration.

The powers of these county magistrates were clearly stipulated in the Ming Dynasty's imperial edict, so Lin Feng was not afraid of them openly trying to slander him.

When County Magistrate Zhang saw that Lin Feng was not easy to control, and this might affect his promotion and transfer, he stopped being careless and said to Ding Yingqi:
  "Ding Dianshi, before Prime Minister Lin took office, you were responsible for most of the affairs of the county. Now that Prime Minister Lin has taken office, let's hand over some of the work, and you can relax."

"Your Excellency, the most important thing now is to collect and submit the newly added taxes to the imperial court. The state government is pressing hard. County Magistrate Lin is so diligent in official duties. Why don't we ask him to be responsible for the collection of wages first?" Ding Yingqi accepted. Words.

"This levy of taxes has just arrived. I'm afraid it won't be easy to handle, right?" In the Ming Dynasty, the official department inspected the county officials' political achievements. The first reminder was the completion of the payment of grain taxes. Naturally, County Magistrate Zhang was worried that he would not be able to complete the task and the consequences would be affected. Self-assessment.

"Your Majesty, the levy of grain and taxation are the duties of the county magistrate. Now that Lin has taken office, this matter will naturally be handed over to the county magistrate.

Considering that Lin County Magistrate has just arrived, I will help with the summer tax collection and take care of it, and I will leave it to the County Magistrate in the future. "Ding Dianshi said with a serious face.

When Lin Feng heard that it was Yang Sichang's fault again, as soon as he took office as Minister of War, he persuaded Emperor Chongzhen to launch a levy of 2.8 million taels, mainly from land, with an additional levy of 2 cents per mu.

Seeing that the amount is not much, an additional 2 taels of silver will be levied on one hundred acres of land. However, land annexation was serious in the late Ming Dynasty. The gentry and officials used various methods to avoid paying taxes. Governments at all levels exploited and increased taxes. In the end, these taxes fell on the people, which resulted in the people being overwhelmed and the officials forcing the people to rebel.

In the past few years, there have been severe droughts in Shaanxi, and the harvests in the fields have been very poor, and the people have been unable to pay regular taxes. At this time, there is no increase in taxes. You can imagine the difficulty. This is digging a big hole for him.

But it's not a good idea to jump into this trap. Taxation is indeed the responsibility of the county magistrate. If he refuses this time, Ding Dianshi will be able to justifiably refuse to transfer his powers in the future, and he will not be able to make a difference in Fugu County.

You can't always be picky about your work, do the ones that are easy to do, and shirk the ones that are not easy to do, not to mention that the opponent is an old fox like Ding Dianshi.

So, Lin Feng said to County Magistrate Zhang: "Your Majesty, as the county magistrate, I have no other responsibility to collect taxes, but I can't do it alone. I have just taken up a post in the county. If the county clerk and yamen servants are not How about following orders?"

"If there is anyone who disobeys orders, just tell me. Any delay in tax collection will be punished severely." Magistrate Zhang said firmly.

The main reason is that the imperial court is very strict in the assessment of collection and suppression of taxes, and failure to turn in the full amount will inevitably result in a slap in the face. It is impossible for Magistrate Zhang Da not to take important matters related to his own future seriously.

"That's good. With the correct leadership of the county magistrate and the full support of Ding Dianshi, I will definitely be able to complete the increase in taxes and levies." Now that he has reached this point, Lin Feng must not be cowardly. He will agree first and then talk about it if there are difficulties. If you think of a way, people can still choke to death by urinating.

"Prime Minister Lin is really diligent in his duties. He bravely shouldered heavy responsibilities on the first day he took office. However, this task is very heavy, so I won't waste your time. You'd better settle in as soon as possible to understand the situation."

Zhang Yingjie was anxious about collecting taxes, but he was also a little dissatisfied with Lin Feng's aggressive request to take back his power as soon as he took office today, so he had to put pressure on Ding Dianshi and even skipped the usual reception banquet.

Naturally, Lin Feng didn't want to go to a wedding banquet. He encountered a big pitfall of tax collection when he first took office. He had to understand the situation quickly and find a way to deal with it. How could he have time to eat.

After bidding farewell to Magistrate Zhang, Lin Feng and Ding Yingqi walked out of the county government lobby together.

"Xian Cheng Lin is really young, energetic and courageous. Then we are waiting for your good news. The documents and related information about the increase in levy and suppression of wages are in the county government office. Mr. Lin can go find them by himself. Next I won’t accompany you anymore.” Ding Yingqi finished speaking and went on his own.

"Ding Dianshi, please do it yourself. I will naturally take care of my duties." Lin Feng ignored Ding Yingqi's sarcasm and responded unceremoniously.

After walking out of the county government hall, Xu Dong asked Lin Jiakang and Zhang Tiezhu to go to the county magistrate's office to sort out their living quarters, while he went straight to the county government office.

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  (End of this chapter)