Chapter 894: Inspecting the place!

Youyan, Antai County in the west,
At noon, the county magistrate Zhang Tingzhong was standing respectfully outside the city gate with a group of police officers. Although the sun was very hot, they did not dare to slack off.

While wiping the sweat from his face, Huang Tingzhong's eyes were fixed on the distance. Just last night, he was eating pork ribs and drinking wine, living the leisurely life of a county magistrate. However, what he didn't expect was that just when he was about to hug his concubine to sleep.

However, Wang Zhongji, the prefect of Yuyang, sent him a personal letter, telling him that the Marshal would lead his troops to inspect Antai County today. However, the Marshal wanted to keep a low profile on this inspection and not disturb the people, so he asked Zhang Tingzhong not to hold any overly extravagant welcome ceremony, but also to be prepared to be inspected.

When Zhang Tingzhong saw the news, he was both surprised and delighted. Although he knew that the Marshal had been inspecting various prefectures and counties in Youyan recently to investigate the local people's livelihood.

However, Dingjiang County, Yinzhou and other places inspected before are all in the eastern part of Youyan, while Antai County belongs to the western part of Youyan.

And the most important thing is that Antai County is close to Yunbing area, and Yunbing is still at war. The spies of the Supervisory Department are very active in Yunbing area. Antai County, which is adjacent to Yunbing, also has some security risks and is relatively not very safe.

So Zhang Tingzhong really didn't expect Ye Mingsheng to come to inspect Antai County, so he was very surprised and unexpected about the report from his boss Wang Zhongji.

After being surprised, Zhang Tingzhong was ecstatic that the Marshal was about to inspect Antai County.
Although the purpose of his boss Wang Zhongji telling Zhang Tingzhong this news was to regard the Marshal's inspection as a crisis, so that Zhang Tingzhong could make good arrangements and not offend the Marshal's taboos, which would implicate him!

But this is a good opportunity for Zhang Tingzhong, a chance to show his abilities and achievements in Antai County to the Marshal!

Unlike those children of wealthy and powerful families who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, Zhang Tingzhong was born into a commoner family. His father was a village teacher and his mother was a traditional housewife. Influenced by his father, he studied hard since he was a child, wanting to read through thousands of books and pass the imperial examination to become the top scholar.

Although Zhang Tingzhong studied very hard, his family's financial conditions were limited and he could not afford a good teacher. His family's financial conditions could not support him to continue to turn a deaf ear to the outside world and focus on reading the books of sages. Therefore, Zhang Tingzhong's journey to the imperial examination came to an abrupt end when he reached the level of scholar.

After giving up the imperial examination, Zhang Tingzhong used his status as a scholar to find a job as a minor official in the Yuyang government, responsible for some clerical work.
Since he had neither money nor support, Zhang Tingzhong felt that his talent was not appreciated, but he had no other choice but to muddle through.

Fortunately, although he was not a high-ranking official, he was still a member of the imperial family, so Zhang Tingzhong’s life was better than most.
However, all this changed drastically after the Fengwu Army entered the pass a few years ago. Ye Mingsheng, who became the new master of Youyan, cleared out most of the corrupt officials in Youyan's officialdom through several rounds of anti-corruption operations.

Because he was just an insignificant official with little power, Zhang Tingzhong was able to escape the anti-corruption storm. As a large number of corrupt officials were cleared out, a number of positions in the government were vacant. This gave Zhang Tingzhong an opportunity, and he mustered up the courage to volunteer to take on a heavier burden.

Because the Fengwu Army also needed officials to implement new policies at that time, Zhang Tingzhong was appointed as the acting county magistrate of Antai County for a term of three years. If he performed well during the three years, he would officially take office as the county magistrate. If he did not perform well, he would return to his hometown.

After arriving in Antai County, Zhang Tingzhong was also very excited, thinking that what he had learned had finally found a place to use his skills. In addition, the Fengwu Army implemented the New Deal and provided considerable support to the local government in terms of policies and money. Therefore, Zhang Tingzhong was full of enthusiasm and led the people of Antai County to reclaim wasteland, build dams, canals, and dirt roads.

Because of these achievements and his good reputation among the people, Zhang Tingzhong successfully passed the assessment half a year ago and removed the word "code" from his position...

Zhang Tingzhong was very satisfied with his political achievements in Antai County, so when he learned last night that Ye Mingsheng was about to inspect Antai County, Zhang Tingzhong was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night. He knew that today would be the day that changed his destiny!
In the area controlled by the Fengwu Army, there is an unspoken rule that no one talks about, but everyone knows it. The unspoken rule is that everyone is nominally a minister of Zhou loyal to the Emperor of Zhou, but in fact they are all ministers of the Fengwu Army, and Marshal Ye is their actual master.

Therefore, as long as I perform well during tomorrow's inspection, let the Marshal know everything I have done in Antai County, and recognize my abilities and achievements, then I will be like a carp jumping over the dragon gate, and I can reach the top in the Fengwu Army in one step.

At this moment, when Zhang Tingzhong was waiting quietly with his dream in his heart, hundreds of cavalrymen came into their sight. When these cavalrymen came in front of them, the leader of them asked:
"Where is the magistrate of Antai County?"

When he heard the other party calling him, Zhang Tingzhong immediately stood up and said:
"I am Zhang Tingzhong, the magistrate of Antai County!"

The other party glanced at Zhang Tingzhong and replied:

"I am Song Zheng, the captain of the Marshal's personal guard battalion. I ask for your cooperation in the routine inspection!"

Hearing the other party's words, Zhang Tingzhong nodded repeatedly and replied:

“No problem, no problem. We will definitely cooperate with you, Song Dutou…”

After a quick and careful inspection, Song Zheng confirmed that it was safe and there was no threat, so he returned to report. An incense stick later, a cavalry of hundreds of people marched towards Antai County.

Looking at the figure who was the center of attention in the cavalry, Zhang Tingzhong's eyes gradually became hot. He had gone to Yijing to report on his work that year and had the honor of seeing Ye Mingsheng once. Ye Mingsheng's figure was deeply engraved in his mind.

After a cup of tea, Ye Mingsheng's team stopped at the gate of Antai County, and Song Zheng led Zhang Tingzhong to Ye Mingsheng.

"Marshal, this man is Zhang Tingzhong, the magistrate of Antai County!"

After hearing Song Zheng's report, Ye Mingsheng looked at Zhang Tingzhong. After stepping into the territory of Antai County, although Ye Mingsheng did not meet the county magistrate Zhang Tingzhong, he still had some good feelings towards Zhang Tingzhong.

The reason is that Ye Mingsheng came from Yuyang, and after setting foot on the territory of Antai County, Ye Mingsheng found that although the road in Antai County was still a dirt road, the road was paved with cultivated soil and compacted with stones, so it was obviously much easier to walk than the roads in other prefectures and counties.

Ye Mingsheng learned from fellow villagers along the way that this road had never been repaired before. Whenever it was windy or rainy, the road would become muddy and difficult to travel on. Because of the difficulty of the road, merchants were unwilling to come here, and some specialty products of Antai County were also difficult to transport out·······································
However, just over a year ago, the current Antai County Magistrate Zhang Tingzhong organized manpower and material resources to repair this road. After the road was repaired, the connection between Antai County and Yuyang became closer, some merchants were willing to come to Antai County to do business, and some local specialties of Antai County could be shipped out. The income and living standards of the people were also improved to a certain extent.
Feeling Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Zhang Tingzhong immediately stepped forward, knelt on the ground and said, "I, Zhang Tingzhong, greet the Marshal!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded and ordered:
"Get up! Don't make too much noise about my visit to Antai County!"

After hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, Zhang Tingzhong nodded repeatedly:
"I understand the humble position!"

After explaining everything to Zhang Tingzhong, Ye Mingsheng led his troops into Antai County. Because of Wang Zhongji's advance instructions, Zhang Tingzhong did not hold any big welcoming ceremony, and the people of Antai County did not know that Ye Mingsheng had returned to inspect Antai County.

Although they did not know Ye Mingsheng's identity, seeing so many guards protecting him and their county magistrate Zhang Tingzhong following behind, the common people knew that Ye Mingsheng was a high-ranking official, and they all knelt down and saluted along the street, calling him "Sir".

In response to this, Ye Mingsheng repeatedly nodded with a smile in return, and asked Zhang Tingzhong to signal the people not to be polite, to continue with their work and life and not to pay too much attention to his visit··························

Looking at the bustling scene in Antai County, to be honest, Ye Mingsheng was more or less surprised. He had done some homework before coming here and knew that Antai County was an agricultural county in Yuyang Prefecture. Nearly 90% of the county's 22,000 registered households made a living by farming, and business development was not very good.

However, judging from the noisy scene before him, the situation he understood seemed to be wrong. After a moment of hesitation, Ye Mingsheng asked Zhang Tingzhong to come to him and asked:

“How do you promote business development in Antai County?”

In response to Ye Mingsheng's question, Zhang Tingzhong immediately said:

"The policies given by the governor in recent years are good. Our Antai County is a major grain-producing county under Yuyang. However, about 80% of the good farmland in our county is occupied by some landlords and gentry. Many ordinary people are their tenants. They are lucky to have enough food to eat after working hard for a year."

"If you encounter any problems, you can only leave it to fate. You don't have money to spend. After the redemption policy, many people own their own land. After paying taxes, they can also get 60% to 70% of the harvest. At the same time, the government has introduced grain price protection measures to ensure grain prices, so that people don't have to sell grain at a low price!"

"According to our county government's investigation and interviews, the common people in Antai County can earn at least five taels of silver every year after saving enough for their own food..."

"In addition to growing crops, some capable people also grow vegetables and raise poultry such as pigs, chickens, ducks and fish. This also increases their income. With money in their hands, the people will naturally be willing to spend!"

"At the same time, because of your rectification of the civil service, some corruption and extortion phenomena have been eliminated, and the hidden costs of merchants have been reduced. Therefore, in order to sell more goods, they are also willing to reduce prices. This has also promoted commercial consumption in Antai County to a certain extent!"

Hearing Zhang Tingzhong emphasize the role of policies, Ye Mingsheng asked directly:

"As the magistrate of Antai County, what role do you think you played in this?"

Zhang Tingzhong was a little surprised to hear Ye Mingsheng's straightforward question. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"I mainly played a guiding and supervisory role to ensure that the policies of the Chief Secretary can be implemented in Antai County, so that the policies can benefit the people's livelihood instead of just being a formality!"

At this point, Zhang Tingzhong paused and continued:
"I have always told the people in the county that we can live a peaceful and harmonious life today because of your kindness, Marshal. The people are also very grateful to you, Marshal. Many people have a statue of you in their homes!"

In response to Zhang Tingzhong’s final flattery, Ye Mingsheng just nodded slightly, without any change in his expression. He turned around and continued to observe the prosperous scene in the city. Seeing this, Zhang Tingzhong couldn’t help but worry whether his flattery had hit the wrong horse’s hoof...

Ye Mingsheng spent an hour strolling around the city and had a simple lunch. Knowing the situation in the city, he instructed Zhang Tingzhong:

"I heard that you have led the people to reclaim thousands of acres of farmland in recent years, maintained the dam and built new canals, turning wasteland into fertile fields?"

Zhang Tingzhong was very happy to see Ye Mingsheng mention his most proud political achievement, but he still pretended to be very humble in front of Ye Mingsheng:

"It all depends on the cooperation of the people of Antai County. I just played a small role!"

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng glanced at the sky and saw that the sun had not yet set, so he ordered:
"You lead the way and take me to see it!"

Hearing that Ye Mingsheng wanted to go and see it in person, Zhang Tingzhong was very happy and immediately took Ye Mingsheng to the farmland outside the county town. He enthusiastically and proudly introduced to Ye Mingsheng the farmland he had reclaimed with his people, and how much the canals and dams he had built had helped increase the grain output in Antai County.

Looking at the achievements Zhang Tingzhong had made in Antai County, Ye Mingsheng suddenly asked Zhang Tingzhong:
“Do you know why I came to Antai County for inspection?”

,

(End of this chapter)