Early the next morning, Han Xiufeng asked Director Zhang for help again, and together they went to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to find yesterday's signature, stuffed another ingot of silver, and applied for a contract from the Ministry of War.

If you have a contract, you can stay at an inn along the canal, but for Han Xiufeng, it won't actually save much money. After all, the patrol officer is too small, and the inn can neither take care of food nor arrange transportation. At most, it will give you one room.

And it will never be a comfortable room.

However, this survey was still of great use to Han Xiufeng. Not only could it save the group dozens or even hundreds of cars and ships, but they could even earn dozens of taels.

Because merchant ships and civilian ships sailing on the canal will without exception be extorted by water transport soldiers and customs officials in Tianjin, Linqing, Huai'an and Yangzhou. When the ship sails to the Shandong lock section, the lock official ensures that the canal has sufficient water.

, it is necessary to wait until a certain number of ships have accumulated before opening the lock and releasing water, and the canal ships and imperial fast-horse ships go first, followed by civilian ships and merchant ships. Therefore, many ship owners and even cargo owners seek refuge at the Zhangjiawan Pier to recruit people.

Officials took their boats.

It is worth mentioning that the imperial court has regulations on how many family members an official can bring to take office. The governor is not allowed to bring more than 150 family members. A vassal governor can bring 40 family members, and a Taoist government can bring 30 family members. Tongzhi,

The county magistrates of Tongpan and the prefectures can bring twenty people, while the officials of the same prefecture and below the county magistrate can bring ten people... The family members of the bannermen and the officials below the Si Dao can be doubled as those of the Han officials.

In short, although Han Xiufeng is only a ninth-grade inspector, he can bring ten family members as a rule. With the official certificate issued by the Ministry of Personnel and the approval of the Ministry of War, the ship owner and cargo owner can be counted as his family members, and the goods loaded on the ship can also be counted as his family members.

Then it became his luggage, and he did not need to pay taxes when passing through customs offices such as Tianjin, Linqing, and Huai'an. The ship owner not only did not ask the four masters and servants for the ship's money, but instead gave him money.

After receiving the invitation, Director Zhang smiled and asked: "Zhixing, everything is done. I don't know when we can get together tomorrow after we say goodbye. How about we find a place to have a few drinks?"

"Director Zhang, I have one more thing I would like to ask you for help with."

"What else?"

"You must know where Mr. Liu lived last time. I want to ask Mr. Liu for advice before I leave."

"Last time I went to have a drink, I didn't ask about the situation in Taizhou. You can't just take office with a blind eye. You have to ask for advice." Thinking that Mr. Liu is busy looking for jobs these days, Director Zhang laughed again.

He said: "I know where he lives. Let him buy you a drink at noon. You don't need to pay for it."

Han Xiufeng couldn't help but laugh and said: "I have something to ask for, how can I let others ask for it!"

"If you ask for something from him, he will ask for something from you."

"Begging me?"

"You have forgotten what he did before. He served as the ambassador of the Salt Transportation Department! Those in the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department are short of fat. He has tasted the benefits and naturally wants to continue doing it. He has traveled a lot these days, and Hua

After paying several thousand taels of silver, it should be no problem to find a job and go to the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department as a candidate for trial, but whether the Lianghuai Salt Administration and the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Envoy will use him remains to be seen."

Thinking that the Lianghuai Salt Administration was concurrently held by the Governor of Liangjiang and Mr. Guo was likely to act as the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy, Han Xiufeng suddenly reacted: "Director Zhang, are you saying that he wants to curry favor with Mr. Guo?"

"I just realized that he has gone to Mr. Guo's house to beg to see him several times. How could Mr. Guo have time to see him? The door bag is packed, but he has never seen him once."

"Master Guo is not particularly busy."

"You are now Mr. Duan's nephew. Mr. Guo doesn't give face to anyone and cannot but give face to Mr. Duan. Therefore, if you can see Mr. Guo, he may not be able to see him." Director Zhang thought about it and reminded him.

: "Actually, there is a reason why Mr. Guo doesn't see him. He didn't leave office and return to Beijing. He was involved in a private case and was dismissed. You can ask him about Taizhou and even the Huainan Saltworks, but you can't have a close relationship with him."

"A private case involving an official?" Han Xiufeng asked in surprise.

"If I remember correctly, it happened in the 28th year of Daoguang's reign. There was a big fuss at that time, which shocked the government and the public. At that time, Zhao Zuyu, the transportation judge of the Tongzhou Branch of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division, and the probationary governor Yan Jinmin and other salt officials, together with more than 30 ship owners

They carried more than 20,000 bags of smuggled salt, totaling more than 1.1 million kilograms. The number of smuggled Huai salts is unprecedented. How courageous do you think they are? Can someone like him have a close relationship?"

Han Xiufeng thought to himself that I have seen bolder people, but he still nodded: "I know."

"It's good to know."

…

The two of them drove to the inn where Mr. Liu was staying. Mr. Liu was indeed very enthusiastic. He hurriedly asked his family to buy a banquet and invited the two of them to sit in the room and have a drink and chat.

"Brother Han, please don't ask for advice again. You and Director Zhang are here because you think highly of Liu. Liu must know everything and talk about everything." Mr. Liu greeted the two of them to eat, and said in detail: "Last time I was there.

The Chongqing Guild Hall seems to have said that Taizhou City is located in the east of Yangzhou, 124 miles away from the capital city of Yangzhou, reaching Rugao in the east, Taixing in the south, and Xinghua 160 miles north. The town you are going to this time is Haian.

, in the southwest of Zhoucheng, if I remember correctly, it is one hundred and twenty miles from Taizhou City to Hai'an."

Han Xiufeng murmured: "Hai'an is so far away from Taizhou City!"

"What's so bad about being far away?" Mr. Liu asked back, put down his wine glass and said with a smile: "In other scattered states, the officials and inspections can only shake their heads, but the officials and inspections in Taizhou are different. Not only do they have

They have their own official offices and can manage things."

"What do you care about?"

"Except for collecting grain and collecting land, I am in charge of everything." Mr. Liu was worried that he could not explain clearly, so he asked his family to write and write. He put away the bowls and chopsticks in front of him, drew another picture, pointed at it and said: "Yangzhou Mansion"

It is so rich and prosperous that the prefectures and counties under its jurisdiction are unparalleled by other places. Taizhou is also close to Huainan 20chang of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department, where there are many cities, towns and villages and they are prosperous!"

"Where is the Maritime Security Inspection Division's headquarters?"

"The three counties are bordered by waterways and are equally prosperous." Mr. Liu looked up at Han Xiufeng and said with envy: "The Hai'an Security Inspection Department has jurisdiction over more than 250 villages on both sides of the Yanyan River, and reaches Rugao County in the southeast.

The boundary stretches from Jiangyan Town in the west to Dongtai County in the north. It has more people than ordinary prefectures and counties. The Inspection Department has a clerk and more than a dozen archers. Major cases under its jurisdiction will naturally be reported to the police.

The state and the city ask the great master to judge, and small lawsuits such as farmhouses and quarrels can be resolved through inspections."

"Mr. Liu, according to what you said, Zhixing's inspection is actually similar to the general state and county main hall."

"It's more or less the same. I think it's better than the average state or county hall."

"Why did Master Liu say this?" Han Xiufeng asked curiously.

"Although Jiangsu and Zhejiang are rich, they also have a lot of taxes. As far as I know, few prefects and counties in Jiangsu can be promoted to prefects. Many prefectures and counties can't even serve for one term because of insufficient land, money and grain harvests. I am here

Among the county magistrates I recognized at that time, the longest they served was only two years. Brother Han's inspection was different. As long as there were not many bandits and robberies under his rule, let alone one term, I don't think it would be enough to serve two or three consecutive terms.
Chapter completed!