Corruption! When rights are controlled and unrestricted, it becomes extremely unreliable to fully rely on human moral restraint.

Corrupt officials throughout the ages are like the sands of the Ganges, innumerable. But what about honest officials? At least the number of honest officials Li Xiao knows can be counted on two hands.

Li Xiao has seen the corruption of the Donglin Party, the corruption of Wei Zhongxian, and even the collective corruption of the Chongzhen Dynasty from top to bottom, from the emperor to the officials.

Now he is also facing this huge problem, how to limit this humanized thing within a controllable range.

Li Xiao never thought of completely solving the corruption problem. From a global perspective, no matter what kind of clan, what kind of political system, what kind of civilization, no one has really solved the corruption problem.

Greed! It's something that's in the human bones, and it's deep into the bone marrow. You can't even use bone scraping to cure the poison, to eradicate the occurrence of corruption.

"If we want to rectify corruption, we must not delay the current government affairs of various yamen. And to be honest, if we really follow the regulations, I am afraid that all officials in Liaodong will be arrested. In that case, the entire government affairs of Liaodong will be finished.

At this critical moment when the country's policy changes, places like Liaodong, Hebei, and Shandong are finished, then I'm afraid...!" Zhang Huangyan said and looked at Li Xiao.

Li Xiao understood that agricultural taxes were exempted. If sufficient commercial taxes could not be collected, the country's finances would be in crisis.

More importantly, Liaodong's industry is the best in the entire Ming Dynasty. Whether it is military industry or civilian industry, it is the backbone of the country. Every year, more than 90% of the Ming Dynasty's industrial finished product exports come from these three provinces.

Anti-corruption is good, but what is more important is... the healthy operation of the country's finances.

"Mr. Sun once said that you should have a bodhisattva's heart and use thunderous means. This may not be enough to shock people in Jiangnan, but it can be used in places like Liaodong.

After all, they are all old subordinates, and they can't bear to raise a butcher's knife." Li Xiao still couldn't bear to attack his base like Jiangnan.

The Liao army are all old subordinates who have followed him for many years, and they are also the most loyal group of people to Li Xiao. Although they have some irregularities, once Li Xiao is in trouble, these people must be the ones who support Li Xiao the most.

For such people, it is inevitable to be open-minded.

"Be a bodhisattva with a heart and use thunderbolt methods! This is a good saying. Then arrest a few big heads and punish them firmly. Then send people from the Supervisory Yuan to inspect various places.

What needs to be improved, what needs to be corrected. The right people need to be promoted, and the unsuitable people need to be dismissed.”

"Well! We must combine public opinion and let everyone know what we are going to do. For those who can take the initiative to admit their mistakes and are useful to the country, we can let it go and let it go, but for those who still commit crimes against the wind, the officials will not change their habits.

people.

Catch a group and kill a group! After all, this is the same as killing chickens to scare monkeys. The bloody chickens are hanging there. If the monkeys jump too much, hey! Don't blame me, Li Xiao, for being ruthless."

"For employment, we can reformulate employment methods. Liaodong, Shandong, Hebei, and Tianjin are the places where Ming Education is the best.

I think in the future, all jobs in the yamen will have to be passed through examinations. The same goes for large enterprises, where you must take an examination before you can enter. In this way, some unlearned people can be prevented from entering.

At the same time, it can also reduce some requests for employment. In the future, even if there are requests for employment, they must be qualified people who meet the standards."

"Yes! Let's do it like this and see who is suitable. We must find a few big-headed people and publish their deeds in newspapers. Let the whole people discuss it! Let people know that I, Li Xiao, will not do anything to my own people.

The matter was covered up.

The court will definitely give it to them, but they can take it themselves...hey, the court won't agree either."

"Master Ao...!" Although he had the support of Li Xiao, Zhang Huangyan was still wary of the old military leaders Ao Master and Man Ye.

These guys are extremely protective of their shortcomings. If Zhang Huangyan rashly touches their men, it's hard to say what these veteran military leaders will do. Zhang Huangyan doesn't want to be beaten by Master Ao!

The Zhang family are all honest people, and they are not enough for these bastards.

"I'll go talk to Master Ao."

"So good!"

"Ding-ding-ding! Ding-ding!" The phone rang suddenly. Li Xiao picked up the phone and listened for a while before hanging up.

"I found ready-made chickens, two!" Li Xiao stretched out two fingers with a sinister smile on his face.

The Daliao River makes a big S-shaped bend where it enters the sea. Every year, the Daliao River brings fertile soil from the upper reaches to the land in this bend. The rice here is very famous, and even surpasses Li Xiao in taste.

Rice from home.

But if there is too much water, this place called Dawa will become a swamp, and the people will be displaced and miserable.

During the annual flood season, building embankments to prevent floods has become a major priority here.

It snowed very heavily in Mongolia last year, so the task of flood control this year will be very heavy. A large group of farmers who were requisitioned came to the embankment with various farm tools.

Although there is no such thing as corvee in Liaodong, it is for the sake of everyone’s land, so no one has any objections. Besides, the official family also provides a lunch!

No one thought that the construction of the dam this time would actually be the trigger for the anti-corruption campaign in Liaodong.

Zhang Qingshan is in a good mood today, with a blue sky and white clouds, and a beautiful lady by his side. What more can a man ask for in such a life!

Whenever he saw others nodding and bowing to him, Zhang Qingshan felt that his bloody battle in the Liao army was not in vain. He became the prefect at the age of thirty.

I don’t know how many prefects there are in the world, but the prefect in Dashuai’s hometown is definitely different. If he wasn’t deeply appreciated, Shangcha would never have placed this position on his head.

"Your Majesty, the people below have prepared the lunch meal. The pavilion in front has a view of the sea near and mountains in the distance. It is a place with excellent scenery. If you feel this, you may be able to write a good poem." The governor said.

Fellow acquaintance Liu Zishan smiled and pointed to the mountain pavilion.

They are both former members of the Liao Army. Although they are not in the same army, their common experiences have made them get along very harmoniously since they worked together.

"Zi Shan! We are all brothers who came from the Liao Army. The commander forced us to pour in the little ink we had in our stomachs. To be honest, if I hadn't learned to write in the army, I'm afraid I would still be a big loser now.

I don't know a lot of words.

To be here today, I still have to thank the commander-in-chief, Mr. Ao." Zhang Qingshan cupped his hands in the direction of the capital.

"Haha! Your Excellency, you are right. I, Liu Zishan, am just a bastard. My ancestors have been tenant farmers for eight lifetimes. Let alone study and become an official, even having a full meal is a luxury.

Just because he joined the army, he has now become a fifth-rank court official. Every time I dream back at midnight, I will never forget the Marshal's kindness." Liu Zishan bowed and saluted in the direction of the capital.

"I'm out for an outing today. I wonder how the embankment construction in Dawa is going? Last year, more than 700 people died in the breach. No less than 2,000 houses were destroyed. If something like this happens again this year, it will be a disaster.

It’s hard to explain.”

"Don't worry, my lord, this is a matter within the lower official's duties. There will definitely be no mistakes!"

The two people were talking and had already arrived at the pavilion.

It seems that the place has been prepared for a long time. There is a kitchen dozens of meters away, and frying is in progress. The cook opens the big pot, and a stream of white steam rises into the sky.

The chef dipped his hands in cold water and picked out the dumplings one by one with bamboo tongs.

The prefect probably suffered a lot from hunger as a child, and he firmly believes that dumplings are not as delicious as dumplings and are more fun...!

"Prefect, please!" A table full of delicacies, plus a large plate of white and plump dumplings.

"Hey, why is there... in this dumpling today?" Zhang Qingshan picked up a dumpling and found that there was a green thing on the outside of the dumpling, like a thread.

"You adults don't know. Dumplings are naturally the best stuffed with leeks. But leeks are just a handful of grass and have no nutrition at all. The reason why we put dumplings in our dumplings is because leeks can make the inside of the dumplings

The meat is just more delicious.

In this way, Xiaguan invented a fresh way to eat dumplings." Liu Zishan said, and pulled the green head with his hand. A whole leek was pulled out of the dumpling.

"Haha! Don't chop the leeks, wrap them whole. This way we don't have to eat nutritious grass, but only eat delicious meatballs. Sir, you can try it."

"Oh! This is really fresh, try it!" Zhang Qingshan was very interested. He had eaten dumplings all his life, but he didn't expect that there was such a saying.

I picked up a dumpling, took out the chives and took a bite. Sure enough, the pure meat dumplings have the taste of chives, but also have the texture of pure meat. It is indeed the best quality!

"Yeah! Not bad, not bad!" Zhang Qingshan nodded in praise while eating.

"Today's wine was brought from a town called Maotai in Guizhou. That place is remote, and only airships can bring this kind of wine out. Our Yamen received more than a dozen boxes.

Guess! How much does a bottle of this wine cost?"

"No matter how much a bottle costs, is there still wine in the world that we can't afford to drink?" Zhang Qingshan said with a smile.

"That's right! That's right! This year's budget has been declared 20% more than last year. It was all declared in the name of Hegong, and the higher-ups have just approved it."

"So, this year is another good year." Zhang Qingshan picked up the wine glass and smiled happily.

"That's natural!"

"Master Magistrate, drink and win!"

"Drink victory!"

The two of them were drinking and eating dumplings. The maid next to them was diligently pouring wine and serving dishes, and the breeze was refreshing.

I was smoking leeks, eating dumplings, and drinking Moutai wine shipped from Guizhou by airship. Suddenly I saw a subordinate official wearing a green official robe running over. Although he was wearing official boots, he ran very fast.

"Sir...Sir!" When he ran to the front of the pavilion, he was already panting and speechless.

"What's wrong? He's as panicked as a wolf." Seeing the subordinate's appearance, Zhang Qingshan was a little dissatisfied. If this guy hadn't been recommended by Liu Zishan, he would have been scolded harshly.

"Sir, it's not good. Somehow, at the embankment construction site in Dawa County, the migrant workers were fed moldy rice. Two migrant workers actually... died after eating the rice.

The migrant workers were anxious and had already tied up Zhang Du's head, saying that they were going to the Governor of Jinzhou to sue you." The subordinate's words were urgent, but they had the same effect as a bomb. After speaking, the two adults were a little confused.

.

"That's unreasonable! You're rebelling! You're rebelling!" Zhang Qingshan stood up in shock, and the dumplings in his chopsticks fell on the table.

That Zhang Dutou was his nephew, but he didn't expect that he would be tied up by a group of mud-legged people.

"My lord, there are rumors in the capital that the commander-in-chief is very dissatisfied with Liaodong. This matter must not reach the ears of the governor. If it really spreads to Jinzhou, the lives of our brothers may be in danger. If the commander-in-chief knows, he will definitely

He knows how to kill people." Liu Zishan became anxious when he heard it. He stopped and watched half of it. God knows how much money and food those bastard subordinates had deducted from the river workers.

"Hmph! When you gave people moldy grain to eat, why didn't you expect today? With today's grain prices, how much would it cost you to buy more cornmeal? It's a small gain but a big loss!" Zhang Qingshan pointed at Liu Zishan's hand angrily.

Nose asked, maybe he was too angry, and the fingers pointing at the tip of Liu Zishan's nose were trembling.
To be continued...