After confirming that the reward money had been paid out and that no one had been left out, Zhu Pingan returned to the Jingnan County Office amidst a sea of “Parent Zhu”, “Zhu Qingtian”, and “Great Master Qingtian” from the common people.In the midst of the sounds, he returned to the Jingnan County Office.
“Duke.”On the way back, Liu Dazhou and the others took out the reward silver they received from their arms and handed it to Zhu Pingan.
“What for?”Zhu Pingan froze for a moment, not reacting for a moment.
“Your Excellency, we do not lack silver. We live in Gongzi’s, eat Gongzi’s, wear Gongzi’s, and have no use for silver. Gongzi is lacking silver, these silver, Gongzi take them and use them.”Liu Dazhou and the others insisted.
“No need.”Zhu Pingan smiled at the words, then he understood what they meant, and couldn’t help but wave his hand, “These silver are your rewards.”
“Your Excellency, you gave us merit, several of us have been made small banners for our merits, we all have official status, this is something we wouldn’t even dare to dream of. Hehehe, it’s all because of Gongzi, we have also honoured our ancestors. His Excellency has already given us a great reward, where else would we have the face to ask for silver.”Liu Dazhou and the others hemmed and hawed.
“One size fits all. These are what you guys deserve. At that time, if it wasn’t for you guys, I’m afraid that Jingnan wouldn’t have been able to defend it, and I, Zhu Pingan, wouldn’t have been able to be promoted to the Commander of the Tidings and Pressure Division of the Fifth Grade for my merits. I got more benefits from it than you guys. Besides, this amount of silver from you guys is a drop in the bucket.”
Zhu Pingan smiled and waved his hand, pushing their hands holding the silver back and thanking them for their good intentions.
This request for credit was indeed his own favouritism towards Liu Dagger and the others. However, Liu Dazhou they follow themselves the longest, is considered their own direct line, and the anti-Japanese contributed a lot, they are not biased in favour of who they are biased in favour of.
“Prince, we these bounty silver is a drop in the bucket, but the bounty silver that Fang just sent to everyone is not ah. Sir, I don’t understand, in fact, according to the reward order to issue reward silver can be, why do you have to give everyone more reward silver? The county government is short of silver, you want to repair the city wall, build water conservancy, build a beacon tower in the coastal county, recruit displaced, open up barren land …… .All of these require silver. Your Excellency has been worrying about silver these days. Isn’t this extra reward silver just the right thing to solve your son’s pressing problems?”
Liu Mu also knew that he and others this bounty silver for the vacancy is a drop in the bucket, but the extra bounty silver is not ah, that is 20,000 taels ah, Liu Mu did not understand why Zhu Pingan insisted on more bounty silver, could not help but ask in disbelief.
Zhu Pingan has been worrying about the silver recently, because of the shortage of silver, many plans are difficult to implement. Liu Mu and the others could not be clearer about this, which is why they could not understand why Zhu Pingan insisted on giving out more rewards than the Heavy Reward Order.
“That’s right, Your Excellency, you worry about silver every day, isn’t this extra reward silver just right? We are using it to do our job, not to embezzle and transfer it to our own pockets. Anyone will not say anything.”
Liu Dazhou actually couldn’t help it a long time ago, and now that he heard Liu Mu open his mouth, he couldn’t help but chime in as well.
“Gongzi you also advanced more than a thousand taels of private silver the other day ……”Liu Dahammer also followed.
Liu Dagun and the others also chimed in in disbelief.
Zhu Pingan understood that they were all looking out for themselves, but their eyes were still not looking far enough.
Zhu Pingan smiled slightly and did not answer them directly, but instead asked a question, “What do you say is the most important thing about governing a party, whether it’s building water conservancy, repairing a city wall, or recruiting stray migrants?”
“My lord, of course it’s silver, without silver, what to build water conservancy, repair the city wall ah, hit the embankment and dig the river, masonry and mud tile and so on, all need to use silver to be able to do. So, it’s definitely silver that’s most important.”Liu Dazhou spoke his answer without hesitation just after Zhu Pingan’s words fell.
Although silver is important, but there are too many county magistracies with full government coffers, still for bad governance, people’s livelihoods within the jurisdiction are withering, the society is poor, a hundred flourishing, and the common people are living in deep water and heat.
Zhu Pingan smiled without saying anything and turned his gaze to Liu Mu.
“Clean and honest?”
Liu Mu hesitated slightly and returned.
Zhu Pingan laughed and shook his head, “Which is better, an incompetent clean official, or a competent corrupt official!”
Liu Mu heard this and couldn’t help but ponder, indeed, if an official was clean but incompetent, what good would it do to the people of the district ……A general is incompetent, exhausts the three armies, an official is incompetent, pits the people of the precinct ah, not as much as a competent corrupt official creates more value to the people of the precinct.
“That is the most important official?”As if Liu Dahammer had been enlightened, he returned smugly.
Zhu Pingan still shook his head.
Next, Liu Dahammer and the others talked about diligence and ability ……Zhu Pingan still shook his head and smiled without saying anything.
“Your Excellency, what is that?”Liu Dazhou really couldn’t figure it out and scratched his head, asking with a confused look on his face.
Liu Mu and the others also looked at Zhu Pingan in confusion, wanting to know what exactly was most important to governance.
“The people’s heart.”
Zhu Pingan slowly opened his mouth, his eyes shining brightly, like two bonfires burning.
“People’s heart?”Liu Dazhou sniffed and was stunned, the people’s heart is the most important factor for a political party?
“He who wins the hearts of the people, wins the world, this saying is accurate in any position. The most important thing for a political party is the people’s heart. The heart of the people is the direction of victory. The rise of politics is to win the people’s heart, and the fall of politics is to lose the people’s heart. Only with the people’s heart, the county government issued a decree, will be supported and embraced by the people, twice the result with half the effort, everything goes smoothly. Otherwise, the decree is like a rootless tree without a source of water, it is difficult to land. As the ancients said, the people are the water, the politician is the boat, the water can carry the boat can also cover the boat.”
Zhu Pingan explained softly while walking slowly forward.
Liu Mu was like an enlightened soul, looking at Zhu Pingan with admiration to the extreme. Gongzi deserves to be Gongzi, deserves to be the youngest Scholar of the Great Ming, deserves to be a fifth rank official before he is even a weak crown.
“But Gongzi, using so much silver to gain the hearts of the people, the cost is too great, right?”Liu Dazhu felt that it was not cost-effective.
“Where is the cost. This silver is the reward for capturing the heads of the Japanese pirates, it was originally everyone’s. It’s just that His Holiness doubled the distribution.”Zhu Pingan smiled faintly, “In ancient times, Shang Yang used fifty taels of gold to gain the hearts of the people by moving a wooden pole. As long as you move a wooden pole to the north gate, you will be rewarded with fifty taels of gold. One tael is equal to twenty taels, and fifty taels of gold is one thousand taels of gold. The cost is huge, but compared to the people’s confidence, the 1,000 taels of gold is nothing, not to mention the fact that the extra money I’m giving out is the people’s money. I can win the hearts of the people of a county with an empty glove, so why not.”
