The first poisonous scholar in Daxia, starting from the abdication of the prime minister

Chapter 231 Ningzhou’s first plenary meeting!

The next morning.

In the Ningzhou government office, the magistrates of the four counties and a group of officials from the Ningzhou government were sitting in a room chatting.

This is the meeting room that Gu Jingzhi had converted, and it will be used as the place where Gu Jingzhi will discuss Ningzhou affairs in the next few years.

Before Gu Jingzhi arrived, these officials chatted together to enhance their relationship.

But there was nothing much to talk about at the moment. Everyone in Ningzhou knew that they were poor, so they were just talking about Gu Jingzhi's suppression of bandits yesterday.

As they were chatting, they suddenly heard someone shout, "The Marquis has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiang and the others immediately stood up and bowed towards the door, saying, "Your subordinates greet the Marquis!"

"Haha! You all came so early!"

Gu Jingzhi walked into the meeting room with a big laugh. Seeing everyone saluting, he immediately said, "We are all colleagues, so there is no need to be polite!"

When Chen Baonian heard the familiar voice, he subconsciously looked up. The moment he saw Gu Jingzhi, his expression became excited. He was about to speak, but when he thought of the occasion, he quickly suppressed his inner excitement.

However, in those eyes, there was excitement, curiosity, shock... and a hint of loss!

Seeing Chen Baonian's expression, Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "What's the matter? Brother Baonian, it's only been a year since we last met, and now you don't recognize me?"

What?

Everyone looked at Chen Baonian in surprise.

Could it be that... Lord Chen and Marquis Xiling are acquaintances?

Chen Baonian smiled reservedly and said, "Thank you, Lord Jingzhi... for your concern. I've been doing well this year!"

"Haha! I know quite a bit about the situation in Ningzhou. If you guys are okay... then that would be a big problem!"

Gu Jingzhi jokingly said, "Master Chen and I took the imperial examination in the same year and both made the gold list, so we are familiar with each other! But today, we will leave the reminiscence for later. In the next few days, I want to talk to you about the future development of Ningzhou!"

Say it!

Gu Jingzhi sat in the main seat. Opposite him, someone immediately hung up a map of the entire Ningzhou, which included the provincial capital and four counties.

Gu Jingzhi said, "Everyone, we in Ningzhou suppressed the bandits yesterday. Most of the bandits in Lianyun Mountain that have plagued Ningzhou for more than ten years have been eliminated, and the remaining ones can no longer cause any trouble!"

"The Imperial Guard will also be carrying out routine bandit suppression operations in various locations in the near future. From now on, as long as I serve in Ningzhou, this bandit suppression and evil elimination will be made a regular practice!"

"What does normalization mean? It means treating this as something you do every day! That's normalization!"

"As everyone knows, banditry, or the evil forces within the community, are the main obstacles that seriously hinder the development of a region. Eradicating these bandits and evildoers is urgent!"

After Gu Jingzhi said this, everyone else nodded in agreement.

They came to Ningzhou to serve as officials... The one who served the shortest time was Chen Baonian. Even so, they all knew how important a stable environment was to governing a place!

Gu Jingzhi said, "After this bandit suppression issue is resolved, my imperial guards will rotate through the counties to maintain public order for a period of one year. This period is mainly to give you time to improve the functions of the county government!"

"This……"

As soon as Gu Jingzhi said this, two people immediately looked embarrassed, especially Chen Baonian. He smiled bitterly and said, "My Lord, the population of Fufeng County is only a few thousand, and the county town is almost in ruins. This..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingzhi waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about this matter. This is exactly what I'm going to say next!"

"I've recently collected some information from Ningzhou Prefecture. There are approximately 200,000 people hiding in the mountains! Once the bandits are wiped out, these people will have to come down from the mountains. Afterwards, they will be assigned to your counties!"

What?

Upon hearing this, the magistrates of the four counties were immediately shocked and said, "My Lord, these people have been bandits for years. Letting them into the city so easily will only cause trouble."

"Yup!"

Everyone else nodded.

Although they also want political achievements, these people were bandits before. If they gather together to cause trouble, how can they manage them?

At that time, don’t talk about political achievements, just don’t cause them trouble.

Unexpectedly, Gu Jingzhi just smiled and said, "Letting these people go down the mountain will naturally not be without any constraints!"

"Just now, I said that the Imperial Guard will be divided into several units in the future. These people will then be responsible for public security in your counties!"

"Of course, after these mountain dwellers come down from the mountains, they won't immediately be converted to good people. They will serve as government slaves for three years. During the farming season, they will reclaim wasteland and grow food for the government. In their free time, they will repair county towns and provide labor services. However..."

Gu Jingzhi said seriously, "Becoming a government slave is only a punishment for them, but I will not allow their lives to be in danger because of the harshness of the government!"

"In other words, although they are responsible for labor, they must not starve to death, freeze to death, or die of disease!"

"During these three years, 30% of their labor results will belong to them, and the remaining 70% will be confiscated and used for the construction of Ningzhou Prefecture!"

"Also, I believe you have all received the land reform policy issued by the court?"

Everyone nodded when they heard this. Gu Jingzhi continued, "During this period, the government must not only reclaim land according to policy, but also register all reclaimed land!"

"Three years later, after their slavery is abolished, the land they cultivate will be considered leased to them by the government. Then they will enjoy all the benefits of being a good citizen!"

"Also, during the three years of their slavery, the government must not discriminate against any child under the age of thirteen. If any of them wish to study, they will not be discriminated against..."

"This one……"

Everyone scratched their heads, puzzled, "My Lord, you cannot harm their lives so arbitrarily... We understand, but it's their children..."

"..."

Gu Jingzhi felt a little helpless. These ancient people were really uncivilized!

He said: "Whether it is Ningzhou or the whole world, this child is our hope. If Ningzhou wants to develop, education must be the top priority!"

“How many three-year periods are there in a person’s life?”

Gu Jingzhi said: "They are the hope of Ningzhou's future. Their parents are guilty, so let them pay the corresponding price. There is no need to implicate the children!"

"Of course, if their parents are the main culprits, they are naturally not included! Also, even if these children do misbehave after enrolling, they will naturally be disciplined and managed by the government!"

Jin Yongnian, the magistrate of Lingnan County, thought for a moment and frowned, saying, "My Lord, you are so lenient with these criminal slaves, but what if they refuse to convert?"

"rest assured!"

Gu Jingzhi smiled slightly and said, "I don't deny that the situation you mentioned will not happen, but I believe that if we do this, most of them will not only not refuse to convert, but will redouble their efforts!"

"We are officials, and the people call us their parents. We naturally cannot exploit them. They make mistakes, but we must give them hope!"

Hope...is sometimes the scariest thing in the world.

If all one sees is despair, one will either choose to die in silence or resist in silence!

But if there is a glimmer of hope, they will spare no effort to fight for it!

This is human nature!