Chapter 227: The power of the state does not extend below the county level, but only to the clans below the county level? Rectifying the Yixing officialdom starts with the county officials

After receiving the order, Lu Feng quickly took action.

He was fully aware of the importance of this mission. Every moment could be a matter of life and death, so he did not dare to delay for even a moment.

With the assistance of a thousand households of the Jinyiwei in Changzhou Prefecture, they quickly launched a comprehensive investigation of Yixing.

However, the enemy's cunning and caution made the investigation slow and difficult.

Several days passed, and despite their best efforts, they still failed to find any definite clues about the target person.

Lu Feng couldn't help but feel anxious. "Time is running out. If we can't complete the task as soon as possible, the consequences will be disastrous."

Just as Lu Feng was preparing to expand the search range and increase efforts, an unexpected discovery made his eyes light up.

"You said that the Hangzhou government will hold a funeral tomorrow and send the body back to Anji County for burial?"

When Lu Feng heard the information provided by the captain of the Jinyiwei of Changzhou Prefecture, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Since ancient times, Chinese people have emphasized returning to their roots. No matter where you go, you will eventually return to your hometown.

However, Zhu Gang had specifically explained before that the suspect had followers in Anji County who were covering for him.

Now, the direction where Hang Siding's family is returning to happens to be Anji County, which needs to be investigated in depth, which makes Lu Feng suspicious.

"I will report this situation to His Royal Highness Prince Jin immediately. You should closely monitor the funeral procession of the Hangzhou Palace.

If they set out for Anji County, report to me immediately by carrier pigeon."

The Jinyiwei now has a total of 14 thousand-household units, and each person usually manages a part of the area.

The captain of the Jinyiwei of Changzhou Prefecture was not allowed to enter Huzhou Prefecture to handle cases without an imperial edict, and Anji County happened to be under the jurisdiction of Huzhou Prefecture.

Just as Lu Feng was preparing to report his work to Prince Jin in a hurry, Zhu Gang himself had already arrived at the county government office with 38 county officials selected from the prison car team, ready to take up his post.

"County Magistrate Hang, you told me before that Yixing not only lacks a county magistrate and a chief clerk, but also has a serious shortage of county clerks in the six departments.

These past few days, I have carefully selected some capable officials and sent them here to help you. "

Looking at the 38 new county officials standing behind Zhu Gang, Hang Siding said quickly, "Yixing doesn't have so many vacancies for county officials. I'm afraid we can't arrange for these talents sent by His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin."

Zhu Gang knew very well that the phenomenon of imperial power not extending below the county level was a long-standing problem in feudal society.

The root cause of this phenomenon lies in the existence of local interest groups and local autonomy.

Even in the Ming Dynasty, when the monarchy and centralization of power were unprecedentedly strengthened, county-level units were often "local emperors" in their respective locations.

But as the most powerful vassal king of the Ming Dynasty, what Zhu Gang had to do was to change the minds of these "local emperors".

Let them understand who has the final say in this world.

“I have long heard that these two sayings are circulating in the local official circles.

The power of a country does not extend below the county level, and only the clans are below the county level.

All clans are self-governing, self-governance relies on ethics, and ethics relies on gentry.

I used to think it was just an isolated phenomenon, but now it seems that is not the case.

Hang Siding, Hu Weiyong died because of forming a clique for personal gain, you wouldn't have forgotten it so quickly, right? "

The term "clique" is traditionally a derogatory term. On the one hand, as Han Feizi said, it can easily block the channels of communication and form a one-man show.

On the other hand, in our impression, forming a clique is always associated with the word "selfishness".

People believe that anyone in a clique will only seek personal gain for themselves, and not for the happiness of the public.

Therefore, "cliques" in history are always like rats crossing the street, and people try to avoid being called members of a clique.

Most importantly, cliques are extremely harmful to the king. They create internal friction, exclude dissidents, disrupt order, corrupt work style, and confuse right and wrong. They are the enemy of governance.

Kings since ancient times have always been wary of "factions".

Once similar signs appeared, the emperor would take decisive measures to strike hard.

Moreover, even Hu Weiyong, who was such a high-ranking and powerful person, had his entire clan exterminated by Zhu Yuanzhang.

How could Hang Siding, a seventh-rank county magistrate, dare to have anything to do with "forming a clique for personal gain"?

"Your Highness Prince Jin, please understand. I am only discussing the matter at hand.

The registered households in Yixing are now less than 20 li. According to the court's regulations, there is no need to appoint a county magistrate and a chief clerk.

Besides, the county officials currently in office have not made any mistakes, so there is really no reason to dismiss them!"

Zhu Gang nodded thoughtfully and said, "If I remember correctly, Changxing County of Huzhou Prefecture on the southwest bank of Taihu Lake is adjacent to Yixing.

If these two counties were merged, the registered households would be enough to reach more than 20 li."

Although Hang Siding hoped very much that the area under his jurisdiction could be expanded, he felt more uncomfortable than eating a fly when he thought that he would soon have to take on the two additional positions of county magistrate and chief clerk.

After all, although there is only one word difference between the county magistrate and the county magistrate, their responsibilities are very different.

As the head of a county, the magistrate is in charge of all government affairs in the county, including taxation, administrative adjudication, public security, education and other aspects.

They are not only the core of local administration, responsible for implementing the policies of their superiors, but also manage various affairs within the county.

The duties of the county magistrate include taxation, river management, public security maintenance, household registration management and other tasks.

They are deputies to the county magistrate and are usually in charge of special affairs.

However, the county magistrate in the Ming Dynasty was an eighth-rank official, and he had a special power, which was to impeach the county magistrate when necessary.

The chief clerk has the dual duties of secretary and accountant. While assisting the county magistrate in handling affairs, he can also coordinate the cashier situation in the county.

In other words, if Yixing had a chief clerk, it would be equivalent to taking away Hang Siding's financial power.

In addition, since the county magistrate could be impeached when necessary, Hang Siding suddenly felt that his good days were coming to an end.

Fortunately, one of his county officials from the criminal department stepped forward in time.

“Your Highness, Prince of Jin, Yixing is under the jurisdiction of Changzhou Prefecture, and Changxing County is under the jurisdiction of Huzhou Prefecture.

Without the imperial decree issued by His Majesty, the matter of merging the two counties together would probably have to be considered over time."

Zhu Gang did not respond immediately. About half an incense stick of time later, he suddenly looked outside the county government office.

"I seem to hear someone making a noise. Zheng Keyuan, go out and take a look. What happened?"

Zheng Keyuan, who was standing not far away, bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left the lobby of the county government.

Only about a cup of tea later, he brought in several angry people.

"This is His Majesty the Prince of Jin. His Majesty has decreed that before the provincial governors are established, the Prince of Jin can exercise the power of the Secretariat with the help of the golden medal bestowed by the Emperor.

If you have any grievances that you want to appeal, just tell His Highness directly."

As soon as Zheng Keyuan finished speaking, the leading citizen took out a booklet from his bosom.

He then knelt on the ground and said in a loud voice: "I, Chen Shouliu, a commoner, sue the county official Gu Mingjie for deliberately withholding the 'passes' of my brother and nephew in order to prevent them from arresting corrupt officials and entering the capital.

This is the Great Edict written by your Majesty himself. I would like to ask, is what is said above true? "

(End of this chapter)