Chapter 453 Draw a Circle in Shicheng

In the next few days, Zhao Jun arranged the tasks and began to walk around Beiping City.

He patrolled everywhere, overlooking the entire city, and also inspected the situation outside the city.

The weather has been getting hotter recently, and Youyan may face drought, so we still have to make some preparations.

First, let the government unite with the noble families and mobilize the people to dig ditches.

Second, mobilize grain from Bianliang.

Since the direct canal between Hebei and Bianliang was opened, there has been a canal that can directly send grain from Bianliang to Zhuozhou.

With the improvement of transportation capacity, the disaster resistance capacity will naturally increase, which is enough to cope with the possible drought.

In addition, there is a certain transformation plan for Beiping City.

Including in which areas to build large-scale construction, mobilize manpower and material resources from the south, and start building cement plants and brick factories.

This is also to accumulate certain experience for the future urbanization development of the Song Dynasty.

After all, although Bianliang has begun to develop towards modernization, in fact, there are not many changes in the inner and outer cities, only buildings are being built outside the city.

In addition, the sewage discharge capacity of the newly built tube buildings outside the city of Bianliang is also a problem.

The earliest tube buildings were built without sewer pipes. The residents could only use toilets and then carry them down to the septic tank.

There are special feces workers to deal with these feces. They are hired by the court and finally make fertilizers to sell to farmers, which becomes one of the sources of part of Kaifeng Prefecture's fiscal revenue.

It was not until last year that newly built buildings began to use painted steel pipes as sewer pipes and built septic tanks underground near the buildings, which made a slight change.

This is also one of the reasons why people live in high-rise buildings outside the city, while the outer and inner cities are just bungalows and wooden houses, but outside the city is a slum.

Although they live in high-rise buildings, the civil infrastructure, living facilities and convenient locations are not as good as those in the city, so naturally they can only be lived in by migrant workers, and it has become a slum.

Zhao Jun believes that Beiping has a favorable geographical location. Although the three northeastern provinces have not yet been recovered, the Song Dynasty can first use the ethnic minorities in the northeast to seize resources.

And Youyan Road itself has resources, such as Shicheng, which is Tangshan in later generations, is a famous steel production base.

As the saying goes, the world looks to China for steel, China looks to Hebei for steel, and Hebei looks to Tangshan for steel.

If Tangshan and Handan, two of the best steel production bases in China in later generations, are fully utilized, then the Song Dynasty can complete industrial accumulation and improve the primary stage of industry in a short period of time.

In addition, Shenzhou and Xinzhou, that is, Shenyang and Zhangjiakou areas, will serve as trade channels connecting the Mongolian grasslands with the three northeastern provinces.

Then the final intersection of these two roads must be Beiping Prefecture.

So the future prosperity of Beiping is a foregone conclusion, not only because of the current geopolitical factors, but also because later history has already proved this.

In this case, if the Song Dynasty court takes advantage of the baptism of war in Beiping City and the situation where everything is in ruins, it is the best choice to carry out modern urban construction.

For example, the Song Dynasty is fully capable of reconstructing sewers on wasteland, building urban water and electricity systems, and planning new markets, commercial streets, residential buildings, railway stations, industrial production areas, etc.

This is equivalent to rebuilding Beiping City and creating a modern city model, so that other cities in the Song Dynasty can have a reference in the future.

Based on this consideration, Zhao Jun stayed in Beiping for a few more days and did not set out for Shicheng until mid-May.

The specific location of ancient Shicheng is in Kaiping District of Tangshan City in the future, eight or nine kilometers away from the center of Tangshan City. It was just an ordinary village in the Song Dynasty.

The only difference is that as early as the Tang Dynasty, someone discovered gold mines here, but not in Tangshan, but in Qianxi County, north of Tangshan, Jinchangyu Town in the Yanshan Mountains, eighty or ninety kilometers away from Tangshan City.

Zhao Jun actually didn't know that the natural resources of Tangshan City were not in the urban area, but in Luanzhou, Zunhua, Qianxi and other places below. When he arrived in Shicheng, he was disappointed for a while.

Shicheng is no different from other counties in Youyan Road. The endless North China Plain seems to have no end in sight. There are villages and fields everywhere. A lonely city stands on the plain. It is neither desolate nor prosperous.

Occasionally, a few caravans pass by on the official road in the distance, coming from Liaoyang, then going south along Hebei to Zhuozhou, and then going directly to Bianliang through the Yongji Canal. At most, they just rest there.

In addition, there are more forest resources. There are jungles everywhere on the surrounding plains and wilderness. The farther north you go, the denser the forests are.

It was noon, and the sun was getting hotter.

The governor of Luanzhou and the magistrate of Shicheng heard that Zhao Jun was coming, and came to greet him with a group of officials.

After the return of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, the north returned to the old name of the Tang Dynasty.

For example, the Liao Dynasty called Zhangjiakou Fengshengzhou, and the Tang Dynasty called it Guizhouzhou. The Liao Dynasty called Beijing Nanjing Prefecture, and the Tang Dynasty called it Youzhou. The area from Tangshan to Qinhuangdao was called Pingzhou in Liao Dynasty, and Luanzhou in Tang Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty has always advocated that it is the legal successor of Tang Dynasty, so many administrative plans are based on the old system of Tang Dynasty, and the newly recovered Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will naturally be no different.

"The subordinate greets the prefect!"

The prefect of Luanzhou Zhou Bangli, the magistrate of Shicheng County Zhao Hui, as well as the prefecture magistrate, the prefecture lieutenant, the county magistrate, the county lieutenant and other officials of all sizes gathered.

You should know that the officials of a prefecture and a county are very busy now. There are prefecture police cases and county police stations under the jurisdiction of the Central Police Department and the Road Police Department, which are managed by the prefecture lieutenant and the county lieutenant.

There are also branches of the National Taxation Bureau and local taxation bureaus under the Ministry of Taxation. The Audit Bureau under the Ministry of Statistics, the Dali Yuan under the Dali Temple, the Supervisory Yuan under the Ministry of Supervision, the Transportation Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation, the Resources Bureau under the Ministry of Natural Resources, etc.

Generally speaking, although there are not as many government functions as those of a city or county in later generations, the basic hierarchical, specific, corresponding, and responsible functions have been perfected, and the system is relatively sound.

That is, what exactly this department is responsible for, so that the functions at all levels will not be unclear and they will blame each other as before.

The result of this is that a county may only have a population of tens of thousands, but there are more than ten or even twenty high-level officials. The number of officials is very large.

But let’s just say whether the problem of redundant officials has been solved.

As long as an official is no longer like before, just having an idle official position where he receives a salary every month and does not work, but has a specific position and specific work, then he is not considered a redundant official.

Zhao Jun looked at these officials who were worried. He stepped out of the carriage and said with a somewhat unhappy expression: "Are you all very idle? It hasn't rained a few times in Youyan in recent days, and there are signs of drought. If you don't do your own work in the office, What are you doing here?”

The officials outside were all shocked. They all looked at each other in confusion. They felt the hairs on their backs standing on end. It didn't matter if they stood still and walked, or if they didn't walk.

Yang Wei, who still accompanied him for inspection, quickly came to the rescue and said: "Zhiyuan, it is the official's dereliction of duty. He has been busy with family affairs these days. He forgot to notify the Luanzhou government office and asked them to only send a few main officials to receive him. That’s it, they’ll get it wrong and they’ll all come.”

"Except for the magistrate of Luanzhou, the magistrate of Shicheng County, and officials from the Luanzhou Shicheng Natural Resources Bureau, everyone else should have dispersed."

Zhao Jun waved his hand and said: "In the future, only the main officials are required to receive Shangguan. The other officials, except for those who correspond to the subject, must do their jobs in their own government offices."

"yes!"

Many officials then left one after another as if they had been granted amnesty.

Only Zhou Bangli, the magistrate of Luanzhou, Zhao Hui, the magistrate of Shicheng County, and two officials from the Luanzhou Natural Resources Bureau and the Shicheng Natural Resources Bureau were left outside the city. The rest were gone.

After everyone left, Zhao Jun looked around and saw that this was the official road to the west of Shicheng City. The official road was now blocked by his guards. Although there was no one there, he still said: "Look for a film outside the city first." Set up camp in the open space.”

He had too many guards, more than 300 of them, and a lot of carriages and baggage. When passing through prefectures and counties on weekdays, they did not live in the city, but camped directly outside the city.

The Shicheng County Magistrate said hurriedly: "The magistrate has been tired from the journey, and the official has prepared wine and food in the city."

"Well, well, let's go eat first."

Zhao Jun nodded and immediately ordered the guards to camp outside the city. He and the accompanying officials entered the city.

However, when he walked into the city gate, he did not go to the county office immediately. Instead, he suddenly changed his mind and climbed onto the city wall to look around.

I saw that Shicheng was flat everywhere, an endless plain scene, with only the Yanshan Mountains to the north towering into the clouds.

Where did the mine come from here?

Zhao Jun frowned and looked towards the Yanshan Mountains in the north.

He is not from Tangshan. Whether it is later generations or now, this is the first time he has come to this area of ​​​​Tangshan.

Because he didn't know much about Tangshan, before he came, Zhao Jun thought that Tangshan City should be a place with mining areas, or at the worst, there should be a mountain called Tangshan.

As a result, not to mention mountains, even small hills with a height of tens of meters are very few.

As it is now, it is unlikely that there will be minerals in the urban area of ​​Tangshan City. Even if there is a mine, it should be buried deep underground, otherwise the ancients would have already started mining and smelting iron.

Zhao Jun stood on the top of the city, facing the scorching sun. Many officials behind him wiped their sweat, but no one dared to speak.

After a moment, he asked: "Where is the director of the Shicheng Natural Resources Bureau?"

"The official is here."

An official in his thirties stepped forward.

Zhao Jun asked: "Have you ever explored Shicheng? Have you dug deep into the ground to see the minerals? This is the task of your Natural Resources Bureau, right?"

The official raised his hands and said: "When I return to the magistrate's court, the Shicheng Natural Resources Bureau was established only after the establishment of the Shicheng government the year before last. We don't have enough personnel to explore every part of the county, but we have indeed explored it. The main resource is timber. ”

"There are no other minerals such as coal and iron ore?"

"No."

"Is that so?"

Zhao Jun frowned, and then asked: "Where are the people in the Luanzhou Natural Resources Case?"

"The official is here."

The informant of the Luanzhou natural case came forward.

Unlike later generations where the functional government departments of a province were at the department level, high-level government offices in the Song Dynasty were often called a certain division, such as the Third Division, the Economic and Comfort Division, the Transportation Envoy Division, the Punishment and Prison Division, etc.

The subordinate departments of the department are cases. For example, among the three departments, the Salt and Iron Department has jurisdiction over seven cases including military cases, armor cases, commercial tax cases, capital salt cases, tea cases, iron cases, and equipment cases.

Originally, the chief officer of the case was called Yan Jianwen, and the adjutant was called Kong Mu, and the superiors and subordinates of the ministries, divisions, and cases were also very confused. Sometimes the subordinate units were also called a certain department or a certain department. After Jingyou reorganized, he made adjustments.

For example, the chief officer of the case is changed to Quan Zhi of such and such case, which is referred to as Zhi case. The four levels of department, department, case, and bureau were determined, which corresponded to the provincial departments, city offices, county offices, and township departments in later generations, each with its own internal functions.

Seeing the officer in charge coming over, Zhao Jun asked: "What is the distribution of natural resources in Shicheng and surrounding areas? Are there any coal or iron mines?"

The judge replied: "There has been no exploration yet, and no coal or iron mines have been discovered. Our Luanzhou Natural Resources Case was established too short ago. Now we are just convening people from each county to explore the situation in their own counties, but there are many deep mountains and old forests. "

"Well, it's not your fault. Have you discovered any minerals in the area before? Have you ever asked the local people to see what they have discovered in the mountains?"

Zhao Jun asked again.

The judge thought for a while and said, "There is a gold mine, but it has been abandoned for a long time."

"Oh? Where?"

"In the Black Stone Mountain northeast of Zunhua."

"Mark the location and I'll take a look."

Zhao Jun waved his hand behind him.

Jiang Dalang understood and took out two maps from his arms.

The first is an ancient map of Luanzhou, and the second is not simple, it is a modern map.

This is what the artist drew based on Zhao Jun's map of China. It includes screenshots of modern Beijing and most of the surrounding areas, and the content is very detailed.

After all, there are differences between ancient and modern names. The reason why Zhao Jun was able to determine that Shicheng was Tangshan City in later generations was because he had this later map and the ancient map for comparison.

Jiang Dalang handed the two maps to Zhao Jun, and Zhao Jun then handed the ancient one to the official in the natural resources case.

Although it is an ancient map, it is actually drawn based on Zhao Jun's modern map, except that the city markings in it are based on ancient standards. The most typical thing is that the modern map has Tianjin City, but the ancient map does not.

The official was very surprised when he saw the map, but it was too detailed. After thinking about it, he pointed to the map 40 kilometers northeast of Zunhua County and said, "It's probably at this location."

"Um."

Zhao Jun took his own modern map for reference and saw the same location. It marked Jinchangyu Town under the jurisdiction of Qianxi County in later generations.

Obviously, in the Song Dynasty, Xi County had not yet been moved to the west, which was under the jurisdiction of Zunhua County. No wonder there were no mines in Shicheng, and all the feelings were in Zunhua.

This is normal. In later generations, these places were under the control of Tangshan. Zhao Jun had never been to Tangshan and didn't know much about it. There were no mountains or mines marked on the map, so he naturally didn't know the specific situation here.

Now that I have been to the local area in person, I understand that there is probably no mineral production in the urban area of ​​Tangshan. All the minerals come from the Yanshan Mountains in the north. The minerals are just transported from the mountains to Tangshan for industrial construction.

Thinking of this, Zhao Jun drew a circle in the large area south of Zunhua and Qianxi, north of Shicheng, east of Yutian, and west of Qian'an: "Where is the governor of Luanzhou?"

"The official is here."

Zhou Bangli stood up quickly.

"You immediately organize relevant personnel from the natural resources department in Luanzhou to conduct geological exploration of this area and go deep into the mountains and forests to search for minerals."

Zhao Jun clicked on the map location and said: "Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you still have to find the mine. Do you hear me?"

"yes!"

Zhou Bangli responded loudly.

"Um."

Zhao Jun put away the map, looked around, and said: "Shicheng is a good place. We will move the Luanzhou government here in the future. After the minerals are found, we will build a port in the south and vigorously develop it!"

As long as the Shicheng Iron and Steel Works is established, why worry about the lack of steel in the Song Dynasty?