On the fifth day of October, Zhan Zhaoheng came to Huai'an Fucheng.

Arriving at the Yin Hotel in the government office, Wu Zongrui saw Zhan Zhaoheng waiting with a smile on his face.

"Brother Yueru, congratulations."

Zhan Zhaoheng quickly clasped his fists and bowed his head in salute.

"How do you know that you are going to the countryside to take the high school exam?"

The change in Zhan Zhaoheng's attitude is normal. When he was a cadre student, he only had the reputation of being a scholar. It was very difficult and almost impossible to become an official. Sometimes he didn't care much about things and wasn't special.

Be cautious. Once you pass the provincial examination and go to high school, it means that you have already stepped into the court. When facing officials, your attitude will naturally change.

"Of course I know. What, is Brother Yueru planning to go to the capital to take part in the examination?"

"Yes, I came here this time, firstly, to thank you for your encouragement, and secondly, I hope to continue to receive your teachings."

Wu Zongrui looked at the respectful Zhan Zhaoheng and shook his head slightly.

"Brother Yueru, I don't have anything to teach you anymore. You took the provincial examination and understood a lot of things. As for taking the national examination next, as long as you keep a calm mind, high school will not be a problem."

"Thank you for your kind words, sir. I will do my best next time."

...

During the conversation, Wu Zongrui learned that in the Nanzhili Township Examination, Yang Tingshu High School Xie Yuan, Wu Weiye, Zhang Pu and others were also in high school. They had rushed to the capital to prepare for the examination in February next year.

Zhan Zhaoheng talked about Fushe. After a period of silence, Fushe started many activities again. This time Zhang Pu and others went to the capital immediately after the provincial examination. In fact, they wanted to gain some support in the capital.

Wu Zongrui doesn't care much about Fushe anymore. Fushe prospered through three large-scale rallies. The rally that was originally planned to be held in Nanjing City was successfully blocked by Wu Zongrui, which has greatly affected Fushe's reputation. The following time

Inside, it is not very possible for Fushe to regain its previous prestige.

Besides, if Fushe really starts to rise, Wu Zongrui will also find ways to suppress it.

Wu Zongrui is also a scholar, and he is also a person who has traveled through time. He has a different feeling from ordinary people about scholars in this era. Most of the scholars think only of fame and fame. It is not necessary to say that they are complicated. After ten years of hard work,

No one asks, once you become famous and known all over the world, any scholar will have this idea. It is the eternal expectation of scholars to honor their ancestors and return home in fine clothes. Unfortunately, scholars in this era are not lucky.

The great chaos is coming, and scholars are faced with difficult choices. Some scholars have made shameful choices based on their own interests, leaving a stain on history. It is also a tragedy of the times.

Wu Zongrui knows that the choices he makes will also be tortured by history, so it is the best choice to not care about the eyes of the world and follow his own path.

Of course, the overall goal is to make the country prosperous and let the people live a comfortable life with a clear conscience.

Early the next morning, Zhan Zhaoheng said goodbye and headed to the capital.

Wu Zongrui took Luo Dianyong and five other guards to the water transport terminal.

After taking office for more than a month, Wu Zongrui has not visited the water transport terminal. He has too many things to do and really can't spare the time.

Huai'an Fucheng prospered because of water transportation, everyone knows this.

The water transport wharf is a top priority. Every year, tens of thousands of water ships are inspected by the water transport yamen at the water transport wharf. The water ships stay here, and merchants traveling from south to north also trade and stay here. In order for the water transport to proceed smoothly, the imperial court

Many warehouses were specially built at the water transport terminal to store grain, including two Changying warehouses, two Changping warehouses, three reserve warehouses and five Zhuang warehouses, all of which were used to store grain.

Around the pier, there are countless shops, inns and restaurants, row upon row, making Huai'an Fucheng extremely prosperous.

Wu Zongrui's visit to the Water Transport Terminal was actually just a formality. It should be noted that all matters at the Water Transport Terminal are under the direct jurisdiction of the Water Transport Governor's Office and have little to do with him, the prefect of Huai'an Prefecture. Matters including order maintenance at the Water Transport Terminal are directly under the control of the Water Transport Soldiers

Responsible.

Everyone knows that the water transport terminal is a piece of fat. Yang Yipeng, the governor of the water transport, often asks, and Zhao Shiqi, the commander-in-chief of the water transport, will not leave the matter of guarding the water transport terminal to the Three Thousand Water Transport Battalion controlled by Wu Zongrui.

However, as the prefect of Huai'an Prefecture, it would not be justified if the headquarters went to the water transport terminal to have a look.

Seeing shops and restaurants in the distance, Wu Zongrui dismounted, followed by the guards around him.

The streets were very lively and bustling with people. On the pier in the distance, dozens of water transport ships were parked. The ships were filled with grain, and some people were busy covering the grain with felt cloths.

The grain-sitting hall set up by the Governor's Palace at the dock is very conspicuous. In a separate mansion, there is an arrow tower about five meters high. From the arrow tower, you can observe the situation of the entire water transportation terminal.

There are sergeants standing guard at the entrance of the mansion, and there are also sergeants standing solemnly on the arrow tower.

People coming and going in and out of the Government House of the Water Transport Bureau hold water transportation documents in their hands, with smiles or anxious expressions on their faces. The water transportation fleet has obtained the official seal of the water transportation governor's office, which means that

The grain inspection has been completed and you can leave for the capital or the north.

The Grain Hall is a symbol of power. No matter where the water transport fleet comes from, they must come here to accept inspection by the officials of the Water Transport Governor's Mansion.

Wu Zongrui had long learned from Xinyi Gang Qin Zhirui that the officials in charge of the Grain Hall were all extremely wealthy. Every water transport fleet that entered the Grain Hall to go through relevant procedures had to pay tribute in varying amounts of silver, otherwise

Don't even think about getting the water transportation documents. If the water transportation fleet is delayed at the dock for too long, the cost will continue to rise, and you may not make a penny in the end.

Unknowingly, Wu Zongrui, who was holding the horse, walked to the front of the grain sitting hall.

A man in coarse cloth came over. Just as the guard was about to take action, Wu Zongrui waved his hand.

The man came over, looked at Wu Zongrui, smiled and spoke.

"Do you want water transportation documents? Ask me for help. I guarantee you will get the water transportation documents right away."

Wu Zongrui looked at the proud man and the coarse cloth he was wearing.

"Why, can you get the water transportation documents? By coincidence, our fleet has just arrived at the dock. I plan to go to the Grain Hall to have a look."

"Ha, I guess you've found the right person. Fifty taels of silver, I guarantee you'll get the shipping documents right away."

"Isn't that right? We have more than 80 water ships. We can get the water transportation documents with only fifty taels of silver."

A look of greed flashed through the man's eyes, and he spoke immediately.

"What I'm talking about is fifty taels of silver to get the water transportation document, which is stamped with the seal of the governor's office. After you get the document, you have to fill in the specific amount of the grain. Of course, you need more money."

"Then tell me how much money our fleet needs to get the water transportation documents."

"For eighty watercrafts, it will cost you at least a thousand taels of silver to complete all the procedures. Of course, come to me and I can give you a discount. You don't need that much silver."

"Just tell me how much money you need."

The man looked around and at the other people around Wu Zongrui.

"In this way, let's go to the side to talk. It's not far ahead at the Sihai Inn. Let's go there and talk in detail..."

Wu Zongrui frowned slightly. He didn't expect that when he came to the water transport terminal for the first time, he would encounter such a thing.

Qin Zhirui once said that the Sihai Inn belongs to the Sihai Gang. This inn is not very famous at the water transport terminal. It has done a lot of bad things secretly, including extortion, forced buying and selling, etc. However, the Sihai Gang has a backer behind it.

In addition, he didn't do anything bad that would make people angry, so no one would pursue him.

The man in front of me was wearing too ordinary clothes. He was probably not a core member of the Sihai Gang, but just an errand boy who received some reward.

Thinking of this, Wu Zongrui waved his hand.

"Forget it, I'd better go to the Grain Hall to have a look. If I can't get the water transportation documents within a short time, it's not too late to go to Sihai Inn."

"That's right, that's right. Then go to the Liang Hall to have a look first. Don't forget that if you can't get the water transportation documents, go to the Sihai Inn. After you go there, someone will naturally contact you.

"

...

The man in coarse cloth walked away slowly, and when he turned around, he did not forget to look at Wu Zongrui.

"Sir, my subordinates are going to catch this person right now."

"No, this is not a place under the jurisdiction of the government. We don't want to cause trouble. Just come and take a look."

The water transport terminal, where merchants gather, is prosperous and prosperous, and there must be many sinful activities behind it. It is impossible to say that the governor's office of water transport does not know, or that Zhao Shiqi, the commander-in-chief of water transport, does not know about it. The incident of the official and bandit family is not uncommon.

Maybe behind the Sihai Inn there is the support of an official from the Water Transport Governor's Mansion.

There is no need for Wu Zongrui to pour muddy water.

There are still people coming and going at the entrance of the Liang Hall. In two months, 1.5 million shi of grain needs to be transported to the capital and the north. The average is 750,000 shi a month. The average daily grain needs to be transported exceeds 20,000 shi.

Shi, this number is very scary. It means that hundreds of water transports need to be transported every day to complete the water transport task.

There must be damage to water transportation, including shipwrecks, breakdowns, etc., which all need to be reported. For example, the Xinyi Gang dispatches hundreds of water ships at a time, and the damage report range is about 10%, which means that 90% of the canal grain can be reported

It is considered very good if it is transported to the capital and the north.

As for the corruption involved in reporting losses, there is no need to say more.

After wandering around in front of the grain hall for a while, Wu Zongrui had no intention of going in and looking around, and he was not interested in continuing to wander around the water transport terminal. This was not his sphere of influence, and the things that happened, big and small, had nothing to do with him.

Anyway, it was just a formality. Arriving at the water transport terminal showed that he was already concerned about things here.
Chapter completed!