Sun Ce woke up after sleeping for more than half an hour. Mijiu had a little stamina, but he was strong and he woke up as if he had been in his original state and was full of energy. However, the alcoholic smell in the room was so fragrant that Yin Wei had to open the window for breathing.

Yin Ge and Mi Lan prepared some side dishes. Their skills came from Yuan Quan. Although they were a little inferior, Sun Ce was a little tired of having dinners these days. Suddenly, he ate lightly cooked porridge and refreshing side dishes. His appetite was wide open. He drank two big bowls in a row, which was a bit overwhelming. After dinner, he took a walk in the yard to digest food.

The sound of footsteps sounded outside the door, Zhang Hong appeared at the door, looked at Sun Ce, and was a little surprised.

"The general is sober?"

Sun Ce touched his nose and smiled reluctantly, "Why, the news of my drunkenness spread so quickly, do you know?"

Zhang Hong smiled slightly. "The general is the destiny of a phoenix bird. He moves from the sky, but if you do anything, it is not only Wancheng, but the whole world will be shaken."

Sun Ce looked at Zhang Hong for a moment and laughed "Puchi". Zhang Hong turned around and looked around and sniffed. "It smells so fragrant. Is Mrs. Yuan here? I haven't used dinner yet. If there is anything left, give me some."

Sun Ce blinked his eyes, not knowing what to say for a moment. When did Zhang Hong become so free and easy, or was he pretending to be free and easy? He gave Mi Lan a wink at Mi Lan. Mi Lan understood and ordered someone to take it, and smiled and said, "Sir, misunderstanding, Sister Yuan didn't come. It was us who imitated him. Just ask Mr. to try it. If there are any shortcomings, please forgive me."

"It's okay, it's okay, a famous teacher produces a great disciple. Just smelling this smell, you will know that it has seven or eight out of charm. Speaking of which, the last time I tasted Mrs. Yuan's craftsmanship was three years ago. General, time flies so fast."

Sun Ce was also a little moved. The waiter brought dinner, but Zhang Hong was not polite. He took his seat by himself, drank two bowls of porridge, put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and it was over. Sun Ce saw it and was very surprised.

"Sir, have been eating so quickly?"

"I used to it, but now I'm used to it. If you have too many things, save some time. I'm very sad when I've been here these days, I'm having a banquet every day. I heard that the general got drunk in Wan City, and I was secretly happy."

Sun Ce looked at Zhang Hong's haggard face and a hint of apology surged in his heart. Zhang Hong is not the kind of person who is passionate about his career, otherwise he would have been in office long ago and he would not have to wait until he invites him. Even if such a person may be a bit conservative in his governance strategy, he is unlikely to deliberately indulge in his interests. For them, the distinction between justice and profit is self-evident, and it is tantamount to insulting his personality.

Sun Ce's originally heavy and dark mood became much clearer. "Sir, I went to Wan City not only to drink, but also heard a lot of news, including many that were not good for Mr.

"I know, so I come and listen. I usually hear flattery, but no one will speak in person." Zhang Hong sighed and smiled bitterly: "General, I sometimes doubt whether I have done something wrong. Nanyang is an imperial village. Although the people are luxurious, people in Nanyang are used to being proud of them. Few people will be so respectful to officials. Now, even wealthy families will laugh at officials with only one's appearance. General, is this the prosperous era you are looking forward to?"

Sun Ce's eyebrows trembled slightly. He looked at Zhang Hong's eyes, laughed, and wanted to speak but stopped. He didn't know how to answer Zhang Hong. He didn't want to see things like "Nanyang Prefect Cen Gongxiao, Hongnong became a leader but roared", and did not want the powerful to roar in the countryside, annex the land, compete for manpower and material resources with the court, and create centrifugal power, but he wanted to see that everyone was afraid of officials like a tiger? Even if people with economic strength were like this, what would ordinary people use to protect their dignity?

A prosperous era with thousands of horses is not the prosperous era he wants, nor is it the real prosperous era.

Sun Ce pondered for a moment. "Sir, I heard that the prefect's house is full of guests every day, and there are several thresholds changed. Is the same with sir?"

"It's almost the same."

"Does ordinary people still have a chance to see the face of Mr.?"

"It's more difficult." Zhang Hong said lightly: "If I open the door and refuse anyone, I will not be able to do anything. I will not only be the chief secretary of the general, but also the prefect of Nanyang, Wan Ling, and maybe I will also serve as the commander of the city gate of this city. As long as I have power and can control some people's positions, it may fall on me."

"So, the general only receives those big merchants, such as Wancheng Wu, Huyang Fan, etc."

"Yes, they are creditors, they lend a lot of money to help the general defeat Yuan Shao, and they will rely on them to help the general fight against the court in the future."

"Confront the court?" Sun Ce tilted his mouth, a smile bloomed from the corner of his mouth. "Sir, how do you plan to rely on them to fight the court?"

Yin Gui brought the tea, Zhang Hong picked up the teacup and took a sip. "General, I have not found a specific solution yet, but in order to benefit from the silk trade, the imperial court did not hesitate to make ordinary people lose their clothes. I am very disgusted. I plan to reduce the supply of cloth to Guanzhong, but there are too many small and medium-sized merchants and cannot act in a unified manner. Only by letting them withdraw and the business is concentrated in the hands of a few people, can I arrange the center."

Sun Ce drank tea and waited quietly.

"Have you ever wondered why these small and medium-sized merchants with average strength would rather go to Guanzhong to do business than sell locally? Although Jingzhou cloth prices are low, not everyone can afford new clothes."

"Why?"

"Because the price of cloth in Guanzhong is high, it is profitable. Most local people have just had food and clothing, but they don't know if they can do this in the future. Even if they have money, they dare not use it. They have to save it in case of unexpected results. As for those who have just moved from Guanzhong and Luoyang, they dare not use their limited income to buy new clothes. I checked and found that many of them were working in workshops, because there were too many people working, and the price of servants has dropped again and again, exceeding the decline in cloth prices."

Zhang Hong sighed. "The general doesn't know that the taxes in Nanyang have increased rapidly in the past two years, almost 20% to 30% each year. The increase in taxes is a good thing, but the increase is also unsuccessful. Take Wan City for example. There were less than a thousand households in the past, but now it has exceeded two thousand. The number of merchants has doubled. The number of municipal officials is insufficient. Everyone has to bear more things, but the salary does not increase. It is inevitable that some people will be dissatisfied. The phenomenon of filling private bags is repeatedly banned. After investigation, many old officials would rather have to leave their posts, and the staff are even less than enough. The investigation is loose, and the administration is corrupt and out of control. General, we are also in a mess now. This is like Nanyang, Nanjun and Jiangxia, the situation in Jiangxia will only be more serious. Li Tong and Wenpin are not as far away as Yan Xiang when you have time. If you have time, ask Du Ji and see what he says. General, I always feel like an old cow and can't do it."

Looking at Zhang Hong, who looked helpless and even a little frustrated, Sun Ce pointed. He knew the problem. Zhang Hong once reminded Guo Jia that the Legalists' approach of seeking control of all matters was difficult to achieve. He now encountered similar problems. The rapid economic growth, especially the rapid development of industry and commerce, put forward higher requirements for administrative management. The previous management method could not keep up, and the number of officials who were familiar with government affairs was insufficient and had begun to drag down.
Chapter completed!