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Now, if any local government dares to issue bonds, the central inspection team will immediately come down.
When Zhao Jianyang saw Zhang Pukai looking so terrified before even starting anything, he immediately got angry: "The central government prohibits local governments from issuing bonds. What right do we, a small county like Hua'an, have to issue bonds?"
I'm talking about a loan, a bank loan! It's secured by collateral, and it's for legitimate business, so what are you afraid of?"
Governments cannot issue bonds, but borrowing is still permitted, though few people will do so because it is too shameful for the government to borrow money from the public. Conservative officials would never do this; only radical officials would.
The best way for the government to borrow money is through banks. It's very difficult to borrow from private individuals because ordinary people don't have that much money to lend, and even if they did, they wouldn't lend it to you.
Banks are different. The most widespread one now is the Bank of China. This bank is directly managed by the central bank and the Ministry of Finance. It lends money to all of China on an equal footing. Moreover, they are tasked with easing monetary policy. As long as you dare to borrow and can provide collateral, they will lend.
As for whether local governments dare to default on their debts or refuse to pay, banks would really dare to seize and auction off your county government compound. No amount of bullying will work, because they have powerful backers.
If local governments dare to use their administrative power to pressure banks, banks will dare to summon the central government's joint financial and tax working group!
Chapter 216 Why should I take the blame for borrowing money based on my own abilities?
Zhao Jianyang's radical idea left Zhang Pukai, an official from the previous dynasty, speechless with astonishment. No matter how much he wanted to climb the ranks or how determined he was to become the county magistrate, he would never have dared to come up with a way to borrow money to achieve political success.
"County Chief, please think twice! Even if you have connections in higher places, you can't withstand the pressure if you do this. If we really borrow the money, the province and the city will be watching us and causing trouble!"
Zhao Jianyang sneered, "Looking for trouble? Then bring it on! If they're so capable, let them return the stolen money from before. It's clearly our money. We got it back, but they won't give it back. What kind of behavior is that?"
Zhao Jianyang slammed a pile of case files and documents on the table: "Whoever comes looking for trouble, show them these. Either they return the money, or we'll borrow it!"
"This mess wasn't caused by the two of us, nor by Hua'an County, so why should we take the blame? If the higher-ups withheld the money, we'll figure out a way ourselves!"
"If anyone says we're doing something wrong, let them take these documents. If anyone dares to take these papers, I'll pretend nothing happened, I won't lend any more money, and I won't get involved in these projects!"
Zhang Pukai finally understood why this person became the county magistrate at such a young age. He was a local official before he was even thirty. He had to admire that kind of spirit.
If the higher-ups don't agree, then Hua'an County can justifiably shirk responsibility. How can anything be done without money? Whoever disagrees with these documents will have to take them away.
These project and funding approval documents are all printed with official seals and signed by the former county head. They are all backed by the government's credibility. Who would dare to pretend that they never happened?
Even if the mayor came, he wouldn't dare take these documents away; whoever takes them would be held fully responsible.
Zhang Pukai also compromised and cooperated: "County Chief, lending money is no problem. I can negotiate the interest rate down to four percent per annum. Those leeches in the bank, they suck blood even more than corrupt officials."
"It's easy to lend this money, but it's hard to get it back."
Zhao Jianyang reassured them, "Don't be afraid. We're not putting money into our own pockets. The money we lend out is for legitimate purposes. Once the road is repaired and the dock is expanded, we'll be able to do it."
Traffic will be smoother throughout the county, economic exchanges will be more frequent and denser, and tax revenue will definitely increase. The central and local governments will split the revenue 30/70, and we can also split it 30/70 with the province and city.
And the river embankments definitely need to be repaired. There are so many fertile fields on both sides of the river, all excellent irrigated land. Because of the floods, nobody dares to cultivate them. Once the river embankments and reservoirs are repaired, this year's agricultural output in the county will double!
"If we develop the economy and agriculture, what are we afraid of not having money to pay off our debts?"
“We didn’t build the roads and docks for nothing. The leader once said: ‘Build roads with loans, repay loans with tolls!’ Toll booths will be set up at the docks and on the roads. Ordinary people can pass by without any problem, but merchants and vehicles will have to pay tolls, five cents or ten cents each time. Do you think they can’t afford to pay?”
"Little by little, and with the addition of government revenue, we can still manage to cover the loans!"
Zhang Pukai asked, "What about the expansion and renovation of the town government office? That will cost a lot of money. Once the town government is finished, they can't just charge a toll, can they?"
Zhao Jianyang pointed at Zhang Pukai and said, "Old Zhang, no wonder you've been acting county head for so long and still haven't been promoted to the official position. You've only been trying to find connections above you, you don't have anyone down below. I think the only person you have a decent relationship with is Lin Jishun. The other town heads don't take you seriously."
"If you don't think about them, why should they think about you when it matters most?"
“When I came to Hua’an County to work on water conservancy projects, I couldn’t stand seeing those dilapidated temples and post stations that had been converted into town governments.”
"The staff's offices are drafty, how can they work in peace? The town government doesn't even have a proper setup, what will the people think?"
Conservative officials believe that a dilapidated government office can demonstrate integrity, but in reality, this is a case of too much of a good thing. If it's too dilapidated and lacks any semblance of order, the people won't take it seriously and will instead think it's just a makeshift operation.
Of course, it can't be too exaggerated. If it's too exaggerated, then it's just nonsense, and the people will hate it too.
Once the basic shape is in place, that's enough: a two-story brick house, draft-free, with offices for each department, and a national flag erected at the entrance. That's what a government should look like.
The common people will also have a basic sense of awe after seeing this. The government cannot make the people too afraid, but it also cannot let them be too unruly. It must maintain a balance.
Upon hearing Zhao Jianyang's words, Zhang Pukai slapped his forehead: "No wonder I've always felt insecure about being the acting county magistrate; it turns out I have no one to rely on!"
“The county head is right. This grassroots government building must be built. The eight town heads have said in several meetings that their office space is too cramped. This time, let’s just lend them money to build it and make them convinced.”
Zhao Jianyang nodded: "Yes, that's more like how a deputy county head should act. If you're always looking back and forth, you'll never be able to keep up with the times, let alone be an official. Even if you were doing business, you'd never be able to catch up with the latest developments."
“When I was the director of the water conservancy department, wasn’t it always the case that we got the project started first and then figured out how to raise the money? If we all relied on the higher-ups to allocate funds to the county first and then get things done, by the time it was too late, we would have accomplished nothing in our entire term.”
"Let's get things done first, and figure out how to get the money later. If we don't have it ourselves, we'll ask the city for it. If the city won't give it to us, we'll make a fuss at the provincial level. If the higher-ups really won't give it to us, we'll borrow it from the bank!"
“Once the roads are repaired, the houses are built, and the docks and river embankments are in place, do you think the authorities would let us demolish them?”
Zhang Pukai was still a little worried and asked, "What if we really can't repay the bank loan in the end?"
Zhao Jianyang thought for a moment and said with ill intent, "During my tenure, I can pay interest first and then principal later. At least I can afford to pay the interest. After five years at most, when I am transferred, I can let the new official take over and figure out a solution."
"I can pay off most of it, more or less. If I'm lucky and the economy improves, I won't feel any pressure after paying it off."
Zhang Pukai's face grew darker and darker as he listened. If Zhao Jianyang was transferred, then the new official would most likely be him, Zhang Pukai: "County Chief, you can't let me down! If I take over and you leave me with the mess, what am I supposed to do?"
Zhao Jianyang laughed and said, "Have you forgotten what you said to me the moment we met?"
"The dripping water from the eaves is passed down from generation to generation; the new official doesn't settle scores with the old one!"
"Alright, alright, go out and call all the section chiefs over. We've finished discussing things, and we still need to hold a meeting with the others. This is something we all need to work on together."
"Don't sabotage me at the upcoming county government meeting. Just stick to what we discussed. If you try anything funny, I'll deal with you. I'm the top leader, and you're the second-in-command. If we clash, I'll only get a minor punishment, but you'll be in serious trouble!"
Zhang Pukai was convinced and could only helplessly go out to announce the meeting. He didn't have the courage to challenge Zhao Jianyang; he simply couldn't outmaneuver the new county head's methods.
Zhao Jianyang is a man who can't stay still even under Zhao Yan's nose in the capital. He has seen many old foxes in the central government, but he couldn't beat them, so he was sent to the countryside to gain experience.
If you can't handle the central government, and you can't even handle a bunch of lowly Karamis at the local level, then you might as well give up. You'd be too embarrassed to admit you followed Zhao Yan when you go out.
If Zhao Jianyang really wanted to, he could have completely suppressed Zhang Pukai and rendered him powerless, but there was no need for him to do so.
In officialdom, completely sidelining a colleague is a very dangerous act. Those below will feel disheartened, and those above will think you are too domineering.
If you do something like this, on the surface you'll have unparalleled power, but in reality you'll lose people's support, and no one will dare to work with you anymore.
But how much work can one person do? You can't do much even if you work yourself to death. In the end, everyone has to work together to get things done and achieve results.
This highlights the importance of a united team. Unity is strength. This may sound abstract, but it is absolutely true.
All the county government officials arrived at the courtroom to wait, but Zhao Jianyang didn't keep them waiting and arrived shortly after them.
The subordinates also witnessed how decisive and efficient the county magistrate was. He had just taken office, held an inaugural meeting, and then immediately started a work meeting.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. When he was the director of the water conservancy department, he had traveled all over Hua'an County. He probably knew the specific situation of Hua'an County better than Zhang Pukai, who had been living in the county town for many years.
Zhao Jianyang was not a stranger to Hua'an County; in fact, he was an acquaintance. All the section chiefs present knew him.
Once everyone was present and the meeting began, Zhao Jianyang didn't waste any more time and quickly recounted everything he had just discussed with Zhang Pukai.
After hearing this, the people below started discussing it. They all felt that the new county head was too reckless, mortgaging the county government compound. They thought that the county head might be transferred to the city for promotion and wealth, but they were all here to live and work in the county.
These section chiefs and other officials are all eighth-rank officials with little hope of advancement. They just want to stay in their local area and live a peaceful life, more than anyone else.
As for political achievements, what do I care? I'm not going to get promoted, so why would I need political achievements?
Zhao Jianyang turned his head to look at Zhang Pukai, his eyes full of meaning: They can't get promoted and don't want to get promoted, do you not want to be the county magistrate either?
Zhang Pukai had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak up, supporting Zhao Jianyang's idea and siding with the new county head.
Zhang Pukai now understands that unless he is content to coast in his position as deputy county head and wait for retirement, he has to work incredibly hard. Otherwise, without achievements, the higher-ups will parachute in another county head, and he probably won't even have the chance to act as deputy county head then.
The only chance was to curry favor with Zhao Jianyang; if Zhao Jianyang achieved political success and was promoted, the opportunity would be to succeed him.
Even clinging to someone's coattails isn't easy; you still have to put in the effort, otherwise you'll just be wasting your time.
The higher-ups aren't blind. If you don't achieve results, you'll stay where you are. At most, they'll let you act as an agent for a short time. Only if you achieve results will you be promoted.
The current system in the officialdom of the Republic is a dual selection process of peer recommendation and superior consideration. Both are indispensable. One must have support from below and appreciation from above in order to be promoted.
After Zhang Pukai stepped forward to support Zhao Jianyang, his role and status as deputy county head became apparent. After all, he was the second-in-command and a local bigwig. Once he stood up for Zhao Jianyang, all the discussions in the meeting room disappeared.
Once the top leader and the second-in-command agree, who would dare to continue opposing them? They wouldn't even dare to make sarcastic remarks. They just don't want to be promoted anymore, not that they don't want to stay in the job.
Zhang Pukai may not be good at much, but if you mess with him, he's more than capable of ruining things. He might not dare to ruin the new county magistrate, but dealing with the section chiefs and clerks below him is a piece of cake. After all, they are seventh-rank officials.
After the meeting, the county government took the lead in reaching a consensus on the idea of borrowing money for development, and began to take action the very next day.
County Head Zhao Jianyang convened a meeting with all town heads to deploy various project implementation plans, telling each of them that the county was about to undertake something big, and that they should simply follow the decision-making process.
After hearing that they were going to build an office building for them, the town mayors stopped listening to anything else and didn't care anymore. As long as you build the building for us, we'll listen to you no matter what. We don't care about anything else, as long as the office isn't drafty.
Meanwhile, Deputy County Head Zhang Pukai, along with the Finance Department Chief and others, went to the bank to discuss loan matters with the bank manager. They needed to discuss the specific amount that could be borrowed, the amount of collateral required, and the necessary procedures.
Officials from the county government's infrastructure and water conservancy departments also went on business trips to Changsha to find construction companies in the provincial capital and select a cost-effective company to contract these projects.
With multiple initiatives underway, Zhao Jianyang began implementing sweeping policies just a few days after taking office.
Chapter 217 Immigration
Just as the southern provinces were embarking on vigorous new policy reforms, the north was experiencing a surge in people leaving their hometowns.
In the summer of 1910, North China was once again hit by drought and locust plague, leading to reduced grain production.
The disaster affected a wide area, but it was not severe. Compared to the major disasters recorded in history books, this year's disaster can only be described as insignificant.
But it's also quite frustrating that this land is almost always plagued by disasters and troubles; every year there are all sorts of unexpected problems.
This year, the data reported by Shandong, Henan and Hebei provinces showed that only more than 300,000 people were affected by the disaster, and only four or five hundred people starved to death.
In other words, once a republican government was established, everything, big or small, had to be reported to the central government. Otherwise, in the Qing Dynasty, such minor matters would never have reached the Forbidden City; they would have been dealt with locally, resulting in the starvation of a few hundred people—a trivial matter!
Zhao Yan was speechless after seeing these reports. The central government was used to it. It would be abnormal if hundreds or thousands of people didn't starve to death in the Central Plains every year. The reported figures were in the hundreds or thousands, but the actual number was estimated to be several thousand.
This data looks alarming, but it's actually just the natural attrition rate in the Central Plains.
No matter how much disaster relief funds the central government provides, it will never be enough for the Central Plains and North China. Giving money and food is only a temporary solution and never a fundamental cure.
The root cause of the problems in North China is still the population problem. The population far exceeds the carrying capacity of the land. Shandong, which is mountainous and has little land, is surrounded by the sea on three sides and is mostly inland with hills, yet it still has more than 37 million people.
Needless to say, the situation is even worse in the heart of the Central Plains, such as Henan and Hebei. The North China Plain alone accounts for more than a quarter of the entire population of the Republic. After thousands of years of cultivation, the land here has long been barren.
At present, the central region has not yet fully completed industrialization, nor does it have the capacity for widespread use of chemical fertilizers. With so many people crowding together in North China and the Central Plains to beg for food, it would be strange if no one died.
In this situation, Zhao Yan had no choice but to accept the situation, and the central government was unable to make a complete change. The only option left for the higher-ups was to make a firm decision to push for the migration of people from the heart of the Central Plains.
If you can't support so many people, then go out and explore. Why keep struggling on this barren land? There are so many beautiful places to go.
The Immigration Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued an order to the provinces in the Central Plains to further promote the immigration strategy. In short, it means that your land has too many people and the per capita arable land area is less than 1.5 mu, so there is no need to fight to the death.
You have a large population but limited land, while the Northeast, the Gobi Desert, and the Northwest are sparsely populated. The central government is tired of the endless disaster relief efforts; let them all immigrate.
Those who choose to stay and starve to death should not blame the government, but those who are willing to leave and emigrate will be provided with subsidies and free land in their new emigration areas.
Driven by higher authorities, the wave of people migrating from the Central Plains to Northeast China has intensified. In the past, only those who were starving would take such risks, but now even those who are not starving are thinking about leaving this crowded land.
Besides venturing into Northeast China, other options emerged, such as going to the northern deserts to claim land and engage in a "people eat sheep" movement, or going to the northwest to reclaim wasteland and realize the dream of becoming a farmer. Taking a whip and planting cotton in the fields was also quite a good option.
The latest version even adds a "Going to Southeast Asia" sub-version, where the central government encourages and supports citizens of the Republic to go abroad to Southeast Asia to make a fortune and become landlords, and recognizes dual citizenship. No matter where they go, as long as their ID card is not torn up, they are still citizens of the Republic.
The massive wave of migration is growing stronger. After all, even animals migrate when they feel that the environment is not suitable for survival, let alone such an intelligent species as humans.
July 7, 1910, Yantai Port, Shandong.
Yantai Port is now the main departure point for Shandong immigrants venturing into Northeast China. From Yantai Port, they could travel directly to the coast of North Korea and Liaoning, and after landing, they could head to the land where their new lives would begin.
Shandong immigrants were also a very popular source of labor in the four northeastern provinces. Shandong men, who love to chew on pancakes, can adapt to any place. They are hardworking, good at outmaneuvering others, and as diligent as animals.
But the biggest advantage is that Shandong people respect power and are incredibly docile in the face of it, doing whatever the government says.
Among the immigrant groups, the most honest and obedient to the government's arrangements are the people from Shandong, while the most troublesome and disruptive are the people from Hunan and Guangxi. Even if these people are sent to reformatories in Northeast China, they still won't settle down.
They are always good at courting disaster, and their success rate is astonishing. Even if no one tries to stop them, they will still do all sorts of crazy things and eventually get themselves killed.
But once they manage to stir things up, they often become local tyrants.
The four northeastern provinces have concluded that immigrants from the four provinces of the Central Plains are generally obedient and honest, and very compliant with public authority, while the unruly people from the southern regions of Hunan, Guangxi, and Guizhou are always disobedient and like to go against the grain.
Northern immigrants fought in groups primarily for victory, using knives, guns, and clubs at most. However, when they conquered the southern barbarians, they preferred to fight to the death, using rifles and explosives in the process.
Currently, the large influx of immigrants from various regions to Yantai Port is clearly being treated differently.
"Huh? Are you kidding me? We've come all this way, not to work for you and do hard labor. We're here to be landlords. You think we're here to cut down trees in the old forest? Do you think I'm here for odd jobs?"
"That's right. A large group of us came all the way from western Hunan. The government has said it will give us land, so why won't you?"
"That's right, we've even brought our guns and ammunition. If they don't keep us here, we'll go to Liangshan!"
The immigration officer in charge of allocating people at the port was furious: "Outrageous! You unruly people, how dare you be so picky? If you're so capable, go and become bandits, and the garrison will wipe you out!"
Immigration points were set up in various parts of North China to arrange for immigrants to travel to their destinations in an organized and orderly manner, rather than rushing in in a chaotic and disorderly manner.
Generally, those who crossed the Guandong region traveled by boat along the Shandong coast to migrate to Northeast Asia. They first gathered at ports near Shandong, then were registered by immigration receiving teams sent by the four northeastern provinces, and then were rationally distributed.