Chapter 275: Riding the Wind to Send Fire, the Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

The moment Lu Zhenfei said this, Wu Kongjia immediately perked up.

On the grand strategic level, Lu Zhenfei was certainly the one seeking his counsel, but when it came to these concrete methods of getting things done, this was precisely what Wu Kongjia currently lacked. Facing the overt and covert counterattacks of the pure critics, the Yongchang Emperor had made various compromises and opened various loopholes, yet he had never yielded an inch on this bottom line of "practical affairs."

By now, the rule that a prime minister must rise from the provinces seemed unshakable.

Those officials who had previously taken the pure-critic path had become a minority in the face of the many practical-affairs officials in the Six Ministries and the localities, and some had even lost their factional appeal because of it.

Therefore, no matter how deeply he, Wu Kongjia, was favored by imperial grace, he would surely have to make a tour of duty as a county magistrate; he might as well seize this chance to learn by observing from the side. He saw Lu Zhenfei set down his teacup, his expression calm, and say slowly:

"The art of judging men has a doctrine of four observations: observe a man when he faces money, observe a man when he faces calamity, observe a man when he is off guard, and observe a man after he has drunk."

"This quarrel was, in fact, a deliberately designed 'calamity' and 'off guard' moment."

"That is also why I pulled you all out and did not remain on the scene."

"Whether we leave or stay makes the circumstances of the quarrel entirely different."

Lu Zhenfei smiled smugly, savoring the pleasure of having once been tormented and now tormenting others, and continued:

"Only through such a quarrel will the true colors of each man's talent be revealed."

"In this, character, reputation, persuasive ability, overall planning and organization, and so on—these are things that no amount of testing on ordinary written papers can ever bring out. It is just like how many county magistrates who write dazzlingly brilliant proposals all reveal their true form in the leaderless group exercise."

"Practical achievement ability is utterly different from classical exegesis. Without going through this ordeal, how would I know who is true gold and who is mud?"

"When we later ask Instructor Chen, who remained in the Hall of Illustrious Ethics, among these several dozen men, who is worthy and who is foolish will be clear at a glance."

Wu Kongjia nodded, committing these words of hard-won experience to memory one by one.

He had come up through the once most exalted Hanlin track and indeed had little experience in practical affairs, but during the earlier investigation of the midwives, he had already felt the acute pain of this deficiency.

To elicit the truth across a vast chasm of status was no easy matter.

If one misstepped, a Hanlin academician who appeared lofty and exalted could instead be led around by the nose by those illiterate midwives.

—To actually dare claim a nine-out-of-ten survival rate for deliveries! Absurd!

In this regard, the three of them, Hanlin scholars plus the son of a state duke, were all inferior to Luo Yangxing, and could not even match Ma Wenke, who had assisted at the time. Seeing that he had taken it to heart, Lu Zhenfei continued:

"On the other hand, even if they truly do a poor job, I have long since prepared a fallback charter; readjusting it would be a matter of a quarter hour at most. That would be the perfect chance to use this opportunity to knock down their arrogance a peg."

"In short, whether the outcome is good or bad, it is all within my grasp."

He paused, his voice dropping a few degrees, carrying a chill sense of realism:

"In the final analysis, these four groups are nothing more than makeshift troupes thrown together on the spot."

"All the authority and rewards they hold at this moment are but illusions and bubbles."

"These groups will certainly be continuously adjusted as the New Policies progress. The able rise, the mediocre fall—that is the true principle."

"Rather than agonizing over the initial selection of personnel, it is better to use this chance to properly sift through the talent."

"This is also the core that runs through nearly all the courses in the Northern Metropolitan cadre training—people!"

"Military colonies, banditry, land surveys, the White Lotus sect, water conservancy, taxation—among all these many courses, the opening chapter always discusses people first."

"If you cannot explain clearly the single word 'people,' you cannot understand why the world has gone bad, still less know how to use 'people' to make the world good." Wu Kongjia looked at this fellow examination graduate before him, so warm and refined like jade, and a trace of admiration could not help but rise in his heart.

This Lu Zhenfei appeared to be a modest gentleman, but in truth his methods were seasoned and ruthless.

Savored carefully, there was even a hint of the Legalist flavor of "abiding in emptiness and stillness, holding names accountable to realities."

Was it that his nature was originally so, or did that short one-month New Policies training truly possess the magic to utterly transform a man?

Thinking of this, Wu Kongjia simply pressed the question:

"Then back in your Northern Metropolitan training class, what was the topic of that county magistrate simulation discussion?"

"Was the simulated discussion not about how a new official's three blazing fires upon taking office ought to be lit?"

Lu Zhenfei, hearing this, paused slightly in his movement.

His gaze grew somewhat distant, his thoughts drifting involuntarily to that large class where they had argued until their faces were red and their ears hot, a class that had completely overturned his imagination.

Only after a moment did he sigh softly.

"You guessed wrong. It was nothing of the sort."

"In truth, what the topic was does not matter. As that little booklet put it, the key was... comprehensive ability."

"At the time, each group was required to complete, within two quarter-hours, the selection of a group leader, the discussion of the assignment, the division of labor and assignment of responsibilities, and then elect one person to present the plan."

"Setting aside everything else, merely deciding who would be the group leader, who the deputy, who the secretary, and so on was enough to give one a headache."

"One had to stand out, yet also be humble and yielding, and also soothe others, assessing each person's ability to assign them a role—it was truly a torment to the heart."

Lu Zhenfei shook his head and sighed with emotion:

"Under such circumstances, the content of the topic was not the key at all. Coordination, decisiveness, compromise—these were the focus. What's more, that topic back then... was set far too bizarrely, and for taking office now... it was actually utterly meaningless."

Days later, recalling that topic, Lu Zhenfei still could not help but laugh in spite of himself.

"That topic was: 'County Magistrate Simulation—Enemy Alert Defense at Zunhua.'"

"The scenario was that fifty thousand Tartar enemies had invaded, the Three Encampments had been completely annihilated, and at this moment you, as the county yamen leadership, had only two quarter-hours to prepare—what deployment should you make?"

Wu Kongjia, upon hearing this, was also amused:

"That is simply too absurd."

"Beyond the Ji Garrison passes are the Tabunang tribes of the Kharchin, who have always been close to the Great Ming. How could fifty thousand Tartars suddenly appear out of nowhere, and our Great Ming remain completely ignorant of it?"

"Not to mention, since they appeared suddenly, they surely brought no siege equipment and would be an all-cavalry force."

"Then how could they possibly annihilate the entire Three Encampments, with its high walls and deep moats?"

"Since the Jiajing era, how could the Mongols still possess such strength? After Altan Khan, the steppe has long been a sheet of loose sand."

"Let alone the Battle of Qingcheng just a few months ago, where we just fought and won a great victory."

"This topic is set so outrageously; indeed, as you said, it is utterly meaningless."

Wu Kongjia lost interest in the process and only asked about the result:

"Then at the time, among the hundred-odd county magistrates, who stood out from the rest?"

Now that was a good question!

It had scratched Lu Zhenfei right where he itched.

He laughed heartily, raised three fingers, and his face took on a touch of self-satisfaction:

"Even with all that brilliant company gathered there, everyone was tormented by that topic to the point of wishing for death."

"And among them, those who could truly rise above the rest numbered no more than three."

"The first was a man of Changshu — Qu Shisi."

"The second was a man of Huating — Zhang Kentang."

"The third, haha... was none other..."

Lu Zhenfei was just about to let that final name slip out when a sudden knock came at the door.

"Thud, thud, thud."

"Venerable Father-Mother, we have finished our discussion."

The men inside the room paused, then all turned together to look toward the incense burner.

They saw that the incense Li Yeli had filched had, at this moment, still a small half-section left burning.

Wu Kongjia smiled. "It seems this little Laoting has produced quite a few remarkable figures."

Though his enthusiasm had been cut short, Lu Zhenfei was also rather pleasantly surprised.

He suppressed that faint stir of excitement, rose, and adjusted his robes:

"Let us see first. Perhaps they truly thought this was just a simple team-forming game."

"If all they discussed was how to divide into groups, this official will have some scolding to do."

The group returned to the Hall of Enlightened Ethics.

They saw the various government students standing clearly divided, each group arrayed in its own place.

Lu Zhenfei swept his gaze across them, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Just looking at the groupings, one could tell the quality of the discussion — the groups were extremely uneven in numbers!

"Who will report on the situation?" Lu Zhenfei asked evenly.

The government students exchanged glances, and Liu Boyuan stepped out from the ranks, his expression composed.

"Reporting to Venerable Father-Mother, this county's government students, after the dismissal of certain members, now number sixty-three."

"After deliberation, each person concluded that matters have their order of urgency and importance, and should be undertaken one by one, thus arriving at the present groupings."

"This student has been ordered to lead the cadastral survey group. If this task is to be done, it must be done swiftly!"

"Only when the farmland is first clearly determined can the subsequent matters of waterworks and agriculture proceed smoothly."

"Therefore, we absolutely must not imitate other places, where a single survey drags on for half a year or a full year."

"Laoting's literary culture is not vigorous, and its produce is not abundant, but precisely because of this, it is all the more evident that the people are honest and affairs are simple."

"Now that all wills are united as one, every man roused to action, and all are of one mind to accomplish these 'Thirty Policies,' then it absolutely will not require that long."

He paused, abruptly turned and pointed at the crowd behind him, and raised a single finger: "One month! Just one month!"

"All of Laoting, high and low, shall complete the cadastral survey!"

"Laoting shall surely be the first county to achieve success in the Northern Metropolitan Region's new-policy cadastral survey!"

The moment his words fell, the government students behind him, regardless of which group they belonged to, seemed to ignite all at once and roared in unison:

"The first county to achieve success!"

"The first county to achieve success!"

The waves of sound rolled forth, shaking loose the accumulated dust on the rafters of the Hall of Enlightened Ethics so that it sifted down.

Lu Zhenfei's hand, holding the teacup, trembled slightly.

A man of his shrewdness, watching these scholars with fanatical light blazing in their eyes, instantly guessed the story that had just unfolded.

That fellow... no, that kid...

Had absolutely used this honor to brainwash these government students!

Lu Zhenfei had originally thought that his own imitation of the Yongchang Emperor's use of stone-carved stelae to stir their passion was already an exceedingly brilliant method.

He had not expected that beyond one mountain there is always a higher one.

This Liu Boyuan had actually directly seized upon native-place reputation to work his magic!

This was not because he, Lu Zhenfei, was dull-witted, but rather that only someone deeply versed in the hearts of the local people could wield this so deftly.

Lu Zhenfei silently filed this trick away, yet an inexplicable sourness welled up in his heart.

Su'er — Lu's eldest son — it seems your father must bring you here to teach you personally, and can no longer let you bury yourself in book-dead study back in the village!

Look at this fellow's methods! Under the present new policies, dead book-study truly is no longer enough!

Below the dais, Liu Boyuan waved a hand, and the chanting slogans stopped abruptly.

Orders were obeyed and prohibitions observed, with considerable discipline.

He turned to face Lu Zhenfei and continued:

"Matters have their urgency and their gravity, and the personnel of each group have now been set according to this principle."

"The cadastral survey must be completed within one month, so it currently has the most hands."

"After our deliberation, Laoting is organized into twenty-seven li of registered households, and we have assigned two government students to each li."

"Of the two, one is a native of that li, and the other is from an outside li, so that they may supervise each other."

"Thus, even with our utmost efforts at allocation, there remain nine li that happen to have no government students among them, leaving us unavoidably short by nine men."

At this point, a perfectly measured look of difficulty appeared on Liu Boyuan's face:

"This matter — we discussed it for half the day, yet still do not know how it should be handled, and beg the county magistrate for his guidance."

At these words, before Lu Zhenfei or Wu Kongjia could say anything, the two private secretaries beside them abruptly raised their heads, their eyes full of admiration.

What do you mean, you couldn't think of a solution!

You clearly left a gap on purpose, handing the decision up to your superior!

You showed your overall command of the matter without appearing autocratic, and in the end you obediently returned the power of appointment right back into the leadership's hands.

Such a young age, yet already possessing this kind of temperament and craft — it is truly terrifying…

But for Lu Zhenfei, he felt nothing but ease from head to toe, utterly satisfied.

He let out a ringing laugh, and in a mere moment, settled on a plan:

"This matter is easily resolved!"

"For the vacancies, select apprentice students from each township — those one rank below government student — and have people who know them well jointly vouch for them. That will suffice."

"If we still cannot find enough people, then invite the honest and fair-minded men of that ward to accompany the teams and serve in the posts."

At this moment, Liu Boyuan, instead of flattering further, bowed with deep respect and said composedly:

"Your student respectfully receives the Old Father-Mother's instructions. I shall first record this matter, and after I go down to make the selections, I will report back."

"That being so, of the sixty-three government students in our county, counting myself, forty-five shall first belong to the survey group, until the first year of Yongchang. After the first year of Yongchang, we shall await the Old Father-Mother's further arrangements."

With that, he withdrew into the ranks, and to everyone's surprise, said not one more word of nonsense, yielding the stage directly to the others.

Immediately after, Wang Moru and Zhang Guangyun stepped forward together, cupping their hands in salute:

"Your students two shall take charge of the water conservancy group."

"In the first year of Yongchang, waterworks must begin; surveying and planning brook no delay. But for now, we need only devise plans and draw charts, so ten men will be sufficient. When the time comes to truly break ground, the survey work will be finished, and we can just borrow manpower from that side to plan the funds, grain, corvée laborers, and other matters for the waterworks."

Chen Yumen followed right behind them and said in a deep voice: "The farming group of four follows the same principle."

"The farming season is in spring; at present, time is ample. The key now is to visit old farmers everywhere, gather the techniques of 'two harvests in three years,' and use those to draft the initial regulations. After spring begins, we will ask the Old Father-Mother to allocate manpower, lay out plans by township, and together carry out the governance of the thirty."

Finally, Lu Guangyu and Zhong Xiumin exchanged a glance, stepped forward, and declared:

"The oversight group shall also be fixed at only four men. Beyond the two of us, we need only add two more who are young, sharp-witted, and nimble-handed."

"Your student believes that the essence of oversight lies in being well-informed, not in numbers."

"All instances of malpractice shall be reported by the entire body of government students, passed to us for verification, and finally submitted to His Honor the County Magistrate."

"In this way, governing the large with the small — many do the work, but the overseers are few and select — we will avoid having more men than work and a slide into corruption."

This whole scheme left not only Wu Kongjia listening with eyes gleaming in wonder, but even Lu Zhenfei was speechless.

This kind of division of labor and coordination was, in truth, already nearly identical to the fallback plan he himself had prepared.

More crucially, Lu Zhenfei now saw one thing with perfect clarity — among the government students of this county, there was only one pivotal figure: Liu Boyuan.

He knew when to advance and when to retreat, was willing to share credit, could stir men's hearts, and yet could also win their wholehearted submission.

That fellow Liu Tingxuan actually managed to raise such a unicorn of a son?

Green smoke must truly be rising from the Liu family's ancestral graves!

After that, the members of each group came forward one by one.

In just a few brief sentences, each stated his name, his home ward, what he excelled at, and what he did not.

In barely another quarter-hour, all matters were settled, everything in perfect order.

Though inwardly marveling, Lu Zhenfei let none of it show, and simply rode this momentum to push through the remaining items at speed.

Next, the group moved to the Confucian school's archery range to hold the on-the-spot shooting trial.

The August Ming Regulations for Establishing Schools, Dividing Subjects, and Setting Instruction Formats stipulate that all government students, every day at the hour of wei, must drill with bow and crossbow, practice with staves and clubs, and lift heavy stones. Although this regulation had gradually fallen into neglect, in recent years, with frequent troubles on the frontier, and with Leting itself lying in a border region, it had, after all, been maintained reasonably well.

Lu Zhenfei selected the twenty-seven best archers among them and granted each a cup of wine.

He then ordered those skilled in archery to bring their bows, and those who could not shoot to bring long staves, and in a mighty procession they headed for the drill ground to review the able-bodied commoners.

Upon reaching the drill ground, they mustered the men and assembled the squads, conducting a round of contests and selection.

He picked ninety-seven men of sturdy build who could ride on horseback, organized them into the new-policy mounted constables, and gave each three catties of cotton as temporary assignment pay. Only at this point was this entire dazzling combination of blows fully delivered.

Lu Zhenfei immediately issued summonses, ordering the ward heads, elders, and rotating jia heads of Leting's twenty-seven townships and wards to appear at the noon session in three days' time.

He, Magistrate Lu, would conduct an in-court roll-call inquiry into the autumn tax arrears for the seventh year of Tianqi.

The twelfth day of the twelfth month.

The government students formally launched the new policies.

The survey group of forty-five, together with nine newly added apprentice students, took over the Revenue Office's account books, divided them by township and ward, checked the acreage and tax quotas, and recorded every item in doubt one by one.

The water conservancy group of eight divided the river basins by the four cardinal directions, summoned the township elders, and began surveying the terrain along the rivers, drawing maps and charts.

The farming group of four visited the farming heads everywhere and began collating cultivation techniques.

The oversight group of four, having no malpractice to deal with for the time being, simply took over the county jail, began interrogating each inmate's circumstances, and cleared the criminal case backlog. After Lu Zhenfei set the strategy and secured the government student body, the entire yamen, in just a single day, roared into motion.

The thirteenth day of the twelfth month.

Lu Zhenfei had the memorial impeaching the Director of Schools copied several times: one copy was dispatched to the capital, and the other three were delivered to the Liu, Wang, and Zhang families.

On the surface, the word was simply that major county affairs naturally ought to be made known to the worthies of the countryside.

But in truth — well, those who understood, understood.

The fourteenth day of the twelfth month.

After the impeachment matter had fermented for a day, Lu Zhenfei summoned the gentry to the yamen to discuss charitable contributions for water conservancy and agriculture.

The Wang and Zhang families were the first to bow their heads, each donating 1,000 taels, and adding that more would follow once letters from their fathers arrived.

The remaining gentry, finding themselves with no one left to lean on, had no choice but to lower their heads one after another, donating sums varying from 200, to 100, to 50 taels of silver.

The fifteenth day of the twelfth month.

Lu Zhenfei dressed in full formal attire and began the routine morning roll-call, intending to tie up the last loose ends before receiving the township assemblies at the noon session. The court drum sounded; the government students, runners, and clerks of every office called their roll and reported in turn.

However, Lu Zhenfei soon noticed something amiss. He asked in a deep voice:

"Where is Clerk Chen?"

Within the yamen hall, no one answered.

Everyone's mind was clear, and almost without exception they arrived at the same answer — he had fled to escape punishment!

On Lu Zhenfei's tenth day in office, the third day after he seized the government student.

Clerk Chen of the Revenue Office — fled!