"Wonderful, God is really helping me!" By the Fen River, Liu Cong stepped on the muddy loess and looked up to the sky laughing.
Since spring, it has been rainy in Hedong, Pingyang, Xihe, Fengyi, Shangjun and other places.
In summer, the rain becomes heavier.
The once arid sandy land is lush with vegetation.
The once-defunct river gurgled with water.
Hedong, Pingyang, which used to be rich in water and grass, - well, there was a flood.
Fortunately, the water was not strong. The four counties of Hedong, Pingyang, Hongnong, and Fengyi together flooded more than a thousand homes and affected thousands of people.
Last spring and summer when Jizhou merged with the state, the scene of drought in Jizhou is still vivid in our minds. Although farmers have watered it in every possible way, the grain harvest has still dropped sharply, resulting in a large number of refugees. Hedong and Pingyang have been injured, and their mansions have been emptied. Inside the wealthy manor
The grain reserves were also exhausted, eventually allowing people from Hebei, Henan and even Shangdang and Taiyuan to recruit a large number of Dingkou.
This year it rained more heavily, and it was exactly the same as last year.
However, the rains in the Hedong and Pingyang areas are not heavy enough to flood the counties. Although the grain harvest will be reduced, it is much better than the drought, because the latter has a very terrible side disaster-the locust plague.
Drought is conducive to locusts laying eggs, and a locust plague will inevitably occur in the second year. If there is more rain in the second year, many locust eggs will die directly, and it will be less likely to cause a locust plague.
This year, it has been rainy for days in the Fenshui and Yellow River basins in the southwestern Bingzhou, eastern Guanzhong and the Yellow River basin. The locusts have not been able to get serious, but the situation is miserable in other places.
A few days ago, when Liu Cong returned from inspecting Wuling Road, he saw locusts covering the sky and the sun heading east and south.
I heard that there are also large locusts in Taiyuan, Shangdang and other places.
Locusts appeared in Jizhou and Sizhou, gnawing at crops.
There is also a locust plague in the western half of Guanzhong. He has sent people to investigate and have not returned yet.
Chen Yuanda followed Liu Cong, slightly worried.
There was also a locust plague within the territory of the Han Dynasty. Even though it was not as serious as that of the Jin Kingdom, how could your majesty be so happy?
But he didn't dare to say it.
It is true that he has always shown himself to be loyal and courageous in admonishing others, and he has risked his life to remonstrate many times in the past, but this time the words came to his lips and he swallowed them back.
Your Majesty has made quite a change in the past two years.
In the past, he could stay in the harem for one month and not come out for three months. He indulged in lust and played with women every day and refused to listen to his advice. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood and died.
Since the year before last, His Majesty has had fewer casualties, women have played less, construction of some palaces and castles has also been stopped, and he has visited various places many times. His desire to cheer up is very obvious.
Chen Yuanda was extremely satisfied in his heart, and sometimes he would say a few words that he liked. Forget about what happened today, if His Majesty could not come to power due to what he said, he would give up on himself and go back to the harem to indulge in sex, but he would not be able to cry.
.
Furthermore, the situation in Pingyang has been unstable and very bloody recently. Even someone as loyal and upright as him must avoid it.
Liu Can followed closely behind his father.
In fact, he came back from Guanzhong with great joy: he was already the crown prince of the Han Dynasty.
The emperor's younger brother Yi died, accused of treason.
Yes, Liu Yi, who was under surveillance and under house arrest in the East Palace, "conspired to rebel".
Liu Cong and his son have "evidence".
Wang Ping, a member of Liu Can's party, quietly told Liu Yi that the situation in Pingyang was unstable and there was fear of chaos, so he asked everyone in the East Palace to wear armor under their robes. Liu Yi believed it and ordered to act accordingly.
After Liu Can got the news, he immediately sent someone secretly to report Liu Cong - this is called "fishing law enforcement".
Liu Cong didn't want to believe it, and he wasn't willing to kill Liu Yi. After all, he was his younger brother. He also missed the late Empress Shan.
Seeing his father's hesitation, Liu Can immediately sent people to arrest more than ten Diqiang chiefs in Pingyang, and used the "Great Memory Recovery Technique" to imprison the Diqiang chief's head on a high wooden grid with wooden shackles, making his feet unable to move.
They landed on the ground and burned the chiefs' eyes with red-hot iron, so the chiefs were forced to hand over Liu Yi's "confession" of rebellion.
The "evidence" was conclusive and there was nothing more to say, so Liu Yi was first deposed as the king of the north and then killed.
When Feng Yi, Qiang and Di heard the news, they were in commotion, and some people directly rebelled.
Liu Can was well prepared and sent troops to quell the rebellion. Since most of the Di and Qiang chiefs died in Pingyang, the group was leaderless and the rebellion was out of control, so the rebellion was suppressed that month.
Liu Can also took the opportunity to go on a killing spree, purging the officials of the Eastern Palace and those who were usually friends with Liu Yi. He often exterminated clans and implicated them, resulting in the death of no less than 15,000 people.
Now two months have passed since the incident, and everyone in the civil and military dynasties is a little frightened.
Liu Can's reputation for ruthlessness resounded throughout Pingyang, and no one dared to oppose his rise to power.
The dark clouds have dispersed and the scorching sun is shining brightly.
Liu Cong continued to walk along the Fen River and said: "The locusts flew south, making Shao thief suffer too. I heard that he just arrived in Qingzhou, is there a locust plague there?"
Liu Can thought for a while and replied: "The giant locusts in Jizhou and Qingzhou are definitely inevitable. It's a pity that the locust plague is not as severe as it was seven years ago, otherwise Shao Thief will be unable to move."
Chen Yuanda's eyelids twitched.
Looking forward to the locust plague, is this what people say?
However, the weather has been really bad in the past ten years or so.
Seven years ago, there was a locust plague that could be called world-destroying, and all the cattle and horses were eaten. At that time, Wang's army attacked Henan and was finally forced to withdraw.
This year's locust plague is slightly less severe, but still spectacular.
Yongzhou, Bingzhou, Jizhou, and Sizhou have all been affected, and Henan will probably not be able to escape. At most, the disaster will be slightly lighter.
The reason is actually drought.
A folk proverb goes, "When the drought is extreme, locusts appear."
The great locust plague seven years ago corresponded to the Luoshui River being cut off. This year, it was due to the drought in the previous two years that the seedlings were not good.
It's not easy to live in this world.
He then thought of the more than 10,000 people who died because of Liu Yi's incident, and couldn't help but sigh.
In the struggle for power in Jin, would so many people die? It shouldn't happen.
Last year, a large number of people fled due to drought. This year, floods and locust plagues have damaged the vitality of the Han Dynasty. As a result, 15,000 people were killed in Pingyang, and more than 10,000 people were killed in Feng Yi's rebellion. The power of the Han Dynasty is really in decline.
Last month, the crown prince defied all opinions and relocated more than 10,000 herdsmen from various tribes to the westward journey to Guanzhong. It seemed that he was not wrong.
If this continues, it will be really difficult to unite the provinces, so it is better to stay in seclusion and defend yourself.
However, such self-defense is not easy.
Shao thief pacified Qingzhou, and his power reached as far as Huai River in the south, Youzhou in the north, Hongnong in the west, and the sea in the east, encompassing the heart of the Central Plains. It was already an unshakable behemoth, unless he suddenly died suddenly, but so what
Is it possible? He is only thirty years old.
Chen Yuanda sighed again and followed Liu Cong, Liu Can and his son to inspect the counties.
****
In fact, before Qingzhou could wait for the locust army from Jizhou to move south, there was already a locust plague in Qingzhou.
As soon as the locust wings touch, they immediately turn red and warm (turn from green to brown), become ferocious and overwhelming like a swarm of bombers, landing in the fields that are not yet fully mature, feasting on them.
At that time, Shao Xun had just returned to Guanggu. When he heard about the locust plague, he immediately knew something was wrong.
"How is Yanyu?" This is what he is most concerned about.
The right Sima Yangchen of the shogunate was still in Guanggu and immediately reported: "There is also a disaster."
Shao Xun's face turned ugly.
Zhang Bin took out an official letter, pushed it in front of Shao Xun, and said: "Don't worry, Ming Dynasty. The disaster in Sizhou is indeed serious, but only some counties in Yanzhou and Henan were affected by the disaster."
Upon hearing this, Shao Xun immediately asked someone to spread out the map, scratched it with his finger on the official letter that had just been sent, and breathed a sigh of relief.
To put it simply, there are no "native locusts" in Yanzhou and Henan. Most of the affected counties are close to Si, Hebei, and Qingzhou, so they are considered external disasters.
A large number of locusts have hatched in Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Sizhou. They first do evil locally, and then fly to other places with the wind. Fortunately, it is summer now, and the southeast wind is dominant. Even if there are locusts flying over, there will not be too many.
——Of course, the local locusts in Qingzhou may invade eastern Yanzhou and northeastern Yuzhou, but the disaster level will definitely decrease.
As long as the whole army is not wiped out, that's fine! He breathed a sigh of relief.
With Yuzhou here, he has the ability to provide disaster relief.
Alas, at this point, we still have to rely on Yuzhou!
"Order: The construction of Liang Palace is suspended, and the grain and beans of Yandi Pavilion in Henan are shipped to Qing, Si, and Hebei."
There are still a lot of slaves in Miyagi City. They were originally refugees, but now they are also prisoners of Qingzhou. After the project is suspended, food consumption will be greatly reduced.
"In counties and counties in Yuzhou, the amount of grain and beans distributed by wealthy families is limited to five million dendrobium. That's all. Let's consider this number again and see how much we can get."
Yuzhou is a region where the two-year and three-crop system has been relatively well promoted.
Thinking back to the super locust plague seven years ago, Shao Xun relied on the winter wheat harvested in May to withstand the wave.
Many counties in Yuzhou planted overwintering wheat after last year's autumn harvest, and the harvests were completed in May. There will be relatively sufficient food, which is perfect for disaster relief.
“Counties affected by the disaster must rush to harvest grain, regardless of whether it is ripe or not.”
In places where the two-year and three-crop system is not implemented, spring planting and autumn harvesting are still practiced. There is still one month until harvest, and I can’t wait any longer, so I can only harvest by force. It would be good to recover some losses.
"Let's do this first." Shao Xun glanced at the locusts everywhere outside the door and said, "Transmit it immediately without any mistakes."
"Ming Gong." Zhang Bin reminded: "Over in Yuzhou, it's best for Ming Gong to come forward in person, otherwise I'm afraid we won't be able to raise much food."
Shao Xun thought for a moment.
As a political animal, he originally wanted to stay in Qingzhou to provide disaster relief and build up his reputation. Now it seems that Zhang Bin was right. The landlords and wealthy people in Yuzhou would not hand over the food readily, so he had to go back and argue in person.
——As for sending officials to waffle, the landlords and wealthy people themselves are officials.
"Okay, I'll go back right away." Shao Xun said decisively.
"Ming Gong, if possible, please raise more grain." Zhang Bin said again: "The disaster in Sizhou is serious, and the people of Hu and Han are in dire straits, so it is the right time to appease them."
Yang Chen couldn't help but glance at Zhang Bin.
How is this man so smart? When others received the news, their first reaction was to provide disaster relief, but Zhang Bin was already thinking about how to take advantage of this locust plague.
Should I say he is calm or cold-blooded? However, such qualities are indeed a good strategy.
Yang Chen remembered this person.
"Meng Sun's strategy is quite impressive." Shao Xun nodded and said, "I will consider it."
Zhang Bin cupped his hands and said nothing.
He doesn't care what other people think.
In the more than three years since his surrender, he has rarely been involved in scholar circles and has always lived in seclusion.
As a counselor, you should do your job well.
On July 13, Shao Xun left most of his military supplies in Guanggu and led his army back west to Bianliang.
Chapter completed!