Chapter 105 Where to Refugees

Author: Emei Swordsman

Chapter 105 Where to Refugees

In March, the weather turns warmer and the grass and trees are thriving. Jiangnan, which has been nestled for a cold winter, was finally awakened by the warm spring breeze, and the warmth and tenderness of the water town is reappeared among the flying poplar flowers. The branches of the trees sprout out of the green buds, and the fine and fuzzy grass pierces its head through the soil. Under the warm sunshine, everything gradually revives, the earth is full of vitality, and the spring scene is full of brightness.

In addition to plants and trees, there are also floating people's hearts awakened by the spring breeze.

Perhaps it is because the days of wandering have passed for a long time, and people have forgotten the feeling of being frozen and hungry; or perhaps it is because they have a higher pursuit of life after eating and wearing warm clothes, and are no longer satisfied with the current situation.

In short, the refugees nowadays have shown signs of restlessness and have begun to make plans for their own future.

In the Hangzhou Government Office, Gu Yunji walked into the door of the living room and saw Lu Xianzhi, who was discussing affairs with Xu Chengyu, frowned, with a look of worry:

"Last night I caught a few refugees who went to the village to steal things. In addition, nearly a hundred people who stole and robbed in the past half month, and the prison was almost out of the way. I really don't know what to do."

Xu Chengyu sighed when he heard this: "Now the porridge given by the government has decreased, and refugees can no longer fill their stomachs like before. They just need to sit and wait every day. They can't adapt to changes for a while, so there will naturally be more people who have bad thoughts."

Gu Yunji was a little puzzled: "Aren't the government working for relief? There are several water conservancy projects around the city alone recruiting civilians, and nearby garrisons also have military facilities that need to be repaired, and these require personnel. Working on the construction site not only allows you to have enough food but also get money. Don't the refugees want to?"

Xu Chengyu said: "Most people are willing, but many people have developed a lazy and lazy personality by the free food these days. They feel that working on the construction site is too hard and tiring, and they also dislike the amount of money they give and are reluctant to do anything. In the end, they can only steal and rob."

Lu Xianzhi pinched his eyebrows with a headache: "Originally, the best way to resettle refugees is to allocate land and let them take root locally as soon as possible. But on the one hand, there is not much land in Hangzhou Prefecture, and the existing wasteland that can be quickly opened up can only support up to three or four thousand people, and it does not take into account all refugees."

"And many of them are paddy fields. These refugees come from the north and have never planted rice. In addition, the climate in the north and south is different, and the seasons and methods of crop sowing and harvesting are different, so it is not so easy to get started."

"On the other hand, the customs and customs of the north and south are different, and the language and customs of the people are very different. Locals are very cautious about refugees because of previous events. Even if they stay, they are likely to be excluded and isolated and difficult to truly integrate into it."

If they cannot be accepted by local people, even if they have houses and land, they are actually no different from wandering refugees. Moreover, they are quite large in number, and a small friction with local people may lead to large-scale conflicts, which is very unfavorable to the peace and stability of Hangzhou Prefecture in the long run.

What made Lu Xianzhi and others even more troubled was that the refugees' desire to stay in Hangzhou was not strong, or even weak. They were originally natives from the north, but they were forced to go south to seek a living because they could not survive in locust plagues.

The journey is long and difficult and obstacles are endless. Without the help of fellow tribesmen, it will be difficult to get to Jiangnan smoothly. Therefore, although the refugees look scattered and disorderly, they actually have their own small groups, which are closely connected with each other, making it difficult for outsiders to get in.

Such group behavior is not only unfavorable to the government's management, but also a barrier to isolate them from communication with the outside world, making them lock themselves tighter and tighter under the rejection of locals.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunji was also a little worried and fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, he seemed to remember something, and looked up at Lu Xianzhi and Xu Chengyu: "What if he encourages refugees to return to his hometown?"

Facing the surprised gaze of the two, Gu Yunji said slowly: "Since the refugees have gone south, the north must be empty. Now the locust plague has passed and a large area of ​​land is no one to cultivate. The local officials of the northern prefectures must want to introduce population from other places. Instead of trying every means to resettle refugees locally, we should cooperate with northern officials to attract and promote refugees to return to their hometowns."

"For example, while the North has issued various tax reduction and exemption policies to attract population, we will publicize and guide refugees to encourage them to return to their hometowns to develop. This two-pronged approach will definitely be easy for them to accept."

As he said that, he paused: "Of course, if this matter can be led by the imperial court and allocated resources in a unified manner, it will be better."

Lu Xianzhi pondered his words carefully and pondered: "It's a good idea. But what I'm worried about is that when the refugees went south, they sold their ancestral property and moved their families, which supported them all the way to Jiangnan. Now they are penniless, where do they get the travel expenses for them to return to their hometown?"

"If it is simply encouraged and guided, even if the north has issued various policies to attract population, they may not be willing to take this risk." Lu Xianzhi narrowed his eyes and his tone suddenly felt a little chilling, "Unless we force it."

From south to north, thousands of miles away, the refugees had no car or horse, and they didn't know when they would go with their legs. In addition, they had no money, and there was no place to go for food, clothing, housing and transportation. The refugees who had finally eaten for a few days would definitely not want to endure hunger and return to their hometown by eating bark and grass roots.

But if the prefectures in Jiangnan refused to take them in and forced them to return to their hometowns with heavy taxes and torture, the situation would naturally be different. But this is the case, and I don’t know how many people will die on the road.

Thinking of this, Gu Yunji couldn't bear it and murmured in a low voice: "I could have the best of both worlds..."

Xu Chengyu suddenly smiled: "Maybe there really is."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunji and Lu Xianzhi looked at him one after another, staring at him intently and continued: "The court has paid great attention to water conservancy projects in recent years. So he said that last year, there were more than a dozen large and small projects carried out on the front line of the Yellow River alone, and a large number of people were needed everywhere."

Lu Xianzhi's grief was still unabated: "But Jiangnan is still a long way from the Yellow River after all, and even if the refugees want to work, they are powerless."

"What if the jobs were recruiting along the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou?"

"The Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou?" Lu Xianzhi was stunned. "As far as I know, there are no projects underway in the Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou."

Xu Chengyu stroked his beard slowly: "Not at the moment, but it does not mean that there will be no in the future. Nowadays, the transportation of money and grain in the north and south China depends on the Grand Canal, but the canal is seriously silted and the transportation of canals is greatly hindered. Your Majesty has long wanted to clear it, but it has been temporarily put on hold due to various reasons."

"Now that there are refugees who are doing things to guide them, we may take the opportunity to start this project. On the one hand, we can clear the canal and the canal to transport prosperity. On the other hand, we can also let refugees work while going north along the Hebei. The canal is located in the east. When the refugees arrive in the north, they can go west along the Yellow River. The roads are connected everywhere, so there is no problem wherever they go. In this way, refugees can not only have enough food, but also earn travel expenses to return home."

The more Lu Xianzhi heard, his eyes brighter and brighter, and he stood up at last, and his tone was excited: "I'll write a memorial to your Majesty now!"

Xu Chengyu seemed very calm: "Mr. Lu, don't be in a hurry. You can contact the river officials like Lord Pan Shiliang, as well as the local officials of various prefectures who are also troubled by refugees in Jiangnan. After discussing with them, they will write a letter to His Majesty in a joint letter. This is so convincing."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xianzhi patted his forehead and said, "Yes, yes, Mr. Xu is right, I have to plan carefully and not be impatient."

Seeing Lu Xianzhi so happy, Gu Yunji couldn't help but be infected by his emotions and became happy.

But vaguely, he was a little uneasy, feeling that he seemed to have overlooked something.
Chapter completed!