Although Yang Tao said it beautifully, everyone present was full of talented people, so of course some people didn't believe it.

Deputy Prime Minister Zhong Chang frowned and asked, "Where is the two lakes area?"

Yang Tao paused, "The two lakes are already burdened. The three northwestern provinces and Guangxi have to save their lives every year. They themselves have suffered frequent floods in recent years. There were more than 20 million stones of grain stored in them, and they have also used them almost all the time in disaster relief and river repair.

This time, 300,000 people in Yunmengze were affected. If there were no food and supplies escorted from Jiangnan, it would probably cause a scene of thousands of miles of famine."

"What do you mean is actually the most troublesome thing this time, or is it in the Two Lakes area?" Zhong Chang said.

"Yes." Yang Tao smiled bitterly: "They have to bear the grain supply in Guangxi, Jingjin and the northwest every year. It was already very good to save 20 million stones before, but now there is really no way to turn it into food."

"Is it feasible to mobilize grain from Jiangnan? I remember that Jiangnan has always had more than 50 million stones of grain."

"no."

This time, Nangong Ji was speaking. As the deputy prime minister, he was from the Ministry of Revenue. Now he is also coordinating with the Ministry of Revenue: "Jiangnan is responsible for the grain in Fujian and Guangdong every year. He gave an additional 15 million stones to the flood in Guangdong the year before, and last year he collected another 10 million to rescue the typhoon disaster in Fujian. This year, he transferred it to the two lakes again, and almost only 30 million stones of grain were left in his hand. Even if they were called the hometown of fish and rice, they could not consume endlessly.

Besides, Shandong is the one who is affected this time. Shandong still has to bear the grain supply from the Northeast Great Wall defense line. Now Shandong is not able to do so. Don’t you rely on Jiangnan to support it? Jiangnan does not keep enough food, and if there is a problem in the Northeast, who will take responsibility?"

Everyone nodded repeatedly when they heard this.

So is Jinghedi.

Although Liu Shaoling, the governor of Jiangnan, was the best-selling minister in the world and had governed Jiangnan invincible, he could not keep pointing at Jiangnan and not leaving some vitality to Jiangnan.

Zhong Chang could only change another place: "What about Sichuan?"

Sichuan is known as the country of Tianfu and is also one of the major granaries in the southwest.

It was Cao Yi's turn to shake his head: "Sichuan is responsible for the food security of the three provinces in the southwest region. Xikang and Guizhou have always been short of food, and natural disasters have been coming. If you want to stabilize the southwest border, Sichuan cannot mobilize even if there is food."

"In this way, where should we transfer food?" Emperor Jinghe asked Yang Tao again.

"There are two steps for me." Yang Tao said: "The first is to directly transfer grain from the granary of Qiu County and Kao County, and first mobilize 10 million stones to prepare; the second is to actively purchase private grain to ensure the food security supply and reserves in the Imperial Palace and the northwest region."

"no!"

The only deputy prime minister among the four prime ministers, Ma Haoqiu, who was not speaking out, stood up and rejected: "The grain reserves in the Jingji area cannot be moved at any time! We are not only the emperor, but also the officials of six ministries. More importantly, we also have the imperial guards and their families here! They are the bottom line of the Dakang Dynasty, and there must be no accidents or accidents."

Zhong Chang, who has always been tough, agreed with this: "I don't agree with using the grain reserves in the Jingji area. However, Yang Shilang's second method is usable. Jiangnan is the most fertile place in the country. He has basically not suffered any disasters in recent years. There is a lot of grain reserves among the people. We can buy more to spare."

"Buy food at this time..."

Wang Feiteng, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, shook his head: "That's to be sent to you and have someone slaughter!"

Jing Hedi frowned.

The large-scale purchase of grain from Jiangnan is essentially different from controlling grain prices in the Gyeonggi area.

Grain merchants in the Gyeonggi area had to sell grain, buy and sell, sell and buy, thus constantly turning around to make money.

Since there is a business behavior, you will definitely receive restrictions from the government.

The local rich men in Jiangnan are different.

They can do nothing but sell grain and just store it in their own cellar warehouses.

Then you can't force others to sell at a low price, right?

The Great Kang Dynasty did not have such a arrogant time.

Therefore, it is necessary that the price satisfy them, at least to be able to pass, that these local rich people will sell the food they have.

"It's difficult, but can we ignore more than 17 million people in the Two Lakes area?" Feng Yuqiang, a snorted coldly, saying: "Besides, the Jiangnan region is about to harvest autumn grain. This year is obviously another bumper harvest. Will the price be more expensive?

This year, the price of rice in Jiangnan is 6 to 8 cents per liter. If they dare to rise to more than 12 cents, then I will ask Your Majesty to open the right to arrest and let the Embroidered Uniform Guards check their taxes and transactions carefully, and if there is any illegality!”

Feng Yuqiang is a real lonely minister and does not buy anyone's account at all. Sometimes when Jing and Emperor say the wrong thing, he can fight back in person.

His family does not do business, and only a hundred acres of fertile land, plus servants and maids, the total number is less than ten, which makes people unable to catch any handle.

Listening to his murderous threatening words, a group of important officials frowned unconsciously.

How could the great merchants and landlords of all dynasties not secretly conceal their industries and pay less taxes?

But there are many Confucian students in the families of great merchants and landlords, most of them also came out from here.

At least 70% of the officials in the courts of all dynasties came from them.

Therefore, even if everyone knows it well on weekdays, they will not check it seriously.

Feng Yuqiang is not a fool. He knew that he would definitely attract a lot of open and secret arrows when he said this.

But if we allow these big merchants and landlords to make a fortune in this critical moment, let alone whether the central government can afford it, even if it can, why should I be threatened by you and spend a lot of money to fatten you?

So he said without hesitation.

At the same time, Feng Yuqiang is very smart. He raised the price bottom line by 50%, so that both the big merchants and the big landlords can make a fortune and avoid slandering the court too much.

It is also because of this that those court officials from Jiangnan are not willing to object blatantly.

Do you think the profit is low by 50%?

Come on, come on, you can spend the money as you like.

"What do the Prime Minister think?" Emperor Jinghe did not express his opinion first, but asked Cao Yi.

Cao Yi's family is a big landlord, and now he is the best super landlord in Jiangnan. His family has hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land.

He did not hesitate when he heard this, "I immediately wrote a letter to ask my family to prepare the reserved grain as much as possible and wait for relevant personnel from the Ministry of Revenue to come and purchase it. The price is what Mo He said."

Many officials from Jiangnan sighed inwardly.

Even Cao Xiang said this, can they still do the opposite?

Listening to Cao Yi's words, Jing Hedi finally smiled again on his face and looked at his confidant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, "Shao Yi, how much money can the Ministry of Revenue take out?"

Wang Feiteng had known this time again, "Report to Your Majesty, because the tax collection in this autumn has not yet begun, the Ministry of Revenue can only give out three million taels of silver for the first time."

"So little?" Jing Hedi's smile froze. "Shouldn't the Ministry of Revenue Warehouse have 18 million taels of silver?"

"That money cannot be moved." Wang Feiteng said in embarrassment: "The military rations and pay for the two major regions of the Northwest and Northeast, maintaining emergency response basics, etc., all require basic support. If you spend money all at once, what should you do if there is another disaster in the future?"

"Three million taels of silver can only buy 2.5 million s of grain. What is enough?" Emperor Jing He was angry, "Has I not even saved enough money to help the victims after so many years of management of the government?"

"Your Majesty atones for your sins!"

Wang Feiteng left the table and knelt down in the hall, saying tremblingly: "Although the disaster victims are important, the laws of Taizu and the system of the court are here. I think it is better not to use too much, otherwise it will be difficult to adapt!"

Seeing Emperor Jing He's face turned pale, Lin Zhenyuan, the governor of the Cao Transport, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, although the Cao Transport Department is not rich, we still have some food and some silver here... Well, we can roughly distribute 500,000 stones of grain, and 500,000 taels of silver."

As he said that, he was a little embarrassed, "We have paid 500,000 taels of water in Yunmengze before, so we really can't take more. Please forgive me!"

Emperor Jing He was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand, "What kind of crime is forgiven? I am very happy that the canal transportation yamen can get so much! Shouyu you are loyal to state affairs and know how to share the worries of the court, which is great!"

Bai Hengwang, who was beside him, cursed in his heart, but when Jing Hedi's eyes turned to him again, he still stood up with enthusiasm.

"Your Majesty, the Salt Government Office can take out one million taels of silver, or one million and a half taels of silver, and sell it to the merchants in Jiangnan to pay back the money."

Jing Hedi's face relaxed a little again.

The canal transportation and the salt administration took out a total of 2 million taels to buy nearly 2 million stones of grain. Although it was not enough, it was much better than the stingy Ministry of Revenue.

The two ministers of the Weaver Mansion are not in Beijing, and this year there were big problems with the Weaver Mansion due to weather, so they were not counted this time.

In fact, what Wang Feiteng said just now also understood that where can we not use money for a country with a huge size?

What if I use up the spare money just for this locust plague and encounter bigger and more troublesome things in the future?

There was no way, Emperor Jing He could only make up his mind and use the knife to himself.

"Taoshan, how much can the Ministry of Internal Affairs give out? Is it okay to have three million taels?" said Emperor Jinghe.

Tao Shan is the Minister of Internal Affairs Zhang Xiang and Zhang Taoshan. He is a smart person. Seeing the people in front of him, he had already understood that sooner or later it would come to him.

Compared with other ministers, he, the Interior Minister who specializes in managing the emperor's private treasury, has no room for shirkness.

"Report to Your Majesty, you can!" Zhang Xiang replied in a deep voice.

"good."

Emperor Jing He said lightly: "Then the Ministry of Revenue will send someone to Jiangnan to purchase grain, eight million taels of silver, and I want seven million stones of grain. Is this possible?"

Wang Feiteng kept kneeling there and did not get up. He heard this and kowtowed again: "I must send capable officials to come and guarantee that we will purchase seven million stones of grain to ship."

Lin Zhenyuan, the governor of the Cao Transportation Bureau, stood up in advance again: "The Cao Transportation Bureau is responsible for the transportation along the way, ensuring that it will not consume a stone of grain and will not charge a tael of silver."

"well!"

Emperor Jing He slapped the dragon throne and said with a smile: "Shouyu is so loyal to the country, I feel no comfort, I feel no comfort!"

Today he encountered embarrassment repeatedly, but Lin Zhenyuan took the lead in setting an example twice, giving him a lot of face.

So the emperor felt in his heart that even if the canal transportation had its own disadvantages, Lin Shouyu was still trustworthy and worthy of being my minister in the secret residence!

"This is what I should do." Lin Zhenyuan did not make any contribution, turned around and sat back.

Nodding, Emperor Jinghe looked at several prime ministers again, "Masters, the court's money is not enough, and the harm caused by the locust plague is difficult to predict, so I think I can only use the food stored in the Jingji area... How many are you suitable?"

After such a confrontation and compromise, everyone is very clear about the current situation.

Seven million stones of grain are definitely not enough for the two lakes. You must use abundant places to mobilize some food and grass, otherwise the consequences will be really unpredictable.

Ma Haoqiu refused to answer the call, pointed at Yang Tao and said, "Shilarious Minister Yang, you say."
To be continued...