The master's voice changed, as if he had become another person.
Looking at everyone, with their unruly eyes, the whole body could not help but tremble.
"Faint Lord, and you bunch of treacherous ministers, let me ask you, have any of you seen the people of our Tang Dynasty outside Chang'an City?
Say it, say it, why don't you say it anymore?
Is it possible that it’s because I asked you this and you didn’t dare to say anything?
You also say that I am a person who seeks fame and reputation.
Although I am a person who seeks fame and reputation, I also know what the situation is like for the people in the world outside Chang'an City.
I set out from Shandong and passed through countless cities. The crops in the fields had long since dried up.
There are countless victims outside our cities.
There are still many cities where food is gone, and people have no choice but to flee farther away.
On the way, I saw several common people who fell alive in front of our carriage and died of hunger.
I am a person who seeks fame and reputation, so I would like to ask all of you here, what are you?
Along the way, although I didn't have much ability, I visited every city and saw that the local food was insufficient.
I will personally go to the mansion of the wealthy merchant of the clan and prepare some food to alleviate the local situation.
You are well-off in Chang'an City, but do you know what the victims of the disaster are eating?"
This time, Confucius said these words very angrily, but no one dared to go up and retaliate.
None of these ministers are stupid, and they all know what the world is like.
If you argue with them, you will only be hurt in the end.
Besides, even if it's just a fight, the current opportunity is not suitable. Wait until he has vented before giving him a fatal blow.
"You, being an official in the court take it so naturally that you have completely forgotten the common people in this world.
Well, let me tell you what it was like along the way.
Along the way, I met disaster victims everywhere. All of these victims were so thin that they were emaciated.
Many people fell on the road to escape. The imperial decree required that the victims should be provided with two meals a day, and the porridge would not fall if they were set up with chopsticks.
But along the way, I have never seen any city provide such porridge to the victims.
Standing the chopsticks up without falling over is like a dream.
The porridge is like a clear soup with little water, but is there a handful of rice grains in it?"
this?
"Have any of you here seen wheat chaff?"
"Wheat chaff?"
Isn’t this just for feeding animals?
Before the big guy could say anything, the master just snorted coldly.
"Let me tell you, wheat bran is used to feed animals. Do you know what an animal is?
That is, pigs, horses, cattle and sheep, these are all animals.
But do you know what these animals are used for?
The victims of the Tang Dynasty are eating the wheat bran that is fed to the animals.
They are all my subjects of the Tang Dynasty. They are all human beings, but you are living in Chang'an City with fine clothes and fine food.
Never thought of helping the people of Tang Dynasty?
I want to ask you, who grows the food you eat?
Who contributed the taxes collected by the Tang Dynasty?
If there were no common people in the world to feed officials like you, you would have starved to death long ago.
On the other hand, after you become officials one by one, you just don't want to help the people of the Tang Dynasty.
Aren't you blushing if you are still talking arrogantly about this and that?
Are you so calm about eating and drinking every day?"
This angry rebuke directly pierced everyone's heart deeply.
But this time, as a confidant of the current Holy Emperor, he couldn't bear it anymore and stood up directly, wanting to talk about it.
"Humph, this is really unreasonable. What you said is not just saying that the current Holy Father will not provide relief to the victims?
Just say it directly, why bother hiding it here?"
"Hahahaha, so you admit it?"
“Admit why should we admit?
When spring came, His Majesty once said that there would be a severe drought this year, so he summoned the whole world to dig wells and let the people save themselves.
At that time, His Majesty also began to arrange the Ministry of Household Affairs to prepare large-scale food supplies all over the world and distribute them to our Central Plains area.
Because Your Majesty knows that every disaster in our Central Plains will cause heavy damage.
Now that the drought has occurred, His Majesty has arranged manpower to transport food to places where food is scarce.
Why, His Majesty has done so many things, but in your eyes, you turn a blind eye, why is this?"
"Ever since the snow disaster occurred in our country in the Tang Dynasty last winter, His Majesty has been extremely worried. He has even organized people to help themselves by providing work for relief.
The same is true in spring. Your Majesty has done so many things these days, but you just don't want to see them.
Could it be that because I didn’t let you see my achievements, I was selectively blind in your eyes?
Is this your usual style, or are you doing it on purpose?"
Changsun Wuji saw blood with his sword, but Confucius was even more disdainful.
"Humph, in that case, let me ask you, now that you have provided disaster relief, where has the food gone?"
Along the way, disaster victims have spread all over the place, and now that we have arrived at your place, since you said you have prepared food.
Then why do we eat gruel that is light and watery, and let the common people eat wheat bran?
This time in the court, the two sides argued vigorously, as if they would never give up if they didn't compete with each other.
"Do you know how big the world is and how many people there are?
It takes time to prepare food, right? It also takes time to transport food, right?
This is all time before and after, so there will definitely be a lot of food dispersed.
Now my court is sending people to deal with this matter."
However, when they finished speaking, Confucius burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha, you are indeed an official of the imperial court. This ability to confuse right and wrong is really too strong.
In this case, let me ask you why I also found a large number of troops transporting food on this road.
I also asked the local officials, but they said that these grains were not used to help the victims.
On the contrary, these grains were transported to the northern border and given to the soldiers. Is this true?"
What do you mean by this?
How do people feel this time, hearing that things are going to develop in a different direction?
"What do I mean?
"I would like to ask the Holy Father, since you already knew in the spring that there would be a severe drought in the summer.
You should know that these grains are definitely insufficient, so why not give priority to the people.
Instead, they sent troops to start a war with the Turks?
What benefit would it bring to the Tang Dynasty to start a war with the Turks?
It's nothing more than creating a lot of killing and cruelty.
By then, our soldiers will suffer heavy losses, and the people of the Tang Dynasty will also suffer heavy losses, all because you, the current emperor, have your own selfish interests and want to dominate the world!"
In an instant, not to mention Li Er, the expressions of all the other ministers in the court became particularly ugly.
We were originally talking about the common people, so how come we are now talking about the northern campaign?
Who doesn’t know that during this war, food consumption is huge? What if we don’t start a war this year?
That land of Turkic barbarians was just for some food.
How about I give them some food? The remaining food is enough to help the people of Tang Dynasty.
It can not only quell the troubles in the north, but also make the people of the Tang Dynasty peaceful and peaceful. It achieves multiple things with one stone.
But your foolish king has taken another unwise approach, just to satisfy your vanity." This chapter has been completed!