"This is my master's plan. I must make preparations in advance. Don't wait until I come to Qilima to fix the leak in the middle of the river. This is my wish." Romance of the Seventy-Two Dynasties
"This past year and a half, the rain has been favorable and the weather has been clear, so Li Shu and Guizhou can live in peace." The emperor's voice was calm and calm, but every word sounded firm and majestic. He waved his hand to stop Liu He from speaking.
He made a gesture and said softly: "But it is your duty as kings and ministers to be prepared for danger in times of peace. As ministers, you should have an idea of the money and food in the imperial court and the balance of treasuries in various places."
"But, what your Majesty said is exactly what I said. I hope your Majesty will forgive me for not thinking carefully."
"Last time, the wealthy families in Hedong rebelled and confiscated countless assets from each family. They all had a lot of money, water balance money, and Shaofu money. Should these money be kept to rust?" The emperor pondered for a moment and said: "It's passed down.
The edict is issued. Taking advantage of this year's bumper harvest, the people's grain surplus is sufficient, and the price of grain is low. The chief minister, Taicang, will go out to buy grain from the common people."
At this time of year, landlords and powerful landlords take advantage of the new grain harvest, and the private sector has sufficient surplus to harvest grain from farmers at extremely low prices. If the court seeks profits from it at this time, the powerful landlords will not get much wheat and millet.
, and will also lead to an increase in grain prices and increase purchase costs. Of course, some merchants may also raise grain prices and take advantage of being closer to the common people to purchase a batch of grain and grass first, and then open up connections with grain purchasing officials.
If you turn around and sell it to the court at a higher price, you won't suffer a loss.
Therefore, whether it is out of personal reasons for his own family and other powerful people's purchase of grain, or out of public concern for the court, Ma Rixi has different opinions on this: "Your Majesty, the current price of grain is more than a hundred yuan per stone. If it is
If you spend money to buy grain, there is no guarantee that merchants will not take the opportunity to drive up prices. When grain prices rise, it will be the common people who will suffer, and the court's assets will be wasted."
Dong Cheng opened his mouth and was about to speak in agreement with the emperor, but was overtaken by Zhao Wen: "Those wealthy merchants are of bad quality. If they dare to drive up prices, aren't they afraid that the imperial court will accuse them? I thought that when purchasing grain, the imperial court would
You can send censors to inspect everywhere, but those who wantonly promote others will be punished."
Dong Cheng, who had been robbed of his wife, had been dissatisfied with Zhao Wen for a long time. At this time, he was not willing to take the back seat, temporarily swallowed what he was about to say, and changed his words to retort: "If after being questioned, the city officials will be frightened, how will the price of private goods be reduced?
After saying that, he looked at the emperor again and said: "Last month, His Majesty issued an edict to rebuild Changpingcang. This year's field rent has also been gradually charged into the warehouse. The court is not short of wheat or millet. Therefore, I thought,
The purchase of surplus grain from the people should be done slowly rather than hastily. It must be discussed carefully before it can be put into practice."
Dong Cheng naturally did not dare to say that the emperor made a decision in a moment of enthusiasm, but was mocking Zhao Wen for following the trend and never thinking about it.
Zhao Wen was angry and couldn't help but said: "Collect grain at low prices and stabilize prices. This is all done according to Han law."
"Okay." The emperor rushed to interrupt him. In fact, the emperor himself was in a bit of a dilemma. Large-scale procurement of grain would inevitably lead to an increase in grain prices. But he had a reason for doing so: "Lingtai ordered the commander to observe the solar terms.
, saying that there will be less snow this winter, there may be disaster. This year’s snow, you should also see it when you come."
The emperor couldn't sit still, so he stood up and walked to the window, ordered someone to open the window, and looked at the snow that was about to stop not long after falling in the sky, and the snow on the ground that was not even half a finger deep.
Said: "If the snow this winter is still the same, less than half of last year, then there will be little water in the soil, how can it help the growth of wheat and millet? Moreover, this little snow will not freeze the pests that spend the winter in the soil. If the court and the people do not take precautions
Be prepared, what if drought locusts appear next year?"
Speaking of the disaster, Ma Rixi couldn't help but frown. The first thing that came to his mind was not how much impact it would have on people's livelihood, but whether it would cause another reversal in the court situation. After all, this year
, there are too many disasters in Guanzhong, which one of them does not cause political turmoil? If it is true as the emperor said, there will be drought locusts next year, then this is exactly the reason why grains are not growing and vegetation is not luxuriant. As Sikong, Zhao Wen,
I'm afraid I'm going to be implicated.
While Ma Rixi was thinking about how to use the opportunity next year to make Zhao Wen repeat the mistakes of Shisun Rui, other ministers such as Shangshu Ling Yang Zan, Shizhong Yang Qi and other ministers were already talking about next year.
The weather has changed. They originally just thought that the weather this winter was a bit strange. It was not as cold as last year. They did not think about the drought at all. After all, in this era, there are still only a few scholar-bureaucrats who really dare to put down their bodies and observe folk farming. Now they are the emperor.
Reminder, everyone is aware of it later.
Wu Shuo, the Minister of Public Affairs, said directly: "Your Majesty knows the beginning of a work and knows the end at the first sight. I admire you very much! I am young and poor, and I once lived in a farmhouse. I know that it is not easy for farmers to farm and make a living. If there is less snow this winter, it will probably be worse next year.
If there is less rain, there will be drought. If there is drought, there will be locusts. Your Majesty once said that food is the most important thing for the people. I think this is really relevant. If drought locusts appear in Guanzhong, how can the imperial court prevent the people from being homeless and hungry?
?We can only accumulate wheat and millet to prepare for drought locusts."
The emperor's history of the late Han Dynasty was limited to those famous figures and events. Some allusions and precedents were learned by himself after traveling through time. Although he did not know the scope and influence of what he was about to face.
There was a drought, but he knew that the demise of almost every dynasty would be accompanied by droughts and floods caused by extreme weather. As a later generation and the supreme ruler of this land, how could he watch the Han family and the common people in dire straits?
In the midst of it, let the tragic situation of thousands of miles of bare ground and people dying of hunger reappear before our eyes?
At that time, it will not only affect the gradually recovering vitality of Guanzhong, but also affect the subsequent series of military operations.
After thinking about the joints for a while, the emperor directly said in a tone that left no room for doubt on this matter: "As for the imperial court's purchase of surplus grain, I ordered the minister to prepare an edict and issue it immediately. There is no need for further discussion. It is just a matter of price."
It fluctuates a little. If some wealthy businessmen take the opportunity to collect grain and drive up the market price, as long as it is not excessive, then tolerate it. But if you still do not care about the court's love for the people and exploit it at will, don't blame the court for killing it."
Seeing the emperor's resolute words, no one dared to say anymore: "I sincerely promise you."
"Leave this matter to Sikong, and the chief minister of agriculture will assist you. You must instruct Sili and the chiefs of each county to collect the wheat and millet." The emperor gave this task to Zhao Wen.
Zhao Wen looked happy, and under Dong Cheng's somewhat reluctant eyes, he accepted the appointment. However, he suddenly thought that if the things discussed today were spread, wouldn't it be wrong if the wealthy and powerful outsiders knew that there would be a drought next year?
Will he hoard wheat and millet more and more in preparation for selling it at a high price next year? He was about to remind the emperor, but when he looked up, he saw the emperor looking at him. An expression of wisdom that made Zhao Wen feel relieved. Then he thought, maybe this
Another opportunity.
In fact, the emperor had his own considerations. At this time, the powerful people all occupied vast fields. They must also be aware of the crisis that drought would bring to their families. If they could consciously make preparations, their tenant farmers would suffer less losses.
, the court will also have less burden.
Of course, this is from a big perspective, and just preparing food is not enough. We must prevent droughts from all aspects. Thinking of the water conservancy measures in the past two years, the emperor said with a gratified tone: "Fortunately, the court has allowed
Each county supervises the river work, dredging hundreds of large and small canals such as Longshou and Zheng in Guanzhong. There are also many ponds to store water and discharge the rivers. If a drought does occur, it can solve a temporary emergency."
The emperor repeatedly emphasized the construction of water conservancy facilities, and even included it in the official examination course, second only to farming. And because of the river construction incident, the entire officialdom of Zuo Fengyi was almost emptied. Fu Xun, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, even got a county
Horrifying reputation. If this is not done well, the court will lose its face. 17