The sharp rise in food prices means that the wealth in the hands of ordinary people has shrunk rapidly. Behind the sharp rise in food prices will drive up the prices of all daily necessities, because without the increase, they will not be able to earn enough money to buy food.
In prosperous times, food prices are often the minimum living standard and one of the necessities of life. Now the food prices in Suzhou City are frighteningly high, and although the prices of other goods are also sky-high, no one cares about them.
We know that this is caused by high food prices, and they will eventually fall back one day, and no one will take advantage of them.
Have money? Then buy food. Food is the hard currency. No one knows how long this famine will last.
As if to mock the world, it rained heavily for three days and three nights, completely soaking the ground. The agricultural officials in Suzhou ran wildly holding blue flags, shouting: "The moisture is the best! The moisture is the best!"
But it is a pity that no one except Ye An and Fan Zhongyan paid attention to him. Everyone knew that the moisture in the ground had recovered, and the locusts were flying eastward and would no longer harm the crops in the ground. But what about now?
The land must be planted no matter what, but how can we survive this famine summer without food?
The grain stored in the winter has been used up long ago, and the summer grain was wasted when it was in the fields. Waiting for the autumn grain to be harvested? If the price of grain is still so high, there is no need to wait.
The faces of the victims and common people were gloomy and gloomy, while the faces of Fan Zhongyan and Ye An were as cold as ice. In the warehouses of Suzhou City, even rats could starve to death if they entered them.
Zhang Qian, the governor of the state, complained over and over again and described his actions as unintentional: "The two superior officials clearly understood that the low-level officials did not know that the locust plague was coming. They just sold the stored grain according to the custom of the state government. Who knew about the drought and locust disaster?"
It will be so fast that after the old grain is sold, new grain will not be able to come down!"
Fan Zhongyan had been a local official for a long time and did not listen to his explanation at all. The first thing he did was to check the accounts: "Where is the warehouse in Suzhou? Get the account books from the warehouse quickly!"
Ye An smiled bitterly and shook his head. It was meaningless to check the account books at this time. How could he not know about this terrible disaster? Either the account books were made watertight, or the accounts were dead and wiped out. Where can he find them?
Sure enough, after waiting for a long time, Si Cao did not come. He sent Tie Niu to lead people to look for him, but Tie Niu came angrily to report: "Replying to the pacifier and deputy envoy, Si Cao Li Li hanged himself in Cao's hall, and all the account books are missing."
trace!"
Fan Zhongyan was shocked and angry, while Ye An looked at Zhang Qian with a sneer and said: "It is impossible to clear the accounts after death. There is always a place for so much food. The government's account books cannot be found, but the merchants' account books will not be missing. Zhao
Hu, you will take people to find and arrest all those who know the information, and call the commander of the Suzhou Baojing Army to come for questioning!"
The pacification envoys are dispatched by the central government and appointed by the officials themselves. They are not the "Guan Gou pacification director" concurrently served by local state officials. Therefore, they have extremely high powers and have the right to take charge of local military and civil affairs when they are dispatched.
.
Otherwise, why would a high-ranking official like Wu Yu, the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture, call himself a lower official in front of Fan Zhongyan and Ye An?
And Zhang Qian, a governor of a state, dare not violate the rules. All he can do is cooperate and dare not make any small moves. Otherwise, both Fan Zhongyan and Ye An can impeach him or even convict him.
The Baojing Army in Suzhou is not a forbidden army, but a Xiang army. After Zhao Hu brought his people there, he looked incredulous. In his words, the Suzhou Baojing Army was like a refugee camp, and the soldiers inside were not as good as those in the city.
The victims were emaciated, had no fighting strength, and were completely rotten.
What kind of combat effectiveness does such an army have? It is not as good as the government officials in the state government. In the face of great disasters, this is an extremely unstable force.
Fan Zhongyan's face turned pale. He really didn't know how Zhang Qian had the courage to do these things.
Liu Zhao, the commander of the Baojing Army, came riding on a skinny war horse. Under his command was a group of soldiers who seemed to be pretty good. This was all the combat power of the Baojing Army.
The three majestic Baojing troops commanding more than 1,500 people can only produce less than 200 combat forces at the moment. This is simply a big joke.
But Liu Zhao also had his own difficulties. Faced with Fan Zhongyan's question, his answer was also full of helplessness: "Reporting to Fan Fu, our Baojing Army is a Xiang Army. The number of troops exceeds the number of troops. Originally, there was only one commander.
Five hundred people, but there was a flood in Suzhou a few years ago, and the government issued an order to recruit victims of the disaster to join the army to serve as security guards, so the number was registered. Later, the money and food issued by the court were too little, so they had no choice but to let some people with innocent family backgrounds
The soldiers took their families to find their own way out, and the generals did not dare to deregister privately, so this is the only way."
The shortcomings of the Xiang Army have been around for a long time, and Fan Zhongyan is also aware of it. Seeing Ye An quietly nodding beside him, he can only stop pursuing it: "I know it, but there are too many victims in Suzhou City right now, and there are also people dying of hunger outside the city. I'm afraid there will be
In the event of a civil uprising, you still need to take these people and the state government officers to guard the city and stabilize the people's hearts."
Liu Zhao smiled bitterly and said: "If I go back to Fan to appease you, you should defend the city, but it may not be enough to stabilize the people's hearts. As long as the state warehouses release grain, the victims will be calm."
Ye An and Fan Zhongyan's expressions instantly turned ugly. If there was still food in the official warehouse, why should he talk nonsense here? It seemed reasonable, but Liu Zhao's words were full of sarcasm.
Holding Fan Zhongyan who was about to explode, Ye An frowned and said: "There are riots in the city right now, and there are criminals among the victims. As the Suzhou Baojing Army, you have the responsibility to suppress it. As for opening the warehouse to release grain, I am here to appease you."
Make yourself think of a solution!"
He looked at Ye An with a trace of doubt, seeing that he was so young and could wear a fourth-grade public uniform, and the silverbait bag around his waist was shining brightly. Liu Zhao didn't know who he was.
Until Tieniu on the side said: "This is the Marquis of Yunzhong County, the deputy envoy who has promoted disaster relief in the Jianghuai River and Huaihe River to appease him!"
Seeing that the young high-ranking official who had finished speaking was actually Ye An, Liu Zhao's eyes lit up, and he immediately clasped his hands and said: "Ye Hou taught you a lesson! The general has already heard of Ye Hou's reputation in the northwest. This time Ye Hou is destined, Liu Zhao
Dare to die if you don’t obey!”
Fan Zhongyan glanced at Ye An in surprise. He didn't expect that this boy's name was so useful in the army, but he was relieved immediately. Many military generals in the Song Dynasty looked down upon them, and they all regarded famous generals like Ye An as their role models.
It is reasonable to be proud.
Seeing Liu Zhao's expression of loyalty, Fan Zhongyan also softened his expression and said: "If you have done a good job in suppressing me, I will report it to the officials when I and Ye Hou return to the court. Your contribution is indispensable."
Adding sweet dates to a big stick, Liu Zhao didn't agree with the truth, so he immediately said: "I will obey the order!"
The armed force of more than 200 people is simply not enough in front of tens of thousands of victims, but the victims are loose and still difficult to match compared to the regular army. More than 200 soldiers can still suppress the victims in the city from the front.
Ever since Zhang Qian allowed some of the victims to enter the city, robberies have occurred from time to time. It is a luxury for the victims who have been squeezed out of their last penny to survive. What can't they do?
Ye An privately approached Liu Zhao, who was quite capable. It was rare that the Baojing Army of more than a thousand people did not mutiny under such a famine.
Maybe we can find a breakthrough from him. If there is no food in Suzhou City, Ye An won't believe it. Whoever sells the food in the official warehouse will have the account book. Liu Zhao may know this...