While Jin Feng and Wei Datong were talking, Guan Xiaorou and Runniang were listening beside them.
After Wei Datong left, Guan Xiaorou asked: "Master, according to what Mr. Wei just said, Wuyang asked Mr. Wei to transport grain back to the south of the Yangtze River?"
"Yes," Jin Feng nodded.
The core meaning of what Wei Datong said just now is that the current grain reserves in Jiangnan have fallen below the red line, and a grain shortage may occur at any time.
The Ninth Princess gave an order to Wei Datong, asking him to send the grain that he had brought back from Jiangnan back to Jiangnan as soon as possible.
The time given by the Ninth Princess was too short. Wei Datong calculated that it was impossible to complete the task with the current transportation capacity.
Then he heard from somewhere that another batch of building ships were about to leave the factory in the East China Sea, so he hurried over to Jin Feng to ask for them.
"Isn't Wuyang torturing Master Wei? He was urging Master Wei to transport grain back from the south of the Yangtze River, and now he is urging him to transport grain back."
Guan Xiaorou sympathized with Wei Datong.
"This matter is not Wuyang's problem, it is my problem."
Jin Feng said: "Wuyang didn't know that there are kelp and marine fish in the East China Sea. I knew it, but I forgot. It was I who told Wuyang that there might be a food shortage in the next few years, so Wuyang was so anxious to transfer food from the south of the Yangtze River.
Now that we have kelp and salted fish, the food crisis in Sichuan and Sichuan has been temporarily solved, and we don’t need so much food.”
"Brother-in-law, before you and Your Majesty adjusted the food supply, didn't you know that there was not enough food in Jiangnan?" Xiao'e next to her raised her head and asked.
Just after she asked, she saw her sister glare at her.
Although she didn't know why, she quickly lowered her head and buried her face in her rice bowl.
Did Jin Feng know that there would be a shortage of food in Jiangnan before he adjusted the food supply?
In fact, both he and Ninth Princess knew.
But the answer to this question was too heavy, and Jin Feng felt guilty. He didn't know how to answer it for a moment, so he sighed and stood up.
Guan Xiaorou quickly stood up: "Master, don't be angry, Xiao'e didn't mean it..."
"It's okay, I'm just holding on and want to go out for a walk."
Jin Feng waved his hand and left the restaurant.
Guan Xiaorou looked at Jin Feng's back and nodded at Xiao'e's forehead: "Look at the good things you have done!"
Then he chased Jin Feng out.
"Sister Runniang, what happened to my sister and brother-in-law?"
After all, Xiao'e was still young and didn't understand the relationship, so she looked at Runniang with confusion.
The other three little ones also put down their rice bowls and raised their heads like Xiao'e.
Runniang originally didn't want to answer Xiao'e's question, but then she thought about it, just let others misunderstand Jin Feng, Xiao'e and the others couldn't be allowed to misunderstand Jin Feng too.
So Runniang put down her bowls and chopsticks and sat down next to the four little ones. She nodded and said, "The head of the family and your Majesty's sister naturally knew that there was not enough food in Jiangnan before adjusting the food."
"Then why do they still need to adjust grain from the south of the Yangtze River?" Xiao'e asked.
Chapter 1620 Who told you (2 / 2)
2439 words
16 days ago
Runniang was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to answer Xiao'e's question.
"Because sir wants to feed us, feed us Sichuan and Shu people!"
Li Doudou put down his chopsticks and said: "There is not enough food in Sichuan and Shu. If you and your majesty don't look for food from outside, we people in Sichuan and Shu will starve!"
After all, she was several years older than Xiao'e, and she had spent several years in the Prime Minister's Mansion.
In those few years, she had to observe her surroundings all the time and figure out the thoughts of the party members, so her mind was much more mature than that of Xiao'e, Achun Ling'er and the other three. She could already understand some things, and she had already understood the world.
of cruelty.
"But if we bring food from Jiangnan, won't the people in Jiangnan be hungry?" Xiao'e continued to ask.
"Then do you want the people you know, such as Xiao Hei and Cuizhu, to starve to death, or do you want irrelevant people to starve to death?" Li Doudou asked in return.
"I..." Xiao'e choked for a moment, and then said: "I don't want Xiao Heicui Zhu and the others to starve to death!"
"Isn't that it?" Li Doudou said: "When there is not enough food, sir, you can only go outside to find food. But just like this bowl of rice, there is only so much in total. If you take one more bite, I will take one less. No
Other ways.”
"I understand!" Xiao'e nodded as if she understood.
"That's not all," Runniang said: "The grain that the bodyguards brought from Jiangnan was not from the hands of the people, but from the hands of grain merchants. You don't know that Jiangnan is in chaos now, with the government and bandits
We went to plunder the people every three days, but the people had no food at all."
"Sister Runniang, according to what you said, isn't Jiangnan now just as chaotic as it was when the Tiegunshan bandits were still there?" Xiao'e asked.
Although it has been two years since the Iron Can Mountain bandits were eliminated, they are still a nightmare in the hearts of many people around them.
Xiao'e is one of them.
Although she is not very old, she can clearly remember that her parents would be nervous for a long time every time before the bandits from Iron Can Mountain came to collect the New Year's grain. They would also remind her not to run around during those days and to stay at home honestly to avoid danger.
He was killed by bandits.
"It's even more chaotic than that time," Runniang said. "The bandits from Tiegunshan only come twice a year to collect grain. But there are too many bandits in Jiangnan now. Sometimes there are several groups in one town. This group of bandits collects grain."
It's over, and when the next group of bandits comes, they still have to collect it. If the people can't take it out, they will kill people."
"Does the government not care?" Xiao'e asked.
"Government?" Runniang sneered: "The current government in Jiangnan is more vicious than the bandits! Most of the grain stolen by the bandits will be distributed to them, and they will sell it to grain merchants. The grain merchants will hoard the grain until there is a food shortage.
, then sell it to the people at a high price!"
“People in Jiangnan can’t even afford food, so how can they have money?”
"If you don't have money, you can use land and houses in exchange. If you can't, you can sell yourself, your wife and children to grain merchants." Runniang said through gritted teeth.
"The people of Jiangnan are so pitiful. Why doesn't my brother-in-law send bodyguards to kill the bandits and their officials?"
"The boss wants to do it too, but Jiangnan is too big and we don't have enough manpower." Run Niang sighed, and then said: "But the boss said that sooner or later he will go to Jiangnan and the Central Plains to liquidate these guys!"
"Actually, even if we don't liquidate, these grain merchants will not end well." Li Doudou sneered.
"Why?" Xiao'e asked.
"Maybe during the food shortage, grain dealers could make a lot of money by selling high-priced grain, but when people are extremely hungry, they can't take care of anything. It's impossible for grain dealers' thugs to stop so many hungry people.
He will be eaten alive by the hungry people!"
Li Doudou said: "It's just that by then, there won't be many people left in Jiangnan!"
When Runniang heard this, she couldn't help but look at Li Doudou in surprise and asked, "Who told you these?"
When they were in the East China Sea, Tang Xiaobei and Zuo Feifei once discussed the Jiangnan issue. Runniang was listening. Tang Xiaobei and Zuo Feifei's views at that time were the same as what Li Doudou said.