Chapter 293 Different approaches but similar results
Knowing that it was King Wei and his entourage who had arrived, Magistrate Deng hurriedly packed up to welcome them into the city. Under such circumstances, there was no need to talk about any ceremony. He only asked people to bring his green sedan, and King Wei sat in the sedan.
, accompanied by others on foot, fortunately, it is not far from Sizhou City. These people have been on the boat for several days, and their bodies are already itchy from leisure, so they should take a walk to relax.
Sizhou City faces the Huaihe River and is two miles away from Xushan Mountain. It is a rammed earth building with a circumference of nine miles. The city wall is about two feet and five feet high. The city is surrounded by water, completely enclosing the entire Sizhou City. The city walls are open in total.
There are five city gates, and you need to pass the suspension bridge to enter and exit the city. Because here
It is a strategic point on land and water, with merchants gathered there, so it is quite prosperous. As soon as you enter the city, beautiful buildings such as temples, temples, towers, buildings, monasteries, ancestral halls, and altars can be seen everywhere. Rivers and ditches are crisscrossed in the city, and boats are passing through them.
It is full of bridges, just like the Venice of the East.
The Sizhou government office was also built with great style. When he arrived at the government office, Deng Zuyang ordered the middle door to be opened wide and respectfully welcomed the King of Wei and his entourage into the living room. They served tea first, then apologized and hurriedly went down to change clothes.
Since the weather was hot and there was no need to prepare hot water, Deng Zuyang hurriedly rinsed it with cold water, put on his official clothes, and rushed to the living room to formally meet King Qiansui of Wei.
When Deng Zuyang was wearing wrinkled clothes on the embankment, and his clothes were covered with mud, he couldn't look like an official at all. Now he dressed up in a hurry, put on official clothes and official hats, and relying on his clothes, he immediately looked like an official.
Deng Zuyang hurriedly paid homage to the two superior officials, King Zhao Dezhao of Wei and Chu Zhaofu, the envoy of the Third Division, and then saluted Cheng Yu, Yang Hao and others, and everyone sat down again.
Zhao Dezhao praised him for personally visiting the wharf to supervise the construction of the weir dam, and casually asked about Deng Zuyang's official experience and the situation in Sizhou. Deng Zuyang, like a reporter, recounted his resume and his achievements as an official in Sizhou one by one.
After replying, Zhao Dezhao asked about the progress of the grain and grass purchase here.
Deng Zuyang said: "Qiansui, as soon as the imperial edict came, I immediately deployed my troops to urgently purchase grain. I have purchased a batch of grain and grass a few days ago. Together with the original grain in the treasury, the prescribed amount of grain has been completed."
of four
Cheng. Originally, there should be a certain amount of grain stored in the government treasury to prevent disasters, but now that the autumn harvest is approaching, if nothing happens, the grain stored in the government can also be handed over to the court. The grain stored in Sizhou Prefecture can be done after the autumn harvest.
Intend."
After talking to Zhao Dezhao for a while, Deng Zuyang's nervous expression gradually calmed down. He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and said: "However, the grain merchants are all very alert. The official only bought it for two days, even though he tried his best.
Out of ordinary posture
, such a large-scale purchase of grain still made them realize that the situation was abnormal. The grain merchants closed their warehouses and stopped selling, and asked around for news. Then the news that Kaifeng Prefecture was short of grain came out. Now they wanted to collect grain at the current price.
It’s very difficult.”
Zhao Dezhao couldn't help but became nervous after hearing this: "Prefect Deng, the imperial court's purchase of grain and grass this time is different from the normal grain levy in ordinary years. It can be done slowly. The merchants are only interested in profit. They took the opportunity to increase prices and make profits. This was expected by the imperial court. Therefore, the imperial court authorized
Local governments may raise prices at their discretion, but they cannot allow grain merchants to ask for arbitrary prices.
Otherwise, the imperial treasury would not be able to afford it. In this case, the local government would need to plan in various ways. Magistrate Deng went to the dock in person to supervise the construction of the river embankment. This king is very appreciative of his dedication to his duties. However, after the river channel has been repaired, it still needs to be done.
It can only be achieved if there is food to be transported. Since this food and grass cannot be harvested, what countermeasures can Prefect Deng have?"
When Deng Zuyang heard that he blamed himself for not being in a hurry to solve the problem of grain and grass acquisition, but to build dikes and dams, he hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, I rushed to the dock to supervise the construction of weirs and dams because Sizhou overlooks the Huaihe River in the south and the Huai River in the north.
Controlling the Bian River, this dam and sluice is not only related to Sizhou, but also the grain and grass from all over the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers must be transported to the capital through our Si River Wharf. Therefore, if this dam is not repaired, it will affect the speed of grain and grass transportation from various places to the capital.
.As for the predicament of Sizhou’s local purchase of grain and grass, Xiaguan has now adopted several countermeasures, but they have just been implemented and it is not yet known how effective they will be.”
Zhao Dezhao turned his anger into joy and said: "Prefect Deng already has countermeasures? I don't know what countermeasures have been taken. Please tell me about them one by one."
Deng Zuyang cupped his hands and said: "Yes!"
He looked around and saw that there was no one else in the hall except for the high-ranking officials from Beijing, so he waved his hand and drove out the servants in his house, and then said: "Your Highness, the stubborn merchants will not be affected by floods or droughts.
During insect pests and plagues, or during major military affairs, they took the opportunity to rely on grain to support themselves. At the top, they stored grain and did not sell it to blackmail the court; at the bottom, they bartered grain and annexed people's fields. This has always been like this. They knew that the court was short of food, no matter how they found out about it.
It is a matter of great righteousness and unwillingness to give up huge profits to relieve the country's worries.
Now the lower officials can only send subordinate officials to inspect various places, strictly prohibiting grain dealers from taking the opportunity to raise prices to disturb the people's hearts, and violators will be severely punished without credit; at the same time, they recruit people to strengthen rural bravery, guard various water and land transportation routes, and punish those who traffic grain and grass to other places.
Use heavy taxes and tax regulation to prevent the outflow of grain and grass. Then entrust the lower official's wife and uncle to help organize this matter.
Xiaguan's wife's uncle is a grain gentry. Every year, the shipping department, transshipment department, and convenience store department are responsible for purchasing local grain and grass. He has always come forward to help negotiate and handle it. He is still somewhat popular among the local grain gentry. Xiaguan
Let him follow the example of the gentry and merchants who stock grain and purchase grain secretly. As for the official himself, he should temporarily stop buying grain and focus on building dams and water conservancy projects."
He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, the weather this year has been smooth and there have been few pests and diseases, which is a sign of a good harvest. As long as there are no major floods in summer and autumn, there will be plenty of new food."
Zhao Dezhao studied the strategy of managing the country, but after all he was lacking in these things. Hearing this, he immediately said anxiously: "Autumn harvest? I'm afraid that after the autumn harvest, the grain is harvested, and then the rice is harvested and stored in the warehouse. It will be too late to ship the full amount to the capital."
Chu Zhaofu said in a rough voice: "Chitose, what Magistrate Deng means is that those evil-hearted grain merchants are suppressing the grain in the warehouse and not selling it. They are trying to accumulate the food in the warehouse, but they can't be persuaded. But the autumn grain
If there is a good harvest, the old grain they have packed in the warehouse will not be sold. This place has a lot of rain and is very humid, so the stored grain cannot be sold, and it will inevitably become moldy if stored for a long time.
Although it is too late for our court to purchase enough food, their evil-hearted profiteers will not be able to take advantage of it at all, so it will be a lose-lose situation. So, now it depends on who can keep calm.
Well, if those grain merchants can't resist and see that the old grain is hard to sell and the new grain has arrived, they will have to give in to the government."
Zhao Dezhao's tender face turned red and he said in surprise: "That's it."
Deng Zuyang glanced at Chu Zhaofu, with a smile in his eyes, and nodded: "The Third Secretary is right, the lower officials first used heavy taxes to block their export routes, and then used heavy laws to suppress their expectations of price increases.
At the same time, Xianguan rushed to build a dam on the embankment and put aside the purchase of grain for the time being. Those grain merchants did not know how much grain the government needed to collect, nor did they know the lower limit that the imperial court allowed Sizhou Prefecture to raise prices.
Seeing that the lower officials were not paying attention, and they had mountains of food and grass stored in their treasury, how could they not panic?
The lower official stopped quietly and stayed with them for a while. When the time was right, he first let out the wind and said that the court's grain and grass were ready, and then asked his wife's uncle to contact several grain gentry who had dealings with them to take the lead in selling grain. Merchants have their own agendas, and the alliance is far from solid. At that time, they are afraid of being robbed of the opportunity. As long as the long embankment of the suspension of grain sales has been cleared, other people will surely rush to sell the old goods at a reduced price. Grain. Alas, as a state official, it is really shameful for me to implement this strategy, but the situation is compelling, and I have to do it as a last resort."
Yang Hao had previously seen that this second-ranked Jinshi came to the dock to direct the construction of a water conservancy project that the imperial court attached great importance to with the dignity of a government. He felt that such an official who was willing to do hard work was really rare. Now it is very feasible to listen to his plan, and it will work with his subordinates. Hooks and baits are used to lure grain merchants from all over the country into a trap, which has the same effect but also creates a feeling of close friends.
But he thought about it carefully and said with some worry: "Prefect Deng's plan is a good way to deal with these profiteers who eat meat but don't spit out their bones. However... the most important thing about this plan is not to reveal the information. Once If the matter is kept secret, if they know the details, Sizhou Prefecture will have to let these profiteers set the price."
Deng Zuyang smiled and said: "What this lord reminds me is that it was only because of the prince's inquiry that the lower official mentioned this matter to Qiantose, the Third Secretary and all the lords. Before that, in the entire Sizhou Prefecture, except for my own office, I was the only one who mentioned it. Only my wife’s uncle found out.”
Yang Hao blurted out: "Your wife's uncle is also a grain merchant, he..." Suddenly he thought that it would be rude to ask like this, and not all merchants in the world are shady people, and there are not all righteous gentry who care about the country, so he immediately stopped. mouth.
When Deng Zuyang saw that he was hesitant to speak, he smiled and said: "Xiaguan's wife-in-law is absolutely reliable. He built schools and temples in Sizhou, built bridges and roads, set up free ferries, developed water conservancy, spread charity and spread wealth, and did good deeds in the countryside. Whenever there was a famine, , so he took the lead in donating money and grain to build a porridge shed. He is a well-known righteous gentleman in Sizhou. This time our government was able to buy 40% of the rice in time, and he also played a big role in raising funds."
After hearing this, Yang Hao felt relieved, bowed his hand to him, and said with an apologetic smile: "Master Futai, please forgive me, it's Yang who is overly concerned."
Zhao Dezhao said: "Well, that's very good. I will stay in Sizhou for a few days to learn more about the details. Please ask Magistrate Deng to arrange accommodation for me."
Deng Zuyang said happily: "Since your Majesty is going to stay in Sizhou, I would like to ask you and your lords to make some concessions and live in Xiaguan's mansion temporarily. There is a lot of rain in this place, the weather is humid, and there are few people living in the hotel, so the humidity is It is too heavy and not suitable for noble people to live in. The prince and your lords live in the lower official residence. It is better for the lower officials to ask the prince for advice and discuss with your lords about raising food."
Zhao Dezhao smiled and nodded. When Deng Zuyang saw that the prince had agreed to come down, he hurriedly ordered people to arrange the houses for all the adults. The back house immediately became busy, selecting the good houses to make room for all the adults to live in. King Wei was of high status, so Deng Zuyang was more He vacated the residence of himself and his wife, cleaned it, put in brand new bedding, and invited King Wei to move in.
When Zhao Dezhao arrived at the residence arranged for him, people from Zhang's residence had brought several buckets of warm water. People from Prince Wei's residence carried them into the room and waited on Zhao Dezhao to bathe and change clothes. Zhao Dezhao had finished bathing and was wearing soft and comfortable casual clothes. Sitting in the hall drinking tea, he drank slowly and thoughtfully. After finishing a cup of tea, he suddenly ordered: "Come here, call the envoy of Yang Yuan to this king."
Not long after, Yang Hao came in a hurry. He had just taken a shower and washed away the sweat stains. He saluted Zhao Dezhao refreshingly and said, "Qiansui summoned me. What are your orders?"
Zhao Dezhao said in a deep voice: "I have thought about it over and over again, and I always feel that Governor Deng's strategy of raising food is too risky and has the tendency to go astray."
Yang Hao is also the kind of person who likes to take the wrong approach and win by surprise. He admires Deng Zuyang's method very much. Hearing Zhao Dezhao's words, he couldn't help but tactfully persuaded: "Qiansui, according to the official's opinion, Governor Deng's method does not seem to be the best."
There is nothing wrong with this. There is no other way. As the saying goes, Taoist soldiers never tire of deceit. In this case, it seems understandable to use some clever tricks to win the battle."
Zhao Dezhao shook his head and said: "Isn't it a big mistake to govern the country with military methods? Rule the country with justice, use troops with surprise, and conquer the world with nothing. It should be noted that the relationship between the government and the people is a boat and water relationship, rather than a clear barrier on the battlefield. It is a matter of the country.
There are thousands of people in the country, and ingenious schemes are ultimately the way to go dangerous. If you succeed, you will succeed, if you fail, you will be completely defeated. What shakes is the foundation of the country, and what is harmed is the lives of the people. This is not a method that can be relied on. Sizhou is composed of
The important thing about Huaihe entering Bian is that the amount of grain and grass borne by Sizhou Prefecture is not a small amount. Although Magistrate Deng is confident, I am worried. I will stay here for a few days just to know more about the situation here.
, unless necessary, do not rely on such a battle of wits with the common people as a bargaining chip."
Yang Hao said knowingly: "I wonder what the prince wants to do with this official?"
"I want you to go and explore around the city to see what the wealthy grain gentry and wealthy households here are planning, and whether Magistrate Deng's method is likely to work. Otherwise, I will always feel uneasy."
"Yes, I obey." Yang Hao bowed and agreed, thinking: "Does this young Highness have such a stable mind? Or was it guided by his master who often lives in seclusion behind the scenes?"
Zhao Dezhao stood up with a smile and said to him cordially: "I have never been on any mission before. This is the first time I have been on an imperial mission after being crowned king. I patrol the place on behalf of His Majesty. I shoulder such a heavy responsibility. I can't help but be careful."
Be careful. Ambassador Yang, you came up with the strategy to build weirs, dams and sluices, unblock waterways, and collect food from all directions to resolve the crisis in Bianliang. I hope you can help me, and we can work together to accomplish this great thing for the court.
, when the time comes, I will ask for your merits in front of His Majesty!"
The tone of the prince, who was already taken for granted by many officials, was full of reliance and solicitation. However, Yang Hao knew that the political situation in the DPRK was complicated, and Zhao Guangyi was not a thing in the pool. He did not know whether this history would be changed because of his intervention as a little person.
How dare you abandon Nan Ya and stand next to him with a clear-cut stand? He just pretended not to understand and responded respectfully: "Your Majesty has ordered me, and I should obey my orders. If there are no other orders, then
I'll go and get ready."
Just when he said this, there was a "Zheng" sound, and the lingering sound was not heard again for a long time. The two listened in surprise for a moment, but there was no sound. Just when Yang Hao was about to retreat, the bright sound of the piano slowly started again, gradually like the breeze.
It overflows and fills every space, making people feel relieved from the boring thoughts under the scorching heat.
This piece of music is good, and the skill of the person playing the piano is even more exquisite. Zhao Dezhao's eyes couldn't help but light up, and he said happily: "What a piece of music, 'Wind in the Pines!'
