The price of grain is thirty taels or thirty taels, and fifty thousand or one hundred thousand people die in one winter. This is still too far away for a place like the capital.
After Li Pin left, there was another continuous autumn rain in the capital. However, this autumn rain could not stop the noisy and festive atmosphere in the capital. Amidst the parties and feasts, it suddenly gave people the feeling that the raindrops had never wet the ground.
The news that Medical Master Guo captured Taishi Alu alive and seized the title treasure and seal of Yelu Deguang, Emperor Taizong of the Liao Dynasty spread a lot in the capital. The civilians in the capital were discussing topics such as triumphal return and prisoner sacrifice.
, and thinking about whether we are invincible now, when will the ultimatum with the Jin Kingdom to completely take back the sixteen states be issued, and so on.
In this atmosphere, several banquets were held in the Right Prime Minister's Mansion. In one or two of them, Grand Master Cai, Privy Council Tong, Wang Fu, Liang Shicheng, Li Gang and other high-ranking officials from the capital were invited to attend. It was very lively.
On the other hand, at this time, the many fireworks venues in the capital were also doing a booming business. The Alum Tower was extremely busy. Ning Yi originally wanted to make an appointment with Master Li, but he delayed it again and again - mainly because it was not an urgent matter - and later
I heard that Miss Shishi is fighting for an unjust case in a brothel in the capital:
It is said that a courtesan named Tong Shuer in a brothel in the capital used to be in love with a poor talented man. He often used his own money to subsidize the other person and provide food and accommodation for him. The poor talented man recently became an official and no longer paid attention to her.
This was originally an ordinary sad thing, but just recently, Tong Shuer met an ill-tempered official when she was picking up guests. For some reason, she accidentally beat her to death. The old man who requested Tong Shuer in the brothel
When the good friend came forward, I realized that the other party had betrayed his heart. On the other hand, the officials had found connections with others and were shirking responsibility. The things on both sides combined to make a fuss. Both officials were guilty of public outrage.
Helping the brothel girls to get into trouble with the Yamen, many literary talents also made a fuss and wrote articles to condemn the two officials. For a time, it became a lively topic in the capital.
It is the most benign place in the capital. It is easy to have such topics every now and then. Tragedies caused by affairs are best those that touch human nature and can best arouse the resonance of onlookers. In this bustling hustle and bustle, Ning Yi and others are...
The intensive operations in secret are more like underground work in the shadow of society.
Qin Siyuan has negotiated carefully with Cai Jing and others. In a sense, he has obtained the other party's approval - this certain meaning lies in the other party's approval. In fact, it is meaningless - the head of the big family
Or the spokesperson is like this. Qin Siyuan at most said hello to some people who needed to say hello: I am going to take action on the food price issue. Don't be offended if I offend you next time. After talking about it, both parties made it clear.
Friendships can be retained. The real outcome depends on the fight between the people below.
Almost at the same time that Li Pin left, in the year of Yaozu, monk Jueming and others also left the capital and began to lobby the four sides. Qin Siyuan had already compiled a book and went south to tell Kang Xian the whole plan. Ning Yi, on the other hand, sent Zhu
Eighteen large trucks from all over the world were gathered together and then sent to various places.
The time at this time is approaching August 15th.
****************
August 13, one hundred and fifty miles away from Bianliang, Heng County.
"...The general situation is as I said below. Places such as Hedong and Huainan are now short of food. There is too much food shortage, so this time the Youxiang Mansion took the lead in doing this. To be honest, Hou Yuanwai
As long as we can produce grain and have people in charge accompanying us, and when it changes hands somewhere, the price of the first batch of grain will be at least ten times the price, I just hope that the price in that place can be brought down so that some people can have a way to survive."
In the hall where the landlord surnamed Hou was entertaining guests, the speaker looked young, but his words and face were sincere. He put his hands together slightly, looked at the old man over there, nodded, and took a sip of tea.
"...Our boss is a kind-hearted person, and he also knows that Hou Yuanwai is also a kind-hearted person. The archway at the entrance of the village, the bridge and road construction nearby all have Hou Yuanwai's name, so I asked you to come over early. Francis Francis from the capital city
You know the member, I know. After he heard about the situation in the disaster-stricken areas, he said that he would donate food directly and sell it at low prices and distribute it for free when he arrived at the place. But our boss said that this was not possible and that the price would not be lowered. I believe this is true.
You know this too, Mr. Hou. So the most important thing is to let people do business. The routes set by the government are as follows..."
The young man who spoke took out a map: "Our side is relatively close to Hedong Road. Your side transports the grain to Qiaoxi first. When it gets there, the government will coordinate the deployment and the ships are arranged by the government.
The freight is only the current market price. It is up to you to calculate how much food you have to pay. First go by water, then by land, escorted by officers and soldiers along the way, and it costs 500 shi per shipment. Now this matter should have been clearly stated in Qiaoxi, you can always go
Ask around, we are just being a mediator..."
Having said this, the officer nodded and showed a sympathetic smile: "Xiao Luo, this is a great charity you mentioned, and I will definitely pay for it. However, my family has lived in Hengxian County for a long time, and there are two people in my family.
I am a steward and have three sons. I have never been to any big place. I heard from you that the journey is so long. I heard that the public security in the disaster-stricken areas is not good. If something goes wrong along the way, what will happen to the government?
Bian, there is no way for us to ask for help. Since, as you said, there is a shortage of food in both the north and the south, why not let the government personally collect it and then transfer it uniformly..."
"What Hou Yuanwai said is very true." After hearing what he said, the young man named Luo Luo nodded with a smile, recalling the rhetoric that Ning Yi had taught him when he left Bianliang, "But what we know here is that if the government
Quanquan came forward, firstly, because of his bad reputation, and secondly, Prime Minister Qin said that disaster relief is a great charity and a big battle. We can only win if there are many people who support us. Frankly speaking, if the government directly intervenes, the situation will be different.
…”
He lowered his voice and said, "Some other people will also get involved."
After saying this in a low voice, Luo Luo looked at the door and then continued: "As for the problem that Hou Yuanwai said if something goes wrong. To be honest, the yamen has eight characters. If something goes wrong, it will be troublesome, but this time
Things are different, Mr. Hou. Let me tell you this, you can send someone to inquire. Before the first batch of grain is shipped, if the grain output exceeds one thousand dan, the Prime Minister will personally host a banquet to receive it, and will issue
Give me a handwritten copybook."
"Oh?" The old man was moved for a moment, and then thought a little awkwardly, "A thousand stones..."
"Outside of the Hou Yuan, this thousand stone is not something that can be collected by one person. For example, in Hengxian County, if your Hou family can gather one thousand stone, one person can be personally received by the prime minister. You can also do it.
Go and tell other people about this, it’s all a good deed, and one person is not enough. A group of people also has the intention..."
Whispering. The sky outside was overcast. It always seemed like it would rain. More than an hour later, when Rollo and the accompanying tailor came out of the yard, a large car with the Suning logo also came over.
.The companion asked: "How is it?"
"Oh, oh, oh, oh." Rollo hit his forehead, "It's still the same. They said they wanted to consider it, but they bought me more than thirty taels of silver... You know, like the previous ones, they wanted to sit at home.
, someone comes to collect the grain, and then clear the money and goods. They are reluctant to ask them to send people to transport it to Hedong or Huainan. These people are not short of money... but this looks like it can be done."
"Brother Luo, how did you convince him?"
"Hehe." Luo Luo laughed, "He has three sons. I told him that if there is such an opportunity, the family can go out and see the world. It's not what the book says... Well, it's better to write thousands of books.
It’s a journey of thousands of miles. By the way, I also met some officials. This is what my boss taught me. Anyway, I just said I’d come back in a few days.”
As he spoke, he took out a small notebook from his arms, took out a charcoal pen, and drew a line in the crooked handwriting on the notebook. When he put the notebook away, he turned around and sighed.
It has been three days since he left the capital. He has sold a lot of expensive things, but he has not made any progress in persuading others to sell food. Before that, he was the most outstanding among the shopkeepers trained by his employer.
At this time, he was worried in his heart that he might be surpassed by others...
In fact, in the first few days, all those who were responsible for the lobbying task were only intentions. This was not a bad start. The real problem occurred elsewhere. When more than a dozen groups of people
Bianliang was gradually lobbying the outside world as the center, and while various intentions were brewing, Luo Luo almost lost the business of Hou Yuanwai.
That was a few days later, when Hou Yuanwai went to Qiaoxi to inquire about the situation in person, but the matter about the government's unified centralized transportation of grain escorts was not implemented. The senior official in the government kicked him out directly: "Our county yamen is the national government
How could I, Gongqi, take part in the business of merchants like you? Since you are old and don't seem to be deceitful, how could you suddenly faint and join in the business of such merchants? Aren't you afraid of losing your reputation?"
Although the business style was very popular at this time, and there were many big businessmen in various places, the status of businessmen was still very low in books and official accounts. Hou Yuanwai was building bridges and paving roads in the local area, and his status was already among the scholars and farmers.
Suddenly, he was scolded as a profit-seeking businessman, which almost made him angry.
As for Qiao Xi, the original county magistrate also received a note from the Youxiang Mansion. The county magistrate was a talented scholar and had some relationship with Qin Siyuan. Qin Siyuan arranged several business routes this time, and the impact should not be too great.
He arranged to come in, originally believing that he would be considerate, but after the county magistrate came back, he thought about it and discussed it with the master, and finally decided not to do it, and wrote a letter of advice to Qin Siyuan. Yan Chen, the court's resources, could not
It is a despicable way to use it as a public weapon and for traders to pursue profit, which is contrary to the teachings of saints. The court's disaster relief should also use dignified methods and so on.
This kind of feedback was sent to the Prime Minister's Office in more than one place in the first few days. The first wave of obstacles began to appear. And the Prime Minister's Office's response came down vigorously and resolutely in the next few days!
Ning Yi's so-called disaster relief strategy that complements economics and administration is actually similar to the macro-control of later generations. The original idea was casually mentioned at a gathering, but Ning Yi himself knew the trouble. After realizing this
After experiencing the seriousness of the rising food prices, it took Qin Siyuan and others more than a month to officially decide to adopt it. During this process, Qin Siyuan did a lot of psychological construction.
This old man understands Confucianism best, but because of this, when he really raises his hand, he can no longer be swayed by this little obstruction.
At the same time, Li Pin had arrived at Hedong Road.
The carriage clanked and clanked as it moved forward on the uneven dirt road. The scenery on both sides of the road was desolate. Occasionally, ragged passers-by could be seen, heading in the opposite direction to him, heading south. When approaching Shangdang, like this
The number of people gradually increased, some were on the road, dragging their families with them, walking like zombies. When they saw the carriage coming, they stretched out their hands to beg, some would cry twice and say a few words, and more
Then he didn't make a sound.
When food prices rose, it was actually not yet the autumn harvest. The actual disaster-stricken areas along Hedong were not widespread, but the sudden rise in food prices led to sloppy and chaotic autumn harvests. It is said that people were killed in some places. Until now
, the inflation of food prices here has been going on for two months, from the original two and a half guan per stone to the current 30 guan per stone, and everything has become like this. According to Ning Yi,
Next, food prices will probably be stable for a period of time, and the expansion will not be very fast. This situation will continue until winter, when the real critical moment will come.
Occasionally he would open the curtain and look at the scene outside.
As we neared the city, there was a faint commotion on the road ahead, with people crying, shouting, and being beaten and cursed. The carriage stopped nearby. Li Pin looked out of the car and saw someone injured on the roadside.
A man in ragged clothes was bleeding all over the ground. A cart fell to the ground. The man who seemed to be the owner of the cart had slightly better clothes. He and three or five men holding sticks gathered around the cart, glaring in all directions, but
The car owner was also crying.
After a few glances, Li Pin realized that this car was towing some things and was going to the city. Due to the recent world, the owner also invited a few men to follow him to avoid being robbed. But when he got here, the wheels
Suddenly it was smashed, the car overturned, and a few vegetables and rice grains were carried on it. At this time, people on the roadside began to loot. The following men first blocked it, and then started to beat people with sticks, but
Even so, most of the few things in the car were still taken away.
Some people on the roadside robbed things and were beaten away, and some people were beaten with bloody wounds. They knew they were wrong and did not bother, but they had no choice but to fall on the road and cry. They were crying, and the owner of the car was also crying.
.The woman in his family was suffering from a serious disease. This cart was originally going to be taken to the city and sold at a high price, and it was brought back to the doctor on the way, but this was also ruined.
Li Pin, the master who followed him, and the guards watched this scene. Not far from the carriage, a dirty and thin little girl fell on the road. Her mother hugged her and cried and yelled. The little girl was beaten.
Her head was already bleeding, and she was holding two rotten vegetable leaves in her hands. She was probably very hungry and injured. She opened her mouth, but her cry could not be heard.
Master Chen who was following him was hesitant to speak. Li Pin looked at him for a few times and finally spoke dryly, asking the guard who was following him who was proficient in bruises to quickly get the medicine to treat the person. The people around him turned their attention.
Part of it goes over here.
Li Pin sat there, remembering a few conversations with Ning Yi when he left Beijing: "Will Li Heng go to the south or the north for this disaster relief?"
"If I don't go, that's your business. I'll stay in the capital."
"Oh, Li Heng knows this best, so he should sit in the middle."
"Oh, that's not the case, it's just out of sight."
"Um?"
"Because..." He remembered that at that time, Ning Yi paused for a long time before speaking, "because this time when you go there, you will see a lot of people. You went there to let them survive. But when you saw them,
In an instant, you will understand that many of them will starve to death. There will definitely be some people for whom there is nothing you can do..."
At the time, he sighed because of these words, but only now did he truly understand what Ning Yi was talking about.
He watched for a while, Master Chen told him not to get out of the car, for fear of causing some trouble, but he finally got off, looked at the little girl with her head bandaged, and secretly put two pills in her clothes.
Steamed buns, and then returned to the car. At this moment, he knew that there was no point.
Then, the carriage started clanging and clanged, heading towards the city... (To be continued...)
ps: Well, I revised it a little and made it before twelve o'clock^_^