It was already night after the envoy Gao Jin stopped talking, but he insisted on leaving. The reason was that His Highness and others in the palace were anxious. Wang Chengen knew the reason in his heart, and reported to Zhu Ling that he agreed and let him leave. But before he left,
On this occasion, I was asked to give a letter to my hand, and then I hurriedly left.
Perhaps today's experience was really a painful one for Gao Jin. He picked up the letter, paid his respects, and then rode away, almost looking back. It was as if he had encountered some danger and was running away in a hurry.
The next afternoon, it was finally a sunny day. The sun was getting more and more dazzling, but it was still the beginning of April, and there were still two or three months left before summer. Not long ago, there was also a heavy snowfall in the north, which suddenly made the weather more dazzling.
The unprepared place was indeed hit by a disaster, and I don’t know how many people froze to death.
Whenever this kind of news that is unfavorable to Zhu Ling comes, Wang Chengen or Wang Guoxing are interrupted by Zhu Ling mid-sentence. Maybe they feel that this kind of news really affects their mood, not to mention that even if they know it, it will not help, so it is better not to say it
good.
"Master, I didn't want to talk about this kind of thing, but according to reports from spies, there have been more and more refugees in the north in the past few days. When we summoned King Lu's envoy the day before yesterday, there were already a lot of refugees outside the city. I roughly estimate what happened.
There must be thousands of people. You have been quite tired these days, so Mr. Wang took it upon himself to take them all in."
Wang Chengen had a very worried look on his face, and he kept sighing as he spoke.
"But what I'm afraid of is that if this continues, the small city of Cangzhou won't be able to hold on with so many refugees."
At the end of his words, he roughly expressed what he meant. First of all, whether to continue to accept refugees must be carefully considered. You can’t accept them all, and you have to accept them all. Secondly, whether you should keep them or not, after all, Cangzhou is just a small town, and
There are no tall city walls. Even if it is surrounded, there will be no extra food.
In fact, Zhu Ling has been thinking about this issue since he arrived in Cangzhou. Although Cangzhou is small, it is close to the Yellow River. To the north and west are the Yellow River, and there is a natural barrier. Secondly, Cangzhou is too close to Shanxi and Shanhaiguan.
If thieves or slaves come over, Cangzhou City will definitely not be safe.
The most important grain reserve was not large, but according to records, it should be close to one million dan. However, there was a huge deficit. No matter how quibbling the pian who guarded the granary was, he was directly killed by Zu Xiangyang. Therefore,
This has become a problem again.
His face became increasingly gloomy, and with a long sigh, Zhu Ling immediately summoned Wang Jiayan and others to discuss the matter. Not only Huang Bodang, but also the humble official Zu Xiangyang was also summoned.
Everyone stood together in the lobby facing Zhu Ling. They all knew that the matters discussed today must be several major events, so they did not dare to look down upon him in the slightest and stood in awe.
"Wang Qing, where will the refugees accepted yesterday be resettled?"
Wang Jiayan's mind was moved. Perhaps he had already expected that His Majesty would hear about this, so he had already prepared for it. As soon as Zhu Ling finished speaking, he walked out and bowed to answer: "Reporting to Your Majesty, yesterday's refugees placed them in the west of the city.
, there are some abandoned houses there. No one claims them, but more than a thousand people can still live in them."
"This move is acceptable, but remember to manage it well, otherwise it will be the most difficult to deal with if there is trouble there." Zhu Ling nodded slightly. These refugees could only be resettled in this way, and then he ordered that the news must not be spread.
Get out, otherwise once all the refugees around you come flooding in, it will really be a big problem.
"There are a few things to talk about today. In addition to the refugee issue, I want to talk about food and grass, military pay, city defense, city management, and the movement of thieves. Everyone, let's start with the first thing. This food and grass.
It’s best to ask Cangzhou’s own officials first. Who will talk first, Huang Bodang or Zu Xiangyang?”
Zhu Ling looked at the two of them and saw Huang Bodang standing upright. His eyes were full of surprise. He had just received fifty blows yesterday, but today he looked so unharmed. He was such a good man!
But seeing that Huang Bodang's face was still a little ugly, and Zu Xiangyang, who was appreciated by His Majesty yesterday, was very eager to try, he immediately stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, there are only 800,000 stones of food and grass in Cangzhou City. If it is to be provided to the people in Cangzhou City, it is necessary to strictly control the food and grass."
It can last for two months, but after all, we still have war horses. The more than 5,000 soldiers His Majesty has brought will require more, but it can still last for one and a half months."
After Zu Xiangyang finished speaking, Wang Jiayan first showed a worried look. One and a half months is absolutely impossible. If there are more refugees coming in, they will have to provide some food to them. But they can't afford it.
, so it is said to be one and a half months, but everyone knows that it is impossible.
Even Meng Zhangming and Fan Xianchao were worried after hearing this. Although they did not understand the people, they knew the soldiers. The war horses had to consume a lot, and if they were busy in any war, their appetite would increase.
On the other hand, Zhu Ling in the hall looked very calm. Perhaps he had expected this before and was able to control his expression. After hearing this, he asked Huang Bodang beside him: "Huang Bodang, did you hear clearly?
, there is not much food in Cangzhou City. When you read every day, are you reading books from sages or books that are truly useful to the country?"
"I believe that the books of sages are equally useful to the country, but the time is different, so the effects are different." Huang Bodang slowly walked out of the procession, holding back the pain, and his voice was very low.
"Then tell me how to solve the problem of food and grass?"
"I believe that it is already April, and there are still several months before the grain harvest. The people have experienced the devastation of the slaves and bandits, and there is not much food at home. It is better to directly exempt them from taxes and let them cultivate with peace of mind.
In addition, the 800,000 shi of grain mentioned by Zu Xiangyang was actually just the inventory of grain warehouses in Cangzhou. Little did he know that the wealthy merchants and some officials in Cangzhou City also had grain stored in their homes. If they could borrow grain, it might not last more than three or four months.
question."
Huang Bodang talked eloquently and expressed all his inner opinions. Especially when he borrowed food later, everyone who cared about it knew what he meant. He said it was a loan, but judging from the current situation of the court, it must have been borrowed but never repaid.
.
"Then the issue of food and grass will be settled by you. Just let Wang Guoxing know when you need manpower. Now let's talk about the issue of military pay."
Now it comes to a more serious topic, and everyone is obviously unable to bear it. It should be noted that the Ming Dynasty was in such a predicament because of the lack of money. The border troops mutinied, the people rebelled, the generals defected, and the officials surrendered. It was all due to the lack of military pay.
cause.
But this matter is a huge problem. If the officials of the imperial court have not solved the matter, they will have the same result. What's more, this matter has been discussed many times before, but in the end nothing was settled.
This shows how difficult it is.
"I will not discuss the collection of taxes with you today. I will only say a few things. If you have any objections, you can refute them at any time. One is to exempt all prefectures and counties west of the Yellow River in Shandong from taxes. Officials at all levels are not allowed to collect taxes.
The order was to be executed. Secondly, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan were ordered to organize their own regiment training and military pay, and the rebels fought against the intruders. Those who had meritorious service were given hereditary official positions. Thirdly, the order was given to Tianfu to quickly open shipping and develop maritime commerce, and no business could be blocked.
Fourth, vigorously rectify the fields in Shandong and confiscate the land of King Lu, leaving only 500 acres."
"Do you have any objections?" After saying this, Zhu Ling looked down and scanned everyone's expressions.
After listening to His Majesty's strategy, everyone thought that there was nothing unfeasible. Even if they asked various places to organize group exercises, they had no objection. However, the confiscation of King Lu's land really shocked many people at His Majesty's actions. Previously,
No matter how critical it is, it has never been like this, and His Majesty has looked away.
"Of course I have no objection."
Hearing this, Zhu Ling nodded. In fact, even if they had objections, he had no intention of compromising. It would be useless to leave everything to them.
"Let's talk about the city defense. Cangzhou City is not big after all. The intruders are probably heading towards Shandong. How to reorganize the city defense needs to be studied earlier."