Liu Mingzhi picked up the tea cup in his hand and took a sip, and then shouted in the lobby that his voice was hoarse.
"Master Ge, is it true that you can't borrow any food at all?"
"Master Liu, it's not that the lower official is unwilling to borrow food. If there is really surplus food, the lower official will not watch the people in the neighboring government suffer. Your Excellency also knows that the lower official does not dare to transfer the food in the treasury easily. He only relies on the Ministry of Household Affairs
There really isn’t any extra food for those under our control.”
Seeing that Ge Changjun didn't look fake, Liu Mingzhi could only nod silently and sighed, "Since there is really no other way, I can only find another way!"
"My lord, please forgive me. If I have nothing else to do, I have to go back to Dingzhou. If I pass by Dingzhou on my way back to Beijing, if I have time, please stop by and have a cup of tea!"
"Of course, thank you Lord Ge for coming all the way to send me the Qingzhou Prefecture transit records, so I won't send them!"
After Ge Changjun left, Liu Mingzhi kept wandering around the house with his hands behind his back. The hundreds of thousands of tons of food in the treasury were enough for the people of Qingzhou Prefecture to eat for two or three years. The key point was that this food was for emergency use. It was called the treasury of Qingzhou Prefecture but actually belonged to the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Even the Minister of Household Affairs did not dare to decide how to handle the food in the treasury without the emperor's will.
"What method should be used to complete the funeral affairs of Qingzhou Prefecture? These officials of Qingzhou Prefecture are really hateful. They deceived their superiors and kept it secret, and even falsified the grain in the treasury. If so"
Liu Mingzhi's eyes lit up as he was talking to himself. He looked around and saw that he was the only one in the back room. He took out the booklet in his arms and looked through it carefully.
After pondering for a while, I took out the writing brush on the desk and lightly made some changes to the accounts of various treasuries, and then put the book away with a guilty conscience.
"You guys are all going to die anyway, so let's use some of the remaining energy to gain some moral virtue for you!"
Liu Mingzhi felt better now that the food issue for the common people was solved.
Humming a little tune, he walked towards the backyard. The backyard of Gu Zhiheng's governor's mansion was now completely transformed into a workshop for making locust powder. Various large jars and small jars of locust powder filled the backyard.
In addition to locust powder and canned fried locusts, all kinds of methods to preserve locusts for a long time are used.
Now Liu Mingzhi can really ask others, why don't people eat meat if they can't afford food?
Locusts are full of protein and taste great no matter how you eat them. However, Liu Mingzhi was a little hesitant about how to get the people to accept food made from locusts.
Asking them to catch locusts has already used up a lot of energy. It is really difficult to eat locusts.
Slowly walked into the backyard and watched Jiuniu's huge body pushing the stone mill effortlessly. From time to time, he grabbed a handful of fried locusts and stuffed them into his mouth.
"Jiuniu, Jiuniu, you boy really didn't work for nothing!"
"Hey, big brother, you're here!"
"Where is Han Peng?"
"The command is from inside, you go in!"
"Okay, don't keep doing it, you should take a break, you know?"
"Do not worry!"
"Han Peng, how many locusts are left that have not been dealt with completely?"
A young man who was holding a jar immediately put down the jar in his hand and said, "Han Peng, Commander-in-Chief of Longwu Guard, pays homage to your lord!"
"No need to be polite, how many locusts are left?"
Han Peng looked through the brochure under his hand and sighed, "It is estimated that it will take about ten days. As long as there are not enough pots and jars, people will have to buy them and bake them, which will delay time!"
"Don't worry, these locust meat must be in the hands of the people as soon as possible. With the food and minced meat, it is basically not a problem!"
Han Peng looked at Liu Mingzhi, who was about to speak but hesitated, and said, "Sir, I have an idea that I want to tell you!"
"Tell me!"
"Long Wuwei is willing to provide food in exchange for these locusts. I don't know what your Majesty thinks. If you don't agree, just pretend that you are the general and have not said anything!"
Liu Mingzhi looked at Han Peng with his head lowered in surprise and thought for a while. All locusts are meat, so it is absolutely the best thing to use as military rations. The high protein and high nutrition can quickly replenish the fatigue of the Longwu Guard officers after training.
.
The main reason is that this thing is so delicious. No one dared to eat it before. But now more than a thousand Longwuwei soldiers who make canned locusts feel empty in their hearts if they don’t eat some fried locusts every day, and they never get tired of eating them!
"Is this your idea or Cheng Kai's?"
Han Peng's face turned red and he subconsciously looked towards the corner inside. Liu Mingzhi didn't know what Cheng Kai meant when he saw this.
"Cheng Kai, you are not an unmarried girl. If you have anything to hide, get out of here!"
Cheng Kai scratched his head in embarrassment and walked out with a chuckle. He glared at Han Peng angrily, "You worthless thing. You exposed my general's position without even telling me. I'll deal with you when I get back to the camp."
!”
"General, subordinate"
He rolled his eyes at Cheng Kai and said, "Okay, don't play tricks on me. It's okay for Long Wuwei to want these locusts. As long as the officers of Long Wuwei can accept it? If so, I will naturally be willing to make one."
If you can't accept the favor, forget it, it's okay to take it from the people and use it for the people!"
"Yes, yes, yes, that's great. Sir, please see this is the general's reply. He has personally tasted the taste of fried locusts, and ordered the general to bring these locusts back with him in the pot!"
With a strange look on his face, Liu Mingzhi took the handwritten letter from Cheng Kai and looked through it. The arrogant handwriting and the general's seal on it couldn't be faked.
"When did you send the letter to the Protector? Why didn't I know about it?"
Cheng Kai laughed twice, "The next day after my lord asked the general to fry the locusts, the official came up with the idea of this batch of locusts. They taste good and are nutritious. They are full of meat. Where can I get such military rations? They are mainly sealed.
It lasts a long time and is indispensable when marching and fighting."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, ok, you, Cheng Kai, Cheng Kai, you're playing the trick of killing first and then showing off for me!"
"A fair and equitable exchange. Now Long Wuwei has escorted the grain to the boundary of Hengzhou. It can reach Qingzhou in more than ten days. It is fair to exchange 80,000 shi of grain for these locusts!"
"It's fair to your grandma, these locusts are all meat. How dare you say it's fair if you exchange the same price of grain for the same price of meat!"
"If you are unhappy, please tell the general. This was his idea!"
Knowing that Liu Mingzhi was not angry, Cheng Kai also smiled playfully. After getting along with each other these days, Cheng Kai knew that this imperial envoy was always easy-going and never put on airs as long as it did not involve issues of principle.
He has won unanimous praise from all the officers and soldiers of Longwuwei. Very few civil servants can treat these warriors as equals, and there are even fewer nobles who are superior to them.
Therefore, as a human being, you must be considerate of your own heart. You will reap what you sow. You will reap what you sow for others.
"Like respect!"
"Okay, I'm sure. You guys should stop stealing. But if you don't have enough to protect the country and you come to trouble me, I will have to ask you for compensation!"
"yes!"
In the spacious room, I remembered the laughter of the Longwu Guards officers one after another.
"Sir, Master Gu Qingquan is asking to see you in the back hall!"
Jiang Lei walked in unhurriedly and looked at Liu Mingzhi who was eating fried locusts as a snack and swallowed his saliva involuntarily.