The convoy walked very slowly through Tianjin City. Because there were palace guards clearing the way, it was very smooth. People in the entire Tianjin City looked at this huge team curiously.
Liu Jin opened the curtains of the car window and looked outside. Because there was a heater inside the carriage, it was as warm as spring, but it was still cold outside.
A cold wind also blew in his face, making Liu Jin couldn't help but shiver.
I carefully looked at the Tianjin city in front of me. It was the first time for Liu and Jin, who came from later generations, to Tianjin. The most memorable thing in my mind was Tianjin Goubuli Steamed Buns.
"I don't know if there are Tianjin Goubuli steamed buns now, but I guess they probably don't exist."
Looking at the slightly dilapidated Tianjin City in front of me, everything here is far less prosperous than the capital city. The city walls of Tianjin City are not high, most of the buildings in the city are relatively low, and the streets are not wide. At this time, both sides of the street
The station was half full of people.
Most of these people have sallow faces, unkempt hair, and very shabby clothes. They are similar to the refugees I saw in the capital before. Many of them have very empty eyes. They are spread out in the corners of the streets and alleys. They seem to be very hungry.
.
"Why are there so many refugees in Tianjin Wei?"
Liu Jin suddenly frowned.
This Tianjin city is a city after all, and those who can live in the city, whether in this era or in future generations, are basically okay.
However, among the people I saw in front of me, there were very few people with clean clothes. At first glance, they did not look like city dwellers, but rather refugees.
"I also saw a lot of refugees on the way here. I thought these refugees knew that Xishan was recruiting people and that coal mining in the capital required a lot of labor, so they went to the capital to make a living."
"It doesn't seem to be the case now. There are so many refugees even here in Tianjin. Could it be that there is a famine?"
Liu Jin thought rapidly in his mind, and soon thought of a possibility. Only when a famine occurs can there be so many victims. Otherwise, it is absolutely impossible for large-scale refugees to appear.
You must know that Xishan Coal and other large and small coal industries have attracted tens of thousands of people to mine and work. Many of them are former refugees. Logically speaking, after absorbing so many refugees, there should not be so many refugees in the Beijing-Tianjin area.
, but if you can still see so many refugees, it must be a famine.
Gently lowering the car curtains, Liu Jin sighed in his heart. In this traditional small-scale peasant economic society, the ability to resist famines is really weak. Even though it is now known as the Hongzhi ZTE, once there is any famine, it will be very difficult for the people.
Survive.
Looking at the sallow-looking people on both sides of the street, the whole picture was black and white, without a trace of color, and I became more determined to do something in this era.
"Old Liu, what are you thinking about?"
Zhu Houzhao's voice awakened Liu Jin from his deep thoughts.
"Your Highness, look outside, there seems to be a famine."
Liu Jin opened the car curtain and motioned to Zhu Houzhao to come over and take a look.
After hearing Liu Jin's words, Zhu Houzhao also got up from his comfortable cotton pad and looked out the window. Seeing the large number of refugees on both sides of the street, he couldn't help but frown, then thought for a while and said: "I remember, this
My father seems to have been worried about the famine for the past few days. It seems that because this winter is too cold, the grain harvest in Beizhili, Shanxi, and Shandong has failed, and famine has occurred."
"Old Liu, do you have any good ways to help? Look at these victims, all of them are sallow and thin, and they all look pitiful."
"How about we open Xishan Coal Industry here in Tianjin and recruit a large number of these victims to work?"
When Liu Jin heard Zhu Houzhao's words, he couldn't help but look at Zhu Houzhao again. The Zhu Houzhao in front of him had a very low evaluation in history. He was very dissolute, militaristic, greedy for drinking, martial arts, rogue, fun-loving, grotesque and shameless.
A rare ignorant and ignorant king.
This kind of evaluation is probably comparable to that of Emperor Sui Yang among the emperors in history.
But after having been in contact with Zhu Houzhao for a long time, Liu Jin knew that history is indeed a clown dressed up by others, and it is difficult for future generations to know what the real history is like.
At least for now, the Zhu Houzhao in front of him was very good. Seeing the miserable appearance of the victims, he was not afraid. The first thing he thought of was to find Liu Jin to find a way to see if he could help these victims.
If he was really an unscrupulous king, how would he care about the lives of these victims?
He probably wouldn't even look at it, and even if he did, he would just secretly express his bad luck and wish he could stay far away from these victims, so how could he think of ways to help them.
"His Royal Highness the Prince has a kind heart and loves the people like a son. He is truly a blessing to the Ming Dynasty and the country!"
Liu Jin first flattered Zhu Houzhao, then thought for a while and said: "I originally planned to start some industries here in Tianjin, such as this shipyard, build ports, build docks, etc. This will definitely require the use of
With a large number of manpower, we will be able to hire a large number of these disaster victims at that time, but this may cost a lot of money, it depends on whether you are willing to part with it, Your Highness."
"It's just money. It doesn't matter how much you spend. I don't have anything else right now. I have a lot of money. Anyway, this money will be useless if it is not spent. It would be great to be able to help these victims.
"
Zhu Houzhao said very grandly without any hesitation.
"With His Highness's words, I feel relieved."
When Liu Jin heard this, he immediately laughed.
The reason why I asked this just now was a small test for Zhu Houzhao to see if he really wanted to help these victims.
Sometimes it is difficult for a person in power to truly sympathize with the people at the bottom and really help the people at the bottom. The Ming Prince in front of him, the future Emperor Zhengde, has to wait and see whether he really wants to help these victims.
Is he willing to spend his real money?
Now it seems that he may have an out-of-touch personality, and may not look reliable in many cases, but in terms of nature, he is definitely a good person, and like his father Hongzhi, he is a kind person.
"Old Liu, I know you have the ability. Just go ahead and do it. Don't be afraid of spending money, and don't be timid. It's a person who can help someone. My father is very hurt because of this famine.
Clear your brain."
Zhu Houzhao looked at Liu Jin and said in a rare and serious tone that he was still a filial son. Seeing that Emperor Hongzhi was troubled by this matter, he also wanted to show his filial piety.