Rainfall and snowfall surged last year in autumn and winter and lasted until spring. However, Guanzhong is far away from the ocean and the seasonal airflow is slow to pick up, which naturally led to sparse rainfall in summer and autumn this year.
But it was impossible for him to say this to the officials, and even if he did, they wouldn't understand.
"Your Majesty, now the people in Xianyang, Yueyang, Gaonu, Feiqiu and other places have suffered disasters. The rice seedlings are short of water and have difficulty surviving. We need to pray for rain without delay. Your Majesty, please pray to heaven."
"Your Majesty, new people from various vassal states are coming to our Great Qin one after another. Although the Great Qin has given them land, it cannot make the land produce food immediately. The new taxes have not been paid yet, and the five legions and these newcomers are all consuming the past.
Inventory, it has been going on for a long time, and there is a danger of running out of food, your majesty, please come up with an idea quickly."
Prime Minister Li Bin and Chief Situ Mengrui presented their memorials one after another. Li Feng looked at the ministers in the palace. Although their words were unpleasant, what they said was true. It was just impossible to ask for rain. This kind of thing was too unreliable.
In fact, before the morning meeting, he had already thought about how to deal with the current situation.
This is the benefit of being a time traveler. For situations like this, thousands of years of case handling methods at home and abroad can be used for reference. Li Feng chose the simplest one.
"I am very pleased that the ministers are considerate of the people and share the worries of the country. However, the effect of praying to the sky for rain is slow and hypocritical. I think it is impossible. I have a way to deal with it, which can be effective immediately."
The eyes of the six ministers lit up: "In that case, please make it clear, Your Majesty."
Li Feng talked about it: "The day before yesterday, news came from Bashu that the land of abundance has a bumper grain harvest. The yield of a large number of hybrid rice fields has reached more than 2,000 kilograms per mu. The grains in the warehouse are still stacked. I have ordered Qin Dan, the state leader, to transport 500,000 shi of grain into the country.
Guanzhong can relieve the people's crisis, and there are more than 1,000 kilograms of hybrid rice seeds. Once popularized in Guanzhong next year, food will no longer be a problem."
Someone stood up and asked: "Your Majesty, the grain from Bashu has been transported to Guanzhong, which is a blessing to the people of Guanzhong. We, the old Qin people, will no longer have to worry about it. We should serve the country wholeheartedly and be loyal. However, now that there is drought in the four fields, even the rice seeds cannot survive."
, I will go hungry again next year.”
"Good question." Li Feng stood up from the throne and looked around at the ministers: "I have a method called work-for-relief, which can solve your problem and help the people completely get rid of the harm of drought."
"Relief through work?" the officials asked one after another.
Li Feng paused. He knew that the ministers below did not understand, so he continued: "I remember that before the beginning of the year, it rained heavily in our Guanzhong area. There was no shortage of water in various water bodies and rivers, but the water could not be diverted to the fields well.
, so our top priority is to build water conservancy projects as a solution."
Jiang Ye looked worried. After becoming the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he realized that although he had become a senior official, his life was not as good as before. He was more concerned about Da Qin's money bag than Li Feng.
Now that I heard Li Feng say this, he tactfully retorted: "What your Majesty said is true, but if you do this, you will have to increase the corvee, waste people and money, and may cause unrest."
"Who said we need to increase the number of corvees? We can find another way."
"Please give me your Majesty's holy words for guidance."
"Now, our country, the Qin Dynasty, is facing a drought. Many people have lost their jobs, and the new people have no place to live. These are the remaining labor force. We can call them together to replace the corvees to repair the water conservancy projects, and then give them Lumi.
, wouldn’t it be nice to receive money as a reward, once a day?”
"Doing this is better than rigidly paying for food relief."
As soon as these words came out, some ministers understood everything. For example, Shen Kong of the Ministry of Industry was a good expert in engineering. Since he became the largest contractor in the country, he has specialized in this field and can understand many things.
Li Feng's method of saying it is right after a moment's thought: "What your Majesty said can be said to kill three birds with one stone. On behalf of the people of the Qin Dynasty, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your great kindness. Long live, long live, long live."
Li Feng looked at the ministers: "Do you think this method is feasible?"
"I have no objection!"
"I have no objection, Your Majesty is wise!"
Li Feng was very pleased. These people all followed him to conquer the world again. They pursued practicality in both civil and military affairs and understood the principle of seeking truth from facts.
As long as there is a good method, they will support it with both hands and implement it. Instead of being like some civil servants later, no matter what the emperor says, no matter good or bad, they will always come out to criticize you and gain a reputation for being brave enough to rebuke.
"Since there is no objection, I will issue the order."
Li Feng looked around at the ministers and began to roll their names: "Meng Rui, your Chief Situ Yamen and the Household Department will raise food and salary for relief purposes. Make sure that every penny of food and salary is used wisely.
Meng Rui and Jiang Ye came out: "No!"
"Li Bin, your Prime Minister's Office will coordinate and supervise the operation. The Ministry of Civil Affairs will mobilize local officials to issue recruitment notices, count the number of workers, register them in a register, and hand them over to the Ministry of Works for execution."
“This time, the Ministry of Industry can refer to the model of Dujiangyan in central Sichuan to open up rivers, build canals between field ridges, and clear blocked waterways, so that water can be irrigated as soon as possible.
"My request is to resume production within three months and not let the people starve. Do you understand?"
"I understand!" Li Bin, Zhang Yue, and Shen Kong came out, and Shen Kong stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I have something I don't know whether to say or not."
"speak!"
"Your Majesty, we have to meet the construction deadline and need a lot of manpower. It takes time to gather manpower. I would like to ask if we can recruit the elderly, weak, women and children to participate if we start the work immediately."
"How can this be done? It's okay for women to show their faces. Why do they still have to work on the construction site with a group of men? Seeing a group of men with their bare chests and backs exposed every day will make your husband think."
Jing Liangji of the Ministry of Rites sternly opposed it and wrote: "Your Majesty, this case cannot be made. Once it starts, the boundaries between men and women will be diluted, and the lack of intimacy will become a joke."
"You are indeed a scholar, how can this be a joke? If you were to see those women in bars in later generations, wouldn't you be so angry that you would vomit three liters of blood?"
Li Feng slandered, and then said: "Jing Aiqing, please be patient. I think this is feasible, but the moral issues you mentioned are also reasonable. In this way, Shen Kong, when you recruit old, weak, women and children, you divide the construction area.
Women work with children, and old people work with young adults, so that no one will gossip."
Shen Kong had just been scolded by Jing Liang and felt a little aggrieved. Unexpectedly, Li Feng did not blame him, but agreed with his actions and immediately praised him: "I obey the decree, Your Majesty is wise!"
Jing Liang was a little unwilling: "Your Majesty, even if this is the case, what kind of work can the old, weak, women and children do and what role can they play if they are in weak health? If you do this, some people may accuse your Majesty of being cruel and cruel to the people."