Chapter Five Hundred and Eighty Eighth: Framed King Li Ke of Qi
After receiving the letter from King Qi, local officials in other prefectures and counties in Shandong did not dare to neglect and began to actively carry out flood control.
After all, King Wei had learned from the past. King Wei was a prince, and because he failed to do a good job in flood control, everyone suffered, let alone them.
Three days later, it rained heavily all over Shandong.
Moreover, this time it rained heavily for three whole days.
Three days of heavy rain caused the river to burst its banks and destroy countless people's houses.
Natural and man-made disasters, fire and water are merciless.
Although they had already worked hard to prevent floods beforehand.
But when the monstrous flood comes, manpower is really very slim.
However, the flood control work they had prepared in advance was not in vain.
Especially within the territory of King Qi.
Not only were all the people whose houses were washed away moved to other places in advance, but even their important properties were also moved out.
All that was destroyed were houses and some worthless things.
In this case, although the loss is still very huge, it has been reduced to the minimum level.
In other states and counties, local magistrates have also made preparations in advance.
They also successfully moved all the people before the river burst its banks.
But the people's property was not transferred at all.
After all, although they received the letter from King Qi, it also attracted their great attention.
But the degree of attention they paid to it was far less than that of King Qi.
This also resulted in that they only paid attention to the safety of lives, but they ignored the safety of people's property.
This makes rescue operations more difficult after floods.
There are too many victims, and none of their property has been transferred.
To make matters worse, even the granaries were destroyed by floods in many places.
For a while, they simply couldn't come up with so much food to help the victims.
Even now they are regretting evacuating all the victims.
If some of the victims were washed away by the flood, there would definitely not be so many victims, and the rescue work would not be so stressful.
But now, it's too late to say anything.
The subsequent rescue work will give them a headache.
Although it is said that the people of the Tang Dynasty are now prosperous and the country is strong, there is definitely no shortage of relief food.
There will definitely not be a situation where the victims starve to death.
But these victims have nothing now. Even if the disaster relief food from the court arrives, the victims will not starve to death.
But how will they live in the future?
Where does the house come from?
What about growing food and tools?
These things need to be arranged by local officials like them!
It is foreseeable that this will be a huge pit in the next few years.
And because of these disaster victims, in their evaluation, let alone want to get top, top, middle, or top or bottom.
As long as it's not Xia Shang, Xia Zhong or even Xia Xia, they will burn high incense.
Originally, they thought they had done quite well in the past two years.
I very much hope that I can get a promotion opportunity in the next evaluation.
But what now?
Not to mention the opportunity for promotion, if they can avoid being demoted, it will be regarded as a high-profile job for them.
For a moment, they were really worried!
He even directly hated King Qi.
It was all the fault of King Qi!
If it weren't for King Qi's letter to us, the flood would have washed away most of the victims if we hadn't made preparations in advance.
In this case, the rescue work will not be so difficult.
King Qi, you have caused so much harm to us!
Just when local officials in other prefectures and counties in Shandong were at a loss what to do, strangers suddenly came to their master's door.
"Do you want to get out of the current predicament? In fact, it's very simple. You just need to give the victims some dry food and tell them to go to King Qi's territory. King Qi will give them houses and land, everything."
"As long as all the victims here go to King Qi's territory, everything will be easy to handle."
"Look, you don't have that many victims anymore, but the government's relief food will not be short."
"Such a large amount of relief food can make the remaining victims live a good life. In this way, won't all problems be solved?"
Upon hearing this method, the eyes of these masters couldn't help but light up.
However, in the end, he still shook his head and said: "But, in this way, the King of Qi will be offended to death. The gain is not worth the loss! The gain is not worth the loss!"
Then, the stranger chuckled and said: "As the saying goes, if you don't do it for yourself, heaven will kill you! If not, can you survive this difficulty?"
"As long as you can get promoted, do you still need to control the life and death of King Qi? Who has any backers in the Qi Dynasty?"
Um?
There seems to be really no backer in the Qi Dynasty.
If I had to talk about a backer, it would be the King of Shu.
The King of Shu is famous all over the world, and no one dares to offend him.
But the problem is that the King of Shu is not in the court and can't care about their affairs at all.
Thinking of this, these masters' eyes couldn't help but light up.
Next, after these masters returned, they offered suggestions to their superiors.
The local officials of these prefectures and counties also brightened up after hearing the strategy proposed by their master.
Yes, this is indeed a wonderful method!
However, if you really do this, you will offend King Qi.
What they are struggling with now is offending King Qi. What price will they pay?
Is it worth offending King Qi?
After much deliberation, they decided that it was the lesser of two evils, and they would rather offend King Qi in the end.
Soon, these local officials arrived at the place where the victims were gathering.
"Folks, folks, everyone, listen to me, I am your county magistrate and your parent official!"
"This flood has destroyed the homes of the villagers and taken away all your finances! But fortunately, there were no casualties!"
"No one died in this flood! But after the flood, the villagers will still have to live their lives!"
"Countrymen need to have houses to live in and to grow food and cultivate crops. These all require money!"
"I have decided to donate all my family property! But even so, it is only a drop in the bucket and cannot solve the problem!"
"It's all because of my incompetence, which has made the villagers suffer."
When he said this, the county magistrate's eyes turned red, his voice choked with sobs, big tears fell down, and he was heartbroken.
The people at the scene were not moved by the county magistrate's speech.
Countless people also shed tears of emotion with them.
"Your Majesty, you have done a good enough job!"
"Having a county honorable like you is our blessing for three lifetimes!"
"This is all caused by the flood. How can it be your fault, Lord County?"
The county magistrate wiped away his tears and continued: "Folks, I heard that the King of Qi is very wealthy. And the relief materials provided by the King of Qi will be ten times that of ours!"
"King Qi has so many disaster relief materials and will build houses for the victims!"
"I am incompetent and can't give you so much! If you want to survive, you'd better go to King Qi!"
The county magistrate's words really moved countless people.
"County Lord, we won't leave!"
"Your Majesty, no matter how good King Qi is, we won't leave!"
"We're not going there either, we'll just follow you!"
"Other than you, where can we find such a good county official?"
Um?
Isn't it possible to make it bigger by exerting force?
Why are you still reluctant to leave?
You have to go!
If you don't leave, what will I do?
In the end, the county magistrate tried his best to persuade others, but finally made a vow and swore a promise.
As long as we can get through this difficult time and conditions get better, we are welcome to come back at any time.
And only if they leave a large part can we ensure that everyone can survive.
In the end, more than half of the people chose to rush to King Qi's territory.
This scene happened in Shandong, except in other states and counties in the territory of King Qi.
Therefore, after the disaster, countless victims rushed to Qizhou.
But Qi King Li Ke knew nothing about this.
After all, he does not have an intelligence organization like Shu King Li Min.
…
Naturally, such important news cannot be hidden from the Dream Weaver Organization.
Soon, the news was sent to the Shu King Li Min.
Seeing this news, Li Min couldn't help but frowned.
Someone is behind this matter.
If my third brother doesn't handle this matter well, it will cause catastrophe.
In fact, even with Qizhou's current strength, there is no way to handle this matter well.
First of all, victims from all over Shandong flocked to Qizhou.
Can Qizhou accept these victims?
In fact, the land and area of Qizhou are sufficient.
Because during the wars at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Shandong and Henan were areas with frequent wars.
These war-torn areas have suffered heavy casualties.
Although Datang has been recuperating over the years.
However, the population in Shandong and other places has never recovered.
Therefore, it is enough for Qizhou to accommodate these disaster victims.
However, receiving these disaster victims requires a huge amount of funds.
Qizhou, on the other hand, simply does not have such strength.
If all the victims are taken in, Qizhou will be brought down, and it will eventually lead to a catastrophe.
So, what if you don’t accept it?
Let them go back the way they came?
It can be said that these disaster victims have gone through a lot of hardships along the way.
Many victims were tortured so badly that they suffered injuries and illnesses.
If they were allowed to go back, I'm afraid at least half of them would die on the way.
Not to mention, there will definitely be a censor who will impeach King Qi for refusing to save him.
There may even be people who secretly instigate these victims to cause trouble.
Once a mass incident occurs, there will be no way to end it.
Therefore, no matter what King Qi does now, it will be difficult to end.
It has to be said that the person behind this is very sinister and vicious.
However, the person behind it is very hidden.
For a while, not even the Dream Weaver Organization could find out who it was.
But Li Min speculated that it must be related to the four surnames of Liuwang or the prince and the king of Wei.
The biggest suspects are the prince and the king of Wei.
Especially the King of Wei was the subject of major suspicion.
Because a few years ago, he thought that the problem of flood control was a problem.
If King Qi passes safely this time and no one dies, he will be completely outclassed.
If he is a dignified King of Wei, he cannot even compare with the King of Qi, let alone the King of Shu.
I'm afraid his father will be extremely disappointed in him.
Therefore, Li Min felt that the person most worthy of suspicion was actually King Wei.
Of course, now is not the time to pursue this.
The most important thing is to solve the immediate problem first and solve the problems of the victims first.
…
Qizhou, the territory of King Qi, suddenly saw a large influx of victims.
The total number of victims has gradually reached 40,000 to 50,000.
With so many victims, Qizhou's disaster relief work has greatly increased.
With so many disaster victims gathering together, not only will the food provided by the porridge shed be greatly increased every day.
We must also prevent disease infections and beware of disaster victims causing trouble and mass incidents.
In short, Qizhou's disaster relief work is currently in an unusually passive state.
At this time, Song Han, the chief minister next to King Qi, reported to King Qi worriedly: "Your Majesty, more and more victims are pouring in from other places, which is putting great pressure on our disaster relief work!"
Qi King Li Ke couldn't help but frown and asked: "Chang Shi, why are there so many disaster victims pouring into our Qizhou?"
Song Han explained: "Your Majesty, these victims came to our Qizhou under the instigation of their local magistrates."
"The local magistrate told them that the victims of the disaster in Qizhou would be allocated houses and food. It was because of these words that they poured into our Qizhou in large numbers."
Hearing Song Han's words, Li Ke couldn't help but said angrily: "Absurd! How ridiculous! What are they thinking about creating these rumors? I will file a memorial to impeach them!"
Song Han smiled bitterly and said: "My lord, the most important thing now is how to resettle these victims. We can discuss the impeachment later. But how should we deal with these victims now?"
After pondering for a moment, Li Ke couldn't help but ask: "Song Changshi, can our Qizhou accommodate such victims?"
Song Han couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, we in Qizhou also have some stocks. The imperial court will probably also send a batch of disaster relief grains."
"If it's just charity, three to five months is not a problem. But the question is, where will they live during this period? How will they be accommodated after three to five months?"
"What should we do if the victims get sick or cause trouble?"
Hearing Song Han's words, Li Ke couldn't help but asked with a headache: "Song Changshi, if it's between you, how should we deal with it?"
Song Han said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, in the opinion of my subordinates, the best way is to drive away the victims of the disaster who do not belong to our Qizhou."
"Let them return to their own states and counties, and let the local magistrates embarrass them!"
Li Ke couldn't help but frown and asked: "But, can these victims persist until they rush back?"
"This -" Song Han said with a bitter smile: "Injuries and casualties on the road are inevitable, but there is no other way!"
"If we keep them all, the consequences will only be worse."
Li Ke nodded slightly, and then said: "Song Changshi, please let me think about it again."
Song Han also nodded and said: "Yes, which subordinate will resign first? I hope the prince will make a decision soon."
Song Han retreated, and Li Ke was frowning and thinking hard, hesitating.
The plan proposed by Song Han was actually a hopeless solution.
But Li Ke always felt that he couldn't bear it.
If we drive the victims away, I'm afraid there will be too many casualties.
But, if you want to stay, how should you do it?
Just when Li Ke was extremely confused, he suddenly received another letter from his sixth brother, King of Shu Li Min.
Opening the letter and browsing through it quickly, Li Ke's face showed a look of ecstasy.
Very good!
That's great!
My sixth brother actually helped me during my most difficult time!
It turned out that in the letter, Li Min applied for a business to Qi King Li Ke on behalf of Datang Bank.
That is the business of resettlement villages.
Datang Bank will spend money to rebuild resettlement villages for the victims. Of course, this resettlement village will not be given for free.
If the victims want to stay, they have to pay to stay.
Since most of the disaster victims have no money, Datang Bank can provide ten-year repayment business with zero down payment.
You only need to pay about 200 yuan in interest every month, and you can pay off all the debt in ten years.
Seeing this, Li Ke was extremely moved.
My sixth brother, why are you doing this to expand your business?
This is obviously an initiative to help yourself!
In Li Ke's view, his sixth brother spent a lot of money from his own pocket to help him resettle the victims.
It will take ten years for these villagers to pay off all their debts in installments.
Moreover, I am afraid that there will be situations where villagers cannot pay off their debts.
In the meantime, how much does my sixth brother have to pay!
In fact, there is one thing that Li Ke does not understand.
Not only will this resettlement village business not lose money, it will actually make money.
The real estate business of later generations has long proved this point.
Of course, this is resettlement housing, not high-priced commercial housing.
Therefore, the profit here is actually not high.
At least compared to other businesses of China Commercial Bank, it is much lower.
But for Li Min, it was enough to help his brother and make money at the same time.
Not long after Li Ke received Li Min's letter, Qi Shi, the person in charge of Datang Bank in Shandong, came to discuss with Li Ke, the king of Qi, the next business of resettling the victims of the disaster.
Soon, both parties reached an agreement.
Next, Qi Shi led a resettlement team and got busy.
More than half of the members of this team are employees who have participated in the resettlement of Xueyantuo herders.
They have very rich experience in resettlement village construction.
The next step is to select and plan the location and planning of the resettlement village under the leadership of Prince Qi's Mansion.
On this matter, Prince Qi's Mansion is much more anxious than Datang Bank.
Therefore, it only took one day to plan the locations of fifteen resettlement villages.
Next, Qi King Li Ke called all the victims together and gave a speech.
In front of King Qi, a subordinate held a large trumpet in front of King Qi Li Ke.
Li Ke said loudly: "Folks, a flood has caused you to lose your home and all your property!"
"But luckily, there were no casualties and no one was washed away by the flood!"
"What I didn't expect was that so many disaster victims would come to seek refuge with me. This made me very touched. At the same time, it also made me very stressed!"
"Now that you have come to my territory, I cannot ignore you! But, next, what will you eat? Where will you live? What will you do in the future?"
This issue is also the issue that all disaster victims are most worried about.
Hearing King Qi mention this issue, all the victims looked at King Qi nervously.
"Finally, I decided to cooperate with Datang Bank to build fifteen resettlement villages."
"Of course, neither I nor the imperial court can come up with such a large amount of money for disaster relief."
"So, you need to spend your own money to buy these resettlement villages."
After hearing King Qi's words, the victims' hearts, which had been half happy, suddenly became cold again.
Spend money to buy?
Where did they get the money?
If they had so much money, would they still be disaster victims?
The people below immediately began to complain.
Li Ke continued: "Folks, listen to me, listen to me! Of course I know that you have no money in your hands."
"So, after negotiation between me and Datang Bank, the houses in the resettlement village can be paid in installments."
"After they completed the construction of the house, it not only included the house, but also farm tools and furniture, and some food."
"And you don't need to pay any money at all. You can move in directly after signing the contract. The money can be paid in installments."
"Every month, I pay about two hundred cents in interest. In ten years, I can pay back all the money!"
After hearing this, the people below became quiet.
If you only need about 200 yuan a month, then it's something you can consider.
However, two hundred coins is not easy to earn!
Even before the flood, they might not be able to earn 200 cash a month.
If you can't pay monthly, won't the house eventually be taken away?
The people below started talking again.
After hearing their discussion, Li Ke said again: "Folks, please rest assured that you can all work while the resettlement village is being built. The daily wage for an adult is no less than thirty cash."
"Even women and children receive wages ranging from ten to twenty cents a day. For two hundred cents, you only need to work for seven days!"
"In the follow-up, I will sign a labor export agreement with Yizhou New City. I will arrange for you to work in Yizhou New City."
"As long as you are willing to work hard, two hundred cents a month can actually be easily repaid."
This time, the people were completely relieved.
Who doesn’t know about Yizhou New City and the entire Tang Dynasty?
It can be said that money is everywhere.
Of course, in the past, they were far away and there was no one to take them.
Even if they want to go, they still have various concerns.
But now, if King Qi helps them sign an agreement with Yizhou New City, what do they have to fear?
You must know that the Jiedushi of Jiannan Road and the King of Shu, Li Min, are not the biological brothers of the King of Qi.
With this kind of relationship, they can rest assured.
Next, 50,000 to 60,000 disaster victims were quickly distributed near fifteen natural villages.
In these places, sheds have been erected for them to live in.
Anyway, the weather is getting hotter now, so I’m not afraid of getting cold.
By the time it gets cold, the house will have been built long ago.
The preliminary construction was also rolled out quickly.
Li Min paid close attention to the Qizhou resettlement issue.
Seeing that it was going very smoothly, Li Min felt relieved.
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