The country was very rich, but the court was very poor. Because the court made the scholar-officials and merchants rich, it did not restrict land annexation, making the rich richer and the poor poorer.
Every time there is a disaster, the displaced people abandon their farmland and look for food everywhere. The landlords, in conjunction with the grain merchants, drive up the price of grain, so that the poor people, even if they have some savings, have to pay for it.
He has a mouth to eat and returns to abject poverty.
But the imperial court, this everyone's imperial court, was controlled by the landlords and scholar-bureaucrats. They sat back and did nothing. After the originally self-sufficient people sold their farmland, they instigated the imperial court to convert civilians into the army again and again...
Zhao Xi looked through all the imperial edicts and edicts issued by the state since the founding of the country, and also compared them with the chronological records of the state since the founding of the state.
Unfortunately, what he saw were only mistakes, not correctness. What he saw was just the faces of individuals who were short-sighted for personal gain and disregarded the imperial court.
This is another disaster year, and he can imagine how happy those people with ulterior motives must be at this time...
Even the core members of my own guard camp are probably preparing to share this gluttonous feast at home.
There was no way, he could not and could not face the entire court and the entire shameless and greedy scholar-bureaucrat class by himself.
From recruiting six families to make food when I was a child, to later recruiting a large group of people to make copper and iron mines, to win over a large group of people to make wool, coal, and steel, and to do things that are different from land income, just to make them look away.
, gain some knowledge and stop staring at those miserable bits of land.
It's just that Zhao Xi is worried that he overestimates the IQ of those people and underestimates people's dependence on land. Therefore, he has to make some preparations...
He was not too disappointed...
"Xi'er, what you planned in the guard camp has been passed on to my uncle's family. All actions will be led by Dong Gong, and all actions will be coordinated."
Empress Cao made a special trip to the East Palace to say this. She knew that when it came to keeping secrets, the inner garden could not compare to the East Palace.
Although she still didn't know exactly what her son was planning, and the news from her parents' family was also vague, she knew that it should be kept secret.
Either the person who conveyed the message was unclear, or even Cao Lin was unclear, so he just described the arrangements made by His Highness the Crown Prince.
Then, the head of the family called Cao Xiang back and brought these words.
"Third brother, dad has also sent word that the Gao family and the East Palace are in agreement."
He said that he had finished everything, but there was always a look of doubt on his face.
"There is a severe drought in Jingzhao Prefecture and Hebei Province. During the lean period, food prices in these two places will skyrocket, and a large number of refugees will even flock to Kaifeng Prefecture."
"Once the price of food increases, the refugees will become poor and even rioters. I am just taking some precautions..."
"Let me tell you, let your own shops or grain dealers in Jingzhaofu and Hebei Road empty all their warehouses and prepare to receive grain."
"If possible, build more warehouses, preferably around national highways..."
For those on the same front, Zhao Xi doesn't mind making arrangements for them in advance.
Paying for the drought this time will allow them to gain something in the future, not to mention they are all members of their own family.
It's almost the planting time, but God still doesn't mean it will rain at all.
Irrigation by drum trucks is simply a drop in the bucket and of no avail to the entire Central Plains.
Too much land is no longer close to rivers, and the current situation of farming is to rely on the weather.
Dad has asked for rain three times, but God has paid no attention to this so-called emperor.
Affected by the influence of heaven and man, I have asked my father to issue the edict of sin three times... but it is still useless.
There have been more than one court meeting to open Chang Pingcang, but they have been clamoring in the court for more than half a month and still have not decided.
The price of rice in Bianliang City has risen from thirty cents to fifty cents per dou...
"Your Majesty, I am requesting the imperial court to order Bianliang Coin to supervise the production of coins, so as to alleviate the plight of the people who have no money to buy food..."
Who is this? Zhao Xi didn’t even know how he came up with this idea.
Arguing with such people will lower your IQ.
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince once said that if the grain is abundant, the currency will be made, and if the grain is short, the currency will be made. What Liu Shilang said is ridiculous. The currency will depreciate the new currency and push up the price of grain. Absolutely not!"
He has as much knowledge as a fool.
"Your Majesty, I am requesting the imperial court to open Changpingcang and sell rice at thirty cents per dou, thereby solving the current rising price of rice and allowing the people of Bianliang to have no worries about food shortages and prevent panic."
Regardless of whether there are ulterior motives or not, at least the reasons are sufficient and the logic makes sense.
Zhao Xi never considered this group of courtiers literally, because none of them were simple people.
On the contrary, that fool might be the most innocent one.
"That's wrong! Today, fifty cents per pound of rice is not enough for the people to panic."
"Bianliang has water transportation, with an annual transportation capacity of six million dan. Now that water transportation has begun, new grains will be on the market soon. Who among the people of Bianliang doesn't know? Who doesn't know?"
"There is a severe drought in Beijing and a severe drought in Hebei Province. There is no convenient water transportation in these two places, and there is no annual food income of six million dan. Now the severe drought will inevitably cause countless refugees to flock to Bianliang."
"The Changpingcang is prepared to deal with the refugees from the three places. Now that the Changpingcang is open, what will be done to house the refugees when they arrive? I hope Your Majesty will think twice."
How many times have we gone back and forth, over and over again, just these few sentences. The father-in-law said that the father-in-law is right, and the mother-in-law said that the mother-in-law is right, but the husband-in-law did not express his position, and the father could not make a decision, and he could not make a decision.
When Wang Zhongzheng and Li Xian came back, they brought Annan's credentials, which were addressed to Zhengshitang. Zhao Zhen had seen the letter addressed to Xi'er.
I also know that Xi'er has made preparations for this year's drought...just some classics and new coins.
At this time, nothing is more important than food.
It's just that Zhao Zhen didn't expect that Annan would only have three or five cents per pound of rice...
Now, before the grain has been transported by water, my son's grain has already arrived in the city.
It's just that his son couldn't tell when the time came, so Zhao Zhen could only wait. However, when he was confident in his heart, it was indeed a pleasure to watch the ministers and workers shout. In the past two years, this feeling has become more and more common.
When the orbital operation began, Zhao Xi directly deployed the transportation teams that originally took the Shu Road to Hebei Road and Jingzhao Prefecture. After the grain arrived in Bianliang, they were quickly dispatched and transported to all prefectures, counties and counties affected by drought.
As stated in the court, Bianliang City has water transportation, and six million shi of grain enters the city every year, at a cost of 50 taels per bucket, which does not cause much panic.
As for Jingzhao Prefecture and Hebei Province, according to reports from the Imperial City Department, the price has reached the level of one hundred wen per bucket.
One hundred coins per fight, this is the limit Zhao Xi has set. If this limit is exceeded, he must take action, otherwise panic will spread.
Alas, sometimes there is nothing you can do about it. Even if you don’t want to make some money, you still have to make it.
Just like now, it is impossible for Zhao Xi to raise the price of rice to 30 cents per dou from the beginning. Firstly, the reserves are not enough, and secondly, the entire disaster has not yet reached its most critical stage.
But he didn't want to let the price of rice rise, so he needed to sell part of the grain to ease the rise in rice prices.