In the early spring, it is still cold in the northland, and the sparse trees are dying and sprouting. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info many dignitaries are still wrapped in thick winter clothes, and keen farmers have long been aware of the temperature rise and the return of wild geese. The frozen land has thawed, and the farmers are busy.

As usual, when the farmers began to be busy, the eldest grandson queen brought the harem ladies and court wives into the fields to start the annual agricultural sacrifice to the silkworms, implying that the coming year will be a bumper harvest year.

In the imperial study, Li Shimin was pacing back and forth.

"How is the food raised?" Li Shimin stopped and asked the eldest grandson Wuji.

"Your Majesty rest assured, since last year, Taicang has been full. The eldest grandson Wuji replied.

"What do you think of Yang Tingshi?" Li Shimin asked Yang Gongren, who was left in Chang'an after rushing back for the Chinese New Year.

Last year, before Yang Gongren was appointed as the assassin of Yangzhou, he secretly entered the imperial study late at night to meet Li Shimin. At that time, Li Shimin made a straight face and asked: "I don't know what else is important in Yang Tingshi, to be so secret?"

"Your Majesty, there is a girl in the Yang family, when she was born, there was a bird around the beam three turns, and the colorful stone was brought in. Later, I was stupid for nine years, and a few days ago, I suddenly stopped being stupid. Yang Gongren said.

Li Shimin was taken aback, "oh", and asked, "Have you asked a senior monk to take a look?"

"Concubine Shu just happened to save her relatives and brought Li Chunfeng Daochang, and Li Daochang personally saw it, not a ghost. Yang Gongren replied.

Li Shimin let out a "hmm" from his nose and said, "Strange power, don't say much." You and I, my monarch, just talk about it here. ”

"Your Majesty respectfully obeys Your Majesty's teachings. Yang Gongren bowed.

Li Shimin fiddled with the folds on the case and motioned for Yang Gongren to speak.

Yang Gongren said: "This woman said that her soul was unstable because of the trouble caused by the Luanniao, and the owner of the Luanniao named Pan took her to cultivate when she got the immortal. A few days ago, he was killed by gangsters, so he had to return. ”

"Oh?" At this moment, an inexplicable impulse rose in Li Shimin's heart, and a trace of expectation flashed in his eyes.

Yang Gongren has been competing for power for a long time, so he naturally guessed that Li Shimin was also tempted by such a thing as seeking immortals. Then, his niece will not be in danger of her life.

"Yes. This daughter is the youngest daughter of the sixth brother of the minister. Now I wake up, although there is no magic. But she told me that her master had told me a few things that I must tell Your Majesty. Yang Gongren paused.

Li Shimin frowned, glanced at him suspiciously, and asked, "What's the matter?"

Yang Gongren also ignored Li Shimin's suspicions, and said directly: "What her niece said, her master said euphemistically, at the beginning of spring next year, drought will be rampant and locust plagues will be raging. ”

"Why is it true that the is talking?" asked Li Shimin rhetorically.

Yang Gongren bowed and said, "I was so suspicious that day, but what my niece said, the solar eclipse in March." ”

Li Shimin was taken aback, only frowned, and asked, "Besides, is there anything else?"

"It is said that after the great drought and locust plague, there was a big flood in Guanzhong. Yang Gongren said again.

Li Shimin stood up, walked around in the flickering candle flame, and walked for a long time before he stopped and asked Yang Gongren: "This matter is very risky, why do you want to say it?"

"His Majesty is not for his own future, nor for the benefit of the Yang family. After all, I am also old, and I have been up and down for most of my life, and all I hope for is peace in the world. And His Majesty and the Tang Dynasty can give the people of the world this peace. His subordinates will also report if they risk death. But because of the words of ghosts, gods and immortals, I will also be skeptical, so I can only talk to Your Majesty in this way. I also hope that His Majesty will respond quietly. Yang Gongren said, kneeling on the ground and bowing.

"Get up, and I know it, and I'll make up my own mind. When you go to Yangzhou to take office, please do your best to seek welfare for the people of Yangzhou. Li Shimin said.

Yang Gongren didn't say anything anymore, and bowed out of the imperial study. Outside the imperial study, the eldest grandson Wuji, who was waiting, glanced at him.

Li Shimin naturally didn't talk about this matter with the eldest grandson Wuji, Mo said that there were many doubts about this matter, that is, the plans made by Hongnong Yang in the past few years, but he also knew a thing or two.

However, after thinking about it, Li Shimin couldn't see that what Yang Gongren said was of any benefit to him and the Yang family, and it was not good that it would be worthy of the Yang family and the girl's life. Therefore, he still summoned the eldest grandson Wuji to start the plan to purchase grain.

"Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty has been decided. Last year, Geely took advantage of our unpreparedness and swept away a lot of property, and the treasury is now empty. The eldest grandson Wuji was puzzled, and also tested Li Shimin with this, wanting to know what Yang Gongren said just now.

"The foundation of a country, you must not say much, water can carry a boat and can also capsize a boat. Li Shimin glanced at the eldest grandson Wuji.

The eldest grandson Wuji didn't dare to say much, but said yes again and again. Li Shimin continued: "The people are the foundation of the country. I just want that if there is a natural or man-made disaster, there will be no food in Taicang, this-"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will personally supervise it. The eldest grandson Wuji replied.

Nearly a year after that, the eldest grandson Wuji supervised the collection of grain. At the same time, after the king of Shu also returned from arresting people's teeth in Shu, he said that he met an immortal in Shuzhong, saying that there was a locust plague in Guanzhong and a great drought in the north next year, so please prepare early.

Of course, Li Shimin sent someone to secretly investigate, and he knew that Li Ke knew the Yang girl, and he must have listened to what the Yang girl said.

Later, the nine girls of the Yang family looked for salt mines and Pingqiang people in an amazing manner, and put forward the amazing idea of "Shennong Plan". Li Shimin didn't dare to underestimate this woman anymore, and vaguely knew in his heart that today's natural disaster was about to come.

It was really a house leak that happened to be rainy and cloudy! Li Shimin was depressed in his heart.

Last year, Geely came to ransack, and this year there were unwilling rebels and thieves everywhere. Later, there was a severe drought in Shandong, and there was a loss of grain before, so he opened a warehouse to release grain, and he was exempted from rent and tax, which could be regarded as appeasing the people's hearts.

Of course, even those old aristocrats in Shandong did not say much about this move. The old aristocratic families also took out food for disaster relief, which was regarded as a response to the imperial court.

After that, the situation in the steppe was not good, and the Turks suddenly suffered a snowstorm, and cattle and sheep froze to death and were injured countless times. Li Shimin was ready to move, and some courtiers were on the fold, feeling that they should "take advantage of people's illness to take people's lives", and now it is a difficult time for the Turks, if they send troops at this time, they can take it in one fell swoop.

Li Shimin was itchy when he heard this, but because he had a covenant before, the division was unknown at this time, and there was a great drought and locust plague at the beginning of the year, he couldn't use Taicang's reserves casually and invest too much in military spending.

To tell the truth, this year, there were rebellious ministers and thieves everywhere, and the cost of the army was simply a mountain overhead.

So, Li Shimin reluctantly rejected the fold. Li Jing and Hou Junji saw the clue, and immediately met in the imperial study, saying: "Your Majesty's move is very wise, and it is only a matter of time before you take the Turks." In this matter, His Majesty will definitely plan for His Majesty. ”

Li Shimin nodded, ******** was still raising food. So, he aimed at the wealthy households in Chang'an, discussed it, and bought grain at a high price and hoarded grain.

This is the first year of Zhenguan, is it really about ushering in a year of natural disasters?

At first, Li Shimin also hoped that what Yang Azhi said was a lie.

But as soon as the New Year passed, it should have been a time of spring rain, the sky was clear, and the **** was full of sunshine. Even if the queen carries the court to order the women to sacrifice, there is no rain for a long time. Although the frozen land has thawed, it is also too hard and not moistened by rain, and the crops cannot be planted for a long time.

Seeing that the days were going by, the rain did not come. The peasants could not wait, and the men, women and children carried water on their backs to water the fields, and finally the seeds were planted. After sowing, there was no rain, and the farmers went out as a family to fetch water from the lakes and rivers. What's even more frightening is that the water in the lakes and rivers is also decreasing.

The peasants panicked, and officials in various localities were also frightened, and hurriedly reported the situation, saying that they were afraid that after last year's severe drought in Shandong, there would be another spring drought this year.

"It's finally here. Li Shimin frowned and sighed inwardly.

Then, he summoned the eldest grandson Wuji, Yang Gongren, who had never been to Yangzhou to take office after the New Year, and a number of ministers to the imperial study to discuss.

Although the eldest grandson Wuji didn't know why Li Shimin asked him to collect grain last year, he seriously carried it out. Taicang is already full of rice and noodles, and the warehouses around the country are almost full.

Li Shimin didn't ask him, only asked Yang Gongren what he thought.

Yang Gongren was stunned, and immediately replied: "Yangzhou is rich, and his subordinates have already collected rice and noodles, and the first batch was shipped to Shandong for disaster relief last year." The second batch was delivered to Chang'an at the end of last year and placed in the warehouses of wealthy households in Chang'an. Earlier, I had told His Majesty that the bill had been handed over to the Ministry of Households. ”

Li Shimin knew that Yang Gongren intended to avoid it, so he asked the Ministry of Industry Shangshu: "How is the project handled?"

The Ministry of Industry did not dare to slack off and immediately stepped forward to report the situation.

Last year, officials of Shangshu Province and all officials of the Ministry of Industry were summoned by Li Shimin to discuss the issue of water conservancy projects directly.

"You survey everywhere, especially in the Guanzhong area, to see what happens if there is a great drought, what happens if there is a flood. Li Shimin directly threw this question to the officials of Shangshu Province.

The officials looked at each other, and one of the servants of the Ministry of Industry replied in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Industry has begun to investigate. ”

Li Shimin frowned and said: "The top priority of the Ministry of Industry this year is the water conservancy project in the north, especially in the Guanzhong area. We will come up with a plan to solve the drought and flood as soon as possible, and complete it by the end of the year. ”

The cadres of the Ministry of Industry were puzzled, but they did not dare to object, and only claimed that they were.

After that, Li Shimin wanted to arrest the officials of the Ministry of Industry at every turn to the imperial study to inquire about the situation, and he was furious if he said a wrong word.

The entire Ministry of Industry has been walking on thin ice this year, trembling. For this reason, the squire of the Ministry of Works also went to visit the King of Shu and the King of Wei. Because I heard that the king of Shu had a lot of research on water conservancy, the king of Wei also liked to study geography. Both of these princes were well-known in terms of water conservancy geography. Helplessly, the king of Shu took up the post of governor of Yizhou in Shuzhong, and only gave a letter to the visiting officials, asking them to visit the prince, saying that the matter was important and should be presided over by the prince. At the same time, they were also given a copy of the water conservancy information that is said to be a historical site.

A cadre of people waited to look at it again and again, and there were engineering drawings and methods for water control.

Everyone knew that this was done by the King of Shu, but they didn't want to admit it, so they copied it overnight and returned the original.

Later, Li Tai, the king of Wei, also showed that he was only talking about water conservancy on paper. However, he wanted to inspect it with the officials of the Ministry of Industry and wanted to depict the beautiful rivers and mountains of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, Wei Wangzuo, who was only 7 years old, asked the Ministry of Industry and others to conduct a field trip.

Li Shimin agreed to King Wei's request, so the 7-year-old King Wei slept in the open air, did not complain at all, and carefully inspected the inquiry records, which made the cadres of the Ministry of Industry greatly appreciated.

Generally speaking, the Ministry of Industry was a trembling entity investigation, combined with the codex given by the King of Shu, designed a drought and flood canal, and began to start construction in July.

Because the canal is regarded as a major event for the benefit of the country and the people, as soon as the Ministry of Industry issued a notice, all the farmers came to contribute, and they did not charge wages, and even some places even brought their own food.

The project went smoothly and there was a lot of work. The Ministry of Industry is also relieved that it will be completed before the end of the year.

By the end of the year, it was done. The Ministry of Industry immediately submitted a completion report, Li Shimin looked at it, and didn't say much, but ordered the King of Shu to check it.

The king of Shu came back from a check, discussed with the officials of the Ministry of Industry, and drew up several modification plans.

After the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Ministry of Industry began to get busy again. Because the King of Shu privately mentioned something, don't drag this matter out of the New Year.

Now, the beginning of the year is warmer, the ice is over, but there is no rain to moisten, and the water in rivers and lakes is also sharply reduced. The cistern made in the previous project came in handy, but it was not enough for the farmers to water the land, so it could only be distributed to the farmers for consumption. At the beginning of February, the people in the Ministry of Industry felt that there was a faint sign of a major drought. It's just that Qin Tianjian didn't have any news, and the Ministry of Industry didn't dare to make a rash conclusion. As a result, several people from the Ministry of Industry summed up and reported the matter truthfully without making a conclusion.

After the report came up for a while, there was no movement in the imperial court. It was announced that the cadres waited until early March before they received a summons from the imperial court, saying that His Majesty was going to summon everyone from the Ministry of Works.

The waiter of the Ministry of Works did not dare to slack off, and immediately announced: "Since the beginning of winter last year, the water cellar has begun to store water. The flood diversion project has also been completed, but the magnitude of the natural disaster is not foreseeable. The specific matters depend on the specific situation. ”

Li Shimin was not harsh, he just waved his hand and let a group of people come out, leaving only Li Ke and Yang Gongren, the king of Shu.

"In the case of the great drought, the food has been put in place, but what about the locust plague now?" Li Shimin asked the two.

Yang Gongren shook his head, only saying that the people were very afraid, thinking that it was the gods who had condemned the crime, and that the locusts were the messengers of the gods. I am afraid that when the locust plague comes, it is not that it is difficult to rectify, but that the people are unwilling to take action.

"It's not that hard. Li Ke answered, and then said, "This matter is fine." Previously, I visited Dr. Zhang to discuss the locust. Doctor Zhang said that the locust has medicinal value and is cultivated at home. This is something that many healers know. Last year, at the Winter Medicine Council organized by Tai Hospital, Dr. Zhang Shenyi also talked about this research. ”

Li Shimin frowned, glanced at him, and said, "This is that girl's idea?"

"Father, this is Doctor Zhang's idea. This locust does have medicinal properties. Li Ke replied.

Li Shimin did not pursue it, and only let Li Ke continue. Subsequently, Li Ke said: "Since last year, a group of people from the Gewu Institute have begun to investigate the growth of locusts. The requirements for soil and temperature were recorded. According to this record, we can at least mobilize the people to strangle the locusts as soon as they break through the ground. ”

"That's very good. Those who strangle and kill the locusts that break the soil, go to the local granary to receive rice and noodles. Yang Gongren also suggested.

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Just follow your method." ”

"Father, there's one more thing. We've calculated, even with this approach. I am afraid that in some areas, there are still people who dare not move locusts, resulting in locust plagues. I'm afraid that when the time comes, you have to practice it. When Li Ke said this, he pursed his lips and looked quite embarrassed.

Li Shimin was very suspicious and asked, "How?"

"Your Majesty, this locust is also extremely delicious. There are very few in the north, but in the Lingnan area, I have heard of farmers fried locusts, and it is said that they are extremely delicious. Yang Gongren said slowly.

"What you mean, I see. Li Shimin nodded, and then said, "For the sake of all the people in the world, this is what I should do." ”

Li Ke and Yang Gongren knelt down together when they heard this, and said, "It is a great blessing for the people to get Your Majesty." ”

Li Shimin smiled and wanted to ask about the Yang family's Azhi, but he felt that it was out of place. At this time, he squinted his eyes slightly, and suddenly thought: If Ke'er is the crown prince and Yang's Azhi is the crown princess, I don't know what the future Tang Dynasty will be like. (To be continued.) )