Chapter 14 The Food Crisis

Zhu Qizhen's original intention was to summon Yang Pu and then summon the ministers below.

But Zhu Qizhen suffered a big loss here in Yang Pu. Thoroughly aware of his own ability, perhaps after several years of experience, he has initially possessed the basic characteristics of an emperor.

But compared with ministers like Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu, they are still too immature.

And the following ministers are met, whether it is Wang Zhi, Cao Nai, and Ma Yu, one of them is one, and they are not easy to get along. Either he has been in politics for more than 20 years, or he is the champion.

Zhu Qizhen decided to be ready and nourish his spirit. Meet one a day.

Here comes Wang Zhi.

In Zhu Qizhen's opinion, Wang Zhi, a bearded man, is much cuter than Yang Pu.

Wang Zhi has lectured to Zhu Qizhen for so many years, and they have a lot more contact with each other, so as soon as Wang Zhi came, almost within a word, he pulled the distance into the distance.

Zhu Qizhen said: "There is a lot of pressure on the household department this year, is there any way for Mr. ”

Wang Zhi smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty doesn't need to urge the household department, the minister can tell Your Majesty for sure that the household department's money and grain are insufficient, and when the minister comes to see Your Majesty, he wants to ask Your Majesty if the war in Yunnan can be stopped?" ”

Zhu Qizhen said: "You can't do it, there is no turning back when you start work." At this moment, the troops were retreated, and all the previous investment of the imperial court was in vain. The world is going to despise this dynasty again. ”

If Zhu Qizhen knew that the disaster would be so serious this year, he might not have ordered a crusade against Luchuan last year, and endured it for a year or two first, and then talked about it when he recovered.

But I never imagined that such a situation would happen.

It's just that at this time, you can't stop saying anything.

After all, the grain has already been transported, and with the consumption along the way, even if the troops are withdrawn, it is impossible to transfer the grain that was previously transported to Yunnan to the north. It's long gone.

And this time, the affected places are all in the north, in Zhili, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, and Fengyang. These grains far away in Yunnan are not emergency at all.

"Then there's no way." Wang Zhi said: "In the past few days, the minister has strictly ordered the household department to count all the grain in Shandong, Henan, Fengyang, Shanxi, Zhili, and Jingcang. It simply does not correspond to the gap of the imperial court in this area. ”

"According to the previous disaster year's estimates, these places, this year's summer tax, don't even think about it, about 500,000 stone to 1.5 million stone of money and grain, and more than 1 million stone estimated, if you want to not starve to death, and complete the Hebei water conservancy project that Your Majesty wants, it will cost about 1 million stone to 2 million stone of grain."

"And even more."

"But the imperial court's warehouses in the capital only reserve 10 million stone grain, after the last year's flood, has supported more than 2 million stone grain, plus the original consumption, last autumn tax has been intercepted a lot, only more than 1 million stone grain entered the capital.

Therefore, the imperial court's reserves in Beijing were no more than seven hundred

Wanshi grain. ”

"And the grain used only for disaster relief will cost as little as 1.5 million stone and as much as 3 million stone of grain. plus the consumption of hundreds of officials and Jingying. ”

"I'm afraid that if the disaster continues, the grain in Taicang will be empty next year."

Zhu Qizhen knew that there was a food crisis, but he never expected that this food crisis would reach such an extent that he was simply shocked and said, "Has the situation reached this point?" Why didn't Liu Zhongfu report it? ”

Wang Zhi said: "Liu Shangshu has actually said that he has played His Majesty several times, please stop the policy of work for relief." That's why. ”

"It's just that it hasn't rained for months since last fall, and now there's a rain. This year's summer tax can be collected more or less. ”

"There are some things that the people below dare not say."

Zhu Qizhen took a deep breath and said, "I know. ”

There is a difference between keeping people alive and consuming food with intense labor. Liu Zhongshiki, the head of the household department, obviously out of the need to save food, strongly opposed Zhu Qizhen's plan of cash-for-work.

Zhu Qizhen knows this.

But Zhu Qizhen didn't know that there was such a big crisis behind this.

Zhu Qizhen had the idea of replacing Liu Zhongfu for a moment, and as the head of the household, he couldn't warn him in advance, which was a dereliction of duty.

It's just that Zhu Qizhen instantly pressed it.

In any case, Liu Zhongfu is the old man of Emperor Renzong, and he is the team of the Empress Dowager, and he can't move easily, and now is not the time to move him.

And what Wang said is just the most pessimistic view.

In case, the drought is over.

It's raining heavily, so it doesn't have to be so difficult.

Zhu Qizhen said: "Sir, do you have a solution? ”

Wang Zhi said: "Actually, I am not without food in Daming, although there is a shortage of food in Daming, but there is still it, but the grain is transported to the north and consumed too much." And in the north, one more stone of grain is collected in the south, which is three stones of grain in the south. ”

"I think it's a top priority."

"But it's to find a way to get the people to donate grain to the court."

Zhu Qizhen said: "Let the people donate grain to the imperial court? How is this possible? ”

Zhu Qizhen knows the habits of the people too well, no, it should be the habits of people. When it's not about them, they naturally want to sing high-pitched, but how can they do it when they really make them bleed?

Wang Zhi said: "This is the orthodox two-year emergency policy, called the crown and glory policy. ”

When Zhu Qizhen heard these four words, he suddenly felt very familiar, but he figured it out in a moment. There is one such thing.

The so-called crown and belt accommodation is actually similar to selling officials.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty was not as shameless as the Qing Dynasty, and the officials sold in the Ming Dynasty were just an honor. There is no real power, the only one who has reality

The right is probably exempt from miscellaneous labor.

I have to say that the Ming Dynasty has been in the world for 70 years, even if there is a battle of Jingyan, but the battle of Jingnan destroys, that is, the line from Beizhili, Shandong, to Nanjing.

For the people in most places, seventy years of peace is already very rich.

Although the country's financial resources are now somewhat difficult, the people have food.

"The south paid a thousand stone to the imperial court. If you pay 500 stone to the imperial court in the north, you can get the title of righteous people given by the government. ”

Zhu Qizhen frowned slightly and said, "This matter, let's put it aside for a while." First, urgently transfer grain from the south to the north to see how the drought situation develops. It would be nice if it could rain, and if it couldn't, it would be better to bring it up again. ”

Although Zhu Qizhen said this, he was very reluctant to open this mouth in his heart.

It's not that Zhu Qizhen is reluctant to get a small honor, but that Zhu Qizhen feels that this is a loss of national credit. And what is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty?

This point has been established in the time of Emperor Taizu, that is, the vast number of yeoman farmers.

Emperor Taizu was said to be brutal or indiscriminate, but his policy was always tilted towards yeoman farmers. That hasn't changed.

But if this strategy can be implemented.

Who is the one who has been given the title of Righteous Citizen?

It is not a yeoman farmer. Rather, it was the landlord class. It may even be more so-called Haoqiang.

This is a disruption of the current order of the imperial court, and even these people are highly overlapping with the scholar class. Zhu Qizhen has a high vigilance against the rapid rise of civil officials, and is naturally reluctant to make such a tilted move.

Of course, sometimes you know it's not good. Forced by form, what should be done is also to be done. 、

It's just that this is the last resort, and it won't be done unless it is absolutely necessary. Zhu Qizhen could only leave one word.

Zhu Qizhen chatted with Wang Zhi about a lot of financial problems, and then let Wang Zhi go back.

He only felt a headache and asked, "Wang Daban." ”

The little eunuch next to him said: "Father-in-law, I am in the celebrant at the moment. ”

Only then did Zhu Qizhen remember that Wang Zhen was no longer by his side, and he was a little unaccustomed to it for a while.

Because Wang Zhen knows Zhu Qizhen too well, in many details of life, Zhu Qizhen doesn't have to worry about it at all, such as the clothes worn by the emperor.

The rules in the palace are to let the emperor change his clothes according to the twenty-four temperaments, and when to wear clothes of what material, there are fixes.

But Zhu Qizhen was very annoyed by such a thing, but Wang Zhendu arranged it properly, and Zhu Qizhen himself didn't feel that the clothes on his body had changed.

But the new eunuch will not be able to do it, and he will still bother him with these things.

Of course, Zhu Qizhen knew that this eunuch didn't dare not ask, because a small mistake in the palace could kill them.