Liu E withdrew from the stage and returned to the backstage.

Holding the same power in your hands, but standing in front of the stage and standing behind the scenes are completely different things.

Standing in front of the stage, she can influence the government, participate in the discussion of the government, and guide the government to go in the direction she wants.

Standing behind the scenes, she can only make judgments on a bunch of government affairs that have been discussed, and this judgment power is not in her hands alone.

The power in her hands has obviously not moved, but her influence on the government has been weakened by more than half.

The imperial historian and the officials, because they failed to depose Liu E, felt unhappy in their hearts.

But the method proposed by Kou Zhun was the best way to solve the conflict between them and Liu E so far, and they had to accept it.

Wait until Kou Zhun finishes speaking his mind.

Doctor Yu Shi took the lead and said, "The minister obeys the order!" ”

The rest of the hundred officials followed closely and arched their hands, "The ministers obey the order!" ”

Since then, on the royal steps of this vertical arch hall, there are only two people, Zhao Zhen and Kou Zhun.

Zhao Zhen is young and can't manage politics, and all the big and small affairs in the court are controlled by Kou Zhun.

Kou Zhun properly became a powerful minister.

Even if he doesn't have the mind to be a minister, the government and the opposition will treat him as a minister.

Liu E's matter came to an end.

The grain shortage in Huainan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang has become a big problem that needs to be solved urgently in the court.

Kou Zhun sat on the Kou bus, frowned tightly and said: "What do your colleagues think of the food shortage problem in Huainan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang?" ”

Li Di carried the wat and said loudly: "Open the warehouse and release grain, and help the victims." ”

Wang Zeng, Ding Wei, Wang Qinruo and others nodded in unison.

They were all in favor of opening a warehouse to release grain.

Kou Zhun said in a deep voice: "The number of victims is huge, and if you want to feed the victims, the only way to open a regular position is to close the position." As soon as the position is opened, those people who are afraid of the food shortage and are afraid of hunger are bound to rush for grain frantically.

The imperial court's three-year grain stocks in Huainan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are likely to be snatched up. ”

Li Di said: "The food is gone, we can store it again." We can't let the people starve, and we can't force the people to rebel. ”

Kou Zhun nodded slowly and said, "Then order the envoy to Changping on Huainan Road and let him open a warehouse to release grain." At the same time, he ordered Huainan Road to pacify the envoys, led the soldiers and township soldiers from all over Huainan Road, and quickly exterminated the traitors who took the opportunity to make trouble. ”

With Kou Zhun's decision, the Manchu civil and military began to act quickly.

Originally, after the Great Dynasty Meeting, all the officials would seal their respective yamen and go home for the New Year.

Now that such a big thing has happened, they can't care about the New Year, and they are all busy with disaster relief.

Kou Zhun did not return to his home after the dispersal of the dynasty, but went to the Shishitang.

Kou Ji naturally didn't go home, and followed Kou Zhun to the Shishitang.

Inside the Shikudo.

When the two grandparents arrived at the Shishitang, the Shishitang was empty, and Liu E was nowhere to be seen.

Zhao Zhen sat in the court for a long time today, his body was a little stiff, and he was led by Chen Lin to move his muscles and bones.

Kou Zhun led Kou Ji to the chair in the capital hall, and casually pointed to a position for Kou Ji to sit down.

Then he rummaged through the recent records of the Huainan and Jiangsu and Zhejiang generations, and asked Kou Ji, "What do you think of the grain shortage in Huainan and Jiangsu and Zhejiang?" ”

Kou Ji sat on the chair, pondered for a moment, and said: "Huainan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang generations have not lacked harvest this year, but there is a food shortage for no reason, and someone must be behind it. ”

Kou Zhun flipped through Huainan's letter about grain, and while reading, he said: "The old man naturally knows that someone is doing trouble, but the question is who is doing it?"

Are they profiteers who want to take advantage of the opportunity to make huge profits, or are there people in the DPRK who are planning something behind their backs and secretly stockpiling grain? ”

Kou Ji pinched his chin, analyzed it carefully, shook his head and said: "Whenever there is a food shortage, there will be profiteers who will obstruct it. However, the strength of profiteers is limited, and they can only influence one or two state capitals, not as large as eight state capitals.

If some people in the DPRK and China want to stock up on grain and plan something with it, it will be impossible for them to collect grain from the people, let alone make such a big move.

They can completely rely on the envoys of the regular peace in various places to quietly take the grain from the regular flat positions in various places and gather all the food they need. ”

Kou Zhun put down the song in his hand and wondered: "Then tell me, who is making trouble behind the scenes?" ”

Kou Ji couldn't think of a clue for a while, so he simply proposed: "Grandfather, why don't you go through the notes of the transfer envoys from all over the country." Huainan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang generations of so much grain is gone, there will inevitably be traces left.

And these traces are likely to be hidden in the notes of the transit envoys in various places. ”

Huainan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, the grain in the eight states is gone.

It doesn't matter where the food goes.

It is a huge project to transport, and it is impossible not to make it through transshipment in various places.

Kou Zhun was reminded by Kou Ji, and also reacted, hurriedly rummaged in the pile of songs, and ordered the eunuchs waiting outside the door to go to the place where the songs were stored, and sent all the notes reported by the transfer envoys from all over the country.

By the end of this year, when all the reports from the transfer envoys from all over the country were moved, a large table was piled up.

Kou Ji accompanied Kou Zhun and began to flip through the notes.

The grandfather and grandson were busy from noon to afternoon, and finally found the clue in the song of the transfer envoy from Huainan Road.

"A merchant of Liao, buy a million stones of grain...... The head of the Jurchen tribe bought 300,000 stone ......"

"The last one is a Goryeo merchant who buys 500,000 stone ...... grain"

Kou Ji sketched out the information about the purchase of grain on a few pieces of paper in his hand, copied it onto a piece of paper, and after carefully calculating it, he looked shocked.

"In the whole of Huainan, there are five million stone of grain this year, and someone bought it?"

Kou Zhun threw the situation of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang generation in his hand to Kou Ji, and said in a deep voice: "The Jiangsu and Zhejiang generation, the situation is the same." ”

The grandfather and grandson glanced at each other, and their expressions were a little heavy.

After a moment of silence.

The ancestors and grandsons said in unison: "The grain was bought by the Liao people. ”

The Liao people bought so much grain from the Great Song Dynasty, and for what, the ancestors and grandchildren knew it in their hearts.

Since the Liao people occupied the sixteen states of Yanyun, and the late Empress Dowager Xiao Sui of the Liao State vigorously promoted sinicization in the Liao State, some nobles of the Liao State began to break away from the horse and chose to live the same life as the Song people.

However, the Liao people are good at herding horses and sheep, but they are not good at farming.

Except for the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun, where a large number of Han people are cultivating, the rest of the Liao State is still dominated by herding.

The Liao people wanted to live the same life as the Song people, and the little food supply in the sixteen states of Yanyun alone was far from enough.

So every year, the Liao people would buy a batch of grain from the Great Song Dynasty.

The Great Song Dynasty would send people to transport the grain to Youzhou City in the Liao State, and the Liao State would send people to deliver the money to the Great Song Dynasty.

But this year is different from previous years.

This year, the Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu first led the soldiers and horses to conquer Goryeo, and then took the soldiers and horses into the mountains, preparing to attack the Western Xia, and the food needed naturally increased.

In order to cover up his purpose of attacking Western Xia, Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu did not want the Great Song Dynasty to take advantage of the opportunity, so he inevitably bought grain from the Great Song Dynasty.

In the name of those small tribes and vassals who were subordinate to the Liao State, he bought grain from the Great Song Dynasty little by little, and finally arrived in the Liao State, where they gathered together and turned into military food to help him attack Western Xia.

Kou Ji picked out one of the many notes, handed it to Kou Zhun, and said in a deep voice: "The first grain purchase of the Liao people began in July. That is to say, in July, when the Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu was about to end his conquest of Goryeo, he had the idea of attacking Western Xia, and began to plan for this.

The previous New Year's coins from the Liao State, as well as the domineering posture of Yelu Angkor, the fourth prince of the Liao State, after arriving in the Great Song Dynasty, are probably all illusions.

The purpose is to confuse my Great Song Dynasty and make it impossible for my Great Song Dynasty to interfere in the war between them and Western Xia. ”

Kou Zhun nodded with a gloomy face.

Kou Ji gritted his teeth and said: "Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu's plan is really deep. ”

Kou Zhun had a gloomy face and said in a low voice: "If the Liao State wants to conquer Western Xia, I am afraid that it is not enough to rely on the grain they bought from Huainan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. Western Xia is not Goryeo, and he will not let him handle it.

If the Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu wanted to conquer the Western Xia, he would inevitably make sufficient preparations for a long-term fierce battle, and the amount of military rations to be prepared would inevitably be huge.

Then check the notes of the other transporters to see if they have any similar notes. ”

The ancestors and grandsons had this guess, and quickly looked at the notes of the other transport envoys.

Soon, Kou Ji turned to the official notes of Daizhou Guan Gou Changping Division, and found traces of Liao's purchase of grain in it.

"Daishu ......"

Kou Ji stared at Kou Zhun and said two words in a deep voice.

Kou Zhun raised the music in his hand and said in a low voice: "Tangzhou ......"

“……”

"Xinzhou ......"

“……”

"Dengzhou ......"

“……”

As the grandparents and grandchildren continued to flip through the pages, one after another were read out.

In the end, eleven pieces of music were placed in front of Kou Zhun and his grandson.

Kou Zhun stared at these eleven notes, gritted his teeth and said: "Counting the Huainan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang generations, the entire eighteen states, and the grain of the entire eighteen states were bought by Yelu Longxu. Yelu Longxu wanted to buy military rations, and he simply wanted to take the opportunity to make trouble in my Great Song Dynasty, so that my Great Song Dynasty would not be able to interfere in the war between him and Li Deming. ”

"Bang!"

Kou Zhun slapped the table and said angrily: "From the very beginning, he has been ruthless to our Great Song. The old man thought that he wanted to make peace with me in order to show goodwill.

Now it seems that people clearly pity us.

Have mercy on our Great Song Dynasty and Manchu Dynasty civil and military affairs, have mercy on my Great Song Dynasty has a group of stupid and stupid civil and military ministers like pigs, and have mercy on us that we have not discovered his intentions until the end of the year. ”

After a pause, Kou Zhun scolded again: "There are also those profiteers, they must have smelled Yelu Longxu sucking grain from my Great Song Dynasty, so they secretly followed him to stock up on grain, taking advantage of the opportunity to make huge profits."

Although the amount of grain pumped by Yelu Longxu was huge, it was not enough for Huainan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang to cause such a big food shortage. ”

Kou Ji stared at the eleven pieces on the table, and said in a deep voice: "Yelu Longxu probably has someone around him who is proficient in business, and this person must be familiar with the conduct of my Great Song Dynasty merchants.

It was precisely because of this that he dared to buy a large amount of grain, so that those merchants smelled the opportunity to make money, so he took the opportunity to stock up on grain. ”

"Bang bang bang!"

Kou Zhun was so angry that he slapped the table with a bang, "At present, only Huainan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang have experienced a food shortage, and eleven states such as Dai, Deng, and Tang will also break out one after another.

The outbreak of food shortages in 18 states was enough to shake the entire government and the opposition.

At that time, who will pay attention to the war between Western Xia and Liao.

Even if the imperial court wanted to send troops, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty would prevent the imperial court from sending troops under the pretext that they must first secure the interior. ”

Kou Ji gritted his teeth and said: "Grandfather, so far, it is better to be more generous, let the eighteen states open warehouses and release grain together, so as to stabilize the hearts of the people in the government and the opposition." What is often closed is the grain that the imperial court has accumulated for more than three years. If this grain is thrown away, the price of food will definitely plummet.

As long as we take advantage of the time when food prices fall, we will be able to appease the people.

Now that it is winter, the roads in the Liao Kingdom are blocked by heavy snow, and Yelu Longxu leads the army to march on the mountain roads, and the speed will definitely not be too fast.

From Shangjing, it will take at least a month to rush to Western Xia.

As long as we can appease the people of the eighteen states within a month, once the Liao State starts a war with the Western Xia, we will be able to free up our hands and intervene. ”

"Bang!"

Kou Zhun slapped the table and said decisively: "Just do as you say." ”

In order to drag down the Great Song Dynasty, Yelu Longxu did not hesitate to joke with the lives of the people of the Great Song Dynasty in order to prevent the Great Song from getting involved in the war with the Western Xia, which angered Kou Zhun.

Now there is a way to make trouble for Yelu Longxu, and Kou Zhun naturally agrees.

The Great Song Dynasty had 14 prefectures, more than 200 prefectures, and only 18 prefectures suffered from food shortages, which was not enough to make the Great Song Dynasty break their bones.

At most, when the victims are wandering, they will randomly release some bad signals to the people of other state capitals, so as to cause a little trouble to the imperial court.

Let the Manchu civil and military think that the world is in turmoil.

Let those officials of the Lord and faction use this as an excuse to prevent the court from sending troops when the court sends troops.

As long as the public opinion is calmed and the hearts of the government and the opposition are appeased.

Then the Great Song is still the Great Song, the rich Great Song, and there will not be too many waves.

"What do you say?"

Zhao Zhen appeared in the Shishitang when Kou Zhun slapped the table to make a decision.

Hearing Kou Zhun's words, he subconsciously asked.

Kou Zhun saw him, bowed his hand, and said: "If you go back to the official's house, after the inspection of the old minister, I found that the state capitals of my Great Song Dynasty that suffered from food shortages are not only Huainan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, but also eleven states such as Deng, Dai, and Tang, I am afraid that there will be food shortages." ”

Zhao Zhen opened his mouth wide in surprise, "So much?" ”

Kou Zhun nodded heavily and said, "After the old minister's inspection, it was found that this was a conspiracy of the Liao people. In Huainan and other places, there has been no shortage of harvest this year, but there has been a grain shortage for no reason. After careful investigation, it was found that these grains had flowed into the Liao State. ”

Zhao Zhen asked: "What do the Liao people want so much grain for?" ”

Kou Zhun said in a deep voice: "In order to prepare military rations for the attack on Western Xia, in order to drag down my hands and feet of the Great Song Dynasty." ”

Zhao Zhen was stunned and said, "The Liao people want to attack Western Xia? ”

Kou Zhun nodded and said, "Not bad!" ”

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