This year was unexpectedly dry.

The scorching summer is coming, May, June and July, the sun is like fire, and the earth is about to smoke.

However, there was no rain for a long time.

This situation is not only in Yizhou, except for the south of Datang, most of Datang is in drought.

Last year's rains, this year's drought.

I have to say that today's Datang is really full of disasters and difficulties.

Fortunately, there is still Dujiangyan in Shudi.

However, the continued drought has caused the water in the canals to dry up day by day.

The reduction in grain production has become a foregone conclusion.

All of a sudden, people everywhere couldn't help but panic.

In order to prevent a riot, Li Shimin ordered officials in various localities to take precautions in advance, prepare grain in advance, and prepare a strategy to calm grain prices.

And the land of Yizhou, on the surface, seems to be calm.

But in the dark, there is a turbulent undercurrent.

Yizhou's grain was originally relatively sufficient.

After all, the entire Shu land is the land of abundance, and Yizhou is even more fertile.

But now, it is someone who is secretly buying grain at a high price and then quietly hoarding it.

A part of the grain was directly transported.

What they did was very hidden, and the grain they transported away was also broken into pieces, not a whole truckload of trucks.

Therefore, on the surface, there is not the slightest trace to be seen.

These, of course, are the five surnames and seven wang and other families, colluding with the Yizhou family to do these things.

On this day, Wu Meiniang found Li Su and said with a gloomy face: "Your Highness, someone has secretly purchased grain recently and quietly transported it. If we do not stop it, when the harvest is harvested, the grain production will be reduced, which will inevitably lead to disaster. ”

Hearing Wu Meiniang's words, Li Su couldn't help but nod thoughtfully, and then asked Wu Meiniang: "Meiniang, what should you do in your opinion?" ”

Wu Meiniang said with a sneering face: "Your Highness, in extraordinary times, extraordinary means must be used!" These people who eat inside and outside should be killed! When the guards were secretly dispatched, all the merchants who resold the grain were killed. The family property of those participating families was confiscated into the public. ”

"At the same time, we should go to other places to buy grain and transport it to Yizhou, so that we can overcome the difficulties of this food shortage. This is my shallow opinion, I don't know what Your Highness thinks? ”

Li Su nodded slightly.

In my heart, I thought that this girl was really decisive.

And in order to achieve the end, unscrupulous means.

For example, if you go to a foreign place to buy food, will there be no shortage of food in the other place?

Obviously, this is impossible, and there is also a shortage of food in the field.

But as long as Yizhou can get through the difficulties, it is obvious that Wu Meiniang will never consider what the outcome will be in other places.

But Li Su asked thoughtfully: "Mei Niang, do you know where their grain is delivered?" ”

Wu Meiniang couldn't help but say: "It's in the nearby state and county, and it hasn't been transported too far." ”

Hearing Wu Meiniang's report, Li Su couldn't help but nodded.

It seems that the people with five surnames and seven hopes are not dead in their hearts.

Not only does he want to take advantage of the lack of grain to hit Yizhou hard, but he is also ready to hoard grain and take the opportunity to make a lot of money.

It's just that they really think that Pontus is so easy to make money?

Li Su couldn't help but say: "Mei Niang, don't worry about them, just let them buy it casually." ”

Hearing Li Su's words, Wu Meiniang couldn't help but be shocked and asked: "But, if you don't ask, how should you spend the food shortage crisis at that time?" ”

Li Yu smiled and said, "Mei Niang, do you remember the crops that this king gathered those people and planted?" ”

Hearing Li Su's words, Wu Meiniang's face couldn't help but show a thoughtful look.

But soon he said: "But, Your Highness, those lands are only one-tenth of Yizhou. With so much soil, can it be eaten by the people of Yizhou? ”

Hearing Wu Meiniang's inquiry, Li Su couldn't help but smile slightly.

Only one-tenth of the land planted is true, but the vast majority of the grain grown is sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are drought tolerant.

Even with the current level of drought, it will not reduce production much.

And the yield of sweet potatoes is almost ten times that of crops during this period!

Of course, the yield per mu of crops in this period is really low.

For example, the yield of wheat per mu in later generations was around 1,000 catties, but in this period, it did not exceed 300 catties, which was only one-third of that of later generations.

The yield of rice in this era was about the same as that of wheat.

In later generations, the yield of rice has even reached 2,000 catties per mu.

That's seven times higher than the current output.

It can be seen that the yield per mu in this era is really low.

Thinking of this, Li Su couldn't help but say: "Mei Niang, don't worry, the grain in these lands is enough for the people of Yizhou to eat." Even not only Yizhou, even the people of several nearby states can use it. ”

"When the time comes, we can gather more people to work. wages, and the payment was made with grain. It is believed that in one agricultural season, the construction of the railway can be almost completed. ”

"You don't have to worry about the grain, just let them buy it. Because in addition to food, we can also fish. There are still quite a few lakes in Jiannan Province. ”

They can even go fishing on Lingnan Road, which is close to the sea.

The food problem is a difficult problem for people in this era.

But for Li Su, it's really not much of a problem.

Listening to Li Su's words, Wu Meiniang showed an unbelievable look on her face.

However, Wu Meiniang still chose to believe it.

Because His Highness has done too many magical things, as long as His Highness dares to say so, he will definitely be able to do it.

Therefore, in the following time, Wu Meiniang pretended not to find out about someone secretly buying grain, and ignored it.

And the five surnamed Qiwang families, they thought that the King of Shu had not noticed their small actions at all, and they were secretly happy.

……

In late July, the wheat harvest begins.

(This era is spring wheat, not winter wheat in later generations, so the harvest time is different from that of later generations.) ）

After the wheat harvest, the people found that this year's grain production was even worse than they had imagined.

It is certainly impossible for them to eat this grain until next year, so the people are very afraid.

What made them even more frightened was that just after harvesting the grain, they suddenly found that there was no food to buy on the street.

The price of grain will increase, and the people have long expected it.

The vigilant people had already bought some food and hid it in their homes.

But they never expected that at this time, there would be no food in the grain store.

And after the food is cut off, once they don't have enough food, how can they survive the famine?

All of a sudden, hundreds of people panicked.