More than two million mouths were opened to eat at once, and there was not enough food to eat.

This question is like a heavy mountain, pressing on the heads of the two monarchs and ministers.

More than 2 million people, not more than 2 million cattle and sheep, and the daily consumption of eating and drinking is an astronomical amount.

The most important thing is that even if Yang Qi has money in his hands, he can't get food.

There is no grain in Yan, no grain in Liao, and no grain in the Great Song Dynasty.

And Yang Qi's reserve granary, Nanguo, was also emptied because of this big war.

Reach out and borrow food from others?

That's a fantasy, and now everyone is a poor ghost.

What can I eat?

What can be satisfied?

In the middle of winter, the two biggest problems have become.

It's impossible to dig up some grass roots and fresh bark to satisfy your hunger.

Unless you go to eat Guanyin soil.

If he really wanted to let the people eat the soil, Yang Qi felt that he would die of shame.

"I've disgraced the traverser......"

After several midnight dreams, Yang Qi kept repeating this sentence.

But if you think about it carefully, if you are another traverser, you can only sigh when you encounter this kind of problem.

Grain is a major issue that has plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years.

If it weren't for the research of many scientists such as Mr. Yuan Longping in later generations, I am afraid that the people of later generations would also be troubled by the lack of food.

Yang Qi felt that he needed an old Mr. Yuan Longping now.

However, he can only imagine.

With the current level of knowledge, it is impossible to train such great scientists.

But since the matter happened, Yang Qi had to find a way to solve it.

It is impossible for him to learn from Xiao Zuo, the thief mother-in-law, to drive those who can't afford to support him out of the country, and it is impossible for him to learn from Zhao Defang and let others coerce his people away.

If you can't afford it, you have to throw it away?

Yang Qi wouldn't do this kind of thing.

After Kou Zhun told Yang Qi about the food problem, Yang Qi immediately summoned his important ministers to discuss the matter.

As the saying goes, one person counts short, two people count long.

However, in this kind of matter, it is useless to have more people.

A group of important ministers gathered together, and finally discussed two solutions.

The first is to reduce the allocation of grain and grass for soldiers and horses, and all grain and grass should be halved to supply the people, so as to ensure that every citizen can drink a bowl of gruel or broth every day.

Second, buy food. Although the two countries of Song and Liao were short of grain, the landlords of the Song and Liao countries must have hoarded grain in their hands. And you can also ask the Zhe family and the Cao family for help. If you can afford to pay enough money, you will be able to get food from them.

Yang Qi immediately adopted these two methods, and threw out the tradition of big pot rice a thousand years in advance.

In units of 100 people, stir the horse spoon in a pot.

The officials in Yanjing City were all sent by Yang Qi to various prefectures to supervise this matter.

At the same time, Yang Qi sent three teams of envoys to Zhejia, Caojia, and Bianjing City to buy grain.

The envoys sent to the Zhejia and the Cao family to buy grain would go directly to the principals of the Cao and Zhe families and collect grain directly from the two places on a large scale.

The envoys sent to Bianjing City went to the Nanguo Money Bank, and then purchased grain from the grain merchants and landlords of the Great Song Dynasty in the name of the Nanguo Money Bank.

After the people were sent out, Yang Qi waited for news in Yanjing City.

Time is pushed back day by day.

The grain in Yang Qi's hand was being consumed at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

Every day, Yang Qi would pace to the construction site, watching those who had tightened their belts and worked.

And every day, after watching those who tighten their belts and work, Yang Qi will return to his big tent with a deep frown.

It's the end of January in the blink of an eye.

Yang Qi, as usual, went out and inspected the construction site.

The prisoners working on the construction site tightened their belts one by one, and the whole person looked like a dumbbell, large on both sides and thin in the middle.

"Smack!"

"Hurry up and get to work...... I don't work and I don't have anything to eat......"

The overseers waved their whips, urging the captives to work.

If you look closely, you will find that since there was not enough food to eat, the leather whips of the overseers rarely fell on the captives.

They are the people who eat the least in Yanjing City, and they are also the heaviest people in Yanjing City.

Everyone has compassion.

At such a critical juncture, no one wants to inflict pain on others while they are suffering.

Yang Qi took this small detail in his eyes, but he didn't pursue it.

He would have liked to see it.

If all the people under his command become cold-blooded people who can only squeeze and demand excessively, then his Yan Kingdom will not be far from extinction.

Yang Qi paced around, and when he walked to the gate of the temple, he thought of something, and was just about to step in, when he heard a miserable scream.

"Ahh

Everyone's eyes fell on the place where the screams came from.

Someone even started running over.

Yang Qi frowned, and also ran over quickly.

When Yang Qi walked over, he saw a group of people gathered in front of a freshly paved bluestone foundation.

Yang Qi ordered Zama and Aoki to separate the crowd, and when he walked in, he saw a person lying on the ground, already dead.

It was a captive.

The eyes of the captives around him were a little red, and there was a sense that they would riot at any time and at any time.

Lu Mengzheng, who was standing in front of the captives, kept persuading the prisoners who were gathered together, and at the same time secretly signaled the soldiers who supervised the work to be vigilant.

Yang Qi turned his head and leaned into Zama Heqingmu's ear and whispered, "Go and pass on my military order, transfer 30,000 soldiers and horses over, and go to Yanjing City to be on guard." ”

Zamahe Aoki hesitated for a moment, "If your subordinates go, who will protect you?" ”

Yang Qi grinned, "Do you think the people here can kill me?" ”

Zamahe Aoki was stunned for a moment, remembering Yang Qi's heroic posture on the battlefield, nodded slightly, and withdrew from the crowd.

Yang Qi continued to move forward, and after a while, he was next to the corpse.

"What happened?"

Yang Qi opened his mouth to ask, and Lu Mengzheng saw Yang Qi here.

Lu Meng was hurriedly taking a group of overseers to give a salute, "Your Majesty ...... the ministers"

"Subordinates see Your Majesty's ......"

“……”

Those captives subconsciously set their eyes on Yang Qi.

Their eyes became redder.

As if he hadn't seen their eyes, Yang Qi frowned and asked Lu Mengzheng, "What's going on?" ”

Lu Mengzheng had a bitter face and said in a low voice: "Hungry to death......"

Yang Qi raised his eyebrows and asked in a cold voice, "Have you deducted their food?" ”

Lu Mengzheng smiled bitterly and said: "How dare the ministers, the food distributed to them every day is fixed. ”

Yang Qi frowned, "Since it is distributed according to the amount, why would someone starve to death?" ”

"This ......"

Lu Mengzheng hesitated and couldn't speak.

In fact, Lü Mengzheng didn't know why this captive starved to death.

When Yang Qi saw Lu Mengzheng's reaction, he guessed that Lu Mengzheng was probably unaware, he looked at the overseers and asked coldly, "Are any of you robbing them of their rations?" ”

"Huh~"

The overseer at the head suddenly clenched his fists and said in a deep voice: "The minister guarantees with his head, and no one under my command will rob them of their rations." Not only that, but there were brothers who secretly gave them their own rations. ”

Yang Qi's brows furrowed even tighter.

The captives around them clearly did not believe their words, and one by one they did not let go of their hostility.

Yang Qi knew very well that they wouldn't lie.

Because these people who supervised the work in Yanjing City used to be members of the Fuxing Army, many of them had seen the scene of cannibalism by people outside Fuxing Guan.

They understand better than anyone how terrible hunger is.

Yang Qi fell into deep thought.

Although it is said that Yanjing City's food hoarding has reached the point of being stretched, a bowl of gruel a day can barely support half a month.

Due to the lack of food to eat, Yang Qi had repeatedly reduced the workload of the captives.

It stands to reason that no one should starve to death.

Yang Qi subconsciously looked at the corpse again, then raised his head along the corpse and looked around at the others.

Suddenly, Yang Qi discovered a strange phenomenon.

Among these captives, the young captives were all full of spirit; And the old captives, one by one, their steps are vain and their faces are pale.

Yang Qi subconsciously narrowed his eyes and remembered a rumor about the grassland people.

Because the grassland often suffers from snow disasters, and the grassland people rely on grazing for a living, once there is a snow disaster, a large number of cattle and sheep will be frozen to death.

When such a disaster strikes, the old and weak on the grassland will become victims.

In the coldest and hungriest times.

The old and weak will no longer be given food.

When it comes to heating, the young and strong steppe people will gather in the middle of the fire, and the old and weak will be in the outermost part.

In the end, the first to freeze to death must be those old and weak.

Respect for the old and love for the young does not exist at such times.

In order to pass it on, all the grassland people will choose to let the young and strong live at this time.

Obviously, these Liao people who set up a labor in Yanjing are implementing this method.

Maybe they're not just for the sake of inheritance.

It is very likely that he also wanted to take this opportunity to feed the young man, and then take advantage of the weakness of Yang Qi's soldiers and horses to riot and then escape.

Thinking of this, Yang Qi raised his head silently and stared at Lu Mengzheng, "Okay, you Lu Mengzheng, really fool me?" If you hadn't secretly withheld their rations, how could anyone starve to death?

Come on, take Lu Mengzheng down for me, escort him back to my camp, and I will interrogate him personally. ”

"Your Majesty?!"

"Your Majesty!"

Lu Mengzheng looked confused.

The overseer at the head of the group screamed.

Although Lu Mengzheng has not been in Yanjing City for a long time, he has done things in an orderly manner and fairly, and he has gradually become one with everyone.

Everyone still knows Lu Mengzheng's personality.

How can a person who withholds the rations of others not even have enough to eat.

Yang Qi couldn't help but say it, and snorted coldly: "What? You also want to be taken away together? Or do you want to dictate my orders? You are soldiers, not literati, and I am your leader, and you can only obey my orders. ”

The overseer general, led by him, gritted his teeth, lowered his head heavily, and clenched his fists and said: "Nuo~"

The stunned Lu Meng was being taken away by the Zamahe warriors, and Yang Qi waved his hand impatiently at the others, "Look at it, I have already arrested the evil leader." If you don't hurry to work, do you want to be arrested? ”

Someone pushed the tank and let the captives vent, and naturally they could not surround it anymore.

At the urging of the overseer, all the captives dispersed.

Yang Qi hurried back to his camp, and as soon as he entered the camp gate, he saw Lu Meng with a sad face and shouted, "Your Majesty, the minister really didn't deduct their rations!" Please also ask Your Majesty to be aware of it. ”

Yang Qi rolled his eyes as he walked to his seat and said, "I know......"

"Huh?"

Yang Qi sat down in his place and said seriously: "If you really deduct their rations, can I still let you live until now?" ”

Lu Mengzheng looked at Yang Qi blankly, "Then ...... you?"

"Hey~"

Yang Qichang sighed and carefully told Lu Mengzheng about his guess.

After listening to Yang Qi's words, Lu Mengzheng was stunned in place, and only after a while did he take a deep breath and said with a solemn expression: "Hearing what Your Majesty said, the minister thought about it carefully, and it was indeed as you said.

If that's the case, that's not good......"

Yang Qi nodded and said, "If the black cauldron hadn't been immediately detained on your head just now, I'm afraid a riot would have been inevitable." Although they rioted and would not have much impact on us, it was difficult to find so much free labor. ”

Lu Mengzheng nodded and said solemnly: "What should I do now?" And also...... When will the food arrive? If the food is not delivered before we run out of food, a riot is inevitable. At that time, not only will there be a riot in Yanjing City, but I am afraid that those people with bad intentions in Yanguo will also take the opportunity to make trouble. ”

Yang Qi said in a deep voice: "I have already sent someone to buy grain, and there should be a reply in the next few days." and thou shalt dwell in my tent one day. I'll go back in two days, and I'll be pitiful when the time comes.

After returning home, the young and strong among the captives must be managed separately from the old and weak.

Let the young and strong do the heaviest work, and let the old and weak do the easy.

Divide everything from them and keep them out of touch.

I'd like to see how they'll give me red eyes in a few days. ”

Lu Meng bowed down and said, "The minister understands. ”

As the saying goes, a house leak coincides with overnight rain.

It's hard to come in pairs of good things, but bad things come one after the other.

Three days passed.

The situation in Yanjing City has become even more severe.

And the grain purchasing team that Yang Qi had high hopes for finally had an echo.

Inside the camp.

Yang Qi looked at the three-party rush letter, and almost smashed the tent.

The Zhe family was busy fighting in the northwest and was also short of food.

The Cao family was busy digging gold and silver in Dali, and most of the people had become miners, and there were not many people farming, and they were also short of food.

Nanguo Qian Xing spent a lot of money to buy grain in the Great Song Dynasty, and it took several days to get less than one million tons of grain.

And it is a little bit that cannot be picked out in the tiger's mouth of the Great Song Dynasty.

A million quintals, what is enough?

Under Yang Qi's rule, there are millions of people waiting to be fed.

How much can a million quintals of grain be distributed to everyone?

Yang Qi didn't dare to calculate.

Allies can't count on it, and great powers can't count on it.

Once again, the dilemma has returned to square one.

It's all on your own.

But in this winter, where did Yang Qi get enough food for millions of people?

Hesitating alone, Yang Qi paced to the tent where Cao Lin's four daughters were temporarily staying.

As soon as he arrived at the tent, Yang Qi smelled the smell of rice.