Grunt...

Ox carts walked on the bluestone road, and truckloads of grain were constantly flooding the rice warehouses in the town.

"Stop!"

With an order, Wang Xu stopped a carriage, walked up with Liu Quan, grabbed a handful from the car, and asked, "How many carts of corn have you sent?" ”

The grain of Confucianism does not refer to rice, but to corn, which is what we often call millet.

"It's already a thousand cars."

Liu Quan held the bill in his hand, and said: "The ox cart we use, the cattle are all hybridized, and they have a little bit of demon beast blood, so it is not a problem to pull five thousand catties." One thousand carts is five million catties of corn, enough for 100,000 people to eat for a month. ”

"Not enough!"

Wang Xu shook his head slightly, it has been three days since he returned to Jiuquan Town, and the victims have changed from sparse at the beginning to crowds.

It's just that right now, within a radius of 100 miles from Jiuquan Town, hundreds of thousands of victims have gathered, and more victims are coming in a steady stream.

These disaster victims, who eat everything they can eat around them, are almost eating people.

If you don't believe it, go out and see what is left of the grass roots in the field, the leaves in the trees, and the fish and shrimp in the river.

If there is no disaster relief, the tragedy of Yizi cannibalism will be staged, and it will really be purgatory on earth.

"How much food do we have?"

"There are about 250,000 catties, of which 15 million catties are this year's autumn grain, 5 million catties are old grains collected from below, and 5 million catties are leftover from previous years."

The Wang family has 30,000 acres of land, and every year Xiucai will be invited to write the autumn harvest sacrifice, and with the blessing of Wenqi, the production capacity per mu reaches about 700 catties.

However, Wang Xu was not happy, 25 million catties of grain was enough for 100,000 people to eat for five months, 150 days.

At present, there are more than 100,000 victims, and once the victims arrive, at least a million people can be squeezed in within a radius of 100 miles from Jiuquan Town.

With so many people, one pound of grain a day is also one million catties, and 25 million catties of grain can only support one month at most.

"After all, Jiuquan Town is so big, it is about the same as a modern county town, and squeezing in one million victims is the limit, and no matter how many there are, it is impossible. It is now December, three months before the spring equinox, and there is still a shortage of at least 50 million catties of food based on the calculation of millions of victims. ”

Wang Xu now finally knew why Xue Mushan asked him if he really wanted to help the victims.

Before the disaster appeared, a pound of corn cost 7 yuan, and the salary of a guy in a restaurant was 800 yuan, which could be exchanged for 120 pounds of corn, which was enough for a family of three.

Up to now, a pound of corn has risen to 24 Wen, which is more than three times as much as before.

25 million catties of corn, that is, 600,000 taels of silver, the Wang family has so much grain, they could have made a fortune, but because he wants to provide disaster relief, let alone get rich, he has to pay off the Wang family's old capital.

However, disaster relief still needs to be provided, and no matter how good the silver is, it is a waste in your hands.

Only by changing it to fame can he build a ladder for him and send him to the top.

Before the main body left, he left him with various pills, books, and a million taels of gold for emergency.

If it really doesn't work, just use this million taels of gold to buy grain, and I believe that those big landlords with thousands of acres of fertile land will be easy to get a million tons of grain.

Of course, this is just a strategy, the Wang family is a small landowner in the countryside, and he will die with three or five hundred thousand taels of silver.

Taking out such a large sum of money, it is difficult to hide the detection of people with intentions, and it is difficult to say whether it is a blessing or a curse.

"Xu'er, but is there a difficulty?"

Wang Xu was thinking about it here, and Mrs. Wang, accompanied by the maid, walked down from the carriage in the house.

Seeing Mrs. Wang coming, Wang Xu hurriedly greeted her and said, "Mother, why are you here?" ”

"Can I not come, your father told me that you are going to take advantage of this famine to spend money to buy fame, you..."

Without waiting for Mrs. Wang to finish speaking, Wang Xu hurriedly grabbed her arm and whispered, "Mother, you just need to know about this, and you can't talk about it." Let's just do disaster relief, not for fame or profit, to be honest, it's vulgar. ”

"Mother understands, you will study and learn in the future, no matter how much money you spend, even if you smash the Wang family into it, it is not as important as your fame. No more, as long as your trick really works, and you will earn the fame of a good man in the future, even if today's Wang family is bankrupt, it is nothing. ”

Mrs. Wang is a complete official fan, Master Wang still has concerns about spending money to buy fame, and feels sorry for this family business, but Mrs. Wang is 100% supportive.

Otherwise, even if Wang Xu invited Xue Mushan back, Master Wang might not have the courage to let him fight with his ancestral family business.

After all, if a bad one loses, the Wang family will be bankrupt.

"Xu'er, you told Wei Niang, if you scatter all your wealth and go all out for disaster relief, can you really be the example of that gentry?" Mrs. Wang doesn't care about money, what she values is status, and she looks at Wang Xu with bright eyes.

Wang Xu couldn't cry or laugh: "Mother, don't worry, the current drought in the north has affected the south, and I don't know how many people are staring." My master is a contemporary Confucian, no one can covet my credit, as long as my deeds are sent as a model, no matter how stingy the group of bigwigs in the court is, the reward will not be less, otherwise they will not be able to explain to the people of the world. ”

Although Wang Xu wants to provide disaster relief, his starting point is not to give up his small family for everyone, but to be willing to give up, and he will not do anything without return.

The return can be divided into two aspects, one is invisible, intangible, but real fame, which is equivalent to spending a golden body for yourself.

On the other hand, after setting an example, the reaction of the court and even the southern state capital is a real return.

According to Xue Mushan's estimates, the state government's reward should be ten years of tax exemption, and there are some literal awards.

Above the court, it is difficult to say how it will be rewarded, if it is operated properly, it is possible for Longyan Dayue to directly seal the eighth-grade official body to Master Wang.

Don't underestimate the eight-grade officials, you must know that there are some barren county seats, and the county lord is only the eight-grade official.

Even if Master Wang has no fame, it is impossible for him to really take charge of a county, and having an eight-rank official is enough for the Wang family to go out of the township and become an upstart in the county.

Of course, it's well done.

If it is not done well, disaster relief will not be achieved, but will provoke popular unrest, and investment will be wasted.

Throughout the ages, many local wealthy families who have been involved in disaster relief have failed within a few years after the disaster, but they have not mastered the measure between disaster relief and return, and in the end, the mutton has not been eaten, but has been made fishy.

"With your words, my mother will rest assured, you have been a smart child since you were a child, and my mother does not expect you to be like Ganluo, at the age of twelve, I just hope that you can carry forward the Wang family and make me worthy of my ancestors."

When Mrs. Wang said this, she called the housekeeper Liu Quan again and advised: "Liu Quan, if there is anything that the young master doesn't understand, you have to help me more." You are also the old man of my Wang family, you should understand what it means to be both prosperous and one to lose. ”

"What Mrs. said is that the young master has been extraordinary since he was a child, and now he worships the great Confucianism of the world as his teacher, and it is indispensable to add officials to the knighthood in the future, and my Liu Quan's life has long been sold to the Wang family."

Liu Quan replied very simply, he is the old man of the Wang family for many years, and the whole family is on the chariot of the Wang family.

If you really want to talk about it, no one wants the Wang family to be good more than him, only if the Wang family is good, he will be good, and the family can rely on it.

"I'm relieved to have your words, you guys can continue to be busy, and I won't delay you." After a few words, Mrs. Wang took the maid into the carriage and went home.

Wang Xu watched the carriage leave and let out a deep sigh.

After a while, when he came back to his senses, the victims of the disaster were gathering more and more, and some things should be arranged, so he said: "Liu Quan, gather the villagers in the town, as well as the heads of the major families, and the shopkeepers of the shops in the town, I want to make an appointment with you for three chapters." ”

"Yes, young master."

Liu Quan asked in a low voice as he responded; "Young Master, do you want to invite the third elder over?"

"Three Elders?"

The third elder is the most respected person in Jiuquan Town, and he holds the right to worship his ancestors.

If there is the support of the three elders, the disaster relief can be grasped more, at least no one can speak against it.

But Wang Xu pondered for a while, and still shook his head: "Don't invite for the time being, the three elders are old and conservative, I'm afraid they won't agree to disaster relief." Later, I will ask the master to come forward to appease the three elders, and don't invite them now, so as not to cause trouble. ”

"Yes, young master." Liu Quan turned around and stepped back and went to invite the decent people in the town.

Wang Xu stood in place, looked at the granary behind him, and whispered, "It's going to start!" ”