In the Roman royal palace, there was a discussion about the drought in southern Italy.

"At the moment, according to our knowledge, the most drought-stricken area is Sicily, which, according to the astronomical station, received only 80-120 mm of rain last winter, much lower than the previous year's 300-600 mm. The 110-180 mm rainfall in Sardinia is also dangerous, as is the case in the southern part of the peninsula, where it rains from 120 mm in Cap Faro, and the further north it falls, until Florence, where the rainfall is the same as usual. This is a map of last winter's rainfall made by our Meteorological Bureau, which Your Majesty and all the ministers can see. ”

The head of the Meteorological Bureau looked nervous and opened a map of Italy, on which the difference in the amount of rain had been marked in various colors. It shows at a glance the rainfall in various parts of Italy during the winter last year.

Carlo looked at the rainfall map in front of him and said, "Director Cox, can you ask your meteorological bureau if you have any estimates for the next climate change in Italy?" ”

Carlo's words made all the ministers present look at Director Cox.

As the focus of the audience, the director of the meteorological bureau felt a heavy pressure coming over him.

"Your Majesty, our Meteorological Office has calculated before, according to the data of meteorological changes over the past hundred years, that there have only been four major droughts as rare as last winter in Italy in a hundred years, the most recent of which was the drought of 1881. There is a half chance that the drought will subside the next year, a 30 percent chance that it will last for two years, and of course there are very unusual cases of heavy rainfall in the summer. However, this is very unlikely and unlikely. ”

It is clear that this person knows the consequences of unusual rainfall, which is more terrible than a persistent drought.

"Thank you very much for your explanation, we already know."

In the face of the king's kind words, Director Cox, who had been granted amnesty, immediately left sensibly, and it was not a wise choice to stay at this time.

Sure enough, before he could walk away, he heard Carlo say. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now clear that a drought is inevitable, and that there is a high probability of a repeat of the scene of 1881."

Carlo's words made the hearts of those present tighten, the drought of 1881, Italy suffered heavy losses, and directly lost Tunisia, which had been deeply cultivated for many years. Or, to put it another way, if it weren't for the French invasion of Tunisia that stirred up the mood in Italy and diverted everyone's attention, the Italian government would have been even more upset.

Still, there is a set of data that documents the impact of the drought on Italy. In 1881, there were 390,000 Italian immigrants, 150,000 more than the previous year, and in the following two years, Italian immigrants were 340,000 and 290,000 until 85 before they returned to below 200,000.

In addition, in the past three years, riots, smashing and looting and other vicious incidents have been three times higher than in previous years, so that prisons have had to release some minor offenders with fewer sentences early to make room.

So in the face of Carlo's inquiry, the important ministers present also knew the seriousness of the problem.

"Your Majesty, according to my preliminary estimates, the number of people affected by the disaster should be between 12 million and 15 million."

Home Secretary Edras looked at the rainfall map hanging on the wall and gave his estimates. The Ministry of the Interior is also in charge of the census, so it is possible to estimate the approximate number of people affected by the disaster by looking at the area affected.

But what he said made everyone frown. Half of the population has been affected, but it couldn't be worse news.

And at this time, the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Marclyde, also added. "According to the projections of our Ministry of Agriculture, if it continues without rain. This year's major reduction in agricultural output is a foregone conclusion. It is estimated that the national agricultural output will be reduced by about 18-22%. In Sicily, agriculture will be reduced by about 50%, while in Sardinia it is 40-45%, south of Naples 30-35%, north of Naples to south of Rome 20-30%, north of Rome to Florence 10-20%. ”

The Minister of Agriculture's words made many people present really sad at this time, and the 20% reduction in agricultural output is going to be a big thing. You must know that although Italy has developed well in recent years, agriculture still accommodates the most labor, and it can be said that this agricultural production reduction is very bad for Italy. Italy was originally short of food production, and could only rely on growing high-value cash crops and then purchasing grain from Eastern Europe to make ends meet.

Now that the reduction in cash crop production will affect too many people and may even bring turmoil to the Kingdom of Italy, no one dares to ignore the power of this drought.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you have any solutions?"

Looking at the rainfall distribution map in front of him, thinking of the more than 10 million people affected, Carlo immediately asked. This situation, which has seriously affected the stability of the kingdom, must be taken seriously.

"I propose to start building infrastructure in the affected areas, such as ditches, bridges, roads, etc., and we should also start construction of water conservancy facilities that may be in disrepair in various places."

The Minister of Transport, Pedersen, put forward his own proposal, and of course the method must be the one he is most familiar with, and of course the water facilities can also be mentioned in passing.

With the Ministry of Communications taking the lead, the ministers of other departments immediately learned from them and came to offer advice and suggestions.

"In view of the reduction in crop production, the Ministry of Agriculture should take the lead and try to guide the quality and quantity of agricultural products for export."

The Minister of Agriculture, who was a step slower, had no choice but to find a way to increase the income of the peasants.

"In view of the severity of the situation in the affected areas, I recommend that the local police force be strengthened. And pay attention to the local people's feelings and grievances at any time. In addition, the local garrisons also need to be strengthened to ensure that the government has sufficient capacity to suppress the localities and prevent sinister elements from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos. ”

Home Secretary Edras also gave his opinion.

Of course, in addition to these two, there are other people's suggestions, anyway, it is nothing more than to suppress the people's grievances, meet the needs of the people's livelihood, and recruit surplus labor to avoid causing regional turmoil.

Of course, the advice of these people was very good, and Carlo listened to it and thought it was reasonable, but they seemed to have forgotten a question, and fortunately the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Baron Toston, did not.

"You can't do without funds if you want to do so, especially in the case of this year's mega-drought situation, which requires a lot of money. And the government's emergency fund of 80 million lire is simply not going to be available, so we should issue a disaster relief bond, preferably with a maturity of five to ten years. ”

Well, now that we're talking about bonds, Carlo has to ask. "Your Excellency Toston, how many disaster relief bonds should be issued?"

"Based on the cost of relief in 1881 and the current level of prices, I think an emergency bond of 800 million lire with a maturity of 5-10 years should be sufficient."

Based on his own understanding, Toston gave a professional answer.

800 million lire, this is not a small amount, more than 60% of the total government revenue.

"But I remember that in '81 the government only spent 520 million lira on disaster relief?"

"Yes, it was true that it only cost 520 million that year. But Your Majesty, the disaster relief was incomplete, and it ended a lot. If we want to avoid the outcome of the year, we must have to pay for the disaster relief. ”

In the face of Toston's words, Carlo acquiesced after thinking about it, after all, disaster relief is like fighting fires, and there can be no hesitation and reluctance.

But there's another issue that Carlo thinks must be determined first.

"How much food is the government going to procure for disaster relief?"

"Purchasing food?"

"Yes."

"We ......... when it comes to procuring food"

Carlo could see that the government did not plan to purchase much food, and his expression was a little subtle, this is still a government dominated by a left-wing party?

"Your Majesty, this question is a bit complicated and will take some time to explain."

That's when Prime Minister Antonio stepped up.

The prime minister's face must be given, and Carlo had no choice but to reply. "Well, I can wait for your explanation."

Then, as if the matter had passed, the disaster relief was discussed.