"Sancheng?"

Hearing this, Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou frowned and calculated, and finally Zuo Guangdou frowned and said:

"From now until next year's autumn harvest, it will take at least 8 months, and four catties of grain a day is 960 catties, almost six stone of grain."

"The cultivated land recorded in the Yellow Book of Huai'an Mansion north of the Huai River is only more than 7 million mu, and the land is occupied by the gentry and guards, and the rich people are only two acres per person, and the poor have no land."

"If it is according to what Lu Tongzhi said, then each person eats six stones, and the food returned is only one and a half stones!"

Huai'an Mansion has two crops a year, and the yield per mu of two seasons a year is about three stones, and half of it is that one person only pays one and a half stones, so according to 300,000 people, it still gets 1.4 million stone of grain.

Zuo Guangdou can't just think for the people like Yang Lian, he also needs to think for the court.

300,000 people have to eat 400,000 stone of grain, that is, 200,000 taels, which is enough to pay the military salary of one town in Yulin Town for three months.

It is difficult for the people, but it is also difficult for the court.

He cannot give up the court for the sake of the people, nor can he abandon the people because of the court.

It's a dilemma that isn't so easy to solve.

But his questioning was very simple in Lu Wenzhao's eyes.

Lu Wenzhao said with a calm face: "If the land is not enough, the land will be distributed, and if the grain is not enough, the grain will be distributed." ”

"The gentry instigated the people, greedy for official food, and cholera Huai'an in order to earn silver, shouldn't they be asked for guilt and raided their homes?"

His words forced Zuo Guangdou back what he wanted to say, but Zuo Guangdou was also difficult.

What Lu Wenzhao said, why didn't he know?

But the problem is not so simple, because the gentry of Huai'an Mansion will be moved, and no one can predict how big the chain reaction will be.

With only the four thousand Jinyi guards of the Nanbei Zhenfu Division, it is too difficult to completely control the situation in Huaibei and find out the accomplices who are involved in the famine in Huaibei.

Right now, it seems that they can only wait for Qi Yuanfu to lead the troops to arrive.

However, in the current situation, any more delay would be more dangerous.

Thinking of this, Yang Lian gritted his teeth and said:

"No matter what the imperial court is, let's close the position first for disaster relief!"

"Yes!" Zuo Guangdou opposed the release of the official warehouse, but Changping was originally used for disaster relief and stabilizing grain prices, so Zuo Guangdou did not resist the release of grain to it.

"Huai'an Mansion often closes a total of more than 560,000 stone grains, and it takes at least three days for Huainan's grain to be transported north." Yang Lian's face was serious and said:

"Huaibei's Changping grain is only more than 326,000 stones, so it is better to take this opportunity to do a good job in roads and water conservancy in the way of disaster relief."

"By the way, how about completely dredge the canal in the Huaibei section?"

"Yes!" Zuo Guangdou nodded, and Yang Lian looked at Lu Wenzhao.

Lu Wenzhao also nodded, and then said:

"In this case, I will arrange for someone to post a notice in Huaibei, and then ask someone to transport the Changping grain in Huainan, Huai'an Prefecture, to the north."

"Good"

As soon as Lu Wenzhao finished speaking, Zuo Guangdou was about to pour tea and drink a cup, but when he was pouring tea, someone suddenly shouted outside the courtyard:

"It's on fire! It's on fire! Fire! ”

After a "rub", the three of them hurriedly stood up, thinking about walking away from the hospital.

As soon as Lu Wenzhao walked out, he saw Jinyi Wei who was busy fighting the fire, he grabbed one of them and asked anxiously:

"Where is it on fire! Is the fire big?! ”

The Jinyi guard who was caught was still annoyed that who was stopping him from fighting the fire, and when he saw that it was Lu Wenzhao, he hurriedly said: "Lord Tongzhi, it is the back door and the front door of the yamen that are on fire." ”

"Some of the lawless among the people poured tung oil at the door of the yamen, and then threw out torches."

"I want to put it out, but the fire can't be suppressed for a while!"

Hearing this, Lu Wenzhao hurriedly grabbed a brocade cloth and said:

"Leave two hundred people to protect the yamen, and the rest of the people will follow me over the wall to Changping and Guancang first!"

"Yes!"

Lu Wenzhao knew very well that just burning the gate of the yamen would not hurt anyone at all, it was just a trick to distract people's attention.

The silver treasury is in the official mansion, thieves can't enter, and most of the people in Huaibei are hungry people who have gone through the disaster, so the simplest and most profitable action is to directly grab the official warehouse and close the position.

Chang Ping and Guan Cang were guarded by less than 300 brocade clothes, and it was decided that they could not stop thousands of hungry people!

Thinking of this, Lu Wenzhao led people to climb over the wall, and after landing, he ran all the way to Chang Ping.

But in a quarter of an hour, I saw the hungry people crowded around Chang Ping and Guan Cang.

"Shoot the arrows!"

"Put it all!"

Lu Wenzhao hurriedly shouted behind him, and then more than a dozen brocade guards took out their crossbows, raised their crossbow arrows, lit fire, and pulled the trigger.

With the screeching sound of "Hugh", the arrows exploded in the air, and instantly attracted the attention of the hungry people besieging the granary!

"Who dares to surround the granary! Are you going to rebel?! ”

Lu Wenzhao roared, and the nearby hungry people suddenly took a few steps back for fear.

But among the hungry people, some ill-intentioned people cried out:

"The court won't let us live! I haven't provided disaster relief for several months, and now I have a good official for disaster relief and I have been detained by you! You and those mine supervisors back then are the same ......."

"Bang bang bang!"

Before the man could finish shouting, an arrow shot out of the roof of a bungalow, killing him instantly, and there was the sound of three firearms in the air, like thunder on the ground, which terrified the hearts of all the people.

Lu Wenzhao looked up and saw Lu Jianxing, who had changed into a brocade guard's scarlet uniform, and three brocade guards holding bird guns, standing on the roofs of the houses on the street.

Seeing that the opportunity was rare, Lu Wenzhao hurriedly said loudly:

"Who told you that the imperial court does not provide disaster relief?"

"I tell you, from tomorrow, the government will use work to relieve the disaster, you repair the canals in your hometown, and the government will give you food, four catties per person!"

"Four pounds? Not a lot. Hearing Lu Wenzhao's words, some people who were soft-eared and didn't want to rebel let down their guards and didn't want to continue to make trouble.

But at this time, some people in the crowd saw the change in the situation, and hurriedly shouted:

"Four pounds?!"

"A few days ago, when Governor Liu was still there, he sent us ten catties of food every day and copper coins! I think you are corrupt officials! Folks, kill this group of corrupt officials! ”

"I see who dares!

！ ”

Lu Wenzhao roared and directly pulled out the long knife on his waist.

But at this time, more than a dozen people in the crowd threw stones at Lu Wenzhao.

No matter how good Lu Wenzhao's kung fu was, after using a long knife to fly a few stones, he was still hit.

He only felt a pain in his forehead, and then took two steps back, and although Lu Jianxing on the top of the building hurriedly shot two arrows, the others learned to be clever and changed positions when they smashed people.

"Your Excellency!"

Jin Yiwei, who was holding Lu Wenzhao, saw the blood stains on Lu Wenzhao's forehead slowly flowing, and screamed anxiously, which made the Jin Yiwei behind him think that something had happened to Lu Wenzhao, and pulled out their knives one after another, and more than a dozen people walked directly to the people and raised their bird guns at the people.

Seeing this, those ordinary hungry people also timidly took a few steps back, for fear of being misunderstood that they had smashed it themselves.

Seeing that the contradiction was further intensified, Lu Wenzhao hurriedly covered the wound on his forehead with one hand, got up and pushed away the brocade guard who was using the bird gun:

"Put your weapons away!"

Lu Wenzhao, who was accustomed to intrigue and trickery, forcibly suppressed his anger, he knew that the people who threw stones in the crowd were all gentry people, and ordinary people were just coaxed and coerced because they couldn't grasp the real information.

His calmness succeeded in stopping a riot, but it made the crowd anxious.

Just without waiting for them to be anxious, Lu Wenzhao covered his wounds, turned to the thousands of people holding various tools, and said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, below is the commander of Jinyi Weinan Town, Tongzhi Lu Wenzhao!"

"I, Lu Wenzhao, guarantee with my life, from tomorrow, all parts of Huaibei will open Changping positions one after another, and put grain in Changping Warehouse."

"After the grain that is often closed is finished, the official warehouse will be opened again to borrow grain from everyone, and it will be borrowed until the summer harvest of the next year."

"The grain borrowed is six stone per person, and the grain that needs to be repaid is only 30% of the grain in the fields for the next year!"

"How much grain can be produced by one acre of land, you know better than me Lu Wenzhao, the imperial court has made profits, what reason do you have not to believe in the imperial court?"

Blood flowed out of Lu Wenzhao's fingers and stained half of his face, but Lu Wenzhao still explained:

"Then Liu Bian, if you really want disaster relief, why don't you provide disaster relief at the beginning of the great famine?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, think about it, when is the summer tax going up? Why doesn't Liu Bian pay money with summer taxes? ”

"Besides, Liu Bian, his ancestral home is Sichuan, and his hometown is only more than 1,000 acres of land, how can he sell his land in exchange for millions of stone grain? Could it be that food is as cheap as grit right now? ”

"The great famine in Huaibei is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster!"

"It is not others who cause the hunger in Huaibei, it is some illegal businessmen and illegal gentry!"

"Their men are mixed with you, and they are the ones who incite you to besiege the granaries and the rulers."

"What they want to do is nothing more than to cut off the eucalyptus that the imperial court wants to investigate the hunger in the Huaibei region."

"Hundreds of thousands! Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by this man-made disaster, how can this group of people go unpunished?! ”

Lu Wenzhao's bleeding appearance made the one or two hundred people in the front row see it clearly, and they also began to introspect.

In the crowd, the bolder ones cautiously spoke:

"Lord Lu, we believe in you, but we don't believe in others, you are a good official, but others are not!"

"That's right! Lord Lu, you are a good official, but others are not! If we retreat, will we really receive bread tomorrow? ”

"Can the perpetrator really be caught?"

The problems of the people are varied, and the most important one is nothing more than the food problem.

Regarding this question, Lu Wenzhao patted his chest and said:

"I, Lu Wenzhao, pat my chest and promise the people of Huaibei that I, Lord Yang, and Lord Zuo, will definitely bring the squires and businessmen to justice."

"As for the grain, it is often closed to transfer grain for disaster relief, and if it is not enough, the official warehouse will be used for disaster relief."

"It's just that you and the imperial court also have the difficulties of the imperial court, and now there are Jianyu in the north, and the northern captives are on the border, and the imperial court has no silver and food."

"Therefore, the official grain is lending, but as I just said, borrowing until the summer harvest next year, the grain for the summer harvest and autumn harvest at that time only needs to be paid back by 30% of the yield per mu."

"The remaining four and a half stones of grain are the disaster grain funded by the imperial court!"

Borrowing grain, this is no way to do it, and the people also know that if the six stones of grain are lent, only one and a half stones will be returned, and the court is already benevolent and righteous, at least it will not be saved by death.

The people living in this land are like this, as long as they can see the hope of life, they will be obedient like sheep.

Gradually, someone put down the tools in their hands, and Lu Wenzhao also breathed a sigh of relief and asked them to relay the news to everyone.

The crowd began to evacuate under Lu Wenzhao's calm arrangement, and Jinyiwei also acted in it.

By the time the crowd had almost evacuated, Shen Lian had already led people to catch three tongues.

He brought the person to Lu Wenzhao, and then composed, with some apologies on his face:

"My lord, I only caught three tongues."

When he heard the words tongue, Lu Wenzhao felt a faint pain in the wound on his forehead, and glanced at the three people who were frightened and had weak legs, and said lightly:

"You can do it......"

"Yes!" Hearing this, Shen Lian returned the salute, and then watched Lu Wenzhao take people away, before Shen Lian turned to look at the three people.

At this moment, their bodies were trembling uncontrollably, their legs were weak, and they were almost set up by the six brocade guards next to them.

"Bring it to the Hundred Households first, and you will slowly interrogate ......" Shen Lian Pingyu spoke, and after his words came out, a brocade guard smiled and asked tentatively:

"Adult, ...... means"

"Everything." Shen Lian put the Yanling knife back into the sheath, glanced at the three people who were about to be scared, turned around and left.

Hearing this, the six brocade guards also showed an inexplicable smile on their faces, and looked sideways at the three people.

In the crying of the three of them, they were taken directly to the Baihu by Jinyiwei, and Shen Lian found Lu Jianxing.

At this moment, he had already changed back into his clothes, and after Shen Lian saw him, he also smiled:

"Fortunately, big brother, you brought someone here."

"You're wrong, even if I don't bring anyone here, adults can solve this matter." Lu Jianxing shook his head, and then said:

"High in the Sky"

"Second brother, are you going to continue the mission with me now, or do you want to stay by Lord Lu's side?"

"Naturally, I followed the eldest brother." Shen Lian replied without thinking about it.

Hearing this, Lu Jianxing also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, he was most afraid that his brother would follow Lu Wenzhao now, in that case, there would be few available people around him.

After getting an accurate answer, Lu Jianxing stretched out his hand and patted Shen Lian's shoulder:

"In that case, when the matter in Huaibei is over, you can say goodbye to Lord Lu."

"Okay" Shen Lian nodded, but after nodding, he asked Lu Jianxing again:

"Big brother, in the current situation in Huaibei, do we still have to sell grain?"

"I heard that Lord Lu, Yang and the two adults on the left are preparing to open a warehouse to release grain."

Shen Lian's words are very simple, that is, if Lu Wenzhao and them open a warehouse to release grain, then Lu Jianxing and what he wants to sell grain will not be possible.

Although Lu Wenzhao is also Zhu Youzhen's person, even Zhu Youzhen does not dare to use the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people to make money.

That's why Shen Lian asked Lu Jianxing like this, and Lu Jianxing could only sigh and say after hearing it:

"I can't make a lot of money, but the price of grain in Huaibei can't be suppressed for a while, as long as all the gentry and grain merchants involved in this eucalyptus are arrested, then I can still sell the grain at a price higher than that of other places."

Lu Jianxing knew that there was no turning back when he opened the bow, and he had already ordered people to buy enough grain in Huaibei, Fengyang, Shandong, and Jiangxi with more than 500,000 taels.

At present, it is necessary to find a place to sell these grains, and if they can't be sold, they can only use the names of Zhu Youzhen and Jinyiwei to forcibly transport the grain to the sea and directly go to Liaodong to sell it.

500,000 taels of silver, and the grain that can be bought is millions of stones.

Even if the grain price in Huai'an Mansion is flattened, the grain price in Liaodong is still 800 yuan with one stone, and it is twice as profitable for Lu Jianxing.

At that time, he can successfully complete the task of one million taels of silver, not to mention, he can also help Liaodong stabilize the price of grain, and His Royal Highness will not blame him.

After Lu Jianxing's thoughts came out, Shen Lian also nodded, and the two brothers talked to each other about other things, and then went separately to their respective goals.

As for Lu Wenzhao, as soon as he returned to the hundred households, he received news of civil unrest in various parts of Huaibei.

Huaibei, Xuzhou, and 11 counties in the two prefectures were besieged, among which Taoyuan, Yancheng, and Haizhou, which had the weakest defense, were robbed of the grain that was often closed, and a total of more than 146,000 stone of grain was robbed by the mob.

As a result, there are only 420,000 stone of grain left in the entire Huai'an Mansion, and only 180,000 stone of grain are left in the Changping position in Huaibei.

The opening of the official position is obviously imminent, otherwise it will not be possible to quell the turmoil at all.

Only by opening warehouses to borrow and release grain can we ensure that the people can survive and end the turmoil.

Thinking of this, Lu Wenzhao went to Pizhou County with the news.

The rebels of the Pizhou County Ya have left under the persuasion of other rebels, leaving only the burned county government gate.

This attack swept away the majesty of the imperial court, and Lu Wenzhao crossed the gate and found Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou and others in the backyard.

He first told the story of the two counties and one state of Taoyuan being robbed of Changping grain, and then said:

"It is imminent for the official warehouse to borrow grain, in my opinion, there is no need to send grain, just borrow grain and lend it out in one go!"

What Lu Wenzhao said is not unreasonable, in the situation of only 180,000 grains in Huaibei, it is useless to distribute grain, so he simply lends grain in one go.

Sure enough, when he said this, he quickly got the nods of Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou in agreement.

After Yang Lian nodded, he said:

"I heard that Lu Tongzhi caught three tongues, since these grain merchants dare to instigate the people to besiege the granary and the yamen, in my opinion, they will directly follow the vine and touch the melons, and arrest all the grain merchants hiding behind!"

"Those who should be raided and those who should be handed over to the criminal department should be handed over to the criminal department!"

Yang Lian's stubborn temper also came up, in his opinion, if the grain merchants in Huai'an Mansion stayed honestly, then as long as the hunger in Huaibei was solved, it would be enough to find out a few main culprits.

But at present, the grain merchants in Huaibei are instigating the people to watch the county government and rob the official grain, so this is speculation, but it is a blatant disgrace to the court.

If we don't punish them harshly this time, so that the gentry and merchants in other places can see the same, then wouldn't the world be full of hungry people?

Yang Lian was ruthless, but Zuo Guangdou was still hesitating, but he was hesitant not whether to clean up the grain merchants, but whether to ask the emperor first.

"The old man thinks it's better to ask for instructions first."

As soon as Zuo Guangdou spoke, Lu Wenzhao nodded and said:

"I have already asked someone to send a letter to the north to the capital, and if it is urgent for eight hundred miles, it will be delivered to the palace tomorrow at most."

"Good! Then wait for the news first" Zuo Guangdou no longer hesitated, but nodded.

It's just that when they were negotiating, in the mansion of Li Juren in Pizhou County, a group of grain merchants and gentry were in a hurry.

"It's hard to get it now, I didn't grab all the food in one go, and I was arrested by Jinyiwei and three people."

"What now? The people were arrested, and with the means of Jinyiwei, I am afraid that the three people will confess before the evening. ”

In the face of the so-called absolute strength, all intrigues and tricks are just buffers to delay one's guillotine.

The Great Hunger in Huaibei and the killing of a mine supervisor in Suzhou are two different things.

One is the official grain merchant who does evil, and the other is the eunuch of the mine supervisor who does evil.

The latter did evil, causing the most powerful Zhejiang Party at that time to counterattack the imperial power, while the former was different.

At present, this group of grain merchants does not know that the Jingcha system has been reformed, and the Donglin Party is going to start retaliating against the Zhejiang Party.

They still thought that the Zhejiang Party could shelter them from the wind and rain, but they didn't know that the Zhejiang Party was already taking care of itself because of their affairs.

Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou were able to pull down as many Zhejiang Party officials as they could in this Huaibei famine, and as many Donglin Party officials could take office.

This matter has changed from a simple official bullying the people to a struggle between officials and between officials and between parties.

Li Juren, who was sitting on the main seat, also had cold sweat on his forehead, but he still stubbornly thought:

"Don't worry, the people of Nanjing have received so many benefits from us, it is impossible for them to die one by one without saving them, right?"

"What's more, if we are arrested, then the people over there in Nanjing will also be recruited, and they will find a way to protect us."

Protect? How can you protect it?

As soon as Li Juren's self-consolation words were finished, a person in charge walked in from outside, walked up to Li Juren's side, and whispered nervously with sweat on his head:

"Master, Lord Liu sent someone to spread the word and say don't make trouble......"

"When did you say that?" When Li Juren heard this, sweat suddenly oozed from his forehead, and his hands and feet were cold.

"Three days ago, ......" the manager said nervously, and when Li Juren heard it, he suddenly felt that it was too late.

Listening to the meaning of the other party's words, it seems that he can't save himself, but now he is instigating the people to besiege the county government, and the matter has become big......

"I said it was good when I took the money, but now I have to do things, but I have to put it back!"

Li Juren turned his fear into anger and stood up suddenly, and when others saw him open his mouth like this, they also asked anxiously:

"How?"

"Lord Liu won't protect me, wait?"

"Asylum what? He's going to make us outcasts right now! Li Juren shouted angrily, and then his heart sank, and he directly called the person in charge:

"Hide all the family scrolls that the three men were involved in."

"Tell the servants and tenants in and outside the palace that whoever comes to inquire about them must not say that they know the three men."

"Yes!" When he heard this, his heart sank.

There is no such thing as hiding, it is obvious that the other party's family scrolls were dealt with first, and it was just a lie.

In this way, the three of them thought that there was a family in the hands of Li Juren, but in fact, Li Juren had no handle to be threatened.

As long as the traces left by the three of them are cleaned up, how can they frame themselves with their mouths?

I have to say that he is ruthless enough, but with this little means, he wants to get an axe in front of Jinyiwei, and he is still a little tender......