From the first month of the first month to the beginning of March, there was no snowfall or rainfall in various parts of Shandong, the drought intensified in various places, the land in the fields cracked, the rivers and streams dried up everywhere, and the well water in villages and towns became extinct, and the people were miserable.

After several months of no rain and snow, an unprecedented drought finally formed that swept the entire Shandong!

Liu Yan walked in the farmland around the Inspection Department of Lingshanwei Ancient Town, and saw that the cultivated land that should have grown seedlings was yellow-brown at this time, and the dry powder soil was flying in the wind, and there was no green at all.

After walking for a while, Liu Yan looked at the scene in front of him, and felt the despair of this era in his heart, this drought was far more fierce than he expected. Even if Liu Yan has been deployed in advance, the money and food for the resettlement of displaced people are hoarded according to the maximum limit, and now there is still a lot left, which can be used for emergencies, and water conservancy facilities in various places have also been built on a large scale, but without water, everything is empty talk!

At this time, Liu Yan remembered what he had read, about the historical materials of this drought, dozens of prefectures and counties in Shandong have records of "cannibalism": "Spring does not rain, June frost, October 2,000 rice, wells and springs are exhausted, buds and flowers do not bloom, fruits are not fruitful, cattle and sheep are infertile, chickens and ducks are not eggs, women are infertile, winter, cannibalism." ”

"There is a great drought in spring and summer, a hundred days of wind and frost, there is no harvest in autumn, there are one or two dollars of rice, the folk eat grass and branches, there are fathers, sons, brothers and couples cannibals, the tragic situation is difficult to know, the hungry people are thieves, the bees burn and plunder, and the four realms are depressed."

And what makes Liu Yan even more worried is that the great drought in history lasted until next year, the drought and insect plague, the entire farmland in Shandong was without wheat and autumn, "the bark of the trees was exhausted and eaten", and the hungry people "robbed the four realms and killed very badly".

In the vicinity of Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan, the same is true, and the severe drought is accompanied by locusts and severe epidemics, which make the disaster even more serious.

Henan "drought throughout the province, grass and grass are withered, Luo water depth is not full of feet, grass, trees, animal skins, insects and flies are eaten, many people are starving to death, starvation carries the road, and the land is wild."

Cannibalism in large arid areas of Gansu.

Shaanxi "is a rice market, the wood bark stone pasta is exhausted, the father and son couple are dissected by each other, and eight or nine out of ten are dead".

Last year, that is, in the twelfth year of Chongzhen, the price of grain in Shandong and other places had reached the price of one tael of silver per stone of rice, and since the first month of this year, one stone of rice has risen to three taels to five taels of silver.

A large number of people in Hebei and Shandong abandoned their farming and fled, and many villages became uninhabited villages. Natural disasters led to a total collapse of the economy and exacerbated social unrest. And in the end, these fleeing people were either coerced as cannon fodder by Li Zicheng, or died on the way to escape, and the population north of the Yellow River showed a cliff-like decline!

"Your Excellency!"

A call pulled Liu Yan's thoughts out, only to see that Chen Xun and Guan Tun official Zhang Lei, Zhao Min, Qian Liang Guan, and Song Gongming, a commercial official, came over.

"Let's take a look."

Liu Yan pointed to the cultivated land around him, and said with a heavy heart: "It seems that the harvest will be cut off everywhere this year, and in this year of catastrophe, we must prepare early." ”

Everyone's faces were very ugly, and Zhang Lei, the official in charge of the tun, was even more distressed, and said: "The new water conservancy facilities of Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei have been basically completed, plus the newly reclaimed more than 200,000 mu of cultivated land, as long as the rain is slightly better this year, it will be a big harvest year!" But God didn't open his eyes, and it didn't rain a drop, which made the people die! ”

The rest of the people sighed, but Liu Yan looked firm and said, "God is blind, but there are still us!" As long as I, Liu Yan, am here, I will not sit idly by and watch the people change their children! ”

After speaking, Liu Yan directly beckoned everyone to sit down in the field, everyone sat around the land, and the slightest movement was a puff of smoke and dust, and the surrounding soldiers of the new army found umbrella covers to shade Liu Yan and others.

Liu Yan asked Yue Ming and Song Gongming directly: "Now you give me a quasi-number, how much more grain can Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei and various industries come up with?" ”

Song Gongming nodded at Yue Ming, and then Yue Ming took out a booklet, obviously the two of them had done their homework in advance.

"Fortunately, my lord had the foresight to order his subordinates and Song Qianhu to purchase more grain last year, and now the treasury of Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei is full, adding up, there are almost 380,000 stone grain."

"As for the silver, now two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver can be made up in various industries and in the treasury."

"Two hundred and fifty thousand taels?"

Liu Yan frowned slightly, 380,000 stone of grain is 45.6 million catties of grain, based on the current population of 58,975 households in Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei, the minimum average daily quota of one and a half catties of grain can last for more than four months at most. Even if every household has some surplus food, at most it will last a few more months, and by the end of the year, a famine will 100% break out in Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei!

So from now on, Liu Yan will start to purchase grain regardless of the cost, with the current price of grain, 250,000 taels of silver is only enough to buy 50,000 stone of grain, put it in Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei, a drop in the bucket!

"I remember that the situation in various industries is very good, why is there only so much silver?"

Yue Ming said: "My lord asked his subordinates to purchase food before, but he has already used up a part of it, spending more than 400,000 taels of silver. In addition, his subordinates discussed with Song Qianhu that they would leave a part of the silver as the salary of the soldiers of the new army and for emergency purposes, so now there are only 250,000 taels of silver left. ”

"How much do you keep for the military salary?"

"At present, the monthly salary of each battalion of the new army is about 40,000 taels, and the subordinates have left three months' amount for reserve. In addition, the subordinates also left 200,000 taels of silver for emergencies. ”

Liu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Only keep a month's amount, and the remaining 80,000 taels will also be used to buy grain." As for the emergency silver, he also took out 100,000 taels to buy food. ”

"Yes."

Even so, a total of 430,000 taels of silver seems to be a lot, and it is even enough to offset the apportionment of the imperial court to Shandong, but in the face of one price of grain a day, these silver are still not enough.

Liu Yan said: "Let's start first, starting from this month, the income of all industries will be one to three, raising soldiers, emergency response, buying food, and the specific share Yue Qianhu and Song Qianhu will discuss on their own and report to me once a month." ”

"Yes."

Then Liu Yan said to Zhang Lei: "Now the drought is intensifying, but we can't wait for death, Zhang Qianhu took people to dig wells in all the farmland of Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei, and at the same time surveyed the situation of the rivers everywhere, as long as there is water, all the drainage and irrigation." ”

"It takes a lot of silver, it takes a lot of money!"

Liu Yan said: "Those emergency silver are used for this!" Now is the year of the catastrophe, the cost of materials and silver, there is not much labor, do it first, we must not sit still. ”

"Yes!"

At this time, Zhao Min said: "My lord, now that there are people in Lingshanwei who have run out of food, my subordinates think that we must start relief now, otherwise once the panic spreads everywhere, the situation will be out of control." ”

Liu Yan thinks so, in fact, in any historical era, disasters are not the most terrible, fear is the most terrible!

As long as the government responds properly, and even as long as the government takes action, there will be no room for panic among the people to spread, and there will be no big chaos.

In the later generations, the great flood of 9~8 and the great earthquake of ~mountain and ~river, why did there not be turmoil and civil unrest? It is because there is an "official government" that the people affected by the disaster have a bottom in their hearts, so no matter how difficult the conditions are, they will not panic.

So Liu Yan said: "Zhao Qianhu immediately issued an order to each thousand households and hundreds of households, and ordered Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei to count the people who had little food once a month, and report to Zhao Qianhu at the beginning of the month to distribute relief in a unified manner. ”

"For the people who have already run out of food, they must be deployed everywhere in advance, and don't wait for everything to be done."

"Yes."

Zhao Min said: "The subordinates issued a decree today. In addition, the subordinates suggested that a part of the grain could be allocated and distributed to 1,000 and 100 households, so that the relief could be provided in a timely manner so as not to be delayed on the way to transportation. ”

Liu Yan thought for a while and agreed, but still instructed: "The amount of grain placed in each thousand and hundred households must be recorded, and the amount of relief used by the people must also be recorded one by one, so as to prevent people from enriching their own pockets." ”

Zhao Min was stunned for a moment and said: "Don't worry, my lord, in such a catastrophic year, who will be greedy for these grains, these are the lives of the people!" ”

Liu Yan Zhengse said: "It is precisely because food is the life of the people that it is more valuable in the year of the catastrophe!" Now that a stone of grain has been sold for five taels of silver, what about next month? How many months from now? I don't think ten taels of silver can stop it! ”

"So we must take strict measures, once we find out that we are greedy for ink, we must deal with it strictly!"

Liu Yan directly came to a conclusion: "Ten catties of grain will be beheaded on the spot!" ”

Everyone was taken aback, but thinking about it, it should indeed be used at this time, otherwise there will be a mess and it will be out of control.

Zhao Min hurriedly clenched his fists and took his life.

Seeing this, Chen Xun said: "My lord, my subordinates think, can I find the head of the Chamber of Commerce?" ”

Liu Yan thought for a moment, nodded and said, "I think it's okay!" ”

"Now that today's business is over, everyone is gone, so go and get busy. I'm going to Wangjiazhuang. ”

Everyone said goodbye and left, and Liu Yan and Chen Xun went to Wangjiazhuang Baihu together.

In the Wanfu Oil Mill, Wang Jing looked at Liu Yan and Chen Xun, who came all the way and were covered in sweat, and said: "I know that the virtuous son-in-law and Chen Ethics will definitely come this time, and they will arrive today." ”

Chen Xun asked in surprise: "When did Wang Huishou know how to tell hexagrams?" ”

"Haha."

Wang Jing said with a smile: "I don't know how to tell fortunes, but I can do business." Now in Wangjiazhuang, the price of grain has broken through the sky, a stone of grain costs four taels of silver, I heard that the Lingshan Acropolis has to be nearly five taels of silver, such a situation, my virtuous son-in-law must not be able to sit still. ”

Liu Yan smiled and said, "Taishan is wise! ”

"Haha, don't you put a top hat on me, do you want the Chamber of Commerce to help raise food?"

Liu Yan said: "The Chamber of Commerce is originally to get together for profit, so I won't let everyone help in vain, but with the current market, it's too high!" ”

"I mean, ask Taishan to help convene the merchants of the Chamber of Commerce, so that everyone can sell me the hoarded grain and sell it to me at a flat price."

Wang Jing thought for a moment and said, "I can do this matter, but it is unlikely to succeed." Emptying the grain stockpiles of each family at a parity price is too great a loss, and no one will agree to it. Unless you, a guerrilla general, forcibly buy! ”

Liu Yan shook his head, it is indeed possible to forcibly acquire, and even if you don't give one or two pieces of silver, you can do it, but in the future, the businessmen of Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei will run out, and Liu Yan's many industries will not be able to operate.

"Is there anything Tarzan can do about it?"

Wang Jing sighed and said, "I can only pressure those businessmen to lower some prices, at most about 80% of the current market price." ”

Liu Yan frowned slightly and said, "Since that's the case, then Taishan told those businessmen a word." ”

"What?"

"In the future, if they want to do business in Lingshanwei and Aoshanwei, and if they also want to deal in soap, pot wine, glass, cement, sea salt and other goods, then sell me grain at a low price! I, Liu Yan, persuaded them with good words, they had better listen, otherwise something happened, and I, Liu Yan, would not be responsible! ”

33

Some people died, but not completely......