Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 175 Disaster befalls the county, seek help from Youzhou

Chapter 175 Disaster befalls the county, seek help from Youzhou

July, Huguan.

The once bustling county government fell into silence, everyone looked gloomy, and the atmosphere in the lobby was solemn.

"Snapped!"

A sound was heard in the silent hall. It was Zhang Yu who killed a yellow locust with a bamboo stick. Zhang Yu's face was so gloomy that no one dared to speak.

After all, Zhang Yu was in such a bad situation. This year, he and his people had spent all their efforts to develop Shangdang. Just the two expenses of recruiting refugees and settling the people had used up all the money and grain they had saved. He had hoped that there would be a good harvest this autumn, and the soldiers would have money and grain to prepare for the plan to attack Taiyuan.

However, reality gave Zhang Yu a hard slap in the face. First, there was a drought in June. Thanks to the refugees repairing the canals, the impact was not that great, and there would be a good harvest in July.

But unexpectedly, as Zhang Yu survived until July, approaching the harvest season, a locust plague suddenly broke out. After two waves of attacks, Zhang Yu was left with no tears to cry.

Now the government treasury has no money or food, and the people are suffering from drought and locusts. Even if Zhang Yu wants to help the refugees, he can't do anything. Looking at the household registration that has finally exceeded 30,000, now that a locust plague has broken out, I am afraid that there will be a terrible scene of "people eating each other".

Seeing that everyone was silent, Xu Shu plucked up his courage and asked, "Sir, what should we do now?"

Staring at the dead locusts with their internal organs bursting, Zhang Yu exhaled and said, "Since we have suffered from drought and locusts, we will be exempted from taxes this autumn."

"No disaster relief?" Du Ji asked hesitantly.

Zhong Yao smiled bitterly and said, "You don't know, Lord Bo, this year you have used money to buy grain and provided relief for the people. There are only 10,000 or 20,000 dan of grain left in the treasury. I'm afraid it's just a drop in the bucket to help the people."

Hearing this, Du Ji sighed slightly and had nothing to say. He had just escaped from Hanzhong County and arrived in Shangdang not long ago, and now he encountered such a thing. Even if he had strong governance ability, he could not do anything. This was a natural disaster, and it could not be changed by human power.

Looking at the people whose morale was low due to his influence, Zhang Yu adjusted his mood and said, "Good fortunes are intertwined with disasters, and disasters are intertwined with good fortunes. Previously, we distributed grain to gather the people, so there are more than 30,000 households. Now, if we can survive the locust plague, the people's hearts will be at my disposal."

After a pause, Zhang Yu encouraged everyone and said, "It is often said that we should do our best and leave the rest to fate. Now that we have not done our best, how can we leave the rest to fate? You are all wise men. I wonder if you have any method to teach me how to survive this year of locust plague."

Zhang Yu had fought on the battlefield for many years, and many people died because of him. He was not a soft-hearted person. Now thinking of the tragic scene of "people eating each other", Zhang Yu felt a sense of grief. Now, whether for his foundation or for the people, Zhang Yu must do everything he can to solve the current problem.

Seeing that Zhang Yu was in high spirits and asked everyone for advice, the solemn atmosphere in the hall was dispelled.

"Sir, I remember that locusts like light, so our ancestors lit fire to kill locusts. Now we can let all counties promote this." Xu Shu said.

"Write it down!" Zhang Yu gestured.

Du Ji pondered for a moment and offered a suggestion: "Locusts are everywhere, and the yield of the fields will definitely decrease this year. But in order to reduce losses, you can order people to kill the locusts. Those who can kill five buckets of locusts can exchange them for one hundred coins."

"Write down!"

Lu Fan bowed to Zhang Yu and said in a deep voice: "Sir, killing locusts is only a way to alleviate the situation. This year, no less than 70,000 to 80,000 people have moved to the county. The current crop yields have decreased, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to survive the winter. In my opinion, we need to get more food and grass for winter and spring relief. Otherwise, if the people have no food to eat, there may be unrest."

"Where does the food and grass come from?" Zhang Yu asked.

Man Chong said: "Your Majesty, the powerful and noble families in the county must have stored grain. Your Majesty can temporarily borrow from the powerful and noble families in each county. Moreover, the common people can be exempted from taxes this year, but the powerful and noble families cannot be exempted."

"I'm afraid the powerful and wealthy families in the county will be dissatisfied!" said Xu Shu.

Man Chong said in a cold voice: "There are five or six thousand soldiers in the county. If the powerful and wealthy families are dissatisfied and refuse to surrender, we can send soldiers to attack them and force them to pay grain."

Fortunately, Zhang Yu did not let the staff in Shangdang County attend the meeting. If they had listened to Man Chong's words, they would have been furious. But it must be said that attacking the powerful and the big families is indeed a good way to survive the locust plague.

Zhong Yao looked at Zhang Yu and said, "Bo Ning's words are not without reason, but we should not act too radically, so as not to displease the powerful families and wealthy people in the county!"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Yuan Chang is very tactful. Let Yuan Chang be responsible for borrowing grain from the powerful and wealthy families. Remember to leave a deed, saying that he will return the grain when he is well-off in the future. If the powerful and wealthy families refuse to obey, let Bo Ning and Gong Ming bring a battalion of soldiers and horses to intimidate them."

"Tell them that if we don't provide relief to the people now, they will surely rebel. They will then plunder the fortress, and the whole clan will have a hard time surviving!"

"promise!"

There is actually another way to solve the famine problem for the people, that is, Zhang Yu led his troops to plunder and bring back food and grass, just like the refugees did. But for Zhang Yu, he planned to take it step by step and not follow Cao Cao's approach of massacring and looting.

Seeing that everyone had their own suggestions, Yu Yi was unwilling to be outdone and said, "Your Majesty, Youzhou Mu Liu Yu is kind and loves the people, and we have made an alliance. Now Shangdang is suffering from drought and locust disasters, and the people are starving. Your Majesty is exhausted, so why not send someone to ask Liu Mubo for help and let Liu Mubo provide food to help your majesty."

When this was said, everyone in the hall was delighted. However, many people were skeptical.

Du Ji said: "As far as I know, Youzhou is close to the border, and people's livelihood is in decline. In the past, 200 million coins were transferred from Jizhou and Qingzhou to Youzhou every year. But now the world is in chaos, Jizhou and Qingzhou don't give money to Youzhou, and Youzhou can't take care of itself. Now if we ask them for food, I'm afraid Liu Mubo will be unable to do so." "No!"

Seeing that everyone did not understand the current Youzhou, Yu Yi looked around at everyone and said with a smile: "What you don't know is that Youzhou has changed a lot now."

"Since Liu Mubo took office, he has quelled the Wuhuan rebellion and made the Han and Hu coexist. To save military expenses, Liu Gong selected soldiers and only kept Gongsun Zan's troops. To restore taxes, Liu Gong encouraged the supervision of farming, opened up the benefits of the Hu market in Shanggu, and opened up the abundant salt and iron in Yuyang. When Yi went there, one stone of grain cost sixty coins, and now it should be even lower."

"When I visited Lord Liu, he was dressed simply and did not serve meat at the banquet. His moral integrity is high and he is not an ordinary person. If you ask Lord Liu for food now, given your relationship with him, he will be generous."

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the only person who could be called benevolent was Liu Yu!
The Youzhou that Liu Yu took over was a complete mess. After Liu Yu took office, he first resolved the Wuhuan Rebellion, opened the Hu Market in Shanggu, and allowed the Hu and Han to do business in order to maintain peace on the border.

In order to restore the finances, he drastically reduced the army, leaving only Gongsun Zan's troops. He also paid close attention to agricultural production, took the lead in saving, did not wear fancy clothes, and ate vegetarian food instead of meat.

Since the warlords fought against Dong, Ji and Qing provinces no longer provided financial transfers, and Liu Yu had made Youzhou self-sufficient. When Yu Yi went to visit, the price of grain was still 60 coins per stone, but now the price of grain is as low as 30 coins per stone.

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu was immediately excited. In order to fight for supremacy in the world, he had made friends with Liu Yu early on, preparing to form an alliance in troubled times. Now that Shangdang was in trouble, it was time to use Liu Yu.

Zhang Yu looked at everyone in the hall and said, "When the eunuchs were in power, I was the captain of the imperial guards and I made a pact with Liu Youzhou to help the country. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Dong Zhuo entered the capital and usurped the throne, and the Yuan family divided the country. Now, only Youzhou and I are left to protect each other."

"Shao Ran, you should go to Youzhou immediately and report the situation to Liu Youzhou. He said that Shangdang has been hit by a locust plague and the people have nothing to eat. I hope Youzhou can help."

Yu Yi asked, "May I ask how many grains and grasses you need?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "If there is too little grain, it may be useless; if there is too much grain, it may make things difficult for Lord Liu. For now, I ask for 300,000 dan of grain first. If 300,000 dan of grain is not enough, I can ask for 200,000 dan of grain."

Three hundred thousand dan of grain was already a lot. Based on the assumption that one man consumed two dan per month, it could feed 150,000 people for a month. If it was used for disaster relief and people ate frugally, it could even feed 300,000 old and weak people for a month.

If the 300,000 dan of grain, plus the grain and grass borrowed from the powerful people in the county were used for work-for-relief, and the surplus grain in the hands of the people, it would not be a problem for them to survive this winter. Once spring comes, the people will have a way to survive.

After all, winter wheat can be planted this winter, and after the spring, there will be wild vegetables to eat in the mountains. Then in April or May, the winter wheat will be ripe and edible.

"it is good!"

Yu Yi suddenly felt the heavy responsibility, so he stood up from the table and said solemnly: "I will not let you down."

"Thank you for your hard work, Shao Ran!"

Zhang Yu looked at Lu Fan and asked, "Ziheng ordered the grain merchants in the county not to raise prices drastically this year, a year of disaster. If anyone violates this order, their property will be confiscated."

"Yes, sir!" Lu Fan replied.

"Bo Hou, issue an order to all county heads. The locust and drought disasters have come together now. These are natural disasters. I hope you will work hard. If anyone is slack, he will be punished according to military law." Zhang Yu ordered.

"Yes!" Du Ji replied.

"Gongze, send a message to Wenyuan to wipe out Wang Dang of Zhan County as soon as possible. Our food and grass will not last long." Zhang Yu ordered.

"Yes!" Guo Tu accepted the order.

"Yuanzhi, pass on my king's order and have all the camps in the army go to the military farms and kill the locusts for the food they eat."

"Yes, sir!" Xu Shu stood up and accepted the order.

Seeing that everyone had their own responsibilities, Zhang Yu bowed solemnly to everyone and said in a deep voice: "Shangdang is now hit by a natural disaster. I hope you will work together with Yu to overcome the difficult times."

"We are willing to serve you!" everyone shouted in unison.

In the crowd, Du Ji looked at Zhang Yu, who was full of vigor and vitality, and couldn't help but feel admiration in his heart.

Although Zhang Yu is young, he has the spirit of achieving great things. It is important to know that most people, after putting in so much effort, when they are about to achieve success, suddenly encounter an accident, causing the results to be burned, it is difficult not to say that they are depressed and irritable.

Zhang Yu was only silent for a while, then he appeared in a more upbeat image, not only leading the bewildered crowd out of the haze, but also finding a solution. He really made the right decision to join the old man this time.

"Jiangzuo Yice": Emperor Shenwu occupied Shangdang and recruited refugees to accomplish his great cause. At that time, there was drought and locusts, and the people had no production, and the soldiers were short of food. The Hu general Shi Yi suggested that he feed them with human jerky. The emperor was afraid that people would be disappointed, so he refused. Later, he plundered the grain and goods of the big families and survived the drought and locusts.

(End of this chapter)

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like