Chapter 676 673 [Granary]

"Your Majesty, according to local reports, there is a severe drought in Shaanxi and Henan this year, and the autumn grain harvest in some prefectures and counties may fail by more than 50%."

"Try to help as much as possible."

Last year the country had good weather, but this year God has started to cause trouble again.

There have been no major disasters in the north for several years. This year, Shaanxi and Henan provinces have been experiencing drought for half a year, and there was not even much snow last winter. At the same time, heavy rains fell again in the Yangtze, Ganjiang, and Huaihe river basins after July, and water levels in rivers and lakes in various places continued to rise.

Fortunately, after several years of immigration and reclamation, the Changping warehouses in various states and counties in Henan are more or less stocked with grain. Moreover, farmers in Henan have only begun to pay land taxes in full this year, and every household actually has grain savings.

Even if there is a shortage of food in Shaanxi and Henan provinces, there is no need to transport everything from the south. Instead, the Changping warehouse in Henan can be used directly. The effect of Zhao Han's rest and recuperation is immediately highlighted.

At the same time that the central government ordered food distribution and disaster relief, integrity inspectors were also dispatched.

Whenever there is a big move involving money and food, the Procuratorate will send out inspectors to supervise it either overtly or covertly.

Xiaohong is a woman, so it is not convenient to visit in secret. She will be in the open this time.

Along the Grand Canal, the floods have just receded, and people on both sides of the river are harvesting rice. Most of the rice was soaked in water, and if it was soaked for two more days, it would all rot.

"Huang Xiantai, look, there are banners of the Peasants' Association and Peasants' Soldiers there!"

The person who spoke was named Zhan Wenfeng, a female inspector of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

Before Zhan Wenfeng graduated from Jinling University, she was booked by Xiaohong and entered the Metropolitan Procuratorate immediately after completing her studies. Of course, that was before the reinstatement of the imperial examination, and now you have to take the national examination first.

Xiaohong stood on the deck of the official ship, looked up, and saw flags flying on the shore.

Xiao Hong sighed: "It seems that the matter is urgent, and the local magistrate has to use the peasant association and peasant soldiers. Nowadays, except for building bridges and paving roads, these two flags are rarely seen anymore."

The flooded farmland on both sides of the river had to be harvested in a hurry and a large number of manpower had to be mobilized.

At this time, the government can mobilize the masses and make overall arrangements without any favoritism. Which paddy fields need to be harvested first, which farmland can be abandoned directly, and how many manpower should be mobilized for which farmland? Only by having a plan for these things can efficiency be improved.

Of course, farmers who receive help must also express their gratitude afterwards. For example, one person from each household will be responsible for repairing and maintaining roads in villages and towns this year.

Such highly efficient grassroots mobilization capabilities can be maintained for at least several decades. As for a few decades later, these two generations will die out, and they will surely gradually weaken, and finally the government will be unable to effectively mobilize the people. This process may take thirty to fifty years, or it may take a hundred years.

If it could last a hundred years, Zhao Han would be happy.

Zhan Wenfeng lay on the railing and quietly watched the rice soaked in water on the shore. She recalled that she used to do farm work at home. During the busy farming season, the village’s primary school would have a few days off so that the students could go home to help.

There is more than one female student at Jinling University. Zhan Wenfeng was chosen by Xiaohong because she came from a poor background and was relatively taciturn.

"Huang Xiantai, how come there are no female Jinshi in this year's imperial examination?" Zhan Wenfeng asked suddenly.

Xiaohong smiled helplessly: "After all, it is not convenient for women to be officials. Female students from universities in various provinces get engaged or get married before they graduate. Once they graduate, they immediately go home to raise their husbands and raise their children. Which husband's family is willing to let them go to Beijing to take the exam? There are only a few. A few ambitious people have either taken the civil service examination early, or gone to the Hanlin Academy and Qintian Academy to become postgraduate students. In this year's examination, there is not even a female Jinshi, not even a woman taking part in the imperial examination."

Zhan Wenfeng said: "If I had not entered the Metropolitan Procuratorate, I would definitely take the entrance examination this year."

Xiaohong smiled and said: "Then I really shouldn't have chosen you. Maybe I will become the first female Jinshi in this dynasty."

Today, Xiaohong's official position is Zuo Qiandu's Imperial Envoy, a fourth-grade official, which can be understood as a department-level official. The level was the same as when she was the prefect, but now she was a real power official in the capital, and she was infinitely close to the deputy minister level.

As for Zhan Wenfeng, he is a ninth-grade minion in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Because of his gender, he can follow Xiaohong everywhere.

Zhan Wenfeng joked: "Maybe I can actually pass the exam."

Two women were chatting on the deck.

There are also some male inspectors playing mahjong in the cabin. They can't gamble money, that's the principle. What they are betting at this moment is that if they need to disguise themselves when they get to a place, the winner can be the master, and the loser can only be the follower and errand boy.

After traveling by boat and car all the way, we finally arrived at the border of Henan.

Xiaohong took Zhan Wenfeng and two male inspectors and went straight to the provincial capital to supervise the disaster relief in public.

The remaining integrity inspectors immediately dispersed and conducted private visits to various states and counties incognito.

Liu Chuanzong, Luo Fang and Wei Qian were more unlucky. When the three of them drew lots, they were drawn into the four counties of Lingbao, Nexiang, Shaanzhou and Mianchi. These places are all in the corners of Henan, and the other side of the Yellow River is the border of Shanxi.

They wandered around Mianchi for more than half a month and found nothing unusual except for a serious drought.

So he continued to walk west and came to the boundary of Shaanzhou, which was Sanmenxia City hundreds of years later.

"Hey, there's a foreign monk over there." Wei Gan pointed to the front and said.

In the wilderness, Nan Huairen was watching with great interest an old woman visiting the grave of her ancestor.

Worshiping ancestors is normal. Nan Huairen has seen it a lot, but this time it was a bit unique, completely subverting his concept of Chinese ancestor worship.

I saw the old woman burning the paper money and then placing sacrifices in front of the grave. Then, the old woman held a wooden stick and walked around the tomb beating: "The money has been burned and the meat has been offered. As an ancestor, you should have the virtues of an ancestor. Your great-great-grandson is the only child of our old Li family. Don't you You must come back and pester me. If you dare to come again, I will beat you to death. If I can’t beat you to death, please ask the monks and Taoists to chant sutras and curse you so that you will be unable to reincarnate!"

After threatening her ancestors with beatings, the old woman pointed at the tomb next to her with a stick and scolded: "None of you are allowed to come. My grandson ranks first in the exam every year. The glory of the old Li family depends on him. Who dares to come? My grandson, I don’t care where you are, you are a lonely ghost, I dug up your graves one by one!"

For the next half an hour, the old woman kept cursing in the cemetery. If there were really ghosts here, those ghosts would be scolded and hide.

Nan Huairen was thoughtful and said to himself: "Chinese people worship their ancestors, just like they worship gods, not because of faith, but out of practical interests. Praying to gods and Buddhas will fulfill their wishes only when they are fulfilled." Worshiping ancestors also requires their blessings. If the ancestors do not bless them and instead harm the descendants, then their respect for their ancestors will be gone."

Three integrity inspectors were passing by the cemetery with their bags on their backs, and they also stopped to watch the excitement with great interest.

The old woman scolded until her mouth went dry, and she finally gave up her magical power. When leaving, he also picked up a piece of pork given to his ancestors and carefully put it in the basket. The ancestors had already eaten, and what they ate was the essence of the pork. Of course, the remaining meat was taken home for living people to eat.

Liu Chuanzong suddenly said: "Old man, the drought here is severe enough. The leaves on the mountains are all withered."

The old woman answered: "Isn't it? Emperor Zhao took over the world, and in the first two years he was in a state of drought, just like the Ming Dynasty. After that, it got better for four or five years, with wind and rain. Rain is said to be a sign of Emperor Zhao's virtue. But this year it was very strange, and Emperor Zhao didn't care. There was not much snow last winter, and there were only two rains since the beginning of spring. The wells in the village were almost dry and there was no water. ”

"Then there must be no famine?" Liu Chuanzong said.

The old woman smiled and said: "It's not bad. There was a good harvest a few years ago, and Emperor Zhao was doing well too. He paid only half of the grain to the government, and every family had surplus grain in their warehouses. Even if we can't harvest any grain this year, we won't be able to eat it until next year." People won’t starve to death. It’s just that it’s inconvenient to get water. Every household has to have someone guard the well. Once a bucket is leached out, it will be taken away immediately.”

After the old woman finished speaking, she carried the basket and went home. There was a village in the nearby ravine.

Liu Chuanzong walked up to Nan Huairen, cupped his hands and said, "Well, brother."

Nan Huairen returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Hello, my name is Nan Huairen, and I come from the Netherlands (Brussels, Belgium)."

Wei Gan smiled and said, "Your Excellency, what you said is official."

Nan Huairen said: "I have been to Nanjing and almost met the emperor. In the past few years, I have traveled to Guangdong, Jiangxi, Jinling, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. This time I came from Shaanxi to Henan. "

"You know how to run away and preach in various provinces?" Luo Fang warned, "His Majesty has decreed that Christianity can only preach in churches. It is illegal to preach outside churches."

Nan Huairen said: "I am not preaching, I am just traveling in China, and I plan to write a book about China."

Several people were chatting while following the old woman, planning to spend the night in the village ahead.

As soon as we arrived at the entrance of the village, we heard a noise.

Liu Chuanzong went over to inquire and found out that he was a grain merchant in the county who had come to the countryside to collect grain at a high price.

"Something's wrong." Wei Gan muttered.

Luo Fang sneered: "Of course something is wrong. I have only heard of harvesting grain in good years and selling grain in disaster years. I have never seen a grain merchant go to the village to collect grain at a high price in disaster years."

Liu Chuanzong said: "Go over and have a look."

When the three of them came to the noisy place, they heard the village chief say: "Are you confused? We won't be able to harvest a few grains this year. Every household is saving food. How can there be any food to sell to you? Go quickly, don't come. To entertain us."

The person who took the lead was a clerk from a grain merchant's family. He had already tried soft methods. These farmers refused to sell grain. I had no choice but to force myself and threatened: "My second master is working as a historian in Hui County. My third master is the chief of the Etiquette Department of this county. My fifth master is an experienced employee of Datong Bank in this county. If you don't Sell ​​grain and you will have a good life next year! Do you know what the etiquette department is for? It is in charge of the school! You have offended my family and your children and grandchildren will not be able to graduate from elementary school!"

A captain of the peasant soldiers rushed up: "I moved from Jiangxi. In the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, I followed your Majesty in the war. If I hadn't been disabled and retired, I would at least be a regiment leader now! We have defeated the Ming Dynasty, and we still can't. What kind of etiquette section chief are you afraid of? If you dare to act arrogant again, I’ll beat you up and then report you to the official!"

"Hush!"

The captain of the peasant soldiers blew the bamboo whistle, and the peasants in the village stepped forward one after another, holding random things in their hands.

Those who came to buy food were so frightened that they immediately ran away, fearing that they would be beaten to death if they stayed.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The villagers laughed.

Liu Chuanzong and three others stayed in the village that night and wanted to inquire about the news, but they couldn't find out anything.

Continuing to walk forward, I found that grain merchants in several nearby villages sent people to buy grain. Moreover, the prices are all high. There are farmers who have a lot of grain and want to sell some grain at the high price.

Another evening, Liu Chuanzong called a meeting: "I'm afraid there is something wrong with the Changping warehouse of Datong Bank in this county. Naturally, there will be nothing wrong in a good year, but the secret will be revealed in a disaster year, which scares these officials and businessmen to buy grain at high prices to make up for it."

"That's definitely the case!" Wei Qian nodded.