inspire-indiana Chapter 156 Disaster Relief
Chapter 156 Disaster Relief
The emperor slammed the memorial on the desk with a "bang", and the eunuch Liu who was serving beside him was so frightened that his whole body trembled.
"Your Majesty, please do not be angry. Your health is the most important thing." Eunuch Liu carefully glanced at the emperor's face, then quickly lowered his head and asked, "Your Majesty, what did you see that was not pleasing to you?"
"Come and take a look?" the emperor said coldly with a sullen face.
"I dare not. I have overstepped my authority. Please punish me, Your Majesty..." Eunuch Liu knelt down and begged for forgiveness.
The emperor rubbed his brows and waved his hands impatiently, "Get up, I don't want to punish you."
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." Eunuch Liu raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and stood back to his original position respectfully. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. His heart was hanging all day long, and he dared not relax for a moment.
*
At the next morning court session, the emperor announced what was reported in the memorial and discussed with his ministers how to deal with the disaster.
Taifu He advocated sending an imperial envoy to verify the disaster situation. If it was really as written in the memorial, then the granaries should be opened immediately to release grain to help the victims. The people are the foundation of the country. If the emperor ignores it, it will inevitably discourage the people and the world will be in chaos.
The emperor looked at Master He with a sullen expression, "Is this the idea you gave me? !
How could the emperor not understand this truth?
Three cities in the south were affected by the disaster and more than 200,000 people were displaced. Relief food will have to be supplied until the new grain harvest next year.
In other words, the emperor not only had to collect less taxes from the three cities, but he also had to provide food and drink for more than 200,000 people for nearly a year, and give them grain seeds so that they could plant their fields.
This is not a small amount of money! The national treasury will definitely be unable to make ends meet. If Mu Heng takes this opportunity to rebel, which general can stop his army? By then, the Great Yu Dynasty will be troubled by internal and external troubles, and the country will no longer be a country!
The emperor looked at Duke He again. Duke He stood there calmly with his head slightly lowered, making it impossible to see his expression.
"Duke He, do you have anything to add?" the emperor asked coldly.
Duke He stepped out of the line, bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I think it is not necessary to open the granaries to release grain to help the victims."
"Oh? Duke He, do you have any other good ideas?" The emperor's expression gradually eased.
Duke He smiled and said, "We have 32 cities of all sizes in Dayu. Can't we support the people of the three cities? In addition, there are countless merchants. These people enjoy the comfort brought to them by the court, and they should also share the worries of the court. Why don't we take this opportunity to increase taxes, so that we have food and silver. These taxes can not only be used for disaster relief, but the extra part can also be used to fill the national treasury for military supplies."
As soon as Duke He finished speaking, an official immediately stood up to agree, "Duke He's idea is brilliant. It can show the emperor's love for the people, help the victims, and store military supplies and military pay. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone!"
"Duke He is the loyal minister who truly helps the emperor solve his problems!"
"I also agree with what Duke He said!"
"I second the motion..."
Master He's face turned blue, it really showed you!
"Your Majesty, it will take a long time to collect taxes. I'm afraid the victims can't wait!"
The smile that had just appeared on the emperor's face suddenly froze, and his eyes turned to Duke He again.
Duke He would naturally not let the emperor down. "You can first collect taxes near the disaster-stricken cities and send them directly to the disaster area. Other relief supplies can be delivered in due course."
"Your Majesty, I think this method is inappropriate..."
Before resisting North Vietnam, the emperor had already issued an order to increase taxes. Now the new grain has not been harvested yet, where can the people pay the grain? If the taxes are forcibly increased, the people will surely complain, and it will probably cause public outrage...
This is a sign of the country's demise! He only wants to help the second prince to succeed to the throne and restore the prosperity of Dayu, but he doesn't want to become a minister of the country's demise!
Tutor He wanted to persuade him again, but the emperor was too impatient to listen any further. "Let's do as Duke He said. According to your opinions, who should I send as the imperial envoy to supervise this matter?"
The ministers discussed the matter in a low voice, and finally the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue nominated by Duke He was recognized by the Emperor.
"Appoint Wei Aiqing, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, as the imperial envoy. The matter of increasing taxes and disaster relief is left to you!"
"I obey your order!" Lord Wei hurriedly stepped out and accepted the offer. This is a lucrative job! Thank you, Duke He, for the promotion!
Next, the emperor asked about the conscription and the return date of the imperial master. There were still two or three months before the new grain harvest, and taxes could be collected again by then. With sufficient food and grass, we could use this time to recruit soldiers and train them, and wait for the imperial master to return to fight Mu Heng!
No, we should wait for the Imperial Master to return, beat the shit out of Mu Heng, and then bring him back to the capital alive to be dealt with by the Emperor!
(Ye Ze’s corn is early corn planted in March and harvested at the end of August. The crops planted by the common people are harvested twice a year in October)
The next day, Lord Wei set out to provide disaster relief in accordance with the imperial order.
The past two years have been turbulent. The people have been exhausted from conscription and grain collection during the fight against North Vietnam, and now they are facing the dilemma of disaster relief. The new grain has not yet been harvested, so where should they get the grain to pay the tax?
However, the officers and soldiers did not care about these things. They only collected grain, and if they could not provide grain, they would pay it back with money. The people cried out to the sky, but the sky did not respond. They cried out to the earth, but the earth did not respond. Many families even had to sell their children to raise taxes.
Only a small part of the collected grain and money was sent to the disaster area, while the rest, gold and silver, were sent to the capital, and grain and fodder were sent to the Yunzhou military camp.
This small amount of relief food and silver was exploited by the lower-level officials, and the only thing that could be handed over to the people was two catties of mixed rice mixed with sand...
Those unscrupulous merchants had to find ways to make up for their losses. Food prices went up, cloth prices went up, and salt became so expensive that ordinary people could not afford it. Anyway, as long as they managed the relationships with the higher-ups, no one would care.
Citizens from more than 300 prefectures in 29 cities provided relief to the disaster victims in the three cities, enriching the emperor's treasury and filling the pockets of corrupt officials.
Only the common people were selling their children and crying to the sky, and only the disaster victims were so hungry that they had to eat grass roots and tree bark, and could not fill their stomachs!
As time went by, the situation became more and more serious. The nearby grass roots and tree barks were stripped clean by the victims. Countless victims died of starvation and disease. They were dressed in rags, unkempt and dirty, worse than beggars. For a time, people in Dayu were full of resentment...
*
In the border town, in Mu Heng's tent, after hearing the spy's report, Mu Heng suppressed his anger, his face was gloomy, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. The dog emperor is unworthy of his position, and his subordinates are a bunch of greedy and drunkards. It is time for him to step down!
Mu Heng clenched his fists tightly and forced himself to calm down. Now was not the time to act impulsively. He had to endure it! The Dog Emperor was seeking his own death. He just had to wait for the right opportunity.
In a blink of an eye, it was the end of August, and it was time to harvest the corn planted by Ye Ze. The soldiers broke off the corns as big as babies' arms, and they all had big smiles on their faces. If every household in the common people could grow such food, then they would never have to worry about not having enough food!
The soldiers were busy and chatting, each of them was full of energy.
Seeing such a bumper harvest, the generals' faces were full of smiles. With food, they had confidence. They seemed to have seen the rebels' great victory.
General Qi no longer cared about his face and apologized to Ye Ze in public. He was short-sighted at the beginning.
As a military commander, General Qi has always been free and easy. He admits his mistakes. Is it difficult to admit that he is not as good as others?
The generals all laughed at themselves and let it go.
Mu Heng praised Ye Ze with an expression of pride, and then discussed the next plan with the generals.
......