Han Shizu

Chapter 342: First Shock Then Locusts
Here in Tokyo, Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Great Han Dynasty was annoyed with the princes of the imperial court. The reason is very simple, the sky is not good.

There was another disaster in Hebei, an earthquake.This earthquake affected a wide area, You, Ding, Cang, Bei, Shen, and Hebei were the main disaster areas, and Hengqing Xingming was also affected. Although there were not many deaths among the officials and people in the states, the property losses were insignificant.

There seems to be such a proverb that after a severe drought, there must be a major earthquake, but for the big man, the frequency of such disasters is really frequent.Drought, locust plagues, and earthquakes are basically concentrated in Hebei
Since the founding of the country, among the states in Hebei, there are only a few states of Heng and Qing who can be self-sufficient, and they are only barely.

People like Cang, Bei, Shen, and Ji who have recovered in two years can still lick their wounds with tears, but places like Youzhou and Dingzhou will have a sad day.

Dingzhou, Yiwu Army Jiedu, the borderland of the Han Dynasty, although it is surrounded by important places such as Hengzhou and Youzhou, it is also a frontier fortress. It can use the danger of the Taihang to fight against the Khitan outside, and the throat of Chengde and Lulong inside.

Such an important place, but like Jinzhou (now Ankang, Shaanxi) on the Shannan West Road, is almost like an abandoned place, and people don’t care about it on weekdays, and let Sun Fangjian, who is full of banditry, toss about it.However, the number of households in the land is less than [-], and the people are tired. After the earthquake, they couldn't help but take the initiative to make a statement to the court, keeping a very low profile, and asking for money and food.

Needless to say, Youzhou has never been peaceful due to constant military disasters, and production has never returned to normal levels under its rule. There are sharp conflicts between the military, politics, and people, and the population is constantly losing. Compared with two years ago, Youyan’s The Han people in the land are less than half of what they were at the beginning.In such a situation, it is still necessary to raise nearly [-] cavalry to defend the Khitan, and to be ready at all times.

King Zhao Kuangzan of Yan, in the territory of Youzhou, although he does not have the prestige of his father Zhao Yanshou, he is still quite capable. He implemented many policies to calm the people, coordinated the conflicts under the rule, and barely maintained his "co-lord of Youzhou" status.It can be said that the situation Zhao Kuangzan faced in Youzhou was not much better than when Liu Chengyou first succeeded to the throne.

No, when the earthquake happened, Zhao Kuangzan habitually "reported" to the imperial court, asking for money and food, and directly opened his mouth, asking for [-] shi each for wheat and millet, but the imperial court categorically refused. After deliberation, he endured bleeding The pain is reducing a part of the money and food allocated from Tokyo to the north to support, as for the reduction of the amount, it is half.

Asking for money and food, refusing, negotiating, and reducing delivery. This is probably the way of communication between Youzhou and the court for more than a year.

As for Dingzhou, the imperial court was not so generous. It issued an edict that if the homes of the people in Dingzhou were destroyed and the crops and seedlings were destroyed, they could go south to Hengzhou to eat.

As for other prefectures and counties, the imperial court can only strictly urge all prefectures to save their disasters and put their people at ease.

The impact of the earthquake is still there, and it is far from gone. Yanzhou, Yunzhou, and Qizhou reported one after another that there were locusts growing in the prefectures. Although the prefectures did not report drought, the climate was quite dry, and the locust plague came again.

Not long after, the Yedu Gaoxing Weekly reported that Bozhou saw the scorpion growing for several miles, and it turned into a butterfly and flew away overnight.The imperial court hastened to order the states to prepare for the extermination of the locusts. The winter wheat is already ripe and it is time for the summer harvest. It can no longer be like last year when the grain production was reduced too much.Liu Chengyou wanted to transfer Gao Xing Zhou Ziye back to Tokyo, he had been thinking about it for half a year, and he gave up again.

The early Han Dynasty was really full of disasters.

No matter how difficult the state affairs were, Liu Chengyou quickly turned his attention away from the disaster situation temporarily when he learned that Tao Gu and Wang Pu of the Tang Dynasty had returned, and turned his attention to the situation in the Southern Tang Dynasty that was on his mind.

In order to show his importance, Liu Chengyou ordered his uncle Xuanhui to send Li Ye out of the city to meet him in person. At the same time, after he returned to the court, an imperial meeting was held in the Chongzheng Hall.

"This mission to the Tang Dynasty lasted nearly two months, and you have worked hard!" Liu Chengyou first met with Tao and Wang, gave tea and seats, and encouraged him.

"To be loyal to His Majesty and to serve the great man is the honor of the ministers, how dare you say bitterness?" In front of Liu Chengyou, Tao Gu regained his respect and strict respect and made great achievements.

Hearing this, Wang Pu couldn't help but glanced at Tao Gu, seeing his humble face, so different, so natural, so surprising, as if he could change his face, he couldn't pretend come out.

"This mission to Tang, relying on the majesty of His Majesty and the strength of the great Han, the two ministers were able to live up to His Majesty's entrustment, and successfully negotiated peace with the Tang Lord. In addition, they received thirty thousand stones of grain and twenty thousand coins from the Southern Tang Dynasty." Tao Gu smiled and said His eyes looked at Liu Chengyou earnestly, as if offering a treasure.

Roughly speaking, the two have written books and newspapers and Tokyo in advance.

"But it's not a lot!" However, when Liu Chengyou opened his mouth, the attributes of a poor ghost were immediately exposed, his face was like a flower bone, he opened his face slightly, and raised his hand:

"The earthquake in Youding Zhuzhou, lack of money and food, I am suffering from a headache. The money and food can be lost to the north, so Zhao Kuangzan really knows nothing except asking the court for money and food."

Liu Chengyou complained casually, but his tone was more like a joke.

"The Great Earthquake in Hebei?" Wang Pu asked with a serious expression.

"Yes! There was a drought last year, and there was another locust plague. This year, summer came, and there was another earthquake. In Yanyun and other places, the locusts have risen again!" Liu Chengyou said with a look of joy in bitterness, "This is God, and I don't want to let it go!" I and the big man have a good rest for a while. After the earthquake, Tokyo managed to save some spare money, and it was consumed again."

"Your Majesty only regards this as the test of the heavens on the great man. Your Majesty has said that the edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. It is probably so." Tao Gu comforted Liu Chengyou, and took Liu Chengyou's "famous saying" as an example.

There was not much embarrassment in Liu Chengyou's reaction, and he said very grandly: "Man-made disasters have always been greater than natural disasters. How can a mere earthquake damage shake my will?"

"Your Majesty is so passionate, I really admire him!" Tao Gu bowed.

Waving his hand, Liu Chengyou was basically immune to Tao Gu's compliment, but the corner of his mouth still twitched slightly.

"How do you feel about Jinling and his party?" Liu Chengyou asked.

"Your ministers are envoys of a great country in the Central Plains. How dare you be rude if the other country occupies a certain area. The Tang lord invited the ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty to accompany him. During the conversation, they were quite awed by our court..." Tao Gu replied.

Liu Chengyou couldn't help looking at Tao Gu, feeling suspicious in his heart, intuitively feeling that his words were exaggerating.

With a calm expression on his face, Liu Chengyou turned to Wang Pu, and asked again: "How about Tang Lord Li Jing?"

Faced with Liu Chengyou's question, Wang Pu said without hesitation: "The Tang Lord has a good appearance, is a Confucian and harmonious man, quite elegant, likes Ci Fu, has excellent literary talents, and is extraordinary, so he can be called a master!"

"Okay! It's really extraordinary to get such an evaluation from Wang Qing!" Liu Chengyou was delighted when he heard the words, "On this road, I'm afraid it's hard for me to flatter my horse!"

Tao Gu obviously understood what Liu Chengyou was enjoying. He bowed and said coquettishly: "Poems and articles are small ways after all. In the way of governing the country and commanding the army, the Tang Lord is not as good as His Majesty. In this world of great conflict, the Tang Lord is so weak. It is not the blessing of the subjects of the country!"

"However, as far as the big man is concerned, it is indeed the best gospel!" Wang Pu also saluted and echoed.

"It seems that Erqing Jinling and his party have indeed gained something!" Liu Chengyou's smile faded, and his tone returned to calm.

"Officials and ministers are all here!" Internal servant Zhang Dejun reported.

"Let's go!" Liu Chengyou got up first, and went to the main hall of Chongzheng Hall, saying: "Share what you have seen and felt in Tang Dynasty, and share with you!"

　Now that I am busy with work, I have almost no private time, and the code words are coded secretly, so I can only try to keep updating.If you write slowly, you may not be so impetuous, and the quality is guaranteed.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)