The First Auxiliary Road from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1024 Previous Situation and Current Situation

The real name of Nandi is Zezhou Prefecture. If you look back carefully, it was a battleground between Yan and Qi during the Great Yan period, until the former Emperor Chen Wen included it in the territory.

Probably because Zezhou Prefecture was located to the south of the former Qi Dynasty, when the former Emperor Chen Wen made plans to recover, he often referred to it as "Southern Land".

Over time, it became a habit, and the name Nandi was passed down in this way. Until today in Da Chu, people in the court still call it this way.

Of course, the name of a place is not the important point. The important point is that this place is located near the mountains and the sea, with abundant inland rivers, seas, rivers and lakes and tributaries.

Not only is it humid and warm all year round, but the rainfall is so abundant that the river water surges.

Weather disasters such as landslides, mudslides, and floods are common among local people.

Therefore, whether it is the imperial court or the local government, there are actually disaster relief records. The officials in charge are already familiar with the disaster relief procedures. Whether it is work-for-relief or food dispatch, there are precedents that can be directly applied.

It stands to reason that the imperial court does not need to send governors to provide food relief.

However, in Pengzhou, which was previously rich in grain, shocking news broke out that officials colluded with powerful powerful people to exchange old grain for new grain and then resell it.

Therefore, from then on, the imperial court made strict regulations on the governor's food relief. Regardless of whether the local area had the ability to deal with the disaster, the imperial court had to appoint the governor to not only provide food relief, but also supervise.

Of course, Nandi does need food support from the court this time.

The reason still lies in Pengzhou.

Pengzhou was shocked to hear that the disaster had occurred. Although the imperial court sent internal guards and garrison forces to jointly investigate and deal with the matter seriously, the heads of unscrupulous officials and powerful officials fell to the ground. However, after the matter was dealt with, the local food shortage problem still needed to be solved.

The imperial court could only mobilize food stocks from various places for assistance, and the southern region was naturally one of the targets. But who would have thought that there would be another flood that had not happened in decades in the Southland. The floods burst the embankments, submerging countless fertile fields. Not even a tenth of the planted seedlings remained, and many grain depots were hit.

A severe drought in Pengzhou has caused a reduction in grain production. Even if the imperial court exempts people from taxes, the local grain production can still barely sustain the people's livelihood, and they are simply unable to repay the grain stocks provided by previous aid from various places.

Therefore, when food relief was needed due to floods in the southern region, the food that could be dispatched from the surrounding area was very limited. If the list of food aid allocated to Pengzhou did not include the twelve counties of Qizhou, the minister Yang Wennong, who was leading the charge, would not have been able to patrol the southern region so quickly.

Of course, having said that, if the twelve counties of Qizhou had no food to borrow, it is impossible to say that Yang Wennong and his party would not encounter robbers on the river and suffer serious losses.

It was also because Minister Yang Wennong and his entourage were not far away from Yin Jian, so before Sheng Yuan went on tour, he specially modified the grain allocation plan of the Ministry of Revenue.

In her words, even if there is grain in the surrounding areas, there is not much in stock. Instead of grabbing rice seedlings on the saline-alkali land, it is better to keep grain to protect them, lest there be another drought or flood, and the local area is unable to supply food.

As for the source of food... Dachu is not the only country in the world. Not to mention the countries thousands of miles away, there are also many vassal countries rich in food around Dachu.

It’s not like Da Chu has no money, so it’s just a temporary purchase.

As for the types of food needed for purchase, although the local area is rich in rice, Ke Shengyuan still added beans, fruits, sandalwood, bird's nests, pepper and other items to the purchase list.

Except for the beans, which can satisfy the hunger of the local people, the rest are prepared by Shengyuan to trade with the local gentry for food.

That's right, the reasonable Minister Sheng planned to use the local gentry's grain reserves as a supplement to solve the food shortage problem caused by the long delivery time. Well, she planned to trade them with exotic things from abroad, not just to steal them!

……

"Officials in the South are attentive to disaster relief. Although the local people are short of food, they are not starving to death. Therefore, the public security there is still orderly."

Sheng Yuan and Anyu arranged for the guards to go to Nandi to inquire about the news, and made a special trip to the post house to report the situation to them. According to his description, the situation in the Southland is still very good.

"When the floods receded, the local government provided work-for-relief services and mobilized local victims to clean up farmland, dams, and streets in villages and small towns. At the same time, in accordance with the court's requirements, they sprinkled the prepared medicinal powder on the floodwaters as soon as possible. The land they pass through will be disinfected to avoid major battles after a major disaster.

The problem in the South now is still food. It is said that the current stockpile in the local government office is only enough to last until the end of the month. But even the porridge and rice that can be eaten contain more water than rice. Not to mention that the chopsticks can stand on their own, it is good enough to ensure that the soup is watery...According to the inquiries of my subordinates in recent times, the local gentry are not stingy and cruel. They are probably frightened by the incident in Pengzhou and are afraid that their excessive grain reserves will cause misunderstanding and covetousness.

Of course, my subordinates have dull qualifications, and may not have a comprehensive view, or may have a blind eye, or may it be difficult to see the truth, or may they be deceived by others. However, this is generally the case, and it still serves as a reference. "

Sheng Yuan listened for a long time and nodded with satisfaction.

She had sent three waves of people in succession before, and the information obtained afterwards was basically not much different. This shows that the information can be used.

To tell the truth, Sheng Yuan was surprised and relieved to hear that the security in the south was orderly.

The Southland is different from other areas. Due to the rampant pirates in the adjacent sea area, the people here are tough and tough. Even women and children dare to wield their swords against bandits who come ashore.

Therefore, Sheng Yuan had no doubt that if they really had no food to eat, these people would really dare to attack the wealthy gentry and government offices.

"Maybe it's because of the toughness of the people here that the officials and gentry here don't dare to treat them lightly?" Anyu's perspective on the problem was a bit strange, but it had to be said that Sheng Yuan felt that what he said made sense.

"The food relief task is much easier now. Tomorrow we will bring a batch of food and items to the city. We will distribute the food relief first, and then discuss business with the gentry."

Sheng Yuan looked at the time and decided to make the itinerary directly.

"It's not easy for us to transport food. The exotic fruits, spices, and wood from the surrounding areas have come all the way with the food. It's reasonable for us to charge traveling fees..." Anyu took the initiative to help Sheng Yuan find out the reason for the price increase.

After all, in his opinion, it was extremely kind for Sister Yuan and him not to have empty-handed white wolves.

……

There was nothing to say all night, and the next morning dawned in the blink of an eye.

According to Shengyuan's plan, she and Anyu first went to the city in disguise to find out the actual situation, then put on official uniforms, brought the edict, and waited at the gate of the government office so that the chief official here could contact the local surnames and wealthy gentry families.

Sheng Yuan had a good idea and a very precise plan, but she never expected that as soon as she and Anyu entered the city, all the government officials would appear in front of them.

"..." Well, this gave Shengyuan the illusion that she and Brother Yu were wanted criminals.