A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1065 Divine Punishment
The late spring cold in February suddenly turned into a natural disaster.

There are heavy snowfalls in the north and freezing rain in the south. Houses collapse and livestock freeze to death. In Chang'an City, there are bones frozen to death on the roadside every morning.

Such unusual celestial phenomena and disasters,

This caused rumors to spread.

Wu Huaiyu's plan to go south was also delayed, and he could not travel far at this time.

The rivers in the Central Plains were about to be frozen and unsealed, but they turned out to be solidly frozen again.
In Guanzhong, Longyou, Henan and Hebei, the snow is five feet thick on the flat ground.

It's almost March, and many rivers in the Central Plains are still frozen.

Spring plowing was inevitably delayed, and the people were short of food and clothing, hungry and cold, and food prices everywhere were rising rapidly.

A few years ago, when the price of grain was at its lowest, it cost 2 yen per dou of rice. Since then, it has remained stable at 50 or 6 yen per dou of rice.

But under this late spring natural disaster,

"What happened this year?"

Normally, when the spring thunder rings, it means that winter is over and there will be no more snow.

Praying that this weird weather will pass soon.

The price of food in Chang'an has risen from six yuan per dou of rice during the Chinese New Year to twenty yuan per dou of rice, more than three times.
But still can't stop the rise.

Even if the imperial court immediately ordered the opening of Changping Granary to release grain, it did not have much effect. Natural disasters raged and people panicked.
Everyone thinks that this year’s spring plowing is over, and so is summer grain production.
There will definitely be a famine then, so if you can save some food now, save some food.
Yongzhou Prefecture began to keep an eye on those grain merchants and the underground black market.
They raided some merchants who took advantage of the opportunity to hoard, and also captured some dealers who took the opportunity to increase prices and resell. They also uncovered some rats who committed crimes and stole grain from warehouses.

Under the current situation, Baiguan really couldn't get up in the middle of the night every day, go to the morning meeting in the wind and snow, and have to wait in front of the palace gate for half a day in the cold and wind.
People are getting sick from the cold.

Among the people, this kind of abnormal weather has always been regarded as ominous. In the Han Dynasty, some of the three prime ministers even resigned because of it.

Wu Huaiyu is staying at home now and does not go out. Nobles like the Wu family don't have to worry about firewood. There are fire walls, heated Kangs, floor heating, etc. in the house. There is even a greenhouse vegetable garden and orchard in the back garden, which can be eaten even in the winter. Serve fresh vegetables and some fruit.

But he still couldn't control the panic, which was spreading everywhere.
The sun is dim, without any warmth,
The wind is howling and the snow is falling. Almost all production and activities have been stopped. Everyone is hiding at home to avoid the wind, snow and cold.

This time of great cold,
Looking back now, there was a thunderstorm first, and then it snowed heavily the next day, and the temperature dropped sharply.

Food prices are rising rapidly, and everyone expects that spring plowing will be delayed this year, and there will be problems with summer food. There will be a famine, and food prices will only become more expensive.
In this panic, many people began to hoard food. Grain merchants were hoarding quietly, and people were panic buying.

Behead and make a decision.

But this thunderstorm and blizzard the next day were really unusual.

Immediate execution, no need to wait until the autumn, is a special case. Although the three executions were completed, they were only one day apart.

Use heavy scriptures in times of turmoil;

Fan Xuanfu was worried about the cold weather for the people, but he was also happy that her husband could stay in Chang'an.

It's like the end of the world,
The emperor even stopped his morning court;

On the Gouji Ridge in Chang'an, killings continued for several days.

Blood splashed on the snow, dyeing the white snow red,

This is nothing less than snow in June.

Li Chunfeng of the Taishi Bureau wrote a letter saying that since there had been thunder and lightning, the snow should not fall again, which would be out of date.

Wu Huaiyu also sighed,

"This severe cold in February has caused so many disasters,"

"I heard that thousands of people froze to death in Chang'an. Is it true?"

Wu Huaiyu nodded, "The actual number is much higher than this, and the court deliberately concealed it."

Originally, everyone was preparing to pack up their winter coats and put on their spring shirts, so the common people did not have much fuel stored at home.
As a result, a sudden severe cold caught the people off guard.

Many families don’t have enough fuel,
I want to buy it, but there is already insufficient supply on the market.

Chang'an is a huge city. The huge urban population consumes massive amounts of materials every day, all of which rely on continuous input.

But today's severe cold has not only brought coldness, but also made transportation inconvenient and stopped. Even in mountains such as Zhongnan Mountain, those who originally cut wood and burned charcoal can no longer continue in this kind of weather.

The most serious problem in Chang'an now is the shortage of heating materials such as firewood and charcoal, and then there is insufficient food supply and high food prices.

The city is running out of food and fuel, and thousands of people have died of cold and starvation.

This is not an exaggeration of grammar, but a real situation.

If something went wrong in such a huge and magnificent city, it would be a huge disaster for the people.

"Our family's charcoal fields in Chang'an and outside the city supply it to the people. We sell it at the original price and do not increase the price."

"Also, selling to vendors is suspended and only sold to the common people."

Chang'an also burns coal, which is called charcoal. It is mined and transported from the surrounding areas of Chang'an to make up for the lack of fuel charcoal supply. Although charcoal has many disadvantages, such as strong taste and even possible poisoning,
But after all, it made up for the shortage of fuel supply in Chang'an.

The Wu family's colleagues in the north of Sanyuan had their own coal mines. The mined coal was transported along the highway to the suburbs of Chang'an.
The Wu family has a charcoal farm here, which processes the charcoal into briquettes, etc., and then wholesales it to some vendors, or sells it to the people in some charcoal shops in Chang'an City.

The quantity is quite small.

In the past, this was just a humble business, although the profits were not small.

Now under special circumstances, the various coals stored in these charcoal farms and charcoal stores of the Wu family have become very important. At this time, firewood and charcoal, like grain, are the most sought-after materials at the moment. Many people are trying their best to grab these materials. Some powerful people even directly use dishonorable means to grab them.
Whoever masters these fuel grains can make a big fortune at this time.

If the Wu family also takes the opportunity to increase prices, they can also make a lot of money, earning several times or even dozens of times the usual money.

But Wu Huaiyu can't be so short-sighted. If you dare to make such money at this time, you will definitely be liquidated afterwards.

"And in our grain stores, we should not hoard grain and sell it out at a low price."

The Wu family has many farms and farms in Gyeonggi Province, and there are also many water mills and windmills in the family. Naturally, they are engaged in the grain business.
"Don't we still have some reserve granaries? The grain in the granaries is divided into three parts, one part is given to Yongzhou Prefecture, and the other part is distributed to relatives and friends of the clan if they need it.

The remaining portion will be sold to the craftsmen, clerks, employees, etc. in our Wu family workshops, shops, estates, etc., and sold to them at a reasonable price. It is rationed, and can be recorded in the accounts first, and can be replenished in the future. "

Food at this time is very precious, but there is no need to hoard it, let alone want to get rich or something, there are so many pairs of eyes staring at it.

Fan Xuanfu was also reluctant to part with him.

"The family also has a voluntary warehouse, and each branch and house has a small warehouse. It has already begun to provide food to the clan members in need." She told her husband.

"Well, that's as it should be,"

There was no one else in the room, so Fan Xuanfu whispered in her husband's ear, "There are many rumors out there. Some say that this is because God is dissatisfied and has sent down its wrath."

Wu Huaiyu knew what she meant. If God is dissatisfied with the human world, the person most responsible is of course the leader of the human world, Li Shimin.

According to Confucianism, the emperor is the Son of Heaven, receiving orders from Heaven and being influenced by Heaven and Man.

Heaven and humans are of the same kind and respond to each other. Heaven can intervene in human affairs, and humans can also respond to God.
If the emperor violates the will of God and is unkind and unjust, there will be disasters and warnings on that day. If the government is harmonious and harmonious, heaven will send down auspiciousness to encourage.

This system of induction between heaven and man was proposed by Confucianism in the Han Dynasty.

It has always been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

The current situation cannot be said to be a sign of political wisdom and God's auspicious signs of encouragement. This is clearly a condemnation and a warning.

It’s God’s dissatisfaction with the Emperor.
The emperor violated justice and was even unkind.

Li Shimin's ten years as emperor were still good, but when the disaster came, many people forgot about the past and only complained about the present.

When they were hungry and cold and couldn't get food or buy firewood, they couldn't care about anything else.

"Are you saying that God was really angry and sent down a message from heaven?" Fan Xuanfu quite believed this.

Wu Huaiyu believed half of this, neither fully nor completely.

However, although this kind of cold disaster is rare, it has often occurred in the long history. Even historical records indicate that in the Guanlong area, flying snow often occurred in June.

but,

The concept of divine induction is really deeply rooted in people’s hearts.

The imperial power of destiny and the divine right of kings made the emperors' rule more legal and rational, but the induction of heaven and man also limited the imperial power.

This can be regarded as Confucianism putting a halter on the imperial power so that it does not have to get too out of control.

three days later.

The emperor issued an edict,
It's not that the crime has been punished, but it's almost the same.

"Blizzards are causing disasters, ice rain is raging, and I am deeply afraid of the consequences.

There are hundreds of civil and military buildings, each of which has its own official title. They speak highly of my faults and have nothing to hide.

When all the ministers came forward, they were all ordered to reduce the provinces. All the services they had to do were stopped and abolished according to the situation. The disaster-stricken families were given different silks. "

The emperor asked all officials to write a letter pointing out the emperor's wrongdoings, although he said there was no need to worry, the emperor would accept them all.

And because of this cold disaster, another major event occurred.

It was originally planned that the Turks would regain their kingdom this year, and the Turkic tribes south of Yinshan Mountain would all move north to Qinan before the late autumn.

But now there is such a severe cold disaster,

Not only did the people of Chang'an suffer from the disaster, but the cold disaster became more severe as they went north. Hetao, Saibei, Southern Qi and Northern Qi, the Turkic tribes, and the Xueyantuo Khanate all suffered severe white disasters, and countless livestock froze to death.

Under this circumstance, this year's migration of Turkic tribes to the north to restore the country can only be suspended for now.

Those Turks were unwilling to leave places such as Daibei, Hetao, or even Hebei. Anyone who wanted to go to Qinan to eat sand would have to be threatened by Xue Yantuo.

Now that there is a big disaster, these people cannot move even if they want to. Most of them still focus on grazing. So many livestock have died. The sky is falling. Life will be difficult in the future. How can they move? How can they move? Restoration of the country.

The Tang Dynasty did not dare to let them move north to Qinan at this time.

Otherwise, I would just go and deliver food to Xue Yantuo.

The Tiele people such as Xue Yantuo and Huihe suffered a greater white disaster in Mobei. Traditionally in the grassland, when encountering such a major disaster, the tribes can only rob each other. The big tribes will rob the small tribes, or a fierce man will appear and unite the tribes. Let's go south to grab the Central Plains.

Now that the Tang Dynasty is so powerful, Xue Yantuo may not dare to come and rob it. At most, some small tribes who really can't survive will come to the border to fight.
But if the Turks move collectively to Qinan at this time and return to their country, the Xueyantuo people will never be polite. No matter how many cattle and sheep you have, they will just rob them first.

If you don’t dare to rob Datang, why don’t you dare to rob you of a Turkic settlement?
The plan of Turkic tribes to move north to restore their country has been suspended.

Also suspended is the marriage of the two young Khans of Xue Yantuo to the Princess of the Tang Dynasty. There was a sudden heavy snowstorm. Many cattle and sheep in Mobei froze to death. Now Yinan cannot pay for the two generous gifts of more than 100,000 livestock for his two sons. .

Wu Huaiyu and Changsun Wuji also stayed in Chang'an temporarily and did not go to Guangzhou or Luozhou to take office.

(End of this chapter)