Sui Dynasty: I, Yang Guang, am both scrupulous and stable

Chapter 141 Food War
After two days, it seemed that the matter in the East Palace had passed away. No one mentioned it or discussed it. It was like brewing a pot of old wine. After the lid was closed, no one noticed it. Only when the lid was opened did it become known. What a glass of wine at the end.

Did the queen leave the East Palace because she was frightened?
No, it was because the situation was already in chaos. What else could she say to Yun Luo, who didn't know whether she was pretending to be crazy or really crazy?
The affairs of the harem were kept secret, and Queen Dugu turned her back, which meant that she was completely disgusted with a group of ungrateful people in the East Palace. In the past, the Queen would take care of the affairs of the East Palace, which meant that she cared about Yunluo's life and death, and the situation of the Crown Princess. Regardless, he no longer has any expectations for his eldest son.

The emperor was troubled by another thing.

The reason why he left the East Palace and didn't see this good show with his own eyes was that the Turkic army defeated Lanzhou Governor Chilie Changcha in Lintao and still had the potential to invade south.

Lintao is also near Lanzhou. The Turkic army suddenly launched an attack. They attacked at an unexpected location and crossed the Yellow River. Once the Yellow River crossed, the Central Plains became an ordinary land for the Turks. Now all parties are rushing to help.

Lintao is not far from Chang'an. Now that King Wei got the news, he led his army there immediately. However, we still don't know what the situation is, and the military report has not been sent back yet.

Now the entire city of Chang'an is under martial law, and the guards guarding the capital are always ready on the city wall every day.

Yang Guang also arranged guards at the house to guard the gates of the house. The more chaotic the house, the less chaotic it was. Now the city of Chang'an was full of soldiers, and the prices of various materials rose sharply. This situation has been going on for thousands of years. Nothing has changed.

Whenever there is a rumor, the corresponding supplies will rise to the sky. Even in modern times, there will be a rush for salt, a rush for vinegar, and everything else. But now the most critical thing in Chang'an City is food.

Food is the most important thing for the people. Whenever there is a war, the price of food is always the first step to rise.

It has only been two days, and the price of food has doubled from two days ago.

Yang Jian summoned Yang Guang to the palace today to discuss the matter, because the two had talked about the issue of the national granary before. The national granary was to ensure the safe storage of food, but he did not expect that such a situation would suddenly occur now.

Yang Guang entered the palace and saw Yang Jian. Yang Jian was visibly haggard. How could he not feel haggard due to the double worries of state affairs and private affairs?And it was unusual today. When Yang Jian summoned Yang Guang to discuss things, usually a bunch of people would be together. At least Gao Jiong was present, but today there was only Yang Guang. It was obvious that there were things to discuss that could not be known to others.

"Amo." Yang Jian's voice was hoarse and he coughed twice. The eunuch hurriedly handed over the tea.

"I heard today that the price of food in Chang'an City has skyrocketed. If this continues, the people may not be able to afford food, and there will be unrest."

Yang Guang immediately replied: "Father, our army is fully prepared. Even if the Turkic army crosses the Yellow River, Uncle Wei Wang has already led troops to rush to the rescue. There will be news of success soon."

Yang Jian frowned: "I am confident that the Turkic army is not fully prepared to cross the Yellow River this time. Zhang Sun Sheng's news said that the divisions within the Turks are now serious. This battle is against Shabolu Khan's troops. , they currently have no ability to invade south. King Wei led his troops, I believe they can be driven away, but the situation in the city reminded me that sometimes the enemy troops have not reached the city, and the city is already in chaos. If this situation is true, When troops approach the city, how can our army resist?"

"Father, the vendors who temporarily raise prices to incite public opinion will jeopardize the country and make money. We are indeed severely punishing them."

Yang Jian's eyes were slightly fierce: "Yes, the national granary has not yet been completed. It will be better if it is completed, but I don't want to see such a situation again in the future. The people in the city are not united, and the soldiers are not united. This will be a big hidden danger in the future. .”

"Father, do you mean to teach them a lesson this time?"

"I can't reach out to the people and catch them one by one, so I want you to lead the troops to arrest these traders who are driving up prices in the city, and find some of them to punish others after the incident is over."

Yang Guang didn't answer for a while. At this time, he was given the power of life and death. Generally speaking, no matter who takes this power, he must eradicate dissidents.

Yang Guang refuted the emperor's idea: "Father, it is not appropriate to kill people at this time, otherwise it will easily cause panic."

"Then what do you say?"

"Unscrupulous traders are naturally governed by business ethics. Letting them lose all their money is more uncomfortable than killing them."

"How to do?"

"Father, are there sufficient military ration reserves in Chang'an City?"

"Of course there is enough. You don't want to use the military ration reserves to provide relief to the city. The military rations cannot be touched."

Yang Guang shook his head: "No, although recent years have not been bumper years, the grain output and reserves should be sufficient year after year. In other words, the surge in grain this time is purely due to the panic caused by the news of the war defeat. Hoarding by unscrupulous merchants is fueling the rise.”

"so what?"

"Unscrupulous merchants have to constantly plunder the grain in the market in order to maintain high prices. Only when the grain is in their hands can they have the right to set the price. Erchen can have people pretend to be merchants who transport grain from other cities and continue to go to Chang'an City. Fill in food, not too much at one time. These unscrupulous traders will have to buy food from me at a high price to maintain their higher prices. Their money will be hoarded on a large scale into food stocks. When the war crisis is lifted, the price of food will rise. It will fall back in large numbers, and then the food in their warehouses will depreciate significantly, causing them to lose all the money they earned at once."

Yang Jian's eyes lit up. He didn't know much about the methods that merchants would use, but he understood that the merchants would never be able to accept this method of using the imperial court as the backing to fight with the merchants. After all, I was using military rations to fight against the enemy. If you guys fight, what will you pick up?

But Yang Jian obviously still hesitated. After all, using military rations was too dangerous for the court.

Seeing Yang Jian's worries, Yang Guang said: "Father took this opportunity to adjust grains in surrounding cities. These grains will be used to supplement the military rations and ensure the reserve of military rations."

"But in this case, too much food will enter Chang'an City."

"Father, let's take this opportunity to start building the [National Granary] in Daxing City. Yu Wenkai has already confirmed the plan before the planned drawings. It's just because building the imperial city takes up all the manpower and time, so we plan to arrange it after it is completed. This Now that we have this opportunity, other projects will be put on hold for now, and with the help of cement, Erchen and Yu Wenkai have talked, and it should be possible to build the national granary in Daxing City within two months, both of which can store even a large amount of grain. , and can also prevent food hazards in the future." Yang Jian heard that this idea was indeed a good one, but there are still risks in using military rations, and it has to be done quietly so that no one can know about it. It has no effect. If it fails, it will definitely be blamed for reselling military supplies.

But Yang Guang was very confident. Firstly, the Turks could not attack. According to Chang Sun Sheng's information, the internal conflicts among the Turks were getting bigger and bigger. It was impossible to go south without any scruples. Secondly, the Sui army rushed to the rescue. , Now the Sui Dynasty has strong soldiers and horses, and it is not useless to fight head-on.

There is also a particularly big advantage in this matter. The court's information advantage. Regarding military reports and the battle situation on the front line, I can always know ahead of others. And if this news can be hidden for two days, there will be a lot of room for maneuver.

"Regarding food matters, don't do it yourself, find a suitable person to do it."

"My minister has already thought of a candidate. He must be smart enough and have enough financial resources. When using military rations, he will use the court's money as little as possible."

"Who?"

"Praise to the Duke of the country, Yu Wenshu."

Yang Jian thought for a while and said: "Be careful. Today I will issue an order to appoint Baoguo Gong Yu Wenshu as the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and also be in charge of Chang'an City's military supplies."

"I understand, I have resigned."

"and many more."

Yang Jian stopped Yang Guang, hesitated for a while and said: "I have been very tired recently and have too many things to do. You are now in charge of the construction of Daxing City and the food affairs. The task is also heavy. Please pay attention to get more rest, Prince... …The affairs of the Prince’s East Palace are complicated, and you need more help with the affairs of the court.”

Yang Guang was stunned when he heard this. There is no difference between this and what Zhu Di, the old Zhu family, said to Zhu Gaoxu that the prince is very sick and you should encourage him. The only difference may be that Zhu Gaoxu firmly believes in the cake drawn by his father, and Yang Guang understands that now Yang Jian has temporarily lost confidence in Yang Yong. If he really wants to reach that position, he is afraid that he still has a long way to go.

After leaving the palace, Yang Guang went directly to Baoguo Duke's Mansion.

Baoguo Gong Yu Wenshu welcomed him out of the door.

"I don't know that King Jin and everyone are here, but they are not welcomed from afar."

"I came in a hurry today and didn't send in my visit post. Please let me know in advance. I hope you won't blame me."

"If your Highness is there, please contact me at the old minister's residence. Your Highness can come anytime you want. Please come inside."

Walking into the house together, Yu Wenshu's smart mind immediately realized that Yang Guang had something to do today. Ping retreated and was surrounded by Duo Yu Wenhua and one person. The three of them sat in the pavilion in the garden.

"My lord, your courtyard is indeed elegant."

"I won't be able to live in this courtyard for long. I am waiting to move into Daxing City as soon as possible."

After some small talk, Yang Guang finally spoke: "My lord, I have something to discuss with you today."

"Your Highness, just give me your orders."

"It is expected that my father will issue an edict in a while, making you the Minister of Household Affairs and in charge of Chang'an City's military supplies."

As soon as these words came out, both father and son were not calm, wondering what the sudden appointment meant.

"Your Majesty, what is your Majesty's will?"

Yang Guang nodded: "As the Minister of Household Affairs, the Duke is also in charge of military supplies in Chang'an City. I will need you to cooperate with me to control the food prices in Chang'an City."

Yuwenshu thought it was to stabilize food prices, and was about to answer, but Yang Guang answered the question himself.

"Pushing up food prices further."

"Ah? Your Highness this..."

Yang Guang continued: "I need to misappropriate military supplies to continuously increase the price of food. Apart from a few of us, no one else can know about this."

Yu Wenshu was extremely surprised, but since there was the emperor's will, this was what the emperor meant.

The emperor wants to raise food prices?
Regardless of people's livelihood?

　In yesterday's chapter about Yun Luo throwing her son, the model of the story is Cheng Ying's throwing her son, but the core is completely opposite. I checked the information that Yang Yong's loss of the crown prince had a lot to do with the Yun family's father and daughter, and Yun Dingxing was an extremely despicable person. Yun Zhaoxun inherited her father's despicableness. The queen did not leave because of fear, but because she was completely disappointed and ignored the matter.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)