Ji Tang

Chapter 539: Overseas Diary: Going south to grab food?

"How much food can you raise?" Ji Song said solemnly.

Gu Yanzhi didn't answer immediately. He stood up and flipped through the documents for a long time before confirming: "One hundred thousand stones!"

"This has already allocated most of the food from the treasury."

Ji Song nodded and was not disappointed!
Now it seems that Mingzhou is developing well, but after all, the population is not large, many are hidden households, and there are even fewer people who can collect grain.

Although the population of Mingzhou has increased in recent years, most of them are merchants. There are only [-] governors and a population of more than [-].

This is already a populous state in the south, which shows the trauma caused by the war in the late Sui Dynasty to the people!
One hundred thousand stones was already Gu Yanzhi's best effort.

"Gu Yanzhi, the governor of Mingzhou, listens to the order!"

Gu Yanzhi was stunned, then he got excited and said hurriedly: "The official is here!"

Ji Song looked solemn and said: "From now on, I want you to put down all your affairs and personally escort this batch of grain to the Jianghuai area."

"I will send a handwritten note to the local Zhechong Mansion, asking them to send people to protect them along the way. You must deliver this batch of food safely to the place."

Finally, he said harshly: "The floods have affected more than ten states and counties, and it's all over with just a few words?"

"I will keep a close eye on you. If anyone dares to use the attention of the batch of food, take note of them. I will put them in a dilemma of life and death!"

Gu Yanzhi swallowed and said quickly: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, I will definitely take good care of the food. But Lord Marquis, this food can only solve the temporary dilemma."

Before he could finish speaking, Ji Song waved his hand: "You don't need to worry about this, I have my own way."

"promise!"

Back at Xie's Mansion, Ji Song walked back and forth.

One hundred thousand shi of grain is just a drop in the bucket, which is not enough at all, but it is not easy to obtain a large amount of grain in a short period of time.

But at this time, hundreds of thousands of people were crying for food, and there was not much time for him.

"Grain, grain, where is the abundance of grain?"

He was so anxious that if he couldn't find a lot of food, how many people would starve to death in Shandong and Jianghuai?

Moreover, a major disaster will be followed by a major epidemic. If you are not careful, it will be a catastrophic disaster. He cannot help but be careless.

"Snapped!"

Ji Song slapped his thigh hard and stood up suddenly, saying excitedly: "Why did I forget them?"

"The Tang Dynasty doesn't have food, but they do! They just need to 'get' it themselves."

"It's up to you to die as a Taoist friend or as a poor Taoist."

Thinking of this, he couldn't sit still anymore, came to the desk and started writing a letter.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistle sounded, followed by a cry from the sky.

A strong wind blew, and the eagle's strong figure appeared in the yard.

When it saw Ji Song, it stepped forward and rubbed Ji Song's calf affectionately a few times.

Ji Song also stroked his neck, put the installed bamboo tube on his neck, and said softly: "This time it's up to you, you must be quick."

Yingda hummed toward Ji Song a few times, as if he was reluctant to part with him.

"Go, go early and come back early!"

Ying Da no longer hesitated, flapped his wings and flew high, hovering over Xie's Mansion for a few times before heading northwest at high speed.

Watching Ying Da leave, Ji Song stood there blankly and murmured: "Your Majesty, you must promise me."

Three days later, Mother Ji and You Ning were playing in the courtyard with their three children, while Xiao Zhu and Xiao Lian were waiting on them!
Since that night, Xiaolian and Xiaozhu have become half of Ji's masters. Although they are concubines, concubines with imperial orders have a much higher status than ordinary concubines.

Zheng Li is inspecting the courtyard. The Marquis is not here, but he cannot slack off at all!
After the inspection, when he wanted to report to his wife, he saw Dahuang shouting to the sky non-stop.

Zheng Li was stunned for a moment, then thought of something and quickly looked towards the sky.

"Quick, go get some food for Yingda."

He couldn't help but calm down, because he found that Ying Da was in a very bad condition, flying crookedly in the air, as if he would fall if he wasn't careful.

Yingda was originally the overlord in the sky and had no natural enemies at all. The only explanation for why he was like this was that he was exhausted.

Ying Da went to the south with the Marquis, but to come back like this now, something big must have happened.

Ying Da staggered to the ground under the worried eyes of everyone. He lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

It happened that Ying Nu came running after seeing it. He stepped forward to check and then he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Butler, don't worry, Ying Da is just a little exhausted."

Zheng Li didn't care about anything else and untied the bamboo tube tied around Ying Da's neck.
"What's going on? Why did Yingda become like this?"

Ji's mother brought You Ning to the front yard. Yingda had such a big target and the familiar voice, it was impossible not to pay attention.

"Old lady, madam."

Zheng Li saluted quickly.

He handed over the bamboo tube in his hand.

Mother Ji ignored the dust on the bamboo tube, handed the child to You Ning, and opened the bamboo tube.

The more she looked at it, the more solemn she became, and finally handed the letter to You Ning, who looked worried.

He said to Zheng Li: "Go and display the honor guard of this county. I want to enter the palace."

Then he said to Xiaozhu and Xiaolian: "Go and take out my official uniform."

Zheng Li was shocked and wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Ji's mother.

"Your Marquis is fine, but I can only do this. Alas! There is still no one at home!"

Everyone knows Mother Ji’s lament!
Now only the Marquis is a grown man in the family. Without the Marquis, the only one in the family who can enter the palace to see the emperor is the old lady.

You Ning hesitated and said, "Mom, how about I go?"

But Ji's mother said angrily: "You are not allowed to go there, stay at home and take good care of the house. There are some things that are more appropriate for me to do than for you to do!"

After saying that, he ignored everyone and turned around to take a shower and change clothes.

You Ning gritted his teeth and wanted to say something, but he could only sigh secretly and take the children to rest!

Tai Chi Temple.

Li Shimin was discussing government affairs with Fang and Du, when he saw Chen Shou running in in a hurry, which made Li Shimin frown and felt very dissatisfied.

Chen Shouke didn't care what the emperor was thinking. When he saw the mother of Marquis Hao and wanted to see his majesty with the county guard of honor and order, he had only one thought at this time.

That is: something big happened!

Otherwise, with Ji's cautious behavior, it would be impossible to make such a move.

The only explanation is that something happened to Hao Jiehou
"Your Majesty, the Lord of Haojing County is at the gate of the palace asking for an audience with Your Majesty. He said that he has something urgent to report!"

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, how could he be the county king?

Who is this?Haowei County is the fiefdom of that boy Ji Song
No, Hao Jie County County Lord?Isn't she that boy's mother?I've seen it too.

"Please!"

Li Shimin said quickly.

At this time, Ji Song should still be in Mingzhou, Jiangdong. Thinking of the eagle training he brought with him, he had a bad feeling!

Fang and Du also looked solemn.

But no one spoke at this time, and everything had to wait until Mr. Haoji County arrived.

After a while, Ji's mother came in wearing imperial attire with her head held high.

"My concubine, Mrs. Wu, pays homage to Your Majesty!"

Li Shimin offered help in vain: "Please rise, Lord of the county!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Mother Ji is calm and composed, and her ability to hold her breath calmly is not something that ordinary people can possess.

No wonder he could teach a monster like Ji Song. It seems that there is no reason for this.Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "The county prince is not enjoying the blessing at home. Why do you want to see me?"

Ji's mother bowed, took out Ji Song's letter from her sleeve, and held it in both hands.

Chen Shou quickly stepped forward and handed it to His Majesty.

Mother Ji said: "This is a letter from my son who arrived in Chang'an in less than three days after training the falcon. He almost died from exhaustion even while training the falcon."

Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat, and his bad premonition became stronger.

Quan Changan knew about the two training falcons that Ji Song brought back from the grassland.

Being able to train a falcon almost to death from exhaustion shows how urgent the matter is!
He did not hesitate and quickly opened the letter.

After seeing the content clearly, he felt dizzy.

Oh my god, what evil have I done to punish me like this?

The letter fell to the ground, and Du Ruhui quickly picked it up. When he saw the content clearly, his face turned pale despite his maturity.

In July, there are floods between Shandong, Henan, Huaihe and Hainan.On that day, there were many people affected by the disaster and there was not enough food and grass.Yizi eats each other, and corpses litter the fields!

"Your Majesty Ji Song, the disaster is urgent and we have to do something about it. There is a flood between Shandong, Henan, Huaihe and Haihai. Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by the flood. I would like to ask Gu Yanzhi, the governor of Mingzhou, to transport and raise food to go northward, but only a hundred thousand people are affected by the flood." A stone is a drop in the bucket."

"I heard that there is a land with three crops a year in the south of southern Fujian, and there will be no shortage of food. I also ask your majesty to immediately order the Dengzhou fleet to go south. I will get food to save the people."

"Of course, there will be a big battle after the catastrophe. Your Majesty, please make preparations in advance."

"Your Majesty, my dear Marquis Jisong, I sincerely pay my respects!"

Du Ruhui's eyes were dizzy and his heart was full of frustration!

I and others work hard and work hard at night, and never dare to neglect!

But so what?
A major disaster can wipe out all their efforts!
food?

At this time, Guanzhong is barely able to eat enough. The farmland in Sinong Temple will not fully show its effect for at least another year. How can there be food now?
"His Majesty."

Fang Xuanling wanted to say something, but seeing the emperor's look, he couldn't say anything.

Food, how can it be said that it is available? They can't produce so much food!
"Do you think this is God's punishment for me?"

"First it was Hebei, then Guanzhong, and now it's Shandong, Henan, and Jianghuai? Where will it be next time?"

'Whoa! '

Li Shimin swept everything on the imperial desk to the ground and sat naked on the dragon chair.

"Your Majesty, we cannot admit defeat!"

Du Ruhui staggered forward a few steps and admonished.

"Ha ha!"

Li Shimin sneered a few times and said, "If you don't give up? What can you do if you don't give up?"

"Since I took over the throne, I have never dared to slack off, but what's the use? No matter how hard I try, I can't withstand a natural disaster."

"What did I do wrong?"

Faced with Li Shimin's roar, everyone remained silent!

"Your Majesty, this is what I asked my concubine to give to Your Majesty!"

At this moment, Ji's mother seemed to have made a difficult decision. She gritted her teeth and took out the brocade silk she had hidden in her sleeve.

Chen Shou quickly took the brocade silk to the emperor.

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, as if he thought of something, and quickly started to read.

This is a map, clearly a nautical chart. The place marked on it should be a large island on the other side of the current Lingnan Road.

There are 5 counties in 22 prefectures including Yazhou, Danzhou, Zhenzhou, Wan'an Prefecture and Qiongzhou, all under the jurisdiction of Lingnan Road.

Now it should be that Li Xizhi, Qiu He, Ning Changzhen and others are under mutual jurisdiction.

They are the General Manager of Guizhou, the General Manager of Jiaozhou, and the General Manager of Qinzhou.

There are also powerful figures such as Feng Ang, the general manager of Gaozhou, involved in it, which can be said to be an extremely complex force.

"Is there food in Yazhou?"

Li Shimin said in surprise.

This is not because he is ignorant, but because although Yazhou belongs to the Tang Dynasty in name, it basically just accepts the canonization by the imperial court.

It's equivalent to Jizhou, so it's understandable that he doesn't know.

After all, it is already the end of the world that people now think of, and even if you are exiled, you won't go that far.

Basically outside the mainstream influence of the Tang Dynasty.

"Yes, I believe in my son. He has never let me down."

very good, very powerful.

Everyone was speechless, but Li Shimin's eyes became brighter and brighter.

"Xuan Jiqing and others have an audience!"

He thought about what Ji Song said later in the letter: Do you want to stop at the Dengzhou fleet and go south to get food?

Thanks to him for thinking it out.

In the past, there was a lack of understanding of the sea and a fear of the unknown.

But things are different now. This fleet has been in the sea for such a long time, and they have no longer noticed the small storms.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was feasible, but the only thing he wanted to confirm was, how long would it take?
If it takes too long, it’s better not to go.

But if we can bring back a lot of food in a short time, then
Ji Qing and others were studying at Honglu Temple. When they heard that the emperor wanted to see them, they were all shocked.

But no matter how they asked each other, they kept silent, which disappointed them!
When they reached a deserted place, the eunuch who delivered the order whispered: "It's about the fleet!"

After saying that, he immediately changed into a look of keeping away from strangers, as if what he just said was not his.

The visitor was Zhang Quan, who had some friendship with Ji Song. When he heard that he was looking for Ji Qing and the others, he volunteered to take on the job.

Chen Shou also knew that he had some friendship with Ji Song, so after thinking about it, he let him go.

Ji Qing, Liu Xiancheng, and Wang Xuance looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes!
There was no words to say all the way, and soon we arrived at the Tai Chi Hall.

Ji's mother had already left, her mission had been completed, and it would be inconvenient for her to stay here, so Li Shimin asked someone to send Ji's mother back.

Li Shimin didn't blame her for hiding the sea map before!

She loves her son eagerly and learns that her son is going to the sea to grab food. As a mother, it is understandable to do so.

But when he finally took it out, everyone was a little surprised.

When Ji Qing and the others came to the main hall, Li Shimin didn't wait for them to speak, and said urgently: "How long does it take to get to Yazhou and back and forth from Jianghuai to Shandong?"

Ji Qing was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Your Majesty, you scared them." Fang Xuanling said helplessly.

Then he looked at Ji Qing and said, "Let me ask you, how long does it take to start from Dengzhou, go to Yazhou and back again?"

"It depends on the direction of the wind. If there's a headwind, it will take about ten days; if there's a tailwind, it'll take five days!"

Fang Xuanling grabbed his beard and said anxiously, regardless of the pain, "Seriously?"

Du Ruhui said solemnly: "You want to know where this place is? Don't trust your words. It's too late to admit your mistake now. I and others will treat you as a child."

Ji Qing thought for a moment, as if calculating again, and Li Shimin was not in a hurry.

He raised his head and said in a deep voice: "I don't dare to deceive you. With the current wind direction on the sea, as long as there is no extreme weather, we can make a round trip in ten days at most."

"You dare to pledge your wealth and life!" Ji Qing bowed and said
(End of this chapter)