Rebirth of the eldest daughter

Bai Ming raised his eyes slightly and waited quietly for Yu Jianling to speak.

Yu Jianling spoke in a voice that only two people could hear:
"There is not much storage in all the grain warehouses affected by the disaster, but the warehouses that are currently intact are full, with a total of 42 tons of grain stored, which is completely enough for Liyang County to survive this disaster."

Bai Mingwei quickly concluded: "The reason why the disaster in Liyang County is so serious is because at the beginning of this year, someone privately diverted the river for reclamation."

"It seems that Magistrate Hu is indeed far-sighted. He could not change the decision to divert the river, but he was prepared for the possible consequences of the river diversion."

"With this part of the grain reserves, as long as our disaster relief regulations are implemented, Liyang County can not only survive the difficulties, but also allow them to persist until the next harvest."

Yu Jianling expressed his doubts: "General, I don't understand if this magistrate Hu really has this ability and has fulfilled his responsibilities as a county magistrate."

"When it rained heavily in Jiangbei, why didn't he reinforce the dams or organize people to evacuate in advance?"

"Instead, we watched the disaster destroy most of Liyang County and take away the lives of so many people?"

"After the disaster, he did not immediately launch disaster relief operations. Instead, he closed the gate of Liyang Town tightly. When we came, he would only follow orders to provide disaster relief. There was no initiative in the whole process."

Bai Mingwei asked: "What rank is Magistrate Hu?"

Yu Jianling was very confused, but he answered seriously: "The imperial court directly sends a seventh-grade official."

Bai Mingwei asked again: "What rank is the captain of the Liyang County garrison?"

Yu Jianling replied: "Positive fifth grade."

Bai Mingwei asked again: "How many are the county police officers and government servants in total?"

Yu Jianling was helpless: "Less than two hundred."

Bai Mingwei was speechless.

Yu Jianling thought for a while and then suddenly realized: "The problem lies with the garrison!"

Bai Mingwei nodded slightly: "Someone was tampering with the river course in Liyang County. Magistrate Hu was unable to stop it and did not even dare to report it to the court. It can be seen that his power is greatly restricted."

"The diversion is extremely narrow. No matter how high or strong the embankment is, it is of no use. Reinforcing the embankment will not solve the problem."

"And even if he knew that a disaster might occur, if the garrison did not cooperate, it would be impossible to evacuate tens of thousands of people with less than 200 people in a short period of time."

"What's more, there are signs of a bumper harvest this year. Compared with the grain in the fields that are about to fill the warehouse, who will care about Magistrate Hu's words? The people will not listen first."

"He didn't take action after the disaster. Instead, he waited until we arrived and then presented everything he had prepared to help us solve the disaster as quickly as possible. This also shows that his movement was limited and could only go so far."

"A county magistrate can be pointed at and scolded in front of everyone without daring to refute. If the garrison does not cooperate, what can he do with that little power?"

Yu Jianling sighed deeply: "It's difficult to move forward and there is nothing we can do."

Bai Mingwei said: "Under normal circumstances, no matter where you are, there are some people who work conscientiously, some people who just muddle along and stay safe, and some people who work hard and do whatever it takes."

"But when the majority of the people in that place are those who are wise to protect themselves and use any means necessary, then the people who do things will be constrained everywhere. Even if they have eighteen kinds of martial arts, they will not be able to do anything about what happens."

Yu Jianling agreed very much, and then asked Bai Mingwei: "General, what do you decide to do?"

Bai Ming slightly stretched out her hand, and Yu Jianling quickly handed the booklet to her hand.

She read the information above carefully, and after thinking for a moment, she made a decision: "There are three major things to do in flood relief: releasing food to save lives, dredging rivers, and resettling victims."

"Liyang County is not upstream, and the source of flooding is not here, so we can only focus on food distribution and resettlement." "The first is food distribution. Although Liyang County's warehouses are sufficient, I still need to add social warehouses to provide Those who are able raise money, food, medicine and daily necessities.”

"The second step is to resettle the victims. The current situation can only be temporary resettlement. We cannot make long-term plans until the floods have receded."

After a pause, Bai Mingwei continued:

"Relying solely on government relief can only relieve their immediate needs and allow them to survive for the time being, but it cannot protect their future lives."

"So I decided to let the victims work for relief. First, build a bridge to connect the north and south banks of the Lingjiang tributary. After the floods recede, we will then dredge and build embankments and dams."

"And what they can get is food to keep them hungry, medicinal materials for epidemic prevention, and seeds that can be planted in the ground after the disaster is over."

"If they are people registered in other places and have fled here, they can also participate in the work-for-relief program normally. If they want to stay after the disaster, they can be allowed to settle locally."

Yu Jianling nodded repeatedly: "I agree with the general's idea."

Bai Mingwei said: "If you want to open a social warehouse, you need the support of wealthy households; if you want to implement the entire disaster relief plan, the government is short of manpower, so you need the support of the garrison."

"I will take care of the Shecang side. As for the transfer of the garrison, Seventh Brother will go with the order. When the time comes, I will ask the Crown Prince to help Seventh Brother."

Yu Jianling quickly agreed: "Everything will be subject to the general's arrangements."

Bai Mingwei was silent for a moment, then continued: "If these plans go smoothly, then one out of three disaster relief regulations will be completed."

Yu Jianling was puzzled: "General, this is the most normal disaster relief plan. I think it is perfect. Why did the general say this?"

Bai Mingwei said: "I believe the prince understands that if you prepare for something ten minutes, the best result will be seven or eight points."

"If we don't make more preparations, we won't be able to achieve very good results. Throughout the past dynasties, disaster relief has always been an extremely difficult and complicated matter."

"Take disaster relief food and money as an example. They are allocated layer by layer, but in the end there is very little left in the hands of the victims."

"The best results of the above ordinary processes are just to ensure that the victims live for a while, but they cannot completely solve the problem."

"But even so, we must implement it, because it is a process practiced by generations of officials involved in disaster relief for thousands of years, and it has its own reasons for being passed down."

Yu Jianling fell into silence, and finally agreed with what Bai Mingwei said.

He asked: "So, there should be greater and hidden difficulties in this disaster relief."

Bai Ming nodded slightly: "That's right. This is something that will happen no matter what kind of disaster it is, and it's almost impossible to completely solve it."

"So in the past, no official dared to expect perfection in disaster relief. If it was [-]% or [-]%, it was already excellent."

Yu Jianling asked: "General, are you referring to the corruption problem among the disaster relief officials?"

Bai Ming shook his head slightly: "This is just a small problem. Which granary is free of rats? Who can put an end to people's greed, let alone the greed of those who can use power for personal gain."

"Regarding this issue, as has happened in history, we can only try to avoid it, but we cannot completely avoid it, so we have to accept the possibility that these things will happen."

It's hard for Yu Jianling to disagree with Bai Mingwei's words, and at the same time he admires Bai Mingwei's sobriety and rationality: "I'm afraid Prime Minister Bai has already told the general about these experiences, right?"

Bai Ming nodded slightly: "That's true. I talked with my grandfather before setting off."

Yu Jianling humbly asked for advice: "General, I still don't understand what the greater difficulties and challenges are. Please make it clear, General." (End of Chapter)