I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 407 Public Grievances

Initially, no one paid any attention to the rumor.

These are just a few lies full of loopholes, and any normal person can tell them apart.

Until... this rumor concerns everyone.

If it were put into later generations, it would be a typical statement made by public intellectuals - why not put military spending into improving people's livelihood.

In other words, people no longer care whether this is a rumor or not, they just want to use it to express their dissatisfaction.

After all, even in the past few years after the new king ascended the throne, most of the people who should have lost their land are still losing it, and most of the people who are starving are still not getting enough food.

The poorer you are, the harder life is.

If there is not enough food, can we really count on the imperial court for disaster relief?
Although Yu Du and Sui Gu's remarks were easily debunked, many Black Mountain Army members recalled the unforgettable scenes in their distant memories.

Why did they come here in the first place? Wasn't it because they couldn't survive in their hometown?
You know, the late emperor Pingzong, who was worshipped in a temple by the current emperor, was a miraculous emperor who dared to order an increase in land rent in order to build a palace in the second year after the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled.

It was also in this year that the Montenegrin Army reached its peak.

There are many people, especially those in Jizhou, who have the same memories as the Black Mountain Army.

The people only knew that the grain that could have been used to save their lives was now gone and was used for things that did not benefit them.

As for what some people say about the Wuhuan and other Hu cavalry coming to Jizhou to plunder during the rebellion in Youzhou? — The Xianbei people didn’t come at that time!

Guanjin County.

Lu Jun sat upright on the carriage, imitating the former Jizhou governor Jia Cong who pulled open the curtain of the carriage, inspected the county inside and outside, and allowed the people to complain to him about their grievances at any time.

Although Lu Jun was sitting very steadily, he was actually very nervous.

Especially when the carriage arrived outside the city wall.

Those who leaned against the shadow of the city wall to avoid the sun were all hungry people.

The way these people looked at Lu Jun on the carriage was hard for Lu Jun to describe. But he was sure that it was not a look of gratitude.

Although he had arranged to distribute porridge, he was limited by the amount of grain in stock in the county and could only control the amount of porridge to a level that would not starve people to death.

Lu Jun heard that the governor of Xuzhou, Ba Ju, had done the same thing when the seven counties and kingdoms were flooded. When the imperial commander Ma Ritian, who was on tour, reported the matter to the emperor and requested a ruling, it sparked a heated discussion.

At that time, Lu Jun thought that Ba Ji didn't need to be so extreme.

But until he started to stand on his own.

——He didn't know when the county's grain reserves would be replenished. The decision to release grain was easy to make, just by opening his mouth, but he had to consider the worst-case scenario in the future.

Question Baji, understand Baji, and become Baji.

Lu Jun never thought that there would be a day when he would be so stingy.

When Lu Jun returned to the county temple, he still felt a chill when he recalled the looks the people outside the city had given him earlier.

Hebei has produced many heroes since ancient times. Lu Jun didn't even dare to think about the rest.

In panic, he suddenly thought of something and started grinding ink immediately.

There is always someone who can solve the problem he can't solve!
After he put away the paper and pen, he thought of the scene he had seen earlier and called the chief clerk to come in and give him instructions.

On that day, the chief clerk of Guanjin County led several county officials and gatekeepers out of the city. Behind them were many large carts. Some of the carts were loaded with worn-out linen clothes, while others were just loaded with long wooden sticks of varying lengths.

"The Ming court has ordered that the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and there are no big trees outside the city, so there is no place to escape the heat. Therefore, the Ming court specifically ordered us to bring these linen and wooden poles to make a sunshade and set it up next to the city wall."

But after hearing this, only a few people tried to help. Most of the people leaning against the wall were too lazy to move, because they had no strength and were unwilling to do so. "The Ming court showed mercy. He was willing to pay private money to hire people to make the sunshade. Participants could get between 10 and 20 coins. No one would be cheated and the money would be paid on the same day!"

Finally, more people stood up with light in their eyes.

Jingzhao Yin.

Locusts are crossing the border.

There are always people who don't have time to harvest their own wheat, and cry bitterly when they see only wheat stalks left in the fields.

"This is a disaster sent from heaven!"

One of them was on the verge of mental collapse. He suddenly thought of what he had heard two days ago, and could not help pointing to the sky, to the direction where the locusts flew away, to the east... and shouted.

"God has warned us years ago, but unfortunately, the meat eaters are pretending not to know!"

"Especially last year, there was an earthquake in Huayin, heavy rain in Youfufeng, and two earthquakes here..."

“But nothing has changed!”

"So, these locust gods were sent by God to punish us!"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Xiao Bing, where did you hear these nonsense? Are you crazy? Shut up!" An old man came over in small steps, raised his cane and was about to hit Xiao Bing for talking nonsense, but he heard a younger man not far away say, "Uncle, Xiao Bing is right!"

After beating Xiao Bing, the old man turned around to beat another person, but he had no way to beat him!

At this time, someone suddenly ran over from a distance, shouting, "Uncle, good news! An envoy has come from the village, saying that we will get a reward for catching locusts. The envoy is waiting to see you in the village now!"

The man called uncle was none other than one of the three elders of the village. Upon hearing what he said, he stopped chasing after the younger man and handed his cane to the man. He then solemnly tidied up his clothes which had been messed up by the beating.

After taking the cane again, he emphasized before leaving: "Next time I hear you say such nonsense, you will all go and kneel in the ancestral hall!"

Of course, one or two places can be dredged or blocked, but there are so many villages and towns all over the world, how can we dredge or block them completely?
A drought can have a ripple effect on the entire body.

An impending famine that almost everyone could predict became the fuse that ignited the hidden contradictions within the Han Dynasty.

At the same time, this also shattered the fragile "revival" of the Han Dynasty since Liu Bian came to power.

The "rejuvenation" boasted by some court officials, so great, was nothing in the face of a severe drought.

The road to making the Han Dynasty great again is still tortuous.

Yuntai Hall.

Liu Bian was reading the report on Guanjin County sent by Lu Jun.

The people are boiling with resentment!

This was not the first time Liu Bian had seen such news.

Even just yesterday, he received news that a civil uprising had occurred in Huayin City, Hongnong County.

Led by an ordinary citizen who lost his parents and wife in the collapse of Mount Hua last year and lost his means of survival due to the locusts this year, a group of people attacked a wealthy manor in the village.

Unprepared, the wealthy man's manor was attacked by the rioters, who burned, killed and looted him, and then the situation was pacified by the county lieutenant who came after hearing the news.

Liu Bian understood that if the situation was allowed to continue, this kind of situation would only occur more often.

He said to Lu Zhi and Xun Yu, who had been urgently summoned by him, "At this special moment, I think we should change the tax system to help with disaster relief and calm the people."

(End of this chapter)