Reborn in the Three Kingdoms

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In the afternoon of the same day, Zhou Yu and others came to the General's Mansion to discuss matters with Chen Chu. They were pleasantly surprised to find that Chen Chu's face was completely free of the depression that could not go away before, and they couldn't help being overjoyed.As the supreme leader of the Beibei Army, Chen Chu's every move really affected all the soldiers of the Beibei Army.

Chen Chu glanced down the hall, saw the joy on everyone's face, couldn't help showing a sincere smile, and said: "I can't let go of something a few days ago, but it made you worry about me! But this The matter has been resolved, and you don't have to worry anymore!"

Everyone is actually very curious about what happened?But Chen Chu didn't want to say, and it was not easy for them as subordinates to ask questions.

Chen Chu shifted his gaze to Zhou Yu, and asked, "The report on the situation in Luoyang that was submitted before Fu Wan was too sketchy! And a lot of data is from ten years ago! Has the latest data come out?" [

Zhou Yu went out and took out the report that was about to be presented to Chen Chu from his sleeve, and reported back: "The rough statistics are out! The source of the data is mainly government documents! But many specific situations have not been counted yet!" , ready to present to Chen Chu.

Chen Chu waved his hands and said, "Read it!"

"Yes."

Immediately, Zhou Yu said: "The original population of Luoyang City was 29 households, about 110 million people, and now it is about 15 households, with a population of 60; the situation of Sili (the imperial capital circle including Luoyang) cannot be counted within a short period of time. , but the situation must be much more serious than Luoyang! Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the population of Sili was about 300 million. Excluding the population of Luoyang, it was less than 200 million. Now the population of Sili is 80, which is not bad!"

Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Sili was one of the three most prosperous states in China, with a population of over 300 million.The other two states are Jizhou and Yuzhou, both of which have a population of around 600 million.At that time, the population of China was only a little over 5000 million, and the population of these three states accounted for more than a quarter of the national population.However, the current population of Siliguang is more than half that of a few years ago.Although the change in population cannot fully reflect all the situations, it shows from one aspect the severe situation that the entire Central Plains is currently facing.

Chen Chu frowned and said, "In other words, the population of Sili, including Luoyang, is only 30 million! It has decreased by more than [-]% compared to before the Yellow Turban Rebellion!"

Zhou Yu nodded and said, "Exactly!"

Chen Chu thought for a moment, then raised his head and said to Zhou Yu, "Go on!"

"Yes. In addition, a considerable number of young and middle-aged men in the entire Sili have been captured by Yuan Shao as soldiers. Now most of the people in Sili are old, weak, women and children! The above is a population problem. In terms of agriculture and food, Yuan Shao Neglecting agricultural administration, and only knowing blindly plundering and robbing folks of food, the agriculture of the entire Sili has basically been abandoned. What is more serious is that a considerable number of people do not have basic rations in their hands. Many people are peeling bark and grass roots to satisfy their hunger. There are children starving to death!"

Chen Chu showed a shocked expression, "The people here are so difficult?"

Zhou Yu nodded solemnly, and continued: "Two days ago, Yu went to a town more than ten miles east of Luoyang to inquire. It has been dug up, and what they eat now is bark, grass roots, and even dirt! The corpses of starved people can be seen everywhere outside the town!"

"It's so serious!!" Chen Chu muttered, frowning.

"Why didn't you rescue them in time?" Chen Chu asked, his anger palpable.

Zhou Yu quickly explained: "The food reserves in Luoyang City are very limited, and the food transferred from Bingzhou and Guanzhong can only meet the needs of the army. We really don't have any leftover food to help the people!"

"Is there no other way?" Chen Chu asked.Scanning the people in the hall.Chen Chu was very urgent and felt guilty at the same time. He believed that such problems among the people under his rule were due to his dereliction of duty.

"It's not impossible." Zhou Yu said suddenly.

Chen Chu, who was about to get angry, his eyes lit up, and asked anxiously, "What can I do?"

Zhou Yuchao Chen Chuyi

Clasping fists together, he said with some hesitation: "My lord, I'm afraid this method will have side effects!"

Chen Chu frowned, and then said decisively: "No matter how big the problem is, the people's livelihood will not be affected! Tell me, what is your solution?"

Zhou Yu couldn't help showing a look of admiration, and then said: "Luoyang actually has a huge amount of grain in storage!"

Chen Chu was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he asked, "Could it be that Gongjin is talking about the gentry?"

Zhou Yu nodded.

This time, everyone present basically understood what Zhou Yu meant.Many people showed excited expressions, but a few showed worried expressions.One of them is Chen Lin.This Chen Lin was originally the master book under Yuan Shao's command. After Chen Chu occupied Luoyang, he surrendered to Chen Chu under Zhou Yu's lobbying. Now Chen Chu's subordinate is responsible for some copywriting work.

Zhou Yu continued: "The gentry in Luoyang did not lose much during Yuan Shao's rule of Luoyang. Instead, they plundered a lot of people's fat and anointment through Yuan Shao! It is conservatively estimated that the food in the hands of the Luoyang gentry should be no less than 50 dan!"

Everyone was taken aback.Chen Chu was surprised: "So many?!"

Zhou Yu nodded, "I'm afraid the real number will be more!"

Chen Chu stroked his chin, narrowed his eyes, and began to think.Everyone stared at Chen Chu.

After a while, Chen Chu asked Zhou Yu, "If I issue an order to ask the gentry in Luoyang to provide food for the common people, do you think the gentry will do so?"

Zhou Yu smiled wryly and shook his head, "I'm afraid it will be difficult! They will find all kinds of excuses to prevaricate! These gentry are the most stingy group of people. In their eyes, a bag of rice is probably worth more than ten human lives." precious!"

Chen Chu snorted coldly, and his eyes radiated cold light, "I'll persuade you first, and I can give you some compensation. If you don't know what's good and what's wrong, they won't blame me for being cruel!" There was a sense of coldness in his tone, It's like the feeling of a butcher's knife.

Everyone could not help but shudder.Chen Lin sighed secretly, he seemed to see the figure of the gentry crying under the butcher knife of the Northern Army.No wonder he has such thoughts. After all, Chen Lin is a newcomer who just joined the North Army. He may not have fully integrated into the system of the North Army. In his heart, he is afraid of the North Army and Chen Chu himself. Still comes first.

"Chen Lin!" Chen Chu called out.Chen Lin, who was distracted, was taken aback, and then hurriedly went out to pay homage: "My lord, what orders do you have?"

Chen Chu glanced at Chen Lin, smiled and asked, "Have you been staying in Luoyang for the past few years?"

Chen Lin immediately replied: "My lord, I have indeed stayed in Luoyang for the past few years! Earlier, I was working under General He Jin!"

Chen Chu nodded, and asked again: "You must be familiar with the gentry in Luoyang? 16"

Chen Lin's heart skipped a beat, and after a moment of hesitation, she replied, "I'm really familiar with it!" After speaking, she couldn't help swallowing.

"Well, then you go and inform the noble families to have a banquet at the General's Mansion tomorrow night!" Chen Chu tapped the table with his knuckles and said.

Although Chen Lin was as expected, she was still taken aback, and the scene of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood suddenly appeared in her mind.If Chen Chu knew what he was thinking at this moment, he would definitely be impressed by his rich imagination.

"Yes!" Chen Lin clasped her fists in agreement.However, his complexion became very ugly at the moment, and beads of sweat overflowed from his forehead.

Chen Chu was slightly surprised, and asked, "Chen Lin, is there something wrong with you?" in a rather concerned tone. [

Chen Lin hesitated for a moment, a look of determination flashed across her face, she knelt down towards Chen Chu suddenly, and begged, "My lord, dare to speak out!"

Chen Chu was taken aback for a moment, he didn't understand what was going on with Chen Lin.Zhou Yu showed a thoughtful expression.

"If you have anything to say, just say it directly." Chen Chu said.

Chen Lin bowed again, and then said earnestly: "My lord, I dare to ask you not to kill the nobles!"

Chen Chu was taken aback for another moment, then smiled and said, "Where did I start talking about this? When did I say I was going to kill the nobles?"! ~!