high official

Chapter 101 Food shortage
"How else can I raise it? Borrow food." Wu Wei sighed.

"Ask who to borrow?" Wang Xian asked in a deep voice.

"Big family." Wu Wei said.

"Does the big family have food?" Wang Xian glanced at him.

"Of course." Wu Wei nodded.

"It's a drop in the bucket." Wang Xian said lightly.

"No." Wu Wei shook his head and said, "The big households have plenty of food. The more disasters there are, the more food the big households have."

"Where do they get so much food?" Wang Xian said, "There are not many grain fields."

"Since last month, grain boats have arrived in this county every day, sometimes more than a dozen a day." Wu Weidao: "Although all counties are now not allowed to leave grain, but their officials and eunuchs, some of whom are officials outside, can always Find a way to get food. The food is transported into the compound of the deep house, and it can’t be eaten in ten years.” After a pause, he couldn’t hide his contempt and said: “Just like that, their families still line up at the grain store to buy food every day...”

"I won't let go of any cheapness." Wang Xian said with a sneer, "Sure enough, it's not benevolent for the rich."

"It's right to be rich and be unkind, but it's wrong to say that it's wrong to take advantage of every advantage." Wu Wei said bitterly: "They don't care about the extra food they get, what they care about is that the common people get less food!"

"Why?" Wang Xian's face darkened.

"If there is no famine, how can they buy land from the people at a low price?" Wu Wei said, gnashing his teeth, "They waited for the people to run out of food and borrowed from them. At that time, the tea garden that usually costs 20 taels of silver per mu, they can afford it." Exchange a stone of grain for it! What’s the difference between this and Ming Qiang! But you still have the name of a good person!”

"Shameless, especially shameless!" Wang Xian already knew about it, and he wanted to test Wu Wei to see where his butt was sitting.But after hearing this, I still couldn't get angry. The scholar-bureaucrats in the Ming Dynasty were really shameless!Can't help but angrily said: "Did all the books go into the dog's stomach? I always say 'the benevolent loves others' all day, is that how I love!"

"Calm down, my lord." Wu Wei served Wang Xian a cup of tea and said, "No matter how much we hate this pass, we can't show it. We still have to ask them to borrow food..."

"It can't be borrowed. As soon as the people borrow it, the people will know that there is no food in the warehouse." Wang Xian said decisively: "When the time comes, there will be a panic, but it will harm the people."

"What should I do if I don't need to borrow it, grab it?" Wu Wei said with a bitter face.

"It's better to grab it by force than to borrow it." Wang Xian said coldly, "It's really not possible, let those Ming Cultists bite the bullet, put a hat on them as a gangster, and see if they don't obediently pay the food and eliminate the disaster!"

"It's cruel enough..." Wu Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "In that case, we won't have to hang out in Fuyang anymore."

"You don't have to worry about it, let Du Ziteng put out the food as usual, don't reduce the amount," Wang Xian said, getting up.

"Where are you going?"

"Go to the terraced fields..." Wang Xian left the sentence and went out.

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In the sound of the chant, sixteen hemp ropes as thick as an arm, like a big open umbrella, lifted the heavy stone pier high and fell heavily on the ground, tamping the ground down.

On the Longmen Mountain outside Fuyang City, there are people laying stones to build dams and ramming platforms everywhere. The lively scene makes the blood of the viewers so excited that they can't wait to roll up their sleeves and participate in it.

Reclamation of terraced fields is a time-consuming and labor-intensive project that requires the efforts of several generations to complete, and it is not something you can open if you want to.Therefore, although Fuyang County has a long history of building terraced fields, there are still countless hills that have not been cultivated.Under the guidance of old farmers who are accustomed to repairing terraced fields, the government selected suitable hills, and then asked the peasants to dig ditches from the bottom up according to the direction of the mountain, and then filled them with stones and clay, rammed them, and beat them. Make the ridge level and firm, no water leakage, no collapse, water and soil conservation.After the ridges are built, the soil is leveled to make them horizontal terraces.A terraced field has been built, and the second terraced field will be reclaimed upwards...

Fuyang County would not have been able to carry out such a large-scale project if the victims had nothing to do and had nothing else to rely on.

When Wang Xian went to Longmen Mountain, he went straight to a big flag standing on the top of the mountain. He saw that the flagpole was a thick moso bamboo, several feet high, with red tassels rolling on the flag, and four big characters embroidered on it. ——Do justice for the heavens!Oh no, it's 'relief with work'...

When they came to the gazebo under the flag, they saw several workshop clerks doing calculations there, and when they saw Wang Xian coming in, they all stood up to greet him: "My lord, are you looking for the elder?"

"That's right." Wang Xian sat down on the bamboo stick, took the big bowl of tea from the book office, blew off the tea leaves, took a sip, and said, "The elder is on inspection?"

"Let's invite him to come back and have a rest," the housekeeper said with a smile, "Our old man has worked really hard, so we won't sit in the pavilion when we are free."

"What do you know, it's called setting an example." Wang Xian scolded with a smile: "How about it, how many are these days?"

"Now it's getting faster and faster, and the seven hills are dry at the same time," the pawn replied, "It's more than 500 mu in total."

"It's faster than expected." Wang Xian said in surprise.

"I don't even look at how many people are working. The seven hills are full of people." The pawn said: "Now they are getting more and more proficient, and they don't dare to be lazy if they are watched by the elders."

"Is it too late to rush to plant rice now?" Wang Xian asked.

"You are a layman. The newly opened terraces need to be planted on dry land for a few years. Firstly, it is to raise them, and secondly, people will trample on livestock to stabilize the foundation, so that water can be drawn to plant rice." The pawn said with a smile.For Wang Sihu, who rose like sparks, the scribes naturally had mixed feelings and open-mindedness, thinking that he was really powerful.Those who are a little narrow-minded will be unhappy in every way, but they dare not offend him, so they can only find such an opportunity to live their mouths.

"Then plant some wheat, there is not only rice in this world." Wang Xian was not as knowledgeable as him, saying that he had been with a bunch of subordinate officials for a long time, and he was also close to black, thanks to Lin Qinger's neutralization, It didn't become unbearable.

The two talked for a while, and suddenly there was the sound of dense footsteps behind them, and they hurriedly looked back, and it turned out that it was a group of guards who surrounded Wei Zhixian and came back.

Wei Zhixian has been tanned, and his face is also angular, he is no longer the white-faced scholar.But although he wears cloth robes and straw shoes, he is very particular about not showing his arms in summer and not wearing heavy clothes in winter. For more than 20 days, he has been directing the peasants to open the fields on the mountain, but the clothes and hats are still clean and free of mud, which is still clearly distinguished from the common people. .

After entering the pavilion, a group of scribes saluted, and Wei Zhixian nodded.The long follower hurriedly brought a towel soaked in mountain spring water, Wei Zhixian took it and wiped his face and neck, and wiped his hands, before he said to Wang Xian, "Zhongde, why are you here?" disciple relationship, on the contrary, I wish everyone would know about it.

"Some things need to be reported to the Elder." The magistrate of Wei could respect the corporals, but Wang Xian did not dare to rely on himself.

The magistrate of Wei knew that there must be a big event, otherwise Wang Xian would not have to come in person.After waving their hands, the chief scribes retreated casually, leaving the gazebo empty for the two of them to talk.

Standing in the pavilion, Wei Zhixian looked down at the peasants working all over the mountains and fields, as well as the terraced fields that had already formed, and said leisurely: "Being an official and benefiting one side is what I said to the emperor when I first met. But until Today I really understand the meaning of these words. Zhongde, as a teacher, I no longer envy those Hanlin..."

"Teacher..." Wang Xianxin said that you, an old man, are too uncertain. When you encounter the dark side, you wish to die early and be reborn early. Now that you have positive energy, you bow your head and be willing to be a bully...

"What do you want from me?" Wei Zhixian asked after finishing his emotion.

"The rice in the official warehouse can still be used for ten days," Wang Xian reported, "Mr. Sima and the others haven't come back yet..."

"When should they come back?" Wei Zhixian didn't care about these things, he trusted Wang Xian even more than himself.

"yesterday."

"Oh..." Wei Zhixian thought about it and said, "Maybe there is a storm."

Wang Xian is so sweaty, there will be wind and waves on the river this season?That's hell.

"What?" Wei Zhixian also felt that his guess was a bit idiotic.

"No matter what, we have to make two preparations." Wang Xian said softly. "It is necessary to replenish food for Yongfeng warehouse."

"Relief food from the province?"

"A drop in the bucket."

"What about buying grain from other counties?"

"Now all counties can't buy rice with money. No grain of rice is allowed to flow out."

"Then what should we do?" Wei Zhixian asked, thinking that it was difficult to find Wang Er, this feeling is really good...

"Actually, there is plenty of food in this county, but it's all in the hands of big households." Wang Xian said slowly. "It's no problem to feed 15 people for a month."

"Do they have so much food?" Wei Zhixian asked in surprise.

Wang Xian then repeated Wu Wei's words, and the magistrate of Wei said furiously: "It's too shameless, this is a disaster for the country!" He clenched his fists excitedly and said: "I just bought the invoice and ransacked their house! "

"Teacher, calm down." Wang Xian hurriedly pulled him back, persuading him: "It's not illegal for people to be shameless, so what reason do we have to copy their house!"

"Both the common people and the government are short of food, but they are hoarding food that can't be eaten for 100 years. This is the reason!" Wei Zhixian roared: "I will kill them even if I don't want them!"

"Calm down, take a deep breath, and then spit it out slowly, yes, spit it out slowly..." Wang Xian finally calmed the furious Wei Zhixian, and sighed: "Although the teacher is the magistrate of the county, he can't do anything to them In this way, not to mention anything else, if you offend them, this Fuyang County will immediately become chaotic..."

"..." Wei Zhixian said in a muffled voice: "Then what do you say? In the name of the government, borrow food from them?"

"That would cause panic." Wang Xian said.

"Don't be a fool." Wei Zhixian said with a dark face: "It's a big fire to be a teacher now!"

"Let them scramble to sell us the grain." Wang Xian said softly.

"How is it possible?" Wei Zhixian asked.

"Maybe...they are hoarding, just wanting to buy common people's fields in times of famine," Wang Xian pointed to the terraced fields all over the mountains and plains, "This is also a field..."

"Don't even think about it!" Wei Zhixian felt like being bitten by a cat.

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　In the next chapter, strive for early, ask for tickets, dear ones, dear ones, dear dear ones...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)