After making up his mind, Cao Shunhe did not hesitate at all. He called his subordinates and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"You should immediately go and count how much food is available for mobilization in the granary!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
After listening to Cao Shunhe's instructions, the subordinates quickly followed the order without any hesitation.
Not long after, the subordinates sent earlier completed the statistics of the grain currently available for mobilization in Jiangxi and reported it to Cao Shunhe truthfully.
After Cao Shunhe learned the exact number from his subordinates, he immediately supported his chin with one hand and fell into deep thought.
"Is there currently only 28,000 shi of food available for mobilization in the province?"
"No matter what, once this batch of grain arrives, it should be able to alleviate Zhejiang's current urgent needs."
"As long as this batch of grain can last until the local mulberry seedlings in Zhejiang mature, all problems will be solved by then!"
Thinking of this, Cao Shunhe turned his attention to the previous subordinate and immediately gave instructions.
"Pass an order from me to load all the grain currently available for mobilization onto ships and then transport it to Zhejiang immediately!"
After listening to Cao Shunhe's order, the subordinate showed hesitation on his face, and boldly warned Cao Shunhe.
"Inspector... Your Majesty the Governor, didn't the Ministry of Revenue issue a corresponding notice earlier, telling you not to transfer food without authorization? But now you..."
Before the subordinate finished speaking, he was interrupted by Cao Shunhe coldly: "Where does all the nonsense come from? Are you under the charge of the household department, or are you under the charge of me?"
The subordinate saw that the expression on Cao Shunhe's face became stern, and his tone was full of impatience. He hurriedly clapped his chest and assured: "The governor is joking, you are my immediate superior, how can I disobey you?" Where’s the order?”
"As long as you give me an order, even if you go up a mountain of swords or go down into a sea of fire, your subordinates will never frown!"
After hearing this, Cao Shunhe did not make any comment, but continued to add.
"Don't worry, if something happens, I will be responsible for it alone. You just have to go ahead and do it!"
"As you command, Lord Governor!"
After receiving Cao Shunhe's promise, the subordinate immediately felt relieved and immediately responded in a deep voice.
After the subordinate left, Cao Shunhe was the only one left in the room. After that, he spread out his pen and paper and wrote a reply to Hu Zongxian.
"Brother Ruzhen, I have received the letter you sent earlier. Currently, the food available for mobilization in Jiangxi totals 28,000 shi."
"I have sent people to load the grain on the ship immediately. If nothing happens, the grain will be transported to Zhejiang in batches in about three days. I hope Brother Ruzhen doesn't have to worry!"
When the last word fell, Cao Shunhe couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief, and then put the brush in his hand back to its original position. After the ink on the paper dried, Cao Shunhe called his close associates and gave instructions.
"You must hand this letter into Hu Zongxian's hands, and it must not pass through anyone else's hands. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Lord Governor, I will definitely deliver the letter!"
I saw the confidant carefully put the envelope away, and then made a promise to Cao Shunhe.
"Well, be safe on the road!"
Cao Shunhe looked at the back of this confidant who was about to leave, and couldn't help but remind him.
"Thank you very much, Governor, for your concern!"
The confidant suddenly stopped, turned around, and said respectfully.
Soon, Cao Shunhe's order to adjust grains was passed down through officials at one level.
The officials in charge of food began to calculate where the food should be transported, how many ships were needed to carry the 28,000 dan of food, and began to plan the route for transporting the food.
Naturally, such a big movement could not be hidden from the informants that Xu Jie had set up in Jiangxi for the sake of safety.
"Tell Mr. Xu Ge and the others the news immediately without any delay!"
"In addition, tell them that if everything goes according to the previous plan, this batch of grain will never be allowed to arrive in Zhejiang smoothly!"
"Yes, sir!"
…
After traveling around the clock, the confidant who was responsible for delivering the letter finally arrived in Zhejiang one day later.
At this moment, in the study room of the Governor's Mansion.
Ever since Hu Zongxian sent someone to send the letter, he has been in a constant state of worry. No one understands the risks involved better than him.
If the court investigates him by then, it will be a trivial matter to lose his official position. What he fears most is that he will be labeled as a clique for personal gain!
Once this big hat is buckled off, not only Cao Shunhe's career will be completely ruined, but he himself will also be severely punished.
"Well, I hope that when the time comes, the teacher will come forward to save Cao Shunhe after seeing the letter I wrote to him!"
While Hu Zongxian was still thinking about possible countermeasures to this matter, a knock on the door came from outside, bringing him back to reality.
Hu Zongxian frowned slightly and immediately gave instructions.
"Come in!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a guard from the Governor's Mansion walked in, his face full of respect, and he immediately reported the matter.
"My Lord Governor, according to your previous instructions, the Chief Envoy and others have arrived at the Governor's Mansion one after another and are currently waiting in the meeting hall!"
After hearing this, Hu Zongxian nodded slightly, stood up from his seat and said.
"Well, I'll be there right away!"
After that, Hu Zongxian was seen walking towards the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion with steady steps.
"Hey, what should we do now? The food in the warehouse is getting less and less, and we can't support it for much longer!"
In the meeting hall, Zheng Mi Chang looked around and then looked back, with a look of helplessness on his face.
"There is no other way. Let's endure it a little longer. Besides, before that, didn't the Governor personally write a letter to Jiangxi Governor Cao Shunhe? We just need to wait for the result with peace of mind!"
He Maocai on the side heard this and immediately spoke to comfort him.
At this moment, Hu Zongxian stepped into the meeting hall. Seeing this, everyone quickly stood up from their seats and saluted respectfully: "I have met the Governor!"
Seeing this, Hu Zongxian waved his hand quite casually and ordered: "Sit down, everyone, sit down!"
After everyone sat back in their seats, Hu Zongxian turned his eyes to Zheng Michang and asked.
"What is the current situation? How long can the food in the warehouse last?"
As soon as Hu Zongxian finished speaking, Zheng Michang responded without hesitation: "Your Majesty the Governor, since the last time the government distributed another relief grain, the current situation is quite stable!"
When Zheng Michang said this, he suddenly changed the topic and said cautiously: "It's just that the food left in the warehouse can still last for up to eighteen days. If after eighteen days, there is still no food shipment, If you arrive..."
Zheng Michang did not continue, but everyone present understood what Zheng Michang wanted to express.
If after eighteen days there is still no grain arriving in Zhejiang, then the conversion of rice to mulberry will officially be declared a failure.
At that time, everyone will be blamed and will end up in a tragic end!
Hu Zongxian saw that everyone was a little depressed. After a moment of silence, he immediately spoke to comfort them.
"Don't worry. Before this, I have already written a letter asking for help to Jiangxi Governor Cao Shunhe. I should be able to receive a reply tomorrow at the latest!"
(End of chapter)
