Late spring and early summer are the time of year when there is abundant rain.
For the fields, the rain from the sky ensures that the seedlings can grow vigorously. When the people look at the crops gradually heading into the fields, they will look forward to another good year with good weather and good weather. It is common people's daily life to rely on the sky for a living. Obviously, God is very generous this year...
However, for large rivers, abundant rain means continuous rise in water levels, which means that long river embankments will have to withstand the test of floods, and it means that officials in state capitals and counties along the river will lose their jobs because of the collapse of river embankments. brain...
The Shaanzhou section of the Yellow River burst its embankments, affecting two states and five counties, and the affected population has exceeded 200,000!
An urgent report threw the peaceful and peaceful court into chaos and made the atmosphere tense.
Since ancient times, there has been no perfect way to prevent such natural disasters, and even the emergency response after the disaster has remained the same - rescue is not necessary, water and fire are merciless, and transportation is backward. When the rescuers arrive at the location, only Can wait for the next disaster to happen...
The only role that the imperial government can play is post-disaster reconstruction.
However, in this era, materials were scarce, transportation was unfavorable, and medical care was backward. Often after natural disasters such as floods occurred in a place, the people fled away from the merchants, leaving ten houses with nine empty houses. The so-called reconstruction was just a formality.
If all the people are gone, what can we rebuild?
Anyway, China has a vast land and rich resources. No matter where you flee, you will always have a place to grow food, eat, and thrive...
The court meeting was held on time in Taiji Hall. As long as all the officials from all the imperial ministries were present, the main topic was disaster relief. Although the so-called disaster relief is just a formality, allocating food relief and comforting the victims are also necessary processes.
It's just that these days, any heavy rain or minor earthquake can cause a disaster. Over time, if it is not a far-reaching and really large-scale natural disaster, it is really difficult to cheer up these central officials.
Even His Majesty Li Er, who was sitting on the throne, had a calm expression. He successively ordered the Ministry of Education to select an imperial envoy to go to Shaanzhou to appease the people. He also ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to squeeze out some money and silk, and the Changping Granary in Shaanzhou was opened to release grain for disaster relief. , that’s probably the case.
The atmosphere above the main hall was dull.
His Majesty Li Er looked around and nodded to Wang De, who was standing on one side.
Wang De then shouted in a high voice: "If there is something to do, we will start, if there is nothing to do, we will retreat..."
Generally speaking, this sentence will be shouted twice in every court meeting. The first time is at the beginning, just like the phrase "the meeting is now held" in later generations. There are so many civil and military ministers who manage the great empire of Nuo. How many of them are there? The second time is when the court meeting is over. This sentence is shouted out, which basically means that the court meeting is over and the matters that should be discussed have been discussed.
To sum up - this sentence is actually no different from nonsense...
The ministers straightened up from their seats, shook their official robes, and were about to stand up to see off His Majesty the Emperor and end this morning court session.
Cheng Yaojin, the Duke of Lu State, even whispered to Zhang Shigui, the Duke of Guo State next to him: "Yesterday, the old army sent two black muntjacs from Wanling. The meat is tender and is really the best among animals. Come to the house tomorrow and let them The cook has taken care of things, let me have a nice drink."
Zhang Shigui nodded repeatedly, glanced at Fang Jun in the array of civil servants opposite, and whispered: "It is said that Fang Er is a glutton and is very good at cooking ingredients. You might as well call him up and let him take care of the black muntjac." Son, don’t waste your natural resources."
Cheng Yaojin glanced at Zhang Shigui. The two looked at each other slightly, then nodded and said, "It's just what I want..."
Before they finished speaking, the two of them saw Fang Jun coming out of the crowd opposite, standing in the hall, and said loudly: "I have something to report."
The rustling caused by the officials standing up in the hall suddenly stopped. They all raised their heads and looked at Fang Jun in surprise, all of them filled with doubts.
The scandal between Fang Jun and Princess Changle has spread a lot. In fact, most people know the truth behind it, so almost no one is optimistic that Fang Jun can continue to stay in Chang'an. On the one hand, destroying the reputation of Princess Changle will definitely make His Majesty furious, and His Majesty's unsteady desire to save money cannot be hidden from these elite ministers. No matter which aspect you look at, Fang Jun's being demoted from the capital is almost the lightest thing. punishment.
However, for several days, His Majesty did not make a statement on this matter. In the eyes of the ministers, His Majesty's hesitation must be because he could not bear to refute Fang Xuanling's face, and wanted to relax and find an appropriate opportunity to reprimand Fang Jun. Beijing.
In fact, this can be regarded as an opportunity to make a comeback. Who knows whether His Majesty will change his mind tomorrow and give up Yi Chu's intention again?
Under such circumstances, the most important thing Fang Jun should do is to avoid His Majesty's sight, and behave in a safe and orderly manner. He would rather do nothing than do something wrong, and give His Majesty the opportunity to make derogatory remarks in vain.
So now that Fang Jun left the class to start playing at the last moment of the court meeting, it was really unexpected...
His Majesty Li Er, who was sitting on the throne, was also slightly stunned, with a gloomy expression on his face, and said calmly: "If you have anything to do, please tell me quickly."
The ministers just stood up and sat back together.
Fang Jun stood solemnly in the hall and said loudly: "Here!"
Then, he said with great energy: "The Yellow River burst in Shaanzhou, destroying countless fertile fields, thousands of houses, more than ten thousand dead, and countless homeless people. However, all the gentlemen sitting in the temples also We just opened warehouses to release grain and distributed money and silk. Did we prevent and treat people's disabilities and diseases? The money and silk can last for a few days, but what happens after we finish eating? Has the local government provided timely rescue? The deceased is already dead , but how to place those who are not dead? Tens of thousands of disaster victims are homeless and forced to become refugees. The old are exhausted, the young are crying for food, the sick have nothing to do, and the women are in tears... What can the court do to these people? Is there a way to resettle? Your Majesty, since ancient times, people have not suffered from scarcity but from inequality. Compared with the people who live and work in peace and contentment, these disaster-stricken refugees are actually the source of disaster. This year's flood will create some victims, and next year's drought will create some victims... Over time, over time, these victims who are struggling to survive will become ant holes on the foundation of the empire. They may seem inconspicuous, but once the tide rises, they can destroy the solid foundation in one fell swoop, causing the empire to collapse and collapse. ! Your Majesty, you must not ignore it, let alone let it go."
Changsun Wuji frowned and glanced at Fang Jun, who stood prominently in the hall, with a slightly surprised look, thinking about the purpose of Fang Jun's move.
Gao Shilian's expression remained unchanged, he just turned his head slightly and glanced behind him.
Then someone stood up and retorted loudly: "What the minister said is wrong! The Yellow River burst in Shaanzhou, and the people were severely affected. Not only was your majesty worried, but our ministers were also anxious. But floods are natural disasters, and they come one after another. Suddenly came, and then swept them away and flowed eastward. Even if there was a large-scale rescue at this time, how many people could be saved? Not to mention that in order to save a few people, it was necessary to coordinate and allocate food, money, and silk through government organizations at all levels. In fact, It’s not worth the loss.”
This is why rescue efforts often fail after natural disasters occur.
It’s not that we don’t want to save them, it’s just that due to communication, transportation and other difficulties, organizing a large number of manpower and material resources often cannot save a few people, and the gain is indeed not worth the loss.
Fang Jun glanced at it and saw that it was a general who sacrificed his life to help, so he said: "I'm sorry, I don't agree... Whether to save is one question, and whether to save or not is another question. The imperial court has always been dissatisfied. We only ask for disaster relief, but have you ever thought about how those people whose lives were hanging by a thread in the disaster prayed for the disaster relief personnel from the court to appear and lend a helping hand when they were in ruins?"
This is a political issue.
In fact, not only Fang Jun understands this truth, but everyone here understands it.
Lai Ji sneered: "Is it possible that the Minister of Housing treats all the princes in the hall as if they are dead? Everyone knows this, but whether it can be done is another matter. For example, in Shaanzhou, how many people can the local government have? It was necessary to arrange relief and food distribution and to resettle the affected people. It was simply impossible to dispatch a large number of people to rescue those who could not escape in the huge floods. The minister of the house was unparalleled in literary talent. Could it be that he also learned that famous officials in the Wei and Jin Dynasties advocated plain conversation. The character of metaphysics? Haha, I can talk a lot, but I have to do things one by one. If you can say it but can't do it, it will be of no benefit to the country and will only increase your laughter."
Speaking of this, a few sneers sounded in the hall...
Lai Ji also came from a well-established family. His ancestors can be traced back to the famous general She of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He followed Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu and made great achievements. His father came to protect his son and was a famous general in the Sui Dynasty. He served as General Zuo Xiaowei, General Zuo Yiwei, Doctor Guanglu, and Kaifu Yitong, and was granted the title Rong Guogong. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty made three expeditions to Goguryeo, and all his naval forces were led by Lai Huer, who was extremely kind and courteous.
Laiji himself has a profound background. In addition, he has defected to the Guanlong Group early and is willing to be Changsun Wuji's pawn. He has many supporters among the courtiers.
Although there are many people who agree with Lai Ji, there are also those who know Fang Jun's ability well and do not think that Fang Jun is just talking nonsense. Although this guy is a good guy, he is definitely not someone like Lai Ji who can easily slap him in the face, so they all want to see it. Let’s see what Fang Jun’s plan is.
Sure enough, Fang Jun chuckled with a look of disdain on his face: "How dare you talk about state affairs when you are so short-sighted?"
Laiji suddenly turned red...
