Mr. Qing didn't even know that just a few telegrams asking for help caused an uproar among the Chinese. Focusing on the unavoidable topic of food, the Chinese without Xiao Letian's dominance broke out for the first time. Internal conflict.
Everything happens quietly in the deep water area. Ordinary people have no idea what is happening. Their lives continue to go on. The famine thousands of kilometers away is just a few snippets of text in the newspaper, which will not disturb their prosperity and tranquility at all. life.
No matter how big the conflict is, there will be a moment of peace in the end. While waiting anxiously, on April 1st, Mr. Qing of the Capital finally received a call back from the long-lost Chinese!
Fu Qing, who was holding the telegraph newspaper, shed tears of excitement. The Chinese decided to sell three million shi of grain to the Manchus to help the Manchus survive the famine crisis in the north.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty is so happy... He finally replied to the letter. The Chinese have agreed to sell our grain..."
"With three million shi of grain turnover, we can survive until the food from the south is transported to the capital. The Jiangnan and Lianghu regions can squeeze out at least 4 million shi of grain for us..."
"We can survive until the summer grain harvest and there will be no problem. Finally there is good news!"
After working hard for many days, Zai Chun had dark circles under his eyes. When he heard the news about Fu Qing, the brush in his hand shook, and a drop of ink fell on the memorial.
"Ah... The Emperor has paid off his hard work, and the master did not abandon me in the end..." Zai Chun's aggrieved tears were about to fall.
It is indeed heart-wrenching. I can’t even imagine the suffering during the past few days waiting for the reply from the Chinese people!
Only now do I know how difficult it is to ask for help, and how painful it is to wait for others to give charity!
"Did the Chinese say anything? When will the first batch of food be delivered?"
"Yes, I have already replied... Didn't the head of state send us 3,000 tons of food at the beginning? In fact, the Chinese have never been used, and they are all stored in Tanggu Industrial Zone!"
"It was loaded onto the train last night and we can arrive at Dongzhimen Railway Station at noon today!"
Zai Chun's face turned slightly red, "Hey... I didn't want it in the first place. Why am I so stubborn? You immediately send someone to make arrangements. Let the Qing Dynasty Times send reporters, and let the Ministry of Household Affairs organize a convoy to transport grain..."
"Let these three thousand tons of grain be paraded around the streets of the capital for a few times with great fanfare, and then enter the granary. We must appease people's hearts!"
Fu Qing immediately arranged for people to organize it. This time the Chinese food aid was sent to Beijing, it must be done with great vigor and excitement!
On the morning of April 1st, exciting news suddenly came out of the capital, which shocked the streets and alleys.
"There is food... there is food... the Chinese are selling food to us... the train transporting food from Dongzhimen will be here at noon today!"
The streets and alleys suddenly came to life. Food is a curse that the Chinese people cannot escape in their lives. This famine is not the first and it will definitely not be the last.
Hunger exists in almost every Chinese person's memory, and even the common people in the capital are no better off.
"Amitabha... the head of state is really a living Bodhisattva, and he really delivered food... I remember when the British and French Japanese invaded the capital, the internal and external food routes were cut off, and I was so hungry that I ate the leaves of the trees..."
"Hurry and go to Dongzhimen to see if it's true... If it's true, the grain merchants in the capital will have to lower their prices!"
Under the court's deliberate publicity, countless people began to flock to Dongzhimen, and the streets were full of excited faces!
By the time the SAR train emerged from the horizon, puffing out white smoke, Dongzhimen Station was already crowded with tens of thousands of people watching the excitement, and the Jingshi Police Department kept driving away the crowd to maintain order.
There were more than 500 large grain carts dispatched by the Ministry of Revenue. One end was at the train station and the other end was sent to the Dongzhimen city gate.
"It's coming... it's coming... the train is coming..." People have never been so close to trains. Even the old people who were most resistant to trains now know that trains are a life-saving thing.
"It's so fast... the train is better... I loaded the car in the morning and arrived in the capital in the morning... The train is good, it's a life-saving thing..."
What is even more exciting are the victims who have gathered outside the city. Many of them are kneeling on the ground and kowtow to the distant rescue train.
When the train stopped at the station, rows of carriages were opened, and people immediately exclaimed. Each carriage was filled with food bags, and they were piled to the top!
Under the organization of the officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs, the peasants began to unload the carriages, and the carriages were filled one after another. Perhaps intentionally, several peasants with slippery hands suddenly dropped their grain bags.
Everyone saw pieces of white flowers scattered on the ground!
"Ah! It's white rice... The head of state sent us not rice with husks, but white rice... What a real person! He didn't cheat us at all..."
The hungry people couldn't see the food. When the white rice rolled down on the ground, the victims could no longer control their emotions and rushed over in a swarm.
"What a sin! How can we waste food... This is white rice that we dare not eat even in good years! It's polished rice..."
The victims who gathered outside the city rushed over and grabbed handfuls of white rice on the ground, even grabbing every grain from the cracks in the bricks. Every grain of rice was like a lifeline.
The police who maintained order didn't care about the victims. As long as they didn't grab whole bags of food and didn't block the road, no one paid them any attention.
Large carts filled with grain began to walk toward the city. Countless people along the way looked at the grain eagerly. Some people were suspicious at first, but when they saw some white rice leaking from the cracked bags, all doubts disappeared. Disappeared.
Of course Mr. Qing knows how to calm the people. Under his arrangement, whenever they encounter streets with many onlookers or large busy intersections, these grain-carrying trucks will accidentally spill some bags.
The white rice scattered on the ground attracted countless beggars to fight for it, and these wasteful behaviors actually aroused applause from the people of the capital.
The effect was really obvious. When the urgent additional issue of the Qing Times went on sale in the evening, the price of rice in the capital had dropped by 20%.
Zai Chun heard the good news in the evening. He drank half a catty more Huadiao in excitement. Zai Chun, who was blushing, called the queen and several noble concubines to have a family dinner.
There was a joyous scene in the Yangxin Hall. Queen Alut even used her status to persuade her Majesty to drink less. But the concubine Hui chosen by Cixi knew how to please a man.
"Hahaha... Sister, please don't be disappointed... Your Majesty has been working hard for so many days. It's rare that there is good news today, so I will let Your Majesty have one more drink..."
"Long live my Lord, please don't look at the large amount of food today. I know His Majesty's rules. In order to build up the navy and to provide disaster relief, Your Majesty will not eat after lunch, and you can't eat more than four dishes and one soup..."
"But today doesn't count...these dishes are all leftovers from the sisters' harem. I left one dish, each of the sisters saved one dish, and the queen presented three dishes..."
"It's such a complete table... Look, it doesn't violate His Majesty's will. It's lively again, hehehe..."
Zai Chun was in a much better mood today and drank too much. "Well... you are the only one with a sweet mouth. I will try your best tonight..."
Concubine Hui didn't care whether other women were jealous or not. Giving birth to a son was the only political task in Concubine Hui's heart, and every opportunity was worth cherishing.
But before she could kowtow to thank her, suddenly Da Sixi's anxious voice sounded outside the door.
"Your Majesty... Lords Yinggui and Baojun in Xinuan Pavilion are asking for an audience!"
