After discussing the military affairs, Yu Shinan cupped his hands and said: "General manager, I have something important to report to you."
Yang Ji asked: "What's the matter?"
Yu Shinan took a deep breath and said with a wry smile: "The food crisis is coming again!"
Yang Ji was stunned and frowned: "I brought another two hundred thousand stones from Guanzhong, isn't it enough?"
Yu Shinan sighed: "It should be said that it is reluctant."
"How much food do we have now?" Yang Ji frowned and looked solemn.
Liangzhou already had historical problems such as a weak economic foundation, poverty and backwardness. When he became the head of Liangzhou's military and political affairs, the imperial court first immigrated hundreds of thousands of households at once, and then after the floods in Henan, it was like throwing away a burden. The victims of the disasters in Bingzhou and Yuzhou were moved to Liangzhou one after another, which concentrated all the pressure from various places on the barren and impoverished Liangzhou. In addition, there are captives and slaves. Although these people work for free, they still have to take care of their food.
Although the arrival of these people has improved Liangzhou's cities, roads, water canals and other infrastructure, and also made Liangzhou's prospects brighter, the huge expenditure at this stage is a very heavy pressure on the Liangzhou government. If the government fails to resolve this top priority, Liangzhou's bright prospects and superficial prosperity will soon be shattered.
Yu Shinan said: "The grain brought by the general manager, plus the more than 1.3 million grains stored in the official warehouse, total about 1.5 million dan, which is enough to cope with the current population. But if something unexpected happens, the next spring grain will be I’m afraid I’m still nervous before I mature.”
"Didn't you say enough at the beginning? Why are you saying you're nervous now?" Yang Ji didn't like to anger others, but he was a little annoyed at this time. Just because Yu Shinan said before he came to Beijing to get married, as long as Liangzhou adds two million shi of grain, it will be able to last until next autumn harvest. After this period of time, the people will be self-sufficient and reap the benefits. The common people have no regard for official grain. dependence will be reduced by as much as 90%. And the gap of two million stones can be transported bit by bit during this time period, and it will not cause a food crisis.
However, Yu Shinan now said that it was not enough and said that there might be a food crisis before the spring grain. How could Yang Ji not get angry?
Yu Shinan heard the anger in Yang Ji's tone and quickly apologized: "I didn't think carefully about my humble position. Please punish me!"
Yang Ji looked at Yu Shinan, who was bowing to plead guilty. He suddenly had nowhere to vent his anger and fire, and almost suffered internal injuries from holding it in. After holding it in for a long time, he let out a long breath of turbid air and waved his hand helplessly: "That's it, that's all! Tell us the reason! What is the lack of thorough consideration? Where does the problem occur?"
"According to the previous calculation, it can indeed be sustained until next autumn harvest, and then it will become easier. But the first one did not take into account the businessmen and students coming and going; the second one did not take into account the Qiang and Hu people who accepted the policy of separation and separation. , Tiele people, Sogdians, and Turks; the three did not consider buying slaves." Yu Shinan was also helpless. He let out a long sigh and said with a wry smile: "Businessmen and caravans only bring light and valuable things. Entering the country and being students with only one mouth to eat, these soaring crowds eat wherever they go. Although they pay, they cannot afford food or clothing. There are more than 260,000 foreigners and black households who have become citizens. These people were scattered all over the country, starting from scratch, and relying on the government's work-for-service relief to eat; and there were more than 40,000 slaves, and more than 40,000 mouths."
At this point in the introduction, Yu Shinan finally said solemnly: "These new populations have doubled the pressure on the local governments in Liangzhou. If the spring harvest fails next year, there will inevitably be a wave of hungry people. People's livelihood is the foundation of a country, and food and clothing are the key to local stability." The key is not to be careless at all. So we must think about the bad side and treat the spring grain as a bad harvest, otherwise, the situation will evolve in an uncontrollable direction."
Yang Ji's head was as big as a bucket after hearing this. According to what Yu Shinan said, Liangzhou's food gap suddenly increased from two million dan to four million dan, which was a full double. If ethnic minorities, merchants and slaves enter the country in the future, the gap will further widen.
"I need to know how much food Liangzhou is short of and what solutions are available." Yang Ji said to Yang Shanhui: "Yang Changshi, you lead the people, officials, and scholars to write a detailed report, and be sure to report all emergencies. We should carefully consider all possible incidents and various bad possibilities, and then pool the wisdom of everyone to come up with some ways to solve the food shortage."
"Here!" Yang Shanhui, Yu Shinan and other government officials heard the words and solemnly responded to the order.
As his subordinates left, Yang Ji's official room finally became quiet. He stared at the sunset outside the window with a sad look on his face.
The two words "food shortage" were like a heavy lead weighing on his heart. Yang Ji had never worried about food problems in his two lives, but now because of Liangzhou's present and future, "food shortage" made the two words "food shortage" heavy in his heart. Words became an unavoidable hurdle in his heart.
After a new round of checking illegal households and accepting various ethnic groups and tribes, Liangzhou has a population of more than 1.6 million households. Even if only 30% of the population needs government relief, that is more than 500,000 households. One stone of rice is only one hundred and twenty kilograms, which is enough for a family to eat for two months. If you save a little, it can barely survive for three months.
Calculated based on a year of relief, these more than 500,000 households need the government to prepare at least two million dan of food; if the army, merchants, captives, and slaves are also included, the need is nearly one million dan. If the grain reserves are included in the annual consumption of the army, merchants, captives, and slaves, the gap will be two million dan.
Although the assistance promised by Yang Jian will continue until Liangzhou is self-sufficient, the Sui Dynasty has problems with limited transportation capacity, long transportation lines, inconvenient transportation, freezing or falling water levels in Weizhou, rain and snow, etc.
Any one of the many problems is a huge problem for "Beijing grain and Liang". If there is a snowstorm, mudslide, or road landslide during the transportation of grain, they may eat up all the grain before the transportation team reaches the destination; and the local government, not only will not get half a grain of rice, but they will also have to provide food for them. Question, so the food in the capital cannot be transported by transportation.
Looking at the best, we can get another million stones from the imperial court, but the remaining gap of one million stones still needs to be solved by Liangzhou itself.
Moreover, with Liangzhou's raging momentum, the migrant population and slaves will definitely increase further in the future. The resulting problems will lead to a food gap that will increase step by step on the basis of one million dan.
The only way now is to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, but reducing expenditure alone is definitely not enough. We must find ways to increase revenue. However, there are many barren places in Liangzhou and the foundation is weak. Where can we find so much food in one year?
For a while, Yang Ji couldn't think of any good solution. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, he headed back home.
. . . . . .
After returning home, I took a shower and changed clothes, put on Yanju's regular clothes, sat down in front of the desk, and a sumptuous meal was served. It was really comfortable to stretch out my hands with clothes and open my mouth with food, especially with the few people waiting next to me. Fat girl, look at it...it really increases your appetite.
Xiao Ying also wore a set of Yanju casual clothes used in the inner house. Only the maids and the male master of the inner house could see these casual clothes. Naturally, they were not as strict as the clothes worn when going out. The gauze shirt was as thin and soft as a cloud, tied with a silk belt. Her slender waist made her sit there, giving off a graceful charm.
That kind of touching charm is indescribable, but once you see it, you can immediately feel the elegance that penetrates the bone marrow and is charming everywhere, making her like a peach blossom with dew blooming in the wind. It can only be reflected in young women.
The light shone on her body, revealing a hint of crimson bust under the soft gauze clothes. Yang Ji sat across from her and had a clear view of her tender skin and delicate collarbones. He could only feel the halo flowing on the face of the young wife, as beautiful as water and as smooth as jade.
Xiao Ying noticed her husband's gaze, and her pretty face turned red involuntarily. She couldn't help but smile and said coquettishly: "What's there to see? Eat!"
"Watch it all the time!" Yang Ji joked, and seeing that Liu Rumei and Qiu Shui Qiuyue were not there, he asked curiously: "The three of them are inseparable from you, why are they not here?"
"Rumei has already eaten. She and Chuchen took the Suzaku Guard to inspect the back house. Qiu Shui and Qiu Yue helped me count the accounts today, but they still can't let go." Xiao Ying hesitated and asked, "Lang Jun Is there something wrong? How about someone call them over? "
"It's okay, I just asked casually." Yang Ji suddenly glanced at the fat girls standing beside him, feeling helpless and speechless.
He was obviously married, and had finally gotten rid of those fat girls in front of him, but my mother seemed to have a special feeling for fatness and fitness, so she even arranged a new batch of fat girls for the couple. These fat girls had their hair combed The two horns are holding a tray, towels and other things in their hands. They look like the big fat doll holding a golden carp in the New Year pictures, so cute.
After thinking about it, he waved his hand and said, "You don't have to wait on me anymore, please step aside!"
"Here!" Several fat girls agreed, put their things aside and retreated down the hall.
Xiao Ying looked at Yang Ji and saw that he was a little absent-minded, so she asked with concern: "Mr. Lang, are the affairs of the country not going well?"
"Yes." Yang Ji suddenly lost his appetite when he thought of the huge food gap. He stopped using his chopsticks and looked at his wife.
"What happened?" Xiao Ying stopped eating, stared at her husband with her beautiful eyes, and asked softly: "Can you tell me?"
Yang Ji pondered for a long time and then asked: "What is the price of food now?"
"Rice costs about forty-five cents a dou, millet and millet fluctuate at thirty cents, and wheat is the cheapest, and can be sold for twenty cents." Xiao Ying is different from the pampered lady. Now she is not only a "prince's palace" "Liangzhou Region Manager of the Group", and often goes out to understand people's livelihood and sentiments, and knows the situation in Liangzhou very well. When her husband asked, he casually quoted the latest grain prices.
"This price is not cheap!" Yang Ji became even more worried after hearing this. He remembered that the world was in trouble every year, and the price of rice in Guanzhong was only three or four yuan. Even in disaster years, it was only five or six yuan. But the food supply in Liangzhou was ten times more than that, which was simply a shocking thing. 【Note】
Xiao Ying then understood why her husband was worried and had no appetite for food. It turned out that he was worried about the people's food problems. She thought about it and said, "Isn't it normal for food prices to fall in good years and rise in bad harvest and disaster years? If there is more food, everyone's life will be more comfortable; if there is insufficient food, everyone's life will be more compact. Isn't this how it has been for thousands of years? Why should Mr. Lang be so worried? "
"That's the truth. But there are hundreds of thousands of people in Liangzhou who depend on the government for food!" Yang Ji sighed and said with a wry smile: "If the government can't solve their food problem, they will go crazy with hunger and rebel. As for the court and local governments, They won't consider the difficulties faced by the government. And as the big boss of Liangzhou, how can I not be worried?"
"Actually, as long as the people can survive, no one will think of rebelling. The key lies in whether the government can provide relief effectively and whether it has worked hard. If the government clearly has food but refuses to use it for relief, then it will force people to rebel. Dead end." Xiao Ying glanced at Yang Ji silently and said, "I have a few ideas, I don't know whether to express them or not."
"Of course it's what I said!" Yang Ji didn't have the concept of "the harem must not interfere with politics", and the women in the harem were themselves members of the political arena. Basically, there were no queens or concubines who did not interfere in politics. If someone is stupid enough not to be involved in politics, then the cold palace is where she will retire.
In fact, Yang Ji also knew that queens and concubines from ancient times to the present have been more virtuous and involved in politics. For example, Queen Dugu and Queen Changsun are the most typical examples. The difference is that Empress Dugu is dedicated to public service and selfless. She follows laws and rules in everything she does. She never elevates an incompetent relative to a high position. Even when her son breaks the law, she supports and encourages Yang Jian to deal with it in accordance with the law.
In Yang Ji's eyes, Empress Changsun was virtuous but extremely selfish and had no limits on what she could do. Because if there was any benefit in the court, Empress Changsun would go to her mother's family to get it. She even took advantage of her familiarity with Li Shimin's character traits to teach her brother to retreat in order to advance, thus making Li Shimin deeply trust Changsun Wuji. What's even more outrageous is that her half-brother Changsun Anye participated in a rebellion case and was one of the masterminds of the rebellion. From a legal point of view, it would not be an exaggeration to kill the Nine Clan. However, Queen Changsun not only begged for mercy, but also supported her. An Ye continued to serve as an official, and eventually became Minister of the Ministry of War. This shows that Queen Changsun's involvement in politics has reached an appalling and unprecedented level.
Although Prince Wei's Mansion is not a royal palace, Yang Ji does not want his first wife to be a silly fool without any scheming; if Xiao Ying becomes silly and sweet, she will most likely give Prince Wei's Mansion a "big deal" in her future social interactions. Family" is causing big trouble. Therefore, Yang Ji, in view of his status and situation, has always encouraged his wife to understand politics, understand politics, and know politics.
"If Langjun doesn't want to trouble the court, he can take advantage of Liangzhou's geographical location and exchange more porcelain, gold and jade items that cannot be eaten or worn for the cattle and sheep of the grassland people, and then slaughter them and make them into jerky for emergencies. This way It can be said that the food of the grassland people can both enrich themselves and reduce the food supply, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone. However, dried meat can only solve the temporary food shortage. If you want to obtain a large amount of food, you have to rely on foreign wars to plunder it. As far as I know, When Aye was the general manager of Liangzhou, he always led soldiers to plunder the grasslands, and returned home with a full load every time." Xiao Ying glanced at her husband, pursed her lips and chuckled: "As the saying goes, like father, like son, Lang You can do the same!"
"Actually, I also have this plan! It's just that this opponent is not easy to find." Yang Ji couldn't help laughing and said to Xiao Ying: "The countries in the Western Region are relatively small and easier to fight; but Liangzhou, as the logistics center for entering the Western Region, The foundation is weak. If we rely on supplies from Guanzhong, the thousands of miles of supply lines will be enough to impoverish the Sui Dynasty and bring it down. Because of this, the Western Strategy of the Sui Dynasty must have a premise, that is, the food produced in Liangzhou can We can supply a hundred thousand troops for one year. Otherwise, even if we conquer the Western Region, we will be unable to follow up and actually occupy the Western Region. The final result will be a militancy, a waste of people and money. If I march into the Western Region at this time, it will certainly be able to relieve an urgent need, but it will also be able to scare the snake away. The consequences will be huge.”
"The second is Tuyuhun, but winter is approaching, and our soldiers may not be able to withstand the weather above. And once the war starts, it cannot be stopped. If the war lasts for a long time, even if I put aside the compensation for the sacrificed soldiers and the loss of weapons, After all, the food consumption alone is not something Liangzhou can bear." Yang Ji looked at Xiao Ying, shook his head and said, "This will not only fail to solve the food problem, but will further aggravate the problem."
Xiao Ying shook her head: "Mr. Lang misunderstood me. When I said foreign war, I meant the Turks."
Yang Ji thought about it carefully and asked with a smile: "Is the Turk you are talking about the Ashina Huaide sandwiched between the East and West Turks and Xue Yantuo?"
"Yes! It's him!" Xiao Ying smiled sweetly: "The Western Regions and Tuyuhun cannot be moved, and the Eastern and Western Turks are all ministers of the Sui Dynasty. Only Ashina Huaide still regards himself as the Turkic orthodoxy, and has shouldered the challenge of fighting against the Sui Dynasty. The banner of the enemy. Since he considers himself a Turkic orthodoxy, he will naturally bear the blood debt of Bujia Khan's attack on Liangzhou. If Lang Jun attacks Ashina Huaide in the name of counterattack, it is both reasonable and reasonable. At the same time, we can give a satisfactory explanation to the court and the people."
"Ashina Huaide, this 'old friend', is indeed my most ideal target for plunder, but the East/Tujue has shown a confrontation between two heroes. If we beat him at this time, wouldn't we be benefiting Qimin Khan in vain?" When he had free time these days, Yang Ji also discussed the surrounding situation with Yin Shishi, Yang Shanhui and others. Qimin Khan regarded himself as a minister of the Sui Dynasty, and forced the Tiele tribes in the north to live under the false pretenses. Except for the Xuexue tribe, which had a grudge against Qimin Khan, the rest surrendered to Qimin Khan, making his strength gradually stronger. , if the Sui Dynasty left it alone, sooner or later it would become a threat to the north of the Sui Dynasty.
As for Ashina Huaide, who was an enemy of Qimin Khan, after absorbing the Huxue tribe, he retreated to the Jianshui area in the northwest and lived with the Qigu tribe, with a total population of about 600,000.
The two heroes of East/Turk are now facing each other, and neither can do anything to the other, but both are gaining momentum and preparing for the battle to unify East/Turk.
If Yang Ji goes to attack Ashina Huaide at this time, the food he obtains may be able to solve Liangzhou's urgent needs, but the one who will gain the most is Qimin Khan and the Southern Turks. Therefore, from a long-term perspective, Xiao Ying This idea of attacking Ashina Wilder is not a good idea.
Xiao Ying smiled and said: "Lang Jun just wants food, and he is not trying to eliminate Ashina Huaide. What is there to worry about?"
"War blackmail, profiteering?" Yang Ji finally understood the meaning of Xiao Ying, the vixen. The two divisions of the Eastern/Northern and Southern Turks are now at a very critical and very delicate stage, and Qimin Khan because of Yang Ji's For this reason, the Sui Dynasty's trust in him was far less than it was in history, and its hostility to Qimin Khan was extremely deep. Otherwise, Qimin Khan would not have been forced to send troops to fight against Bujia Khan's partial division.
This also caused Qimin Khan to be more respectful to the Sui Dynasty and less understanding of the Sui Dynasty's attitude. If he led his army northward at this time, Qimin Khan, who did not understand the Sui Dynasty's attitude, would inevitably be attacked from the north and the south, and he would not be able to respect the Sui Dynasty. Pay tribute?
If Qimin Khan was not sensible, Yang Ji could have released his "goodwill" to Ashina Huaide. Ashina Huaide must have been ecstatic, and then tried his best to improve the relationship between Sui Dynasty and him. But when Qimin Khan saw the Sui Dynasty and his enemy Ashina Huaide "turning enemies into friends", he was still calm.
In this way, countless benefits can be obtained from both sides without even fighting a war. When going north, if you pass through the Great Lakes area, that will be another wave of benefits.
Yang Ji had previously only considered using violent means to kill Ashina Huaide, so he had many concerns. Once Xiao Ying woke him up, he suddenly realized it.
Since we can rely on the prestige and influence of the Sui Dynasty to reap benefits and suck the marrow of the Eastern/Turkic tribes, what a waste! If you don't fight, you are not helping the evildoer.
Thinking of this, he picked up the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp, and smiled ambiguously at Xiao Ying: "My wife has solved this big problem, and I have nothing to repay for my husband. I have no choice but to devote my whole life to the people tonight."
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[Note: The previous article said that it cost thirty or forty yuan to fight rice in Guanzhong, which was actually a big mistake I made. In fact, the Kaihuang five baht had high value and strong purchasing power, and the price of grain fluctuated between three and four dollars per bucket of rice. This phenomenon continued until the middle of the Great Cause. Later, the world was in chaos. Family members, officials, and local powerful people all made private money and used a large amount of private money and bad money to wildly plunder private wealth. This eventually led to the collapse of the financial system and credit system of the Sui Dynasty.
Although many historical books say that Yang Guang himself was minting private money, there are also some historical materials that say that Yang Guang massacred a large number of people who minted private money in a bloody and cruel way. I think these two contradictory statements are eager to aggravate the situation. The embarrassment caused by Yang Guang's reputation as a tyrant. In addition, Yang Guang died and the Sui Dynasty fell, so those who compiled history obviously didn't care anymore. Anyway, as long as it played a role in blackmailing Yang Guang and making those in power happy, it was enough.
At that stage, Yang Guang had lost his absolute control over the local area and the support of the people. Whether the person who made private money he killed was a 'chess piece' or the real culprit behind the scenes, it was all meaningless. Not only did the killing have no effect. The effect of "rescuing the market" actually made the precarious Sui Dynasty more chaotic and worse. 】
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