Although it is late summer, the hot weather is still continuing, and some ice cubes have been added to the Chui Gong Hall to ward off the heat. Probably due to the heavy rains in the Central Plains and the floods in the Yellow River, Emperor Liu did not suffer from the heat this summer as much as in previous years.
However, perhaps it was a psychological effect, but when the rain passed and the sky cleared up, the tail end of midsummer made him extremely hot. Prince Liu Yang and Prime Minister Zhao Pu came hand in hand. As soon as they entered the palace, they felt the cold air in the palace, which was somewhat penetrating.
Emperor Liu was leaning on a reclining chair. He was wearing very thin clothes and was covered with a blanket. There was some sweat on his forehead, which looked a little abnormal. The hot weather was clearly causing him special suffering.
Liu Yang knew that Emperor Liu's body was taboo. When he saw this, he resisted the urge to make a fuss and persuaded in a low voice: "Dad, although the ice is cold, it feels good for a while, but it is extremely harmful to the body, for the sake of our family, country and the world." , please take care of yourself!"
After hearing what he said, Emperor Liu tilted his head, looked at Liu Yang and Liu Yang with sleepy eyes, and said calmly: "It's just some ice cubes to cool down, why does it involve the family, the country, and the world? I understand your thoughts, and my body will naturally I know it well, don’t worry, it’s just for a while, just get through it!”
"Sit!" Emperor Liu raised his hand to gesture to the two poufs beside him, and asked softly: "Has the disaster been completely controlled? There will be no recurrence, right?"
The two thanked each other and sat down. Liu Yang spoke. His serious face for more than forty days finally showed a relaxed smile and said: "Based on the results of the reactions from various places during this period, this flood has completely passed." Today, the rain has stopped everywhere, the weather has cleared up, the water level of the river has dropped, and the water conditions of the Bianhe River have returned to normal.
A new batch of Ding laborers have been arranged to repair the breached embankment. Hui Gong personally led people to protect the embankment in Chanzhou. The Government Office has issued a document to order local governments to deal with the aftermath in an orderly manner and restore peace to the people.
However, judging from the disaster reports reported by various prefectural governments, the situation is dire. Government and civilian property losses have been heavy, 370,000 refugees have taken refuge, there are many wounds in cities and villages, tens of thousands of houses have been destroyed, and acres of land have been destroyed. More than 200,000 hectares of crops were damaged by flooding.
The situation in Chanzhou and its surrounding prefectures and counties is the most serious. The entire territory is affected by floods and heavy rains, and there are also many Chengze countries in the surrounding areas. They urgently need the support of the imperial court for reconstruction and restoration..."
After Liu Yang finished speaking, the palace suddenly became quiet, and the monarch and his ministers all fell silent. Although there was not much expression change on Emperor Liu's face, his brows still frowned unconsciously. After a long time, he sighed heavily: "The heavy rain is majestic and the flood is ruthless. I knew the losses would be huge, but I still didn't expect it. It is so serious that we still underestimate its destructive power. This must be the most serious disaster that the Han Dynasty has experienced since the founding of the country!"
In terms of cultivated land, even with the vast territory of the Han Dynasty, the registered cultivated land in the country is less than 6 million hectares, and this heavy rain destroyed one-thirtieth.
Although the data reported by Liu Yang will not be so accurate, Emperor Liu believes that it will be more, not less, and there are many injuries that cannot be easily counted. Such a heavy loss, even for a big man, would be painful to bear.
The losses are not just flooded fields, lost goods, and damaged crops. This means that the court's tax revenue will be severely damaged this year. At the same time, more costs will need to be paid to rebuild the people.
And the more lasting effects will obviously not be easily eliminated, especially in the context of the imperial court's recuperation policy, which also encountered major setbacks due to this disaster.
It is conceivable that the court will make a series of policy adjustments in response to this flood. The price will be increased expenditures on people's financial resources, and the financial problems that the court has just alleviated will be amplified.
Emperor Liu could naturally see this series of influences and problems.
"How many casualties are there?" Emperor Liu pondered for a moment and asked again.
"It is difficult to count the specific casualties at the moment. We still need to wait for order to be restored and the refugees to return home before we can determine the number. However, based on the estimated casualties from various local governments, it should be between 30,000 and 50,000 people..." Zhao Pu started.
However, just like it had happened countless times in the past, Emperor Liu interrupted him again: "Thirty to fifty thousand people, it's such a big span. Is it thirty thousand or fifty thousand? How many are dead and how many are injured?"
Even Zhao Pu couldn't help but hesitate to ask such a question. After all, he couldn't give Emperor Liu a random number. After thinking about it, he could only bury his head and said: "Your Majesty, the specific casualties and missing persons have yet to be confirmed later!"
Emperor Liu is not unreasonable, and he also knows that this kind of problem is a bit difficult. After all, the current statistical efficiency is very low, and the disaster situation in various places is complicated, and it is not possible to obtain accurate data in a short time. Even Liu Yang's report just now, what was mentioned in it is probably only a rough estimate, and it is mixed with many predictions and estimates.
"There must be a number of casualties among the soldiers and civilians involved in disaster relief!" Emperor Liu said.
Sensing the change in Emperor Liu's tone, Zhao Pu breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands and said: "According to the report from Duke Hui Guo, 1,149 officers, soldiers and civilians died in disaster relief, 3,294 were slightly or seriously injured, and 314 were missing..."
Taking a gentle breath, Emperor Liu immediately gave instructions: "These are heroes and martyrs, and the court must respect them. The missing will be found with all our efforts, the injured will be treated with all our efforts, and the victims will be buried and paid generously.
In addition, the country has just encountered a disaster and needs to boost the morale of the people. We will select ten officials and citizens who have performed outstandingly during the disaster relief process. The Department of Publicity and Welfare will vigorously publicize their deeds, and I will personally meet them! "
"Yes!" Zhao Pu immediately understood Emperor Liu's intentions and immediately agreed.
Emperor Liu breathed a sigh of relief again, and ordered the two of them: "As for all the aftermath matters, you will be fully responsible for handling them. Allotments should be allocated, people should be transferred, and food should be distributed. It may not be easy to recover quickly, but the court’s attitude must be shown!”
"I understand!" Zhao Pu nodded and said: "We still need to ask for an edict regarding the tax reduction and exemption in the affected states and counties!"
"Excuse me!" Emperor Liu said decisively without any hesitation.
"yes!"
"Such a major change will cause serious harm to both the government and the people. Especially in the process of transitioning from chaos to peace, there will inevitably be rogue and lawless people who take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble. We should take strict precautions! We are hereby instructing all state governments to strengthen public security control and restore civil order. , the natural disaster has passed, I don’t want another human disaster to happen again, all supervisory offices, especially, need to do a good job in supervision!" Emperor Liu's tone was a little serious, a little cold, which made people unconsciously feel chilled.
After giving these instructions, Emperor Liu lazily shrank back between the lounge chairs, looked at the two of them with slightly squinted eyes, noticed the fatigue in their expressions, paused, and said softly to reassure him: "You guys are also very tired during this period of time. Thank you for your hard work. You have to take care of the aftermath and take some time to rest and pay attention to your health!"
Facing Emperor Liu's caring words, both of them looked touched and thanked him together.
Emperor Liu already wanted to expel the guest, but the two of them showed no intention of saying goodbye. After hesitating for a moment, Liu Yang solemnly took out a memorial from his arms and presented it to Emperor Liu: "I have a memorial for your Majesty to read. !”
Seeing his serious expression, Emperor Liu became a little interested. He took it and opened it, and soon something strange flashed across his face.
This is a confession, and Liu Yang's crime is just two words: negligence. This is due to the negligence in river construction and embankments during last year's eastward inspection, and the lack of vigilance on rain conditions and hydrology before the disaster broke out.
After putting away the memorial, Emperor Liu looked at Liu Yang and saw a calm look on his face, obviously ready to accept punishment. However, after taking everything into consideration, how could Emperor Liu really blame Liu Yang for this? His anger when he first heard about the disaster had long since dissipated.
"I accept this memorial of yours!" Emperor Liu said.
Liu Yang's expression subconsciously tightened, and he lowered his head, as if he was respectfully asking for punishment. However, after waiting for a while, Emperor Liu did not say anything further.
When he raised his eyes, he saw that Emperor Liu had put aside his apology and said calmly: "Right now, put state affairs first and focus on doing errands for the country and the people. As for other things, don't think about it!"
Liu Yang opened his mouth and wanted to say something else. Emperor Liu looked at him and forced him to swallow again. He said, "Yes!"
"Stand back!" Emperor Liu waved his hand.
"I resign!"
When leaving, Liu Yang sighed lightly, but the depression lingering between his brows seemed to dissipate a lot, and Zhao Pu followed silently out of the palace, a thoughtful look flashing in his deep old eyes.
To punish Liu Yang, Emperor Liu would certainly not punish him. In fact, he was very satisfied with Liu Yang's attitude on this matter. He was responsible enough and dared to take on this responsibility, which once again proved that he had the courage to take on the great cause of the country.
On the other hand, Liu Yang is the crown prince. If Emperor Liu blames him for such a disaster, it will easily cause unnecessary shocks and suspicions at home and abroad. To be more serious, it can be said to shake the foundation of the country. How can Emperor Liu Not careful.
While thinking about this, Emperor Liu suddenly had this thought flashing through his mind: Did Liu Yang have similar considerations before he acted like he was asking for guilt?
