"Your Majesty, let's go. Although there is a drought this year, the disaster should not be serious. It is estimated that by the last autumn, there will not be enough food to harvest the previous season, and people will not starve to death in the winter." Gao Buyi was in a daze. Li Bai consoled him.
Gao Buyi nodded, and then walked around the town again. One thing made him furious again. Chang'an Prefecture Yin Li Qian had never left Chang'an since he received relief food from the court. I heard that he had been doing this at home. Ask for rain.
This makes people dumbfounded. If the governor doesn't come, the people below are imitating it. After the county magistrate made a symbolic circle, he never came again. He just distributed food regularly according to the population reported by the people below. Is the number of people correct? He didn't care, and even people starved to death, but no one cared about it.
This is typical inaction.
I endured the fire and came to the nearest county town. There were many victims on the streets. They gathered in small groups on the streets, waiting for the porridge shacks to deliver porridge.
The few people were not in a hurry. When the porridge shed was serving porridge, a few people came closer and saw that their blood was rising. There was rice in the big pot, but it was 30% less than the rice in the glutinous rice dumplings in later generations.
"Let's go! Go to the county government office." Gao Buyi walked in front angrily. Shangguan Pei Hui and others quickly followed. As a result, when they arrived at the county government office, they didn't even see the county magistrate. He said he was going back to Chang'an's home to give to his best friend. After Shou passed away, the county magistrate has been taking care of the disaster relief work in the county.
"Call your county magistrate!"
"Who are you!"
"Inspection of the censor." Shangguan Pei Hui took out a token. The yamen servant was startled and immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "I blinded my little dog's eyes. I didn't know that the adults were coming. Please forgive me. I won't hide it from the adults. My county magistrate is not in the county office, and has gone to the countryside to inspect the disaster situation."
"Alas! A county magistrate is more conscientious than a county magistrate! Hui'er, have someone capture this magistrate and tie him up in front of the porridge shed we saw before. Give him whatever the victims eat every day. Eat whatever you want until the disaster is over." Gao Buyi ordered through gritted teeth.
Shangguan Pei Hui nodded and waved to the crowd. A subordinate immediately came forward. She whispered instructions for a while, and the subordinate immediately went to Chang'an to arrest the person.
After that, Gao Buyi and others continued to wander around the county town. Soon a yamen servant hurried over with an official. It could be seen that the official was dressed in a dusty style. When he came to Gao Buyi, he knelt down and kowtowed: "I humble my duty to see you, sir."
Gao Buyi looked at the yamen servant kneeling behind him, who was the one at the county yamen gate before, so he nodded and said: "Get up, are you the county magistrate?"
"Exactly a humble job."
"Tell me about your inspection of the disaster situation."
"Yes. Currently, almost every household in forty or fifty villages and towns needs relief. Due to the sudden onset of the disaster, the county distributed relief food based on the population counted last year. There is a huge gap. If this continues, people may starve to death again. Condition?"
"How big is the gap?"
"It's more than 30%. If you include refugees, it's about 50%."
"What are you going to do?"
"Currently, there is still some grain in the official warehouse of the county government. After reporting to the county magistrate, it can be distributed first. In addition, there is also some surplus silver in the government treasury that can be used to purchase grain from the province. However, it has to be reported to the government government. I hope more can be allocated for disaster relief. food."
"Is it useful to give out money?"
"It is better to give people food than to give them money for disaster relief. Local food prices change every day, and the money will depreciate in their hands. Not to mention the local area, even the food in neighboring provinces is rising."
"What's the situation like in other affected counties?"
"Don't dare to hide it, sir, that's almost always the case."
"Did you arrange the distribution of bran cakes to the people?"
"After reporting to the county magistrate from my humble position, I arranged for people to do it. Because there were many more victims than counted, I could only exchange part of the grain for coarse grain, so as not to starve to death."
"Does Li Gan know about the food shortage?"
"We have all reported to Master Fu Yin, but I heard that Master Fu Yin also prays for rain every day in order to provide disaster relief."
"The official doesn't talk about on-site disaster relief, but relies on illusory things. I think he is tired of living. Didn't Chang'an Mansion give you an approval?"
"Haven't seen it yet."
"I understand, from now on you will be the acting county magistrate. As for your county magistrate Yang Tianwang, it will be good if you can live to eat."
"this!--"
"What? You don't have the confidence to do it well?"
"Of course not. It's just that I heard that the county magistrate is involved in something with Mr. Yang Guozhong. If you replace him privately, I'm afraid it will cause trouble."
"You have a good official reputation! Do a good job in disaster relief! If people starve to death again, I will blame you! It doesn't matter where the disaster relief comes from, it is the people of the Tang Dynasty. As for the follow-up disaster food, I will Go to Chang'an to find Li Qian, and they will be sent to all counties within two days."
"Thank you, sir! You are truly a living Bodhisattva who saves people in need."
"Go and do your business."
"Yes! Resign from my humble position!"
In the evening, the county magistrate had been tied up in front of the porridge shed on the street. This guy was a big fat man. When Gao Buyi and others came, he was yelling at the county magistrate.
"Xue Liang, you despicable villain, I don't think I'm too kind to you. You actually made a stumbling block behind my back and asked the censor to check me. Let me tell you, if you want to get high through this, it's just wishful thinking and it's blinding you. Dog eyes, you can’t afford to offend me?!”
Xue Liang could only smile bitterly when he scolded him. He didn't expect that the censor really tied up the county magistrate. You know, arresting people in Chang'an is no joke. Who would dare to do it without the signature of Chang'an Mansion? .
"Are you the county magistrate? No need to scold me. I arrested you. It has nothing to do with the county magistrate. He still said good things for you."
"Hmph! Tell me your name if you have the guts!"
"Oh? Gao Buyi, what, you want to tell Yang Guozhong, right? Tell me, what is your relationship with Yang Guozhong?"
"Bold! You can also call Mr. Yang's name?"
Gao Buyi curled his lips and refused to argue with him: "Do you know the disaster in the county?"
"Do you know what you want?"
The county magistrate on the side quickly replied: "Sir, the county magistrate knows the disaster situation in the county. Even the distribution of disaster relief food is an order from the county magistrate."
"Xue Liang! You don't have to be pretentious here. When did I ask you to use the government's stored grain? If you put the grain away without permission, you should be punished!"
Hearing that the county magistrate was stubborn, Gao Buyi was too lazy to talk to him anymore and ordered Pei Longwei beside him: "This person will not be released until the disaster is eliminated. After the disaster is over, he will be handed over to the Ministry of Punishment for questioning."
"yes!"
Gao Buyi said to the county magistrate again: "Rescue the disaster. You opened the treasury privately because you were doing it for disaster relief. You will be forgiven of all your sins. After the disaster, you will replenish the treasury immediately."
"Yes! Thank you, sir!"
After that, Gao Buyi didn't stay in the county anymore and returned directly to Chang'an.
