Just when they were worried about something, the imperial court unexpectedly changed its national policy and suddenly allowed grain transportation by sea. Who else could have such luck?
Therefore, without saying a word, Le Qingsheng immediately made an alliance with Wu Zhong and agreed that as long as he got the jade seal of the Qing Emperor, he would do his best to purchase the materials the Qing wanted for the Qing Dynasty.
The reason for doing this is that Wu Zhong can pay for the materials, food and grass this time. In the future, the scale will be larger, but Le Qingsheng will be required to transport it to Liaodong first. Therefore, he had to ask for a guarantee.
This matter was handled so smoothly, and the court's decision to change water transportation to sea transportation was considered a last resort. Wu Zhong was a little skeptical about this matter. Could it be that the emperor made this decision just to facilitate him?
However, think about it, how could such a big thing be done for his sake! That can only be said, good luck!
In fact, just taking the canal as an example, the reason why it was dug was not for the people's livelihood, but for the needs of the government. Not only the canals, but also the official road stations. In ancient times, they were basically for the rulers' own needs and rarely considered the people's livelihood.
Now that water transportation has been changed to sea transportation, the canal has not been abandoned, but has been specially rectified and dredged. Although the tax collection can be maintained, we have to admit that it can be regarded as a precedent for civilian use. How could it be for Wu Zhong's side? And do it specifically.
In fact, the successful completion of Wu Zhong's matter can be regarded as borrowing a lot of east wind, not only the matter of converting grain from land to sea.
The reason why Le Qingsheng was eager to explore new sources of money was not only due to the extremely high profits of doing business in Liaodong, but also to Zhang Pu's movements in Jiangnan.
When Zhang Pu found out that he was here, it was impossible to fool him about the land. What's more important is that a family as big as a big salt merchant must serve as a servant outside of the field tax. Even if you don't serve in the military, it's a lot of money every time you convert it into military silver. Preparing for a rainy day also makes these big salt merchants want to make more money.
Wu Zhong stayed in Jiangnan as a hostage. The two ships he brought were filled with grain and supplies, and Le Qingsheng's people went to Liaodong to discuss business.
They thought that this matter went smoothly, but they didn't know that everything was under Jin Yiwei's control. Just as the two ships set sail, the commander of Jinyiwei sent someone to report back to the capital.
Everything seems calm, but in fact, it is just the calm before the storm!
Having said that, it is true that in this area of Jiangnan, the rain has not stopped since the rainy season.
The long period of rain made it difficult for Zhang Pu to carry out his work. After all, he had to inspect grain fields and inspect various counties and villages. It was raining and the roads were muddy. Many places were flooded, making it impossible to walk.
Zhang Pu was a little worried about this. The emperor had already decreed that the south should pay attention to waterlogging disasters. When he was inspecting the area, he was naturally also paying attention to water conservancy and found that the situation was not very optimistic.
I heard from experienced farmers that there will be more rain this year than in previous years, and it is very likely that there will be a major disaster. However, water conservancy projects are usually built in the autumn when the grain harvest is slack. At that time, there is not much rain, which is conducive to organizing work.
With the current rain, we can only improvise and prepare for key areas in the rain to prevent severe waterlogging.
Regarding this matter, as time went into May of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, the rain not only did not weaken, but became more and more intense, which forced Zhang Pu to stop his own work and devote himself to disaster prevention and relief.
In Nanjing, the guarding eunuch Lu Jiude has received the emperor's order and has even mobilized the army to join the front line of disaster prevention and relief. Sun Chuanting, the Minister of Civil Affairs, even clearly stated in his assessment requirements for local officials the ratio of time spent in office and time away from home, in order to encourage local officials to rush to the front line of disaster relief.
In this early stage, applications for money, food and supplies used for disaster relief were stuck at around 50,000 yuan, and they were usually approved immediately. However, Yang Tinglin, the censor of Zuodu, also inspected the place in the rain to check the use of disaster funds.
Naturally, the people saw these measures taken by the imperial court and were grateful in their hearts. The reputation of Ming officials and the emperor's prestige are getting better and higher through this disaster prevention and relief activities.
In the continuous heavy rain, the southern officialdom was almost completely filled with the word "rain". When officials go to the government office, the first sentence they ask is no longer "Have you eaten?" but "How is the water situation?"
On the official road from west to east, every half day, no matter day or night, you can see postmen speeding past on the muddy road in the rain. Every other section of the road, there are local postmen waiting to relay the water conditions upstream.
Natural disasters are not terrible. As long as we work together, we can eventually overcome them.
This was well confirmed in May of the 13th year of Chongzhen.
Although the natural disaster did not change due to Emperor Chongzhen's crossing, the flood peak still hit on May 13th. The water in Wujiang, Gui'an and other places in Su, Song, Hu and other prefectures suddenly surged, regardless of the embankment. Houses collapsed.
In the original history, historical records record that the waterlogging situation was severe, the price of rice skyrocketed, and the price of rice was three or four cents in silver. Many rich families were closed in, and the people's food, grass, and trees were all gone, and their wives were left behind to sleep with the dead. The tyrannical gangsters gathered in groups, making noises to eat, the neighbors went on strike, and the villages closed their doors, and the situation was fierce.
However, in this regard, the butterfly effect of Emperor Chongzhen's time travel has fundamentally changed the situation.
Although the dikes were breached, grain fields were flooded and houses collapsed. However, most of the people were transferred in time under the early warning of the government. Then, the disaster preparedness prepared in advance, such as food distribution, also played a stabilizing role.
Teams of officers and soldiers appeared in the disaster area, and local officials comforted the victims. It can almost be said that although God is ruthless, human beings are kind, and the disaster area is in order, and nothing like the tragic things in history will happen again.
Although the people do not know what happened in history, they all have eyes. Of course they themselves know what would have happened if such a huge waterlogging disaster happened in the past.
But now, the emperor has indeed kept his promise. The money and food obtained by the governor from the previous inspection of the quota of officials and gentry and the collection of arrears were used on them. He also strictly enforced officials and worked with the people to tide over the famine. These things made many of them even set up the emperor's longevity tablet at home and pray to heaven that such a good emperor would live a long life. No, not long life, but long life!
For a long time, the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty was actually weak on the Jiangnan side. However, starting from the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, things began to change.
This flood involving the Yangtze River in the south of the Yangtze River lasted for many days. After the flood receded, the government led the victims to start epidemic prevention. Some simple common sense is naturally issued by the emperor's previous decree.
"You can't drink unboiled water, did you hear me? There may be dirt in the water, so you have to boil it and scald it to death before you can drink it!"
"For stinking corpses, the rotten things must be burned as soon as possible. It will be useless even if they are buried. Do you know that?"
"By the way, you have to wear a mask. Some things will spread in the air. It's very simple. Just check it out for yourself. There is dust and smell in the air. Can't you smell it?"
"..."
Amidst such warnings, a wandering doctor heard it very strangely. He quickly asked a government official who was warning others: "How do you know these things?"
The yamen officer glanced at him and saw that he was dressed like a wandering doctor, so he became more patient. He clasped his fists with both hands and saluted in the direction of the capital and said: "How can I have such ability? It is all stated in the emperor's imperial edict. By doing this, we can greatly reduce the possibility of post-disaster plagues."
The doctor You Fang was startled after hearing this, and then asked in surprise: "How can the emperor know this?"
As soon as he questioned the emperor, before the government officials could reply, the people around him were unhappy and immediately responded to him: "What do you know, you wandering doctor? You understand what the emperor doesn't understand?"
"Your Majesty is the True Dragon Emperor, and he has a golden tongue, so how can he not understand it?"
"Yes, the emperor must understand. What do you know?"
"..."
Facing the anger of many people, the Yamen servant, as the official representative, felt very proud. Seeing the professional and wandering doctors being displeased, he was even more interested, and then said: "The Emperor not only understands these things, but also has explanations. Talking about fleas on mice, mosquitoes, etc., these little things bite people's blood, and they are likely to spread the plague, which is very serious. Therefore, you must do a good job in exterminating rats and preventing mosquitoes. What about you? Don’t you know? Is it true that an incompetent wandering doctor like you only knows how to cheat money? "
At this point, he started to check: "Who are you? Where are you from? What is your surname?"
Hearing that the wandering doctor in front of him might be a liar, the people around him suddenly became unhappy and immediately surrounded him, helping the government officials to scold him.
This is indeed the case. There are some people in the world who, with the help of monks, wandering doctors, etc., cheat money and goods everywhere. This kind of thing is often heard of.
Seeing this situation, the wandering doctor was a little panicked and a little anxious, and quickly replied: "No, I am not a liar. I feel what Guan Ye said. There are several people who have traveled all over the country with me, thinking about it." The things that came out were very similar, so I was confused and wanted to ask who else was there..."
At this time, if he said such a thing, who could believe him? They all talked about wanting to capture this liar.
Of course, the government officer wouldn't listen. He asked for directions and checked his identity. It seemed that if he made a mistake, he would be arrested.
"Wu Youke?" The Yamen servant looked at Lu Yin and asked in surprise, "Are you Wu Youke, the Wu Youke from Dongshan, Wuxian County, Jiangsu?"
"Well, it's me, what's wrong?" Doctor You Fang, that is, Wu Youke, felt something was wrong. He didn't seem to be wanted, right? I asked a little panicked.
Someone on the side heard it and asked quickly: "Master, what's wrong? Is this a wanted criminal by the court?"
"Could he be a charlatan? He bumped into me this time. We can't let him run away!"
"Yes, everyone surround him, catch him, don't let him escape..."
"..."
Later, some impatient people even considered taking action. Wu Youke was surrounded and had no way to retreat. He looked so panicked that he didn't know what to do. This was simply a disaster falling from the sky! He thinks he has saved lives and healed the wounded, so he shouldn't have offended anyone!
But at this moment, I heard the yamen servant suddenly shouting: "Stop it!"
With such a shout, everyone stopped, including Wu Youke himself. They all looked at the yamen servant, wondering what he meant by shouting this?
The official said happily: "So you are Mr. Wu Youke! The emperor mentioned you in his decree and asked various places to find you, saying that you have knowledge about plague and have the best understanding among the doctors of the Ming Dynasty. When you go to the capital, under the guidance of the emperor, you should do your best for the people of the Ming Dynasty..."
If there are too many words, the people who hear them will not be able to understand them, but one thing can be heard. It was this wandering doctor who seemed to be really capable, and he was the person the emperor was looking for.
As a result, the people who were so aggressive just now felt a little embarrassed and quickly moved away from Wu.
Wu Youke himself didn't pay attention to them at all. He just looked at the Yamen servant in surprise and asked: "You...you mean, the emperor is looking for me?"
"Yes, the emperor's decree came for you. I didn't expect that I would bump into you, haha!" The yamen servant didn't care about anything else and was happy at that.
As a wandering doctor, Wu Youke went to the mountains and countryside. He didn't even know where he went. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen's decree has been issued for almost a year, but he has not yet found the author of "Theory of Plague" who was impressed by the movie.
Wu Youke himself was also surprised by this. If the government officials came to him directly and said that the emperor had issued an order to find him, he might be a little scared. But at this time, he heard the emperor say so many things about the plague, many of which were very similar to what he had figured out over the years. , that is, people of the same mind, I feel that I have a lot to say, and there is no fear in my heart.
All along, some of his medical experiences were different from those of ordinary doctors. He was rejected by ordinary people and even attracted attacks, which made his life difficult. More importantly, he felt that no one could understand him, which made him feel lonely.
But he didn't expect that he would now find a like-minded person with the same opinions, who turned out to be the current emperor. If Wu was not curious about the emperor, it would be a lie.
This time, he didn't run away. Instead, with expectations in his heart, he followed the government officials' arrangements and prepared to go to Beijing to meet the emperor, who was becoming more and more famous.
In the midst of this flood prevention and control, at the end of May, with Emperor Chongzhen's reply, a large number of Jin Yiwei rushed to Jiangnan. After meeting with Jin Yiwei commander Li Ruolian, the salt merchant case that shocked Jiangnan finally broke out.
The Jin Yiwei bypassed the Yandao Yamen and mobilized troops directly from various guard posts. They arrested many large salt merchants in Yangzhou, Huai'an and other places, as well as many salt-related censors and local officials. The crime is to cooperate with the captives and conspire to rebel.
