Chapter 593: Digging a well and releasing food

Yi Tusheng thought that the peasant army would become truly powerful in fifteen years. The current force could not threaten the rule of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the emperor is in Nanjing and no longer Beijing, so they are still far from crossing the Yangtze River. What is most worrying is that the severe drought has lasted for more than ten years, which is the real cause of the destruction of the country. Without this, the Ming Dynasty would not have perished.

Yi Tusheng shouted to the outside: "Tell the Minister of Works Chang Long, come here, I have something to discuss with him." Someone outside agreed and went immediately. Liu Zongzhou said: "Now the country is in trouble and people are living in poverty. Does the Regent want to build a palace and build a house to waste money? This is a way to destroy the country, absolutely not."

Yi Tusheng said: "Mr. Liu is loyal and can be seen. I am very clear in my heart. I misunderstood this. I asked the Minister of Works to ask him to clear the river channel, dig wells and pits, hoping to relieve the drought." Liu Zongzhou sighed: "The Jing River and Wei River in Guanzhong have almost all dried up. Even if the river channel is clear, it is useless. According to historical records, such a severe drought has not occurred for thousands of years, and it cannot be solved by manpower. I think it is better to ask the emperor to issue a self-criticism and go to the Taimiao to ask for rain. This may bring back the dead with the help of the power of the gods!"

What Yi Tusheng, who came from the modern era, most did not believe in this kind of autumn rain worshiping ancestors. He shook his head and refused: "It is better to ask for yourself than to ask God. I still believe that people will conquer nature. Droughts are not formed overnight. It is not a matter of overnight to solve this situation. I want to transport all the food from the five southeastern provinces to Guanzhong, Shanxi where the disaster is severely affected, to crack down on grain prices, and to open porridge factories to help the victims so that the victims can fill their stomachs and avoid following the bandits to rebel. What do you think?"

Liu Zongzhou said: "I have thought about this method for a long time, but the food in the five southeastern provinces is also very tight. Even if all the excess food is collected, it is not enough to solve the drought. Besides, this drought can end when the gods and demons are not known to be over. If it lasts for a long time, the five southeastern provinces will not be able to bear it."

Yi Tusheng said: "I have recently conquered six Western countries, all of which are rich in resources, and have very rich grain reserves. Where can I mobilize food and grass? It's just a matter of troubles and time-consuming, and requires a large number of ships. It takes a little longer to drag it. Therefore, I also need to ask Lord Liu to find a lot of solutions in China."

Liu Zongzhou said: "Even if six Western countries are added, if there is a long-term drought, there is no way to save it." Yi Tusheng said: "I have other ways. We can dig wells in Shaanxi. When I was the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, I ordered some county governments to dig wells, but they did not implement it seriously. Now I personally go to Guanzhong and urge governments at all levels to dig wells in the fields as soon as possible, so that they may be able to block the invasion of the drought."

Liu Zongzhou said: "The prince really wants to go to Guanzhong in person, but if the bandits and robbers are everywhere there, there will be a lot of danger. The court has just stabilized. Can the prince be relieved?" Yi Tusheng said righteously: "I have received the great kindness of the previous emperor and cannot repay it yet. Even if Guanzhong is a dragon pond, tiger den knife mountain oil pot, I will go there. Besides, I, Yi Tusheng, are you from a corps. Are you still afraid of a few thieves? Please rest assured, Lord Liu."

Liu Zongzhou was also a member of the Donglin Party. He has always been upright and selfless. A few days ago, when Yi Tusheng was abolished and established, he was worried that Yi Tusheng wanted to be Cao Cao and Dong Zhuo. But now he saw that Yi Tusheng was upright and devoted to the country. He finally settled down a lot and bowed: "It is really a blessing for the court to have officials like the prince in the Ming Dynasty. Since the prince went to the national crisis regardless of life and death, I have nothing to worry about. Liu's ancestors have been an official for generations, and his family has a lot of money and are willing to donate it to help the victims overcome the difficulties."

This sentence reminded Yi Tusheng that when the Dashun army attacked Beijing, they captured the old Ming Dynasty officials alive and launched an activity of "recovering stolen goods and assisting wages", and plundered hundreds of millions of taels of silver at once. Instead of letting the Dashun army plunder, it would be better for the Ming Dynasty to plunder it first, but don't make too much trouble, otherwise they would be as complete as Li Zicheng's hearts in the city.

At this time, Chang Long had already arrived, and Yi Tusheng shouted to the outside, "Are Cao Huachun here or not, come in too." Cao Huachun kept waiting for instructions at the door, nodding and bowing, and walked in.

Chang Long was confused and asked, "Mr., my teacher asked me for my husband. I don't know what instructions did you give?" Yi Tusheng said, "You are now the Minister of Works, so you should do something that the Minister of Works should do. A large-scale drought occurred in Guanzhong area of ​​the Ming Dynasty. Do you know this?" Chang Long nodded and said, "I know, the whole country knows this, how can I not know?" Yi Tusheng nodded and said, "As the Minister of Works, do you have any good solutions to deal with it?"

Chang Long said in a daze: "This, this, it's not raining, what does it have to do with the Minister of Works? Well, you're wrong, I think you must have made a mistake."

Yi Tusheng snorted coldly: "The Ministry of Works is also known as the Ministry of Water. Drought is related to water. How can we say it has nothing to do with you, the Minister of Works? The Guanzhong area is dry, rainless and lacks fresh water. How can you make some water so that the people can live a good life in peace and contentment?"

Chang Long was a rough man and didn't understand these things at all. He was stunned: "I asked me to make some water. I'm not the Dragon Prince. I really have no choice to make some water there. I think I'd better ask for rain. Maybe it's very useful, don't you think?"

Yi Tusheng sneered, "Forget it, I don't think you can come up with any good ideas. Go back quickly and convene all the skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works to prepare to go to Guanzhong with me within ten days, and go there to dig wells and water the land for the people, so that our Ming Dynasty can be saved."

Chang Long smiled bitterly and said, "I heard that bandits in Guanzhong are rampant in the wild and dead bodies are exposed in the wild. If you don't send troops to strangle them, you will go and dig them wells. This will not solve the problem at all."

Yi Tu said angrily: "There are no bandits in the world. They are all ordinary people. They have no choice but to stand up and be bandits because they can't eat. If we give them food, they will definitely go home and live honestly. The bandits will defeat themselves without attacking them, and they don't need to lead troops to strangle them. On the contrary, if they just strangle and don't give them food to the people, then the bandits will definitely kill more and more, just like the situation in the late Han Dynasty and the late Yuan Dynasty."

Liu Zongzhou hurriedly said, "The prince is so wise. People say these words are so clear. I have nothing to doubt anymore. Let's raise food and grass."

Chang Long said: "I almost understand. Didn't I just find some skilled craftsmen who can drill wells? This is no problem. You are here to wait for my good news. Your disciple will give up."

Yi Tusheng waved his hand and the two left the house together. Now he and Cao Huachun were the only ones left in the house. Cao Huachun blinked his little eyes and looked at him without a moment.
Chapter completed!