Fight the Giants

   Chapter 673 Bad News

  Zhang Fu sent people to investigate Mu Yan's news, but found nothing.

   Frowning. Instruct Zhang Jin to hide the news from Huo Xi first, and he will not even return to the mansion himself.

"Master, I heard that Missy's shops in several places in Zhejiang Province may have lost a lot this time. I heard that Missy sent several people to various places to check, and took a lot of banknotes from the bank. I'm afraid that the staff in the shop will be lost."

  Zhang Fu was stunned, "I forgot about it. She still has a shop in Ningbo." I'm afraid it will be difficult.

With a solemn face, he told Zhang Jin: "Go back to the mansion and see if there is any latest mansion newspaper in the palace. Copy a copy for your nannie, and then let people stare at you. As soon as there is a mansion newspaper, you will copy it back to the mansion. In addition, give some money to your nannie. , I'm afraid she will use it."

"yes."

  Zhang Jin went back to the mansion and gave Huo Xi the latest mansion report.

  When Huo Xi saw the casualties in various places mentioned above, and the news about the loss of houses, crops, livestock, etc., his heart was worried.

   "Thank you Uncle Jin, I was wondering how to get this mansion newspaper. The second uncle and the third uncle also helped find someone, but it is still my father's face. There is no need for bank notes, I am not short of money."

   "That's good. The master said that if there is anything at home or the eldest lady, they can send someone to the yamen to look for him."

  Huo Xi nodded. He suddenly stopped him: "Father, can you receive military reports from all over the place?"

  Zhang Jin's eyes flashed, "Yes. The military newspapers from all over the country will send back to the capital of the five armies in the capital." After finishing speaking, he stopped talking.

  Huo Xi didn't notice anything strange about him, so after thinking about it, he asked him, "Then, is there any news about the coastal navy suppressing bandits?"

Zhang Jin took a breath, and replied bravely: "Yes. Uncle Ping Jiang, who led the navy from Zhejiang and Fujian to chase down the pirates this time, before the big turmoil, he had already found out that there was something strange at sea, and ordered all the warships to return to Hong Kong. shelter from the wind."

  Ping Jiangbo is Gong Ziyi's father-in-law. Uncle Pingjiang has outstanding abilities, and besides, he will command 400,000 naval forces this time, I'm afraid there will be no major incidents.

  Huo Xi nodded, "Okay, I see."

  It’s fine if it’s too flat. No more questions. Zhang Jin was greatly relieved and left in a hurry.

  The southeast coast, the wind stopped and the rain stopped, but it was a mess.

  Due to the flooding of the embankment due to the high tide of the sea, a 130 li area from Haimen to Yancheng was affected by the disaster.

  Chen Xuan was ordered to divide 200,000 troops to build the tidal embankment. It is estimated that the embankment will be more than 18,000 feet long. While building embankments, it is also necessary to count casualties, soldiers, and missing persons.

   There is an urgent report from the capital delivered to him.

  Private letter from the British public?

  Ping Jiangbo hurriedly opened it, and after reading it, he was a little puzzled, and handed the letter to the military adviser beside him.

   "Why did the Duke of England ask me to send troops to find the young master of the Duke of Qian?"

  Suddenly there was a big storm this time, many warships at sea were too late to return to the port, and the ship was destroyed and people were killed, all of which are still being counted. Why Tete wrote him a private letter, asking him to help find Mu Yan's whereabouts.

  The military adviser read the letter, "Uncle, the eldest daughter of the Duke of England is the one who just returned home this year."

  Uncle Ping Jiang nodded, he had also heard about the family affairs of the Duke of England.

  Seeing that Uncle Ping Jiang didn't understand, the military adviser pointed it out directly: "Uncle, I heard that in May, the third lady and the third son-in-law went to the British government as guests."

   Said the reason again. The military division did not know the specific situation, but only heard the rumors about the capital.

  Ping Jiangbo immediately understood, "Have you recognized your righteous sister? The Gong family is lucky to have recognized the eldest daughter of the British princess as a righteous sister."

   It is equivalent to hugging the thigh of the British Duke.

  Ping Jiangbo pondered for a while: "You mean, this Mu Yan is the son-in-law that the British Duke is looking for?"

"Whether it's a subordinate or not, I can't confirm. But this Mu Yan, who joined the British Duke to suppress Annan before, this time he was asked to lead Zhili's elite soldiers to suppress the bandits, I am afraid it is also the British Duke's intention. It seems that the British Duke wants to give He has accumulated some military merits. And this young master Mu is also the emperor's personal guard."

  No matter what, Uncle Ping Jiang couldn't treat him as an ordinary soldier.

  Ping Jiangbo pondered for a while, and ordered: "Order people to investigate in the direction of Turtle Back Island, and make sure to find Mu Yan's whereabouts."

"yes!"

  Although the capital city was not affected by the disaster, the impact was not small.

   "Girl, the price of grain hasn't risen much, but the price of salt has gone up! Now a catty of salt costs 80 yuan!" Vanilla came to report the situation to Huo Xi, sighing with emotion.

   "What, a catty of salt costs 80 Wen!"

  The people who follow Huo Xi are not the kind of people who don't eat fireworks. They are all very proficient in economic affairs. After hearing this, they all stared at her dumbfounded.

  Huo Xi was also taken aback.

  The capital city is close to the salt field, and the price of salt is not expensive. At the most expensive time, it was only thirty-five yuan a catty. Now a catty of salt costs eighty yuan?

  In the area where no salt was produced, can the people still afford salt?

"Girl, I heard that in Yancheng and Huai'an, the seawater flooded the salt warehouse due to the strong tide, the salt was dissolved and soaked in water, and the salt farm can't produce salt now, so the price of salt is going up. Girl, Shall we stock up on some salt?"

   "How much salt can you eat." The girls thought it was unnecessary.

   "But in case the supply of salt is insufficient, it will become more and more expensive!"

  Everyone looked at Huo Xi.

  Huo Xi didn't expect that the first thing that happened was the salt. This price increase is a bit scary.

  People can eat and drink less, and wear less clothes, but they must eat salt. Since ancient times, the problem of social instability due to the problem of salt price has not been uncommon.

"Go, ask the second lady about the hoarding of salt in the mansion, and ask her to arrange someone to buy some. In addition, Qiushuang will go back to Huo's house to see if your father has any news to send back, and then let my parents Go buy some salt and stock up."

   "Yes." Hu Po and Qiu Shuang responded and ran out.

  The British government and the Huo family bought enough salt to go home before the people in the capital could react.

  By the time everyone reacted, there was already a long queue at the entrance of the salt store, and the price of salt had risen to 120 yuan.

  Because of a large amount of hoarding, the salt shop was only open for half a day, and then was forced to close because there was no salt to sell.

   The more there is no salt to sell, the longer the queue will be.

  The emperor has begun to order to stabilize the price of salt. The price of salt has not risen anymore, but it has begun to be limited, and one person can only buy half a catty a day.

   Slowly, even people from the suburbs of Beijing and nearby counties and towns came to the capital to buy salt.

  When I went to the street, I saw a wonderful scene on the street. There were very few people in other stores, except for the long queue at the entrance of the salt store.

   No matter how much news spreads from the palace, saying that there is no shortage of salt and asking the people not to hoard a lot of salt, there are still many people queuing at the entrance of the salt shop.

  According to Huo Xi's copy of the Dibao, the death toll according to statistics from various places, it is said that in Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Xiangshan area, tens of thousands of huts were destroyed, 150,000 hectares of farmland were drifted, and more than 30,000 people were drowned.

  Shocking.

  Yang Fu and others sent back news that Huzhou, Jiaxing and other places were not seriously affected.

  Although there was a strong wind and heavy rain, the shop was still there, the goods in the warehouse were not soaked, and there were no staff casualties. Songjiang was only slightly affected. The family of my great-uncle in Huzhou is also well.

  Uncle Li Yu went to Hangzhou to join Yang Fu. And my uncle also helped to check the silkworm fields in Huzhou and Jiaxing.

  Just as Huo Xi breathed a sigh of relief, worse news began to spread from the palace.

  The three counties of Wucheng, Gui'an, and Deqing in Zhejiang Province suffered from epidemic diseases, and countless people died.

  After two days, another report was received, and the five counties of Yin County, Congxi, Fenghua, Dinghai, and Xiangshan in Ningbo Prefecture had an epidemic, and the death toll was countless.

   This big wave in Hangzhou Prefecture happened in May of the eleventh year of Yongle.

   By June, the three counties of Wucheng, Gui'an, and Deqing in Zhejiang were affected by the epidemic, and more than 10,580 people died. In July, five counties of Yin County, Congxi, Fenghua, Dinghai, and Xiangshan in Ningbo, Zhejiang were affected by the epidemic, killing more than 9,100 people.

  (end of this chapter)