Taipingchun

In August of the third year of Zhengde, the southeast was deserted, and the number of military use could not be sufficient. "

On Renchen in October of the third year of Zhengde, Susongchang, Zhenyinghang, and the six southeast prefectures were severely affected by drought. The patrol censor asked for a reduction or exemption of regular taxes.The Ministry of Household said: One cent and five cents are collected for water transportation.Follow it.

…………

In the eyes of those who are interested in the imperial court, Xu Xiu's letter of "Three Shus out of Ten" from Jiangning County came just right.

Many thoughts that had been in their hearts long ago were coherent together, and reminded them that this is a very natural, but reasonable and legal good policy. At most, they will quarrel for a few days, but they are the last to quarrel. Fear and troublesome things.

In fact, the statement itself was put forward by a junior official of the seventh rank, and it was really difficult to cause disturbances, but when Wu Tingju, the right chief envoy of Guangdong, published the book, everything was different.

No one can ignore the copy of a senior official of the third rank, the chief official of the frontier, even Xu Xiu's note that was hidden in the pile of official documents was also brought out together.

Afterwards, Du Yushi Chen Jin and others even submitted a detailed investigation report, which stirred up a thousand waves with one stone.

However, a very important national policy needs to be cautious after all, and it is not an easy task to introduce it so quickly.

There are those who agree, and naturally there are those who oppose it. The reasons for the opposition are very false, and the kingdom of heaven cares about petty profits, so it will be laughed at.

A joke is a joke, the most important thing is to get the money in your pocket, so naturally it has become another point of view.

The temper of the officials of the state, if placed in the entire history, can be regarded as stinky and hard. Reconcile the six parts from it.

But in his heart, he also remembered the source of the turmoil, the magistrate of Jiangning County, Xu Xiu, whose name is Junyi.Some people call it ignorant of depth, some call it ignorance of current affairs, and some call it a good prescription.

It is a blessing or a curse for him, but it is hard to say.

Not to mention that the imperial court has been talking about the tax collection of the Shibo Division.

Let's say that the drought in the southeast has declared a bad harvest.

By the time of the autumn harvest in August, the originally happy farmers were all gloomy.

It is hard for anyone to accept that the rice in the golden farmland, which was extremely resilient in the past, would turn into crumbs if touched without any effort.

Good trees withered, farmland decayed.

Over Jiangning County, even over the southeast, there is a depressive air pressure.

"Folks."

Xu Xiu stood on a one-foot-square earthen platform, surrounded by villagers from nearby villages.

Hearing his call, everyone fell silent.

Looking at the dejected faces, Xu Xiu was a little bit affected, the loess on his face made him also covered in dust.

But now is not the time to accompany them with frowns, but motivation and hope.

Sink the qi into the dantian, and use the qi to make a sound, so that the sound can be hit far enough.This is the basic skill of learning opera. In the early years, there were no microphones on the stage, but the audience could hear what was being sung on the stage. This is the reason.

"Folks. This county is Xuxiu, Jiangning County. I am here to visit you. The drought has been severe in recent days. Many people have failed their harvests. The tenants can't pay the rent, and there is no place for their own... Here, this county Let me assure you that natural disasters are inevitable. As long as we can look forward, nothing can stop us. The county has been suspended several times in a row to report to the court. There must be something to say. Please be patient..."

Those words were vulgar and vulgar, but Xu Xiu could only say so. This was what the peasants needed most, instead of pretending to be merciful and vain.

But no one is an idiot. The villages with small-scale peasant economy pay more attention to immediate interests. If there is no such thing, it is difficult to convince people.

So Xu Xiu arranged for someone to post a notice, saying that the collection of land taxes will not be carried out at present, and everything will be dealt with after the arrangement of the court.

As for the landlord's family, Xu Xiu had already coaxed and threatened them, and forcefully asked them to reduce part of the exemption.

The price to pay is destined to be high, but nothing is more important than the current stability. As for what the landlord will think, Xu Xiu can't think about it that much for the time being. He only knows that the larger the base group, the less likely it is to cause trouble, They are a minority.

But Xu Xiu didn't know that it was really difficult for them to accept this operation, and because of this, it brought great trouble.

Seeing their lack of interest, Xu Xiu also knew that what he was talking about was useless.

Turning back to the county office, the court's statement still didn't come, but the people from the military came to ask for an explanation. He wanted to get up again before his butt was hot, but he sat back again.

Changpingcang is currently firmly controlled by Jiangning County. Without his consent, no one can take a grain of grain.

Xu Xiuduan sat on the chair, didn't get up, just cupped her hands slightly, her tone was very cold.

"Shen Zongqi, what are you doing here today?"

It's not surprising that this is the case, but after the drought spread, these soldiers came to the door from time to time, asking Jiangning County for supplies.

But what kind of person is Xu Xiu, who claims to be a machine changer, and knows that there are articles in it as soon as he thinks about it, so he rejected it many times.

The pawns also have that energy, if there is one, there will be two, and they come to the door again and again.

People also said that the food is theirs in the first place, so what is the difference between getting it early and getting it later?

Xu Xiu also knew that she would make a fuss, and she might not be able to please her, but she behaved abnormally in an extraordinary period, and she must not use the previous method of handling affairs, otherwise, once the hole is opened, more and more people will think about closing positions , make progress with every inch.It's not that there is no shortage of food for free. A severe drought is imminent, military use cannot be wrong, and Xu Xiu is asked to prepare a year or even a few years of food for them in advance. How could this make him a reality?

Yangzi once said, plucking a hair to benefit the world is nothing.

It is to prevent further unreasonable demands.

Xu Xiu has to do the same now, showing that she is unreasonable and doesn't know how to adapt.

Otherwise, today is the garrison of Bingmasi, and tomorrow it will be the Hedao Yamen, and the next time it will be the Xuedao Yamen. All units will come to ask, open their mouths, and want to stop, but it will not be that easy.

That Shen Zongqi saw that he had also dealt with Xu Xiu many times, so he didn't care about such cold words.

Grinning reeked of alcohol, Xu Xiu waved her hand.

Hearing him say: "Master Xu, we brothers are all waiting to eat, you have to give us an explanation today."

Xu Xiu stabbed her own scalp with a hairpin, and said calmly: "Every month's settlement, not a grain of grain will be lost to you."

"You can't say that. Now that the crops are failing and the grain can't be harvested, who knows if there will be enough grain in the Changping warehouse? The military situation is urgent. Since we are dealing with special affairs, we don't ask adults to give us It’s too much, as long as the normal monthly supply is guaranteed, an extra year’s worth of food will be given in case of need.”

Xu Xiu seemed to have heard some joke, and laughed loudly: "This county has heard these words many times, so you should also have heard this county's answer many times. Since Zongqi is so forgetful, then the county Let me tell you again, with a normal supply, Jiangning County will not lose a grain of grain for you, and any grain other than that is just wishful thinking."

"Master Xu, you have to think about it clearly. This is not just about our Bingma Division. Many other yamen in Jiangning County also have the same idea. Offending too many people is not the way to be an official."

Xu Xiu's face turned cold, and said: "How to be an official in this county is naturally a matter of this county, so Shen Zongqi can't make irresponsible remarks. See off guests."

When he came to the door, Shen Zongqi turned back and said: "Since the adults who speak under the post will not consider it, then next time, let our adults from a hundred families talk to Xu Zhixian."

Xu Xiu didn't say a word, just watched him go out.

If it were normal, these insignificant human affairs, it would be fine to just turn a blind eye and close one eye, and push the boat along the way, and it would not harm himself, but in this situation, every grain of extra food spent may end up in the end. It morphed into something beyond his control.

Zhang Cong said: "There will be more people offended now."

"Have fewer people offended?"

"I'm afraid these people will make trouble."

Xu Xiu said sternly: "For those who make trouble, don't blame the county for being merciless. When the time comes, I'm not afraid that I won't have an answer."

Xu Yang came in and said, "My lord, the imperial court has something to say."

Picking up the latest document, Xu Xiu frowned and said, "It's not optimistic."

Zhang Cong glanced at it and said: "It seems that the court didn't take it seriously."

The content of the document is very clear, tax reduction is possible, but it must continue to be collected, the water transport must be preserved, and there is no way to make up for the lack of military use.

Xu Xiu approached Liang Xingdao: "Calculate, how much land tax does this county need to pay?"

Seeing that he was leading the order, Xu Xiu continued to talk to Zhang Cong: "There is no other way now, but to open a warehouse. Each household can only receive five shares a day at most. How long can it last?"

Zhang Cong said: "If the drought can be ended before spring plowing next year, then everything will be fine."

……

In September, the autumn harvest had just come to an end, and Jiangning County began to help the people. In front of each village, there was a respected Li Zheng who presided over the collection of grain, and he was the guarantee.

With the food in Nadao's hands, the panic in his heart slowly dissipated.However, there are also unscrupulous people who dare to mess around with corruption, and those who were released by Xu Xiu to supervise caught a current one, and immediately put him in prison. During this critical period, any behavior that may disturb order will be Xu Xiu's enemy, treat the enemy , he doesn't want to be soft-hearted.

Xu Xiu sat sullenly in the lobby. He ran to Nanjing several times in the past few days, asking Nanjing Changping warehouse for food support, but he was sent back, saying that Nanjing itself could not sustain itself, let alone support.

These words must be prevarication, but there is nothing he can do.

In October, the weather gradually turned cooler, but the noon sun was still fierce, and the roasted earth further cracked.

The refugees finally appeared, and the people from many counties around Yingtianfu had reached the point where they could no longer survive, bark and grass roots.

Xu Xiu heard that a handful of grass over there had been sold for seven copper coins.

They didn't know where they heard that Jiangning County had food to eat and free hot porridge to drink, so they flocked into Jiangning County.

Xu Xiu had no choice but to set up a porridge shed outside the west gate to provide relief, but in the end she couldn't do it.

The people in Jiangning County have also had conflicts with others. We don't have enough to eat, and now tens of thousands of people are robbing food for food.

All kinds of conflicts broke out, forcing Xu Xiu not to touch the ground to appease him. He sought help from wealthy households in the city. Effect.

When the famine came, the landlord's family had no food left.

Landlords were not the only ones who had no surplus food. With the influx of refugees, various news gathered.

The rich family began to sell cattle and horses.

Two families sold their farmland.

The three families have nothing to sell, they can only sell their sons and daughters.

People from Lin County said that a girl can sell a bucket of rice, but a little boy can only sell it for a liter of rice.

Xu Xiu couldn't speak, he was not feeling well.It seems that these girls will become the daughters-in-law of their respective families once the famine is over, and the little boys eat too much and can't work now, so they are really worthless.

It was only at this time that he realized how precious it is for future generations to support each other when one is in trouble, and when natural disasters are merciless and people are merciful.

It is normal for the small peasant economy to be able to preserve itself because it has almost no resistance to natural disasters.

Later generations cannot look down on the ancients, and the ancients do not need to criticize the later generations. It is just the different situations caused by the different development of the times.

The drought shows no sign of improvement, and the death rate among the refugees has risen sharply.

This was already the limit of what Xu Xiu could do, but seeing more and more refugees and the porridge gradually clearing up, he couldn't help but be anxious.

Even the documents sent to Nanjing followed the words directly.

The people are innocent, and the people die tragically, and the other generation can also drink and eat.

You are all executioners.

It's a pity that apart from drawing hatred for himself and annoying Nanjing Shangfeng, it is of no use at all.

The grain in the city has risen again, the rice is like pearls, no kidding.

If it is said that the last time artificially caused the food to be high, but it can still be purchased.

The current increase in food caused by natural disasters has reached the point of looting.

The food store only opens for a short time every day, and then closes to thank customers. When it opens the next day, the food has increased by a few points.

All kinds of things, hearing Xu Xiu's ears, were extraordinarily sarcastic.

Afterwards, he found an excuse to convict several food stores in the city, and food became the best thing for them to pay for their crimes.

And Xu Xiu, who caused all this, naturally became less and less popular with them.

There were even various messages.

Fortunately, Jiang Ning's essay now fully describes what Xu Xiu does every day, so that such rumors have completely lost their market.

But it doesn't mean that they will swallow this breath like this, the series is going on, and the slow down is bound to go on.

Jiang Ning still has food, but if this continues, the food will run out one day.

All the members of the chamber of commerce were mobilized to purchase food from other provinces as early as the first signs of it, and took advantage of the trend to promote the gathering place at the South Gate.

Except that after buying a lot of food at the beginning, it was difficult to buy it again.

The severe drought in the southeast has spread throughout the country, and the nearby large grain producers have all played the trick of waiting for the price. Now that they have money, they may not be able to buy it.