Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 881 Internal and external troubles

"What's going on? Sansi Shi, you tell us!" Zhao Kuangyin asked Sansi Shi Chu Zhaofu.

Chu Zhaofu was already sixty years old. He first served under Liu Ci and later under Zhao Kuangyin. He was known for his ability. In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, he served as the arsenal envoy, the general of the left guard, the privy envoy, and the inspector of the imperial guard.

In 971, Zhao Kuangyin ordered Chu Zhaofu to check the gold and silk in the left treasury. Chu Zhaofu finished the task within a few days and answered Zhao Kuangyin's questions one by one. Zhao Kuangyin appointed Chu Zhaofu as the general of the left guard and the judge of the three courts because of his good calculation skills.

Chu Zhaofu stood up, a little nervous, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said anxiously, "I have sent people to check the inventory of several grain warehouses in the capital these days, and found that it is decreasing day by day, and the speed is quite fast. In the past, the inventory was basically maintained, because most of the grain used by the people was purchased from some grain merchants. However, recently, the grain vendors in the market have rarely sold rice to the outside world, and even the import of rice has begun to decrease. They have switched to transporting southern porcelain, glassware, etc. Some rice shops have even closed down. When I realize that this situation is not right, I will report to the court immediately."

Zhao Kuangyin frowned, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes. The problem of grain storage in the government treasury was no small matter. Kaifeng had a population of one million, and consumed countless rice grains every day. If the capital was short of food, there would be problems, and people would starve to death, which was hard to imagine.

If it had been two years ago, when the Song Dynasty was strong, Zhao Kuangyin would not have been so nervous. Now it was different. Wu State kept attacking Song State unexpectedly, and now the two countries were at war. The sudden shortage of food in Kaifeng Prefecture was not an accidental event, and it might have something to do with Wu State.

"This matter is not simple. Send the Wude Division to investigate thoroughly to see if there are any spies from the Wu State behind this!" There was a hint of severity in Zhao Kuangyin's tone and a hint of determination in his eyes.

"Yes! Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will send someone to investigate today." Wang Jie'en, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Palace and the commander of the Wude Division, bowed and accepted the order. There was a hint of seriousness in his eyes, and it was obvious that he knew the importance of this matter.

Everyone knew how important food was. After hearing how dangerous Chu Zhaofu's words were, Zhao Dezhao, Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Guangmei and others panicked, with a hint of uneasiness in their eyes.

Zhao Kuangyin looked at Chu Zhaofu and Zhao Pu, with a hint of urgency in his tone: "How much inventory is left now, and how long can it sustain the capital's population of one million?"

"Now there are several granaries that are half empty. Fortunately, I noticed it in time... there is enough grain for at least three months. Now it is approaching the hot summer and there is no new grain. If we can increase the collection and purchase of grain from all over the country during the autumn harvest season in two months, there will be no big problems." Chu Zhaofu explained.

After hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. If the grain stored in the treasury in Bianjing City could feed a million people for three months, the autumn harvest would be in two months, and the extra month would be just enough as a buffer, so there wouldn't be any big problems.

"That's good, Master Chu. You discovered it in time and made up for it. Otherwise, it would have been a big problem."

"That's right. It's just a false alarm. You should hurry up and prepare to harvest grain in the fall and transport it to Bianjing City continuously. Then the food crisis will be resolved."

These ministers started to talk about it and spoke well of Chu Zhaofu. After all, they all had a good relationship with Chu Zhaofu, and now that there was no real major crisis, they were all willing to support him and say a few good words to him.

Zhao Kuangyin's face became uglier, his brows knitted, and his eyes showed a trace of anxiety. The remedy Chu Zhaofu mentioned was completely discounted in this special period.

He slammed the table hard, making a loud "bang!" The memorials on the table shook slightly.

"The grain transported in the autumn harvest, if the tax revenue in previous years is based on the grain supply from Huainan and Huaibei, now Huainan has been lost and Huaibei is also at war. How much grain can be collected and transported smoothly to Bianjing City in two months? If the Wu army cuts off the grain route to the Bian River, do you have a plan to deal with it?" There was a hint of anger in Zhao Kuangyin's voice, and his eyes were staring at Chu Zhaofu like a knife. Chu Zhaofu was stunned. How could he know so much? He didn't know how the battle on the front line was going, and what the current situation in Huainan and Huaibei was. He felt that he shouldn't be responsible for these emergencies!

However, although he felt a little aggrieved and unconvinced, he did not dare to talk back, because he could see that the Song Emperor Zhao Kuangyin was really angry and his face was ashen.

Zhao Pu, Zhao Guangyi and others also realized that with the Wu army approaching, there were indeed uncontrollable factors in this year's autumn harvest.

Zhao Pu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said: "Your Majesty, at this point, we can only quickly issue transfer orders to Shu and Bazhong to transport the grain from Bashu. Perhaps we can hold out for another half a year." There was a hint of helplessness in his voice, but he could only say this reluctantly.

Zhao Kuangyin still looked unhappy: "How can we transport grain from Bashu, which is thousands of miles away and the mountain roads are rugged?" There was a hint of doubt in his voice, and it was obvious that he was not satisfied with this plan.

"Use both shipping and land transportation..." Chu Zhaofu smiled bitterly and could only answer this way. He didn't know how to transport the grain specifically.

"Hmph, do you know how huge the consumption is and how difficult it is to transport grain?" Zhao Kuangyin turned his gaze to Zhao Pu: "Zhao Pu, as the prime minister, do you have any emergency plans?" There was a hint of expectation in his tone, and he obviously hoped that Zhao Pu could come up with a better plan.

Zhao Pu was just thinking about how to transport grain, but after thinking about it, he felt that this matter was fraught with difficulties. He nodded slightly, with a calm tone: "If we want to transport grain quickly, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the three departments alone to do it. It requires the cooperation of Kaifeng Prefecture, and even the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Punishment, Ministry of War, Ministry of Households, as well as local government offices, the Transportation Department, the Shipping Department, and the Grain Purchasing Department." There was a hint of firmness in his voice, and it was obvious that he was ready.

"That makes sense. The Wu army is about to attack Yingtian Prefecture. I won't have much time to transfer grain to the Song Dynasty. In one month, I will transfer three months' worth of grain to the warehouse to prepare for the war in Kaifeng. King Jin and Prime Minister Zhao, you take the lead and work with the three envoys to discuss a plan."

Zhao Kuangyin decided to entrust this difficult problem to Zhao Guangyi and Zhao Pu to take the lead. First, to strengthen the cooperation between the two. He had long known that Zhao Guangyi and Zhao Pu were not on good terms. If it was only handed over to one side, the other side might secretly hinder it. Now that the task was given to the two of them, they needed to work together.

If this incident happened in the past, when the court was stable and without internal or external troubles, he could choose to turn a blind eye and use the art of emperorship to allow them to have small-scale discord and infighting while balancing the power of both sides.

But now it is a critical moment and he can't just sit there and do nothing. Food and grass are very important right now. Even if the Wu army attacks, they can be used as supplies for defending the city. Otherwise, once the Wu army finds out about the grain storage in the Bianliang city treasury, it is hard to imagine how passive Bianliang would become if the Wu army besieged it.

"Okay! Don't worry, my royal brother. Prime Minister Zhao and I will work together to resolve this matter." Prince of Jin Zhao Guangyi also knew that this matter was related to the destiny of the Song Dynasty. If the Song Dynasty perished, his fate would not be much better. Therefore, Zhao Guangyi was more concerned about it than Zhao Pu.

After all, Zhao Guangyi was a royal relative. If the Song Dynasty ran into problems and fell into the abyss, he, as the younger brother of the Song emperor and a member of the royal family, would be doomed to end in tragedy. However, Zhao Pu and others might be able to continue to serve as officials. Therefore, at this critical moment, Zhao Guangyi felt that he had to take on this heavy responsibility.

Happy New Year to everyone, wishing you all good luck in the Year of the Dragon and a happy New Year!