Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 292 Oversaturation Disaster Relief: The Magnificent Performance of the Zhao Shuo Khanate!
1240, the year of Gengzi.

Whether by coincidence or not, it seems that China always encounters misfortune in the Year of the Metal Rat, whether it be natural disasters or man-made calamities. This year, however, it is a massive locust plague and drought.

This drought was not actually a one-year event, but rather a three-year one, starting the year before last and reaching its peak this year. It was only due to the equal-field system and effective disaster relief that the public perceived the disaster as relatively minor. In the original historical accounts, the land was already littered with the dead, and Emperor Zhao Yun was forced to issue an edict of self-reproach.

"My virtue is not upright, and Heaven has shown constant blessings to warn against my lack of virtue... Now, people are anxious and restless, and the great mandate is nearing its end. Yet, both superiors and inferiors are still looking back and holding back, concealing their true feelings and cherishing their own lives. This shows that they do not understand my heart. When this decree is issued, regardless of whether you are an official or a commoner, all matters concerning my personal shortcomings, flaws in the administration, matters of great importance to the times, and matters of urgent concern to the people should be reported to me within ten days. I will then consider and implement them. Please present your thoughts in detail without any concealment."

Now, neither the common people in Jiangnan nor the government treasury have much stored up.

After Zhao Shuo and his son made their decision and discussed it with Yelü Chucai and other court officials, the newly established and massive Zhao Shuo Khanate was fully mobilized.

Firstly, one out of ten officials from the six provinces of Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Sichuan were selected to support the Jiangnan region.

Half of the participants went to Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, while the other half went to nearby Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, and Hubei provinces.

Even if the drought sweeps across the entire Jiangnan region, Fujian and Zhejiang will definitely be the most severely affected.

The main function of these officials was to supervise.

During disaster relief efforts, numerous problems and irregularities arise, and one cannot solely rely on the integrity and moral character of local officials.

These newly transferred officials serve only six-month terms and have no connection with local officials. With their participation in disaster relief, various malpractices can be minimized.

Secondly, half of the grain reserves of the major granaries in the six provinces of Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Shaanxi and Sichuan were allocated and transported to major granaries in the Jiangnan region.

Zhao Shuo had stationed a large number of troops in the north, and the army was of paramount importance. The imperial court needed to maintain a certain amount of grain reserves. This half of the reserves represented the maximum transport capacity while ensuring safety.

Thirdly, envoys were sent to Annam and Dali, requesting that the people of Annam contribute 800,000 shi of grain and the people of Dali contribute 300,000 shi of grain.

The Southern Song court had been locked in a long-standing standoff with Annam along the Red River, and Zhao Shuo was growing impatient. Moreover, the Red River Delta region had fertile land, yielding three harvests a year, and producing 800,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain should not be a problem.

Although Dali's grain production is not high, it has been peaceful for a long time and should have a considerable reserve. Zhao Shuo plans to sell 300,000 shi of grain.

These two countries gave the best.

If they dare not give it to us, Zhao Shuoteng will take action and send troops to destroy both countries!
Fourth, apart from the provinces in Jiangnan that may experience drought and the six provinces previously transferred, the remaining provinces of the empire will determine the amount of grain to support the drought relief efforts in Jiangnan based on a comprehensive consideration of warehouse reserves and transportation convenience.

Fifth, encourage people to donate grain.

Those who donated more than 100 shi of grain were awarded a plaque inscribed with "Loyal to the Emperor and Patriotic".

Those who contribute more than 500 shi of grain will be granted the rank of ninth grade.

Those who donate more than a thousand stones of grain will be awarded the title of eighth grade.

Those who contribute more than 5,000 shi of grain will be granted the rank of seventh grade.

Furthermore, non-Han or non-Mongol individuals who contribute 100 shi (a unit of dry measure) or more of grain may engage in commerce in a neighboring province. Those who contribute 500 shi or more may engage in commerce in three neighboring provinces. Those who contribute 1,000 shi or more of grain may acquire Han or Mongol citizenship, and their status will be equal to that of Han or Mongol citizens, with no geographical restrictions on their commerce.

The Zhao Shuo Khanate had always imposed restrictions on foreign merchants, generally limiting them to trading within their own provinces. Exceptions were made only if long-distance trade had been previously established and was genuinely necessary for the empire.

Now, the time has come to test their loyalty to the Empire.

As long as you offer 3,000 shi of grain, you can become either a Han Chinese or a Mongol.

Integrating outstanding individuals from other ethnic groups into the Chinese system has always been Zhao Shuo's basic strategy. Previously, they could only join the Eight Banners of the Semu people or participate in the imperial examinations; now, Zhao Shuo has provided a third way out.

And don't worry about the price.

This solution is only temporary and could be closed at any time!

Of course, at the same time, it was equivalent to Zhao Shuo assigning a price that could be measured in monetary terms to the identities of Han Chinese and Mongols.

One thousand shi of grain!

Converted to silver, that's one thousand taels!

In addition, the first four measures alone were already sufficient, even without public grain donations and despite the unprecedented drought in the Jiangnan region.

However, Zhao Shuo felt that this was not only a time for disaster relief, but also a time to strengthen the cohesion within the empire.

The measure of encouraging public grain donations was also added.

Everyone for me, and I for everyone!
In his edict, Zhao Shuo specifically declared that this policy would apply not only to the regions of China, but also to all areas within the territory of Zhao Shuo's Khanate, in the event of droughts, floods, earthquakes, or other disasters.

Sixth, local governments in Jiangnan should take stock of the population in each city, township, town, and village, and determine the household circumstances and grain reserves of each family, so as to provide relief in the event of a major disaster.

Zhao Shuo implemented the Fubing system and the Equal-Field system, and even minor officials were selected through the imperial examinations.

Moreover, the Jiangnan region had only been incorporated into the territory of Zhao Shuo Khanate for a few years, which was precisely the time when Zhao Shuo's control over the region was at its deepest.

When Wang Boda was providing disaster relief, he roughly divided the residents into five classes, which was vastly different from the systematic statistics of Zhao Shuo Khanate.

Seventh, urge local officials in the Jiangnan region to strengthen water conservancy construction and make full use of existing water resources to alleviate the drought to the greatest extent possible.

Eighth, the "Law on Locust Control" was promulgated, defining the responsibilities and obligations of the government and the people in locust control, and various measures were taken to control locusts.

This "Law on Locust Extermination" was actually a slight modification of Emperor Shenzong of Song's "Law on Locust Control".

To be fair, despite its many shortcomings, the Song Dynasty did have its unique strengths in handling domestic affairs.

This law on locust control is considered by later generations to be the "culmination" of ancient methods for combating locust plagues, and many of its measures are still in use in modern society.

However, due to officials' deception of their superiors, the superstition of the people, and the objective reasons of insufficient local finances, the actual implementation often falls short of expectations.

Ninth, the prices of all kinds of grain in the Jiangnan region are restricted, and grain must not be sold above the prices set by the government. Merchants who hoard grain will be severely punished; anyone who reports such hoarding and speculation will have their entire family executed! The informant will receive one-tenth of the confiscated grain!
The implementation of these nine measures caused a global uproar!
……

……

Hulunbuir Grassland.

"Tell me, how many sheep do you have at home right now?"

After hearing the message from the head of the ten households, encouraging people to donate grain, Su Jinuo called his three sons to his tent.

He is sixty-four years old and works under Dorbodo Heishen. He participated in the Western Expedition with Zhao Shuo, but has been retired for a long time.

He had four sons, but the youngest son was in charge of the kitchen. The youngest son lived with him and was very clear about the family's wealth, so there was no need to ask.

"My family has a couple hundred yuan left over!"

"Including the lambs, it's one hundred and eighty-seven!"

“I think I have about 150 of them. Natasha and the kids take care of them, so I’m not really sure.”

The three sons answered truthfully.

Sujino said, “Now that His Majesty is preparing for the famine in the Jiangnan region, he is encouraging the people to donate grain. We grassland people have no grain, so let us donate sheep. My suggestion is that each family should keep one hundred sheep, and the rest should be given to His Majesty. What do you think?”

"Alright, I'll listen to Father!"

"One hundred is enough! At worst, we'll just eat less meat this year!"

"Actually, even with only eighty left, we can still make a living."

The three sons readily agreed.

Sujino had prepared some reasoning to persuade them, but he was slightly taken aback by his three sons' quick agreement. He asked, "So readily? Are you really willing to offer so many sheep to the king?" The eldest son, Lodal, chuckled and said nonchalantly, "What's this? Sheep are worthless on the grasslands. We made a fortune conquering Fusang!"

The second son said, "Since we joined the king's ranks, we haven't paid a single sheep or horse tax. Now that the king needs us, if we're still stingy with a few sheep, are we even human?"

"And most importantly, how many times has the King provided relief to the grasslands when disasters struck? Where does the King's grain come from? Isn't it from the taxes paid by the Han people? In terms of disaster relief, we grassland people have actually benefited immensely from the Han people!"

The third son said sincerely.

"That's the truth."

Sujino sighed, “We grassland people have so many livestock. If we could convert them all into money, we would be much richer than Han farmers. But life on the grassland is hard! Especially when the White Disaster strikes, countless livestock freeze to death, and we are on the verge of starvation.”

The main purpose of raising livestock by grassland people is not to eat meat, but to feed them various dairy products.

Generally speaking, a family needs about one hundred sheep to maintain their basic needs.

A white disaster struck, and all the livestock froze to death, leaving only meat as a means of sustenance.

With fewer livestock, where will the dairy products come from?
They had a good winter, but famine struck in the spring, and some families even starved to death.

Not to mention the brutal killings that occurred among the various tribes in their struggle for survival.

Thinking of the disaster that struck the tribe when he was young, a deep sense of worry and fear flashed in Sujino's eyes.

He said, “The best outcome for us grassland people is for the Han people and the grassland people to support each other. Now that the Han people are suffering from disaster, we can only do our best to help them so that we can accept the king’s relief in the future with a clear conscience.”

"Only if Your Majesty's country enjoys lasting peace and stability can we continue to live like this, never having to worry about natural disasters on the grasslands. Rescuing Jiangnan from disaster is not only for the Han people, but also for ourselves!"

……

……

Meanwhile, in the Tubo Province.

"Yangjin, after keeping enough for your own consumption, what's the maximum amount of barley you can donate?"

Dorjee turned to his wife, who had been married for less than a year and was already heavily pregnant, and asked her the question.

Yangjin said, "It's less than 300 jin."

"How about we donate 260 jin?"

"Isn't this too much?" Yangjin hesitated and said, "The baby is about to be born, and we have many places where we need money, which we will have to exchange for yaks and barley."

Dorje shook his head slightly and said, "I don't think so. We used to be serfs, human-shaped livestock in the eyes of noblemen, not even worth a yak."

“Before, could you have imagined having your own land and being able to eat your fill every day? With our status, could we even use an iron pot? And most importantly, the powerful and wealthy could beat or kill us at will, and nobody knew how long they would live.”

"I never imagined that one day I would never have to worry about being beaten again! Let alone having enough to eat! And you, my beautiful Yangjin, the child in your belly, I never even dreamed of that!"

Yangjin nodded slightly and said, "I never expected that with the arrival of the Han people, we would be able to live such a good life. This is all thanks to the King's kindness!"

“We must repay kindness! Your Majesty is rich beyond measure, how can we possibly repay you? Now that the Jiangnan region of China is suffering from disaster, Your Majesty has finally given us this opportunity to repay your kindness, how can we miss it? Yangjin, believe me, after handing over these two hundred catties of barley, I will definitely work hard, harvest more barley, and raise more yaks, so that you and the children will not suffer!”

Yangjin nestled gently in her husband's arms and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

……

……

The western province of Romania.

"How about it, Annis? Sell me all your surplus grain! We're old friends, and every time I buy grain from you, I've always given you the fairest price."

Annis is a 46-year-old farmer from Romania.

Because Romania surrendered without a fight, the region was not only spared from slaughter, but also implemented the equal-field system.

However, Annis's original land holdings were neither large nor small, so he neither suffered a loss nor gained an advantage.

With taxes reduced significantly, his life became much easier. What was once a mere scrape by finally allowed him to have some savings.

He was naturally grateful to the imperial court.

However, he refused to donate grain for free.

Unexpectedly, as time went on, countless merchants began to buy grain frantically in order to receive the reward of donating grain, causing the price of grain in the province of Romania to rise.

The government issued a special order to restrict the trading price of grain.

Raising prices to buy them won't work, so we can only try reasoning with them and appealing to their emotions.

Annis asked, puzzled, "I just don't understand. Milio, what does the court need so much grain for? If there's a disaster in Jiangnan, so be it. The court could just reduce some taxes and provide some relief, right? Why does the court have to go to such great lengths to provide relief?"

He's almost fifty and has lived through several years of famine, always providing relief in this way; it's become a habit.

They were particularly puzzled by Zhao Shuohua's great efforts in providing disaster relief to the victims.

Leodoro, though a businessman, possessed far greater insight than Annis. He said, “Our thinking is different from that of the Chinese. The Chinese nation originated from the banks of the Yellow River, and it was the control of floods that united them. In their view, controlling natural disasters is the responsibility and obligation of the imperial court itself, which cannot be shirked.”

"Your Majesty's kingdom is now vast and the most powerful in the history of China. Naturally, it is better than the previous dynasties at managing natural disasters."

"Just you wait! Even if an entire region the size of Romania were to be affected by the disaster, I estimate that not a single Chinese person would starve to death!"

Annis's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. "You mean... even if a massive natural disaster like the one I've never seen before occurs, not a single person will starve to death? This... being Chinese is just too fortunate!"

"It's not just the Chinese people?"

Leodoro said, "His Majesty's decree states that whenever a natural disaster occurs within the Empire, whether it be in the homeland of China or elsewhere, the consequences will be the same!"

"Is there such a good thing?"

Annis was illiterate and had only heard about the general contents of Zhao Shuo's edict; he had never actually heard of this matter before.

The imperial court is going all out to provide disaster relief?
The Zhao Shuo Khanate, which ensured that no one would starve to death due to natural disasters?
As a citizen of the Zhao Shuo Khanate, do I still enjoy such benefits?

His mouth was agape, and he couldn't close it for a long time!
……

……

Thus, from the western province of Romania to the eastern province of Goryeo, ship after ship of grain was transported from the various provinces of the empire to the Jiangnan region.

Numerous officials from the north went to the Jiangnan region to conduct inspections.

In the Jiangnan region, water conservancy projects were constructed, economic conditions of each household were assessed, and locust control efforts were carried out.

The entire empire has been mobilized and is on high alert for the disaster in Jiangnan.

War can only test the military strength of an army, but rescuing a natural disaster that has spread to several provinces is the best way to demonstrate the overall strength of an empire.

Countless people are watching with bated breath!

(End of this chapter)