Wentang

Chapter 496 Misfortunes Never Come Alone
Twenty cents for a bucket of rice, this price was sky-high three months ago, but now it is an unprecedented low price.

The common people went to Pingji Cang to buy grain from the grain store controlled by the imperial court like crazy, even if they had enough grain to last for a year, they still had to buy some.

For the great sage of Zhenguan who ordered the sale of grain at a low price, the common people also expressed their gratitude from the bottom of their hearts. They shouted long live every time they mentioned it, and Li Shimin reaped another wave of popular support.

And the continuous arrival of trucks and boats of food gradually calmed the hearts of the people.As for where the food comes from, they don't care, as long as there is food to buy.

But some people with long-term vision did not feel relieved by this, but worried.That's a storage warehouse, what will happen after the unlimited amount of grain is released?
What's wrong with the emperor?Wasn't he a very wise monarch in the past?

Many people began to write letters to persuade them to release food more leisurely, and even the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan sent a message telling him not to mess around, but unfortunately it didn't have any effect.

The major storage warehouses were opened to release grain, and the transportation of horses and horses continued day and night.

And just when everyone's eyes were attracted by the food and the locust plague, military orders were issued from the Privy Council to various military camps.

The Tang army began to mobilize quietly.

The border turned from offensive to defensive, and even closed part of the market.Part of the frontier troops were drawn into the country and stationed in various checkpoints and fortresses, and the forbidden troops were also transferred to station around major cities and important towns in the name of disaster relief.

The mobilization of the army is a major event that cannot be concealed from people, but the court's reasons are very good. The domestic restructuring is at a critical moment, and the locust plague in Guanzhong is on the verge of getting out of control. It is normal to mobilize the army to prevent rebellion.

Even if someone has doubts, there is no way.

At the moment when the army was completed, Li Shimin tore off his disguise, raged in the court, pointed at the officials, and broke the grain storage case.

The total loss control of the seven reserve warehouses is as high as more than [-] shi.

All the officials were dumbfounded at this amount. 90 shi of grain is an astronomical figure. From the beginning of the locust plague to the present, the imperial court has only used 60 million shi of grain to mediate grain prices and appease people.

How did those people devour so much food?The appetite is too big.

Infuriated, Li Shimin directly ordered the anti-disaster team, Yushitai, bad people, and the Ministry of Criminal Affairs to dispatch elite personnel to investigate the case.

He also ordered the Criminal Division to form a trial team to try this case specifically, and all those involved in the case will be dealt with severely.

None of the officials dared to object to the emperor's decision.

"Haha...God helped me too." Hearing the news from the court, Cui Sheng said ecstatically.

"Oh? Brother Cui, why is this so?" Liu Yi asked suspiciously.

"The storage warehouse has corrupted millions of stones. Once the news spreads, it will inevitably cause panic among the people. In a catastrophe, if the imperial warehouse is emptied of corruption, wouldn't it mean a food shortage? Haha..." Cui Sheng said.

"Come on, why didn't I think of it? Brother Cui is smart." Liu Yi also said happily.

"We need to add fuel to the fire. Find some people to spread the news. The more people who know, the better." Cui Sheng ordered.

"Okay, I'll do it now." Liu Yi nodded quickly.

"Also, what happened to the food purchase? How much did you buy? Has it been discovered?" Cui Sheng asked.

"When the imperial court started selling [-] coins and [-] bucket, I already arranged for people to buy grain. The people who came forward were all tenants and children of my family. There will be no problem. Now I have bought more than [-] stones." Liu Yi replied. .

"It's only [-] shi, which is too little. Arrange people to continue buying. We will buy as much as the court pays." Cui Sheng said.

"But this will increase the risk of exposure, and we don't have enough cash." Liu Yi said hesitantly.

"Don't worry, the imperial court's attention has been attracted by the corruption case, so there's no time to deal with it. Besides, so what if they find out, we don't break the law by buying grain openly." Cui Sheng said indifferently:

"As for the money, I will discuss it with other people, and we will raise money together."

"It's already cost 20 yuan, I'm afraid they won't pay any more." Liu Yi said.

"Such a good opportunity to make money can still make someone surnamed Li ugly. Some people are willing to pay, so you don't have to worry." Cui Sheng said confidently.

"Okay, I'm relieved with Brother Cui's words." Liu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, and then said casually: "I don't know who is so powerful that 90 shi of grain was swallowed so silently. "

The corners of Cui Sheng's mouth curled up, and he said triumphantly: "Hehe... Do you think there are other forces in the world besides our aristocratic families who can do it?"

"Ah? The family did it? This..." Liu Yi was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Cui Sheng in astonishment and said, "Brother Cui knows so clearly, could it be..."

Cui Sheng quickly waved his hand and said: "Don't talk nonsense, I don't have such great ability, it was done by others, I just drank some soup. Let me tell you, some of the grain sold in our grain shop comes from this way." .”

"Hiss, you...are you not afraid of being exposed?" Liu Yi said.

"What are you afraid of? I really didn't participate in it. I just bought a batch of grain from a grain merchant at a cheap price. That's all. The procedures are complete, reasonable and legal, and there is a receipt from the Yachang." Cui Sheng said proudly .

"Tall, really tall. If there is such a good thing in the future, can you bring me one." Liu Yi smiled obsequiously.

"Haha... Don't worry, brother Liu, we have a happy cooperation this time, and there will be more opportunities to make money together in the future." Cui Sheng said.

"Thank you, Brother Cui, for your support. If you need me in the future, please let me know." Liu Yi said.

The world was in an uproar after the news that the reserve warehouse was short of a million stones, rumors spread everywhere for a while, and there was even an illusion that the country was about to fall apart.

Rumors of a food shortage that would appear every few days became rampant again, and the people's mood to hoard food was mobilized again.The grain depots and Changping warehouses controlled by the imperial court were even sold out before the new grain entered the warehouse.

Although the imperial court mediated the price of grain, the price of grain on the market was getting higher and higher day by day, and the price of grain in private transactions was still maintained at a super high price of a hundred cents.

Before we knew it, it was the beginning of June, and the people rushed to collect the crops so that they didn't lose production. The emperor announced that Guanzhong would be exempted from taxes, so that the people had some food in their hands, and the people's hearts were at ease.

However, the bad news is that the plague of locusts is getting worse day by day with the arrival of the scorching heat.At the end of June, a worse news came, that there was a severe drought in Guanzhong.

Yue Shan couldn't help but gasp when he heard the news, it really is a blessing that never comes singly.

Locusts are actually more afraid of rain. Once there is a heavy rain, the eggs will be drowned, so that the locusts can be dated and effectively prevent the next crop of locusts.And severe drought is the weather that locusts like most, and the plague of locusts really cannot be cured.

In addition, ancient agriculture relied purely on the weather, and once a severe drought occurred, it would mean no harvest.The area along the river is fine, but those farther away from the canal can only watch the crops die due to drought.

The locust plague has intensified the drought, and it is basically a foregone conclusion that Guanzhong will have no harvest this autumn.

People in Guanzhong are really confused now.

(End of this chapter)