The flood in Shandong!
As time went by, more and more news about the flood in Shandong spread to Chang 'an.
Seven counties were flooded!
Millions of acres of fertile land were destroyed, people were displaced, and their homes were destroyed. The loss was extremely heavy.
"I have allocated money and grain for the construction of the Yellow River levee, and there are Qu Villages to release the flood. How could the Yellow River levee in Shandong collapse?" In the imperial court, Li Shimin looked at the shocking loss and roared.
"The Minister has failed in his duty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!" Duan Lun, the Minister of Works, apologized with a defeated face.
Building the Yellow River levee was the responsibility of the Ministry of Works. Now that the Yellow River levee in Shandong had collapsed, there was no warning at all. The army and civilians had no time to prepare, so the Ministry of Works naturally could not shirk the responsibility.
Li Shimin glared at Duan Lun and said coldly, "The Minister of Works, Duan Lun, has failed in his duty and is dismissed on the spot! The people in charge of the Yellow River levee in Shandong will be judged by the three departments. "
"The Minister thanks Your Majesty for sparing my life!"
Duan Lun's body trembled, and his body suddenly became shorter. Then he staggered back.
Many officials could not help but sigh. They knew that this time Duan Lun would completely disappear from the imperial court, and the Ministry of Works would be reshuffled. After all, the loss this time was too great, and naturally someone had to bear the responsibility.
After Duan Lun left, Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. For now, the best thing to do is to provide relief. Millions of people in the seven counties in Shandong have lost their homes. If we don't provide relief in time, there will be trouble!"
Li Shimin also looked dignified. He had experienced the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty. The flood did cause heavy losses to the Tang Dynasty, but if the refugees were used by people with bad intentions, the consequences would be no less than the flood.
"Pass down the order, all the counties around the disaster rescue. Minister Dai! Immediately prepare food and money to help the victims, "Li Shimin said to Dai Zhou.
Dai Zhou smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, now that the treasury of Chang 'an is empty, we can't take out so much money."
To provide relief to the people in the seven counties, the amount of money needed every day was astronomical. The imperial court could not take out so much money in such a short time.
"How can there be no money? Last year, the Tang dynasty had good weather, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. How could we spend all our money so quickly? " Kong Yingda anxiously said. Shandong was the main base of the Confucians. Every day that they delayed the rescue of Shandong was another day that Shandong would suffer.
With a wry smile, Dai Zhou said, "Last year, our Tang dynasty indeed had a bumper harvest. However, the imperial court has built nearly two thousand li of brick roads and is preparing for the western expedition to Tuyuhun. Almost all of it has been consumed. Although there is still some left, I'm afraid it's barely enough to cover the pensions and rewards for the soldiers in the expedition."
As soon as Dai Zhou finished speaking, many courtiers suddenly fell silent. It was because of the bumper harvest last year that the Tang dynasty had the confidence to attack Tuyuhun. However, the expedition had also almost emptied the Tang dynasty's treasury.
Kong Yingda sorrowfully said, "Are we just going to watch the people of Shandong suffer?"
Wei Zheng stepped out and said, "Of course not. The people can carry the boat, but they can also capsize it. The people living and working in peace and contentment is also the same for our Tang dynasty. How can His Majesty bear to let the people of Shandong suffer?"
Li Shimin nodded, "That's right. Pass down the order to immediately gather food and head to the disaster areas in Shandong. We must not let a single person starve."
"Thank you, His Majesty!" Kong Yingda's expression softened. As long as the people did not starve to death, there was still hope for everything else.
"Reporting to His Majesty, there will definitely be a plague after the disaster. Why don't we prepare in advance? Firstly, we can treat the people affected by the disaster, and secondly, we can prevent the plague." Fang Xuanling bowed.
Zhangsun Wuji agreed, "That's right. The Red Cross Society can also call for volunteers and donate money. We can definitely save many people affected by the disaster."
The Red Cross Society was nominally under the control of Empress Zhangsun. If the Red Cross Society helped the disaster areas, it would be beneficial to Empress Zhangsun's reputation. Zhangsun Wuji would naturally support it.
The officials also nodded. Now that the imperial court had no money to use, they could only rely on the people. Once the Red Cross Society helped, it would definitely greatly relieve the pressure on the imperial court.
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Okay!"
"In this Western Expedition, the compensation for the soldiers who died in battle will continue. The rewards for the soldiers who contributed will not be given out for the time being. Immediately give out the land in Shandong to compensate the people." Li Shimin thought for a while and said. Now, they could only rob Peter to pay Paul.
"His Majesty is wise!"
The officials said in unison. However, everyone knew that even with these measures, they could only maintain the current situation. The huge post-disaster reconstruction work was the main problem. That would be an astronomical figure.
"Actually, our Tang dynasty still has a huge amount of wealth in our hands." Dai Zhou said hesitantly.
"There's still a huge amount of wealth?" The officials could not help but look at Dai Zhou.
Dai Zhou gritted his teeth and said, "Yes. The Western Expedition Army traveled thousands of miles and captured countless cattle and sheep. If we can turn these cattle and sheep into money, the financial crisis of our Tang dynasty will definitely be solved."
Everyone's eyes lit up. These cattle and sheep were captured by the Tang dynasty and were naturally controlled by the Tang dynasty. However, once these cattle and sheep nominally belonged to the Tuyuhun tribe, once the Tang dynasty decided to dispose of these cattle and sheep, it meant that the Tang dynasty only had one choice, which was to turn Tuyuhun into the Four Counties of Qinghai. Otherwise, it would only sow the seeds of disaster. "
Dai Zhou did not want to intervene in the disposal of the Tuyuhun tribe. However, the financial pressure of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was too great. Dai Zhou could only think of these cattle and sheep.
Li Shimin frowned and said, "These cattle and sheep are indeed valuable. However, they are far away in Qinghai. How can they help Shandong?"
One was in the westernmost part of the country, while the other was in the west. The distance was thousands of miles. It would be difficult to use huge losses alone. Besides, those refugees could not just eat meat!
"If we sell these cattle and sheep for money, won't all the problems be solved?" Kong Yingda could not wait to say.
The officials looked at Kong Yingda helplessly. This old scholar's words were better than singing. It was dozens, hundreds, or even hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep. How could there be such a big market to digest them?
Kong Yingda could not help but feel angry. He knew that he had said something wrong.
Dai Zhou said thoughtfully, "Although what Minister Kong said is difficult, it is not impossible. Maybe one person can do it."
"Who?" Kong Yingda asked quickly.
"The world depends on the means to make money. This Old Man only listens to one person. "Dai Zhou looked around at the officials and said word by word.
"Mo Jiazi!"
The eyes of the officials suddenly lit up. In the world, who could make money other than Mo Jiazi? The Mo Family Village had become the world's number one village in a short time. If there was one person who could solve the financial crisis of the Tang dynasty, it would be Meton. Besides, Meton happened to be in Qinghai at the moment. He could be said to be the best person.
Kong Yingda could not help but feel embarrassed. The Confucians and the Mo Family were fighting openly and secretly. However, he did not expect that the person who would save Shandong, the headquarters of the Confucians, would be Meton. However, at present, the situation would be dangerous for one more day. Kong Yingda wisely put aside his sectarian bias.
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