"The imperial court's cooperation?" Gao Shilian was stunned and looked at Meton in confusion.
Meton said matter-of-factly, "Of course. Does the imperial court want to just take the money and not do anything?"
Gao Shilian smiled bitterly and said, "The imperial court asked the Old Man to come here. It's not enough to show their sincerity. Then how do you want the imperial court to cooperate?"
Now, as long as they could raise enough relief funds, as long as it was not too outrageous, the imperial court, which was so poor that it was crazy, would probably agree.
"How is the imperial court going to relieve the disaster?" Meton suddenly asked Gao Shilian mysteriously.
"Relieve the disaster?" Gao Shilian looked at Meton in confusion and asked in confusion, "But they will give food and porridge to appease the people."
"That's it?" Meton looked disappointed.
Gao Shilian said angrily, "What do you mean that's it? It's been like this for all the dynasties. How can the Tang dynasty be an exception? But if you have any plan, just say it. The Old Man will naturally report it to the imperial court."
Meton straightened his chest and said proudly, "Zimo said, 'The hungry have no food, the cold have no clothes, and the tired have no rest.' These three are a great disaster for the people! His Majesty is benevolent and righteous to relieve the people of their troubles, but it's like giving alms to beggars. The people can live, but they lose their dignity. How can they enjoy the fruits of others' labor like beggars? "
"Dignity?" Gao Shilian looked at each other. People were about to starve to death. How could they still think about dignity?
Meton said with a righteous face, "If it was me who suffered the disaster, I would rather work hard to support myself than accept the charity of others."
"It's easy for one person to support himself, but there are so many people affected by the disaster. How can there be so much work for them to do?" Gao Shilian shook his head.
"That's why we need the imperial court to come forward and find a livelihood for the people affected by the Tang dynasty. This is relief through work," Meton said seriously.
"Relief through work!" Gao Shilian thought for a moment and his eyes lit up.
The people who were affected by the disaster were so poor that even the imperial court would only give them food and porridge. How could they give them money? If they used work as a form of relief, the country would be able to build on a large scale and the people would have a way to survive. Naturally, there would not be chaos.
"But how can the Imperial Court have so much work to do in such a short time?" Gao Shilian said with some regret. The biggest project of the imperial court was to control the Yellow River. Unfortunately, it was flood season now, so it was not the right time.
Meton said boldly, "This kid once mentioned an idea, that is, there are ten paths in the Tang dynasty, and the brick paths are connected by crisscrossing paths. Isn't this the perfect opportunity?"
"Building a brick road?" Gao Shilian lowered his head and pondered.
"That's right. This is a brick road map with three horizontal lines and five vertical lines that I came up with based on the geography of the Tang dynasty. Please give me some pointers, Lord Gao." Meton respectfully handed a map of the Tang dynasty to Gao Shilian.
The construction of brick roads was the most labor-intensive industry. Digging and making bricks required manpower. Transportation required manpower. Building roads and laying bricks required manpower. If that was the case, the millions of victims might not be enough.
"Three horizontal lines and five vertical lines?"
Gao Shilian took it and looked at it. He saw the road map that connected cities. The three horizontal lines and five vertical lines connected almost all the strategic points of the Tang dynasty. With his insight, he could see that once the road map was completed, the imperial court's control over the entire Tang dynasty would immediately soar to a higher level.
Gao Shilian looked at Meton in amazement and couldn't help praising him secretly. "If you were 20 years older, the Old Man would definitely recommend you as the Minister of Works."
Just the strategic vision of the three horizontal and five vertical routes was enough to shock the entire imperial court.
"You didn't come up with the three horizontal lines and five vertical lines just to sell horses, did you?" Gao Shilian suddenly thought of what he had said before and looked at Meton with a strange expression.
Meton nodded proudly and said, "Of course. As long as the brick roads are built, horses will be in great demand and the demand will increase greatly. Only when we sell these animals can the imperial court have spare money to provide relief."
Gao Shilian couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. Who would have thought that selling horses could be connected with the national strategy? Such an incredible thing actually happened in front of him.
"The purpose of my visit today is to jointly write a letter to the imperial court with Mr. Gao. Now the Qinghai cattle are very popular, so there is no need to worry. As long as the horses can be sold smoothly, only the sheep will be left," Meton said bluntly.
Gao Shilian had no reason to refuse. This was something that could benefit both the disaster victims and the Great Tang, so he very readily stamped his seal on it.
Three days later.
When the first batch of money and the three horizontal lines and five vertical lines were placed in front of all the officials in the imperial court, they couldn't help but marvel. Those who could enter the imperial court were not idiots. They could naturally see the amazing features of the three horizontal lines and five vertical lines. It was much more advanced than the ten brick roads of the Tang dynasty that Meton simply proposed before.
"Mo Jiu is indeed a genius. Once the three horizontal lines and five vertical lines are built, the Tang dynasty will have nothing to worry about." An official of the Ministry of Works praised. At this time, Duan Lun had been removed from his post and the Ministry of Works carried out a round of purges. However, the construction of the Yellow River dike was not small, but the construction of the brick roads was a happy result. How could the Ministry of Works not cater to it?
All the officials also nodded. In particular, Meton's idea of providing relief through work made the officials' eyes light up. They were both disaster relief, but one was like a bottomless pit of investment, while the other was rich in return. Everyone could naturally see the advantages and disadvantages.
"Providing relief through work is also a way to have the best of both worlds. But in this way, the imperial court's consumption will be greater," Dai Zhou frowned and said.
Fang Xuanling shook his head and said, "The convenience of the brick road is obvious to all. Its biggest shortcoming is the high cost. Now that there is relief through work, it is the best time to build the brick road. Now that Mo Jiu is raising money in Lanzhou, we only need to wait until September and wait for the autumn tax to be collected. Naturally, everything will be better."
The flood in Shandong was a disaster, but it was also the best time to build the brick road.
Soon, the imperial court reached an agreement to provide relief through work and build the brick road. They directly announced that the Tang dynasty was going to build three horizontal and five vertical lines. In fact, the real construction began on the eastern section of the Longhai Line and the north-south brick road with the end of the Longhai Line at the center of Zhengzhou. First, a cross-shaped brick road network was created in the Tang dynasty.
At the same time, the Confucian and Mohist journals immediately cooperated with the imperial court to publicize the strategic significance and broad prospects of the three horizontal and five vertical lines on a large scale. Many merchants heard the news and once again rushed to Lanzhou City.
The brick road was indeed convenient. It was built on the basis of carriages. Whoever had a horse could seize the opportunity on the brick road in the future. Now, a large number of Qinghai horses were gathered in Lanzhou. They were good and cheap. If they missed this opportunity, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.
"Mo Jiu is really smart!" Gao Shilian looked at the horses disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye outside Lanzhou City and the carriages of money being pulled into the governor's office. His old face was full of smiles.
With this money, he believed that it would be enough for the imperial court to use for a while.
"It's all thanks to the imperial court's cooperation?" Meton also breathed a sigh of relief. Now, horses were more popular than cattle. In addition to the horses outside Lanzhou City being sold out, there were many merchants who wanted to order the next batch of horses. Meton could only reluctantly refuse.
"Next, it's time to deal with the sheep." Meton couldn't help but have a headache when he thought of the sheep that covered the mountains.
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