Han Shizu

Chapter 1492 Donations and donations, natural disasters continue

The afternoon sun illuminates the palace brightly. Rarely are the palace buildings in Ziwei City so transparent. This is the Qianning Palace, which is different from the comprehensive palaces like the Chuigong Palace. This is the real place for Emperor Liu to rest and rest. In the past, Emperor Liu rarely set foot.

However, the past few days were different. Emperor Liu not only came, but also stayed for several days, pretending to be in meditation, not seeing anyone, and not asking about world affairs, as if he wanted to get rid of the turmoil and troubles of the world.

The autumn of the tenth year of Kaibao has arrived, and the heat is gradually subsiding. In this season that symbolizes a good harvest, the Han Empire still cannot find peace.

The once-in-20-year flood in the Central Plains and the flooding of the flood river were a serious blow to the empire, and its huge and profound impact had already begun to ferment.

The work of rebuilding the aftermath is not easy to do, especially the preparation of money and food. There is no shortage of food for disaster relief and aftermath.

However, disaster relief is not only enough to have food, there is also a large amount of supporting materials that need to be raised, and money plays a key role in it.

Ever since the loan from Emperor Liu was rejected, Wang and Shen immediately corrected their mentality and began to "do practical things". Shen Yilun quickly raised more than 100 million yuan.

But this number is a drop in the bucket compared with the dozens of states and counties along the river and the size of millions of people.No matter how much money you have, it's not that you can't get it out, but the price you need to pay is that you need to weigh it repeatedly. Some of Wang Pu's words are still very reasonable. Misappropriation of other funds, one problem brings out a series of problems, the priority of which is worth considering.

The imperial court that gathered the elites from all over the world naturally had no shortage of smart people, and the financial secretary especially had a lot of people who were careful and budget-minded. Soon someone came up with a solution and solved the troubles of the two prime ministers, Wang and Shen.

Liu Xigu, Shangshu of the Ministry of Household Affairs, suggested that if the internal funds cannot be borrowed, then change the target. It is still the same idea, but the borrowers are changed to those nobles, landlords, and merchants in Xijing.

Especially merchants, they must have money in their hands, and the court has cut leeks not once or twice, and the most recent time was last year.What's more, borrowing is only an expedient measure, an emergency measure. After the new season's tax comes up, all problems will be solved.

This proposal was quickly approved by Shen Yilun, but Wang Pu did not agree. He seemed to be a bit morally obsessed. In his opinion, the imperial court would never ask for help from a group of merchants. It's been exposed, so what's the face?

Wang Pu disagreed, and Shen Yilun and Liu Xigu naturally did not dare to implement it. The concerns are understandable, but the problem must be solved, and the matter has froze.

However, as the prime minister of the imperial court, Wang Pu is obviously smart, and his mind is not as rigid as his usual rigid performance.Just when Shen Yilun was planning to "save" a sum of money from other places, Wang Xianggong's wise brain was opened.

Since it is aimed at merchants, why bother to borrow money, directly engage in fundraising, and call on the nobles, bureaucrats, and merchants in the capital to donate enthusiastically, to contribute to the country's imperial court and the people in the disaster-stricken areas, as much as they can.
So upright, there is no need to consider repayment, interest, etc., and there are examples to follow. Back then, Luan State Duke Murong Yanchao repaired Kaifeng and Luoyang, but they both organized a "fundraising" activity. The merchants in China are the main targets.

As soon as this idea was opened, everything became clear, and soon a fundraising activity among the wealthy and wealthy groups in the capital began, which was presided over by Prime Minister Wang Pu himself.

When Wang Pu came forward, how could the various ethnic groups and families not give face? Moreover, Emperor Liu, the biggest tiger skin of a big man, was also pulled up as a banner. Even if he knew it was going to bleed, he had to pinch his nose to recognize it.

After all, those who donate may not be remembered, and those who don’t donate must stand out, and a donation activity that reflects loyalty and righteousness seems to have evolved into a political donation.

All ministries and departments in central Beijing called on their subordinate officials to donate money. Under such a background, how dare they not be enthusiastic? Even Wang Pu himself donated a thousand guan, which is not a small amount of money for Wang Pu.

Prime Minister Zhao Pu, who had been watching the changes, also stood in front of the stage at the right time. He did two things in total. One was to donate a thousand guan by tightening his belt, and the other was to limit the number of donors from the DPRK and China to above five ranks. .

Beijing officials are inherently good in every way, but it also depends on their position, grade, and background. For most middle- and lower-level officials, life is not as good as it seems on the surface.

Zhao Pu's second move was deeply sympathetic to his subordinates, won the support of many people, and harvested a lot of officials' hearts in one fell swoop.

The fundraising activities were very impressive, and there was a lot of movement. Emperor Liu naturally heard about it, and even donated [-] guan in his own name. That said, let them find a way.

The only thing that made Emperor Liu feel a little uncomfortable was that none of the donators, no matter nobles or wealthy businessmen, donated more than [-] guan.

It's not that they are dissatisfied with this number, but the reason they gave is that they dare not "go beyond" and absolutely dare not surpass Emperor Liu in terms of donations.

However, after all, it was a small episode, and the results were gratifying. In just five days, more than two million yuan of disaster relief funds were raised in Xijing.Facts have proved that groups such as nobles, landlords, and wealthy businessmen are indeed rich, no matter when they are.

At the same time, the Ministry of Household Affairs also sent officials east to Kaifeng to assist Lu Yin who stayed behind to carry out such a donation activity in Tokyo.Adding up the donations from the two capitals, not to mention a complete solution to the disaster relief problem, at least the financial dilemma of the imperial court in dealing with the aftermath will be alleviated.

And when autumn came, the third batch of supplies coordinated by the imperial court had already been shipped to the disaster area.Getting things done is the most important thing.

However, before Wang Pu and others could breathe a sigh of relief, a piece of news that seemed more difficult came again, flooding the states and giving birth to epidemic diseases.

In this regard, the imperial court was prepared. Before the end of the rainy season, there were already signs of severe disease on the frontline of the flood fight due to the harsh environment.

In this regard, the imperial court naturally mobilized a large number of medicinal materials and medical officials to prevent the epidemic. However, the local sanitation conditions are still too weak. No matter which link has a problem, it still cannot prevent the final outbreak of the epidemic.

When the news came, the entire court was shaken. Emperor Liu was not too angry this time, but issued an order in a calm tone.So, after the flood relief in May and June, the big man in July started a new round of fighting against the epidemic and saving the people.

Natural disasters continued and came one after another. This scene made Emperor Liu feel like yesterday, as if he had returned to the early years of Qianyou, which was also full of disasters. How can he be in a good mood.

The country is in catastrophe, the external court is uneasy, and the inner court is disturbing him. With the rapid development of Zhang Dejun, one person and one incident are gradually revealed. Emperor Liu has also discovered that the charming Ziwei City The grandeur and beauty seemed to be an illusion created for him.

(End of this chapter)