Chapter 384 Response
"After the incident in Guangdong and Guangxi, the He Dynasty had already begun investigating the issue of grain reserves in various places. In fact, it cannot be said that there is absolutely no grain reserves. There are some, but the grain reserves in some places are several years old and have long been moldy and inedible.
In addition, some grain shops that were on the same line as Duke Xue raised prices arbitrarily to disturb the people. This kind of thing was simply not something the court could handle.
There are also eight major families.
The eight great families have seized land and grain. Over the years, Duke Xue has controlled the grain distribution, and the other seven great families have also stored grain. Fifty percent of the court's grain is in their hands, but no one is willing to give it up."
When Rong Que said these words, Su Qingqing could feel the anger and helplessness between his words.
"These old borers, blood-sucking, flesh-eating, bone-destroying things, are as greedy as leeches." Rage surged up, and Rong Que slammed his fist hard on the armrest. "After the incident with Duke Xue, they are even more reluctant to hand over grain. They have enclosed a lot of land in recent years. In their jurisdiction, grain prices are particularly high, and people are even more resentful.
If we want to solve this problem, we can't just catch them all and chop off their heads, but as the weather is getting colder day by day, we have to replenish food quickly.
The fastest way is to buy it from outside, then set up grain shops in some places in the name of the court, sell it at a fair price, and drive the adjustment of local grain prices."
The three places closest to the Great Yan Kingdom are Zhao Kingdom, Great Qi and Southern Liang.
Logically speaking, Zhao State should be the first choice. Firstly, it is Su Qingqing 's mother's home, and secondly, Zhao State is the weakest. Even if Zhao State knew that they had no surplus food, it might not dare to have any other thoughts.
Moreover, there was a Great Yan State between Zhao State and Southern Liang and Da Qi.
If Zhao State wanted to avoid being swallowed up by the other two countries, it had no choice but to cooperate with Dayan State.
If it weren't for the relationship with Su Qingqing, Rong Que wouldn't have even had to think about it and would have directly decided on Zhao State, but now he can't be without worries.
He must consider how much harm buying grain from Zhao State will cause to Zhao State, and whether the country can bear it.
Su Qingqing pressed Rong Que's hand and said, "Don't worry, the grain that the eight major families have stored in their land may not be unavailable."
Rong Que looked at Su Qingqing.
Su Qingqing smiled and said, "You are all gentlemen, and you all think openly when doing things. I am a soldier, so I think differently from you.
In the past, when we went on an expedition, we often had no rations. The imperial court failed to allocate rations in a timely manner, the officials escorting the rations withheld them along the way, and we had to exchange old rice for new rice. We encountered many such situations.
But we can't let the soldiers fight on an empty stomach.
Usually it’s just grabbing!
Just grab it!
They fought against whoever they were fighting against, and they fought with all their might. They ate well in the first month, and tried to win the city in a month. The soldiers also knew that if they failed to win the city in a month, they would have to fight on an empty stomach the rest of the time.
When Su Qingqing said these words, her tone was so light and soft, Rong Que felt as if needles were stabbing his heart.
What did the soldiers fight so hard for?
As a result, there was not even enough food to go around in the rear.
Is the Great Yan State short of food? No, the Great Yan State has plenty of food, but there is not enough for the soldiers to eat.
Now, there is no such thing as refugees from disaster areas.
My heart felt like it was blocked by a ball of cotton soaked in water, making me feel stuffy and uncomfortable.
Su Qingqing's expression was still calm. She had experienced too many desperate counterattacks when there was no food. "Let's think about this matter carefully. If we can avoid purchasing grain from outside, we should not take this approach lightly.
The State of Dayan was different from the State of Zhao.
If Mingzhao State purchases grain from abroad, no one will mind, because the country is weak and not a major grain producer.
But the Great Yan Kingdom was different. In the eyes of others, the grain of the Great Yan Kingdom was enough to feed the three Zhao Kingdoms.
But if you suddenly start purchasing grain from outside, this shock will cause too many consequences.
Between Zhao State and Southern Liang and Da Qi lies the Great Yan State, but don’t forget those spies, those spies from all over the world who have infiltrated various countries.”
Rong Que had considered all these things. After much discussion, he decided that purchasing grain was the fastest and most effective way. "The main reason is that we don't have much time. The people can't wait. If they wait one more day, many more people will die, and the risk of riots will be even greater.
Once a riot breaks out, the news of food shortage will be exposed, and we will be unable to cope with internal and external troubles."
Rong Que sat in the most honorable imperial study in the world and let out a long sigh.
Su Qingqing held his hand lovingly without saying anything more.
Rong Que still had some memorials to review, so Su Qingqing stayed with him for a while before leaving. She went out and told Ming Lu to make a bowl of calming soup for Rong Que.
There are endless things in this world to worry about, but your body is your own. Only by eating well, drinking well and sleeping well can you have more energy to fight those parasites.
The next morning, Rongque held an early court session. After breakfast, Su Qingqing took Jixiang out of the palace and headed straight for the military camp.
The soldiers were doing morning exercises. Zhao Kangjie was surprised to see her coming. "What happened to the queen?"
Su Qingqing glanced at the soldiers doing morning exercises and said nothing more. She entered the tent first. Seeing Zhao Kangjie looking as if he was facing a great enemy, Su Qingqing smiled and said, "It's okay. I just came to ask you if there is any progress in the matter of sending people to the northwest to recruit troops."
When Zhao Kangjie heard about this, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I was so scared. I thought there was some trouble in the palace."
Su Qingqing looked at him with a smile, "What kind of trouble can there be?"
"Who knows? The palace is the most chaotic place in the world. And now it is affected by the disaster. Food supply is unstable in various places. Who knows what kind of trouble will happen."
Su Qingqing laughed, "Even you, who is stationed in the military camp, know about it? Then tell me, is there any solution?"
Zhao Kangjie is indeed a veteran who has followed Su Qingqing through many battles. When he heard what Su Qingqing said, and thought about it for a moment, he said, "What can we do? If we don't have it, we can just rob it. If we don't have it, we always have someone who does."
Su Qingqing smiled while holding her tea, and Zhao Kangjie continued, "There happens to be a group of eight major families in the northwest, and they have plenty of food."
Su Qingqing asked, "Can the group of people you gathered win?"
Zhao Kangjie thought about it very seriously, then shook his head, "We can't win at the moment. The people from the Eight Great Families all look gentle and refined, but in fact, they are more ruthless than the other. They all have their own private soldiers. Their servants are all good at fighting. We are unfamiliar with the place."
Su Qingqing nodded, "Yes, we are unfamiliar with the place, but who is unfamiliar with both the place and the people there?"
