Dressed as a young lady, she became rich by relying on Pinxixi

Chapter 154 Food shortage

Not only did they get rich, but they also got promoted. Xu Siyu saw the guards' eyes light up, and there was loyalty and determination in their eyes, and she kept cheering in her heart.

very good!

From then on, there were no soldiers from the Yicheng camp, they were all her Lezhou guards.

When the ordinary guards saw their dormitories, each with three bedrooms and a living room in a small courtyard, they really put their last bit of heart into Lezhou.

Although the house was empty due to the rush to finish the work, with this new and independent courtyard, they had a place to bring their family members to live together and settle down in Lezhou.

"These guards are very motivated. They don't slack off on their duties and are eager to help Zeng, who is in charge, with the construction."

At the end of the month, Fan Boyu smiled and reported the situation of the guards to Xu Siyu.

The nineteen teams all had basic tasks. Xu Siyu arranged them to take turns on duty according to four-hour shifts, working three days and resting one day, so their rest time was long enough.

This was a military experience they had never had before.

Most of the people who came from the camp soldiers were honest men. Xu Siyu gave them so much, so they spontaneously wanted to repay the city lord.

"You did a great job. However, these things are just icing on the cake. The most important thing for them is to maintain their combat effectiveness. Protecting the safety of Lezhou City is their mission."

"Yes. I understand."

Because the spring was delayed by the snowstorm, no planting was done.

After the snow melted, the Xu family caravan began to receive orders for food from friendly merchants from all over the country.

Last year, the Xu family caravan sold 8 million shi of grain, and as of May this year, the demand it received exceeded 10 million shi.

The estimated grain output of Kelezhou this year is no more than 5 million shi, of which 300,000 shi are the food rations for the people of Lezhou.

In the study, Xu Siyu was picking and choosing, taking notes and preparing to reply to competitors.

However, the final reply still has to wait for Lin Yiqing to come back for review.

Speaking of which, Lin Yiqing has been gone for more than a month, and it’s time for him to come back.

If the news from the north is bad, Lezhou will have to keep more grain reserves to deal with the future demands from the King of the Southwest.

Maybe it was because she received too many requests for food, but Xu Siyu always felt uneasy.

Looking at the sky through the window, Xu Siyu frowned.

"Zhen'er, how long has it been since it rained in Lezhou?"

"My Lord, it's been over a month. It seems like it hasn't rained since you left for the north."

"Go to the front house and give Elder Du a message, asking him to arrange for people to pay more attention to the situation in the fields. Also, remind our own stewards to report any abnormalities in farming, livestock, fishing, and mulberry fields in a timely manner."

"Yes."

Lin Yiqing and his son returned to Lezhou in mid-June.

This return did bring news of a serious situation.

The father and son were robbed several times along the way, but the Xu family caravan was mature and had good relations with the local authorities, so they suffered no losses.

After Lin Xuan returned home, he was very silent.

Xu Siyu had to discuss work with Lin Yiqing first and had no time to care about him, so she just let him go back to the yard to rest.

"There's a food shortage in the north, and a locust plague this summer. I'm afraid there won't be any harvest this year. I've ordered the Siye Ranch to cull all the adult cattle and sheep, saving only a few for breeding and to help them through the winter.

However, our cotton crop is doing well, and the harvest should be similar to previous years."

"No harvest for a year? What will the people eat?"

"Grass, tree bark, anything... On the way, Xuan'er saw the skeletons of people who had starved to death. Their stomachs had been ripped open, and the inside was full of dirt. He was frightened and became less talkative."

Xu Siyu was stunned, then continued, "Then I'll let the court doctor take a look at him first, and then go see him later."

She looked at the exhausted man, held his hand, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Feeling Xu Siyu's concern, Lin Yiqing nodded to her: "My husband has traveled all over the country for many years and has seen all this."

Lin Yiqing still concealed some things. He had seen dead people, people who died tragically, but he had never seen so many, one after another.

"The imperial court hasn't issued an order to flee the famine, so the people can't leave their places. Of course, there are some brave ones who are fleeing, but life on the road is not easy either."

If people at this time were given the choice between dying on the spot and dying on the road, most would choose the former.

So, the Northwest just died quietly without causing any trouble.

"All of these have been rejected." Lin Yiqing pointed to the pile of documents requesting the purchase of grain.

As soon as Lin Yiqing came back, Xu Siyu talked to him about the friendly competitors asking for food.

"All? There are several of your fellow apprentices here."

"All of it. Now is not the time to do business." Lin Yiqing's tone and expression were very serious.

Next, he told Xu Siyu that he had asked General Long Wu to close Zhong'an Mansion Department Store for renovations.

"I have instructed Long Wu that if necessary, the department store's inventory should be donated to the court and the people should return to seek refuge."

"so serious?"

"Well, the army in the northwest is running out of food. I sent a petition to Yanpingjing asking for food, but it's been over a month, and there's been no response."

"Didn't I sell 150,000 koku?"

"There are 300,000 soldiers and nearly 3 million civilians in the northwest." Compared with this number, what Pingxiang bought from Xu Siyu was just a drop in the bucket.

Xu Siyu spent the entire afternoon digesting the information Lin Yiqing brought back.

According to the current situation, there is a serious shortage of food, and the court has been slow to act. I'm afraid it is waiting for an opportunity to make some extraordinary responses.

"Don't forget, this imperial court originally came from soldiers and bandits."

Xu Siyu nodded.

It's just that they are going in the right direction, their methods are barbaric, and they need a legitimate reason.

The imperial court had no food, and all those who had private food were lambs to be slaughtered.

Once there were stupid or greedy grain merchants who raised grain prices, or even raised prices a little bit just to follow the trend, the imperial court would take action to eliminate the "profiteers" in the name of the people's survival.

"We have to go and remind the people at Changjia Mansion." Xu Siyu was referring to both the Xu family and the Lin family.

After all, most of the time, people will be punished for this kind of thing.

"Don't worry, I'll let Shi Yan do it on the way back."

"During this period, we have to interact more with the Southwest Palace. If we can't, just send a letter. We will donate some food first to correct our attitude."

"it is good."

The five million shi of grain will only be available after the autumn harvest.

Now, Lezhou and Xu Siyu are still safe.

During the three months from mid-June to October, Lin Yiqing and Xu Siyu were watching the attitude of the Ming Dynasty and the disaster relief situation in various places.

The first imperial edict to collect grain was issued by the court in July.

This grain collection order was issued to the entire country, which was actually a tax increase on the people.

Lezhou is Xu Siyu's fief, except for the grain collection order.

Of course, this privilege is not unique to Xu Siyu, but is the common benefit of all meritorious officials.

But the Southwest Palace still sent her a letter, hoping that she could share the king's worries.