Chapter 786 Complaints and Collapse
Chapter 786 Complaints and Collapse
When Shao Xun returned to Jinyang, Yu Liang had already returned to Bianliang and organized the transportation of the first batch of collected grain and fodder.
Henan Province did not finish the summer harvest until late May. After the grain had been winnowed, dried and stored in warehouses, officials immediately collected the grain from each fort and manor, and then transported it to the residences located at various transportation nodes as soon as possible.
After the handover was completed, all procedures were simplified and the goods began to be shipped in mid-June to meet up in Bianliang.
In late June, food and fodder were transported to Hanoi.
Yu Liang dispersed the tens of thousands of workers he had in Bianliang, Xingyang, Henei, and Shangdang, and transported supplies day and night.
The first groups in need of relief were the Hu tribes in Shangdang, Taiyuan and Kelan counties.
During the war, they ate a large number of their cattle and sheep, and requisitioned many horses and draft animals.
Forget about horses, but cattle and sheep are important means of production. Without them, milk production will be less. Life in the second half of this year and next year will be difficult. Without relief, famine will inevitably occur, and another rebellion may not be impossible.
In addition, the large group of troops returning to Jinyang would rest for ten days before going to clean up the tribes in Taiyuan and Kelan counties that had rebelled.
Many tribes were afraid and fled westwards, crossing the Yellow River and escaping. But some people were lucky enough to think they would not be dealt with, so they stayed where they were and continued to graze as if nothing had happened.
They are the ones who are moving.
Not only will the Silver Spear Army and the Yellow Head Army be dispatched, but all tribes will also be ordered to go out and divide up the traitor's wealth together.
Of course, all this needs to wait until the first batch of food arrives.
Such high-intensity warfare has also caused complaints from people across Henan.
On the 25th, Yu Liang and Bian Dun sat opposite each other in the house.
"Did the king write this?" Military Advisor Bian Dun said with a wry smile.
King Liang wrote him a letter, mentioning the tragic situation when drought and locusts occurred many years ago.
Fathers and sons rushed into the rivers and lakes, brothers went into the mountains, looking for food everywhere.
Flowers and fruits are all gone. Grass roots and leaves are swept away. Even so, they only "live for a short time" and "die in the mountains and swamps".
Last year, Hebei was hit by severe floods and famine came again. The number of refugees grew larger and larger and they were starving for food.
There were those who were unwilling to leave their homes, or who could not find food within hundreds of miles, and who thought they had no escape, and simply waited to die at home. Among them were even many people from wealthy families.
They had been hungry for so long that they had "bird-like faces and swan-like figures, lying prostrate over the bed curtains" - they were so hungry that they had lost their true form.
The King of Liang also witnessed with his own eyes some noble families whose servants and followers were all dispersed, and the whole family put on beautiful clothes, closed the doors and windows, hugged books, gold and jade, and pillowed together, and finally starved to death together.
As a result, "there were rarely any traces of people, and bones were gathered together like hills."
The main purpose of saying this was to arouse the sympathy of the Henan gentry, so that they would produce more grain and be prepared to provide relief to Hebei while providing relief to Bingzhou.
In the past ten years or so, God has not forgiven the people of Henan and Hebei, and the disaster in Hebei was particularly severe.
but--
Bian Dun sighed and said, "In recent years, Bingzhou had a major flood, and three counties were affected. Hebei had a major flood and a flood, and more than ten counties were affected. There was also a locust plague in Qingxu, Siji, and Bingzhou, and no less than twenty counties were affected. Every time, Yuzhou and Yanzhou came to rescue, and no matter how much money and grain we had, we couldn't fill this bottomless pit."
Yu Liang was a little anxious, but he couldn't find the right words to refute for a while.
When other places suffered disasters, the two states of Yu and Yan provided grain relief. Isn’t this a “disaster”?
It would be fine if it happened once in a while, but this has obviously happened more than once or twice, and Henan’s financial resources have been drained.
King Liang also knew about this, so instead of giving a forceful order, he wrote a letter to someone first.
The Bian family was the number one wealthy family in Jiyin County, and Bian Dun was also the military advisor to Wang Yan, the commander of the left army. King Liang hoped that the Bian family would set an example.
Just - an example?
Bian Dun smiled bitterly. He was not really complaining about being poor. They were also in a difficult situation. If they had not just harvested a season of summer wheat, they would have had no way of making ends meet.
But the King of Liang was so sincere, wasn't it appropriate? Obviously not.
The counties of Chen and Xiangcheng, which were under the deep control of the King of Liang, all contributed large quantities of grain, and the first batch of wheat was shipped from these places. Now the big families had to pay their tributes one by one, and no one could escape, and they had to pay more or less.
If you really think about it carefully, there is indeed no normal tax system nowadays, but their burden is actually much heavier than paying normal taxes. It's amazing.
After looking up at Yu Liang's earnest expression, Bian Dun asked, "Is the king in Jinyang? Has he not returned to Pingyang yet?"
"Still in Jinyang." Yu Liang said, "I heard that he was going east to Hebei to appease the officials and people of Jizhou."
Bian Dun nodded and said, "Will the king go to war again next year?"
"It shouldn't happen." Yu Liang said, "Bingzhou is ruined, and now we have to find a way to restore these six counties."
"Stop fighting, let the people take a breath." Bian Dun sighed: "Pei Jingsheng wrote the "Five Elements Records", which recorded that the Three Kingdoms suffered 60 disasters in 60 years, and the Ming Dynasty suffered more than 220 disasters in more than 50 years. It's like this, why are we still fighting?"
Yu Liang was speechless.
Compared with the sixty years of the Three Kingdoms period, the various disasters in this dynasty were actually three to four times that of the Three Kingdoms period.
Such a severe disaster has never happened before in history. How could the Jin Dynasty not perish?
"Zhongren, you should go back to Jiyin first." In the end, Yu Liang could only advise: "Try to collect more food and fodder. If the people of Henan donate more food, they will only go hungry for a while, but they will not starve to death. But the food saved can be transported to Bingzhou and Jizhou, which can save countless lives."
Bian Dun felt a surge of blood boiling when he heard this.
Why should people in Henan go hungry? What does it have to do with me if people in Hebei die of starvation?
But I couldn't say this out loud, I could only complain in my heart.
"Zhongren, you should always have a conscience, right?" Seeing Bian Dun's embarrassment, Yu Liang couldn't help but say, "When Yuzhou suffered a disaster, the river dried up, locusts spread across the counties, and the hungry people ate each other, bones covered the fields, and refugees besieged the forts just to get a bite to eat. Who stabilized the order in Henan at that time? Moreover, the Xiongnu invaded repeatedly, and Yanzhou was trampled by the iron hooves of the Hulu. Jiyin issued warnings several times, and the people were in panic. Who repelled the Xiongnu? If it weren't for King Liang, Jiyin would be like Changshan, Zhongshan, and Taiyuan now. Would the Bian family be able to survive alone?"
Bian Dun was speechless.
It's not that he was convinced, but that he was annoyed.
I was moved to tears when I heard these words ten years ago.
Five years ago, I heard this and nodded slightly.
Now when I hear this, I just feel fed up.
Don't you know that people tend to forget things? It's been more than ten years, and you're still using the same rhetoric to talk to me. Aren't you annoying?
If you really want to show your sincerity, you might as well stop the land measurement first. This is not just his idea, but the common voice of many Henan nobles.
Who can bear it if we are asked to contribute money, food and manpower but are not given any benefits?
Some people have already called for an end to the land inventory and household registration of the people. Shouldn't King Liang listen to the voices of the "elders"?
If we keep fighting all day and don’t unify the world, will we die?
Henan and Hebei are as big as this one, aren’t they enough for your family to rule?
Of course, he wouldn't say the above words either, but just because he doesn't say them doesn't mean no one else will say them.
******
Outside Puzhou Pass, Pu Hong led thousands of soldiers and horses to slowly withdraw.
Outside Tongguan, Zhao Gu also withdrew back to the pass with a small amount of looted supplies and people.
Hedong and Hongnong returned to peace again.
On the other side of the Yellow River, Liu Can looked at the majestic Zhongtiao Mountains and silently issued an order to withdraw.
Despite such a good opportunity, the number of troops dispatched in the two routes was less than 10,000.
With such a small scale, it is naturally impossible to achieve much results, so they can only withdraw.
Of course, the biggest reason for the withdrawal was the Chang'an earthquake.
This was the second earthquake in Chang'an in six years. More than a thousand houses in the city collapsed, the ground cracked and water gushed out, and rumors spread.
It took Liu Can a month to roughly stabilize the situation.
He originally wanted to keep quiet, but he was unwilling to give in, so he ran to Fengyi, sent out troops in two directions, and tried to attack the State of Jin.
As a result, Pu Hong retreated after encountering a slight setback on the northern route.
Zhao Gu in the south did relatively well and plundered two counties until he was forced back by the Zhongwu Army.
Seeing that there was no result to be gained, he finally reluctantly issued an order to withdraw the troops and hold the position, and then -
Return to Chang'an as soon as possible.
On June 28th, Liu Can, who had hurriedly returned, entered the Jianzhang Palace.
Liu Cong is on his deathbed.
Looking at his father who couldn't eat anything, was swollen all over, and even had difficulty breathing, no matter what he had thought in the past, at least at this moment, Liu Can shed a few tears.
"If Mount Zhongnan collapses, I will collapse too." Seeing his son come in, Liu Cong wanted to smile, but the expression on his face was uglier than crying.
Liu Can sat aside, not knowing how to comfort his father.
"Is Shao the thief dead?" Liu Cong asked softly.
"Probably not." Liu Can replied.
Liu Cong was a little disappointed and said, "Then I can't intercept him on the road."
The room fell into a long silence again.
Liu Cong's eyes moved slightly and he looked at the bright sky outside the window.
The sky is blue and cloudless.
Birds landed on the branches, chirping and full of energy.
The flowers in the corner are blooming brightly, full of vitality.
The palace servants walked back and forth, and the guards held their heads high. They were all in the prime of their lives and had a long way to go in the future.
But his road has come to an end.
"In this life..." Liu Cong took a breath and said, "I only had a proper fight with Shao Ze. I didn't know him at that time, but he might have known me. What a pity, what a pity..."
Liu Can remained silent.
"After I leave, you have to win over the nobles of the tribes." After taking a long breath, Liu Cong said, "You can make friends with the Tuoba clan. If they are divided, they will be weak. If they are united, they will be strong. The Xianbei are not without talented and outstanding people. They will understand the benefits and disadvantages."
"Beiyi Mountain (Helan Mountain) has no owner. Since you have sent people to manage it, you should persevere."
"Shi Le has talent, but he should not be used. He is in charge of Shuofang, so you have to keep an eye on him."
"The chiefs of Qinzhou should bind them together with gratitude and marriage."
"Liangzhou, don't try too much. Just give up if you are not up to the task."
After this long conversation, Liu Cong seemed to have used up all his energy. His body was overwhelmed and he slowly closed his eyes.
He is only in his forties, and he is unwilling to leave at this time.
But it was indeed time to go.
He didn't want to see the vibrant world outside because it was a mockery to him as a dying man.
So he closed his eyes.
After being tortured by illness for so long, he has exhausted all his energy, and death is no longer so scary.
In a daze, Liu Cong suddenly dreamed of his queens and Concubine Liu.
The thief Shao made them and the princesses of Liu Han who were captured in Pingyang pregnant one by one, and then he stroked their bulging bellies as if he was admiring his trophies.
"Puff!" Liu Cong suddenly woke up and spat out a mouthful of blood.
A few days later, Liu Cong died in Jianzhang Palace in Chang'an.
Liu Can ascended the throne in front of the coffin, changed the era name to Hanchang, and issued a general amnesty.
(End of this chapter)