When the issue was reported to Fang Er by Zhao Hu, Fang Er patted his forehead. He had been negligent. He could only follow and arrive at the workshop construction site. After inspecting the workshop site, he had to admit that so many people were not needed here. Finally, he instructed Zhao Hu to notify the manor that those who hadn't come would stay behind.
Road construction!
Ditch digging!
Well digging!
House building!
Wherever people could be used, no matter the job, the goal was to utilize all the labor and make them useful. The workshop would retain sufficient personnel. The remaining people were also found roles by Fang Er. They would follow Hu Zi to transport grain from Luoyang. Carrying or pulling, the key was to keep everyone busy. The entire Fang Family Manor was undergoing massive construction!
A few days later, the news of disaster relief here spread farther and farther. Not only Yunmen Township, but also manors in neighboring townships sent people seeking help during this period, all of whom were assigned to the grain transport team by Fang Er. Several thousand people flooded into Fang Family Manor. The small manor was filled with people everywhere. It had to be said that at this time, the temptation of food was immense. Fang Er assigned them all to the grain transport team.
Half a month later, all the grain from Luoyang was transported over.
In the Eastern Palace. Li Er sat high on the dragon throne. Wei Zheng, Fang Du, and more than a dozen other officials stood in the great hall, listening to Eunuch Deng describe the events at Fang Family Manor. "Listen to this, a mere Captain can manage disaster relief to this extent! And you? You only know how to beg me for money! Grain! People! Or are you all not even as good as a Captain!?" Li Er felt his face lose luster. The last time he visited, he had been fooled by Fang Er and hadn't even figured out how much grain he had bought. Fang Family Manor was thriving, but his own side was stagnant. These ministers were always arguing but none could come up with a decent idea.
"Your Majesty, since Captain Fang can transport grain back from the south, why don't we also send people to fetch some grain?" Hou Junji suggested.
"Your idea is good, but we have no money right now, so how can we get grain?" Minister of Revenue Tang Jian countered, effectively shutting down the discussion.
"Oh, Minister Tang, how have the captives brought back by the Duke of E been handled?" Fang Xuanling asked.
"Duke Fang, those are twenty thousand people. After removing the injured and disabled who were not wanted, there are still over ten thousand. How can they be processed so quickly! It's been over half a month, and only a small portion has been sold." Tang Jian had never imagined that selling prisoners of war would be so difficult. After the captives returned, the Ministry of War, fearing trouble, directly handed them over to the Ministry of Revenue. The officials in the Ministry of Revenue had been busy selling slaves day and night. The entire Ministry of Revenue had become like a slave market. But the critical issue was that the wealthy families, who knew there were many slaves and were usually generous when buying slaves, were now holding back! They all wanted the Ministry of Revenue to dispose of them cheaply. One wonders what Jie Li would think if he knew this!
"Your Majesty, why don't we borrow grain from Fang Family Manor?" Du Ruhui stepped forward with a suggestion.
Hearing this, Li Er felt a pang of discomfort. But this was the only way at the moment. Forcible requisition was impossible, as they had committed no crime. Since no one had any other ideas, let's proceed with Prime Minister Du's suggestion. Prime Minister Du, you go there, and also have Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin accompany you. Take five hundred soldiers and have them stay in Fang Family Manor. With thousands of people gathered there, we must prevent any trouble."
Du Ruhui accepted the order and, that same day, took Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin, along with five hundred soldiers, to Fang Family Manor. Fang Er was startled at first. He thought that his disaster relief efforts might have been too grand, thus incurring Li Er's displeasure. Only when he heard Du Ruhui say that these soldiers were sent by Li Er to maintain order did he relax.
"Prime Minister Du, I must say, you and these soldiers have arrived at the perfect time. I haven't had a good night's sleep these past few days," Fang Er said, rubbing his slightly bloodshot eyes. He had thought disaster relief would be much simpler. Even though relief through work had consumed most of the refugees' energy and strength, with thousands of people gathered in this small manor, the manor's capacity was limited, so some troublesome incidents still occurred daily. Fights were common. He had to deal with them one after another. People were expelled every day. Although fewer than in the previous days, there were always those who were lazy and disruptive. Fang Family Manor had limited manpower, and they also had to supervise the refugees working. These matters could only be handled by Liu Dacheng. The dozen or so constables' legs were nearly worn out, but they were still overwhelmed. Liu Dacheng was suffering but also happy, his large eyes red like light bulbs. It could be said that the arrival of these five hundred soldiers solved a major problem for Fang Er.
"Captain Fang is helping the court, and how could the court not support you? However, His Majesty has another matter in sending me here this time."
"Prime Minister Du, please proceed."
"These days, the court has been paying attention to the grain you've been handling. You don't need to try to hide anything, and you can't hide it anyway. Three hundred thousand shi, am I correct?"
"This is something I bought with my own money. You don't mean to say you want me to donate it, do you?" Fang Er was anxious. He truly hadn't expected Li Er to have found out how much grain he had. It seemed his actions were being monitored by the imperial court? He wondered if someone was peeking at him while he bathed? ,,Ծ‸Ծ,,
"Captain Fang, don't worry. How could the court ask you to donate it for free? That would be disheartening. The aristocratic families have plenty of grain, and His Majesty hasn't forced them to donate, so you don't need to worry about this. The court's intention is to see if Captain Fang can lend some out. Rest assured, after the drought passes and the national treasury is replenished, we will definitely return it to you with principal and interest," Du Ruhui quickly explained. He dared not let Fang Er think it was a forced requisition. Li Er cared most about public sentiment and reputation. His ability to win over Wei Zheng and never punish people for their words was evident. If the infamy of forced requisition spread, he, the one carrying out the task, would be imprisoned.
Fang Er mumbled to himself. Drought passing? Who knew when that would be. Next year was the first year of Zhenguan, and there would be both drought and locusts! In the second year of Zhenguan, there seemed to be floods as well? He clearly remembered it from the historical books he exchanged from the system! Lending it out like this would surely never be repaid.
Fang Er pondered for a long time and then spoke. "Prime Minister Du, Fang has an idea."
"Captain Fang, please speak."
"War!"
Du Ruhui was startled by Fang Er's idea. "Damn it, it's just borrowing grain, is it necessary?"
"War? Brother Fang, are you joking? How can we fight? We don't even have money and grain for disaster relief now, where would we get the supplies for a war?" Cheng Chumo, standing beside him, picked his nose and flicked off a large piece of nasal mucus.
PS: Happy New Year's Day, here are four chapters! Shizi wishes everyone a happy holiday. The sneaky rats have run far away. I hope everyone can turn the tide in 2021 and be as powerful as an ox! The Year of the Ox has arrived. I wish you the endurance of a bull, the perseverance of a yak, the vitality of a water buffalo, the charm of a dairy cow, and the divine power of an iron bull. When you're tired, drink reassuring milk. Don't drive an ox cart, don't glare with ox eyes, and don't brag!