Chapter 364 Dongshi imitates me
After dinner, Wei Ruo and Xiumei sorted things out in the hotel room.
"Miss, although this Lin'an Mansion is more prosperous than Taizhou Mansion, there are many more refugees along the way than Taizhou Mansion. The number of refugees gathered outside the city gate is about to catch up with the refugees on the wasteland of Taizhou Mansion."
Xiumei couldn't help feeling emotional about what she had seen and heard in the past few days. There were not many refugees in the city of Lin'an Prefecture, but they were all blocked outside the city gate. Those people were starved to death without enough food.
As the provincial capital of Zhejiang Chengxuan Political Commissioner, Lin'an Mansion was originally the most prosperous and lively prefecture in Zhejiang Chengxuan Political Commissioner, but now there are many shabby and emaciated refugees in ragged clothes.
"The food situation has been bad for the past two years, so there are naturally many victims." Wei Ruo said.
"But didn't the imperial court send the sixth prince to come to rescue the disaster? Why don't you look any better? Otherwise, you have to resettle these refugees, stop them all outside the city, and watch them starve to death. ?”
Xiumei's thinking is relatively simple, she feels that human life is at stake, and no matter what happens, she must save people first.
Therefore, after seeing so many refugees, Xiumei was vaguely dissatisfied with the sixth prince who came to relieve the disaster.
"Then I don't know." Wei Ruo didn't care about how the sixth prince planned to relieve the disaster, she just did her own thing well.
Wei Ruo was looking at the map of Lin'an Prefecture while talking to Xiumei.
"Tomorrow we will go here to check the situation." Wei Ruo said, pointing to the northern suburbs of Lin'an Mansion.
"I'll go wherever the lady says." Xiumei didn't even look at it, and she followed the lady wherever she went.
"Then I will sell you." Wei Ruo joked.
"Sell it, if the price is right, I will run away and sell it to the lady after the lady gets the money." Xiumei replied with a smile.
"You know how to do business." Wei Ruo was amused by Xiumei.
"Naturally, I have been with Miss for so long, so I have some business sense."
"My Meimei is smarter than me now, and I still have a business to do. It's good for you, and you can make a lot of money!" Wei Ruo said.
"The blue is better than the blue!" Xiumei said playfully.
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Early the next morning, the four of them set off from the inn to the north of Lin'an Mansion.
In order to make it easier to move, Wei Ruo and Xiumei both changed into men's clothes when they were traveling today. In this way, all three of the four people in the group changed their costumes, only Xiaobei was fearless with a face that was not easy to be found out when he mixed into the crowd.
Because he was wearing men's clothes, Wei Ruo didn't ride in a carriage, and rode directly on a horse, which was more convenient for him to move around.
After riding a horse several times, Wei Ruo no longer suffers from pain in her buttocks and thighs when she rides a horse like before.
In addition, Wei Jin also bought a special stirrup for her, with a thick layer of soft cushions on it, which made her a lot more comfortable when riding.
The four of them rode out of the city gate, and the scenery on the road became desolate. There were many villages and farmlands along the way, but none of them seemed to be as prosperous as Taizhou Prefecture today.
"Why does the rice here in Lin'an Mansion look so bad?"
Xiao Bei, who was following Wei Jinyi and Wei Ruo, couldn't help but wonder.
Xiumei, who was walking alongside him, explained: "The weather this year is not very good either. It is not normal for the rice to grow poorly."
Xiao Bei was still puzzled: "But I see that the rice over there in Taizhou is growing pretty well."
Xiumei said: "A large number of rice seedlings in Taizhou Prefecture have been replaced with the rice seeds promoted by my lady. They are highly resistant to diseases and adaptable. In addition, the magistrate will lead the people in the government to organize the people to top-dress fertilizers to prevent pests and diseases. To look good."
Xiaobei suddenly realized: "So that's the case, I said, why are they all rice, the gap is so big."
Immediately afterwards, Xiaobei said again: "The harvest in the past two years has been bad. If the situation is still the same this year, won't the disaster be even worse?"
Xiumei muttered: "Who says it's not? I still hope to have a better harvest. I really don't want to die so many people."
Xiaobei nodded heavily: "Miss Xiumei is right!"
After walking for a while, the four of them saw a group of government soldiers driving a group of ragged refugees in one direction.
A few of the government soldiers still held whips in their hands, whipping the refugees from time to time, driving them forward.
Xiumei couldn't help feeling annoyed: "Which family's soldiers are these? Why did you drive and beat these refugees?"
Xiaobei hurriedly stopped Xiumei: "Miss Xiumei, keep your voice down, those who are the sixth prince will be in trouble if they are heard."
Xiumei lowered her voice and asked Xiaobei: "Why did the Sixth Prince's people drive out the refugees so violently?"
Wei Ruo also looked over and had the same doubts.
Xiaobei didn't answer right away, but glanced at Wei Jinyi hesitantly.
After Wei Jinyi nodded slightly, Xiaobei continued to explain to Wei Ruo and Xiumei: "Recently, the sixth prince seems to be learning the method of disaster relief from the eldest lady, and arranges for the refugees to open up wasteland and farm."
Xiumei was even more confused: "Like my lady, why do you treat the refugees like this when opening up wasteland and farming? Just tell them not to do it? Those refugees will be very happy, we have already practiced it in Taizhou Prefecture."
Xiaobei explained in a low voice: "Because the eldest lady organized land reclamation and disaster relief in Taizhou, the refugees were naturally happy; but the sixth prince did not arrange accommodation here, and it is said that he even had very little food. And forcing the refugees to work from morning to night in order to catch up with the schedule, it is very difficult, so naturally no one wants to."
Hiding in the wild and eating tree roots and turf still has a chance to live, but being caught as a coolie may die faster.
Wei Ruo frowned and said: "He has learned it, why did he only learn the superficial part and not learn it all? No one forbids him to follow the gourd."
This time it was Wei Jin who also answered Wei Ruo: "Because he failed to persuade the people in Lin'an Prefecture to contribute money and efforts, and he was also unable to adapt to local conditions. He had already tried once earlier, but the land was not improved successfully. It took a lot of effort." time but nothing grew on the land."
If Wei Ruo can revitalize the work-for-relief project and let the entire Taizhou government join in it, a very important point is that she can convince everyone that she can successfully improve the land and let everyone gain something.
If this prerequisite cannot be established, naturally no one is willing to participate in it and contribute money and effort.
The sixth prince only learned the framework of Wei Ruo's method of disaster relief, but failed to get through the key points, so he naturally got a different effect.
Xiumei couldn't help but said: "Then he can't treat the refugees like this. They are already suffering enough. What's the use of persecuting them if they can't grow crops?"
(end of this chapter)