In July of the first year of Zhenguan, the severe drought in the north had been raging for two months. Fortunately, the imperial court made preparations in advance this time, and many wells were dug in various places, and grain was continuously transported from the south to the north to provide disaster relief!

In ancient times, there was too little land output, so we could only accumulate food by ploughing more. However, the people in the world, not about slaves and tenants, but only about the people who own the land, each family can own and cultivate limited fields!

Although the imperial court encouraged land reclamation, the newly opened wasteland was not a land. Only after three years of continuous cultivation would it be converted into good fields with harvest. Therefore, each place can be used as food rations, and each family usually has less than ten acres!

At that time, the yield of land was good for each acre of good land. Take the land of Sanqin for example. If you can produce 200 kilograms of wheat per mu, it will be a bumper harvest. If you produce 300 kilograms, you must report to the court to pay tribute to the heavens!

Generally, the output is 100 kilograms, and the output is almost 100 kilograms. So for an ordinary family of three, a good grain of 1,000 kilograms a year is God’s eyes!

However, in ancient times, people paid attention to having more children and blessings, and passing on the family line! There were very few families of three, basically at least a family of four or five. Like Ma Jiulang on Shu Road, the family had only nine children, so such a little food was not enough to eat in the best years!

Normal people of the Tang Dynasty usually eat coarse grains, or grains that combine coarseness and fineness, and only eat two good meals during festivals!

There has been a severe drought this year. People in the country who lack food in stocks are worried, but what is even more worried are the tenants who rely on farming for landlords!

Tenants also make a living by farming. Although they are not slaves, they rent the land of the farmer, which is a loan relationship!

When the harvest was good in previous years, the landlords would support the tenants or directly support the tenants for food. The tenants paid the rent every year and paid back the debt and grain. Only tenants who really couldn't survive would sell themselves as slaves!

The landlords are not stupid either. It is obvious that there will be no harvest in the fields due to severe drought this year. Now I spend grain every day to support the tenants. After a few months, the new grain will be confiscated, but the old grain cannot support so many people. I guess I will also fall from the landlord to the beggar!

So seeing that the momentum is wrong, the landlords have terminated their rental relationships with tenants and no longer provide food to help others!

After the tenants consumed all the small amount of food stored in their homes, they were really going to escape!

This is why there are refugees starting from May and June before the time to collect grain, most of these people are mainly tenants!

Now July is the time for grain harvest. The old grain from ordinary people’s homes has basically been consumed, and there is no harvest in the fields. I really want to escape from the famine!

So, the second wave of refugees began!

The Tang Dynasty was caught off guard!

In other words, it is not that they are completely unprepared, but that the national strength of the Tang Dynasty can only be supported in this way!

Because the team entering Shu has completely mobilized the energy of Shu. When entering Shu’s plank road and leaving Shu, there are people working hard to fight drought almost every day. However, although there is a lot of food in Shu and it is inconvenient to transport grain, they can only take care of Longyou Road and a small number of Guanzhong areas!

If you want to use the grain from Shu to help Hebei and Hedong, the price of transporting grain alone is not worth the cost. Besides, the court can no longer distribute so many people!

Although it is more convenient to transport grain in the south, it is not easy to purchase and collect grain in the south, and it is a bit unsatisfied to deal with disasters in the north!

Li Er sat in the Political Affairs Hall powerlessly, and the ministers were sent out to various places to provide disaster relief. During the major disaster, although local officials were assigned to manage the disaster, there were also special envoys in the court to avoid any landlords taking advantage of the national crisis to do illegal things. If that was not good, it would cause public rebellion!

Li Er knew in his heart that this was what Bai Fan said, and the 20% pressure that the Tang Dynasty was unable to take care of in the end!

Punching wells everywhere can deal with up to 30% of the people affected, and transporting grain in the two places can help 50% of the people. Although the Tang Dynasty filled in food and money for this matter like a bottomless pit, fortunately, the price of grain was controlled by the court, and the wool business in the north was getting better and better, and wealth was accumulated very quickly, and it could withstand it!

If it were before there was no wool foreign trade, the Tang Dynasty would probably have to watch it!

What was Bai Fan doing at this time? I knew in my heart that the most critical moment had arrived outside, and Bai Fan was still calm and contented in the small courtyard of the President of Zhongnan Academy!

Until this day, Bai Fan was tasting tea in the courtyard, and kept thinking about how to protect the people to the greatest extent!

A flying insect fell into Bai Fan's cup where he was drinking tea. Bai Fan looked down and saw, "This?"

locust?

I stood up from the Taishi chair and sighed in my heart, the locust plague is coming!

Looking up at the sky, the black dots like arrows flew through the air one by one, and from time to time, many people fell to the courtyard due to exhaustion!

Bai Fan planted a lot of flowers and plants in the courtyard, but in less than a quarter of an hour, he was affected by locusts passing through the border!

This was the mountain spring water that Bai Fan carried back from a distant place and was watered with great effort. It was destroyed in front of him!

Li Wanping, who ran out of the house, was so scared that she was disgraced and asked, "Husband, is this a locust?"

Bai Fan gently stroked Li Wanping's long hair and said regretfully, "Yes! Look at how arrogant they are, destroying our flowers and plants in front of us!

Because of them, the people of the Tang Dynasty will suffer a lot more!

Ping'er, prepare and take your sisters with you. We are going to Chang'an City. The locust plague is coming. The big thing is approaching. Your Majesty is short of people now, so we must go and help!"

Li Wanping nodded sensibly and hummed, "Hmph, damn locusts, don't our academy raise so many chickens and ducks? I'll ask my uncle to release them all, eat the locusts, and avenge our flowers and plants!"

Bai Fan smiled, "Don't worry, although the locusts are arrogant, I have prepared a big meal for them. His Majesty ordered them to raise more chickens and ducks in various places. As the locust plagues are coming out of the cage. Hehe, when the chickens and ducks are eaten well, I ask the brothers of the Beggar Gang to collect them, and this year the Beggar Gang disciples can eat meat for the New Year!"

Speaking of this, Bai Fan inadvertently glanced at the locust in his teacup and laughed in his heart. Do you want me to make tea with you in such a hurry?

Making tea? A flash of inspiration came to Bai Fan’s idea!

When I returned to my room, I brought a book I had worked hard to write, and explained it to Li Wanping and ran out!

"Ping'er, I thought of an urgent matter for my husband. I want to enter the palace. You can ask Yuanba to escort him back. When I arrive in Chang'an, I will go to you immediately after I finish my business! I will take care of you for a few sisters!"

Before Li Wanping had the chance to answer, Bai Fan had already run far away!

Li Wanping looked at her popular beloved and smiled knowingly. This is her husband, a person who always pretends to be a big deal in his heart!

In the palace, Li Er looked at a locust in his hand that was pinched into flesh paste with anger, and was both angry and hatred!

Is an existence like an ant going to harm my people?

At this moment, I heard a familiar voice outside the hall shouting: Your Majesty, I have a way to solve the problem of locusts and food shortage!
Chapter completed!