Chu Fan asked Qian Dai, "Is it true that our great Wei Kingdom has no more food left?"

Qian Dai pondered for a moment, then slowly raised his head and replied solemnly, "Your Majesty, this year the north suffered from the Xiongnu invasion, while the nine provinces of Hedong in the south suffered from floods. The successive natural and man-made disasters have led to crop failures and the people are plunging into famine. The national treasury is depleted, and despite our diligent efforts to mobilize resources, it is truly difficult to provide additional food."

Chu Fan frowned, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. Even when he was on Blue Star, he had experienced the torment of hunger.

To survive, the teenager had to go to the city to work, enduring the cold under bridges and the humiliation of searching through trash cans. The taste of hunger was so unbearable, and now the millions of people in Hedong Jiuzhou have suffered from the disaster, and countless homes have been destroyed, the situation is even more serious.

Even the most stingy miser, Chu Fan, considered using his own treasured inner treasury to help these people. However, the money in the inner treasury was just a drop in the ocean when faced with millions of disaster victims.

"Is there really no way out for us?" Chu Fan continued to ask with a hint of unwillingness. His eyes were full of expectation, as if he hoped that the ministers in the court could come up with a miraculous solution.

Qian Dai sighed deeply and said slowly, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that may be able to alleviate the current urgent situation. However..."

A glimmer of hope suddenly flashed in Chu Fan's eyes. He eagerly asked, "Just what? Minister Qian, tell me quickly!"

"This strategy is to borrow food from other countries, but this move contains great risks. If the food borrowing plan fails, not only will it fail to save the victims, but it may also arouse the greed of other countries and may even trigger a war." Qian Dai stated with great concern. Immediately after Qian Dai finished speaking, a minister stood up to object.

Sun Dechong, the Minister of War, spoke out, "Your Majesty, I believe this is inappropriate. If our country were to borrow large amounts of grain from other countries, it would undoubtedly expose our food shortage, which could encourage other countries to act with ill intent. At this time, not only should we not borrow grain from other countries, but we should also suppress any news of the disaster in the nine provinces of Hedong to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation."

After Changsun Dechong finished speaking, Qian Dai continued, "I agree with Minister Changsun's point of view. However, if we don't lend you the grain, how will you deal with this disaster? Those are millions of people, citizens of the Great Wei State. Are you planning to watch them starve to death?"

Changsun Dechong swept his determined gaze over the ministers present and said solemnly, "Lord Qian Dai is right. Disaster relief is as important as heaven. We cannot sit idly by and watch the people suffer. However, borrowing grain is not a long-term solution. We must fundamentally resolve the food problem."

Changsun Dechong paused and continued, "Minister Jian, immediately dispatch capable officials to various locations to survey farmland and learn about this year's harvest, and to see if the people who weren't affected by the disaster still have any surplus food."

"In addition, we should actively advocate for and encourage wealthy private merchants to participate in grain donations. The imperial court could consider granting these generous merchants tax exemptions as a reward and incentive for their good deeds. Only through such multifaceted efforts and measures can we fundamentally and effectively resolve the current food crisis."

As soon as Chang Sun Dechong finished speaking, the court fell into a dead silence. As the Minister of War, he could actually say such words, which was really unbelievable.

Hearing Changsun Dechongde's words, Qian Dai sighed and said, "Changsun Shangshu said it very well, but don't say it again in the future.

After Chang Sun Dechong said that they could borrow grain from the people, Qian Dai knew that Chang Sun Dechong was talking about temporarily increasing taxes on the people, otherwise how could the court borrow grain from the people?

Qian Dai began, "The imperial court has already imposed taxes several times to defend against the Xiongnu invasions. The treasury is now depleted of surplus grain. Further taxes will only cause more people to flee their homes, and the wealthy merchants remain indifferent. I heard that after the disaster in Hedong and the Nine Provinces, they not only didn't donate a single grain, but actually raised the price. Now, the price of rice in the imperial city has soared to five hundred wen per dou."

Changsun Dechong said angrily: "Those hateful merchants, I led my people to rob their property." He was extremely indignant at those merchants who made a fortune in times of national crisis.

However, no matter what Chang Sun Dechong said, he knew that he couldn't really do it. If he really robbed the merchants' food, the Wei State would be in chaos.

Chu Fan had been thinking while the ministers were talking. What should he do? No one had ever taught him how to be a good emperor.

Chu Fan thought to himself: If he could borrow some grain to help the people, that would be the best. However, this would also let people in other countries know what was happening in Wei, making it possible for them to send troops to attack Wei. As for asking merchants to donate grain, Chu Fan, in his two lives, thought that merchants would not donate their own money if there was no sufficient benefit.

After a moment, Chu Fan raised his head with a determined look. "Pass the order down. Immediately send envoys to various countries to request food. At the same time, order General Mu Yunfeng to strengthen the border defenses to prevent any accidents. At the same time, solicit donations from merchants in Wei State in the name of the court."

Chu Fan also held on to the hope that if some businessmen were kind enough to donate money and grain, he would be able to help more victims.

After the court session, Qian Dai and Mu Yunfeng took their orders and left, while other officials also performed their duties and did their jobs well.

After a day of acting, Chu Fan stood alone in the hall, praying silently in his heart, hoping that some people would be more sensible and willing to lend some food to help the millions of disaster victims get through this difficult time. Otherwise, there might be no chance in the future.

Chu Fan's order quickly spread throughout the Great Wei Kingdom, and officials from all over the country took action, preparing to borrow grain in an intensive and orderly manner. At the same time, border guards also stepped up their vigilance and patrolled day and night to prevent neighboring countries from taking advantage of the situation.

Carrying Chu Fan's handwritten letter, the envoys embarked on a difficult journey to various countries. They shouldered the nation's hopes, fully aware of the dangers and responsibilities of this journey. His Majesty must have anxiously awaited news in the palace, no doubt consulting daily with his ministers on countermeasures. They were absolutely determined to complete the mission entrusted to them by His Majesty.

However, after several days of waiting, the envoys returned one after another with responses from various countries.

Only one country expressed its willingness to lend a helping hand, offering to lend food to alleviate the urgent need. Most countries were ambivalent, and anyone with a discerning eye could see they had no intention of helping Wei. If it weren't for their distance, some might even have considered stationing troops to invade Wei. Some countries even made harsh demands, demanding that Wei cede territory in exchange for food.

Some countries directly rejected Wei's request to borrow grain.