Chapter 237 Xiao Ying's proposal: Reduce corvée labor and resettle disaster victims, killing two birds with one stone
The county government actually still had some money. They had previously confiscated a total of over one million taels of silver from the former county magistrate, the Zhou family, Mr. Zhao, and others, and the county government kept one-tenth of it.
But all this money cannot be used to resettle the victims, otherwise the huge county town will not be able to function.
Especially the county and urban militia, Ning Yuanze spent a lot of effort to rectify them after taking office.
Originally, the total quota of militia was one thousand people, but Qian Qingrong was corrupt and greedy, and only recruited less than six hundred people, and the remaining empty wages all fell into his pocket.
Ning Yuanze was very angry when he found out, and had to allocate a sum of money to recruit soldiers and fully equip all the personnel.
The soldiers' monthly wages also increased from 300 wen to 500 wen, and anyone who joined the army was rewarded with five acres of land, which attracted those who met the requirements to sign up.
But this also means that each of the thousand soldiers would have to be paid 500 taels of silver per month, which would be 6,000 taels per year, a heavy burden, not to mention their food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
Therefore, he planned to raise additional money and food to resettle the victims this time.
Everyone present was smart and had thought of this before coming, so they didn't show any surprise.
The county magistrate personally asked them to raise money and grain, so it seemed unreasonable not to give them some, but how much to give became a problem.
Xiao Ying also started to think about it. She was the least experienced among them, so she would just have to look at the number of these people before making a decision.
"The county magistrate is concerned about the country and the people, and we should support him!"
Shopkeeper Yun spoke first. Ning Yuanze was half his master, so of course he had to set an example.
"On behalf of Ruyi Restaurant, I am willing to donate 5,000 taels of silver to help you all overcome this difficult time!"
In previous years, he wouldn't have had the guts to do this. But this year was different. The spicy sesame oil alone had made him a killing, so he didn't even consider this small amount of money.
Even if I report it to the young master, I believe he won't blame me.
Ning Yuanze's brows relaxed slightly and he gave him an approving look.
"Shopkeeper Yun is very generous. I would like to thank you on behalf of the people affected by the disaster."
Shopkeeper Yun was flattered and stood up hurriedly.
"Your Excellency is too kind. It is my honor to be able to do something for you and the people."
With him taking the lead, the others will know what to do.
Then they began to report the amount of their donations. Some donated silver and some donated grain, but the total amount did not exceed five thousand taels.
Finally, it was Xiao Ying's turn. She donated two thousand taels of silver and one hundred shi of grain.
One stone here weighs 120 kilograms, which is equivalent to donating 12,000 kilograms, which is not much for her.
The last time, the Immortal Palace harvested hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain. Although there was not much rice and wheat, there were a lot of potatoes.
This time, the space upgrade has created another five to six hundred acres of spiritual fields. Most of the crops planted there are spiritual rice and wheat, and they have not been harvested yet, so some of them do need to be dealt with.
"Your generosity is truly admirable and a blessing to Yun'an County. I would like to thank you all in advance."
Ning Yuanze's brows relaxed completely. Things went even more smoothly than he had imagined, and everyone was very generous.
He had just calculated in his mind that the silver donated by these people added up to at least 25,000 taels, and there were thousands of stones of grain, which was enough even if a few thousand more people were to be resettled later.
However, silver and food are only the first step. How to resettle these disaster victims is the top priority.
The imperial court meant to settle the victims in various prefectures and counties, which meant that they had to be relocated to villages and towns, which was a test for the villages and towns.
There are hundreds of villages in Yun'an County. Even if we only resettle these 3,000 people, it means that at least 20 to 30 people must be placed in each village.
With so many people, it is likely that the original ecology of the village will be affected.
Furthermore, after these people settle down, their land also has to be distributed. Generally, they can only reclaim the land, and they have to wait until at least next year to harvest. In addition, they have to repair and build houses.
What did they eat and drink during such a long period of time? Simply relying on the county government to open the warehouse for relief was definitely not enough.
What’s more, there will definitely be more disaster victims arriving later. How should we arrange for them then? These are all problems.
Ning Yuanze simply brought it all up, hoping to pool everyone's wisdom and see if anyone had any ideas.
This time, Shopkeeper Yun did not speak rashly. Firstly, he really did not understand the matter. Secondly, he was just a restaurant owner. Even if he hired people, he would at most hire a few waiters, which would not affect the overall situation.
The others looked at each other in confusion. Some suggested taking in some people as tenants on their farms, while others said they could buy a group of servants, but none of them could solve the fundamental problem.
Ning Yuanze was a little disappointed, but not too sad. These were things he should have solved, and he couldn't rely on others.
"Your Excellency, County Magistrate, I do have some suggestions."
At this moment, Xiao Ying suddenly spoke, which immediately attracted everyone's attention and curiosity.
After the donation just now, everyone already knew that she was the woman who did the spicy sesame oil business with Ruyi Restaurant, and was considered a rising star in Yun'an County.
However, since he was invited by the county magistrate, he must have some wealth and background, so he was less contemptuous.
"Oh? Madam Xiao, please feel free to tell me if you have any suggestions."
Ning Yuanze suddenly perked up. He had a good impression of Xiao Ying and knew that she was smart and courageous. Maybe she really could find a way this time.
Xiao Ying said calmly, "The fundamental problem of these disaster victims is that they have no source of income, so we can solve the problem by just starting from this point."
Ning Yuanze nodded slightly, that was indeed the case.
These people have exhausted all their strength to escape the famine and get here. They have eaten everything they could eat and sold everything they could sell. Otherwise, they would not be in such a miserable state.
By then, even if the county government gave each person a few hundred coins in resettlement fees and some food, it would not be enough for them to survive until next year's harvest.
Winter is coming soon. It is not enough to have food and shelter, but you also need cotton clothes to wear, but these people can't afford it at all.
“Mrs. Xiao has a way for them to earn income?”
He frowned. This involved thousands of people, not just a few.
Xiao Ying said, "I remember that the annual corvée service is approaching. In previous years, each household would select one able-bodied man to serve for twenty days. This time, why not change the selection to these disaster victims?"
"By distributing some silver and food every day, the service period will be extended. This way, we can kill two birds with one stone."
"It not only reduces the people's corvée labor, but also provides these disaster victims with an additional income. Those serving can earn money and save food for one person at a time. I believe they will not refuse."
Ning Yuanze's eyes lit up. This was indeed a good idea!
Although it costs some money and food, it is actually not that much.
Only one person is selected from each household. Even if a total of one thousand people are selected, the daily wages and food and drink will add up to twenty cents, which means twenty taels of silver will be consumed a day.
There are still more than three months to the Chinese New Year. Based on three months of work, less than two thousand taels will be consumed, but each household can get more than one tael of silver.
More importantly, the money is earned by them through work rather than distributed directly, so as to avoid the victims developing a habit of waiting for work.
Ordinary people would surely be very happy to be exempted from corvee labor, which really kills two birds with one stone.
Thinking of this, he looked at Xiao Ying with a little more admiration. This Mrs. Xiao is really smart!
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