Chapter 313 Mission Progress +1
Zhao Yuanxi asked about their family situation again. As expected, their fathers had passed away. Either there were no adults at home, or only their mother or grandparents were left. After a locust plague, it was already difficult for them to support themselves, let alone raise these half-grown children. They really had no ability to do so.
"Let these children stop working in the quarry. There are soup kitchens nearby. Let them help out there."
It's such a big place, so it's not that they can't even provide food for a few children. The quarry is too dangerous for them.
After some investigation, Zhao Yuanxi realized that many people had died in Dang County due to the previous war and the recent locust plague. There were countless children like them who had lost their parents. They usually survived on grass roots, tree bark and charity from neighbors, and now they could hardly even eat grass roots.
Zhao Yuanxi was thinking about how to resettle these people. The Qin State did not have any charity relief institutions. Children like these who had lost their parents and elders could either sell themselves into slavery or leave the rest to fate.
Yuanxi College does have this function, but it is still a college in essence, not a simple charity organization.
While she was thinking, she didn't notice when Fan Zeng came over.
When she came to her senses, she couldn't help but be surprised, "Why is Mr. Fan here? Has your leg injury healed?"
Fan Zeng tapped his leg with his crutch and said, "It's fine! My leg is fine now."
Zhao Yuanxi was frightened by his blow with the stick, fearing that he might accidentally break his leg and then have to lie in bed for most of the day.
"Sir, you are indeed in good health," she sighed sincerely.
"The Queen Mother is planning how to place these young children?"
"What's your opinion, sir?"
"What insights can you offer? Don't we all have to pay for food and money?"
The grumpy old man hit the nail on the head. No matter how many ways he thought of, he had to fill the mouths of these children.
Zhao Yuanxi: "That's true. Although I'm not short of money, supporting so many people is not a long-term solution."
After all, the power of an individual is limited. This is not something that can be accomplished by one person. Moreover, this situation is not only in Dang County, but also exists in all counties and prefectures. It's just that the situation in Dang County is particularly bad.
"Aren't you the Queen Mother of Qin? Of course you can find a way for the government to set up an institution to take care of these orphans!"
Zhao Yuanxi's eyes rolled. From what he heard, it seemed that Fan Zeng was thinking of joining the Qin State. Even if that wasn't the case, he at least had some interest in the Qin State.
"I could submit a petition regarding this matter, but the implications are so wide-ranging that I'm afraid there's no suitable person in the court to take charge. If I can't find anyone, then I'll have to postpone it for a while."
Fan Zeng glared at him and asked, "Drag?"
"If you delay, I'm afraid tens of thousands more people will starve to death!"
Zhao Yuanxi showed an embarrassment on his face, "But this matter still needs to be considered in the long run."
She continued, "However, since it was you who brought this up, sir, I think you have a plan in mind. In that case, why don't you handle this matter yourself?"
A look of hesitation flashed across Fan Zeng's face.
Zhao Yuanxi continued, "I'm afraid no one in this world knows how to handle this better than you, sir. If you can't do it, I'm afraid no one else will succeed either. And in the end, these children will be the ones who suffer."
"You're including me in this!"
Zhao Yuanxi laughed. "Jiang Taigong fishes, and those who are willing take the bait. How can this be considered a scheme?"
"snort!"
It's not that Fan Zeng doesn't want to realize his ambitions, but as the Queen Mother Zhao said, the King of Chu and the King of Qi were not much better than the King of Qin. Although the King of Qin was violent, he was indeed a qualified monarch. Since they were both going to enter the officialdom, choosing Qin was not a bad option.
"I will write to the king, but this expense is not a small amount for the Qin State. How much the king can give up depends on his decision."
If Ying Zheng could not give him much money and grain, then Zhao Yuanxi would have to find a way to make up for it himself.
Not long after Fan Zeng agreed, Zhao Yuanxi saw Fan Zeng's name appear on the task bar.
Including Zhang Liang, Han Fei, Liu Bang, Xiao He and others, Zhao Yuanxi has found seven people, leaving only three, and the system's task is completed.
There was still half of the time left, so Zhao Yuanxi was not in a hurry. He focused on building the water conservancy project in Dang County and asked the Mo family to build many water wheels for irrigating the land.
Summer has passed, and it is impossible to grow crops this year, but it is still possible to plant a wave of winter wheat in the fall, and then they can harvest it next summer.
Compared with the Qin State which had settled down in peace, the Chu State was not so lucky.
The locust plague destroyed almost everything in the northern part of Chu State. A large number of refugees migrated to the southern part of Chu State, causing unrest in the southern part of Chu State.
The King of Chu in the royal court had no idea what had happened in Chu. No one in the Chu court mentioned disaster relief, but instead was talking about the Qin army approaching.
Xiang Yan's expression was solemn. "Your Majesty, the Qin army of 400,000 is stationed in Anling and is about to attack our Chu. I beg your permission to go and defeat the powerful Qin."
Xiang Yan was one of the few capable and battle-hardened generals in the State of Chu. The King of Chu was naturally relieved that Xiang Yan was willing to lead the troops. He even asked to go with Xiang Yan to Pingyu to supervise the battle.
Xiang Yan frowned. If the king went with him, it would mean that the State of Chu could not retreat.
This was not an idea that the King of Chu would come up with. Xiang Yan glanced at Prime Minister Li who was kneeling just below the King, and strongly suspected that it was his idea.
He was resentful, but now was not the time for internal strife. The previous experience of Zhao State was a lesson for him. Although Li Yuan was a cunning man, he was not a villain like Guo Kai. Moreover, he was the king's uncle, so he would not do anything that would hurt his relatives and please his enemies.
The State of Chu dispatched 400,000 troops to the north to deal with the Qin army's possible attack.
Wang Ben received a message from his father, asking him to lead his troops to Anling to join forces and attack the State of Chu.
Without hesitation, he had his people pack up and prepare to leave, but before leaving, he still went to the county magistrate's mansion to bid farewell to the empress dowager.
When Zhao Yuanxi learned that he was leaving, he personally escorted him to the city gate and said, "General Wang, be careful."
Wang Ben bowed and said, "I obey your command. Please take care, Queen Mother."
After Wang Ben left, the project in Dang County had completed the first phase and no longer needed Zhao Yuanxi's constant supervision.
She wanted to go back to Xianyang, but before doing so, she planned to find someone else.
Not long ago, she received news that someone had discovered Lu Gong's whereabouts, and he and his daughters were now living in Dang County.
Now that she is here, if she doesn't meet the legendary Empress Lu, it would be a waste of this opportunity.
Lu Gong's family now lives in Shanfu County, Dang Commandery. They are a well-known wealthy family in the local area. They have many friends and have always had a good reputation.
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