After dinner, Xuanyuan Zhan sent all the officials back home.
He and Mu Lingchen returned to the government office together.
The rooms in the government office had already been cleaned up by Zhu Ji's men.
The government office wasn't a place to live, so the rooms were limited and quite simple. There were only four rooms in total, which was barely enough for them.
Xuanyuan Zhan and Mu Lingchen each chose a room, while the other two rooms were for Ye Feng, Ye Yun, and Shan Baishan Shui.
As night fell, despite having been busy all day, Mu Lingchen still managed to squeeze into Xuan Yuanzhan's room in high spirits.
When did you arrive in the North?
"I arrived five or six days earlier than you."
Having spent the entire night lying on the grass without sleeping, and having been up all day, Xuan Yuanzhan was truly exhausted and lay down on the small couch in the outer room.
Mu Lingchen laughed: "You managed to wipe out all 40,000 bandits in the north in just five or six days. You're truly amazing!"
Who could do that?
If Xuan Yuanzhi and Xuan Yuanyu were to do this, who knows what kind of trouble or jokes would result?
Xuanyuan Zhan was decisive and swift in his actions. In just five or six days, he wiped out all the bandits in these villages!
If this gets out, who can argue with it!
Xuan Yuanzhan raised an eyebrow: "They just happened to be courting death, so they'll have to bear the consequences!"
"So what do you plan to do with these bandits? Are you going to offer them amnesty?"
Mu Lingchen knew that Xuan Yuanzhan wouldn't really kill all 40,000 bandits.
If he wanted to kill, he could have done it today, but he didn't kill a single one, which clearly indicates that he had other plans.
However, even if we don't kill all these bandits, we can't let them all go. If they were released and continued to commit evil deeds, that would be a real disaster.
Xuanyuan Zhan naturally wanted to recruit them, but now was not the time: "Let's talk about it in a few days. Lock them up for a few days first and let them settle down."
Mu Lingchen nodded noncommittally.
It's indeed not the right time to offer amnesty, but...
"Keeping them locked up like this is a waste of food!"
They may be locked up, but they can't just starve these 40,000 people!
Xuan Yuanzhan couldn't even think about the issue of food and drink: "I've already sent Ye Feng to raid those bandits' strongholds. There must still be a lot of food left in those bandit dens, enough to feed them for a while."
He probably won't keep them locked up for too long.
Mu Lingchen hadn't expected him to be so thoughtful: "Today, these officials in the North should be able to donate quite a bit because you forced them to. As for those officials who did bad things, once the investigation is complete, even if they aren't sentenced to have their property confiscated, they should still be fined. We can use the money from those fines to buy some rice and grain elsewhere."
Although the imperial court allocated 10,000 dan of grain to the north, they carefully guarded it along the way, preventing officials along the route from having any opportunity to embezzle the grain.
However, with so many refugees in the north, they consume a lot of food every day. This grain supply of ten thousand dan (a unit of dry measure) will only last them for three months at most. After three months, they will definitely run out of food.
Given the current disaster situation in the North, the crops there will not be able to grow in three months. Therefore, the North needs far more than just Wan Dan's worth of food.
Xuanyuan Zhan frowned, somewhat worried: "If all else fails, we can ask the capital for help again."
The Emperor is aware of the situation in the North, and he will not ask the court for grain unless absolutely necessary.
If he asks, the Emperor will likely grant it.
Mu Lingchen raised an eyebrow: "That's fine too. You should be returning to the capital soon. When you get back, you can have a good talk with the Emperor."
Judging by the timeline, Cousin Ning'er will give birth within the next month or two. Knowing Xuan Yuanzhan's personality, he will definitely rush back. Then, he can ask the Emperor for some rice and grain, and the Emperor should agree.
Xuan Yuanzhan also thought of Su Xuening. Now another month has passed, Ning'er's belly must be even bigger. He wondered how her health was.
However, the Holy King's Mansion has a mother and several masters, so they should be able to take good care of Ning'er.
Thinking of his wife, Xuan Yuanzhan felt a strong urge to return home.
He needs to finish things here as soon as possible and then rush back to Kyoto.
After talking for a while, Mu Lingchen felt thirsty and sat down at the table again. He habitually picked up the teapot to pour himself a cup of tea, but found it empty. He was immediately annoyed: "I forgot that the North is short of water. If I had known this, we should have brought more water from the capital."
Xuanyuan Zhan was amused by him: "Except for the North, where there is no water, don't other places have water? If you want water, why do you need to bring it from the capital?"
They couldn't draw water from any of the rivers they came from.
When Xuanyuan Zhan said this, both of them were stunned.
Mu Lingchen immediately looked at Xuan Yuanzhan excitedly: "The drought in the North is severe. While diverting water from the South to the North can completely solve the problem, it will still take two years, which is too long. Can we first divert water from other places nearby to the North to temporarily alleviate the disaster, and then wait until we get through these two years?"
Xuanyuan Zhan had just thought of this too, and got up to sit at the table: "Do you have a map?"
"Yes." Mu Lingchen immediately took out a sheepskin map from his pocket and handed it to Xuan Yuanzhan.
Xuanyuan Zhan spread the sheepskin map flat on the table, then found a pen and drew several points on the map: "Xiangnan and Beidi, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has already passed the center point. If we dig canals and dig ditches further south from Beidi, we can greatly shorten the time of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and bring water into Beidi in time, which can solve the urgent problem in Beidi!"
Looking at the points Xuan Yuanzhan had drawn on the map, Mu Lingchen was also very excited: "If that's the case, if we arrange more people here, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project won't even take two years. The timeframe will depend on the number of people involved in digging the canals and ditches. At the fastest, we can divert water to the north in a month, and at the slowest, it will only take a few months to complete the digging of the canals and ditches between the north and south."
Xuanyuan Zhan seemed to see a glimmer of hope: "I can definitely see the water diversion to the North in a month. As long as water enters the North, the crops there will survive, and the famine in the North will be alleviated."
Mu Lingchen smiled: "If there is water within a month, then our disaster relief food should be enough."
Xuanyuan Zhan nodded silently. Indeed, planting crops like wheat and rice might take too long to harvest. They could plant a batch of sweet potatoes first, which could also fill their stomachs and save their lives.
"Let's go." Without further ado, Xuan Yuanzhan pulled Mu Lingchen away.
Mu Lingchen was completely bewildered as he was pulled along: "Where are we going so late!"
"Go and inspect other cities outside the North, compare them with the progress of the South Water Project, and see where it would be appropriate to dig the canal," Xuan Yuanzhan replied without turning his head.
...Mu Lingchen stared speechlessly at Xuan Yuanzhan's retreating figure.
It's already dark. He probably didn't sleep last night, and he's not planning to sleep tonight either?
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