Chapter 452 Grain Storage Strategy!
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "I am also a military officer who has been on the battlefield, I understand! Everyone, let's sit down and talk!"
...
Seven days later, Shen Lanxi submitted a grain storage plan to Emperor Renxiao. This plan was presented during the morning court session.
"Your Majesty, Lord Shen's 'Ode to Grain Storage' is utterly ridiculous!" Wu Yanzhi was the first to stand up and object.
"Your Majesty, Shen Lanxi is exploiting and oppressing the people of our Great Zhou. The people are the foundation of our Great Zhou. If they collapse, our Great Zhou will perish from within, even without invasions from all sides!" The old Grand Tutor said with deep sorrow.
Liu Mingxin remained silent, but his meaning was clearly the same as that of the Grand Tutor and the Left Chancellor.
Emperor Renxiao frowned, pondering the feasibility of what Shen Lanxi had said.
Encouraging the people to reclaim wasteland is a good idea. However, due to the wars of the previous years, the national treasury is empty, and the court has increased taxes. The civil officials have already complained occasionally, and if such a heavy burden is placed on them, he is worried that it will backfire.
"I need to consider this matter further!"
Emperor Renxiao and most of his court officials had never been to the fields, and they were not in a hurry to get an answer from Shen Lanxi, even though they did not agree with her.
"Your Majesty, what about the matter of encouraging noble families to convert their gardens into farmland?"
Emperor Renxiao pondered, "This matter requires careful planning. If, as you say, they provide grain and I reward them with calligraphy, wouldn't that make my calligraphy seem too cheap?"
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "Your Majesty has already made a plan. If the amount of grain exceeds two thousand catties, Your Majesty will write it as a family that accumulates good deeds. If the amount exceeds five thousand catties, Your Majesty will write it as a family that accumulates blessings. If the amount of grain exceeds ten thousand catties, Your Majesty will be more generous and may grant one condition."
Everything else was fine, but the last point made Emperor Renxiao frown.
"What if they have committed a serious crime, and I ask them to forgive them?"
Shen Lanxi: "That is naturally impossible. The condition I mentioned must be in accordance with etiquette and morality, and must not violate the laws of the court or the morals of the people."
Emperor Renxiao's lips twitched. If she really said that, wouldn't he only be able to ask for some trivial matters?
It's not like we can't negotiate a trivial matter involving 10,000 jin of grain!
"This is something we can discuss."
Shen Lanxi: "As far as I know, there are many unclaimed desolate mountains and mass graves in the Great Zhou, and I would like to make use of them!"
Emperor Renxiao twitched his lips. Are these two places suitable for farming?
Shen Lanxi: "I once saw my grandmother plant millet in flowerpots and rice in water vats because she missed her hometown, and they grew very well!"
Emperor Renxiao smiled and said, "Your grandmother was a blessed person."
Shen Lanxi: "Your Majesty, I believe we should make the most of every inch of our Great Zhou's land by adapting to local conditions. Our Great Zhou has a vast territory; surely we can't compete with a tiny country in farming?"
Emperor Renxiao's competitive spirit was ignited, but it quickly died down.
Previously, the Ministry of Revenue had submitted a memorial stating that years of war had decimated the able-bodied population, leading to the extinction of many families in various places, resulting in vast tracts of land being abandoned and uncultivated.
Their Great Zhou Dynasty didn't lack land, but rather its population was insufficient.
Shen Lanxi suggested, "Your Majesty, half of the Imperial Guards under my command are vacant. We can send them to cultivate the land temporarily. Once the population of our Great Zhou increases, we can transfer them out."
Emperor Renxiao was taken aback, then his eyes lit up.
He had been worried that the soldiers from Xihua Prefecture would be unruly and cause trouble, but he lacked troops and could only use them while being wary of them.
Now, thanks to Shen Lanxi's reminder, he finally has a legitimate reason to settle these people.
"Alright, those unclaimed, barren mountains will be inventoried by the lower ranks, and then you will be responsible for assigning the Imperial Guards there!"
Emperor Renxiao seemed to have finally resolved a major concern, and felt much more relaxed.
He also readily agreed to Shen Lanxi's earlier suggestion to encourage people to reclaim wasteland.
"I'll leave this matter to you as well!"
All the civil and military officials in the court knew that this was a hot potato; if not handled properly, it could incite public resentment.
Therefore, there was no opening to block the way.
They were just waiting to see how Shen Lanxi would cry when this ridiculous grain storage plan failed!
The Yue Kingdom envoys were in no hurry to leave; instead, they spent every day waiting for Shen Lanxi at the Duke of Huguo's residence.
Shen Lanxi was extremely busy and hadn't stepped into the gates of the Duke of Huguo's mansion for half a month. However, the envoy from Yue Kingdom still insisted on visiting her every day without fail.
People gossiped privately, saying that Shen Lanxi had ruined the Great Zhou's piety and disregarded the envoys of other countries. They said she was arrogant because of her favor with the emperor, disregarded etiquette and law, and cared nothing for the lives of the people and soldiers.
Among these sounds, there were also different voices.
"How can our great Zhou Dynasty bow down to a small country? Moreover, this small country has repeatedly threatened us with food, which is a complete trampling of our dignity!"
"The grain storage policy isn't bad either. I heard that the imperial court is responsible for distributing grain seeds, and for land that you cultivate yourself, you only need to pay grain according to a certain ratio. You only need to pay 20 catties of grain per mu, and if you cultivate more land, you can get some reductions!"
"Is there really such a good thing?"
“My brother-in-law’s brother-in-law was serving tea and water to the officials at the Ministry of Revenue. I overheard that the taxes on land that he had cultivated for more than five years were halved, and the taxes on land that he had cultivated for more than ten years were completely exempted.”
"Really? Is there really such a good thing?"
"My wife's brother's sister's brother-in-law works at the Ministry of Revenue cleaning the courtyard. I heard that the Ministry of Revenue has already uprooted the small garden and planted grain there."
"Your news is late. I also heard that His Majesty bestowed upon the old lady of the Duke of Huguo's mansion the four characters 'Accumulated Blessings,' praising her for being a model of diligence, thrift, and managing the household as a woman of great virtue."
"Oh, no wonder so many officials have started digging gardens and filling in ponds at home, so that's the reason."
...
Shen Congwen was nominally the head of the Ministry of Revenue, but the position was not filled by Emperor Renxiao.
Just when everyone in the Ministry of Revenue was speculating that His Majesty wanted Shen Congwen to attend court with his broken leg, Shen Lanxi arrived at the Ministry of Revenue.
Although she had no intention of joining the Ministry of Revenue, she did the work of the head of the Ministry of Revenue in every way.
"Tian Chong, Yu Jiang, Xu Yuan, and Zhang Han, the four of you are responsible for having your subordinates inventory all the unclaimed mountains in various places. You four should also each select two people to count the unclaimed mountains near the capital."
"Liu Yanhui, Ding Mao, Sun Zhang, and Zhang Shuping, the four of you are responsible for compiling a list of mass graves inside and outside the capital. For graves with owners, have them relocate; for unclaimed graves, level them. I will only give you ten days."
"Ten days from now, you will go down to various places to oversee the pacification of the burial mounds!"
The four accepted the order.
Shen Lanxi: "After leveling the mass grave, arrange for people to plant crops. The timing of planting is just as important as the timing of a battle; it cannot be delayed!"
"yes!"
Shen Lanxi: "I will send troops to follow you. If anyone causes trouble, their whole family will be exiled to a harsh and cold land to reclaim wasteland!"
"yes!"
"Do any of the officials have any further objections?"
With troops already deployed, who dares to leave?
Whoever causes trouble will have to clear the wasteland and farm the land. Shen Lanxi probably hopes someone will cause trouble, because they won't send her any labor!
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