Such rumors are spread by people, who then embellish them and make them seem incredibly exaggerated. As long as people believe them, they will definitely stockpile grain.
We are secretly fueling the flames and creating panic. The people cannot withstand such incitement and will definitely worry about not having enough food in the future.
Therefore, under these circumstances, a food shortage that didn't exist before naturally arose. They would naturally spend large sums of money to buy our food.
"As long as we sell our grain, whether or not a food shortage occurs will no longer concern us."
Upon hearing this, the registrar suddenly realized what was going on.
Then he smiled and said:
"I see... That's brilliant, absolutely brilliant! This method is definitely feasible."
With your influence in this area, Mr. Sun, it would be incredibly easy for you to have people spread rumors and create unfounded panic.
If this happens, the surrounding people will definitely panic. They will worry that in the future, due to various natural disasters, they will face shortages of food and clothing.
They would also worry that droughts or floods would prevent their sweet potato and potato seeds from thriving. In such a situation, they would be more than willing to use their money to buy grain at high prices.
Mr. Sun is simply too wise. The wisdom you possess is something I could never have in my entire life.
This method, which avoids a direct confrontation with the Crown Prince while cleverly resolving your food crisis, is truly admirable.
Listening to the clerk's usual flattering words, Old Sun was quite pleased and excited, so he said:
"Alright, you'll need to cooperate more in the county government regarding this matter, since some officials are already having these kinds of rumors circulating in secret."
Then the people believed it. Sometimes they didn't need to believe everything; just a little bit of information made them feel somewhat skeptical.
So, just in case, they would definitely spend their own money to buy some grain to store up in case they perceived a potential famine or drought, and that would be enough.
After Old Sun finished speaking, the registrar nodded.
So, after the registrar left, he prepared to cooperate fully with Elder Sun in this matter.
Old Sun was also planning to stir up trouble and spread rumors from multiple angles simultaneously.
He first ordered his men to spread rumors throughout Hekou County that a severe drought would occur in the next month or two.
At the same time, people were sent to impersonate fortune tellers, folk sorcerers, and so on, using all sorts of mystical methods to reveal to the people various signs that a famine was about to occur.
Furthermore, they also had people set up superstitious practices in some areas of Hekou County.
For example, they might secretly drain the water from some ponds, find a way to dry them up, and then place a stone with a carved character on it in the pond. The stone would have the Chinese character for "drought" written on it.
Therefore, they immediately launched a large-scale propaganda campaign, claiming that this was a hint from heaven and a warning from God.
They said a drought was going to happen, otherwise how could the water in the pond suddenly disappear overnight, and how could a stone with the word "drought" written on it appear out of nowhere?
Meanwhile, in some temples, there are also instances of people impersonating deities and performing miracles...
In short, in the days following the moment when Old Sun made up his mind, rumors spread like wildfire throughout Hekou County, with various so-called hints from heaven or the river god appearing in different places.
It is said that a drought will occur in the future, leading to food shortages.
For a time, the people of Hekou County were filled with anxiety and worry.
Ancient people were very superstitious, and under such circumstances, they were naturally very worried that there would be a drought and food shortage, fearing that if this happened, the people would have nothing to eat.
So at this time, under Sun Lao's arrangement, some of his subordinates in Hekou County secretly began to stir up trouble, adding fuel to the fire and setting the agenda.
This made the people feel that under these circumstances, they had to quickly buy some grain as a precaution.
After all, no one can say for sure whether sweet potato and potato seeds will be successfully planted in the future.
If a drought really occurs, not only will sweet potatoes and potatoes fail, but even the grains that were originally planted will likely yield no harvest.
Therefore, faced with this situation, many people have begun to believe it and are preparing to buy large quantities of grain.
Just as the people were preparing to buy grain, the various grain depots under Old Man Sun's control doubled the price of the grain from the normal price.
If food prices didn't rise, that would be fine. But this price increase has only created more tension, making people worry that a food shortage might be coming.
Otherwise, why would the grain sellers suddenly raise prices?
So the atmosphere was perfectly set, and the pacing was spot on. The rising food prices made people feel that food might actually become scarce in the future.
Therefore, some people still have to buy food even when prices have risen.
However, most ordinary people are still taking a wait-and-see approach.
After all, this situation has left many people somewhat confused and unable to make a final decision.
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