83 fundraising
"Of course, it's taking advantage of someone's misfortune."
As the map unfolded, Shen Suqin slowly traced its path with her finger.
There is a Lishui River running east to west in northern Liangzhou. It can be said to be the mother river of Liangzhou. Its tributaries extend throughout the northern part of Liangzhou. It is precisely because the Lishui River has dried up that most of Liangzhou has fallen into drought.
As for why there is no drought in the south, it is because the area is mostly mountainous, and a river originates from the mountains, protecting the southern prefectures of Liangzhou from drought.
Shen Suqin pointed to the lake at the foot of the mountains to the south and asked, "Is there a lot of water here?"
Shui Cao replied, "The eldest."
"Hmm, since Liangzhou's terrain is high in the south and low in the north, hasn't anyone thought about the South-to-North Water Diversion Project?"
"South-to-North Water Diversion Project?"
This is a massive project that could shake mountains and rivers; most people would never even imagine it.
Shi Ye asked, "You mean to divert water from Zhaotai Lake in the south to the north? How?"
Shen Suqin drew a line between Zhaotai Lake and the Sushui River to the north with his finger and said, "The most important reason for manually opening up canals and digging rivers is that I want to use work relief instead of labor relief."
"Dig a river?"
Shi Ye hesitated.
Throughout history, digging canals has always been a massive undertaking. Such wasteful and labor-intensive measures are often accompanied by political instability, so he was hesitant to take the gamble.
"What is Your Highness worried about?" Shen Suqin asked.
"Wouldn't this involve too much trouble?"
After a moment's consideration, Shen Suqin replied, "There are far more than 100,000 refugees now. If we don't find something for them to do, isn't Your Highness afraid that they might actually rebel?"
"Besides, by organizing people to dig the river channel, we can keep people firmly under control and prevent those with ulterior motives from instigating it. I think it's worth a try."
Shi Ye shook his head: "I need to think about it some more. After all, this is no small matter."
Shen Suqin nodded, "If Your Highness is worried about the difficulty of controlling a large number of people, the excavation can be carried out in sections. These are the only ideas I can think of. Your Highness and the officials can consider the rest themselves."
"By the way, Lord Tian, for some crops that can still be saved, choose the more expensive ones, such as fruit trees, you can use drip irrigation. Drip irrigation is to hollow out thin bamboo tubes, connect them together to form a pipe, and then place the bamboo tube at the base of the fruit tree, making only a small opening near the base so that water drips directly into the soil at the base, reducing water loss."
As Shen Suqin spoke, she thought carefully, afraid of missing anything. "Also, General Xiao is currently helping to distribute disaster relief grain. He will soon have to set off to raise silver from officials in various places. Please find someone to distribute the grain in his place. Of course, the Black Flag Army's food supplies must be guaranteed first. I don't want our general to work on an empty stomach."
"That's all I wanted to say. Please continue, everyone. I'll go and rest now."
As everyone listened to her eloquent speech, they became curious about her background after she left.
"Your Highness, who is this young lady?"
Shi Ye: "A student of Ji Weiya, the author of 'Ode to the Eastern Liang' and 'Elegy for the Deceased Souls'."
Everyone slowly opened their mouths wide, and respectfully bowed in the direction Shen Suqin had left.
That afternoon, Xiao Pingchuan led his team away from the prefectural capital, along with a series of government orders.
First, they recruited water carriers, each with two meals a day; second, they recruited river workers, each with twenty copper coins a day.
As soon as the two decrees were issued, people flocked to the registration offices in various counties and prefectures, almost wearing down the thresholds.
The same applies to the state capital.
The refugees outside the city struggled to their feet and stumbled towards the registration area, afraid of missing out if they were too late.
Shen Suqin was awakened by the commotion outside. As soon as she made a sound, Liu Zimu's voice rang out from outside the door, "Master, are you getting up?"
Shen Suqin grunted and asked through the door, "Why are you here?"
"His Highness sent me. He instructed me to lead a team to provide close protection for the master."
"Um."
Shen Suqin woke up, got out of bed and left the room. The sun had not yet risen, and the sky was empty without a single cloud.
"What's going on outside? It's so noisy," she asked Liu Zimu.
"Those who register for the job."
Shen Suqin reacted for a moment and said, "Your Highness is quick. Let's go take a look."
Upon arriving at the prefectural government hall, it was packed with people.
They weren't refugees or ordinary people; they were people from nearby counties who came to submit statistical lists.
As Shen Suqin watched from afar, he suddenly felt the people's desperate will to survive.
It turns out that all they need is a tiny bit of hope; just a tiny bit is enough for them to grasp that sliver of hope and desperately climb upwards.
"According to preliminary estimates, more than 200,000 people have registered," Shui Cao said to Shi Ye, holding the roster.
"Yes, we will allocate river works from different counties to different sections of the river based on proximity to avoid large gatherings."
"yes."
As the sun rose higher, it got a bit hot, and Shen Suqin wiped her sweaty fingers with a handkerchief.
"Has the section of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project been finalized by the authorities?" she asked Shi Ye.
"I'm still looking at it; I always feel there can be a better solution."
Shen Suqin looked at him calmly and said sarcastically, "Now is not the time for slow and meticulous work."
Shi Ye remained calm and composed: "The situation is basically under control. Even if we use work relief instead of labor relief, we can't let the people do unnecessary work. It's only right to plan carefully in the early stages."
Shen Suqin agreed with this point.
“Your Highness is right,” she said. “By the way, Your Highness, could you lend me your name to gather some people?”
Who is it?
“The gentry, prominent families, and wealthy merchants in the northern part of Liangzhou.”
What do you want with them?
Shen Suqin smiled mysteriously: "Of course, it's about taking advantage of someone's misfortune."
Shi Ye: ......
Shi Ye never refused her requests, and that very day he issued an edict to various places in the north in the name of the Crown Prince.
With the title of Crown Prince in hand, those people quickly set off, and by the afternoon of the following day, they had all arrived.
The crowd gathered at the prefectural government office, anxiously awaiting the appearance of the crown prince.
Not wanting to wait long, a young woman emerged, with a slender waist and an ethereal air.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Shen Suqin. I am the owner of Xingyuan Restaurant and Shenji Zhenhuo, and also the wife of General Xiao Pingchuan." She introduced herself. "His Highness is a good friend of mine. He had something come up and asked me to greet you all on his behalf."
Everyone then stood up and exchanged pleasantries.
"To be honest, His Highness summoned you all here because there is a business deal to discuss. I am a businessman, and I speak business as it is, so there is no need for you to doubt that," Shen Suqin continued. "What I am about to say will certainly be a money-making plan. If anyone feels uncomfortable about it, they may leave on their own without saying goodbye."
The expressions on everyone's faces varied.
No one was willing to ask first, nor did they want to be the first to speak up.
Shen Suqin smiled: "I had someone bring back something from beyond the Great Wall. It's quite rare, at least it's not available in Daliang. I named it cotton, and its uses are no different from silk or reed catkins."
The crowd began to understand the underlying meaning and gradually became more patient.
"This plant requires careful cultivation and maintenance, and of course, the fruit it produces is priceless. The climate in my Jinzhou is unsuitable, being too cold and not conducive to cotton growth, which is why I have come to you all."
These gentry families control 180 percent of the land in northern Liangzhou. Without cooperating with them, it will be difficult to secure cotton planting land.
“I know you all own land. I will buy back this crop as is, at five times the price of millet. And as long as you can grow it, I will buy as much as you grow.”
Everyone present was moved by her words.
"What if you don't accept it? Won't the goods just rot in our hands?" someone asked.
“If I don’t accept it, I will compensate you with fifty taels of silver per mu of land,” Shen Suqin replied.
"But we've never even heard of this stuff. What if we can't grow it?"
Shen Suqin's eyes were deep: "I will send experienced people to teach everyone how to plant it step by step, and there is no doubt that it will grow successfully." At this point, she lowered her voice, "Similarly, I will buy back every single piece of cotton that is grown. If any cotton is lost in the process, I will hold them accountable."
"You may all take your time to consider this matter. His Highness is here to vouch for it," she said, directly betraying Shi Ye. "If you are not at ease, you can wait for him to arrive and ask him yourself. Also, I am only doing this deal with the few of you present here; no one else can hear about it. Of course, if any of you are unwilling, I will not force you. After all, what difference does it make who I do it with?"
After Shen Suqin finished speaking, she sent someone to fetch Shi Ye.
Shi Ye was completely confused, and they pulled him aside to ask, "What is cotton? Can it really be sold for such a high price?"
Shi Ye responded vaguely, glancing at Shen Suqin through the crowd. Seeing her smiling happily, he could only helplessly continue dealing with the crowd.
Thus, under the pretext of feeling sorry for the severe drought in Liangzhou, Shen Suqin signed contracts with these local gentry for cotton planting the following year, making his trip worthwhile.
After finishing her business, Shen Suqin was about to leave. She had already taken a step out when she turned back, looked at everyone with a bright smile, and said, "Since you've all come, wouldn't you like to do something to help with the disaster relief?"
Shi Ye stood beside her, suppressing a laugh, but his face remained cold and stern.
“Miss Shen is right. The disaster victims are living in dire straits. How can we sit idly by and do nothing?” He added fuel to the fire.
The people present looked at each other, then at His Highness the Crown Prince, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Of course, of course."
Shen Suqin turned back, took out paper and pen: "All you kind-hearted people, please register here. I will ask the Crown Prince to erect a monument for your merits. The more you donate, the earlier your name will appear. This monument will be erected at..."
"Standing at the city gate, for the reverence of ten thousand people," Shi Ye continued.
Upon hearing this, everyone realized it was a great thing to bring honor to their ancestors. They immediately stopped objecting and started calculating their own savings, donating tens of thousands at a time.
"Tsk tsk, I never expected that they could actually squeeze out 130,000 shi of grain." Shen Suqin exclaimed, holding the register.
With these 130,000 shi of grain, they could last for several more days.
"I didn't expect them to have so much surplus grain." Shi Ye was a little unhappy. "They only called a few dozen people, but they actually control a third of Liangzhou's grain production. It's clear that these gentry families are the biggest parasites on Liang."
Shen Suqin took a sip of water and comforted him, saying, "It can't be rushed. These local gentry have been entrenched in the countryside for hundreds of years. It's not so easy to eliminate or dismantle them. Let's take it slow. One day we'll be able to divide and conquer them."
"How should we divide and distribute the land? I only proposed an equal land distribution decree in the court, and I was almost deposed by the powerful families."
"But it hasn't happened yet. Look, you're standing right here, which means you were sent by heaven to deal with these powerful families. If you give up first, what will the others do?"
Shi Ye took a deep breath, waved his hand, and indicated that he didn't want to talk anymore.
"Then let's get down to business and go check out the river," Shen Suqin suggested.
Shi Ye: "Okay."
He summoned Liu Zimu and asked him to drive the car.
Before getting on the bus, Liu Zimou reminded them, "We have to go to a place about 50 miles outside the city, which is a bit far. You two should bring some water."
Liu Zimu is now closely following Shi Ye, and is basically his right-hand man.
"Don't worry, I brought it." Shen Suqin shook the kettle. "Are you getting used to following His Highness now?"
Liu Zimou replied, "It's fine."
"Do I look like the kind of person who mistreats others? Besides, he's quite quick-witted, and I've never made things difficult for him," Shi Ye said.
"I just asked, I didn't say anything else. Let's go, or it will be dark when we get back."
[Author's Note]
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-05-06 22:58:59 and 2023-05-12 22:56:02!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Yan Nian (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Shy Grandma Bodhisattva Fish (7 bottles); Peach Blossom (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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