Chapter 153
If it were only this point, it would not be enough to make the Prefect run this errand amidst his hundred busy tasks.
Those who served as officials mostly prioritized practical governance.
Old Master Wu had graded countless exam papers. Most scholars' answers featured elegant language and flowery phrases, but Fang Zichen combined both while also addressing the issues with pinpoint accuracy, completely avoiding mere empty talk and armchair theorizing.
One of the questions concerned current affairs.
Southern Province encountered a drought, the crops in the fields yielded no harvest, leaving nothing to fill stomachs. The common people abandoned their homes and became refugees. Heaven bestowed no grace. The busy farming season of the second month is approaching. What should the people do? What should the officials do?
Southern Province was abundant in rice production, originally a land of fish and rice. However, over the past six months, a severe drought had caused river levels to plummet and riverbeds to crack dry. Most rice paddies failed completely, leaving countless villagers and townspeople with nothing to eat. As famine took hold, many abandoned their homes, becoming refugees who streamed into neighboring provinces and towns. When the people left, the tea turned cold.
[人走茶涼 (rén zǒu chá liáng): lit. When people leave, the tea turns cold; fig. Influence or relationships weaken once someone departs.]
The fields lay barren, and with the natural disasters unceasing, no one was farming.
The question asked: In this situation, what should the common people do? What should those serving as officials do?
Most candidates answered primarily about reporting to the imperial court, asking the court to dispatch grain relief promptly. Since the common people were the foundation of the state, they should be pacified, and taxes should be reduced.
This was something everyone understood.
Fang Zichen also mentioned these points, but his approach was more comprehensive.
He noted that drought inevitably caused food shortages and sent vegetable and grain prices soaring, making price controls by the authorities essential.
He further warned that refugees wandering without direction could easily spark unrest. Suppressing them by force would only cost the government the people's trust. The authorities needed to first provide reassurance. Officials and citizens must stand united, their collective will forming a solid bulwark against the 'drought demon'. Government staff had to courageously shoulder their responsibilities.
Though the drought showed no mercy, human compassion remained. Officials were obligated to provide timely temporary assistance to the people in areas severely affected by the disaster where basic living conditions have become critically difficult, ensuring all who should be guaranteed are guaranteed, all who should be rescued are rescued, and effectively safeguarding the people's basic livelihood.
While prioritizing drought relief and protecting people's livelihoods, substantial consideration should be given to formulating long-term measures to deal with drought, in order to enhance the ability of the masses in drought-prone areas to consciously resist disasters.
Noting that Southern Province lay just three hundred li from Heng Province's Huan River, which enjoyed abundant water flow, he proposed constructing reservoirs and cross-basin water diversion projects in the afflicted region. These would address irrigation and other water needs during dry spells and in parched areas. He also recommended developing water-saving agriculture for drier regions, promoting drought-resistant crops and efficient irrigation methods.
...
He answered extensively, covering the resettlement and management of the common people, and a complete series of pre-disaster, during-disaster, and post-disaster tasks.
Some of his points even Old Master Wu himself had not considered.
While Southern Province suffered from drought, the surrounding provinces had experienced favorable weather. As all were subjects of Daxia, he suggested consulting with the prefects of those regions about providing work opportunities or aid, particularly by sheltering the the elderly, weak, women, and children first.
Should the neighboring prefects refuse, a formal petition could be submitted to the imperial court for intervention.
Once the elderly, weak, women, and children were safely relocated, the remaining able-bodied refugees could be organized by officials to work on water conservation projects. He emphasized that the government couldn't allow masses of people—young and old, strong and weak—to remain idle, passively awaiting imperial relief.
Left unmanaged, refugees spilling into other regions without food or means would inevitably turn to theft and robbery, breeding widespread chaos. Thus, establishing control over their movement was urgent.
Where drought prevented rice cultivation, he advised planting alternative crops suited to local conditions, adapting agricultural practices to what the land could currently sustain.
The points raised by other candidates could not be said to be wrong, but neither could they be said to be entirely right.
An official's duty was to assist the Emperor above and serve the common people below. An official who merely awaited imperial relief during crises was worse than useless.
Moreover, the court supported a large number of soldiers and troops, how much surplus grain and money was available for adjustment?
If everyone waited for the court to save them, the people would starve long before help arrived.
His examination paper contained an extensive section written in a sprawling hand, its assertions delivered with such conviction they seemed undeniable. Yet upon closer examination, every proposal proved thoroughly practicable.
This was the makings of an official.
After Old Master Wu finished reading, he remembered the letter from Yang Mingyi.
The letter asked him to stockpile some grain.
Yang Mingyi said that current grain prices were unstable and he feared they would not drop within six months. While prices were still cheap now, he should buy more to store.
His academy had several hundred people, requiring over a hundred catties of rice daily.
He summoned the steward responsible for food purchases to inquire. The steward said that recently grain prices had indeed risen somewhat, about three coppers more per catty, but this was normal. Once the autumn harvest arrived and new grain supplemented the supply, the grain price would naturally fall. It had been like this in previous years.
Yuanzhou was far from Southern Province, with inconvenient transportation and lagging news. Old Master Wu hadn't paid excessive attention to this matter, but he wrote back asking Yang Mingyi, "Why?"
Yang Mutao had the intention to cultivate Yang Mingyi and would take him along when handling matters big and small at Zuixiao Restaurant. Having studied under Fang Zichen for a period of time, Yang Mingyi could now review account books quite quickly.
While reviewing this year's fiscal revenue and expenditures, he discovered that this year's grain prices were rising particularly fast.
In previous years, prices would also rise, but mostly starting around the fifth month and stopping by the seventh month.
Furthermore, it wasn't just rice that rose; millet, broomcorn millet, wheat, barley, etc., would all follow suit in price increases.
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