Shipin Dalizheng

He had not been to the Household Deployment Office for several days, which caused Zheng Changzhi to complain. Finally one day he came to find him, but was blocked by two disabled old soldiers outside the small bridge on the way.

At this time, Fuxinzhuang was surrounded by earth walls, and not a single trace of the secrets inside could be revealed. Even if outsiders felt that there were some secrets inside, they had no way of finding out.

Zheng Changzhi waited for a long time, and Rong Tang finally came. When he thought he could go in, it turned out that Rong Tang brought out a big cart and wanted to go back to Beijing with him. In short, during this period of time, no one could get in.

Before leaving, Zheng Changzhi took another look at the mysterious high wall with an unfathomable expression.

"Master Rong, disaster relief is the responsibility of the two of us. You can't just leave it to me. Why don't you do some private work?"

Inside the office, Zheng Changzhi vented his dissatisfaction without hesitation, "You are still the Left Vice Minister, half a level higher than me."

Rong Tang leisurely drank a sip of tea and asked his men to make him a piece of dregs cake. In a moment, it softened into half a bowl of granular paste. "Try it, this is the food I made for the immigrants. It's easy to eat, just brew it with warm water."

It was obvious that Zheng Changzhi had no appetite, and his mysophobia did not allow him to eat unknown food.

He didn't eat it, but asked his men to try it. Of course, it couldn't be compared with the refined rice porridge, but it was still edible. The only difference was that it was a bit hard on the teeth, and you would bite into a grain of sand from time to time, which made people have to be very careful when eating.

After eating, his men honestly expressed their feelings. Zheng Changzhi was disgusted and said, "You have to make dry food. Can't you make it clean? The victims are also human beings."

Rong Tang asked the subordinate who had just tasted the food, "If this dregs cake was given away for free, would you take it?"

The subordinate shook his head and said, "I have food at home. I won't accept this kind of bread unless I am starving to death."

"That's it."

Zheng Changzhi squinted at him and said, "How dare you be so despised? Don't even mention that you want to sell this cake to the imperial court for disaster relief."

"One penny for three pounds is only enough for sorghum flour and wages, the rest is free."

Zheng Changzhi immediately fell silent. He also knew that the cheapest grain purchased by the court cost only a few cents per pound. In the Liang family corruption case uncovered last year, grain prices were the most obvious piece of evidence. This year, the control was particularly strict, and there was basically no profit for those involved.

This thing is so cheap, so it doesn't matter if it tastes bad.

"How much can you offer?"

Rong Tang calculated that an acre of land yielded an average of 3,000 jin of sugar beets. The dry residue left after boiling the sugar would yield at most 300 jin. With 20% sorghum flour and 10% dried vegetable shreds, the maximum yield would be 400 jin. Thirteen hundred acres of sugar beets could yield a maximum of 520,000 jin.

"About 4,000 koku."

Less than one hundred and eighty taels of silver was enough to keep fifty thousand people from starving to death for a month. Zheng Changzhi pursed his lips. When he calculated this figure, he felt his heart pounding. This money was not even enough for them to go to a big restaurant to enjoy a meal of delicacies.

It turns out that the lives of poor people are so worthless.

"Of course, people can't just eat this, so other food is also necessary. I've already covered part of the gap. According to our original plan, the local government will be responsible for 30%, the court will allocate 50%, and we will solve the 20% ourselves. Of course, I can't get everything in one go. It will take two to three months to get it all out."

Zheng Changzhi sighed, "Think of other ways to make some cheaper, more filling dry food. It sounds like tens of thousands of taels of silver can buy a lot of food, but the transportation costs alone are twice what the victims actually need."

But this was clearly no easy task. Rong Tang could achieve this at a low price because the sugar beets had already been squeezed, and their economic value had been largely utilized. He didn't care if there was a little scrap left, and he was willing to give it away for free. However, no matter how much other grains were used, the cost was still there, and labor costs had to be added, making it uneconomical.

"I don't think it's necessary to prepare a year's worth of food for disaster victims. Once they arrive, they can use local resources to meet their daily needs. Disaster victims aren't necessarily destitute; those with money can contribute financially, and those without can contribute labor. The government doesn't have to take on all the responsibilities of resettling disaster victims, as that would foster laziness, which is unhealthy."

His words gradually attracted the attention of officials of all ranks in the office, and they all gathered around to listen carefully.

Rong Tang cleared his throat. "Building a new city in a barren land will be a huge, long-term project. Does it require continuous allocations of money and grain from the court? The purpose of disaster relief is not just to feed the victims, but to give them a means of livelihood. At this time, working in exchange for food is one way to do it. This is called work-for-relief. Alternatively, newly settled people who need a house but don't have the money to build can apply for a government loan. Depending on the situation, the loan can be interest-free or low-interest, and the repayment period can be several years. This is called a relief loan. Just like what Lord Zheng said before, those willing to settle in the northwest will be given one acre of land per person by the court for free. This acre of land needs seeds, right? You can also borrow from the government, and the seeds will be doubled back the following year. The repayment can be a lump sum or in installments to prevent farmers from facing difficulties in life."

His subordinate clerk quickly wrote down a few items, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "Lord Rong is truly remarkable! This is a win-win strategy for both the victims and the court. I have already written it down for you and will present it to His Majesty. You will certainly receive a shower of praise, and the entire Ministry of Revenue will be proud of it."

After the Ministry of Revenue was scolded bitterly last year, this was the first time that they felt honored. No wonder someone leaked that anyone who had worked with Lord Rong, even if they were once a slave, would have the opportunity to be promoted.

The best examples are Rong Zhan and his companions, who have all joined the circle of nobles, and the new army officers under his command, who were all bandits and peasants a year ago.

Minister Zheng's family is well-connected, and rarely is he stopped from coming to the capital. Minister Rong, while seemingly from a weaker background, has made remarkable contributions that benefit the people, earning His Majesty's love. How could such a man have a poor future?

For a time, all the officials, big and small, who originally felt that Rong Tang was parachuted in, had a drastic change of opinion about him.

Zheng Changzhi watched silently for a long time. Seeing that Rong Tang had won over most of the people in the Ministry of Revenue with just two policies to pacify the people, he sighed. What a good policy! Why had he never thought of it?

The reason is that what we consider is always our own interests first, and only those who are selfless can think of a way to have the best of both worlds.

As expected, the policy of pacifying the people was presented, and Emperor Xuanning was very satisfied. "Very good, very good, just as it is. This way, the city will be built faster and the treasury will be replenished faster. I will add an additional 200,000 taels for loans."

Rong Tang's compound interest calculations popped up in his mind, and he was shocked. What was going on? Would he let the people live? This compound interest calculation could only be used on people like the Chu family.

The most important policy to pacify the people has been released, and preliminary imperial edicts have been sent to the severely affected prefectures. Local authorities have issued travel permits, and large-scale migration with the Northwest as the final destination has begun.

Back in Shangjing, the first batch of supplies was ready. Rong Wanli selected two thousand new soldiers and one hundred reserve soldiers, escorting over a hundred carts. At the Ten-Li Pavilion, Rong Tang and the Sima family first bid farewell to Sima Ren, Sima Li, and their five younger brothers. The second wife and three wives would wait two or three months until their temporary residence was built.

The two brothers were to become officials, one in charge of water conservancy, the other of dividing the land. Each family that had donated money also sent representatives to divide up the land. Rong Tang pulled out a map of the Northwest and handed it to Sima Ren. "Uncle, where there are large areas of saline-alkali land, there are often salt lakes or salt mountains. Pay close attention when you survey the terrain. Mark any areas you find there, and write to me anytime. I'll be very useful."