Chen Xi did not make any unrealistic promises to Lu Lianglin. He had to discuss in person what the merchants in Kaifeng Prefecture wanted to exchange for food.

As Chen Xi said, he regarded this cooperation with local merchants in Kaifeng Prefecture as a transaction. The merchants took out grain, even sought out a wide range of goods and raised them on their behalf. He gave these merchants enough benefits so that the merchants could earn back everything they paid in the future and give absolute profits.

It seems that both sides have lost money, but it is actually a win-win situation. After all, saving the people is the most important thing at the moment, and nothing is more important than saving human life.

"Mobilize more people to serve disaster relief as much as possible. Merchants have no shortage of funds, food and food, etc., and there are also ways. If they are given enough benefits, they will spare no effort to run for it, which can alleviate the disaster to the greatest extent. We cannot just let those officials who are in trouble and just hear the shouts, but have no results... The fire and fire are ruthless, and the victims cannot complete their self-rescue. Now they can only mobilize more people who are willing to give."

Chen Xi explained this to Yunliu, who was chasing him overnight.

Yunliu felt that Chen Xi was losing money and gaining publicity. After all, Xincheng's products are exclusive business and outsiders cannot easily get involved. However, this time they have to be taken out and shared with others, just like signing an alliance under the city.

Yunliu and Chen Xi were on the same car. On the way to the city, she said directly: "Your Mahjong, don't worry about the sincerity of these people. If other high-ranking officials and nobles make promises, they will not pay attention to it at all, but now it is your promise... Your prestige in the court is at its peak, and you have a great reputation among the people. The merchants have seen and kept it in their hearts. They will definitely support you in the disaster relief."

In the carriage, Chen Xi lifted the curtain and looked out, and said with a smile: "It's understandable that people live for profit. As long as they believe in me and are willing to lend their wealth to provide disaster relief, what else can I ask for? Even if I lose two shares to them, I actually make a profit. If I can save more people's lives, it means I have great merits. Why bother with the gains and losses of interests?"

At first, Chen Xi could still smile easily, but in the end, Chen Xi could no longer laugh. The disaster in front of him was even more serious than he thought, and this was related to the intentional concealment of the local government.

For the sake of the black hat and the smooth career of the government, local officials should regard the major disaster as a minor disaster as possible, so that they can shirk the unfavorable responsibility of building water conservancy projects. However, in this way, the court's disaster relief funds will be allocated less, resulting in more people being displaced, hungered and lost their lives due to the disaster.

Yunliu said: "Sir, the worst disaster is now on the north bank of the Yellow River... Due to the obstruction of the big river, most of the victims were unable to go south. I heard that hundreds of miles of the north bank were flooded by floods, which directly led to the drop in the water level in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The ships that moved from the canal to the Yellow River waterway could only reach Guide Mansion and could not move forward."

Chen Xi's expression became solemn, and he closed his eyes: "You send someone to the north bank to check the situation and repair the embankment as soon as possible. No matter what, you cannot change the Yellow River... With food, the next step is to hire disaster victims, use work instead of relief, and build the Yellow River to a level once in ten or even once in fifty years, so as to ensure that the Huanghuai region will no longer be troubled by floods for a long time in the future."

"The matter is urgent, and manpower and material resources must be invested as soon as possible to fight floods and disaster relief. Now the flood has only flooded for 100 miles. If it is not rectified in time, it may flood two hundred miles or three hundred miles, and more people will be homeless."

"clear."

Yunliu is capable and authentic.

Even though she had just returned to Chenxi, she had no intention of relaxing her vigilance at all. She was like a female leopard, which was aggressive at any time.

Chen Xi put his hand on her shoulder and whispered softly: "You have worked hard during this period. After you arrange the matter, you will rest quickly. Keep your energy in mind, fight with me for a few days, and implement flood control and disaster relief. We will return north."

"Sir, don't stay in the disaster area for a long time?"

Yunliu didn't know Chen Xi's arrangements, and she was very surprised to hear this.

Chen Xi nodded: "If you stay for too much, you will only cause trouble. It is better to hurry up and take care of the matter. Notify the Henan Governor and the left and right governors and envoys to come and meet quickly. Logically speaking, they should be the people in Henan who came forward to contact me, rather than the Kaifeng prefecture did it on his behalf!"

After Chen Xi arrived at the inn, he simply processed the official documents. When he felt sleepy, he put on his clothes and went to bed, and soon fell asleep. However, local officials were worried about gains and losses and could not sleep at night.

After returning from Kaifeng Prefect Zhao Mingyu, he convened an emergency meeting. He first discussed with the magistrate, the magistrate and the county magistrates who were stranded in Kaifeng Prefecture, and then summoned local gentry and merchants with great influence in the city to inform him about the current situation, which is commonly known as the qi meeting.

"Lu Dangjia, I have recruited food for you before and used it for disaster relief. You have tried every means to refuse. Why did Duke Chen take the initiative to take out money and food to provide disaster relief when he came? But I didn't take my official seriously?"

Zhao Mingyu was very angry. If he had enough money and food, he could complete the disaster relief feat by himself. He showed his governance ability in front of Shen Xi, but he did nothing. Now these merchants are coming to contact Chen Xi, which is simply slapping him in the face and being extremely bold.

Representatives from the officials and families around them looked at the inexperienced merchants around them with curious eyes.

These officials and families also run shops and have close business dealings with the merchants attending the meeting today. At this time, they thought: "This group of people are usually very smart, and it is not an exaggeration to describe them as being meticulous. Why are they so open-minded about disaster relief? Is it just a frightened by Duke Chen's power?"

Lu Lianglin said respectfully: "Master, magistrate, we have to do this after receiving a letter from Lord Shen."

Zhao Mingyu frowned: "How noble Duke Chen is? How could he write a letter to you? How can I believe this? "

In Zhao Mingyu's opinion, a group of low-ranking merchants, let alone Chen Xi, even the aristocratic families in the local area are unwilling to contact them for more, for fear of defiling their family members. He would never believe that Chen Xi personally wrote a letter.

Lu Lianglin said: "That's true, Lord Shen also sent a special envoy to contact us... We are humble, so how dare we refuse his request?"

"When will it happen? Why don't I know? Where is the trust?" Zhao Mingyu glanced at the staff next to him, probably blaming the staff for learning that the news was lagging behind.

Lu Lianglin said sincerely: "The letter was taken away by the special envoy sent by Lord Shen... This matter is absolutely true. Lord Zhao, you should see Lord Shen's attitude and know that what the Caomin said is not false."

Zhao Mingyu frowned. He thought about Lu Lianglin's words carefully and felt that things should be true.

"At that time, Duke Chen looked unsurprising and arranged things in an orderly manner. He should have greeted these merchants long ago and was mentally prepared. Furthermore, if Duke Chen really wrote to this group of people, he would definitely be afraid of being known and being a laughing stock, so the letter would naturally be taken away... In this way, even if there was criticism in the court, no one could provide evidence."

"Mr. Zhao, it seems that this matter is true. They responded to the call of Duke Chen and actively donated food, which is actually a sympathy for the suffering of the people. The government should reward him." There was a representative of the gentry next to him.

The gentry were all proud, and what they thought was that when they encountered disaster, they naturally let these lowly merchants take the blame. It would be better to confiscate all the property of these guys for disaster relief. As long as Lord Shen doesn't reach out to us, it would be great.

Zhao Mingyu said: "I heard that you are still raising food now, and you are very sincere."

Lu Lianglin sighed, "Mr. Zhao doesn't know that this Lord Shen is from a merchant family and was once the young leader of the Tingzhou Chamber of Commerce. He said he would borrow from us, and we believe it. Besides, the court would allocate funds for disaster relief, and it would definitely make up for it at that time. Even if we lose all our money, we can do our best to the people in the disaster area."

"Yeah?"

Zhao Mingyu looked at the trembling merchant representatives such as Lu Lianglin, and he didn't believe that these merchants said such loyalty to the emperor and the country.

Lu Lianglin said: "Please give a clear lesson to Lord Zhao and all of you."

Zhao Ming waved his hand and said impatiently: "Since that's the case, then you will transport the food to the prefect's office tomorrow. This official will send someone to receive your food and then send it to the disaster area."

Lu Lianglin quickly said, "No, sir, Lord Shen has something to say first. I will meet with us tomorrow, and I may ask about this matter."

Zhao Mingyu sneered: "What a status of Duke Chen? Seeing that you have given you enough face once, he said he would give me a meeting. Can you really go to the meeting with a shameful face? Duke Chen will be busy with official duties and have no time to take care of him... I will make the decision on this matter and I will give you a push."

After Zhao Mingyu's statement, Lu Lianglin and others were ashamed. These people originally wanted to gain benefits by cooperating with Chen Xi, but if they could not see Chen Xi next, it was very likely that they would not be able to make a penny, and the food they had taken out before would be very likely to lose all their money.

A government official next to him whispered: "Mr. Zhao, isn't this right? Should I ask Lord Shen first?"

Zhao Mingyu raised his hand: "I can make the decision on this matter... I am a parent official in Kaifeng Prefecture. The relevant local governments raise funds and transport food, which is a matter of responsibility. I can't disturb Duke Shen in everything, right? If I can't even do this, how can I gain a foothold in the court in the future?"

"You all heard it clearly. This time Duke Chen came to Kaifeng Prefecture. If there was a saying in advance, the local government would raise funds for disaster relief funds. If anyone did not follow, the soldiers would be in the door, so let alone the official was unkind."

Now, in addition to merchants such as Lu Lianglin, even the representatives of those aristocratic families have become very bad.

Chen Xi was talking about borrowing grain, while Zhao Mingyu was talking about "fundraising". The difference between the two was too big. Originally, those merchants wanted to spend all their money to provide disaster relief, but now after Zhao Mingyu said that, they have begun to consider the issue of stopping losses in time. No one will be selfless to sacrifice themselves for others.

"Abide by the orders of the magistrate."

Several gentry who were getting closer to Zhao Ming stood up and bowed and accepted the order, setting the tone. In this way, no one dared to stand up and object.

...

...

Lu Lianglin led several merchant representatives out of the prefect's office, worried.

One person caught up and asked Lu Lianglin: "Lu Dangjia, what should I do now? Lord Shen said it very well, but the problem is that Prefect Zhao refuses to admit his account now, and seems to want to force himself to prevent us from meeting Lord Shen."

Lu Lianglin said: "In the past, everyone said that officials would protect each other, but now it seems that this may not be the case... Lord Shen and Prime Minister Zhao have different opinions... In my opinion, Lord Shen is definitely not lying to us, otherwise he would not have to promise to meet tomorrow."

The other man followed and asked, "Maybe Lord Shen didn't want to see me from the beginning, but because of his face, he now uses Lord Zhao's words to speak out? Is there any possibility?"

Lu Lianglin turned around and looked at the speaker, frowned and said, "Do you hope Lord Shen will be untrustworthy?"

The man sighed, "It's not that I have to say this, but there are some things that are not under our control... I think Lord Shen has a high position and a powerful position, so why bother with us and other merchants too deeply? Didn't he be interested in our food and make a fuss? Isn't he just thinking that Lord Shen will look at me differently?"

Now Lu Lianglin stopped talking because he knew how humble the merchants without fame were, and this was not recognized in the farming society.

Another person next to him said, "It seems that we can't take out too much food now, otherwise we may really lose all our money."

Lu Lianglin shook his head and said, "If you miss such a good opportunity, you will never be able to go back in the future... Lord Shen is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Kaifeng. We have to find ways to get his approval... Didn't we say we should do our best before? Why are we all back now?"

"this……"

The people next to them looked at each other, obviously they were not confident.

Lu Lianglin said: "Let's take a step by step. Now it's not appropriate to make a decision directly. It's best to find someone to say hello to Lord Shen. It's not only to satisfy Lord Shen, but also not to lose the prestige of Prison Zhao. After all, we will still have to make a living in Kaifeng Prefecture in the future, unless each family doesn't want to live."

"Um!"

Everyone around him nodded silently, feeling that Lu Lianglin's words were justified.

No matter how much I hope Shen Xi can make the decision for them, Shen Xi is an outsider. No matter how domineering Zhao Mingyu is, he is also a local magistrate and their parents. In the future, they will do business in the territory under Zhao Mingyu's jurisdiction. As middle and lower-class merchants in society, they cannot fight with local officials.

...

...

Shen Xi slept very late but got up very early. Before dawn, he had already gotten up to wash. He learned that Zhao Mingyu convened a meeting at the prefect's office last night to discuss the issue of collecting grain today.

After introducing the details, Yun Liu added: "...I sent someone to greet the merchants in the city earlier so that they did not have to care about the notices of the prefect's office. Everything is based on what the adults said. Before dawn, people also sent to post notices in various places, as a warning to Kaifeng Prefecture not to do anything randomly... If the adults handle it improperly, he can punish them."

Shen Xi nodded: "There is nothing wrong, you are doing a good job."

Yun Liu seemed to admit his mistake and said, "I feel that doing this may cause some rift with the prefect's office. At that time, the prefect Zhao may not help us with the disaster relief."

Shen Xi smiled and said, "Although Zhao Mingyu is a bit arbitrary, according to what I investigated, he is not a corrupt official, or what he is greedy for is fame and political achievements, not money. As long as he knows that there are contributions to disaster relief, he will do his best to do his best in the court under my care in the future."

"I see."

Yun Liu lowered her head and thought about Zhao Mingyu's character seriously, and found that this was the case.

Chen Xi stretched and said, "Although I didn't have much rest last night, I still have to slack off today. What should be done must be done immediately... I sent someone out of the city early in the morning to supervise the delivery of porridge, and at the same time, I asked Kaifeng Prefecture to organize people to go up the river embankment to build dams and block the gap in the Yellow River as soon as possible."

"After this night, thousands of victims should be added outside the city. We must use scientific guidance and use all our strength to fight floods and disaster relief."

Yun Liu said cautiously: "The food may not be enough."

Chen Xi nodded: "The food I sent out of the city before is definitely not enough, but if we add the funds raised today to deal with the victims in front of us and allow them to have food to fill their stomachs, there should be no big problem."

Yun Liu thought for a while and nodded: "As long as you can survive these ten days and half a month, the subsequent money, food and materials should come."

Chen Xi shook his head this time: "I told the local government before that the imperial court could transfer money and food in about ten days, which is the most optimistic estimate. In my opinion, it is likely that it may not be delivered to you in twenty days to one month... and it may take one to two months to completely stabilize the disaster relief matters."

"Then... wouldn't many people starve to death?" Yun Liu's expression became extremely ugly.

Chen Xi nodded: "So now we must rely on local governments to save themselves. If those who have food reserves are unwilling to take out the food, and the victims who fled to escape will be gnawed all the bark and weeds, then we can rely on us to shout here and there, and we can do nothing about the disaster. Now, no matter whether I commit crimes or not, as long as I can save the disaster, I will not lose my standards, even if I use some unconventional means."
Chapter completed!