HLnovel Chapter 503 The Unique King Huai
Chapter 503 The Unique King Huai
Tianfu's mother has always known her uncle, and what he said means that the situation is very bad.
In her heart, she had already silently decided to follow his words.
However, when I think about the money I paid for the rice seedlings, I can’t help but feel a little sad.
She wrinkled her face and saw the wife of the head of the village next to her also had a painful expression on her face, and instantly found a like-minded person.
"Mrs. Shufu, we spent a lot of money on the rice seedlings on those few acres of land.
It's really heartbreaking to just throw it away like this!"
The village head's wife nodded in agreement.
"you do not say!
I see there's still a lot of water in the dam. Do you think we can plant less?
Whether we plant this crop of rice or not, we still have to pay the same grain tax.
Plant less and collect more for tax!"
Tianfu Niang felt even more distressed when she thought about the grain tax she had to pay, but she still said:
"Forget it, his uncle is not the kind of person who won't talk. Since he said so, I have to follow his lead!"
The village head's wife thought about it, sighed, and decided to follow suit.
At this time, in Prince Huai's Mansion.
A thin young man with a sickly look on his face was leaning on a specially made sofa chair, his crossed legs swaying back and forth.
This person was King Huai.
He held a glass straw in his mouth and drank the iced fruit juice that the maid had just made.
Seeing Liu Jiaqi kneeling down to salute solemnly, he waved his hand casually and said:
"Jiaqi, there's no one else in the room, no need to do this, get up!"
Liu Jiaqi continued to kneel with a serious face. Seeing his prince sitting in such an awkward manner, his brows were furrowed so much that they could pinch a fly to death.
He subconsciously wanted to persuade her again.
Unexpectedly, King Huai already knew his temper and raised his hand to stop him:
"Well, let's talk about the rules of conduct again.
When my father was still King Huai, you couldn't persuade me.
I've become King Huai now, so stop wasting your breath!"
Liu Jiaqi took a deep breath, saluted, then stood up and stood aside politely to begin today's work report.
“Your Majesty, the weather department has reported.
Three days ago, the temperature in various counties rose rapidly, and now the midday temperature in various places has approached 47 degrees.
Water use in the fields has increased, and the water levels in the dams have dropped significantly."
King Huai's originally relaxed expression wrinkled into a ball in an instant.
"It's not even May yet, and the temperature is so high. God must be trying to kill me!"
Liu Jiaqi listened to his prince's nonsensical words and took several deep breaths. His Qi-cultivating skills almost broke.
King Huai saw him like this and said with a smile:
"Jiaqi, don't worry about these details.
Let me ask you, compared to the other descendants of the Zhu family, can I be considered wise, open-minded, and far-sighted?
Tell me, aren't the lives of the people in my fiefdom much better than those in other fiefdoms? "
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiaqi nodded seriously.
"Your Majesty, you are born intelligent. You can learn anything your teacher teaches you since you were a child.
We, the few who accompanied you in your studies, were left far behind by you and received many punishments from the teacher.
You are good in everything except this rule.
Hey, if you can listen to my advice and pay a little attention to your words and actions, you will definitely be wise..."
King Huai heard his old-fashioned confidant start to complain again, so he interrupted him:
"Okay, I know you admire me.
This king certainly knows that he is unparalleled in intelligence, cares for the people, and has a far-sighted vision. He is a rare talent among men. You don't need to say more about this."
In the past few years, Liu Jiaqi believed that he was good at cultivating his Qi, but every time he met his own prince, his defense would be broken.
Seeing that he still had that arrogant look on his face with his head held high, I could only sigh and change the subject to business.
"Your Majesty, this year's climate is abnormal, and the people in various counties are panicking. Several counties and cities have already reported it.
Many people pulled out the rice in their fields and planted corn, which is more drought-resistant.
But even so, many people are still watching and waiting, fearing that the seeds they have sown will not be harvested.
Do you think it's appropriate to reduce or exempt some grain taxes?"
Hearing him mention the grain tax, King Huai put away his playful mood and thought carefully for a while before saying:
"Pass the order down: this year's grain tax will be based on the special grain tax approved during last year's disaster.
In addition, the project to divert water from the Lingyuan River to reservoirs in various counties is nearing completion.
The large tracts of farmland surrounding the reservoirs in each county have absolutely sufficient water.
Let each county send people to inform the people that they can grow rice without worry.
In less than a month, the reservoirs in all counties will be filled.
However, extending the canals from the reservoirs in each county to the surrounding villages is a huge project and needs to be done slowly.
For those places far away from the county reservoir, let the counties mobilize and plant drought-resistant crops as much as possible.
Let them rest assured that even if there is really no harvest, I cannot force them to pay grain taxes.
In addition, you should order someone to communicate with the county magistrates of each county.
When submitting a memorial to the imperial court this year, the report stated that the disaster was as severe as in other regions and requested tax reduction or exemption.
At the same time, you should ask the Jinyiwei to keep a close eye on him.
Make sure that every memorial sent out does not contain any other message!
Especially in the northern part of the fiefdom, the county magistrates who had just been transferred there for more than a year had to pay special attention.
We have too many new things here, and they cannot be known to the court before they are developed.
Otherwise, if you are targeted, you will be in big trouble."
Liu Jiaqi bowed solemnly: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I understand!"
After King Huai said this, he listened to Liu Jiaqi's report on the latest news from the court and other fiefdoms.
When he heard that the barbarians were leading cavalry to raid the northern border again, and that the people were being raped and plundered, and that the people in the border areas were living in dire straits, he was so angry that he slammed the table and cursed:
"These are a bunch of good-for-nothings. The military pay allocated by the court to them all goes into the mouths of those insatiable parasites.
Every time the barbarians attacked, the imperial court didn't even have a decent cavalry and was unable to stop them.
Let’s not talk about pursuit, let’s talk about defending the city.
The weapons used to defend the city are probably from the Hongwu period!
That cannon is so old that it will rust off if you move it!
Without even a decent weapon, how can we fight the barbarians? We're just throwing away our lives!"
As King Huai spoke, his chest heaved up and down with anger!
Liu Jiaqi knew that his prince's temper came and went quickly, so he just stood there quietly.
Sure enough, King Huai soon calmed down and continued:
"Old Man Tian has made some new progress on the cannons and muskets, so I asked the Ordnance Bureau to speed up the production of a batch.
That batch of artillery was assigned to the artillery battalion so that they could quickly adapt to the new artillery.
In addition, you asked Wang Shimin to select a group of elite soldiers from each camp.
I equipped them with war horses, muskets, and swords, and trained them as quickly as possible.
It may be needed in about half a year.
In addition, the coastal areas have been unstable recently, and the Japanese pirates have allowed ronin to come ashore and harass people.
The number of people is not large, but the people living along the coast are deeply disturbed by it, which is really disgusting.
The Royal Academy just had a new batch of recruits, so let the Sixth Battalion take them over to see some blood."
Liu Jiaqi bowed and said:
"Wang Shimin reported that a few days ago, a group of promising young people were discovered among the immigrants from Yining County, and they have already been admitted to the royal school.
The background has been checked and it's clean.
They fled here from Yidu County in the north when the barbarians attacked.
There are several people with excellent skills inside. They plan to train for a while and let you see them.
If you can, I will stay by your side as your personal guard."
King Huai was surprised when he heard this:
"Yidu County? If I remember correctly, it's thousands of miles away from here!
After the barbarians retreated last year, there has been unrest in all the fiefdoms.
These people were able to come all this way alive, so there must be some capable people among them!"