Chapter 1277: No comparison, no harm (Part 2)
After Tan Lun accompanied Xu Hai and others from the black market, he looked a little disappointed. He has worked hard for Taizhou Prefecture these days, and it can be said that he has been working hard for a long time. It's been a long sleepless night, but after a visit today, I didn't expect that the situation in Taizhou Prefecture is still so serious. The operation is as fierce as a tiger, and the result is zero and five, how can you not let people down?
"It is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. Due to the situation, it is beyond human power. Magistrate Tan has done a very good job." Wang Meng noticed Tan Lun's loss and patted him on the shoulder. , gave an encouraging word.
“Tan has failed the emperor and feels deeply ashamed.” Tan Lun still couldn’t bear the loss.
“Prefect Tan is so dedicated to the people, and the situation is still like this, I don’t know how corrupt Jingnan is!”
Xu Hai couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Zhu Ping'an is like cooking pot ears to the people of Taiping, and the people of Jingnan are all cooking. There is no room for failure here, and we can't delay for a moment. Let's go to Taiping County quickly and call for help. Go to Taiping Magistrate County and go straight to Jingnan to eliminate this scourge for the people of Jingnan."
Zhang Wenbo took the opportunity to say, urging everyone to set off and rush to Jingnan to bring the corrupt official Zhu Ping'an to justice.
“Of course.”
Peng Cheng and others nodded repeatedly.
Zhu Ping'an was the most important task of their trip, so Xu Hai and others, accompanied by Tan Lun, went straight to Taiping County.
As soon as Xu Hai and others entered the territory of Taiping County, they found that the situation in Taiping County was much more severe than that in Taizhou Fucheng.
Hungry people were as numerous as cattle and sheep, and the old and young were all over the field. Xu Hai and others saw more than a dozen corpses of victims who had died of starvation. There was not a single green color in the wilderness as far as the eye could see. The grass and trees were withered, and the ground was red. , because the hungry people ate all the leaves, bark, and grass roots that could be eaten.
"Is this a flood or a drought?" Looking at this tragic scene, Xu Hai and others couldn't help but sigh.
Taiping County Magistrate learned that Taizhou Magistrate Tan Lun was accompanied by a messenger from the capital. While organizing county officials and wealthy old people from the country gentry to greet him, he also sent people to drive away the refugees at the north gate of the county to maintain his image. .
However, while Taiping Magistrate was still organizing at the city gate, Xu Hai, Tan Lun and others arrived. I happened to see the magistrate of Taiping ordering the officers to push and drive away the refugees and whitewash the appearance.
Seeing this scene, Tan Lun, the magistrate of Taizhou, couldn't help but hold his forehead
"I didn't know that the superior official and the prefect came to this county, and the inferior official failed to welcome him from far away. I really deserved it. "Dead"
Taiping Magistrate recognized Tan Lun, the magistrate of Taizhou, in civilian clothes, and knew that the person accompanying him was an official from the capital. He hurriedly stepped forward to salute and said hello, his face was extremely embarrassed, as if his little daughter-in-law had been caught. As cheap as in bed.
"Okay, don't torment the people and make nonsense!" Xu Hai glanced at him and ordered with an unhappy look on his face.
It is said that preconceptions are preconceived, but just because of this scene at the city gate, Xu Hai's good impression of Taiping Magistrate disappeared and his disgust increased. Local officials who drive away refugees and disaster victims and whitewash peace are the most despised by officials in the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"Yes, yes."
The magistrate of Taiping County was in a panic and hurriedly ordered the officers to stop.
A welcome scene that was whitewashed as peaceful turned into a complete farce, which was completely eye-catching.
Taizhou Magistrate Tan Lun was originally dissatisfied with Taiping Magistrate, and now he frowned even more when he saw Taiping Magistrate's poor performance. The magistrate of Taiping was an official under him. When the magistrate of Taiping was caught committing fraud, his face was tarnished.
"I'm here, and you must know what I'm doing. Why don't you quickly change into casual clothes and go to Jingnan with us to verify that Jingnan Magistrate Zhu Ping'an colluded with grain merchants, drove up grain prices, and accepted huge bribes."
Xu Hai said to Taiping Magistrate with a long face after he stopped the farce at the city gate.
As expected, I came here for Zhu Ping'an. It seems that my memorial has been heard by Dasheng. Then my fortune has changed. The embarrassed Taiping magistrate suddenly cheered up and looked excited. He borrowed the opportunity on the spot. I bought the clothes of a squire, so I took off my official clothes and put them on in a corner behind the city gate.
Before going to Jingnan, in order to show off and restore the image of the city gate, the magistrate of Taiping specifically asked Xu Hai and others to stop by and take a look at their grain store in Taiping County, which showed that he had stabilized the situation in Taiping County. Food prices.
Firstly, they were invited by Taiping Magistrate, and secondly, they came along the way, so Xu Hai and others fulfilled the wish of Taiping Magistrate.
Taizhou magistrate Tan Lun looked on with cold eyes and followed Xu Hai and others to inspect the situation in Taiping County.
However, Taiping County is the same as Taizhou Prefecture, or even worse. Although Taiping County has also stabilized the price of grain. The price of grain is 500 wen per stone, but there is a price but no market. I visited a few grain shops on the way. Just like Taizhou Prefecture, they all have empty grain prices and no grain to sell. There is a lot of grain. All the shops were closed, and only one was still selling grain, and it was selling in limited quantities.
You have seen the grain market, and you should also see the black market. Zhang Guyi, a householder in Dongchang, asked people to find a nearby black market.
As a result, the price of food on the black market in Taiping County is even more expensive than that on the black market in Taizhou Fucheng. The price is already 3,800 yuan per stone. Moreover, the scale of the black market is small and the supply of food is pitifully small. The supply of food exceeds demand. , there were several incidents where people buying grain in the black market were competing to buy grain. A fight broke out, and the entire crotch was broken into pieces.
After coming out of the black market, Taiping County Magistrate broke out in cold sweat on his forehead. The embarrassment and embarrassment on his face was even worse than at the city gate. He hurriedly expressed his stance to Xu Hai and others: "I'll wait for a letter from the official to order the police to wipe out the black market here!"
"Stupid!" Tan Lun, the magistrate of Taizhou, couldn't help scolding the magistrate of Taiping County after hearing this, "The black market has no fixed place. It is like the resurrection of a leek. How can it be wiped out in a short time?! Now the important task of the superiors is to verify the Jingnan Zhu Safety In the case of colluding with grain dealers, how can I have time to wait here for you to write a handwritten letter?” Bow down and admit your mistake.
“Let’s go to Jingnan.”
Xu Hai said expressionlessly.
So the group of people went straight to Jingnan from the south gate of Taiping County. Not far from the south gate of Taiping County, they saw a large open space with dark ruins of shabby shanties remaining in the open space. Yuan, seems to be covered It had been burned. It was originally a gathering place for victims of the disaster, but it was burned at this time and no one lived there. It was very depressed. Groups of carrion-eating crows were flying and landing in the dilapidated shanties, as if there was food for them inside.
"This was originally a resettlement area for disaster victims set up by Xianguan, but more than ten days ago, the county government ran out of food relief. There was a plague here a few days ago, and people dispersed. Xianguan was worried about the spread of the plague, so he burned this place Department."
Looking at the inquiring eyes of Xu Hai and others, including people from Dongchang, the Taiping magistrate had no choice but to explain with an embarrassed look.
After passing this resettlement area for the victims, we headed south, straight towards Jingnan.
The whole road was full of mourning and miserable scenes. When we were about to reach Jingnan, the situation was a little better. Although the villages on both sides of the road were in ruins, they were all empty and there was no one. , there are few people inhabited for ten miles, but there is greenery, and the trees and grass can be preserved.
Going further south, I saw many groups of disaster victims on the road, carrying the elderly and supporting the young, and seemed to be fleeing in the direction of Jingnan.
Wrong direction? ! How to escape to Jingnan, where there is a corrupt official named Zhu who cannibalizes people without blinking an eye! It’s all hell on earth now!
"Old men, where are you fleeing to?" Xu Hai and others couldn't help but stop a group of victims and asked.
"Of course we will go to Jingnan, and we will go to Jingnan, where everyone will have food to eat." One of the victims replied, with a look of determination and longing.
What? !
When we arrive in Jingnan, everyone will have food to eat? !
Are you all starving? !
Xu Hai and others were stunned, with expressions of disbelief on their faces, feeling that these victims were so pitiful that they were going to escape to hell! (End of this chapter)