Although disasters occurred during the Apocalypse period, they were not so frequent.

Therefore, during the Chongzhen period, it was mostly called "The Abyss of Chongzhen" in later generations, which means a period of frequent natural disasters.

Zhu Youxiao was also very troubled when he thought about the disasters that would happen next.

Because if the disaster lasts for only one year, it would be fine. The court will be free of money and food. Once the people have to endure it, it will pass.

Even if it lasts for two years, the court can get through it with some more relief. At most, there will be only a small-scale peasant uprising.

But it will last for three or four years, and that is a terrible thing.

But the drought and plagues in the Chongzhen Dynasty all started in five years or even ten years.

Zhu Youxiao thought it was terrible.

This is also the reason why he has been too strict in his rule over the years and has been willing to risk being murdered and frantically collecting money and food in the treasury.

He had to give the Ming Dynasty a sufficient capital to deal with these major disasters that had been ongoing for several years, and even avoid such major disasters. After all, locust plagues and plagues often occurred when the drought was not solved effectively at the beginning.

In addition, what made him even more trouble was that the elites of this era would blame the frequent occurrence of natural disasters on the emperor's immoral rule, and thus incite people's hearts.

Zhu Youxiao knew that he must pay attention to these major disasters next, especially the first disaster in the "Chongzhen Abyss" recorded in historical books - the severe drought in Shaanxi.

Because this drought is the root of many disasters later.

If this five-year drought had not been resolved, there would have been no large-scale locust plague and plague, and there would have been no large-scale peasant uprising, which would have led to a surge in the imperial court's military expenditure, resulting in a decline in disaster relief and water conservancy renovation capabilities, and resulting in the inability to reduce taxes.

In short, if the severe drought in Shaanxi was not resolved properly at the beginning, it would cause a chain reaction.

"It seems that the large-scale expedition to the north can only be suspended. In order to prevent large-scale civil unrest, the army transferred to Shaanxi and sent Ma Maocai's report back to the capital. The Ministry of Revenue immediately gave a plan to transfer grain to relieve the drought in Shaanxi. In addition, the Ministry of War recommended a noble assistant to come here to assist in recruiting soldiers. Before the Ministry of War officials came, Lu Xiangsheng temporarily appointed the right assistant to the Ministry of War to recruit soldiers to provide relief."

Zhu Youxiao immediately ordered Xiong Tingbi and other ministers to follow him.

"Your Majesty is wise! Since the drought in Shaanxi is so serious, the number of victims who need relief will inevitably surge. The method of using labor for relief is too slow. The main reason is that you don't know what project to build for a while. It is better to recruit the army first and determine the project to build while recruiting the army."

Xiong Tingbi agreed.

After hearing this, Zhu Youxiao nodded: "I do have this intention. At that time, these soldiers will be organized into engineering soldiers first, and the court will arrange the corresponding engineering construction uniformly."

"Abide by the order!"

Xiong Tingbi and others replied.

As soon as the Holy Lord entered Suidezhou, Shaanxi, Zhu Youxiao saw that there were already many hunger people along the way, filled with official roads, and the fields around him were cracked and broken.

This is the result of Zhu Youxiao's exemption from Liao pay and corvee service in the world.

Zhu Youxiao could not imagine how serious it would be in Shaanxi, which had not been exempted from Liao pay and corvee service in history. At least it should be that there were thieves everywhere.

"According to the order, prepare to serve the porridge!"

Xiong Tingbi conveyed Zhu Youxiao's decree.

The 100,000 troops who set out to fight took action according to the already scheduled arrangements and began to participate in this war against natural disasters.

The fire soldiers in the army have become the main force at this moment.

A large amount of military rations were temporarily turned into disaster relief food.

The other main soldiers formed a wall of human walls with bayonets, which were used to maintain order, forcing these victims not to rob, so they had to line up to receive the porridge and were arranged to drink the porridge in a concentrated manner.

After drinking the porridge, these victims will be summoned and directly recruited as engineer soldiers.

Of course, it is a mandatory recruitment, rather than asking them for their wishes and letting them go home unwillingly.

Because these people fled famine because they could not survive in their hometowns, this time recruitment was equivalent to forcing them to re-employment to avoid their uprising due to hunger, just like the Song Dynasty who recruited peasant uprising troops into the army.

This matter was under the responsibility of Lu Xiangsheng, and the person who did this was the instructor of the Guards.

The instructors of the Guards are all civil and military, and they are very familiar with doing this.

"Name?"

"Zhang Xianzhong!"

"Where are people?"

"A native of Dingbian County, Qingyang, Yan'an Prefecture."

"What have you done before? You have joined the army, what have you committed? Do you read and read, and can you know how to ride and shoot martial arts?"

"I was a border army, but later dismissed from my post. I could tell a few words and I could ride and shoot."

At this time, the instructor Yang Zhan asked the name of the man who looked quite burly and registered him.

However, Zhang Xianzhong in this world had not had time to become a rebel.

Yang Zhan, who was born as a Sichuan landlord, still didn't know that the Shaanxi disaster victim standing in front of him would be his future opponent in the late Ming Dynasty in another world.

"You were assigned to the first team of the third flag team of the 6th Bureau of the Third Battalion, the First Town, the First Army of the First Army of the Engineers Corps, and took the cotton coat and the license plate to go."

Yang Zhan did not let him be the team leader directly.

At this time, Zhang Xianzhong asked: "I dare to ask this military master, there will be porridge later. I will not hide it. The grass people are not full."

Zhang Xianzhong smiled humbly.

Yang Zhan glanced at him and said, "After joining the army, I will be able to take care of my fullness directly, so bear it first!"

"Oh! That's good, Mr. Xie!"

Zhang Xianzhong retreated with a flattering smile, and then went to get the cotton coat and license plate.

...

"Report to Your Majesty, the number of disaster victims recruited now is more than 30,000. The drought in Shaanxi seems to be very serious, especially in Yan'an, most of them are farmers from Yan'an, and many of them are large farmers with their own fields, and even border troops who have poor grain harvests and cannot repay their loans to Shangguan."

Xiong Tingbi reported to Zhu Youxiao here.

After hearing this, Zhu Youxiao nodded and asked Ma Maocai, the governor of Shaanxi who had come to Suidezhou to see him: "How much grain is left in the Shaanxi government treasury now?"

Ma Maocai replied: "Your Majesty, the drought has lasted from last year to this year. Then the scope of this drought is large. The food that can be used has long been used up. There are still grains for the border, but this is naturally not allowed to move. Otherwise, it will cause a mutiny. Even if the people lack food, it will be easy to suppress even if the border army has no food, once the riot is rioted, it will endanger the country. Even if the minister has 100 heads, he will not dare to embezzle it."

"Does there not a little food in Shaanxi now?"

Zhu Youxiao asked.

"Not that, as far as I know, many big families still have it, but they are unwilling to sell it to the government for the sake of the price of the land and when the court provides relief, they can make a profit."

Ma Maocai himself is from Shaanxi and is considered a wealthy family in Shaanxi. He naturally knows people from his class. However, because he accepted the concept of Xingming Society and had a sense of responsibility and mission for his hometown, he chose to tell the truth.

Of course, as the governor, he could actually force these big households to provide food, but if he didn't do it, he naturally took into account the local feelings.

But now he can take the initiative to propose and hope that Emperor Zhu Youxiao and other people in the court will do this. It is already rare for him, who is also a wealthy family in Shaanxi.

Zhu Youxiao could understand this, so he did not blame him. Even though he knew that the big households were hoarding, he did not dare to punish them severely to avoid natural disasters due to man-made disasters.

Zhu Youxiao only said: "At extraordinary times, we should use extraordinary methods to draw up an order immediately. In the future, all areas where the imperial court sent disaster relief and the imperial envoy to help the people and the imperial envoys to temporarily apply for wartime rations. All population, money, food, livestock, houses, etc. should be forcibly allocated by the imperial envoys. Those who violate the order can be executed first and then reported!"

As Zhu Youxiao said that, he said to the suihu's letter, Zhu Youjian, "Brother Yu, now you are the Left Deputy Censor and the General Officer of the Engineering Corps to supervise the disaster relief and civil affairs in Shaanxi for me and leave it to others. I am not at ease. Remember, try to ensure that one person is less starved to death or even one person before the food in the capital arrives, because as long as one person is less hungry, one less rebel person will be less, and my country in the Ming Dynasty will have more guarantees. Don't be afraid of offending the gentry. How could I kill the royal family because of them?"
Chapter completed!