Chapter 71 It is extremely stupid to damage the foundation of the country in this way!
The old farmer looked confused after hearing this. He looked at the emperor carefully, frowned and asked, "How come you don't even know this?"

"Could it be that he came out from the deep mountains, or was he a spy sent from somewhere else?"

"I heard that the emperor said that the remnants of the six kingdoms of the previous dynasty are still ruthless. Could it be that you were sent by them to spy on us?"

"If you ask any more questions, I won't be able to tell you any more. According to Master Thirteen, these are all state secrets."

"Let's go, let's go. Why are you asking so many questions if you don't farm? Give me the copper coins. I have to go pick up manure!"

The old man grabbed the copper coin from the emperor's hand and left without looking back. Dahei saw this and shouted anxiously: "Hey!"

"Why don't you explain it to me clearly? What do you need so much land for?"

"How dare you snatch the coins from him without even looking at who he is!"

"I think it's raining heavily on your head. Do you want to move?"

The First Emperor raised his hand to stop Dahei, but he himself fell into deep thought.

If it was just the old man who had this abnormal behavior, he might not think there was anything wrong with it.

However, at this moment on the street, anyone who looked like an ordinary citizen or farmer was busy with this matter, as if they would miss out on grabbing the good land if they were a step late.

This made the First Emperor feel confused.

Our Great Qin has a vast territory and a sparse population. The wilderness and mountains are all uncultivated wastelands. How come it has suddenly become so popular today?
Even if millet can barely grow in the wilderness and a few seeds can be harvested, is it worth the trouble and effort to cultivate it?

What’s more, it’s a year of famine!
Thinking of this, the First Emperor slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, I forgot to ask you just now, how did the people survive during the famine years?"

“Why don’t we see people begging for food on the streets?”

The villagers walked vigorously and vigorously, which made Dahei wonder: "Look at this energy, can everyone eat enough?"

The alert Dahei immediately caught a fellow villager who was passing by and asked hurriedly: "Hey, fellow villager, what are you busy with?"

"What if there is nothing to eat and I get hungry?"

The fellow villager stopped walking upon hearing the noise, glanced at them, and replied with a hint of reproach: "What are you doing?"

"If you're hungry, just check the list. Although the government has distributed less food recently, there are still some noble children who give out some food from time to time."

"Millet is so cheap nowadays, you can buy a handful for just a few copper coins, how can you go hungry?"

"Besides, Master Thirteen has created such good conditions for everyone. As long as you have hands and feet, how can anyone starve to death?"

"Really? Don't stop me from working. The craftsmen over there are hiring. I have to hurry over and get a job!"

Qin Shihuang and his entourage looked at each other in bewilderment. Although they understood the local accent, they were confused by its meaning.

What are you looking at on the list? The noble sons are distributing grain, and what about the Thirteenth Young Master who "will not starve to death if he has hands"?
As for recruiting workers, is there such a shortage of craftsmen now?

Didn't he order the withdrawal of the civilian laborers who were building the Afang Palace? Where did those people go?
"Besides, the old man just now was also praising Xiao Shisan, and this fellow villager was also full of praise."

The First Emperor thought to himself.

When did this guy accumulate such high prestige among the people? I just said that he only knows how to flirt and do nothing, but the old man on the street refuted me! "

"My own son, how could I not understand him?"

This series of questions not only failed to resolve the doubts in the emperor's mind, but instead filled his head with even more questions.

He slapped his thigh and said in a stubborn tone: "I just don't believe I can't figure it out!"

"This world belongs to me, what can stump me?" "Come on, let's go to the foot of the wall and take a look at the contents of the notice. I will clarify these issues one by one today!"

The three of them followed the road to the foot of the wall, where they saw an imperial edict posted: "On May 5, free grain will be distributed at the foot of the south city. Each person gets one bushel of grain until all are gone. Hurry if you want to claim it. Sima Feng, the second son of the third wife of Wei Tinghou, will be in charge."

Dahei was confused: "Hey, what's going on?"

"Who is this Marquis Wei Ting? How can his third son have the right to distribute grain?"

Ying Zheng's eyes flashed, and he snorted coldly: "Weiting Hou is the first marquis I personally conferred after General Sima conquered the important town of Fengting in Wei State."

"I never thought that in just a dozen years, something like this would go astray in their family."

"How dare the illegitimate second son distribute government rations privately?"

"You know, their family is enjoying government grain, how can they be disposed of without authorization?"

"If the government used grain to help the people every time there was a famine, how could the soldiers fight with full stomachs in times of war to protect our Great Qin?"

"This is a very stupid and short-sighted strategy!"

"Could this also be a plot planned by Xiao Shisan? It is extremely foolish to damage the foundation of the country in this way!"

Based on this announcement alone, Qin Shi Huang was able to keenly perceive many of the problems behind the scene.

Through meticulous observation and deep thinking, Qin Shihuang seemed to have foreseen the entire autumn scene through a fallen leaf.

From this announcement, we can roughly infer a series of problems that may arise later.

The First Emperor was full of doubts. The only thing that puzzled him was why Sima Feng, the second son of Wei Tinghou, had to come out in person to distribute food. Could it be that this guy really loved his people like his own children?

"What day of May is it today?" the First Emperor asked in a deep voice.

"My Lord, today is the seventh day of the fifth lunar month. According to the grain distribution schedule, two days have passed. I'm afraid the grain has already been snatched away. Should we still go and see?"

After hearing this, the First Emperor thought for a moment and said, "The southern city wall is not far from here, so it would be fine to walk a few steps to take a look."

The three of them walked a few hundred meters and arrived at their destination.

In the distance, under the city wall, a young man dressed as a servant was shading his sun with one hand and looking anxiously at the bustling crowd with the other, his face full of worry.

In front of him was a wooden table with paper and pen on one side of the table, and next to the table stood two large hemp sacks half a person's height, bulging with millet.

The three of the First Emperor walked straight to the table.

The young man who looked like a servant was cheered up when he saw this, and shouted loudly: "Fellow villagers, do you want to get a bushel of millet? Although it is stale rice from a few years ago, it can fill your stomach!"

The servant looked at the First Emperor and his two companions eagerly, his eyes full of anticipation.

A look of wind and thunder gathered between the Qin Shi Huang's brows. He walked forward and first carefully examined the two large bags of millet.

There were some signs of mold and spoilage among them, obviously having been stored for three to five years, but these were real food!

In years of famine, people scrambled for food in order to survive.

Even during wartime, soldiers ate this kind of food.

How can such food be used for disaster relief?

(End of this chapter)