... Major grain merchants saw the situation and raised prices. The price of a bucket of rice has increased five or six times compared with previous years, and it is still rising.
The empire's taxes have not been reduced by half, and the tax collectors in silk satins still knock on the doors of every house, scraping away even the last grain of seed and grain.
Previously, some water-type Soul Master came to "relieve disasters", and the people lined the streets and knelt down to welcome them, just thinking that they were "angels" descending from the sky.
But as time went by, those "angels" began to wear the same pants as the grain merchants.
There are three Silver Soul Coin for one acre of land, and fifty Gold Soul Coin for a village. The price is clearly marked, so no one can be deceived.
Occasionally, there are one or two Soul Masters who come to provide disaster relief with a sincere heart, but they are either squeezed out by their peers, or simply beaten half to death with Soul Skills at night.
Over time, it became "no one provides disaster relief" and "no one dares to provide disaster relief".
Heaven Dou Empire In the court, the civil and military officials of the court were arguing and arguing, and finally they chose to pretend to be deaf and dumb because of the "empty treasury".
Star Luo Empire is a little bit better over there, but it's just a drop in the bucket.
Sprinkle a few bowls of gruel into a large pot and stir it until the bottom of the pot is thickened.
"Grandpa, I'm so hungry..." The child tugged at the corner of the old man's clothes, his voice weak, "Grandpa, are you hungry? When can we have grass roots to eat..."
The child was so hungry that he almost lost the strength to open his mouth.
His lower abdomen was deeply sunken, and the shape of his ribs could almost be seen through the thin belly.
"Good boy, Grandpa is hungry too..." The old man moved his knees and turned around, stretched out his rough old hand and touched his grandson's head.
Muddy tears slid down his face, dropping drop by drop into the dry soil at his feet. They were sucked dry in an instant, leaving no trace behind.
"But grandpa really can't find anything to eat. God won't let us live, this thief!"
As the old man spoke, he turned his head to the sky, facing the indifferent scorching sun, and roared heartbreakingly.
The child was silent for a while, then raised his head, looked at his grandfather, and said expressionlessly, "Grandpa, please eat Earthroot, so that you won't be hungry, grandpa."
Earthroot is the child's name, and his tone is very calm, because he no longer understands what misery is.
"My baby!"
The look of grief on the old man's face suddenly exploded at this moment. He hugged the thin grandson into his arms and burst into tears:
"Grandpa is sorry for you! Grandpa is useless. Grandpa can't support you!"
"Alas..." A long sigh came from not far away.
Spirit Hall The local boss happened to be passing by here, and was stopped by the heart-wrenching cry, so he walked around and took a look.
At this sight, he could no longer take another step.
The manager's surname was Sun, and he was in his early fifties.
Having been in office for more than 20 years, he had seen quite a lot of tragic things, but the scene before him still made him feel as if someone had grabbed him hard.
The old cries of hunger, the young cries of hunger. Trees have no bark, grass has no roots, and hundreds of seedlings cannot grow.
He once read such a sentence in an ancient book. At that time, he only felt that the words were sad. But now that he has seen it with his own eyes, he knows that the words are not as good as the reality.
He stepped forward quickly, took out a mixed flour pancake from his arms, and took off the kettle hanging from his waist. He bent down and handed the two things to the old man:
"Eat."
The old man raised his head in a daze, looked at the cake in front of him, then looked at the person who handed the cake, and quickly kowtowed and thanked, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!!"
"Son, eat quickly." The old man straightened up, took the water and food, and then put the pancake and kettle into his grandson's hand without hesitation.
Looking at this scene, Manager Sun felt like there was something stuck in his throat and he couldn't watch it anymore.
He turned around, stepped forward and continued walking forward, leaving only one sentence. "After eating, you will sell the fields and go to Spirit City to find a way to survive."
"The empire doesn't treat you as human beings. If even Spirit City can't find a way to survive... then you should suffer less."
Half a month later, the disaster worsened.
The scorching sun still hung in the sky day and night, and the earth was so dry that there were cracks as wide as a palm.
The water-attribute Soul Master team sent from Spirit City made several appearances in various places, but also received a few light rains, stabilizing the situation in several major grain-producing areas.
Within a radius of five hundred miles around Spirit City, basic domestic water can barely be maintained.
But Two Great Empires still shows no signs of large-scale disaster relief.
There were some quarrels in the court. Some people said that they needed to open warehouses to release grain, while others said that they needed to recruit Soul Master to fight the disaster.
But at the end of the quarrel, the interests of all parties were at odds, and the official document bounced around between several departments, and finally returned to the imperial court intact.
The disaster was like a fire. By the time they really started to pay attention, the fire had already burned from the stove to the rafters, and it was too late.
If we "forcibly provide disaster relief" at this time, Two Great Empires resources will definitely be exhausted.
The food reserves were not abundant to begin with, and coupled with the large amount of military consumption, the state treasury was much thinner than it appeared.
Once all the family assets are used for disaster relief, subsequent military pay and official salaries will be cut off, and the army will collapse across the board.
This is a price no one in power is willing to pay.
So, they chose the coldest and most "economical" method - dragging!
Wait until the weather is good and it rains heavily.
Wait until God solves this hot potato for them.
Once all the victims who are waiting for food are dead, the problem will naturally disappear.
After all, those big shots who live in high-walled courtyards are still well clothed and well-fed.
No matter how severe the disaster is, it cannot affect the delicacies on their tables or the fine wine in their cups.
As for the people dying of hunger outside the city?
That was the scenery outside the city, separated by several walls from the singing and dancing in the city.
Another ten days have passed.
The hour hand leisurely reached the time when harvesting was supposed to be done.
But as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but red soil, and not even a single harvestable crop could be found.
The screen comes to Dengfeng small county.
Zhao Yuanzhou is a foresighted person.
As early as last year's autumn harvest, he ordered people to dig canals to divert water, dig wells to store water, and build water storage ponds. By relying on precautionary measures, he managed to maintain the county's irrigation water source in this drought year.
It is precisely because of this that Dengfeng, a small county, has become an oasis-like existence in these scorched earth years.
Although the yield of wheat fields has also been reduced by 30 to 40%, at least there is still a harvest.
Although the water in the well is shallower than in previous years, at least it can still produce water.
As a result, victims from all directions swarmed in and poured into this small county town like a tide.
The gates of the city, along the streets and alleys, and in the ruined temples were crowded with refugees with sallow faces and ragged clothes.
Similarly, it is precisely for this reason that Dengfeng small county has become a piece of fat "fat" in the eyes of some people!