freenovelworld Chapter 418 Mr. Song?
Chapter 418 Mr. Song?
Carboniferous?
Mu Xin Nuan was no stranger to this. It was said that in Dayong, fewer than five places had been discovered to have coal. Moreover, these were all places where government troops were allowed to mine coal; no one else was permitted to mine it privately. Otherwise, they would be punished with death by caning!
If there were a large amount of coal, it would naturally be of the greatest benefit to the people.
However, Mu Xin Nuan's mind was clearly more mature than she appeared. Was coal mining really that easy?
"I heard that during the Western Han Dynasty, several ministers led people into the mountains to make charcoal, which eventually caused a collapse, burying their bones there. Even after arriving, they were unable to dig out the remains."
Duanmu Chuze nodded. "Don't worry, I have a way. But I'm a little worried about leaving you alone in Yanzhou. The refugees in these two prefectures are gradually getting out of control. Ultimately, it's because there are too many refugees, making it difficult to manage them."
"Is it simply because there are too many refugees?"
Duanmu Chuze gave a wry smile. "I suddenly wish you weren't so smart! How could you be so clever? I don't want you to worry."
"Aze, the most urgent task is to stabilize the refugees in the two counties?"
“That’s right. Right now, only these two prefectures are in a state of disorder, so we can’t let the situation escalate too much, otherwise, even Yanzhou City will be in trouble.”
Lu Shaofeng hesitated for a moment, "Your Highness, do you think we should send someone to remind the prefects of Qi and Yu prefectures?"
"I have already sent men. And I have given a strict order to these two prefectures: the refugees must not be allowed to leave these two prefectures. Otherwise…?"
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head slightly, "A Ze, I'm afraid this isn't a solution. If there aren't many refugees, the officials will naturally have a way. But if the number is large, I'm afraid even the soldiers won't be able to do anything about them. After all, they can't really use lethal force against ordinary people."
"Your Highness is absolutely right. If there are many refugees, it's not impossible for them to force their way through the city gates. You must know that although there are government offices in these two prefectures, their numbers are limited, and there are no troops stationed there. I'm afraid..."
Duanmu Chuze frowned slightly; this was indeed a problem.
Mu Xin Nuan's eyes flashed, and she turned to look at Lu Shao Feng, "Then, in Chief Secretary Lu's opinion, how should these refugees be settled?"
Lu Shaofeng glanced at the princess, hesitated for a moment, and then bowed when the prince nodded to him. He said, “The so-called refugees are people who have fled abroad due to natural disasters or wars and have no means of livelihood. Since ancient times, the problem of refugees has been a major problem that has plagued the court. Refugees are not unique to any one dynasty. It is impossible to accurately count how many refugees have appeared on the land of my Great Yong, but records about refugees are indeed endless in the history books.”
"So?" Mu Xin Nuan's smile faded slightly. "After saying so much, Chief Secretary Lu just wanted to tell me that the problem of refugees has existed since ancient times. But what I want to hear is clearly not that."
Lu Shaofeng felt helpless. Although he thought this was a matter of state affairs and there was no need to explain it to the princess, even if he did explain it, he was afraid that the young princess might not understand it.
But when he saw the prince nod at him, he knew he had no choice but to answer. He could only bite the bullet and say, "The problem of displaced people has been a major issue that has plagued dynasties throughout history, and its severity has always been a measure of the rise and fall of dynasties. Now, in the Yan region, it is naturally the same."
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. If Yan wanted to prosper, the primary task was to properly resettle the displaced people in these five counties. Otherwise, everything else was just empty talk!
“Hey, Aze, if you’re mining coal, why don’t you use some young and strong people? That way, you can give them jobs, help them settle down, and solve part of the labor problem.”
“I’ve naturally thought of that method too. These past few days, I’ve been discussing the selection of workers with them. Mining coal will only require a maximum of two hundred people. However, the subsequent escorting, sorting, and other tasks will require quite a few workers.”
"Wouldn't that be an excellent opportunity?"
Lu Shaofeng was surprised that the young princess had thought of this, and his opinion of her rose even higher. It was a blessing for the people of Yan to have such a pair of masters!
"Anuan, let me ask you, in your opinion, where should we begin to solve some of the problems faced by displaced people?"
Mu Xin Nuan was slightly taken aback, not expecting that among so many strategists in the room, he would actually ask her about her.
"The problem of displaced people is mostly caused by war or famine. Generally speaking, the formation of displaced people is due to their blind and disorderly movement in order to survive. This will have a certain degree of adverse impact on the security and stability of any place. Take the Yan region now as an example. If a displaced people revolt, the first to suffer will probably be the local officials and soldiers."
"So?" Duanmu Chuze raised an eyebrow, his peripheral vision not missing the surprise in the eyes of the others.
Even Duanmu Chuze himself was somewhat surprised; his princess was truly a treasure! She understood the issue of these refugees so clearly. An ordinary young lady from a prominent family would likely have shown extreme disgust and completely ignored the matter.
In the eyes of those noble ladies, commoners are lowly, inferior, and dispensable!
When needed, they are slaves; when not needed, they naturally have no reason to exist.
Therefore, generally speaking, 80% of women would think that it would be more satisfying and thorough to mobilize the army and wipe out those refugees!
"Throughout history, the issue of displaced people has always been taken very seriously. This is because this problem has accounted for a large proportion of history, with displaced people uprisings occurring in local areas almost every ten or twenty years. Emperors of all dynasties dared not ignore it and would take appropriate measures to control this problem."
Mu Xin Nuan paused for a moment, then said, "The most important thing right now is to appease them. We need to let these homeless people know that the Prince still cares about them and has not abandoned them. Only then will they feel that they have someone to rely on and will not be easily instigated by others."
"The appeasement the princess speaks of is nothing more than distributing porridge and clothing. I'm afraid it won't be of much use," an old man said arrogantly as he entered, shaking his head in denial.
Mu Xin Nuan was slightly taken aback, and then saw the old man bow to the person in the seat of honor, saying, "This old minister greets Your Highness and Your Highness."
"So it's Mr. Song. Please, no need for formalities. Someone, please have a seat."
Duanmu Chuze's tone was relatively gentle, but he didn't move, and there was no sign of much appreciation in his eyes.