Chapter 1285: Grain in Hand, Heart at Ease

The height of summer also meant that Emperor Liu was about to endure another period of near-torment; as the years advanced, he seemed increasingly sensitive to both cold and heat.

Of course, the climate in Luoyang was relatively comfortable; the problem lay in Emperor Liu's own habits. Still, compared to the misery of every bitter winter, the summer heat was nothing much — his pair of old cold legs had become a chronic ailment, and even in high summer he had to be careful with how he used ice to cool off, lest the cold invade his body.

Within the palace gardens, the eye was filled with the lush sights of summer; by the emerald lake, a clear breeze brushed the willows, their branches swaying, as if resisting the gradually intensifying heat.

Inside the Chengxin Pavilion built upon the lake, Emperor Liu wore a simple outfit — a light plain-silk everyday robe that hung very loosely, no cap or crown, his hair bound only with a single jade hairpin, the whole man wrapped in an air of leisurely ease.

Yan Tuo personally stood by holding a jar of fish feed, and Emperor Liu would from time to time grab a handful and scatter it into the water. Beneath the pavilion, the lake surface churned with fish of every color, and now and then one would leap clear of the water — a lively scene.

"Grandfather, the fish jumped out!" Beside Emperor Liu was also a small child — his eldest grandson, Liu Wenyuan — who, seeing the surging school of fish, gripped the railing, especially excited.

"When someone feeds them, of course they never tire of it!" Emperor Liu smiled faintly.

Liu Wenyuan was the eldest son of the Duke of Qin, Liu Xu, born in the fourth year of Kaibao, now nearly five years old. Because of the closeness that skips a generation, and because he was the first imperial grandson, he was naturally quite doted upon, and from time to time would be summoned into the palace to enjoy family harmony.

The little imperial grandson's attention was clearly drawn by the leaping fish; Emperor Liu fed them at a leisurely pace, and watching made the boy's heart itch. He turned around, grabbed hold of Yan Tuo's robe, and stood on tiptoe, trying to reach the feed jar in his hand.

Seeing this, Yan Tuo's knees went soft and he hurriedly crouched down to cooperate. The small hands were weak and couldn't grasp much, and plenty spilled onto the ground; when he flung it out past the pavilion, most of it scattered inside the pavilion instead. But Liu Wenyuan was beaming, his dark, bright eyes fixed on the lake surface, hopping with joy — a child's pleasures were that simple.

Emperor Liu seemed infected by it too, a loving smile appearing on his face, while his gaze also fixed on the fish fighting for food beneath his feet, gradually growing deep. In his eyes, these swimming fish were like certain ministers at court — only toss them some feed, give them a bit of temptation, and they'd vie to leap out of the water, especially eager, scrambling for power and profit, showing off their existence...

"Are the central authorities and the various ministries and bureaus still buzzing with clamor and uproar?" After a long while, Emperor Liu patted his eldest grandson's head, left Yan Tuo to play with him, and turned back to sit on the stone stool in the pavilion, asking Liu Xu, who stood attending at his side.

Liu Xu's post had been adjusted again — since the middle of last year, he had served as Vice Director of the Secretariat, walking in the Hall of State Affairs, assisting with state affairs. Upon hearing the question, he immediately replied: "Ever since Your Majesty issued the edict of reprimand, the court has fallen into complete silence, the atmosphere greatly changed; the officials of the various ministries and bureaus all keep to their own duties and work steadily!"

"Hmph! Should I commend them then?" Emperor Liu gave a faint sneer: "Some people shout about sharing the nation's worries with their mouths, but in truth harbor scheming hearts. The soldiers at the front are bleeding and sacrificing, while they stir up noise and trouble at court — the human heart is like a glutton..."

Hearing Emperor Liu's piercing words, Liu Xu's expression tightened slightly. He studied Emperor Liu's indifferent face, hesitated a little, and ultimately did not take up that thread.

Fortunately, Emperor Liu did not dwell excessively on the matter either, but said with a grave expression: "This northern expedition has mobilized over a million people; the spring plowing has already been delayed considerably. Summer harvest is nearly here — the court must be prepared to respond! Though military matters at the front are urgent, agricultural affairs in the rear must not be relaxed!"

When it came to official business, Liu Xu immediately displayed a capable, decisive air. Over the years, he had accumulated posts in many places, held many substantive positions, and done many substantive things; while building up his vision and experience, his ability to handle affairs had indeed been honed.

"On this matter, the Hall of State Affairs is already prepared. Chancellor Zhao has issued an administrative order, strictly urging the local authorities of every region to organize manpower and animal power, and to do well in the summer harvest and the collection of summer taxes!" Liu Xu replied.

He glanced at Emperor Liu, and seeing him unmoved, continued: "In this mobilization of troops, the heaviest conscription of labor falls on the four circuits of the Yan Mountains, Hebei, Hedong, and Henan, concentrated in the northern prefectures; the capital region and the southern prefectures are less affected and can maintain orderly production! In the northwest, the population is somewhat smaller, but animal power is abundant; moreover, the soldiers are on a distant campaign, fighting away from the rear, so the demand for supply delivery is not great!"

Emperor Liu nodded and sighed: "It still comes down to the eastern route army — over four hundred thousand men at the front, that is the true beast that devours men and wealth!"

Liu Xu said: "Thanks to the unimpeded canal routes and mature water transport, compared to the previous northern expedition, the actual number of conscripted laborers this time has decreased somewhat. With large quantities of military supplies shipped north and stored in the various granaries and ports of the north, basically meeting the army's consumption for half a year, the demand for manpower in canal and overland transport has also greatly diminished.

Fiscal Commissioner Zhang Mei has already appropriately reduced his workforce and released the laborers back; now only about three hundred thousand able-bodied men remain in the various northern route armies, used for frontline labor and the transport of grain and equipment.

Furthermore, in this northern expedition, a great deal of seagoing vessels and maritime transport has been employed; as for military grain, half is now shipped directly north by sea from Jiangzhe, and the coastal prefectures and counties have already been ordered to conscript over fifty thousand fishermen and commoners to make up for the shortage of transport sailors, ensuring the smooth flow of maritime shipping — this has greatly alleviated the difficulties of overland transport.

According to Zhang Mei's projection, once we break through the enemy's passes, thoroughly fight our way into Liaodong, and secure the safety of water transport on the Liao River, the share of maritime shipping can continue to increase, further reducing dependence on overland transport..."

After hearing Liu Xu's report, a smile finally appeared on Emperor Liu's face. After all, the development of seagoing vessels and maritime shipping was something Emperor Liu had pushed forward somewhat forcefully; the court and government had invested substantial wealth in it beforehand, and now it provided visible convenience for the army's operations. Faced with such gains and results, it was naturally hard not to be moved at heart.

After thinking a moment, Emperor Liu couldn't help but turn his mind to the crux of the matter, saying: "Jinzhou and Yaozhou — these two cities have become two powerful shackles binding the progress of our army. Who knows when they will be broken!"

Liu Xu fell silent. Considering Emperor Liu's mood, he still spoke up to console him: "Now the great army presses upon the cities like a mountain crushing eggs; though the Liao army's resistance is stubborn, it is merely holding out in a corner..."

"I don't need your consolation!" Hearing this, Emperor Liu reached out a hand to cut him off, and quickly adjusted himself, changing the subject to ask: "With the war progressing to this point, how are grain prices in the Western Capital?"

Liu Xu immediately replied: "In wartime, all kinds of products are given priority to the soldiers at the front, so the Western Capital inevitably feels the impact; the prices of grain, oil, flour, salt, melons, fruits, and vegetables have all risen somewhat — now a dou of rice has gone up to seventeen cash! However, the official granaries and storehouses of the Western Capital still hold rice, millet, wheat, and other grains totaling three million dan, available for dispatch at any time!

The grain stored in the north mainly supports the northern expedition, but in these past two months, grain from Jiangzhe and the two lakes regions has arrived in large quantities at the two capitals, and the grain merchants' enthusiasm is running high.

In recent years there have been few disasters, and with the construction of water conservancy and irrigation canals, the southeastern region has enjoyed abundant harvests; after Huainan introduced Champa rice, per-mu yields also rose enormously, and the output of the two lakes region has further increased as well. Therefore, there is little difficulty with grain!"

"With grain in hand, the heart does not panic — this is the simplest of truths!" Emperor Liu said: "No matter when, we must not let the people of the Great Han go hungry!"

If the people cannot eat their fill, they will rebel!

"What you say is right!" Liu Xu replied.

With Luoyang's population now permanently exceeding one million, the annual consumption of grain by officials and commoners alike was around eight million dan — of course, this included the disbursement of salaries and rations for officials and the army.

And one clear improvement over the previous northern expedition was that there was no need to transfer grain from the capital's reserves to support the frontline operations. What was shipped north from the two capitals was more in the way of tents, weapons, gunpowder, tools, and other combat supplies.

Watching Liu Xu hold forth so eloquently before him, Emperor Liu revealed a smile of appreciation and praised him: "You have become increasingly capable, especially in your sense of the big picture — you've made great progress. The trials you've endured over these years have shown remarkable results!"

Facing Emperor Liu's praise, Liu Xu maintained a modest style, cupping his hands and saying: "This is all thanks to Father's instruction and cultivation; there is still much I need to learn!"

"Not arrogant, not impatient — very good!" Emperor Liu nodded.

After thinking it over, Emperor Liu said: "I intend to go on an inspection tour. Just reading your memorials and hearing your reports isn't enough — I need to see with my own eyes. You are to be in charge of arranging the tour!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xu's expression instinctively turned solemn, and he cupped his hands to ask: "May I ask where the tour will go?"

"First to Hebei, then east to the sea, to take a look at Deng and Lai; after that, we'll see how things stand!" Emperor Liu said.

"When will the tour depart? And how should the accompanying retinue be arranged?" Liu Xu asked again.

"The weather is getting hotter and hotter; we'll wait until the autumn cool sets in. You make the preliminary preparations first! Don't bring too many ministers — Zhao Pu and Song Qi will remain in the capital to continue presiding over state affairs; Li Ye of the Hall of State Affairs will accompany the tour; Cao Bin of the Bureau of Military Affairs will serve as Commander-in-Chief of the field headquarters, and *** will take that post; arrange the other staff as you see fit. Also, all princes and princesses above eight years of age will accompany the tour!" Emperor Liu instructed simply.

"Yes!"

From Liu Xu's understanding of Emperor Liu, clearly the focus was still the northern expedition — no matter how calm he looked on the surface, in his heart he was especially concerned. And with the timing set after autumn, perhaps there was truly no expectation of a swift conclusion to the northern campaign.

Having received the order, Liu Xu respectfully took his leave, while Emperor Liu continued to summon his grandson and dote on him. He was only forty years old, and his grandson could already run and jump...