Governor Duan did not expect Bai Shan to ask about this, so he sighed and did not hide it, "Because the governor's office has limited money, I asked them to demolish all the post stations along the way."

In fact, it was not dismantled, it was just closed, because it costs money to dismantle it, so if you keep it in the future, you can save some money when you need to open it.

If it were other officials, Governor Duan would definitely have some shame, but when it came to Zhou Man and the others, Governor Duan would be very shameless.

First, both of them were close to the emperor, and crying about poverty could let the emperor know that Liangzhou was poor and in urgent need of support;

Secondly, everyone is the prince's family, so rounding off they are our own people. Since we are our own people, we should naturally let our own people know if we have any difficulties.

So Duan Jishifeng concentrated on crying with Mr. Bai Shan and Mr. Zhuang, and even Bai Erlang, Yin or others on the side were stunned.

Liangzhou is very poor, which is reflected in all aspects.

There was originally a fertile paddy field under Liangzhou's jurisdiction. It was not very big, but the yamen could still receive a certain amount of tax revenue from it every year, and the people could barely be self-sufficient.

However, there has been little rain in Liangzhou in the past two years. The paddy fields are by the lake. There are two lakes, not very far apart. There are rivers and ditches that divert water from the lakes to the paddy fields.

The farmland was originally located a certain distance from the lake to prevent water and soil from entering the lake and causing the lake to shrink.

As a result, there was a drought in the past two years, which reduced the yield. Then last year, there were many small bugs, and the grain yield was even worse.

Except for that one field, there are only sporadic fields in other places, and it is not enough to make a living, let alone collect taxes.

Otherwise, they are all herdsmen.

The tax revenue of the herdsmen is not low. Last year, there was a snowstorm and there was an epidemic. The medicinal materials provided by the imperial court to provide relief to the disaster areas did not reach Liangzhou at all.

Therefore, Liangzhou had to take charge of the treatment of smallpox patients by itself.

The prescription for the medicine was sent from Beijing, but money is needed to buy the medicine, and money is also needed for food and drink for the patient, including his family.

Otherwise, they did not die from smallpox, but died from hunger and bitter cold, which would also be a major mistake in his political performance.

So Duan Cishi took stock one year ago and found that he had no money.

Forget it if he ran out of money. He was in a hurry at the time, so he temporarily misappropriated the taxes and donations that were to be handed over to the court, thinking that he could use the excuse of passing through the epidemic area along the way for a while, and then use the excuse of a snowstorm to postpone for a while...

Anyway, these far away state capitals often do this kind of thing, and usually leave it alone.

The Jin Dynasty had a vast territory, and the areas north and west of Xiazhou could hardly collect taxes, and could not even be self-sufficient. The Ministry of Revenue would provide aid from time to time, and would only pay tribute and give gifts to the emperor during festivals.

Just fine.

Governor Duan often did this, and he did succeed this time. Shortly after the beginning of spring, his prediction came true. It snowed again in the north, and it was quite heavy. Liangzhou suffered huge losses, and many herdsmen's families had newborn children.

The lambs froze to death, and even the adult sheep froze to death.

Coupled with the losses caused by the smallpox epidemic, Liangzhou did not recover at all.

So Duan Cishi wrote a letter pleading guilty and crying for poverty, meaning that the taxes and donations intended to be transported to Beijing were gone. In order to fight the snowstorm and smallpox, he had to embezzle it, but it was not enough now, and he asked for state support.

Then the Ministry of Household Affairs sent a letter expressing its understanding for his misappropriation of taxes. He knew that this year was special, but he would have to make up for it in the future. By the way, Liangzhou has had a record of not paying taxes for three years in the past eight years. This is the fourth time this year. I hope

They will make up for it in a lump sum in the future.

The Ministry of Revenue declined Liangzhou's request for help, and said that the Ministry of Revenue is also in a difficult situation now. The national treasury has spent a lot to fight the epidemic. It is the beginning of spring, and money is needed everywhere. At present, there is no money available for Liangzhou. I hope he will

If you can persist for a while, increase revenue and reduce expenditure...

Anyway, there is no money.

Duan Jishi sighed: "That's why I recalled everyone in the post station. I really ran out of money. In addition to the post station, I also reduced the number of people in some passes."

The post station continued to be open. Not only did the post manager and his assistants need food and drink, but also charcoal and other supplies, and the horses and other equipment also needed to be fed.

It's okay if the people passing by are merchants or private individuals. They can barely make some money, and even if they can't get their capital back, they can subsidize some expenses. If officials like Zhou Man move in, not only will they not receive any money, but they will also have to be responsible for their food, drink, and livestock's food and grass.

wait.

The cost is huge.

So Governor Duan simply recalled everyone and closed the inn. However, he was still poor, so he urgently needed help from the emperor and the prince.

He looked at Bai Shan with bright eyes.

Bai Shan: ...He just asked curiously. After all, they could have stayed in the inn every day. Even if there was no hot water for bathing, they would at least have hot meals to eat. But along the way, they had slept in Fengdin since they passed through Huaiyuan.

Already.

The emperor cannot make the final decision on money matters alone, and the Ministry of Revenue must have said correctly that other places need subsidies more than Liangzhou.

Then his eyes glanced at Liu Huan.

Liu Huan immediately lowered his head and pretended he didn't know anything.

Bai Shan could only say that he would report to the prince if he had the chance.

Duan Jishi breathed a sigh of relief, but Bai Shan couldn't help but ask: "Isn't there no local products in Liangzhou that can be used to do business with the outside world? I remember that there are iron mines in Liangzhou."

Governor Duan said with a complicated face: "The iron ore in Liangzhou was sold as early as the Dade period."

That happened during the time of the late emperor. Bai Shan said he understood that it was very chaotic at that time. Liangzhou belongs to the Jin Dynasty today, may belong to the Turks tomorrow, and may be occupied by Tubo the day after tomorrow.

Dajin must have been short of money after the occupation, so it simply sold the iron ore within its jurisdiction to local wealthy families.

Da Jin may not be able to defend Liangzhou, but the local wealthy families should be able to defend their iron mines. If they can't, it's okay. Anyway, if Da Jin takes the money, it won't be him who loses.

Who would have known that after His Majesty ascended the throne, he gradually stabilized the situation. Not only did he regain Liangzhou, but he also expanded his territory and took back places that originally belonged to other vassal states. Ahem, you can't break your promise, and again

Take back the iron ore, right?

The place also needs long-term peace and stability.

Bai Shan didn't dare to give him any blind ideas, so he could only say: "Maybe we can ask them to donate some, at least we can wait until this year passes."

Governor Duan has no intention of asking those people for help at the moment. He will wait for help from the court first, and then wait for help when it is not available.

Man Bao has already treated Mrs. Duan. She has rheumatism, so her legs and feet bones feel uncomfortable when the weather is cold and rainy. There is no good way to do this. Man Bao gave her a set of acupuncture and prescribed it.

Prescriptions for foot soaking and oral administration.

She said: "I wonder if there is a doctor who knows acupuncture in Liangzhou City. If there is, I will leave a set of acupuncture techniques. He can give the old lady acupuncture, once every ten days, along with medication, and the effect will be much better."

The old lady felt much better now, her legs felt warm, and she was not as uncomfortable as before. After hearing this, she immediately said: "It would be best if Dr. Zhou is willing to leave the prescription. We will ask the doctor later."

This set of acupuncture is mainly for the lower limbs. The old lady is old, so even a male doctor can give it a try.

It's just that the back is difficult to acupuncture. The old lady tweaked it and asked, "Is there any acupuncture method that doesn't involve piercing the back?"

Man Bao thought for a while and then said: "I can simplify it, but the effect is not as good as this set of acupuncture methods."
Chapter completed!