Chapter 219 — The Strike of the Heavenly Anomaly
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 5
The moment these words were spoken, a buzz of discussion filled the court. A single cloud, covering the whole domain of Jingping — such a thing was all but impossible, and yet it had happened!
The Kingdom of Jingping was vast: ninety thousand li from north to south, eighty thousand from east to west. And now snow was falling over every corner of it, and the heavy snow had lasted six or seven days — another thing that could not possibly happen!
Those who wield divine powers can summon wind and call down rain, but summoning wind and calling rain means rain over a small patch, wind over a small patch; no art could spread a spell over the whole of Jingping.
Nor was this any natural disaster. South of the Golden River snow was rare; south of the Surging River, rain and snow were less possible still; and by the Billowing River, where the four seasons are as summer, snow was out of the question.
Snow over the entire kingdom — more inconceivable by far!
Emperor Yanfeng coughed once, hushing the ministers, and said, "Minister of Agriculture, I fear many of my beloved ministers do not understand how terrible this snow is. Explain it to them."
An old minister stepped from the ranks — the Minister of Agriculture of the Jingping court, who oversaw the kingdom's farming — and bowed. "Your Majesty, my lords, in this snow disaster the northern crops were bred to endure cold and frost, so the harvest of next year is not in question. The crux lies in the south. Once the southern crops have come through a snow like this, I fear they will be frozen clean through and dead. Next year the south will reap not a single grain."
The Minister of Revenue said hurriedly, "By the south, the Minister of Agriculture means...?"
"South of the Golden River."
A cold breath went through the assembled ministers, and Shen Mu too was startled.
He had a map of the mountains and rivers of Jingping; the Golden River, likewise, rises in the Waste, and runs east several tens of thousands of li before it reaches the sea.
The land south of the Golden River was two-thirds of Jingping's territory!
That is to say, two-thirds of the kingdom would reap not one grain.
"This... Your Majesty, this minister holds that grain should first be transferred from every region and sent south, to prepare for famine relief!"
The Minister of the Imperial Stud stepped out and bowed. "The south has only just come through war; many commanderies and counties need relief. The granaries of those commanderies and counties must already be empty. I beg Your Majesty to move the granaries of the north, and save the common people from fire and flood!"
The Minister of Agriculture sighed. "As things stand, they cannot be moved. My lords do not know this: the great war consumed grain, and consumed a great deal of it. To send grain south now would only let the starving eat it all. And once it is eaten, next year there will not even be seed grain; nothing can be planted, and in autumn there will be nothing to eat. Minister of the Imperial Stud, when the starving have nothing to eat, they will eat people."
"Are we then to let the people of the south starve to death?"
The Minister of Agriculture said, "If grain is to be sent south, it must be rationed — only enough to keep the starving of the south alive at death's edge. In truth the south still has granaries, but they are all in the hands of the great clans, the powerful houses, and the landlords. Move their grain, and I fear they will stir the starving up to rebellion. Your Majesty..."
Emperor Yanfeng's face darkened. "The grain of the great clans, the powerful houses, and the landlords — I will find a way. Continue."
"Yes. Beyond the south, there is another great disaster, north and south alike."