My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 405 Disaster in Shandong
Zhu Zhanhe and his fleet encountered a huge storm at sea. The huge lucky boat was in the storm, like a leaf in the sea, and it seemed that it might capsize at any time.

Fortunately, this storm seemed to be just a rehearsal of the typhoon, and it came and went quickly. After only a moment, the wind and waves on the sea were much smaller.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhu Zhanhe immediately commanded the fleet to sail to the shore.

Originally, for the safety of Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe, the fleet had been sailing close to the coastline, so after turning around, the fleet quickly came to a bay to take shelter.

As a result, just as they rushed into the bay, a bigger storm hit. The last few warships that had just rushed into the bay were directly overturned, causing hundreds of people to fall into the water.

The other warships tried their best to rescue them, but after the storm stopped, eight people were still found dead and more than a dozen people were missing. In that kind of big storm, being missing actually meant death.

In addition to the loss of personnel, the surviving ships were also damaged to varying degrees. Some masts were scraped off, and some of the more serious ships were no longer able to sail long distances.

Of course, the most important thing is that, as Zhu Zhanhe and Zhu Zhanji, they are not allowed to risk staying at sea anymore.

So after discussion, the fleet decided to stop at Lingshanwei in front of them. As for Zhu Zhanhe, Zhu Zhanji and others, they changed from sea to land and rushed across Shandong to the capital.

The fleet dragged the damaged warships and finally arrived at Lingshanwei. The commander of the guard was shocked when he knew the identities of Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe. The two grandsons rested.

However, Zhu Zhanji only rested for one day, and then left Lingshanwei with Jin Yiwei. It seemed that he still planned to take a step ahead and go to the capital early to complain to Zhu Di.

Zhu Zhanhe didn't bother to pay attention, anyway, he and Zhu Zhanji also fell out, and they separated to avoid seeing each other again, which was good for both of them.

So Zhu Zhanhe specially rested in Lingshan Weiduo for two days, and then took the people from Dongchang to the capital.

Although there are winds and waves on the sea, people stay on the boat and basically don't get tired.

But walking by land is different. Even if you ride a horse, you will be tired and your bones will hurt after a day. Therefore, in this era, traveling is really a very difficult thing. Many people may spend their entire lives in the place where they were born. Activities within a hundred miles.

However, when Zhu Zhanhe and the others entered the border of Shandong, he frowned. As far as he could see, there were beggars and homeless people everywhere, and even the people in the village were mostly pale.

Even the children who should be innocent and lovely are all yellow and hungry, and there are many big-headed dolls, just like the children in the famine in Africa in later generations, all of them are severely malnourished, and even affect the growth and development.

"What's going on, has there been a catastrophe in Shandong?"

Looking at the scenes of human tragedy on the road, Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help frowning secretly, and finally couldn't help asking Cao Lei.

"I haven't heard of any major disasters in Shandong. There have been several droughts and locust plagues, but the scale is not large, and it shouldn't affect so many people."

Cao Lei was also a little confused at this time, and felt incredible about what he saw.

"Send someone to inquire, don't reveal your identity, and don't contact the local government!"

Zhu Zhanhe ordered immediately.

This place belongs to the boundary of Qingzhou, but he didn't hear any news beforehand, so Zhu Zhanhe suspected that the local government might be deliberately concealing the news.

Cao Lei immediately agreed, and immediately sent a dozen of his men to change into casual clothes and go out to inquire about the news.

On the second day, those who inquired about the news also came back one after another, and then reported to Zhu Zhanhe what they had heard.

And when Zhu Zhanhe listened to these people's reports, his brows were also tightly frowned.

The reason why there are so many refugees and beggars in Shandong and why the people are so depressed is actually a very complicated problem, and it can even be said to be a problem left over from history.

It turned out that when Zhu Di raised his troops to Jingnan, the army going south fought against the army of Emperor Jianwen. The main battlefield was in Shandong, and there were several battles in Jinan, Qingzhou and other places.

In the war, the people who suffered the most were obviously the common people. It can be said that after the Jingnan disaster, all industries in Shandong were depressed and the common people were displaced.

After finally waiting for Jing Nan to end, it stands to reason that Shandong should usher in a period of recuperation.

However, it is a pity that when Zhu Di went south, he encountered strong resistance in Shandong. Therefore, after Zhu Di ascended the throne, as the people in Beijing, Yongping and Baoding in the rear, he received a lot of tax considerations, but Shandong did not. , the taxes that should be paid are all the same.

To make matters worse, in the past few years Zhu Di had to dig the Grand Canal, build the city of Beijing, and at the same time go to the Northern Expedition, while Shandong had to undertake very heavy corvees. Coupled with the continuous natural disasters in Shandong, the people suffered unspeakably .

In the first few years before Zhu Di came to the throne, there were constant disasters in Shandong. Floods, droughts, and locust plagues almost took turns. Although there were no major disasters in Shandong in the past few years, minor disasters continued in various places.

For example, this year in Qingzhou, there was a moderate drought. The government should provide relief, but there is no food relief in Shandong. It will take time to transport food from Henan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Therefore, under such circumstances, the disaster-stricken people in Qingzhou dragged their families and embarked on the road to escape from the famine. Almost all the beggars and refugees Zhu Zhanhe saw came from this place.

There are even some hungry people who gather as thieves and take advantage of the hills to rob passing merchants.

It can be said that judging from the situation gathered by Zhu Zhanhe, the whole of Shandong is almost sitting on the crater, and a civil unrest may erupt at any time.

Thinking of the above, Zhu Zhanhe also felt heavy in his heart, and what made him even more angry was that such a big thing happened in Shandong, but the outside world didn't hear any news.

Even Cao Lei's Dongchang didn't hear any news in advance, which means that the officials in Shandong didn't report it and deliberately concealed the severe disaster in Shandong.

Their purpose of doing this is actually very simple. It is nothing more than whitewashing the peace and covering up their dereliction of duty. After all, as local officials, if such a large famine occurs under their rule, it will be a big stain on their political achievements. .

"Fortunately, God sent down a storm, so we had to change our way and pass through Shandong. It's an eye-opener!"

Zhu Zhanhe whispered, and then ordered Cao Lei to send out his followers from Dongchang to collect as much information and evidence as possible. After he returned to Beijing, he must report the real situation in Shandong!

(End of this chapter)