Chapter 6757 Man-made Disaster

Chapter 6757 Man-made Disaster
The knowledge that the Claudius Family's Hundred-Knighted Chestnut Tree can produce chestnuts that contain life essence has spread throughout the world. Long before the Lord of All Spirits appeared, the only plant in the human world that could produce life essence was the Claudius Family's Hundred-Knighted Chestnut Tree.

As a plant, it is normal for it to bear fruit. However, for plants whose internal Qi is separated from their bodies, they are ignorant and unconscious, so it is very logical for them to bear fruits that contain the life essence of the level of Qi Refining and Gang Formation.

But if I remember correctly, this thing can only produce five or six hundred of these things a year. The rest are fruits that contain the essence of heaven and earth. Although they are also very good treasures, they are far inferior to chestnuts that contain the essence of life.

Therefore, in the early days, such things rarely flowed abroad. After all, there were only five or six hundred of them, which were not enough for the Romans to divide among themselves.

However, this year Rome actually took out five or six hundred, which was very surprising. However, Chen Xi did not explore the idea of ​​why Rome did so. The other party was willing to offer prizes, and was participating in the competition on the Han side, so the Han side could completely accept it.

"Didn't there happen a riot in Rome? They mobilized tens of thousands of top backbones here. Are they afraid that their own deaths were not tragic enough?" Jia Xu raised his eyebrows and asked with a bit of surprise. Benefits are benefits, but don't you guys consider the problems behind this matter?
"I have considered it. The problem is that tens of thousands of people coming to the Central Plains will not have much impact on us. They come to participate in the competition, to collect intelligence, or even to eat." Fa Zheng replied calmly, "It will not have much impact on us. Even if they come to collect intelligence, given the current level of intelligence disclosure between us and Rome, it would be just that. It is better to pay 500 big chestnuts than nothing. Anything is good. Can we stop the Romans?"

It couldn't be stopped. The Han Dynasty and Rome were in a state of mutual trust, and there was a policy of mutual disclosure of intelligence. Therefore, there were many Romans hanging around the Han Dynasty, and there were also many Han brothers hanging around in Rome. To put it bluntly, there were already several thousand Romans in Chang'an City.

When these people came to the Han Dynasty, they didn't see the Romans giving them five hundred rare treasures. The Han Dynasty also allowed these Romans to wander around. As long as they didn't break the law, the treatment they enjoyed was no different from that of the Han Dynasty. So for Fa Zheng, even if the Romans had some extra thoughts about giving them five hundred rare treasures, it didn't matter much, because you had to let the Romans come anyway.

The other party said they came to participate in the competition, but in the end they didn't show up. The five hundred rare treasures were wasted, and the Han Dynasty didn't suffer any loss. After all, as long as they didn't participate, the Romans would have come anyway. Why bother stopping them and asking all sorts of unnecessary questions?

"It's not a problem." Chen Xi nodded when he heard it. What Jia Xu said made sense. Rome was willing to pay to participate in the competition at this point, so there must be a problem. But Fa Zheng's explanation was also correct. I don't care what problems he has. He is not here to mess with the Han Dynasty. Let him be.

"I don't care what Rome thinks. We just need to strengthen security patrols. As long as they don't break the law or violate discipline, what they do will have any substantial impact on us?" Fa Zheng asked Jia Xu indifferently.

"Indeed, what Xiaozhi said is very right." Li Youdian nodded and said, "We don't need to dwell on these things. We just need to manage the Romans who come here. As long as they don't break the law, they are friends who come from afar. It doesn't matter whether they are participating in the competition or spectators."

"Speaking of which, what's going on in Rome recently?" Chen Xi saw that everyone had reached a consensus, then turned his head to look at Mi Zhu who had just returned, and then looked at Guo Jia and asked curiously.

"If you talk about this, I have a lot to say. Recently, the Roman Empire has been actively sending me intelligence. They even copied me the agenda and review plans of their Senate, and even took the initiative to invite our envoys stationed in Italy to attend the Senate meetings, saying that they can enjoy the treatment of honorary senators." Guo Jia said to Chen Xi with a somewhat demented look.

No kidding, this really made Guo Jia dumbfounded. When Wu Yan, as an envoy, sent the information to Guo Jia, Guo Jia was a little stunned. But then Guo Jia realized that the Duke of the Eastern European Border County had formed a group to quarrel with people in the Senate, and it would not be a problem to have two more Han Dynasty ambassadors as honorary elders to participate in politics.

Anyway, I have already let myself go, and I can go further on this path. After all, most of the topics discussed in the Senate are important and unimportant. When it comes to deciding national affairs, some people in the Senate have almost finalized the matter in closed-door meetings. So it is better to be generous and directly let the envoys of the Han Dynasty come to listen as honorary senators.

In short, it’s been pretty easy to gather intelligence on Rome lately, and the intelligence the Romans let loose is pretty outrageous.

"Ah, Wu Yan can actually sit in on the Senate?" Chen Xi turned to look at Li You with some surprise, while Li You had a blank expression on his face.

"Yes, and that is why we have a relatively accurate understanding of the current situation in Rome." Guo Jia raised his index finger and said seriously, "And among these data, there is something very counterintuitive, which none of us expected."

"What's the matter?" Chen Xi asked curiously.

"If Rome's grain can be distributed stably according to demand, combined with fish caught in the Mediterranean, it can barely last until the autumn harvest." Zhuge Liang gave the answer on behalf of Guo Jia. Guo Jia was slightly stunned when he heard it, and couldn't help but look at Zhuge Liang.

"I haven't seen your intelligence. Unless you show us your stuff, we won't touch it. I still have a sense of confidentiality. I just guessed it." Zhuge Liang said calmly, "I guessed this when we encountered the locust plague."

"That's not right. Rome's Egyptian grain-producing areas and the lower reaches of the Mesopotamian grain-producing areas are all destroyed. How could there be barely enough food and fodder?" Fazhen asked in confusion.

"Because the Claudius family has grain reserves, and Rome itself also has a certain amount of grain reserves. Especially the year before last, after Cao Sikong's incident, Pompianus took back the Claudius family's grain-producing land. Last year was the first year of taking back the grain-producing land, so there would be a large amount of grain reserves." Zhuge Liang gave a brief explanation.

"So theoretically speaking, the core area of ​​Rome should have a large amount of grain stored last year. According to the scale of Rome's grain-producing areas, as well as the good varieties and intensive farming that Annaus learned from the Han Dynasty and promoted in Rome, Rome's food and grass can barely be met." Zhuge Liang looked at Chen Xi. These things were taught to him by Chen Xi to evaluate the country's stability and organizational ability.

"Can it satisfy 80%?" Chen Xi asked with some curiosity. He understood this, but he really didn't pay attention to it this time. It was only after Zhuge Liang mentioned it that he remembered it.

"Well, it should be able to meet 80% of the needs." Zhuge Liang nodded.

"It's still screwed then." Chen Xi said with a sigh.

Although theoretically, if everyone eats 80% of the food, they will definitely not die, and everyone can successfully get through this difficult period and wait until the new food comes from Eastern Europe, but in reality it is not calculated that way. Even in a year of great disaster, the concentration of power still allows some people to maintain a level of luxury.

Of course, this is not the most important thing. What is important is how to distribute the food reserves in the hands of the Claudius family to the Romans fairly. It does not require that everyone get an even 80%. As long as everyone has 50%, Rome will not explode.

The question is, did the Romans have that level? No!
Let alone Rome, even during the pandemic two years ago, Shanghai really didn’t lack food! But in the end, they just couldn’t get any food.

The existence of food and your ability to get food are two different issues!
What's more, this is still the 21st century, an era when the logistics industry is extremely developed and social organizations can actually reach the grassroots level in the streets, and yet you are still treated like this. If it were the 3rd century, you would be basically screwed.

"Rome's inland sea shipping industry is actually quite developed. In theory, it should be able to transport grain to various places." Zhuge Liang frowned and said, "The situation should not be as bad as you think. Italy's control over the entire Rome is still barely sufficient."

In Zhuge Liang's opinion, Rome still has about 80% of the food on hand, and the Senate has been trying to find a solution to the problem. There are also tubs that can transport food continuously. Theoretically speaking, it should not be ruined as Chen Xi said.

There is definitely a gap, and there is definitely a group of extravagant people, but generally speaking, as long as the money can be distributed, it won't really explode.

"First of all, was the Yellow Turban Rebellion really caused by a lack of food?" Chen Xi sighed and said, "Droughts did exist, as did floods, but was the Han Dynasty's overall food supply really insufficient? No, there may have been a gap, but it was not that exaggerated."

"The Han Dynasty was in a very serious situation at that time. It was difficult to reverse the situation. There was still food. The fact that a large number of young and strong people were recruited from all over the country to quickly suppress the Yellow Turbans was enough to show that there was a food shortage, but it was definitely not large. The real problem of the Han Dynasty at that time was the collapse of its organizational structure. The grassroots had begun to lose control." Zhuge Liang said slowly, "The Roman Empire had not reached this stage yet. After Severus ascended the throne, the political situation in Rome tended to be stable. There would be chaos, but it would not be too big."

Chen Xi nodded when he heard this, while the others seemed to be thinking about something.

"In fact, there is another point, which is also a very important point. That is, the situation of the Han Dynasty at that time made it impossible to quickly mobilize food and grass for disaster relief. At that point, even if the local governor had an idea, it would be too late. Rome is different. The existence of the Mediterranean makes it possible for the Senate to provide disaster relief in a very short time." Guo Jia echoed from the side. He agreed with Zhuge Liang that there would definitely be chaos in Rome, but it would not be too exaggerated, and the overall situation should still be stable.

"Well, you all have mentioned the advantages of the Roman Empire in this regard. Let me tell you a disadvantage. The Roman Empire can't distribute food and grass." Chen Xi made a judgment that was enough to dumbfound everyone present, and everyone looked at each other in shock.

Although it was surprising that the Roman Empire still had enough food and grass to keep everyone half-dead, it was understandable. Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia's explanations made Jia Xu and others look up to Rome. What was the geographical advantage? This was the geographical advantage.

In the early years, when natural disasters hit the Han Dynasty, it was often too late to rescue them even if you wanted to, because there was no time to transport food and grass. Two months was enough time for all the local disasters to occur, but if Rome really wanted to be efficient, the grain ships departing from Italy would take at most one month.

If it doesn't arrive within a month, it means the other party definitely doesn't want to save you. The Mediterranean bathtub is so excellent. This is what God's reward is.

"Please understand deeply that the Roman Empire is the empire of Roman citizens." Chen Xi sighed, "The social organizational structure of Rome is there. Although taxes are paid by citizens, guess where the citizens' money comes from."

Li You pinched his brows, having forgotten that Rome had a tax-farming system. He only remembered that the other side was a top power like the Han Dynasty, and was quite powerful. He was always used to using his own tactics to trap the other side. When Chen Xi said this, Li You reacted.

What is the tax farming system? Let me give you a brief description. Suppose the Roman government thinks that Rome can collect 10 billion denarii this year. After deducting the tax expenses, there will be 800 million left. In order to save trouble, the government decides to let the elders and nobles collect taxes and require 800 million in taxes. The senators discuss and decide to divide the districts into one and then raise 800 million for the government. Then the senators sub-divided the districts and gave them to the small nobles, but the senators couldn't work for nothing, so they decided to do this, a total of 1.2 billion, which would be distributed to the small nobles.

In the end, it is natural that citizens exploit non-citizens to pay the tax. After all, this is an indirect tax that can be passed on layer by layer.

In this way, the benefits will naturally be collected at all levels, and all classes above the citizens will benefit. Naturally, they will be willing to support this system. After all, these are legitimate interests.

The Roman government also knew this, but didn't care. After all, this clearly highlighted the superiority of the citizen system. Citizens were very satisfied. As for those who were dissatisfied, barbarians were also considered human beings? Do they have the right to vote? You dare to criticize the system of our Roman Empire without the right to vote? Are you looking for death?

On the other hand, under the tax-farming system, if disaster relief is to be carried out, how should it be done? Of course, it should be done in the opposite direction of the tax-farming system. After all, there are ready-made organizations available. Rome also understands the logic of not increasing entities unless necessary.

What's more, in the current situation, even if the Roman Empire wanted to set up a so-called complete disaster relief organization that could reach the grassroots level, it would be pure nonsense and it would be impossible to do it.

"Besides, the citizens have also suffered from the disaster. It's not too much for them to take only half of the relief food." Chen Xi looked at the others very seriously.

Damn it, if you have votes please vote, the author feels like a complete failure