In 750, a severe drought led to poor harvests. In spring 751, the imperial grain fleet caught fire in harbour and 200 shiploads of grain were destroyed, so the government storehouses were ill stocked to meet the supply crisis. Later that same year a typhoon destroyed thousands of boats, large and small, at Yangzhou where the Grand Canal intersects with the Yangtze, losing more precious grain and rice. Almost incredibly, at that same time, a fire in the capital’s main weapons arsenal destroyed 500,000 weapons, crossbows, swords and spears. In the autumn it rained for weeks on end and floods
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