Song investment in infrastructure and food provision addressed the risk of popular discontent. Feeding hungry people could make them more content and less likely to rebel. Food, clothing, and shelter were basic needs that government had an interest in securing. The scale of that task was substantial: a Northern Song census recorded about twenty million households and roughly ninety million people.
Notable Point · 23:01-24:58
Food provision and political stability under the Song
Provisioning a large population helped the Song pursue political stability by reducing hunger and discontent.