xymnovel Chapter 360 Food and Movement
Chapter 360 Food and Movement
Chapter 360 Food and Movement
On the day of Qixi Festival, two deep-drafted boats were moored at the Matuosha Wharf, clearly loaded with cargo.
Despite his aching legs, Shao Shuyi got up early to cook and served Madam Liu a meal. After they finished eating, they went to the dock together. Shao was a man who wouldn't get up early for nothing, and now that there was something to gain, he naturally got up early.
Liu looked radiant, clearly having looked beautiful the night before. Upon seeing the boat, she said lightly, "It stopped at Kunshan a while ago, but I'm giving it to you now. The boat is loaded with miscellaneous goods; you can send someone to collect them yourself. If the boatmen are willing to work for you, treat them well. If not, just give each of them some money and take them to Jiangning."
"We will do as you say, Madam," Shao Shuyi said happily.
Liu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly retorted sarcastically, "Go marry your second wife Fei. I can only stay with you for a few more years."
"No, I won't," Shao Shuyi shook his head decisively, "Wouldn't I be heartless? Don't worry."
After saying that, he went straight forward and mobilized people to unload the goods.
The goods were a mixed bag, including Wenzhou lacquerware, Ou kiln celadon, medicinal herbs, hemp, tung oil, paper, candied fruit, yellow tea, dried seafood, and more, plus some copper, iron, tin materials, and grain. The goods were packed full, and there wasn't even enough room to put them all.
It's obvious that the vast majority of these goods were purchased locally in Wenzhou. It's unclear how long ago they were bought, but they've only now been transported to Matuosha and handed over to him for processing.
Shao Shuyi knew very well that this was Liu's own private money, and that he was really being generous by sponsoring him.
As for how much the other party still had, Shao Shuyi wouldn't ask.
Their relationship is quite peculiar now.
When Shao Shuyi bought grain, Liu gave him a clear account, and the purchase price was only slightly cheaper than others.
When Shao Shuyi sold salted fish and salt, he also calculated the price clearly for Liu Shi, offering a discount, but not by much.
Although the couple has already had children, they are still living together as a couple.
The Liu family had its own management team, its own independent accounts, shops scattered throughout Jiangyin, and even several boats, and could recruit fellow Wenzhou natives to help with operations.
This kind of relationship between women and their husbands in Zhejiang was actually quite common here, especially since Shao Shuyi wasn't even Liu's husband.
But who cares!
Shao Shuyi grinned as he looked at the goods. He needed to find a way to sell them as soon as possible. After thinking it over, he realized that only the Shen family could handle so many goods in such a short time. He just didn't know if they would still dare to associate with him.
Of course, the two thousand bushels of grain were even more important.
Before the inclusion of artisans and seafarers from Taicang, the economic system of Matuosha was basically based on cash transactions, meaning that after the soldiers received their money, they would buy their own grain.
The buyers were either local farmers from Ma Tuo Sha or grain shops on Yaqian Street. Before the Brothers Grain Shop opened, there were only two grain shops in total. One of them was an old brand that had been in business for two generations, and the other was opened by Madam Liu.
Sometimes, when the two liaison ships went to deliver messages to other places, they would bring back some food and daily necessities on their return journey, which they would sell to the soldiers at a reasonable price.
After the hundreds of craftsmen and their families settled down, due to the change in the way wages were paid, they no longer received cash each month. Instead, they received a total of more than 200 shi of grain, more than 170 jin of salt, salted fish, pickles, and the like, in exchange for grain and salt coupons.
The last three items were manageable and not a burden for Shao Shuyi's gang. But grain was a different story. More than 200 shi (a unit of dry measure) per month was a necessity. After the craftsmen handed over their grain coupons, the Brothers Grain Shop had to exchange them for the full amount.
Given the current tense situation, in order to prevent any unforeseen problems from arising in the future and to maintain morale and preserve his own foundation, Shao Shuyi plans to revise the pay for the army.
Among them, the Lu Shi were promoted to the level of craftsmen and implemented a grain and salt rationing system, that is, each family received 1.8 shi of grain, 1.4 jin of salt, and a certain amount of pickles and salted fish per month. The squad leader received military pay according to the standard of the Shengye Commercial Society section chief, while the Zhanfeng received pay according to the standard of the deputy section chief, with additional payments.
In an era where hereditary military households are prevalent, Shao Shuyi has restored the conscription system that has existed since the mid-Tang and Song dynasties, resulting in a significant improvement in the treatment of soldiers. This stands in stark contrast to the miserable plight of military households, who were among the most destitute in the Yuan dynasty's various household registration systems.
The navy also implemented a grain and salt rationing system, but the amount received was halved. In fact, if they were careful with their spending, it was enough to support the whole family. If family members also found some odd jobs, it would be more than enough.
As a result, the monthly grain expenditure exceeded 1,400 shi, while the total grain reserves of Ma Tuo Sha had only recently climbed to around 4,000 shi, which was not enough.
"Where do you plan to store these two thousand shi of grain?" As the sun rose higher and the weather grew warmer, Madam Liu came to the shade of a tree and asked, instructing her maid to bring some cool tea.
Shao Shuyi sat down and said, "This is a troublesome matter. The new batch of granaries will not be put into use until at least the end of August, at which time they will only be able to store about 5,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). By the end of the year, they may be able to store 8,000 or 10,000 shi. Perhaps we can only store them in the homes of the people, or distribute them to the craftsmen and soldiers in advance so that they can keep them themselves."
"That's one way," said Madam Liu. "However, constantly buying grain isn't a long-term solution. How's the wasteland you've reclaimed coming along?"
"We've reclaimed another 400 mu this year, bringing the total to 1,000 mu," Shao Shuyi said. "The first 300 mu were actually enough to produce some grain, but the harvest was limited, so we let the refugees from Jiangbei keep it for themselves, which also saved me some money."
Upon hearing the words "precious paper money," Lady Liu suddenly seemed to realize something and asked, "You give everyone else money in precious paper money, but you give artisans and soldiers grain and salt coupons. Is there a reason for that?"
Shao Shuyi glanced at Liu Shi in surprise. There was indeed a reason, but he didn't tell anyone else.
"It's just a precaution," Shao Shuyi said. "Others might think I'm pushing for grain and salt coupons, but there's another reason I can't say it out loud: once they take these coupons out of Ma Tuo Sha, they become worthless, and nobody will redeem them. Although this move isn't very ethical, it's actually to strengthen their fighting spirit and prevent them from having any other ideas. The government won't recognize the grain and salt coupons you've saved up; if you want to live a good life, then follow me."
"You're really shameless," Liu couldn't help but laugh.
"The craftsmen were forcibly brought here, and the soldiers were already so poor they looked emaciated before they arrived. They were lucky to have enough to eat, so why think so much? Once they accepted it at the beginning, they weren't so resistant later." Shao Shuyi laughed. "But as for the others, let's issue paper money first, and then discuss it when they ask for grain and salt coupons."
Strictly speaking, Shao Shuyi's move was to issue shopping cards.
In later generations, a portion of the wages or benefits for many company employees was actually shopping cards—the kind that could only be used in the company's small supermarket, and the goods on them were extremely expensive. However, in Shao Shuyi's version, the shopping cards were for grains...
Salt is an inexpensive commodity and there's no rip-off involved.
"Where did you learn all these tricks?" Liu asked curiously. "General Chongtian didn't have these skills, did he?"
Shao Shuyi chuckled and said, "How can you be so sure I was one of Huang Chao's men?"
"Fine, don't tell me then." Madam Liu said, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan while sipping her cool tea.
After resting for a while, Shao Shuyi received news that Yu Yuan had returned, so he immediately went to the pier.
The ships Pingjia and Pingyi returned fully loaded with 1,500 shi of grain.
Yu Yuan immediately went ashore and said, "Brother, the price of grain is high now, it costs 44 guan per shi. This price is only because of you."
"You've worked hard," Shao Shuyi said with a smile. "Money is most important when it's spent; otherwise, it's just a piece of waste paper. How's it going in Jiangyin? Any news?"
"Ge Tikong may be investigated," Yu Yuan said. "Last night he secretly came to Huangtian Trading Company, looking very uneasy, and said a lot of things."
Shao Shuyi was somewhat surprised, but not entirely.
Of all the officials in Jiangyin Prefecture, Ge Daji was the one he associated with the most. It wouldn't be surprising if the people in Hangzhou wanted to get rid of him. This fellow probably heard some rumors and sensed something was wrong, so he sought help from Yu Yuan.
"Tell me in detail," Shao Shuyi said.
Yu Yuan then recounted the whole story, concluding, "Korigis should be fine. He spent a lot of money to be transferred elsewhere, but forget about becoming the governor of the prefecture; he'll likely be demoted."
Shao Shuyi nodded slightly, indicating that this was to be expected.
The unfortunate thing about Kuolijisibi Zhang Yang was that Su Tianjue's assassination attempt made a lateral transfer impossible; avoiding prosecution would be considered a success, and being demoted and reassigned would be a pleasant surprise.
"Judge Ma was the first to be punished, losing all his wealth and being dismissed from office, thus managing to retire unscathed," Yu Yuan continued. "Zhu Daocun's punishment was the lightest. Some say he will be appointed as the deputy director of the Confucian Studies Bureau, while others say he will be appointed as the director of the Three Lakes and Rivers Bureau in Jiankang and other places. In any case, he cannot stay in Jiangyin."
"In that case, Zhang Weigong is the luckiest. Although it's a promotion in name only, he's still been promoted in rank to the position of Magistrate of Changzhou Road," Shao Shuyi said with a smile. "Any further news?"
"Yes," Yu Yuan said. "Mo Tianyou sent Yang Mao to deliver a message, saying that you are a good man, very capable, and he admires you. But given the current situation, he doesn't dare to openly help you, and is willing to buy 300,000 catties of salt. If you need grain, Yang Mao happens to be in that business and can sell it to you at a lower price, essentially exchanging grain for salt. He said that's all he can do."
"Alas, when it comes down to it, it's still Mo Laohu who's the most righteous," Shao Shuyi sighed. "I'd heard people say he was cruel and bloodthirsty, but I never expected him to be the one who could handle things best in this critical moment. We only have 2080 ingots of paper money in the account. Exchanging salt for grain is feasible! Let's get it done as soon as possible."
"Yes." Yu Yuan nodded and said, "Liu Xing sent someone from Yixing to ask if we need to transport the grain back from there. My brother's grain shop in Yixing has 2500 shi of grain, all of which is stored in Yixing Prefecture."
"Wait a minute, we can't store the sand on the horses right now," Shao Shuyi said. "Once the three stores in Taixing, Tongzhou, and Haimen in Jiangbei expand, we'll send it directly there."
"Is Brother going to Jiangbei?" Yu Yuan asked keenly.
"Jiangbei is rather chaotic, and the government's control isn't as strict. They won't know those grain shops are mine for the time being, so they'll be good for preparing military rations." Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "After the new seafarers have been roughly trained for a while, I'll go and visit both Jiangnan and Jiangbei. But it's best to wait for news from Taizhou before making any decisions." "Brother, there's news from Wuxi, it was Yang Mao who told me." Yu Yuan suddenly said, "Some of his men sent grain to Hangzhou and heard some rumors, but we can't be sure."
Tell me about it.
"Fang Guozhen was quite afraid when he saw the strength of the government army, so he headed south and even abandoned Dongzhenshan Island," Yu Yuan said. "Counselor Duoerzhiban may lead the navy in person to pursue Fang Guozhen's forces."
"The Yuan Dynasty is truly a sieve; it can't hide any news," Shao Shuyi laughed heartily. "But surely Fang Guozhen wouldn't be so cowardly? Could it be a trap to lure the enemy in?"
"Brother, are you so confident in Fang Guozhen?" Yu Yuan asked curiously.
Shao Shuyi couldn't explain it.
Although there are many unexpected events on the battlefield, he had seen firsthand what the Yuan Dynasty's navy was like. Even the maintenance of those warships at Liujiagang required someone to share the costs; what more could be said?
However, Fang Guozhen was also a novice and probably didn't have much confidence in facing the aggressive government navy. So he didn't confront them directly, but instead adopted a more cautious tactic: luring the enemy deep into his territory and then annihilating them.
Of course, these were all Shao Shuyi's guesses. He simply had the answer first and then went through the process of proof, so he couldn't explain it to Yu Yuan. He only vaguely said, "Unless Fang Guozhen is really unlucky and encounters a major storm, his chances of winning are much higher than those of the government troops."
"How much higher?" Yu Yuan asked.
"Even if Gao were to encounter some minor mishaps that are unfavorable to him, it wouldn't be enough to change the course of the battle," Shao Shuyi said. "If Duo'er were to personally lead the army, he would most likely meet a bad end. Let's wait and see. Once they have determined a victor, my navy can be mobilized soon. For now, let's make preparations."
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