Protect Our Clan Leader

A few days later.

There were already signs of chaos in the Changning Garrison’s jurisdiction.

Wang Shouzhe would receive a letter from Wang Shouyi every couple of days describing events happening in Changning. The city defense office had reached an agreement with two Celestial being families, several top Spirit Platform families including the Xu family in Changning, as well as Qian’s trading company and other forces. They had begun to open their granaries for disaster relief.

However, the city is populated with many people; it is a large city with a population of over 100,000. The amount of grain consumed daily is astronomical.

Some audacious merchants had even hatched a plan to hoard supplies and sell grain to the city’s residents at five to six times the price secretly. Their scheme was discovered by the city defense bureau, who not only executed them but also confiscated their hoarded grain.

Furthermore, rumors surfaced that the disaster had spread beyond Longzuo County. Therefore, it would be difficult to transport grain from outside the county to curb the grain shortage. As a result, even the grand county town was experiencing a grain shortage.

It is said that the county town of Longzuo State surpasses a hundred thousand residents. A grain shortage in such a city is a massive disaster. It also speaks volumes about the deteriorated state of affairs in Longzuo County.

Now, many rumors and whispers were circulating. Some said that the Purple Abode Academy was failing to gather food outside. Others claimed that the county town had commanded its cities to collect grain to ensure the county town’s grain supply.

The most prominent rumor even claimed that Emperor Changlong’s lifespan was nearing its end, and the Da Qian Empire was going to befall an apocalypse. The insect plague was just the beginning. This rumor sent a chill down Wang Shouzhe’s spine. It seemed that whenever there was chaos, all sorts of bizarre rumors would emerge.

However, those who dared to announce that Emperor Changlong was dying were quickly apprehended by the city defense bureau, hanged at the city gate, and executed in a most cruel way.

Wang Shouyi only dared to vaguely express these matters in his letters. Wang Shouzhe was informed of them by the messenger of the head of household, who whispered them to him secretly.

In a word, it was chaos!

And the Wang family of Ping’an, amidst this chaos, could only obey the rules superficially. They had to collect the taxes due and pay the food required, not coming up short even by a bit for the garrison. In fact, even if the Wang family wanted to pay a bit less grain, they couldn’t do it.

Even if their uncle, Wang Dingzu, was serving as a deputy garrison commander in the garrison, he would not dare to be biased at this critical juncture. This was because people from the city defense office had come down a long time ago to supervise the grain collection process. At such a time, who would dare to favor?

This summer, the Wang family had to pay a considerable amount of grain as tax.

The grain, load by load, was loaded onto the carriage and transported to Pudukou. Under the supervision of the city defense office, it was weighed by the garrison, and then loaded onto the grain ships.

Three big farms together had a total of 7,650 acres of good land registered. Each acre was taxed at 4, so a total of 3,060 loads of wheat needed to be paid as the land tax for one season. Fortunately, the overall harvest this time was good, aside from the problem of honey insects overrunning the area. This year was indeed a year with plentiful rainfall in the early stage and good sunlight in the mid-late stage, which was very conducive to the maturation of wheat.

Therefore, the total wheat production of three big farms reached more than 26,000 loads, with an average yield of about three and a half loads per acre, barely reaching a good harvest.

Subtracting the summer tax, the previous “insecticide tax”, the apportionment of the seed bull investment, the sharing with tenant farmers, there was still a pure profit of 14,500 loads remaining. Of course, the actual number of grains was much more.

This is because the previous expenses of the insecticide, etc., were paid with Qian gold, and there would be no subsequent purchase of the labor-intensive insecticide. And this was just the income of one season.

By the way, the batch of insecticide that Grand Elder Four had been hoarded was sold off at three times the price when the price was high, making a considerable profit.

This made Wang Xiaozhi, Grand Elder Four, extremely proud, boasting to everyone that he had made a “large sum” of money for the family with his excellent judgment and made a significant contribution.

In addition to the summer tax on the wheat fields of the family farm, the taxes from other industries in the farm were paid before the year. And because they are not for the production of grain crops, there is no need to use grain to contribute.

Besides, it was about the taxes collected on behalf of the Wang family within their territory.

Due to the small scope of the Wang family’s influence, the peasant land under their rule is listed as only 16,000 acres. These are all under the five-tax system. However, the Wang family, considering the self-farming peasants in their territory, had also greatly suffered, although less than outsiders.

Therefore, they decided to collect only four-tax grain. The world family tax, which made up one tax, could be offset with copper shillings. This time, the Wang family struggled to collect 6,400 loads of grain. It was all loaded onto carts and transported to Pudukou, and then shipped away by each boat.

Under the protection of the head of household, Wang Shouzhe stood at the bustling and bustling Pudukou and couldn’t help but feel a thousand emotions. In this era, when Profound Martial families and free people worked hard to farm, their income was far less than taxation.

These grains would likely be distributed as the rumors mentioned, some being transported to the garrison’s cities, and some being used to “relieve” the people in higher-level states and counties. Keep in mind, the living conditions of the people over there were far better than those of Ping’an Town.

In a way, it was ironic.

Considering that such boats full of grain were transported away, this would add frost to the existing grain shortage in Ping’an Town. Especially for many that had invested their savings in purchasing agricultural land, or spent a lot of money sending progeny to study, or had just experienced big-spending events such as marriages and funerals in self-farming families, this crisis would be particularly difficult.

The living conditions for self-sufficient farming families were generally not bad, but their consumption standards were much higher than those of tenant farmers. The costs for essentials like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, and for expenses for clothing, food, shelter, and transportation as well as weddings and funerals, were all higher.

Furthermore, most self-sufficient farmers, if they had some savings, would try to expand their farmland, build houses, and educate their children in reading and art etc. These activities consumed a lot of money, and most of them didn’t have much savings.

None of this was a problem under normal circumstances, but who could have expected such a fierce and sudden insect plague this time.

Nevertheless, even so.

Except for a few self-sufficient farmers, most looked for ways to endure the hardship and hold on until the next season’s grain was produced. Then they could consider themselves out of the woods. But lurking among them were those who caused havoc.

Every time there was a natural or man-made disaster, there would always be some insatiable power-holders who took the opportunity to monopolize and exploit the common people to fatten up themselves.

Wang Shouzhe looked afar at the never-ending line of tax-bearing carriages from the Liu and Zhao clans. His eyes squinted slightly. Initially, he had only been guessing at their actions based on the behavior of the two predatory families of Liu and Zhao, as well as some rumors going around.

But as the intelligence work unfolded, some concrete information gradually reached Wang Shouzhe. He could almost confirm that they were indeed planning a major action.

The Liu clan of Ping’an

In the main hall of the Liu family’s main residence, the head of the Liu family, Liu Shengye, was hearing reports from several clansmen, including the promising young man Liu Yongzhou.

His brow furrowed. “What’s going on with the Sun family of Changning? They clearly agreed to lend us fifteen thousand baskets of wheat, and we would pay back thirty thousand baskets of rice after the autumn harvest. Why are they not honoring it now? Isn’t doubling their return enough of a satisfaction?

“The Sun family of Changning said they barely saved some output by buying the insecticide powder,” a man in his fifties replied. “They claimed that the Sun family suffered huge damages.”

“So what exactly do they want?” Liu Shengye’s face had a touch of gloom. The losses suffered by the Liu family this time were too great. If not compensated, it would deplete their vital energy.

The clansman’s face was also stern. “The Sun family don’t want us to pay back in double; they said inflating the prices is illegal. They think bartering would be better, and they want to exchange 1,500 acres of good farmland.”

1,500 acres of prime farmland?

Liu Shengye went pale and almost fainted. “Have they gone mad? Using fifteen thousand baskets of food for fifteen hundred acres of land?” The Liu family, having accumulated over many years since their old ancestor, only had just over ten thousand acres of good farmland.

This extortion of a seventh of their farmland assets was an outrageous, ruthless measure that was certain to generate a profit several times over.

“Head of the family, shall we… let it go?” the member of their clan, not seeing any other way out, advised, “According to our original plan, we could only have acquired about two thousand acres of good farmland. But with the Sun family’s move, we would bear the stigma while they profited. Is it worth doing?”

“We cannot let it go. The Liu clan has suffered too great a loss this time,” Liu Shengye said, his eyes cold and ruthless. “This time, why not venture everything at once and aim to acquire three thousand acres of farmland. Even if we have to mortgage or loan or exchange with people, we will be making a huge profit.”

His elder brother, Liu Shenghao, was at a critical point in his attack on the Spirit Platform realm. There was still a gap in their resources. As soon as he broke through to the Spirit Platform realm, as the family with two Spirit Platforms, they could compete with the Sun Family.

Liu Shengye was good at managing economics and was meticulous about money matters, never willing to suffer a loss. Moreover, the family had devoted themselves to accumulating wealth over the past fifty years. Wasn’t the purpose alongside creating a powerful family to nurture a second ancestor from the Spirit Platform?

“Head of the family, I’m afraid this could cause a public outrage,” a clansman worriedly warned. “Besides, the Wang family’s leftover grain is bound to be quite a lot, as they have a Insect Master that protected them from the disaster. Can they take advantage of this…”

“They won’t dare!” Liu Shengye confidently asserted. “Our Liu clan and Zhao clan are working together. How could the vulnerable Wang family even dare to move a finger against us? Moreover, I have heard that the Wang family has shipped over their surplus grains to Donggang, exchanging them for cultivation resources at a high return. That’s a wise move. Keeping the surplus grains in hand until the next season definitely won’t be as attractive.”

“How can you be so sure about it, head of the family?” The clansman was perplexed. “Given the current trend, surely not every family would need the doubled dose of the insecticide powder.”

“I, the head of this family, have received information— the Academic Palace of the Purple Abode has already begun improving the next generation of insecticide powder. And to express their apology, they will distribute it to the affected families next season at just a tenth of the price,” he informed.

This news might be somewhat confidential, but everyone in this conference hall was part of the core of the Liu clan, and they didn’t need to worry about any information leaks.

“As it turned out, this is an opportunity that we can’t afford to miss,” said the clansmen, expressing their approval. “But the Sun family’s move is too cunning,” they complained.

Liu Yongzhou, who hadn’t spoken up till now, suddenly interjected: “Head of the family, and all my uncles. I have an idea whereby we wouldn’t have to collaborate with the Sun Family. Sometime ago, my fishing boat saved a distressed young lady by the river…”

At the mention of this young lady, Liu Yongzhou’s eyes couldn’t help but reveal a hint of burning desire, fascination, and even fanaticism…