...
A few days later.
The Changning Guard Region had already encountered quite a bit of chaos.
Every one or two days, Wang Shouzhe would receive a letter from Wang Shouyi, recounting the events happening within the Changning Guard. The City Guard Mansion had reached agreents with two Celestial Human Families and several top Spirit Platform Families, including the Xu Family from Changning, as well as Qiaan’s Trading Company and other forces, to open granaries for disaster relief within the city.
However, the Guardian City, with its large population of over a hundred thousand, consud an astronomical amount of grain daily.
Several audacious rchants had the nerve to hoard goods, selling grain to the city’s citizens at five or six tis the usual price. As a result, they were caught red-handed by the City Guard Mansion, not only executed and displayed to the public, but the grain they tried to stockpile was also confiscated and nationalized by the City Guard Mansion.
Moreover, there were rumors because the disaster had spread beyond Longzuo County, making it difficult to allocate grain from outside the county to alleviate the famine in the short term, resulting in a grain shortage even in the vast county city.
It was said that Longzuo-State County City was a major city with a population exceeding one million. The occurrence of a grain shortage there was certainly a monuntal event, also indicating the degree to which the overall situation in Longzuo County had deteriorated.
Now rumors and news were circulating everywhere, so saying that the Purple Mansion Academy couldn’t procure grain from outside. Others claid that the county city had ordered the City Guard under its command to requisition grain to ensure the county city’s grain supply.
The biggest rumor even ntioned that the Emperor Changlong’s lifespan was nearing its end, and the Daqian Empire was dood. The current insect disaster was a sign of this. Wang Shouzhe broke into a cold sweat, realizing that in chaotic tis, all sorts of idle characters erge.
However, those daring to say the Emperor Changlong was about to die were quickly rooted out by the City Guard Mansion, placed on the city’s gates, and subjected to death by a thousand cuts.
In Wang Shouyi’s letters, he could only discreetly express his concerns, while Wang Shouzhe still heard the gossip from the ssenger Household Generals.
To sum it up in one word.
Chaos!
And amidst this chaos, the Ping’an Wang Family could only outwardly remain compliant. Taxes had to be collected, and grain had to be delivered, not a single load less to the Guardian’s Mansion. In fact, even if the Wang Family wanted to deliver one less load, it was impossible.
Even though Third Uncle Wang Ding Race served as Deputy Garrison Commander in the Guardian’s Mansion, in such a critical situation, he absolutely dared not have any private inclinations. This was because people had long been sent from the City Guard Mansion to supervise the grain collection process, and at this mont, who would dare to play favoritism?
This sumr’s tax required the Wang Family to deliver a significant amount of grain.
One load after another was loaded onto carts, transported to Dingpu Ferry, weighed under the supervision of the City Guard Mansion’s envoy, and finally loaded onto grain boats.
The three major farms together had a registered total of 7,650 acres of fertile land, taxed at a four-tax rate per acre, requiring a total of 3,060 loads of wheat for the single-season field tax. Luckily, this ti the overall harvest was good, aside from the honey bee infestation issue. This season, with abundant early rain and good mid-to-late sunshine, was quite favorable for wheat filling and maturing.
Consequently, the total wheat harvest from the three major farms reached over 26,000 loads, with an average yield of about three and a half loads per acre, barely qualifying as a bumper crop.
After deducting the sumr tax, the previously invested Insecticide Powder tax, the cost of seeds and plow oxen, and the tenant farrs’ share, there was still an additional net profit of fourteen or fifteen thousand loads left. Of course, the actual amount of grain was much more than this number.
This was because previous expenditures on Insecticide Powder, among others, were paid with Qian Gold, and there would be no further purchases of that blasted Insecticide Powder. This was rely the inco from one season.
By the way, the Fourth Old Master had been persuaded earlier to stockpile a batch of Insecticide Powder. It was sold at three tis the price when demand was high, earning quite a fortune.
This made the Fourth Old Master Wang Xiaozhi incredibly proud, boasting to everyone about how his exceptional foresight earned the family a "big sum of money," achieving great rit.
Aside from the sumr tax on the family farm’s wheat fields, taxes on other industries within the farms were paid before the year-end. Since they were not producing grain crops, they did not need to settle with grain.
Additionally, there was the delegated tax collection within Wang Family’s sphere of influence.
Because the Wang Family’s sphere of influence was small, the registered fertile land among the commoners under its jurisdiction was only 16,000 acres, taxed at a five-tax rate, but the Wang Family considered the independent farrs’ hardships within its jurisdiction, which, though less than the outside world, were still significant.
Thus, they decided to collect only four taxes of grain, with the noble family’s one tax offset by large copper coins. This ti, the Wang Family earnestly collected 6,400 loads of grain, all loaded onto carts and transported to Dingpu Ferry, then shipped off one large boat after another.
Under the protection of his Household Generals, Wang Shouzhe stood at the bustling, fervent Dingpu Ferry, filled with countless emotions. These days, the Black Tortoise Clans and free citizens toil hard in farming, but their yield truly pales in comparison to tax extraction.
This grain was likely, as rumors suggested, partly transported to Guardian City and partly to "relieve" higher-level state and county individuals. Bear in mind, their living conditions were far superior to those in Ping’an Town.
One might say it’s a form of irony.
What’s more, such continuous shipping of grain would further exacerbate the grain shortage in Ping’an Town. Especially for many who had invested their savings in buying farmland, spent a fortune sending their offspring to study, or recently underwent costly weddings or funerals, this crisis would be particularly difficult to endure.
In theory, self-sufficient farming families are not financially disadvantaged, but their consumption levels are significantly higher than those of tenant farrs. The costs of oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, weddings, and funerals are also much higher.
Moreover, most self-sufficient farrs, if they have any savings, will try to expand their land, build houses, and educate their children in reading and the arts. This exhausts their funds, and most do not have much in savings.
There are usually no issues in normal tis, but unexpectedly, this insect disaster ca so fierce and sudden.
However, even so.
Except for a few self-sufficient farrs, most of them find ways to persevere until the next harvest, and once they’ve made it through, they can breathe a little easier. But among them, so can’t withstand people making trouble.
Whenever there are natural disasters and man-made calamities, there are always so insatiable wealthy individuals. They take this opportunity to engage in consolidation and devour the people’s fat and blood to grow themselves stronger.
Wang Shouzhe glanced from afar at the convoy of Liu Family and Zhao Family continuously coming to pay taxes, his eyes narrowed slightly. Previously, it was only based on the style of the two families, Liu Family and Zhao Family, the Jackal Wolf Race, and so rumors, to estimate their actions.
However, as intelligence work progressed, so solid information gradually reached Wang Shouzhe. He could almost be certain that the opposing side would indeed make a significant move.
...
Ping’an Liu Family.
In the main hall of the Liu Family’s main residence, the patriarch of the Liu Family, Liu Shengye, was listening to several groups of clansn reporting on events, which also included the relatively outstanding young Liu Yongzhou.
His brows furrowed: "What’s going on with the Changning Sun Family? They clearly promised to lend us fifteen thousand dan of wheat, and after the autumn harvest, we would return thirty thousand dan of rice. Why aren’t they fulfilling it now? Just like that, isn’t earning double for nothing enough?"
"The Changning Sun Family said they managed to safeguard so of their yield only by rushing to buy insecticide powder." An older clansman in his fifties replied, "They said the Sun Family’s losses were too great."
"How much do they need?" Liu Shengye’s face was sowhat gloomy, the losses this ti for the Liu Family were severe, if they can’t make up for it, it would heavily deplete their primordial qi.
The clansman’s face was also grim: "The Sun Family said they won’t ask us to repay the grain double, but said that speculating on grain prices is illegal. It would be better to barter, they want to exchange for fifteen hundred mu of fertile land."
Fifteen hundred mu of fertile land?
Liu Shengye’s complexion turned green and then white, almost fainting from anger: "Have they gone mad, exchanging fifteen thousand dan of grain for fifteen hundred mu of land?" Their Liu Family, accumulating from the ti of their ancestors until today, had only just over ten thousand mu of fertile land.
This would cost them one-seventh of their land assets at once, how ruthless, it’s a multiple tis windfall of profit.
"Patriarch, why not just drop it?" The clansman helplessly suggested, "According to our original plan, we were only aiming to consolidate about two thousand mu of fertile land. With the Sun Family doing this, aren’t we taking the bla and making soone else a wedding dress?"
"Dropping it is not an option, this ti our Liu Family’s losses are too great." Liu Shengye’s eyes revealed viciousness, "Then this ti, let’s go big or go ho, target three thousand mu to incorporate. Even if we end up mortgaging loans or bartering, we will still profit greatly."
His elder brother Liu Shenghao was at a critical mont in advancing the Spirit Platform, with so resources still lacking. Once he reaches the Spirit Platform Realm, they would have two in the Spirit Platform Realm, then they could compete with the Sun Family.
Liu Shengye has always been adept at economic maneuvering, and never takes a loss. The family has been arduously accumulating wealth for the last fifty years, precisely to cultivate a second Ancestor Spirit Platform in the family.
"Patriarch, such a large move might cause public resentnt, right?" Another clansman worriedly suggested, "Moreover, the Wang Family due to a Spirit Insect Master, was mostly unaffected by the disaster. They likely have surplus grain on hand. Might they take the opportunity..."
"They wouldn’t dare!" Liu Shengye confidently declared, "Our Liu Family and the Zhao Family are working together, how dare the feeble Wang Family move a muscle? What’s more, I have already heard that the Wang Family has transported their surplus grain to East Port in exchange for a high return of cultivation resources. That’s a wise move, holding onto surplus grain until the next season will surely not be as sought after."
"And how can the patriarch be sure of this?" A clansman curiously asked, "According to this trend, not every family needs double doses of insecticide powder."
"This patriarch has received the news that the Purple Mansion Academy has begun improving the next generation of insecticide powder. Additionally, as an apology, the next season’s insecticide powder will be distributed to each affected family at a loss, at only ten percent of the cost."
This news is relatively confidential, but in this council chamber, surrounded by key figures of the Liu Family, there’s naturally no fear of leaks.
"Since that’s the case, this opportunity should not be missed." The clansn all expressed in unison, "It’s just that the Sun Family is too black-hearted."
Having remained silent, Liu Yongzhou suddenly cupped his hands and said: "Patriarch, uncles, Yongzhou actually has a thod that might allow us to not cooperate with the Sun Family. Soti back, my fishing boat rescued a noble young lady in distress by the river..."
At the ntion of this noble young lady, an irrepressible fla flickered in Liu Yongzhou’s eyes, passionate, obsessive, almost frenzied...
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