Xie Ming

He confessed his scheme and forced Ma Weimin to join his group.

The reason why Xiao Jingchuan was willing to go to such great lengths, even at the cost of extinguishing the Southern Party's hopes and deliberately revealing his true colors, was to pave the way for his cause.

In truth, it was precisely because of the current military situation and the shortage of supplies that he was extremely anxious and truly at a loss.

It was done out of necessity.

Fortunately, perseverance pays off, and the plan succeeded, with Old Ma recognizing the opportunity to become his master.

While readily agreeing, Xiao and Ma then joined forces to create a double sword technique.

"Hahahaha"

"I've wanted to have a real fight with them for ages!"

"I wish we had met sooner! I wish we had met sooner! How wonderful!"

After being exposed, Ma Weimin saw the opportunity and put in a great deal of effort, displaying an excited and enthusiastic demeanor.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan felt a great weight lifted from his heart and immediately pressed for details.

"Hehe, good, let's work together with one heart and one mind." Xiao Yan.

"Yes, no doubt about it."

“Brother, you’ve opened up to me about such a big matter today, you must have something to tell me.”

"We don't play games. Just tell us what you want to say or what job you need."

"If it can be done, we'll do it smoothly for you. If it can't be done, we'll risk our lives, grit our teeth, and still make it work for you."

Ma Weimin is loyal and generous.

Hearing this, Xiao was greatly pleased.

"Haha, okay, okay."

"Well then, I won't waste any more words."

"Currently, our army is repelling the enemy north of the Yangtze River, and the battle is at a stalemate, with all three branches of the armed forces fighting with all their might."

"With over 100,000 troops deployed like this, the biggest fear is that there will be problems with logistics."

"The banquet we two brothers hosted a couple of days ago cost several million taels of silver in a short time. It has already solved our immediate financial crisis."

"But what about the provisions?"

"Sigh, these people are eating and drinking every day, and my previous inventory is really not enough to support them."

"What Zeng Ji just said, that we'll be without food for five days, was just something I deliberately forced him to do. Don't take it seriously."

"However, although it's not just about five days' worth of expenses, in reality, no matter how much we calculate and save, it's estimated that we'll have a hard time getting through the end of this month."

"This is a top-secret military secret!"

"Old Ma, the reason I summoned you here is to ask you to take Minglu with you and go to various prefectures and counties to harvest a batch of grain."

“Ma Minglu’s ancestors were from the west. They were meticulous, shrewd, and never made any mistakes in their work. I relied on them a lot in the past.”

"However, on the other hand, this kid, like me, has never been to the Jiangnan region before."

"It's one thing to be unfamiliar with the area, but the real problem is that he doesn't recognize any of the wealthy and powerful families in the area, especially in this situation, who still have money and grain."

"It's truly heartbreaking."

"Even if we're willing to spend money to buy grain, we still need a channel, a supplier, right?"

"So, after thinking it over, I've decided that I'll have to trouble you to handle this personally!"

“You, Old Ma, have served as the grain transport official in Southern Zhili for many years. You must know everyone, whether they are in or out of power, from big or small families.”

"Whether it's buying and transporting grain, it's all part of your profession."

"So, this time, for this major matter concerning the entire army's food and drink, I'm putting all my eggs in your basket."

"How's it going?"

"Help your brother out this time?"

Now that Xiao Jingchuan's matter has been settled, there is no longer any need to hide it.

He decided to lay everything out and reveal the food and supplies crisis the army was facing.

In the hope of gaining Lao Ma's full support through this.

As expected, after hearing this situation, Ma Weimin was taken aback, but then confidently pounded his chest and gave his assurance.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Got it!" "No problem."

"This guy, I thought it was something serious."

"It was all about supplies. You know, this is like a deal that's already in hand, you just grab it and leave."

"Brother, I'm not bragging to you, but I'm not."

"If it were any other situation, I really wouldn't have this confidence."

"But this is about food."

"Heh, this time you've really found the right person, huh? Hahahaha."

"I've been traveling around the Jiangnan region all these years, and I haven't been doing this for nothing."

"I know exactly where the grain is and where the granaries are located in every prefecture and county, from the grain transport officials to the gentry and ordinary people!"

"Leave this to me, I guarantee it won't go wrong."

"Uh, tell me, specifically how much grain do you need this time?"

"Give Old Ma a number first."

Ma Weimin, being a straightforward person, suddenly became more open-minded and generous when he saw that the matter concerned his old profession.

Seeing this, Xiao Jingchuan was also overjoyed.

His son, An, was restless and calmed himself down. He remained silent and instead held up two fingers and waved them in front of Old Ma.

Upon seeing this, Ma Weimin was quite surprised.

"Uh, this is twenty thousand shi?" Old Ma guessed.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Xiao immediately shook his head and broke speech.

"No, I want two hundred thousand shi!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Weimin was immediately taken aback. He rubbed his stubble on his fat face with his chubby fingers, and his expression changed instantly, with worry hanging over his brow.

He did not respond immediately, but hesitated for a moment, his expression suggesting that he was also preoccupied with his own calculations.

Seeing his eagerness, Xiao hurriedly stepped forward and explained.

“Old Ma, the number of troops is right here. You’ve worked in the army before, so you understand how to feed and care for them.”

"With over 100,000 people and 200,000 shi of grain, even if I use it sparingly, it should last for two months."

"By September, the new rice crop in Jiangnan will be ripe."

"The rest will be easy."

"Whether we can hold out in this battle depends on our food supplies over the next two months."

"Old Ma, no matter what, you must help me think of a way to get through this difficult time!"

Xiao Yan was almost pleading, fearing that even a local strongman like Lao Ma might not be able to handle it.

That would make the situation even more difficult.

After a while...
Ma Weimin, his face etched with worry, stood under the eaves, head bowed, gazing at the ground, his toes twirling the bricks. After much deliberation, he finally made up his mind and agreed to speak.

"Alas," came the first long sigh.

"My dear brother, you've really given me a tough challenge this time."

Two hundred thousand shi (a unit of dry measure).

"Heh, do you know that last year the imperial court collected grain from four regions? After a year of running around Jiangnan and Huguang, the total amount collected was only 300,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) in Southern Zhili."

"This is the amount that can only be achieved by collecting and coordinating contributions from all the prefectures, counties, and townships in the southern region!"

"Right now, where do we get the resources to spare so many people to temporarily allocate 200,000 shi of grain?"

"Sigh, it's tough, really tough."

Ma Weimin sighed, shaking his head and laughing bitterly as he explained the situation.

"Oh, Old Ma, it's difficult, of course I know it's difficult."

"If it weren't for the dire situation, why would we need to trouble you, Ma Weimin, with this task?"

"Think of a way! You can't say no!"

"You just patted your chest and said you'd keep your word, I remember it all!"

(End of this chapter)