The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 71 I Can't Stand This

Yue Wenxuan said, "I don't have any business partners in the county, and I don't know anyone else except Mr. Jialiang. Therefore, I plan to leave these grains to Mr. Jialiang. The specific selling price is up to Mr. Jialiang."

He deliberately threw the pricing power to Wu Jialiang, intending to test Wu Jialiang's character. If he took over the grain and charged a high price to squeeze the people's money, then this person could give up in the future.

Wu Jialiang's eyes rolled, and a strange look appeared on his face. He hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I'm in charge of public security in the county. It's not convenient for me to take care of the grain sales. Why don't you, Master Yue, hand the grain over to the county magistrate?"

Yue Wenxuan thought to himself: "He's truly a mastermind! He realized in a split second that this was a test question and immediately passed the paper to someone else. And he passed it on in a perfectly reasonable way, impeccable."

Yue Wenxuan smiled and said, "It would be great if we could give it to the County Master."

Cui Weihua was delighted: "I'll decide the price too. Master Yue, aren't you afraid that I'll set up a porridge stall and give porridge directly to the people? Wouldn't you lose all your money?"

Yue Wenxuan said: "If the county magistrate feels that the porridge should be distributed instead of sold, then give it away. Everything is up to the county magistrate. My Yue family doesn't care about this small amount of money."

Cui Weihua: "Master Yue is truly a timely rain."

In an instant, Cui Weihua's favor towards Yue Wenxuan reached its peak.

A few days ago, he went to the few remaining gentry in the county to share the burden, but those people were weird and made many excuses. They also took the opportunity to ask for many benefits from him and sent their sons to work as officials in the county government.

Even so, they had to sell the grain to the official grain shop at a high price, and then sell it to ordinary people through the official grain shop.

As a result of this transaction, the price the people received was simply disgusting.

Compared with those country gentry, Master Yue is simply a white lotus, bringing a breath of fresh air to this corrupt world.

Yue Wenxuan said: "By the way, I came to the county this time and I have another idea to share."

Cui Weihua: "Mr. Yue has been very helpful to the county residents. If you have any ideas, please feel free to share them."

He said this, but he was unhappy in his heart, thinking: I just praised you in my heart, but you still want to put forward conditions. Alas, I knew that things are not that simple.

Yue Wenxuan: "I feel that there are too many people in this county. It was fine in peacetime, but in this disaster year, so many people are crowded in the county, doing nothing and wasting food. It's not a good idea. We need to find some work for them."

Cui Weihua also has a headache every day because of these people: "So how should we arrange it?"

Yue Wenxuan: "There are many artisans and craftsmen in the county. It's not appropriate to ask them to farm. Why not... let them start working again and pick up their skills?"

Cui Weihua: "People's livelihood is declining, and the things they make can't be sold. Everyone's money is saved to buy food, and no one dares to buy extra things. Especially the craftsmen in the official workshop, most of the things they make are weapons and armor, which can't be sold to the people in the first place. Now I don't have food to give them, so I can't ask them to start working." Yue Wenxuan: "This is easy. After I go back, I will send someone to deliver some food to the county magistrate. You arrange for the craftsmen to start work as usual and make whatever they need to make, especially weapons, armor, shields, bows and arrows, and work hard to make them. After they are made, the government will exchange them for food, and then find a warehouse to store them. It doesn't matter if they can't be used, just pile them up for fun."

Cui Weihua: “Ah?”

This is a bit hard to understand!

If Master Yue wanted to collect these things himself, Cui Weihua would have doubted his intentions. Wu Jialiang would also have suspected that the thieves who came to steal the craftsmen last night were instigated by Yue Wenxuan. But he actually said that the government would purchase them and he was simply providing food. This is a bit...

Cui Weihua and Wu Jialiang's eyes were full of question marks.

Yue Wenxuan didn't make up any excuses, and spoke from his heart: "Your Excellency, the Jin bandits came last year, and there's no guarantee they won't come again this year. In my opinion, within a year or two, the Jin bandits will march back in force. We can't be completely defenseless by then. Counting on the imperial court to send troops to resist the Jin bandits is unlikely to happen. It's better for us to find a solution ourselves."

Cui Weihua hadn't reacted to these words when Wu Jialiang beside him clapped his hands and said, "That's absolutely right."

Yue Wenxuan said, "Once the Jin thieves come, no one will have an easy time, and my family can't escape unscathed. It would be better to give all our wealth to the county magistrate to forge weapons and train archers."

Wu Jialiang took the initiative to take over the conversation and helped Yue Wenxuan analyze the situation: "As long as there is food, the more archers the better. They can be used to suppress bandits and prepare for battle against the Jin bandits. When the Jin bandits come again, we can open the warehouses and ensure that every county citizen has weapons and armor. Then, we can take advantage of the Jin bandits' weakness in attacking the city and hold it to the death. Perhaps there will be a way out."

Cui Weihua: "This is a very good plan. Let's do as Master Yue says."

They were chatting animatedly, and the rebel soldiers pretending to be porters transporting food were also listening in. Zhang Dashu lowered his voice and said, "Aren't we helping the government to forge weapons to fight against ourselves?"

Zhang Dalang: "You know shit! This trick of the True Lord is called borrowing chickens to lay eggs. Those craftsmen won't join our group, but only obey the government. So let them forge weapons for the government. Once they're done, the True Lord will use his magic, the Six Dings and Six Jias will move the weapons, and whoosh! Those weapons will be moved to our warehouse in Dongmiaozi Village."

Zhang Dashu: "Ah... I see. So the government is helping us forge weapons."

After realizing this, Zhang Dashu grinned and laughed foolishly.

Cui Weihua spoke again at this time: "Oh right! Master Yue, you don't know that the Chengyang Coal Mine and the Wangcun Iron Mine have now surrendered to King Gong. I've sent people there several times, asking them to hand over the coal and iron mines to the government, but they refused. They even gathered a crowd to resist the officials. With King Gong backing them up, they really don't take the government seriously at all. Without coal and iron, the craftsmen in the county can't start working."

Yue Wenxuan sighed, "They refuse to return, isn't it because we can't agree on a price? As far as I know, the government used to charge them only one or two coins for two kilograms of coal. And this coal was only transported from the Chengyang Coal Mine to Jimo County, a distance of more than ten miles, so the transportation cost was minimal. The government-run coal shops dared to sell it for seven or eight coins, and even 17 coins in Laizhou City... That price is too unfair."

Cui Weihua looked embarrassed.

Wu Jialiang clapped his hands and said, "Mr. Yue is right. I also think this price is unreasonable. Before I became a high-ranking official, I couldn't stand this humiliation and simply rebelled. Now that I am an official, I still think it is unreasonable. However, I am only a county lieutenant, so this matter is not my responsibility. Otherwise, I would have dealt with it properly long ago."

Cui Weihua couldn't help but glare at Wu Jialiang, thinking: Is this what you, a county lieutenant, should say?
(End of this chapter)