Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 312 A Sincere Heart Must Not Be Discouraged

Two weeks passed quickly amidst the discussions and preparations of the people of Guanzhong, who were either hesitant, observing, or offering their full support.

Even though the imperial court had issued a proclamation stating that it would bear the losses from transporting grain, the grain market in Chang'an remained exceptionally bustling during these two weeks.

Not only did the powerful families around the capital engage in frequent transactions, but also many horse-drawn carriages, donkey carts, and grain-carrying boats from Fufeng, Anding, Beidi, and even Longyou poured into Chang'an.

This was completely unexpected by the imperial court.

After some investigation, it was discovered that these people who flocked to Chang'an to sell grain had three purposes in doing so.

Firstly, the grain was sold to families who lacked food but wanted to buy large amounts of government bonds.

Secondly, they heard that there might be a large locust plague in Fengyi, but they dared not hoard grain and make a fortune from the national disaster after the locust plague occurred. So they rushed to transport the grain to Chang'an to sell before the locust plague occurred.

Thirdly, they could exchange grain for salt, iron, Beijing brocade, Sichuan brocade, and Chang'an paper from the imperial markets in the east and west to take home, which could also be considered as supporting the imperial court.

Surprisingly, quite a few people held this view. Before the bonds were even issued, the imperial court had already exchanged more than 50,000 shi of grain for items such as brocade from Beijing, paper from Chang'an, salt from Ba, and pig iron.

This situation truly took the officials and senior ministers by surprise once again.

Among those who flocked to Chang'an from all directions to buy grain, some came from Zuo Fengyi, fearing that a locust plague would cut off their food and seed supply, causing grain prices to soar and making it impossible to buy grain.

Another group consists of people who want to buy government bonds. Most of these people have surplus grain at home, but they are still worried that the locust plague will cause grain prices to soar. So they take advantage of the current situation, when the locust plague has not yet started, the grain market is booming, and the court is stabilizing grain prices, to exchange their cash crops for some cheap grain.

Currently, one bolt of cloth can be exchanged for five bushels of grain. However, if a locust plague breaks out and grain prices soar, even a hundred bolts of cloth might not be enough to buy one bushel.

Not only that, but for some reason, a rumor also spread among the people that whoever could deliver grain to the imperial court on the spot when subscribing to national bonds would be given priority by the court and exchanged for bonds.

As a result, the banks of the Wei River and the wharves of the canals connecting the city were packed with grain ships from all over the country.

At the three northern gates and three western gates of Chang'an, the grain transport convoys waiting to enter the city formed long lines stretching for miles.

For a moment, there was shouting and neighing, wheels rolling, dust flying, and the scene was so noisy that it resembled a large army gathering, comparable to the grand spectacle of a siege.

In order to maintain order, several thousand Yingyang soldiers living near Chang'an were all mobilized and took turns guarding the twelve gates of Chang'an and the East and West Markets with halberds. Not to mention how many disputes arose during this process.

April fifteen.

The day to subscribe to government bonds has finally arrived.

Before dawn, inside the four main gates of Chang'an, the officials of the State Debt Office under the Grand Minister of Agriculture had already set up tables and prepared writing brushes, ink, books, and other items.

Fei Yi, Hu Ji, Li Fu, Chen Zhen and other high-ranking officials personally guarded the four gates, responsible for controlling, reviewing and even personally distributing bonds bearing the emperor's jade seal and his own signature.

As the morning bell rang and the city gates opened, the crowd that had been waiting outside surged in like a burst dam. The high-ranking officials in charge of the national debt, who had already seen the surging crowd outside from the city walls, were still stunned by the sight.

The area under the archway was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.

Some people held up wooden deeds symbolizing their family's grain, while others pointed directly to the creaking carts behind them, all straining to get to the front.

"Give way! Give way!"

“Chief Secretary Fei, we’ve met before! I am Du Xiang, the eldest son of the direct line of the Du family of Duling. My family owns thirty acres of land and I would like to purchase two 5,000-shi vouchers!”

"I am Du Shou, the eldest son of the fifth branch of the Du family of Duling. My family owns fifteen hectares of land. I will purchase one ticket for five thousand shi of grain, or one ticket for one thousand shi of grain!"

"Registrar Hu, I am from the Ma family of Fufeng...I recognize two thousand shi of grain!"

"Don't push, you guys! You're stepping on people!"

Before the sun had even risen, the clamor of people announcing their arrival, urging each other on, arguing, and trampling and shoving had already thoroughly awakened Chang'an.

The clerks in charge of registering the data, their pens flying across the paper, their voices hoarse, repeatedly checked the identities, household registrations, land ownership information, and the amount each household had subscribed to.

Fei Yi, Hu Ji, and other officials received the documents, reviewed them carefully, and finally personally distributed bonds bearing the emperor's handwritten seal to the subscribers. The bonds in the wooden box were decreasing at a visible rate.

As many subscribers brought grain, the clerks in charge of transporting and verifying the grain for storage were also extremely busy, their feet barely touching the ground, their abacuses clattering as bags of grain were transported to the residences near the four gates.

The scene was far more spectacular than the Prime Minister's residence had anticipated.

Fei Yi brought back bonds from Yiling, preparing 200 bonds with a face value of 1,000 shi and 100 bonds with a face value of 5,000 shi, for a total of 700,000 shi.

At first, the Prime Minister's staff, such as Yang Yi and Li Fu, thought that it was really too exaggerated for Fei Yi to bring 700,000 shi of bonds back to Chang'an. Even Fei Yi himself thought that being able to raise 200,000 shi of grain in Guanzhong was already a stroke of good fortune.

However, reality gave all the high-ranking officials a huge surprise, or even a shock.

On the first day of bond sales, the 100,000 shi quota was snapped up in just half a day! The registration points set up at the four gates successively put up wooden signs saying "Today's quota is full".

The buyer was overjoyed and celebrated with great excitement.

Those who failed to purchase the goods beat their chests in regret and begged the officials until the Tiger Guard and the soldiers came forward to persuade them repeatedly. Only then did the crowd gathered at the city gate reluctantly disperse, determined to come even earlier the next day.

The Prime Minister's Office issued a special announcement that only 100,000 shi of grain would be allocated per day. One reason was that there was a shortage of manpower capable of handling the national debt, and the other was to maintain the prosperity of Chang'an.

With thousands upon thousands of people from other places flocking to Chang'an, the influx of people into the city, who needed money and food for everything from food and drink to shelter and lodging, undoubtedly boosted the growth of various forms of consumption in Chang'an and provided opportunities for many people in the surrounding areas to earn money and food.

News of the 100,000 shi bonds being snapped up quickly reached the Prime Minister's residence.

The Prime Minister's registers were filled with records of the number of people and the amount of land owned by each branch of the powerful families of Jingzhao, such as the Du, Wei, Jin, and Ji families. The Du family of Jingzhao alone had purchased more than 30,000 shi of grain in the name of the eldest son of each branch.

Apart from a few large clans, many small and medium-sized powerful families either purchased 2,000, 6,000, or 10,000 dan of grain, and almost none purchased only 1,000 dan.

"This... Guanzhong's resources are so abundant?" Staring at the register and stroking his beard for a long time, the Prime Minister finally couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Day two.

The situation became even more intense.

And a new problem arose. Due to the overwhelming number of buyers and the limited daily quota, a phenomenon similar to scalpers in later generations quickly emerged.

Some street urchins, or rather, unemployed idlers, saw an opportunity and occupied front-row positions before dawn, waiting for the highest bidder to sell their spots.

Seeing this, the Tiger Legion soldiers in charge of maintaining order carried away several of the most disruptive scalpers, and the situation was brought under control for a time.

However, driven by profit, this scalping has not been completely eliminated; it has only become more covert.

By the fourth day, as the 300,000 shi of national bonds were purchased by powerful and wealthy families, the crowds outside Chang'an began to decrease. Another more complex and thorny issue began to attract everyone's attention, and even ministers such as Fei Yi and Chen Zhen were unable to make up their minds for a while.

—A large number of Yingyang and Zhechong soldiers, as well as ordinary rich farmers and common people from all over Guanzhong, collectively raised enough for a thousand shi of grain and elected one person as their representative to purchase national bonds.

Wei Xing spent the first two days maintaining order. On the third day, he came to queue up early in the morning, but he couldn't get a turn. It wasn't until the fourth day that he finally managed to lead a few brothers, drive away more than a dozen oxen, and squeeze his way to the table of Hu Ji, the chief clerk of the Prime Minister's residence.

"Registration Officer Hu, on behalf of several brothers from Yingyang Capital Prefecture and Weiqiao Prefecture, I have pooled together 1,000 shi of grain to purchase a 1,000-shi voucher!"

When Hu Ji first encountered the situation of several soldiers pooling their resources to buy national bonds, he thought of Deng Liang, who had wanted to buy national bonds but was refused, and was also moved by the soldiers' patriotic heart in pooling their money to buy national bonds. He was at a loss as to what to do.

Therefore, they could only reserve a spot for Wei Xing and let him and a group of soldiers wait, and then quickly send someone to ask the Prime Minister for his opinion.

Xiangfu.

The prime minister and his officials, including Yang Yi, Fan Qi, and Fei Yi, gathered in one room.

Yang Yi spoke first:
"Prime Minister, I believe that the method of appointing one person as the head of the purchase is too complicated, with a mix of people and unclear ownership, which could easily lead to future disputes."

"What if the ringleader breaks the law, or what if the ringleader dies or goes missing? How should the court manage the situation then?"
"Even if the leader gets away with it, when the bonds are redeemed a year later, will he profit from it? If that happens, there will be resentment among the people and soldiers, and what will be harmed is the reputation and prestige of the court and His Majesty!"
"Now that 400,000 shi of national bonds have been sold, it can solve the immediate crisis."

"In my opinion, such practices of pooling funds for purchase should be explicitly prohibited, and only purchases made in the name of a single household with clearly defined rights and responsibilities should be permitted!"

Fei Yi shook his head:
"Prime Minister, this is the person I met today."

"Several hundred households of Qiang people under the command of Marquis Guiyi gathered a thousand bushels of millet. They elected an elder to go to Chang'an, asking for only a thousand bushels of national debt. However, he failed for several days and then burst into tears in front of me. I really couldn't bear it..."

He then looked at Yang Yi:

"These Qiang people, the Yingyang and Zhechong soldiers, often only ask for a thousand shi of national debt, but behind them stand dozens, hundreds or even hundreds of households."

“If we ban their subscriptions, it may dampen the patriotic spirit of the military and civilians.”

"After observing for two days, I found that most of these group buyers were brothers or fellow villagers, with deep affection and mutual trust."

At this point, Fei Yi looked at the Prime Minister:

"Prime Minister, I believe that Wei Xing and other soldiers from both the inner and outer garrisons should be allowed to raise funds to purchase the property."

"However...it may be possible to request additional contractual documents from those who have invested in the fund."

After a moment's thought, Jiang Wei also offered his advice:
"Prime Minister, I believe that what Chief Clerk Fei said is reasonable."

"The fact that the soldiers and civilians are now collecting grain to purchase it is truly the will of the people and a sign that the people are happy to share weal and woe with the country. This should not be stopped."

"We believe that a separate channel and rules could be established specifically for these grain purchasers."

"For example, all participants in a collective purchase of government bonds must enter into a contract that includes their names, household registration, and shareholding."

"And all parties must sign their names and submit the contract documents to the court."

"When the imperial court issues bonds, the bonds themselves are marked as collectively held by the government."

"The ownership of the bonds is clearly recorded as public property, and it will not change due to the death, disappearance or crime of the holder. The contract must be verified when redeeming the bonds."

"This is a special case and requires strict review to prevent unscrupulous individuals from misusing it."

"In this way, ownership is clearly defined, future disputes can be avoided, and the hearts of the military and civilians can be appeased."

Fei Yi listened to the discussions and turned his gaze to the Prime Minister, who had been silently lost in thought.

Even after Jiang Wei finished speaking, the Prime Minister showed little surprise. Finally, as if he had planned it all along, he slowly opened his mouth:
“What Boyue said is very much to my liking.”

“Soldiers like Wei Xing and the Qiang elders wailing in the street are not opportunistic, but share the fate of our great Han Dynasty. Their hearts are commendable and their feelings are pitiable. They should not be discouraged.”

He paused for a moment before continuing his instructions:

"Immediately issue a proclamation to set up a collective bond purchase office in front of the Prime Minister's residence, and handle such matters in accordance with the method of Boyue."

"As for the practice of bidding up prices to transfer seats, it must not be allowed to continue."

"The original intention of this national debt is to raise grain for the country and unite the people, not to speculate and make profits. Order the Tiger Legion to increase manpower and conduct a thorough investigation of such activities, both overtly and covertly."

"Anyone who commits this offense again will be severely punished."

"Wenwei, you must maintain order in the bond sale, and be fair and impartial, so that those who arrive first get their share and those who arrive later have no complaints."

The new notice was posted quickly.

The Tiger Legion and the local militia increased their manpower and patrolled more frequently, showing no mercy in cracking down on queue-jumping and changing places.

Although the queues were still long and the crowds were still dense, the order had improved significantly.

At the entrance of the Prime Minister's residence, in front of the specially set-up collective passage, although the procedures were cumbersome and required participants to quickly return to sign contracts after securing their places, the anxiety of the soldiers and representatives of the people was finally calmed down, and they patiently waited for the court's review and arrangements.

Wei Xing had already prepared everything. He immediately took out the contract signed by several brothers and accepted a national debt of 1,000 shi. Overjoyed, they went out of the city to prepare food.

(End of this chapter)