Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 76 Powerful Clans Refuse to Pay Grain

When Song Shi'an said this, Jiang Cong noticed his expression, which wasn't particularly kind or tactful.

But he didn't ask any questions.

"Among the laborers in the city, there are only about four thousand who can be used as manual laborers," Song Shi'an said.

"Yes, the remaining children usually do light carrying work in the city. As for the women, they help with cooking and washing clothes and bedding for the army," Jiang Cong replied.

"Were all the food supplies collected and distributed in a unified manner?"

“The ordinary people’s food was all collected together and they ate the bare minimum rations along with the soldiers,” Jiang Cong added. “As for the wealthy families, each household donated some grain.”

"Didn't the powerful clans hand over all their grain?"

“The larger clans donated more, and those that were slightly less well-off also donated.” Jiang Cong shook his head. “As for how much grain they actually stored, it’s hard to figure out. They usually have hidden cellars, so perhaps they’ve hidden the bulk of it.”

That's not a possibility; the vast majority of the grain was not harvested.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

Those powerful clans knew very well that if a war broke out, they would definitely prioritize supplying those who would serve as soldiers.

If things drag on and the entire city runs out of food, then they'll probably only be able to give the people a bowl of rice gruel to keep them alive.

Or perhaps we should just let it fend for itself.

At that time, what distinction will there be between nobles and commoners?

Then it would be a life-or-death struggle for food, just like the end of the world.

Therefore, having food firmly in one's own hands is the true source of security.

Even if there's more grain than we can eat, we won't hand it over even if it rots.

"Peace of mind."

Seeing him deep in thought, Jiang suggested, "Now that you're a new official, those powerful clans will definitely give you face. Gather them together, host a banquet in the name of the county government, and raise funds again; you should be able to collect some more."

"Lord Jiang accepted it once?" Song Shi'an asked with interest.

“General Zhao collected the most when he came,” Jiang Cong said with a wave of his hand and a smile. “I didn’t collect it; I begged and pleaded until I got eight hundred shi.”

That's 30,000 jin of hulled refined rice.

That sounds like a lot, but people in ancient times did heavy work and had no other food to eat. Under the constant labor, a soldier had to eat at least one and a half pounds a day.

That's only enough for the garrison for three days.

“Of course, Shi’an is different from me.” Jiang Cong said without any flattery, “Lord Song is the magistrate of Sheng’an and has not stepped down. The Song family is also a famous family. You don’t need to ask for favors, and they will not look down on you. You just need to explain the difficulties of the government and invite the various powerful families to help the court overcome the difficulties. Collecting two or three thousand shi of grain will not be a problem.”

"Is this all the face my father has to offer?"

Song Shi'an was not satisfied.

“Under normal circumstances, it would definitely be more than that. But now, the situation is different,” Jiang Cong said with a smile. “Besides, General Zhao accepted it once, and I asked for it again, so the powerful clans will also have some resistance.”

"Indeed, we have to understand you gentlemen."

Song Shi'an nodded slowly, lost in thought.

The grain reserves of the powerful clans were unknown.

The population of the powerful clans in the city should be around 1,200.

Among them were about a hundred people who were kindly pulled out by wealthy families and lent to the army.

But the remaining nearly a thousand people kept their doors tightly shut, ignoring everything that was happening outside, and just waited for Ji Yuan to attack.

Song Shi'an knew what they were thinking.

Even if Ji Yuan really breached the city and engaged in burning, killing, and looting, he wouldn't attack indiscriminately. He would steal things, but at least he wouldn't kill everyone.

Ji Yuan has conquered Beiliang, so it's impossible for him to only want this land. Now, throughout the entire world, not only in Dayu, but also in Qi and Liaodong, the powerful clans are showing a trend of becoming too powerful to control.

If he wants to conquer Northern Liang, he will still need to rely on these aristocratic families to maintain his rule.

If we were to kill everyone without hesitation, wouldn't that sever the loyalty of the Southern Liang aristocratic families who betrayed their country and surrendered to the enemy?

Mr. Zhang is truly tall and strong.

"Alright, thank you very much, Lord Jiang. I have a basic understanding now." Song Shi'an smiled and bowed to Jiang Cong.

"Then I'll go and supervise the construction."

Jiang Cong also bowed to Song Shi'an, and then left the office.

Sitting in the magistrate's chair, Song Shi'an crossed his arms and began to ponder.

Honestly, going to Cangxia and working there for two years and surviving, and if one can basically reconcile the local customs with the barbarian troubles, returning and being promoted directly to the fifth rank seems like a pretty good career path.

After all, it seems that the north wind is at least ten times more difficult and dangerous than the other side.

There, only the local officials need to consider their own heads.

Here, everyone has to think about their own head.

This is a desperate struggle for survival. You could say everyone is a zombie.

"But it doesn't matter, I'm here to cause trouble."

When your entire family can no longer hold you back, you are invincible.

Why aren't those people as awesome as me?

Because they lacked the resolve to regard their extended family as something external to themselves!

Just then, a county official reported, "Your Honor, a soldier who calls himself 'Three Dogs' is looking for you."

"Let it in." Upon hearing this, Song Shi'an immediately said.

Then, San Gou entered the office, his face showing great excitement: "Master, I'm here."

"Hey, didn't you get promoted to squad leader?"

Upon seeing the other person, Song Shi'an smiled.

"I've thought about it, and I'll decide to be your bodyguard," San Gou said in a rather simple and honest manner. "I don't trust those local soldiers with you."

The army of Dayu was divided into three types: the Imperial Guard, the State Army, and the Border Army.

The border troops were highly effective, the imperial guards were well-equipped, and the state troops were the largest in number.

Zhao Xiang's troops were said to be 50,000 elite soldiers, but in reality, most of them were soldiers conscripted from various prefectures.

"Oh, so you mean you look down on those state soldiers?" Song Shi'an joked.

As he spoke, San Gou made an OK sign.

Are you a time traveler too?
Song Shi'an sat up straight in surprise.

"Hit three."

"Not taking it seriously at all," San Gou said with a smile.

"Just brag."

Seeing familiar faces improved Song Shi'an's mood considerably.

This feeling is like in a road movie, after a long journey, you suddenly run into a friend you met at the beginning, who is in a convoy and says he also wants to go far away.

"Master, there's something else." After exchanging pleasantries, San Gou suddenly said, "Someone has been brought here, and General Bai doesn't know how to deal with him, so he asked us to consult you."

Upon hearing this, Song Shi'an stood up: "Okay, let's take a look."

Then, he left the office with San Gou.

This is actually a prison, and the single room at the very end is equivalent to the warden's office.

So once you step outside, there's a long corridor.

There were prison cells on both the left and right sides.

However, these places basically became the offices of the original county government officials.

Only a few tiny cells remain empty.

As soon as Song Shi'an went out, he saw Luo Ting's deputy general, Wang Dalong, who was tall and strong, with his armor completely stretched open.

Upon seeing him, Song Shi'an immediately stepped forward to untie him, and said in a pained tone, "General Wang is not a prisoner, why..."

"No need to pretend to cherish talent, I'll run away as soon as I'm untied."

Wang Dalong interrupted Song Shi'an's earnest words, his face expressionless.

Gently shaking off his hand, Song Shi'an changed his expression like a Sichuan opera performer, saying without any enthusiasm, "You understand everything."

Isn't that giving each other a way out?
I even pretended to be sincere.

“You’ve already come to Shuofeng, there’s no way you can leave now. Ji Yuan will be attacking soon. When that time comes, do you want to continue sitting in the prison waiting for us to earn military merits, or do you want to put aside your grudges, serve His Highness, and defend the territory against the enemy?” Song Shi’an questioned.

Although the Great Yu Dynasty was supported by meritorious nobles, the imperial court would not blindly rely on them.

Although some incompetent people may be entrusted with important tasks, they will not be given the most important positions.

It's like when you find that certain important positions are filled by someone who's not in a position to be promoted, you're actually relieved—the world is at peace now.

The garrison at Langya, a crucial stronghold, was staffed by highly capable officers and their deputy generals.

This Wang Dalong was once a famous general of the Northern Liang, who once captured an enemy general single-handedly when leading his troops in battle.

If he is willing to be used by Xiao Wei, he would be a great help.

“Song Sheng.” Staring at the man, Wang Dalong remained adamant, “No one willingly gives up Shuofeng. We share your loyalty to Dayu.”

"Since you're both loyal, why can't you be colleagues?" Song Shi'an countered.

"The north wind will surely be lost; the real battlefield is Langya."

Thinking of this, Wang Dalong said with deep resentment, "You and His Highness have ruined the battle that General Luo and Ji Yuan had been dreaming of!"

(End of this chapter)