Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 362 Planning Ahead Makes It Better to Borrow Grain

Yan Guang pointed to the location of Dengzhou City on the sand table and concluded: "This is the basic strategy. The navy will be stationed on Changdao Island and act according to circumstances, waiting for an opportunity to intercept the rebel fleet; the land forces will land at Laizhou and join forces with the pacification army, and can participate in the attack on the rebels if necessary; Wang Qinian will lead his men ashore to gather information and, if possible, infiltrate Dengzhou City."

The others nodded: "That's roughly right."

"There are still a few minor issues to resolve," Yan Guang said. "The climate in Shandong is much colder than in Qiongzhou. Are the rattan armor that the army usually wears in battle unsuitable? Do we need to replace it? In addition, the most important thing on our way to Shandong is to recruit refugees. The population is in the tens of thousands, so we must prepare enough food. Can our food reserves last until the land reclamation and harvest?"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that these were indeed very real problems that needed to be addressed.

Liang Xiaoming pondered for a moment and said, "Rattan armor is more suitable for the hot Guangdong area, but it's really unsuitable for the freezing cold of Shandong. If we lined the rattan armor with cotton or something similar, it could solve this problem to some extent. However, firstly, the time is too short, and there isn't enough time for everyone to change into the new armor; secondly, the effectiveness hasn't been tested in actual combat. Therefore, we won't be using rattan armor this time. I will urge the Technical Research Institute to come up with a plan, and we'll switch to iron armor when the time is right."

Liu Ye said, "Could we take inspiration from the Tartars' cotton armor? It's said that it consists of two layers of cotton armor with an iron plate sandwiched in between, which protects vital parts."

Liang Xiaoming nodded: "Anything that's practical can be used as a reference."

Yan Guang pressed further: "What about the food problem? The existing grain reserves are more than enough to supply the Qiongzhou camp, and we can also manage by taking enough grain to provide relief to the refugees. However, if a large number of immigrants come to Qiongzhou, even if they start cultivating the land as soon as they disembark, there will be a long period without any production, only consumption. If we don't make it to the point where grain is produced, and both the Qiongzhou camp and the refugees run out of food, it may lead to a civil uprising of tens of thousands of people, with unimaginable consequences."

"It's right to plan ahead. We can't rely on luck; we must be fully prepared," Liu Ye affirmed Yan Guang's idea.

Yan Guang proposed again: "Should we increase taxes on farmers within the three counties to alleviate the immediate crisis?"

Liu Ye shook his head repeatedly: "A fixed tax of two shi per mu, with the rest kept by the farmers, greatly increases the people's enthusiasm for production. We cannot change this policy overnight. Moreover, increasing taxes is a dangerous trend. Once this precedent is set, it will become a habit to levy taxes on the people. We must not repeat the mistakes of the previous dynasty." A crucial reason why the Ming Dynasty entered a dead end and ultimately lost its empire was that it placed the majority of taxes on the farmers. This not only had little effect but also placed an unbearable burden on the farmers, creating many displaced people and making it impossible to eradicate bandits.

He thought about it carefully and said, "Exploiting the people is not advisable; we must find a way to do it from the government. Someone, go to the county office and bring me Qian Youyu."

The county government office wasn't far from Nanyuan. Before long, Qian Youyu arrived, panting, and greeted Liu Ye: "General...what...what business do you have with me?"

"I ask you, are all the taxes and grain collected to be delivered to the capital?"

"Reporting to the General, neither the summer tax nor the autumn grain will be entirely delivered to the capital..." Qian Youyu explained to Liu Ye.

In the earliest days of the Hongwu reign, autumn grain truly had to be transported thousands of miles to the capital. The transport of grain was the responsibility of the "grain chiefs" of the villages and hamlets. The manpower and resources consumed were immense. Grain chiefs often went bankrupt because of this burden. Later, considering local needs and reducing losses from round-trip transportation, it was stipulated that a portion of the grain and money be transported to the capital, a portion be directly allocated to the prefectures that needed it, and a portion be kept in the granaries of Qiongzhou Prefecture for future use, only recorded in the Ministry of Revenue's accounts.

"Oh? Where in Qiongzhou Prefecture is this grain located?"

Qian Youyu counted on his fingers one by one: "They are Qiongzhou Prefecture, Changhua County, Danzhou, Wanzhou, and Lingshui County. Among them, the prefectural city and Changhua County account for the majority. The prefectural city's soldiers and officers have 21,800 shi of grain, and Changhua's thousand-household garrison has 15,790 shi of grain. The other three counties have less: Danzhou has 10,000 shi, Wanzhou has 12,000 shi, and Lingshui has 9,000 shi. Of course, all officials have deficits, and the grain in these places is not fully stored." These scattered grain storage locations are mostly in important strategic areas, especially those at risk of "banditry" and "Li rebellion," so that grain can be obtained nearby for conquest in case of war.

Liu Ye was overjoyed: "Even if it's not a full granary, half price is still quite a lot." He said to Yan Guang and the others, "We've found a source for the grain. We'll write IOUs to the prefectural government and the various counties and borrow grain from them for emergency use."

Qian Youyu was taken aback and tried to dissuade him, saying, "These granaries are for the imperial court to 'defend against the Li people and suppress bandits.' According to regulations, they must not be used. If something happens, no one can bear the responsibility..."

Liu Ye laughed and said, "Qian Youyu, you've gone back to the county government as a clerk and you've lost your bearings. If Prefect Qin refuses me, I guarantee there will be a rebellion in the prefectural city the very next day, and the entire prefectural government will be doomed."

Yan Guang and the others laughed along, making Qian Youyu feel somewhat embarrassed. He suddenly recalled the scene when Lin San attacked Lingao County. If they could create a "bandit uprising" in Lingao, they could do the same in the prefectural city. Qin Bingyan's risk in secretly opening the granaries to borrow grain was merely possible punishment from the court, while refusing Liu Ye could very well result in his head being chopped off by a sudden "bandit uprising." The choice was obvious.

"Besides, I can repay this grain in three to five months at most. Prefect Qin should know what to do." Qiongzhou Prefecture has a pleasant climate and abundant rainfall, with rice harvested three times a year. In three to five months, a rice harvest can be completed, which is enough to make up for the deficit. Liu Ye thought that when the time is right, he would turn Qiongzhou Prefecture into an independent little kingdom. The imperial decrees would become worthless here, and all the granaries in Qiongzhou Prefecture would become his own.

Qian Youyu said awkwardly, "That way there won't be any problems. Would Prefect Qin dare to refuse?"

“Very good, let’s do it that way. Master Qian, you’re familiar with official documents, so draft a letter for me, polish my meaning, and then send it to the prefectural city as fast as possible, so that Qin Bingyan can open the granaries to borrow grain,” Liu Ye said.

Yan Guang stroked his beard and said, "This is indeed a brilliant plan. Misappropriating government granaries is enough to support tens of thousands of refugees. Once the land is cleared and the harvest is harvested, we can be self-sufficient and will no longer need to worry about this problem."