A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 515 Li Rulian
It was well past midnight.

Zhang Liang, the Grand Marshal of the Grand General's Office, was still wide awake. He paced back and forth in the courtyard, sighing from time to time.

Wandering alone for a long time,

The evening wind was chilling to the bone, and with heavy steps, I turned back into the house.

Once Li Yi says he's going to war, there's no turning back.

A force of 10,000 men would require at least 500 shi of grain per day, plus a lot of fodder. If 20,000 men were deployed, that would require 1,000 shi of grain per day.

We need to prepare enough provisions for at least a month, which means we need to prepare 30,000 shi of grain.

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household.

Zhang Liang, the Grand General's Office Sima, was only a fifth-rank official, much lower than Yang Gongdao, a third-rank official. However, in the affairs of the Grand General's Office, Li Yi was only responsible for the general direction, while Yang Gongdao was more of a figurehead.

He was still the one who had to handle the specific tasks.

He was well aware of the current state of grain reserves in Dingzhou. Even with bonds and Li Yi's various forms of coercion and enticement to obtain grain from powerful families and merchants, there was still a persistent grain shortage.

Now we need to squeeze out another 30,000 shi of grain.

From where do you squeeze in?
"Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; what can we do?"

Li Yi was a very capable superior, but to serve under him, one also needed to be capable. The tasks assigned to him had to be completed by finding a way to do so.

After much thought, he concluded that the only way to raise at least 30,000 shi of grain within ten days was to distribute the task among officials at all levels, assigning it layer by layer and making each level responsible for a specific amount.

Let everyone use their unique skills and pool their wisdom and efforts.

Those of higher rank would be allocated a thousand or eight hundred shi (a unit of dry measure), while those of lower rank would be allocated a hundred or eighty shi. Everyone was encouraged to do everything in their power and leverage all their connections to gather the grain.

otherwise,

Zhang Liang alone couldn't possibly scrape together 30,000 shi of grain from his meager resources.

Although Li Yi assigned Yang Gongdao to be in charge of collecting grain and he to be in charge of transporting it, he knew that Yang Gongdao would definitely pass the responsibility back to him, so he still had to make preparations in advance.

If the burden were to be shared, he felt he should take the lead and set an example, at least acknowledging one or two thousand bushels of grain.

From 30,000 shi to 1,000 or 2,000 shi, the task was still arduous for Zhang Liang. He was not like Li Yi, who always had various means to obtain grain. Whether it was the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, local powerful families, or merchants, Li Yi could deal with them with ease and even satisfy both sides.

We still need to find big clients.

But Zhang Liang came from a commoner background, and his hometown was Xingyang, Henan. He knew from a young age that the Zheng family of the world originated from Xingyang, and that the Zheng family of Xingyang was powerful. But how many people in the Zheng family knew about Zhang Liang?

Borrowing grain from the Zheng family of Xingyang is unreliable; even if we could borrow it, it wouldn't be available within ten days.

They could only obtain grain within the six prefectures of Dingfu.

He pulled out a small notebook, which contained his personal records of the various powerful clans, wealthy merchants, and other notable figures within the six prefectures of Dingfu.

Looking at the names one by one,
No one had the connections to lend a thousand bushels of grain at this time.

The main reason is that Li Yi has already harvested several crops, and there really isn't much grain left.

If he doesn't expect to borrow a thousand or eight hundred shi from one family, then he can only borrow a hundred or eighty shi from each family. After all, he is the Sima of the Grand Steward's Mansion, a subordinate that Li Yi trusts. Do these powerful families not even give him this much face?
I flipped through the booklet several times.

A name caught my eye.

Like a lotus flower.

Upon seeing this name, Zhang Liang couldn't help but smile. What a beautiful name, like a lotus flower. In his heart, that woman was just like this name, flawless like a lotus flower.

For example, Lianhua's surname is Li.
The husband's surname is Lu.

Yes, as for Lotus, she had a husband, but he passed away from illness.

She was born into the Li clan of Zhao County and married into the Lu clan of Fanyang, a classic marriage alliance among five prominent families. Unfortunately, only three years into their marriage, Lu died young from illness. Because of his poor health, Ru Lianhua was unable to have any children in the three years of their marriage.

After her husband passed away,

Like Lotus, she was very free. She had a generous dowry, and after her husband died, the Lu family gave her an additional share.

Zhang Liang only met her by chance after he followed Li Yi to Mingzhou to serve as a Sima.

The woman smiled at him, and he could never forget her face.

He even longed for her day and night, and only ever thought about her.

Unfortunately, he knew very well that Ru Lianhua was of a completely different status from him, and even though she was now a young widow, she was not someone he could have.

But Lianhua was very wealthy; she was a rich widow. Zhang Liang knew that Li owned many estates and grain shops, and was in the grain business.

Li Yi places great importance on the grain trade within his jurisdiction, and this business is strictly regulated. For example, Lianhua approached Zhang Liang, hoping for some preferential treatment. He readily agreed and has been very supportive of her lately.

He was well aware of the Li family's grain business, which they conducted both openly and covertly. Their business was quite large, and they made a considerable profit during this famine. However, thanks to Zhang Liang's assistance and their connections as the Li family of Zhao County and the Lu family of Fanyang, things had been going very smoothly for them.

"I need to buy a thousand shi of grain from Ru Lianhua to make provisions for the army," the thought came to his mind.

Whether it works out or not, I can still meet with Ru Lianhua and have a chat.

Compared to Ru Lianhua, her own country bumpkin, a farmer's daughter with a sallow complexion, was nothing at all.

He's now a fifth-rank official, but his wife is still the same old country bumpkin—unable to dress or groom herself, smacking her lips while eating, grinding her teeth and farting in her sleep. Even now, with people serving her tea and water, she's still sallow and dark-skinned.

Zhang Liang is no longer the Zhang Liang from the countryside, but his wife is still the same country woman.

Zhang Liang would be willing to pay any price to marry someone like Ru Lianhua.

I had a sleepless night.
The next morning, Zhang Liang rushed to visit the Lotus Manor outside the city.

city ​​gate,
Zhang Liang unexpectedly ran into Li Yi, who was also leaving the city.

"Is Zhang Sima heading to Lotus Manor so early?" Li Yi asked with a smile.

"Sikong is truly a genius. Could it be that Sikong is also going to Lotus Manor?" Zhang Liang said, feeling inexplicably nervous.

He had heard a rumor that Ru Lianhua frequently visited Li Yi, and there were even rumors that Ru Lianhua had publicly stated that she would be willing to become Li Yi's concubine if he took a liking to her.

Zhang Liang refused to believe this, thinking it was absolutely a rumor. How could the daughter of the Li family of Zhao County and the daughter-in-law of the Lu family of Fanyang demean herself like this?

But sometimes he felt that it might actually be true, after all, it was Li Yi.

"I'm going to the post station outside the city," Li Yi said with a smile.

Zhang Liang inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, and then quickly explained why he went to Lotus Manor, "Last night I thought about it and realized that it would be really difficult to raise at least 30,000 shi of grain in ten days. It would be best to mobilize officials at all levels..." Assigning tasks, Li Yi didn't react much after hearing this, which was a common practice for officials when they encountered difficulties.

For example, when he was a village chief, the village chiefs were not only responsible for the village's household registration and public security, but also had to assist in tax collection. Moreover, in order to better complete the tax collection task, the higher authorities directly distributed the village's rent and taxes to the village chiefs and village officials.

If someone in the village fails to pay their taxes, the village head or village administrator must make up for it. The same applies if someone flees; the village head must pay their taxes. Since village heads are usually wealthy, they certainly won't pay themselves; they will have the household's neighbors or immediate family members pay for it.

The authorities don't care how you collect the taxes; as long as you can collect them, that's all that matters.

To be honest, this approach is actually quite unreasonable.

It can also easily lead to more problems such as corruption.

But in extraordinary times, it is an extraordinary measure.

"then you go."

Zhang Liang bid farewell to Li Yi and sped towards Lotus Manor. Li Yi watched his retreating figure, knowing Zhang Liang's ulterior motives: he wanted to curry favor with Lu Li Shi.

Li Yi was no stranger to Lu Li Shi. Lu Li Shi was a young widow, and quite pretty. He wondered what kind of face she had when she was with Zhang Liang. Perhaps she was as pure and innocent as a lotus flower, but when she was with Li Yi, she was somewhat charming and wanton.

Li Yi even knew that Lu Li had a lover before her husband died. Her husband, Lu, was a sickly man, but their marriage had been arranged since childhood.

Zhang Liang wanted to curry favor with Lu Li Shi, but Lu Li Shi had once told Li Yi that she was willing to be his concubine.

How much of it is genuine is hard to say.

Lu Li was quite wealthy, a rich widow. Whether she was attracted to Li Yi's youth, handsomeness, and talent, or his high position, power, and dashing demeanor, or perhaps both, Li Yi disliked this kind of unclean woman.

He didn't intend to remind Zhang Liang either.
Judging from his appearance, even if you remind him again, he will still be like a moth drawn to a flame. The name Zhang Liang, who comes from the lowest social class, is enough to make him infatuated with the name of the woman of the Five Surnames.

With just a flick of her finger, Zhang Liang would kneel down and lick her toes.

People tend to care more about what they lack. Zhang Liang, being of humble origin, valued the prestige of a prestigious family even more.

Li Yi lightly kicked the horse's belly.
They arrived at the South Post Station under the escort of guards.

In the post station,
Huo Yugang had just taken a bath, and her face was flushed.

"Aren't you supposed to arrive in the afternoon?"

"I couldn't wait to see you, so I rushed here."

"Where's the food?"

"Hmph, it's been so long since we last met, and all you've been thinking about is food," Huo Yu said with a slight reproach.

Li Yi pulled her into his arms. "I missed you too."

Huo Yu immediately untied the belt around his waist.

"Talk is cheap, show me what you've got." Huo Yu quickly ripped off his belt and got straight to the point.

In short,

It's definitely better to give it a shot.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Li Yi's chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath; it was too intense.

Huo Yu, who was as fierce as a wolf just now, is now as docile as a cat. Of course, this is not the tabby cat Zhao Cai from Li Yi's Chang'an. The little Zhao Cai has now become the fat tiger general, a tyrant in Li Yi's mansion. All the other dogs, such as the Qiang mastiff, the greyhound, and the lion dog, are all his little brothers.

"The grain will arrive this afternoon, a total of 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), all from last autumn's harvest, half rice and half wheat, all hastily purchased from grain merchants in the Jianghuai region at a premium."

The journey along the Grand Canal begins with a group gathering at the Yangzhou wharf. From there, they transfer to Bian boats to Xingyang Heyin, then to another boat to cross the Yellow River before finally traveling along the Hebei Canal.

After reaching the Huan River, the goods were transferred by carts and horses to Ye City, then northward along the Zhang River to the Pingji Wharf in Zhao Prefecture. From there, they were transported by carts and horses all the way to Dingzhou. This journey of over two thousand li was quite arduous, but fortunately, it went smoothly. In the end, I have fulfilled your trust and completed this mission.

When Li Yi heard that 100,000 shi of grain had finally arrived, he excitedly picked up the collapsed Huo Yu and kissed him several times.

"You've come at just the right time. I was about to send out troops, but I was out of food and had a real headache. This is a real lifesaver."

Huo Yu blushed deeply. "According to the plan, this grain should have been delivered long ago. I'm the one who delayed you."

"It's not too late."

"Then how will you thank me?" Huo Yu asked with a radiant smile.

"Then let's do it again."

The arrival of 100,000 shi of grain indeed solved the immediate crisis, and Li Yi could also make a fortune. Huo Yu personally made this trip to Jianghuai, and the cost of purchasing the grain and transporting it to Dingzhou was very high, especially the transportation cost, which amounted to 3,000 yuan per shi of grain.

The Dingzhou Grand General's Office purchased all the grain at 4,000 strings of cash per shi, earning 1 string per shi, resulting in a net profit of 100,000 strings of cash from this batch of grain. Li Yi took the lion's share of this deal, Huo Yu contributed a portion, and Li Jing's son Li Dejiang, the Prefect of Luozhou and Prince of Huaiyang Li Daoxuan, the General General of Huazhou Du Caigan, and Zhang Hao, the son of his maternal uncle Zhang He, the General General of Xiangzhou, also contributed a portion.

A net profit of 100,000 strings of cash—that's a huge windfall.

However, the Dingzhou Grand General Administration could not come up with 400,000 strings of cash at the moment. Therefore, this batch of grain money was given in bonds worth 100,000 strings, silk cloth worth 100,000 strings, and 200,000 strings for the right to contract commercial farmland in the six prefectures of Dingzhou, as well as some mining qualifications and licenses for coal, iron and copper mines.

Although he didn't pay in cash, Li Yi certainly wouldn't cheat himself; those items were definitely worth 400,000, or even more.

Li Yi went to great lengths to acquire this batch of grain, but it wasn't entirely for profit. The six prefectures of Dingfu, and even the entire Hebei province, were suffering from a spring famine, with food shortages everywhere.
If grain could be transported to Hebei, it would be a lifesaver for the people in dire straits.
Even when he was about to send troops to Hedong, this batch of grain came at just the right time. It was unrealistic to really expect Zhang Liang to assign grain collection tasks to the officials. The grain in the hands of the powerful families in the six prefectures of Dingfu had already been almost completely squeezed out by Li Yi, and there wasn't much left to squeeze out.

The only way to get grain is to bring it in from outside.

Until the summer harvest, Hebei will continue to suffer from famine and food shortages. The roads for selling grain have been opened, and this business can continue.

As long as one is willing to accept the trading methods of the Dingzhou Grand General Administration, exchanging various minerals, farmland, and so on for grain, this business can be done.

What might seem like a huge risk to others, Li Yi sees as nothing more than an opportunity to make money again.

Not to mention the famine in Hebei in the fifth year of the Wude era, the Tang Dynasty would continue to suffer from food shortages until the ninth year of the Wude era, and even until the third year of the Zhenguan era, especially in the border regions. The Tang Dynasty would then continue its fierce battle with the Turks, and the war would not stop until after Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin) ascended the throne and made an alliance with Jieli by killing a white horse at the Wei Bridge.

Only then will things calm down for two years. Then, the late-blooming, increasingly powerful military genius Li Jing will strike with a single move, destroying the stronghold of the Jieli Khanate in Dingxiang, chasing Jieli to the desert, and even inviting him back to Chang'an to dance for Li Shimin. Only then will the northern frontier be at peace, and only then will food no longer be so scarce, and only then will grain prices drop.

Therefore, the grain business in Hebei will be profitable for at least another five to six years.

Whether it's trading grain, establishing settlements and reclaiming land, or mining and smelting, these are all promising projects.

"Ayu, thank you so much this time. Let me reward you again," Li Yi said, panting heavily.

Huo Yu lay there completely paralyzed, "No!"

"When a woman says no, she means yes. Come on."

(End of this chapter)