Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 287 Haizhou News and Grain and Livestock Trade

"This trip was dangerous. We were robbed several times. Miss, you helped us every time and saved the brothers in my team. You are truly a hero. It's far beyond the scope of freeloading. If Liu is still reluctant to spend the money, it means he doesn't know the rules. Please accept it and don't refuse." Liu the escort leader insisted.

"Okay. If you refuse again, it will be my fault." Ding Baiying bowed.

Liu Biaotou smiled and nodded, placed the purse on the nearby table, and waved his hand, "Please."

"Thank you." Ding Baiying put away the purse but did not open it to look at it.

"Master Ding, do you really want to stay in Liaodi?" asked Liu Biaotou.

"Of course, I said it before. I came to Liaodong to join the army and kill the bandits. To make achievements and establish a career." Ding Baiying stretched out his fingers and pushed back the messy hair that was condensed by oil and sweat.

"You have seen the Tartar soldiers. They cannot be resisted by a single person's bravery." said Liu Biaotou.

Near Guangning, the caravan encountered a wave of hundreds of Mongol cavalry bandits. These well-trained bandits, skilled in archery and horsemanship, wouldn't even ask for a toll, but simply surrounded and murdered them. Fortunately, the equally well-trained escorts didn't retreat. Instead, they formed a spear formation, raised their shields, and fired back arrows, deterring the Mongol bandits from a direct attack.

Counterattacks were impossible; forming a defensive formation was the only strategy for the standard-bearing convoys that dared to take the Liaodong route against small-scale cavalry raids. The escort teams didn't even seek to repel the Mongols; they could only protect the caravan members from casualties until the government troops arrived to support them. In that case, the escort teams would have accomplished their mission.

The attack was a near miss, as the guerrillas stationed in Guangning City arrived within two quarters of an hour. The government troops arrived in time to support them and repel the Mongol bandits. Even so, this was the most dangerous escort mission Ding Baiying had ever undertaken, and it was also the first time she had experienced carnage and death so closely.

In the end, the escort team lost three men and injured five in the Mongols' shooting. The government troops, however, captured four heads and three horses. One of these was shot dead by Liu, the escort leader. However, Liu, a man of good manners, did not rashly argue with the government troops for the fifty taels of silver per head. Instead, he offered a small bribe to the leading officer, asking the government troops to return to camp slowly. This was a disguised request that the government troops escort them to Guangning.

"I have seen it before." Ding Baiying's eyes were firm. "But I still want to go."

"Oh," Liu Biaotou sighed. "We'll stay in Haizhou for two days to rest, then go to Gaizhou and take a ship out of Liaodong. If you change your mind before then, feel free to come find me."

"Can we travel by sea?" Ding Baiying asked in surprise.

"No. What we are doing is considered smuggling. But as long as we are not discovered by the court, it will be fine." said Liu Biaotou.

In reality, being discovered by the imperial court wasn't a big deal; anyone who could get into the escort agency had connections. Shipping goods by sea was strictly prohibited, but transporting people wasn't a big deal. Even if caught, all they had to do was pay a small bribe and treat someone to a meal. Therefore, the caravans would transport goods by land to Liao and then ship people back to Beijing.

"Thank you for your kindness." Ding Baiying chuckled and shook her head. "Goodbye."

She didn't even plan to stay in Haizhou for long. Instead, she planned to have a good meal, rest for just one night, and then head north to Anshan, and then go to Liaoyang to find the legendary General Qin.

"Then I wish Master Ding success."

--------

"Boss." Ding Baiying knocked on the counter with his knuckles.

Ding Baiying chose not to stay at the merchant house with the escort team to recuperate, but instead found a small two-story inn near the market to stay in. She made this choice not only because she didn't want to accept favors from others, but also because she needed to buy a horse first and then find a blacksmith shop to repair her sword.

"Hmm?" The old shopkeeper put down the novel in his hand and came to Ding Baiying. A hint of vigilance flickered in his eyes. "Is this guest staying overnight or staying here?"

"Stay in a hotel." Ding Baiying took out the official documents and badges, other identification items, and placed them on the table. "I want a regular single room."

"So you're the escort's master." The old shopkeeper chuckled, his tone becoming much lighter. "No wonder you have a southern accent."

"What's wrong with a southern accent?" Ding Baiying traveled all over the country, and it was instinctive for him to inquire about news.

"After Yang Jinglie's defeat, hasn't the court been sending troops from other provinces to aid Liao?" the old shopkeeper said. "Before Xiong Jinglie arrived, the court had already sent a lot of southern troops. But the soldiers there were reluctant to come. Most of them fled before the border crossing, and most of them fled again after the border crossing. With deserters running around, aren't they refugees and bandits? They caused quite a bit of trouble back then."

"Now too?" Ding Baiying was a little surprised.

"It's not so bad now. After Xiong Jinglie arrived, he cracked down on the situation several times, chopped off a lot of heads, and sent them to various cities. It's finally quieted down." The old shopkeeper said, "But recently, more southern troops have been sent, and no one knows if they will cause trouble."

"I heard that the discipline of the local soldiers is quite good." Ding Baiying said.

"Well, who knows?" the old shopkeeper shrugged. A stereotype, once formed, is hard to erase. "Times aren't peaceful."

After registering the guests' information, the old shopkeeper said, "I only have dormitories and private rooms. Private rooms are all 30 wen per night, regardless of whether they're upper or lower, though 5 fen is fine. Meals are not included. The room fee is payable upon departure." Because the escort agency had a good reputation and was highly respected, the old shopkeeper neither confiscated Ding Baiying's keepsake nor asked for a deposit. This was a way to build his reputation.

"Five cents of silver is fifty cents, right?" Ding Baiying asked in surprise.

"That's the exchange rate inside the Great Wall. In Liao, there's more silver than copper. Naturally, copper is more valuable than silver." The old shopkeeper kindly reminded him, "Master Ding, if you plan to stay in Liao for a long time, I suggest you find a bank early and exchange your silver for copper coins. You never know how much the price will drop in the future."

"Thank you for your advice." Ding Baiying bowed slightly.

"Master, would you like to wash your face? It's only ten cents, and I'll boil you a tub of hot water." The old shopkeeper was also knowledgeable. He knew the escort agency's "three skills and one no" rule. These skills meant building a stove, repairing shoes, cutting hair, and not washing one's face. The "three skills" were for daily living and socializing. The "one no" was for protecting one's skin. Outdoors, winter's chilling winds, spring and autumn's gusty sandstorms, and summer's scorching sun. Washing one's face, leaving the oil off, would dry it out, leaving it vulnerable to wind and damage. Therefore, escorts often only washed their faces after reaching their destination, or even returning to the agency. Therefore, "washing one's face" could also be called "coming home."

"I'm leaving tomorrow. I won't be washing." Ding Baiying put away her badge, documents, and other belongings, then took out six taels of silver from the purse Liu Biaotou had given her and placed it on the counter. "Give me a tray of steamed buns, half a roasted chicken, and half a pound of mutton offal. Is that enough?"

The old shopkeeper pondered silently. "Almost. How do you make mutton offal?"

"Use half in soup and half in stir-fry." Ding Baiying said, "Don't be reluctant to add salt."

"How can that be possible?" The old shopkeeper accepted the six taels of silver and put it into the cash box.

--------

After dinner, Ding Baiying walked into the market to buy a horse.

Horses are precious creatures, and raising them is more expensive than buying them. After a few years, the cost of fodder will exceed the purchase price. Ordinary escorts don't know how to raise them, nor can they afford to do so. Liu, the escort company, is quite large, yet they only have ten horses. Not a single one was used on this convoy; even the mule Liu rode was a caravan-provided mule.

Ding Baiying had previously assumed that the escort agency was reluctant to use the animal for fear of loss. It wasn't until just now that she suddenly realized: since neither the caravan nor the escort team planned to return by land, the mule that Liu Escort was riding, like the donkeys and mules that pulled the grain, was also a commodity for the caravan.

Entering the horse market, Ding Baiying spotted an official in a red robe negotiating the quality and price of donkeys and mules with a man. Ding Baiying didn't recognize the official, but he did recognize the man bargaining with the official. It was the caravan leader, Zhu Hui.

On the way, Ding Baiying heard from the escort that this man seemed to be a family member or servant of a high-ranking official in the capital. This wasn't surprising; these days, even the largest businesses had connections. Even if no one in the family held an official position, they would still have to find a way to marry one into the family. Otherwise, the business would be in turmoil.

"Eighty-two donkeys and thirty-nine mules. Twenty-four of them are donkeys and eleven mules are unqualified. The qualified ones will be purchased at the official price, and the unqualified ones can either be taken away by you or sold to you at 40% of the price." The officials are very tough.

"Are there so many bad animals among the animals I bring?" Zhu Hui was very dissatisfied.

"The general rule is 30% defective. It's calculated this way regardless of whether there are any or not," the official said with a frown.

Even after Xiong Tingbi had been in Liao for a year and a half, Liaodong's land transportation capacity remained insufficient, one reason being a shortage of animal power. Xiong Tingbi had long sought to replenish the army with draft animals like donkeys, mules, and oxen, but due to chronic financial constraints, even horses were insufficient. Weighing the pros and cons, Xiong Tingbi focused his limited resources on restoring military strength. It wasn't until August of last year, when the first million yuan in imperial treasury arrived in Liao, that Liaodong's finances gradually became more resilient. Xiong Tingbi then ordered Zhang Quan, the Minister of the Imperial Court and Horses, stationed in Haizhou during the winter and spring, and in Gaizhou during the summer and autumn, and also the Military Preparations Commissioner for the Jin Fu Haigai region, to fully mobilize animal power.

According to the old system, the Minister of Imperial Court and Military Affairs, concurrently the Governor of Jinfu Haigai, was a provincial governor under the Liaodong Governor-General, under the control of the Governor-General of Ji and Liao. However, after Sarhu, Emperor Shenzong, in order to avoid the fragmentation of power that would have led to multiple administrative departments and a phenomenon similar to "discord between the governor and the governor," agreed to allow General Xiong Tingbi to bring the Liaodong Governor-General and the provincial governors under his control under his own jurisdiction. This effectively separated Liaodong from the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Ji and Liao, establishing it as an independent, high-level military and political unit.

Zhang Quan was unlucky. The court originally wanted him to take over as the Liaodong Provincial Governor, but the emperor directly parachuted Yang Lian in. Zhang Quan had no choice but to accept the title of Shandong Provincial Governor, taking on the military preparation post where Xiong Tingbi would scold him every two days.

“I’m Chengguo.”

"I don't care who you are! I'm going to discuss this with you, don't bother with any other nonsense." Zhang Quan was unyielding, not willing to give any face. "The 30% defective rate applies to all livestock traders coming to Haizhou. You can't get any special treatment just because you're related to someone! I'll only take the official price for 58 donkeys and 28 mules. The rest will be discounted. If you don't want to sell, you can take the 35 donkeys and mules back home."

Zhu Hui certainly didn't want to take it back. It took almost two weeks to travel from the pass to Haizhou, and the return trip would certainly take almost as long. The cost of the donkey's food was another expense, and the escort fee was another matter. If they encountered robbers along the way and someone died, that would be truly disastrous.

"If you charge according to the official price, I can give it to you." Zhu Hui wanted to persuade him again.

"No need!" Zhang Quan held up his hand to stop him. "Let it be what it is! The official price in Liaodong is already very high. Even if we sell it at that price, it will still be much higher than inside the Great Wall. Don't be greedy. Let it be what it is."

Kickbacks were given to officials personally. As a rule, the majority of the money was used to maintain the normal operation of the government. Production in Liaodong hadn't recovered yet, and with virtually no land tax revenue, low-ranking officials and clerks could only survive on these cuts of the budget. If he took kickbacks and paid the full price of the donkeys and mules, he would be pocketing the military preparation office's revenue. Zhang Quan wasn't an absolutely honest official, but he wasn't so corrupt either.

Zhang Quan had no desire to confront this man, but his subordinates lacked the courage to confront Zhu Hui, so he could only patiently argue with him. If a superior doesn't step up when he should, his subordinates will sooner or later become hypocritical.

"Alas!" Zhu Hui had no choice but to accept. "Alright. Alright. You're the master, after all. Sell it!" Liaodong was unlike other places. Governor Xiong Tingbi was a man of action, and he wouldn't tolerate the wrath of these wicked servants and slaves. Even if his master could win the case and have the emperor convict Xiong Tingbi of tyranny, he didn't want his head to be used as a bargaining chip.

Zhang Quan continued discussing the grain issue. "According to the scriptures, the total amount of rice you brought was 410 dan. Each dan is calculated at 3.5 liang of silver."

"Three taels and five cents!" Zhu Hui asked anxiously, "Isn't it four taels?"

"That was last year's price," Zhang Quan said. "It's gone down now."

"Why the price drop?" Zhu Hui asked in a shrill voice. He couldn't help but feel anxious after losing 205 taels of profit.

"Hmph! You're only allowed to raise the price?" Zhang Quan snorted impatiently. "Why are you asking so many questions? Are you a spy for the chieftain? If it's lowered, it's lowered."

"If the government keeps lowering prices and forcing people to buy and sell like this, no one will bring grain to Liaodong to sell!" Zhu Hui shouted loudly, attracting a lot of attention.

"If you don't want to sell it, someone else will! If you're still angry, just say the words 'forced buying and selling' again. If you dare to say it, I'll report the person behind you in the book!" Zhang Quan sneered, "I still say the same thing. If you don't want to sell it, you can take it back."

"." Zhu Hui didn't dare to respond.

After a moment's silence, Zhang Quan grew impatient. "Three taels and five cents of silver for a dan! Are you selling it or not?"

(End of this chapter)