Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 34: Targeting merchants?
Just after sending away all the officials and when the Black Armor Cavalry was changing shifts, Zhu Youjian discovered a serious problem.

He seems to be running out of food!
The food required by a Black Armor Cavalryman in a day alone is as much as five kilograms!

A total of 3,500 Black Armored Cavalrymen consume more than 15,000 kilograms of food a day, nearly 120 stone of food.

The consumption of the war horses of the Black Armor Cavalry is even more terrifying. Because they have to fight under high load for a long time, these war horses have huge appetites.

In addition to grass and fodder, they also need to be fed ten kilograms of concentrated feed and a few eggs every day.

Yesterday alone, the Black Armor Cavalry consumed nearly 300 shi of food and fodder.

It is more than ten times that of the Yongwei Camp!
No wonder people say heavy cavalry is unaffordable. With the way they eat, who can afford it?

There are not only the Black Armor Cavalry in the capital, but also the Yongwei Camp, the Shenji Camp, the Sanqian Camp, the Wujun Camp, the Jinyiwei, and the Minzhuang Jingjun.

We also have to consider the 30,000 to 40,000 refugees who moved in from around the capital.

However, there were only 20,000 shi of grain left in the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse.

If the full amount is supplied, the capital will run out of food within a month at most.

This does not include the subsequent arrival of the army he received as a reward for drawing the entry and Wu Sangui's Guanning Army.

In Zhu Youjian's estimation, in order to repel Li Zicheng, at least 30,000 system soldiers would be needed to cooperate with the Guanning Army with red entries.

Zhu Youjian estimated that he would need to draw 200 times to get 30,000 system soldiers.

A total of 20 million taels of silver, it would take a while just to search the house.

After hearing Zhu Youjian’s remarks about having no food.

Ni Yuanlu and Fan Jingwen had not spoken yet.

Wu Xiang understood what Zhu Youjian meant and stepped forward with a smile.

"Your Majesty, the capital actually has food."

"Is there food?" Zhu Youjian looked at Wu Xiang in puzzlement.

The latter nodded calmly.

"There are seventy-six grain stores in the capital, with a stock of at least five hundred thousand dan. If all were gathered together, it would be enough to feed a hundred thousand troops for six months."

Fan Jingwen immediately jumped out to object.

"Absolutely not! The treasury is empty right now, and there's absolutely no money left to buy food and fodder from merchants!"

"We're just confiscating stolen goods, how can we talk about buying them?" Wu Xiang asked with a chuckle.

"Stolen goods? Aren't they food? How come... you..." Fan Jingwen suddenly stopped talking and looked at Wu Xiang in disbelief.

"What do you mean by that? Are you trying to frame someone loyal and honest?!"

"Hey, what General Fan said is ridiculous. Those were embezzled military rations. How can it be a frame-up?" Wu Xiang said without blushing.

He bowed deeply to Zhu Youjian and said firmly, "Last month, I saw with my own eyes that grain dealers had hoarded over 600 carts of Liaodong rice. Those rice bags were even stained with the official seal of Jinzhou Guard!"

Anyway, Jinzhouwei had already fallen, so just make up a reason and it's over.

After he finished speaking, Zhu Youjian also smiled with satisfaction.

Otherwise, sometimes you have to be a military leader like Wu Xiang who has been tempered.

It means having good vision.

Knowing that the emperor's hands cannot kill people, he specially made a pair of white gloves.

"There is actually such a thing! In times of crisis, instead of thinking about serving the country and the people, you do such despicable things. This is simply a heinous crime!" Zhu Youjian pretended to be angry.

"Wu Xiang, I order you to thoroughly investigate the corruption of military rations by grain merchants in the capital. I will also dispatch the Left Thousand Households of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to assist you. Don't let any of them go!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

Ni Yuanlu stood quietly by, his heart already numb.

It’s good that Your Majesty didn’t do it yourself.

At least he knew to use Wu Xiang as a shield and to bring him and Fan Jingwen in to ensure the correctness of law enforcement.

It’s good, it’s good…

...The stone floor of Deshengmen Grain Market was soaked with oil. Liu Fugui, the owner of Liuji Rice Shop, stepped on the chaff on the ground with his cloud-shaped shoes, and the gold-thread embroidered Zhongqin Boya brand jingled around his waist.

The complacent workers were piling the newly arrived 300 dan of Jiangnan japonica rice into a grain stack that was a meter high.

I thought to myself that I must burn more incense to my ancestors when I get home.

By the way, we also need to offer sacrifices to the rebel king outside the city.

Without him, the Emperor in the Forbidden City would not have put a price tag on the title.

Only 100,000 taels of silver, which was all the money in his capital bank, could be exchanged for a hereditary earldom.

The price of rice in the capital is shockingly high now. Maybe I can earn it back in a couple of days.

I couldn’t even imagine it before!
"Boss, do you really want to sell this rice for eight taels per stone?" The accountant couldn't help asking, swallowing his saliva as he looked at the hungry people clinging to the fence.

Outside the fence, a baby in a woman's arms was chewing its fingers.

"Pah!" Liu Fugui spat out the tea leaves, "Before the bandits besieged the city, I sold it to you for eight taels."

He suddenly picked up a bamboo winnowing basket, scooped up half a bucket of rice, and poured it into the trough tied to the pillar.

As the donkey swung its tail and chewed its food, a series of swallowing sounds could be heard outside the fence.

"When the city is completely surrounded, I will sell it for twenty taels!"

As if to confirm Liu Fugui's words, a broker in a silk shirt squeezed in from outside the fence and trotted over to hand over a gift list. "Master Zhang from Yongdingmen is willing to pay ten taels per dan, and I want to buy 200 dan."

"Master Zhang really has good eyesight. He knows this thing can make a fortune!"

Liu Fugui laughed loudly, then suddenly changed the subject, stepping on the bench and saying, "Go back and tell Master Zhang that food is in short supply right now, and I have to share some of it. If Master Zhang really wants it, I'll give him 15 taels per dan, up to 100 dan at most!"

The yalang didn't say much, just bowed and turned away.

The guys continued to move the grain, and Liu Fugui was in high spirits.

Outside the door, there were voices of refugees begging for help.

An old man as thin as a skeleton squeezed out of the crowd and lay on the fence, crying and shouting.

"Master, please have mercy! My grandson has had a high fever for three days and I just want some bran."

Liu Fugui walked over with a kind smile on his face, pointing his plump white finger at the crowd of hungry people outside the door, "You want bran, and they ask for rice. Master, should I continue this business?"

The guards burst into laughter, and no one noticed that there was a figure in the shadow of the grain market flagpole.

The old man was still begging, "Merciful master, please do me a favor and save my only child!"

Liu Fugui curled his lips in disdain and said, "Let the emperor do the good deeds. Uncle, I'll give you ten cents for this handful of chaff. Take it or leave it."

Before the old man could say anything, the refugees around him started to explode.

"I want thirty cents! Give it to me first!"

"I want seventeen cents. Can you give me more?"

"I want it, I want it..."

The price of rice was ridiculously high, and these poorly clothed refugees simply couldn't afford it.

Now when they heard that bran could be bought for ten cents a handful, they all rushed to the grain store like crazy.

Liu Fugui couldn't stop smiling. While directing his servants to pack the bran, he took the copper coins handed to him by the refugees.

He particularly enjoyed the pleasure of getting the money in his hands.

He kept counting the coins with his head down, not realizing that the surrounding environment had become quiet.

I stretched out my hand to take the money from someone, but I didn't expect to receive a cold hand.

Before he could see clearly, two Jinyiwei came forward and took him down.

A eunuch was standing at the door reading the imperial edict.

"..Secretly communicating with the Eastern Tartars, reselling military supplies, and driving up food prices are unforgivable crimes!"

(End of this chapter)