The fiercest soldier of the border army

In Xifangkou, a commoner's home was piled high with grain.

At the entrance, a crooked frame was erected with the words "Rice Shop" hanging on it, clearly a temporary structure.

The grain merchant was a grain peddler from Guanzhong, surnamed Zhao, and his laborers called him Manager Zhao.

Three days ago, he led a grain convoy into Wenchi, hoping to make a quick buck amidst the chaos.

Unexpectedly, the price of grain in Wenchi County rose steadily, from 200 wen to 260 wen.

Like most grain merchants, he observed the market and only sold a small portion of grain each day.

Even so, people rush to buy it every day, feeling the pinch but having no choice but to pay in order to survive.

These past few days, he has tasted the wonderful feeling of grain being as precious as silver.

But the good times didn't last long. On the high platform of the county government, the young and handsome pacification commissioner gave an order, and the price of grain plummeted instantly!

These grain merchants from other places were ignored, and all the local people spontaneously lined up to buy grain from the official granary.

Manager Zhao did the calculations.

Thirty coins were spent on coarse grains collected in Guanzhong. After deducting the cost of labor, losses, and travel expenses, each dou (a unit of dry measure) would cost at least fifty coins.

The government is currently distributing grain at 100 coins per dou (a unit of dry measure), and they say that more disaster relief grain will be transferred later. People are lining up to buy it, and it seems that there is a surplus of grain.

He didn't believe it.

Whose government granary could last this long?

Manager Zhao was already aware of these tricks, but he remained nonchalant and didn't take them to heart.

Squeak—

Just as he was feeling confident, a sickeningly loud creaking sound of a cart being pushed rang out.

"Bang—bang—"

Immediately following this were the rhythmic sounds of clappers.

"Disaster relief supplies are arriving in the city today! All non-essential personnel, please refrain from entering!"

"Disaster relief supplies are arriving in the city today! All non-essential personnel, please refrain from entering!"

Behind the clapper was a line of oxcarts, each carrying ten sacks of grain.

There were five hundred bushels!

This... is only today's disaster relief food?

Shopkeeper Zhang, whose social standing was evident, accidentally tore off a piece of his own beard.

If this continues, I'm afraid... grain prices will only get lower and lower!

On this trip, Manager Zhang even gave away his wife!

He entered the rented house and found it filled with grain!

Now, with the city gates sealed, he can't take it away.

If this continues, the grain will spoil, labor costs will accumulate, not only will all the capital be wasted, but we will also go bankrupt!

"I'm not waiting anymore!"

He spat, pulled a wooden sign from under the cart, dipped it in soot, wrote "Ninety-five coins a bushel" on it, stuck it out, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Grain for sale! Ninety-five coins per dou! Buy now, take now!"

His voice was hoarse, yet it was like a thunderclap.

Several people squatting in the corner nearby looked up.

One person approached hesitantly: "Really ninety-five?"

"The words are right here, in black and white!" Zhao the peddler declared confidently. "If you don't believe me, feel them; every grain is dry and clean, no sand mixed in!"

The man turned around and shouted, "It's true! Ninety-five!"

The crowd surged forward.

The people who were originally queuing outside the county government's granary began to stir. Some people, clutching their rice bags, hesitated for a moment before turning around and squeezing in this direction.

The queue loosened, and the crowd had shifted.

At the south entrance of the alley, behind another grain cart, a man wearing an old coat had a pale face.

He was Manager Li from Longyou, belonging to a branch of the Zhang family business. He originally wanted to cross the river by relying on a large ship, but now the small boat was about to sink, and the large ship was not necessarily stable either.

He stared at the throng of people moving in the direction of Xifang, gritting his teeth: "No rules! We agreed to stand together against a common enemy, and you're going to sell for ninety-five? You've opened the floodgates, and we'll all have to jump off a cliff!"

He abruptly flung open the carriage curtain and roared at his men, "Go! Bring the rice over! Put it out! Damn it, if he sells it, I'll sell it too!"

"Ninety coins a bushel! Anyone who wants to buy, weigh it now!"

Before he finished speaking, a crowd had already gathered around.

Someone exclaimed, "Ninety coins! Ten coins lower than the official price!"

One has two.

Out-of-town grain merchants are in complete chaos!

At Dongshikou, a small shop had just had half of its door panel removed when the owner peeked out, then turned and ran to the warehouse.

Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was over, a sign appeared at the door that read "Eighty-five coins per dou".

Upon hearing the news, the two rice shops in the north alley immediately followed suit.

The news spread like wildfire, and within half an hour, hawkers' cries could be heard from eight street corners.

"Ninety coins for a bushel!"

"Eighty-eight coins per fight!"

"Eighty-five cents per dou!"

"Eighty-three coins!"

"I have eighty coins here!"

Grain prices collapsed.

The price plummeted from 260 coins, prompting a frenzy of buying by the people and a dumping of grain by merchants. Nobody dared to wait any longer.

By noon, a voice echoed through the streets and alleys: "The price of rice in Wenchi has dropped to eighty coins per dou!"

Xie Anzhi heard these words in the South Market.

As he was inspecting a soup kitchen, he saw people holding bowls, drinking and talking, and a smile appeared on his face.

He was stunned and asked the constable beside him, "Where did the grain come from?"

"They're all sold by grain merchants from other places," the constable replied. "The government won't allow grain to be transported out of the city, so they can't hold on and simply lowered the price to dump their stock."

Xie An's hand trembled, and the bowl nearly fell to the ground.

He turned and left, ignoring the mud and water getting into the hem of his long robe, heading straight for the county government office.

When he pushed open the side room door, his chest heaved and sweat beaded on his forehead.

"My lord!" his voice was strained, "Grain prices... have come down!"

"Eighty coins a bushel! People are scrambling to buy them, the market is in an uproar! You...you foresaw this all along?"

Tang Shun was writing something when he heard this and looked up. His charcoal pencil stopped on the paper, and the ink slowly spread.

He glanced at Xie Anzhi. "What's the situation outside?"

Xie Anzhi looked excited. "Twelve private markets have opened in the West Ward, South Market, and East Alley, all for grain merchants from other places."

"The price has dropped from ninety-five to eighty-five, with the lowest price at eighty coins per bushel!"

"The people are buying grain so enthusiastically that no one is buying grain from the official granaries anymore!"

"In addition, the four major local business tycoons remain closed and no one in charge has been seen."

Tang Shun nodded, placed the charcoal pencil on the table with a soft click.

"What's this?"

Xie Anzhi's eyes widened: "This...is nothing?"

"This is just the beginning." Tang Shun stood up and walked to the window.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window, and Tang Shun shielded his eyes slightly. "Those selling grain now are smart people, but most are still waiting and seeing."

He turned around and said calmly, "Go, pass down the order to send men to buy up all the grain in the market that costs eighty coins, leaving not a single bushel."

Xie Anzhi opened his mouth: "Buy it? With whose money?"

"The official granary has money," Tang Shun calmly replied. "If it's not enough, use the gifts we received before. Register them, make a list, and pay according to the list. No forcibly taking anything."

"But... this is helping them get rid of their burdens!"

"It's not about helping," Tang Shun shook his head, "it's about forcing them. Let them know that if they dare to lower the price, they'll have to pay the full amount."

He paused, then asked, "Did the grain convoy enter the city today?"

Xie Anzhi cupped his hands in response, "They entered the city at Chenshi (7-9 AM) and have now been delivered to the official granary."

Tang Shun's lips curled up. "That's good. Send someone to tell the whole city that the new grain in the official granary has been delivered. Starting today, the price is seventy-five coins per dou, and it will be available to the public."

"What does this mean?" Xie Anzhi was slightly taken aback, but he knew that Tang Shun would not speak without reason. He respectfully replied, "This subordinate is ignorant, please enlighten me, Your Excellency."