Chapter 2270: Unstable Without Grain
No matter how Yi Haoran tried to fish for information, Zhu Fuyuan steadfastly refused to reveal his purpose in coming here. Instead, he rambled on about the various "enlightened policies" the Hair thieves had implemented after conquering Guangzhou—all of which sounded dull and meaningless to Yi Haoran.
Yet the man's evasiveness only deepened Yi Haoran's suspicions. In the midst of military chaos, with disturbances along the West River banks erupting constantly, neither land nor water routes were safe. Commerce had ground to a halt, and the roads were treacherous. What businessman would travel all the way from Guangzhou under such conditions?
Before Yi Haoran could probe further, Ah Chun and Luo Yangming returned together. He noticed that Luo Yangming showed no surprise at Zhu Fuyuan's visit. Though it was clearly their first meeting, both men carried themselves with the easy familiarity of old acquaintances.
This was truly strange. Yi Haoran's curiosity deepened. But the master wished to discuss business with his guest, and as a mere accountant, he had no reason to participate unless summoned. Reluctantly, he returned to the account room.
Something is wrong here. Yi Haoran sat in the account room with eyes closed, turning the matter over in his mind. A businessman with deep connections to the Hair thieves, traveling from Guangzhou to Wuzhou in times like these, surely had an ulterior motive. This could not possibly be a simple business trip.
As he was pondering how to gather more information, Ah Chun came in. "The Master sent me to ask—how much silver and grain do we have in inventory?"
Yi Haoran was stunned. They're actually conducting business?
Fortunately, trade had been slow lately, and the accounts were simple enough that he knew the figures by heart.
"Cash on hand: three hundred seventy-one taels, three mace, nine candareens, four cash. Total grain inventory across all categories: two hundred thirty-six shi, seven dou, one sheng, three he. Debts owed to and by us not included..."
"Your figures are indeed small," Zhu Fuyuan remarked upon hearing the numbers.
"To be honest, having even this much left in Wuzhou City now counts as being a large household." Luo Yangming sighed. "Xiong Wencan spent a month in Wuzhou, and the merchants here were tormented badly. More than a few couldn't recover and had to close their doors."
"Chief told me about this situation. I came to investigate the exact grain reserves in Wuzhou," Zhu Fuyuan said. "The Chief instructed me that this cannot be done through official channels—it must be investigated quietly."
"I can handle that. But I'll need a pretext. Merchants are all quite shrewd; no one is willing to show their cards right now." Luo Yangming smiled bitterly. "Not that anyone can blame them. We businessmen, even when drowning in debt, still have to act like lords when we step outside. After this disaster, many shops are operating at a loss, barely holding on."
Revealing one's bottom line meant becoming vulnerable to exploitation. In such turbulent times, some shops would inevitably survive—or even thrive—by swallowing their competitors. No one wanted to be the one swallowed.
Zhu Fuyuan had risen from shop assistant origins and understood this principle well. He nodded. "The Chief suggested we might offer some fragrant bait."
"The bait will have to be substantial and enticing enough to work," Luo Yangming replied.
"This matter will be handled by you. It will also benefit your future standing."
Zhu Fuyuan had indeed come not to conduct business, but on a mission.
This mission concerned the grain supply security of Wuzhou—and by extension, the entire Two Guangs region. That was why the Commercial Department had sent a special envoy to contact Luo Yangming.
Once war erupted in Two Guangs, the grain problem became the Planning Court's paramount concern. Guangdong could not sustain itself on local grain production and relied on imports from Guangxi. War had severed that supply line.
Trade could pause, but people could not stop eating. This was precisely why, despite fires burning everywhere and uprisings erupting constantly, the Senate had committed to taking Guangxi even when troops and cadres were stretched thin. At the very least, they needed to secure the mobile administrative zones of Guangxi. Without grain from these areas, Guangdong's eight million people would not only fail to become a productive force—they would become a crushing burden.
Although Zhu Quanxing's battalion was busy suppressing bandits around Wuzhou, preparations for the march into Guangxi had not paused for a moment.
But this created a second problem. Wuzhou's stored grain had been nearly depleted. The army advancing into Guangxi needed supplies immediately. According to reports from Wuzhou Prefecture and neighboring counties, grain reserves in various districts had fallen to critical levels. Administrators had resorted to price controls and rationing to maintain supply. This in turn spawned black markets and caused widespread unrest.
Because Wuzhou had once been the distribution hub for grain trade between the Two Guangs, its storage conditions were slightly better than elsewhere. But according to Xie Erren's reports, the situation in Wuzhou was equally dire. The city not only had a large population but also bore responsibility for procuring grain on-site for frontline captives and portions of the National Army and Fubo Army. Consumption was outpacing other counties.
Once people's hearts grew restless, the remnants of the Usurper Ming—who were fomenting chaos everywhere—would inevitably exploit the situation. If handled poorly, a small spark could ignite a prairie fire.
After discussions between the Planning Court and Commercial Department, they decided that maintaining public confidence required transferring grain into the western Guangdong region to guarantee both military and civilian supplies. The designated transfer point was Wuzhou.
As a commercial hub in western Guangdong, Wuzhou possessed a natural mercantile network radiating throughout the region. The Planning Court only needed to transport grain to Wuzhou, then distribute it through existing commercial channels, thereby alleviating the current supply crisis.
This decision had not come easily. It would exacerbate the already tense grain situation and trigger a cascade of problems: soaring prices, strained transport capacity, and increased dependence on imported grain. Though the continental strategy was proceeding smoothly, land, population, natural resources, and markets could not instantly transform into usable wealth. Yet the costs the Senate had to bear continued mounting.
"Right now, our accounts receivable keep climbing. Our income statements look unbelievably good. But our cash flow is starting to have problems," Cheng Dong had said at a secret meeting of the Planning Court and Ministry of Finance.
Even so, they had no choice but to forge ahead, collecting grain from multiple sources to put on the market. The purpose was simple: keeping social order stable.
This task could not be entrusted to Xie Erren. He had no commercial channels at his disposal and knew nothing about the grain trade. Official operations would only be exploited by merchants. So the grain transfer was assigned to Luo Yangming—one of their own.
According to the Planning Court's plan, Luo Yangming would step forward to organize merchants of the Wuzhou Rice and Grain Guild to pool resources and purchase grain in batches, then distribute it to various counties. The grain source would be provided by Dachang Rice Shop.
"...This work is critically important," Zhu Fuyuan said solemnly. "This rice is all imported from Nanyang. Although the landed cost is much lower than in Guangdong, transporting it thousands of li to Wuzhou still incurs significant expenses. We must minimize waste and embezzlement at every step."
"That's exactly why we're having them buy it!" Luo Yangming said. "When people spend their own money to stock goods, they're doing business—everyone will be careful. If we simply distributed relief, it would be a disaster. People would gorge themselves sick before lifting a finger." He asked, "When can the first shipment arrive? How much? What's the price?"
"The first batch is ten thousand shi," Zhu Fuyuan said. "It should arrive around July 1st. The price hasn't been set yet—we need to reference prices in various locations first. What's the current grain price in Wuzhou?"
Luo Yangming frowned. "Although there's a price freeze in effect, prices have still crept upward. Before Xiong Wencan arrived in Wuzhou, local coarse rice cost no more than one tael per shi—one tael four or five mace at most. Once the fighting started, it shot up past two taels in one breath. Now retail coarse rice has reached two taels eight mace per shi. At this price, common people simply can't afford to eat rice anymore."
"Public resentment must be running high."
"How could it not be? But we've implemented rationing—anyone with local household registration receives a monthly allotment at one mace five candareens per dou. Otherwise, there really would be famine." Luo Yangming continued, "Commerce has stalled in Wuzhou now, and all trades are depressed. Chief Xie wants to revive industry and commerce, so he's been summoning us to discuss countermeasures. But with fighting everywhere, simply no one dares come here to do business. Unemployed people are numerous, surviving on relief."
"I noticed there are no beggars on the streets..."
"They've all been taken in and locked up at Sanheui. They get a bowl of thin porridge to keep them from starving and are put to simple work."
"What's the market price situation?"
"Our Rice Guild has reached a consensus—we're not releasing goods on the big market right now. For temporary small market releases, it's two taels four mace five candareens per shi of coarse rice."
"So small market merchants are making a gross profit of only three mace five candareens."
"Correct. Fortunately, prices are higher downstream. I've heard black market prices have reached three taels four mace... which is far too high. Common people are cursing the Senate's mothers..." Luo Yangming sighed. "But honestly, selling coarse rice at our wholesale price means we lose money on every shi sold. So we sell at most a few shi daily before closing up, just to comply with the Municipal Government's orders..."
"What about Chief Xie?"
"He pretends not to know." Luo Yangming shook his head. "Honestly, what can he do? Even a clever wife cannot cook without rice. All he can do is target gentry and large households, asking them to pay the Reasonable Burden. You know how these gentry are—every one of them is an iron rooster, plucking not a single feather. But the Fubo Army's reputation precedes it, so these large households are willing to contribute something, at least. It fills some gaps."
Zhu Fuyuan nodded without speaking. The situation Luo Yangming described matched the briefing materials he had read before coming. No wonder the Chief had stressed the urgency of this special supply.
"Since that's the case, what do you think the price should be for this bulk market release?" Zhu Fuyuan asked.
Luo Yangming thought for a moment. "One tael two mace per shi of coarse rice. To push prices down and get the grain distributed, we need to leave merchants room for profit." A thought suddenly struck him. "Can this supply be maintained continuously?"
"It can," Zhu Fuyuan said with certainty. "You know how the Senate operates. Once they commit to something, they see it through. They never abandon things halfway."
"Then I'm reassured." Luo Yangming felt a weight lift from his shoulders. "Since ancient times, people have been unstable without grain. If problems arise with the grain supply again, whether we can hold onto Wuzhou is anyone's guess..."
Next Update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Part 474 (End of Chapter)