Chapter 470

In the fourth month of the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign, the various forces that had answered the imperial summons in Xuan-Da gradually returned to their original posts. The troops from Dengzhou and Liaozhen were ordered not to return via Juyong Pass. The Liaozhen forces took the Zijing Pass route, while Wang Zhangfu led the main army slowly, returning to the plains via Daoma Pass and Zhubokou.

The Long Qibing returned to Linxian. This unit had drawn the attention of the imperial court, and a new establishment for a Zhending Regional Commander suddenly appeared in the court's military structure, commanding one main-force battalion and one mobile corps battalion. Nominally, this was to better secure the various passes of Mount Taixing, but the mobile corps' station was already near Wu'an, making its intent toward that Long Qibing unit abundantly clear.

As soon as the Long Qibing returned to Linxian, a troop transfer order came down from the Ministry of War, ordering them to follow Zhu Daichun to Huguang to suppress bandits. This force split into two: one part ostensibly went to Henan, but the majority dispersed into the Linxian fortified villages. The over seven thousand refugees rescued in Xuan-Da were also settled in Linxian.

Wang Zhangfu's imperial-service army passed through Baoding Prefecture and headed for Tianjin, preparing to board ships there for the return journey. Zhong Lao also followed the main army back to Denglai. Because Wang Zhangfu's adjutant had quietly informed him of the subsequent arrangements, Zhong Lao was in a very relaxed mood, spending the entire journey thinking about training the Young Guard Corps.

Wang Zhangfu was also aware of this arrangement and temporarily appointed Zhong Lao as the training advisor for the Guard Corps, allowing him to build rapport with the soldiers. Along the way, Zhong Lao recounted battle examples to these young soldiers. His temperament proved immensely popular within the Young Guard Corps; whenever they made camp, a crowd of youths would gather around him, waiting for him to tell stories of warfare.

Zhong Lao had participated in nearly every campaign of the Dengzhou Garrison and had served in every branch of the army. Whether it was the Mandarin Duck Formation, the pike square, or the musket line, he could expound on them in great detail. He even understood cavalry tactics, and in the eyes of those young soldiers, he became a god of war.

And Zhong Lao also grew fond of this battalion. These youths had all come from the fortified-village literacy classes and possessed a cultural foundation. Many could draw maps and read compasses, and they also had a grounding in formations and firearms. Training them was far easier than training those garrison farmers; their learning ability was extremely strong. They could rapidly grasp all of Zhong Lao's ideas and also proposed many wildly imaginative notions of their own. This youthful passion also influenced Zhong Lao.

Over six thousand men and horses lingered in Tianjin, waiting for the Dengzhou and Wendeng naval squadrons to transport them. By the beginning of the fifth month, they still had not finished shipping out. Zhong Lao finally found some time to go out and revisit familiar places in Tianjin. In the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, he had still been a boat tracker at Zhangjiawan and had briefly stopped in Tianjin then. Afterward, he had taken a boat to Weihai, a journey that had changed his entire life.

He made a circuit outside the city, then entered the Tianjin garrison city. As soon as he stepped onto Zhenhaimen Avenue, he saw several places buzzing with noisy crowds. Zhong Lao, ever one to rubberneck, squeezed over for a look. They were several grain shops, and many people were howling, clutching grain sacks.

Curious, Zhong Lao asked a person next to him, "There's no fighting. Why are they scrambling for grain?"

That person glanced at the military uniform Zhong Lao was wearing and rolled his eyes at him. "Isn't it all thanks to you Dengzhou soldiers? Why are you lot lingering in Tianjin, buying up so much grain? From the time you arrived, the grain price has gone from one tael two mace to one tael five mace. And yesterday, of all things, it jumped three mace in a single day."

Zhong Lao retorted indignantly, "Our Dengzhou Garrison went off to fight the Tatars! Now we can't even buy a bit of grain on the way back? We didn't take it from your home. Besides, once we leave, the grain price will drop again."

"That only happens after you're gone. Right now, the grain price is rising daily, and every grain shop refuses to sell, holding out for higher prices. Where do you expect us to find food?"

Zhong Lao waved his hand dismissively. He couldn't reason with this man; it was clearly the grain merchants being crafty and deceitful, yet he insisted on blaming the Dengzhou Garrison. Zhong Lao followed Zhenhaimen Avenue west, exited the West Gate, and reached the Grand Canal. Back when he was a boat tracker at Zhangjiawan, he had often come to Tianjin, mainly staying by the canal. Little had changed here, and Zhong Lao could recall many memories of those years. Back then, a single tracking trip barely earned him enough to eat for a few days, but now he was an officer commanding over a thousand elite troops.

After walking a circuit along the riverbank, he saw that the grain shops along the river had likewise hung up "Sold Out" signs. Even the cotton cloth shops were the same. Many merchants from Jingshi and Tongzhou were pacing anxiously, clustering in groups and exchanging various bits of hearsay.

After thinking for a moment, Zhong Lao took off his military uniform and held it in his arms, wearing only his cotton undergarment as he edged closer to listen to the merchants talking. The group he was listening to included merchants from Dezhou, Linqing, and Tongzhou, and several of them were in the middle of a discussion.

"In Tongzhou, someone is selling grain at a high price. I heard the one selling the most is the Four Seas Trading Company. Several other grain shops run by high-ranking court officials are also buying. There's word from Jingshi that the roving bandits have gone to Huguang, so grain prices were bound to rise this year, but no one expected them to rise this early."

"Ah, they always say, 'When Huguang ripens, the world is fed.' When the roving bandits went to Henan, we should have thought of this. If Huguang is ravaged, then... then won't grain prices double? Damn it, why didn't I think of this sooner?"

Another person with a Shandong accent said, "Linqing and Dezhou are also scrambling for grain. As soon as grain boats from the south arrive, before they even pass the customs checkpoint, people go to bid up the price and buy. The grain price in Linqing is already one tael six mace, and who knows how much more it's risen these past few days. Those grain merchants are offloading the grain right at Linqing; where is Tianjin supposed to find stock?"

"Well then, let me ask, why is cotton cloth also rising? I didn't come here to buy grain. I only wanted to buy some cotton cloth produced in Denglai. Tongzhou said they had none, Tianjin also has none. Don't tell me it's only available in Jinan Prefecture? But coming overland from there, it'll be much more expensive."

"Someone is also buying up the cotton cloth in Tianjin. I heard a bandit group is heading straight for Nanzhili. If, by any chance, they can't hold it, the price of cotton cloth could multiply several times over."

Another person asked urgently, "Who? Who did you hear say that roving bandits are heading for Jiangnan? What I heard is that one group went to Huguang, and another is still circling in Henan, supposedly about to attack Kaifeng."

"Ah, no matter where they strike, neither Huguang nor Nanzhili can afford chaos. If the prices really get that high, fewer people will be able to afford to buy."

"You're worried about fewer people being able to afford it, but right now we can't even get the goods. We should all be thinking about where to find stock..."

Zhong Lao listened with some surprise. It seemed the grain shortage wasn't limited to Tianjin. He gave a derisive snort. "I'm going to go set that fellow from earlier straight. This is clearly a scramble for grain happening everywhere, and it has absolutely nothing to do with our Dengzhou Garrison."

The Tianjin headquarters of the Four Seas Trading Company. This location was the juncture of the company's Beizhili commercial sphere and the Grand Canal commercial sphere. It was now under the separate management of Wang Erya and served as the command post for Dengzhou's economic warfare this time.

Tianjin was where the Four Seas Trading Company's influence was most firmly entrenched. The Dengzhou Garrison had passed through here on both of its imperial-service expeditions. Moreover, since Chen Xin and Liu Minyou hailed from Tianjin, they enjoyed the highest level of public recognition here. The place was very close to Jingshi, and figures like Wen Tiren and Liang Tingdong wielded considerable influence here. Local officials simply dared not oppose Dengzhou's business interests; on the contrary, quite a few other trading companies took their cues from the Four Seas Trading Company.

"Revise this piece of false news. Say that the Jianzhou Bandits are certain to invade Jingshi this year, that their forces are already on the march, and that's why everyone is hoarding grain." Wang Erya crossed out an item with her brush and spoke to Lu You beside her.

"Yes, I'll add a few more place names to make it seem more authentic," Lu You said, rapidly taking notes.

Wang Erya looked at another item. "The roving bandits have already passed Xiangyang. You might as well exaggerate it further. Say one group has gone to Hanzhong, and another has successively breached major cities in Huguang. The entire area along the Han River is devastated, and Huguang fears a total crop failure this year. Also, exaggerate the news of the severe drought in Jiaxing Prefecture, Jiangnan."

Lu You said smugly, "Yes, Chief Steward Wang, an excellent stratagem. This will set the entire Beizhili scrambling for grain, and best if it spreads to Shaanxi and Xuan-Da."

Wang Erya rubbed her reddened eyes. "This was decided by Lord Chen and Lord Liu. I am merely refining their strategy."

"It still requires you, Chief Steward Wang, to oversee it," Lu You said with a touch of admiration. "Relying solely on our trading company's purchases, the price wouldn't have risen this much. The moment you, Chief Steward Erya, made your move, simultaneous purchasing began north of Linqing, triggering other grain merchants to hoard in anticipation of higher prices. At the same time, they also joined the scramble for grain. This way, the common people will spontaneously scramble to store grain in their homes. That quantity is immeasurable. In the short term, the Grand Canal's transport capacity is limited and simply cannot stabilize grain prices."

Wang Erya now also spoke with some pride: "Jiangnan no longer produces much grain these days. Tribute grain mostly comes from Huguang and Jiangxi. This year, with the roving bandits heading to Huguang, everyone will assume the autumn harvest will be poor. The south will also stockpile grain. Once grain prices in the north soar, it will trigger panic buying in the south as well, and the grain price will rise. At the very least, it won't fall until after the autumn harvest in Huguang and Sichuan. Then we can slowly stabilize prices from south to north. By the time grain prices in the north drop, it will already be winter, and southern grain won't be able to be shipped north. Let's see where the Jianzhou Bandits go to buy grain then."

Lu You sighed in admiration, "Chief Steward Erya, the most formidable part of your move is causing panic among the common people, making them all store extra grain at home. The purchase volume will suddenly surge in the short term. Even if we didn't hoard grain, prices would still skyrocket. According to yesterday's news, the grain price in Guan-Ning is already two taels and five mace per shi."

"But don't forget the objectives of Lord Chen and Lord Liu. The primary goal is to crush those doing business in Liaoxi. Tell those major merchants who are hoarding grain with us that everyone must coordinate their steps. Wait until grain and cloth prices in Guan-Ning have soared, then offload goods together. Slowly release grain in Tianjin and Jingshi to maximize profits, but deliberately suppress prices only in Liaoxi. Once we've crushed those old Liaoxi merchants, we can slowly divide the benefits of Liaoxi among ourselves. The profit split is negotiable. By next year, things will be easy. Every bit of that Liaodong military tax in Liaoxi will be earned by us."

Lu You said with some concern, "But what if Wu Xiang and his ilk are selling grain themselves, and then in Liaoxi..."

Wang Erya said dismissively, "What are you afraid of? Would Wu Xiang dare to touch our Four Seas Trading Company? Does he not want to earn silver from the Mongols anymore? Does he not want his cigarettes anymore? Besides, the merchants acting together with us all have high-ranking court officials backing them. Wu Xiang can't afford to offend them either."

Lu You chuckled, then shook his head and said, "It's all within your calculations, Chief Steward Erya. But what if the imperial court or the government office in Tianjin comes to investigate hoarding and price gouging?"

"The court's moral character is just like that. We'll handle those local officials ourselves. Have the Foreign Affairs Department figure out a way to manage the capital officials. Also, speak with Wang Zhangfu and have him leave a Company Commander's unit in Tianjin. In any case, let him figure out his own method, but he must stay at least until the seventh month. That will make things secure."

Lu You stroked his chin. "But what method could be thought of..."

Without even raising her head, Wang Erya said offhandedly, "Just say there are no boats to return, or stir up some dispute with the naval squadron and wait for the court to mediate. How simple are these matters?" (To be continued...)