Chapter 484: Each Has Their Own Difficulties

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the capital, the Chongzhen Emperor wore a worried expression. He addressed Cao Huachun, Liang Tingdong, and Luo Yangxing, who knelt below: "My three beloved ministers, all of you rise and speak."

After the three men stood, the Chongzhen Emperor first asked Liang Tingdong, "Minister Liang, tell me first about the situation in Jinan Prefecture."

Liang Tingdong bowed and said, "Xu Congzhi has already ascertained that the Dengzhou–Laizhou troops who entered Xincheng County belong to the forces of Qingzhou Regional Commander Geng Zhongming, and they have been plundering in the vicinity of the county seat. But Geng Zhongming's account differs from Xu Congzhi's. He sent a field report to the Ministry of War, saying only that the troops under Fan Shouye garrisoned in Qingzhou Prefecture made unusual movements, that his own main-force battalion could not defeat Fan Shouye, and therefore he fled west into Xincheng County in Jinan Prefecture to escape the brunt of the mutinous troops. Fan Shouye's forces have already moved south and surrounded the troops under Liu Zeqing, and the same is true of the militia battalion troops from Pingdu Department. Most of these troops come from the Dengzhou Left Brigade. They only grew restive after hearing about the Lu Chuanzong affair. Chen Xin is currently trying to suppress it."

The Chongzhen Emperor hesitated and asked, "Then what is the situation now? Do the mutinous troops have any intention of entering the Northern Metropolitan Region?"

Liang Tingdong slightly raised his head. "In reply to Your Majesty, only Geng Zhongming has entered Jinan Prefecture. The other Dengzhou Garrison troops are all in their respective defense zones, but they have left their barracks, and some have besieged the local county seats. Chen Xin sent a field report by sea, saying he is trying to contact those former subordinates who came from Dengzhou, but since they are now divided among different battalions, it is still uncertain whether they will listen to him."

The Chongzhen Emperor said with some anxiety, "Why did a single zuoting visit stir up so many troubles? Cao Banban, did Jiang Yuegui really molest the family members of Lu Chuanzong?"

Cao Huachun wailed loudly, "This old servant guarantees there was no such thing. Jiang Yuegui was an old hand under Luo Sigong, always very steady and prudent."

"Then, then why did such an affair erupt over at Lu Chuanzong's side? The Right Brigade and Left Brigade are making trouble at Wang Tingshi's place every day. And Geng Zhongming has even plundered his way into Jinan Prefecture! That Right Brigade, the Right Brigade…"

Liang Tingdong supplemented, "The Dengzhou Right Brigade is garrisoned at Lushun in Jinzhou. At the beginning of the year they recovered Fuzhou, and Zhu Guobin was given the title of Regional Commander while still managing the affairs of the Right Brigade. They were originally conducting operations near Gaizhou. After the unrest in Lushun and Jinzhou, Zhu Guobin has already halted the offensive against Gaizhou and rushed back to Jinzhou to suppress the mutinous troops. According to the field report he sent, there are also signs of instability in the nearby Dongjiang Garrison."

"This…" The Chongzhen Emperor turned to Cao Huachun. "Cao Banban, how exactly did Lu Chuanzong die? Has a conclusion been reached?"

"Your Majesty…" Cao Huachun hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping.

"Speak quickly."

"According to the news sent back by the other dangtou. This Jiang Yuegui, although not fond of women, was somewhat greedy for wealth and goods. This old servant had originally issued strict orders that no dangtou was to meet with local palace eunuchs, but as soon as Jiang Yuegui arrived, he sought out Lu Zhi, and then went to the residences of Wang Tingshi and Lu Chuanzong to conduct zuoting. Lu Chuanzong had a fiery temper and didn't quite understand Jiang Yuegui's ways, which led to some unpleasantness. Although Lu Chuanzong is dead, Jiang Yuegui was also killed by Lu Chuanzong. The Eastern Depot has already paid with his life."

Hearing of Jiang Yuegui's methods, the Chongzhen Emperor also frowned slightly. Only after a good while did he say, "That wretch stirred up such a huge calamity, and he just dies and that's the end of it. Then have the other dangtou sent back any news? What do they say about the situation in the Dengzhou–Laizhou area?"

Cao Huachun hesitated for a moment and then said, "In reply to Your Majesty, according to the other nine dangtou, the Dengzhou Garrison's Regional Commander Chen Xin, Liu Minyou, Vice Regional Commander Lu Chuanzong, Zhu Guobin, Zhu Daichun, and others have indeed committed unlawful acts. Their subordinates keep many military-household household slaves, and they have seized civilian lands in places like Pingdu Department and Laiyang. Among them, Chen Xin and Zhu Daichun have also committed acts like bullying men and violating women. Liu Minyou has over ten ships under him, transporting goods from Jiangnan to sell in places like Tianjin and Guannin. The remaining officers each have their own family businesses, some trading salt, some trading southern goods, and the matters of land seizure and slave holding are no less numerous. They have considerable conflicts with the local gentry and great clans. This time it looks like it's because of the Eastern Depot affair, but in truth, the various Dengzhou Garrison commanders have many conflicts with the local populace, and they are using this matter to erupt. Taking advantage of this, they are coercing and threatening those gentry…"

The Chongzhen Emperor stood up in anger and said, "How dare they allow their troops to run rampant and commit evil!"

Liang Tingdong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, in truth, the Dengzhou–Laizhou gentry also have matters of oppressing the camp soldiers. When Chen Xin was still in Wendeng, he had constant conflicts with the countryside. Later, relying on his prestige in Dengzhou–Laizhou, he kept the battalions suppressed, making the situation in Dengzhou–Laizhou stable. This time, when the Lu Chuanzong affair broke out, he was unable to keep them suppressed. And Liu Zeqing usually favored the local gentry, which is why he was surrounded by the Left Brigade and the militia troops this time. According to the urgent report that just arrived, that Liu Zeqing was, was…"

The Chongzhen Emperor pointed at Liang Tingdong with some alarm, "What happened?"

Liang Tingdong said in a low voice, "His camp was breached by the mutinous troops, and he has already been killed."

The Chongzhen Emperor slumped back into his chair. Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, one could hear a pin drop.

Liang Tingdong coughed once and continued, "Wang Tingshi has already ordered Chen Xin to lead the main-force battalion out to Pingdu Department and Qingzhou to suppress the rebellion. But this old minister feels that this matter should not be handled with large-scale military force. Dengzhou–Laizhou is full of arrogant soldiers and fierce commanders. Once they start killing each other again, the casualties will certainly be heavy. Now that Liu Zeqing is dead, Chen Xin should be ordered to use both suppression and pacification. There is no need to pursue Fan Shouye, Dai Zhenggang, and the others. The primary goal is to stabilize Dengzhou–Laizhou. The Dengzhou Garrison controls and chokes the Liao Sea, holds Liaonan in the north, and links to Dongjiang and Korea in the east. It absolutely must not fall into chaos. Just like the Dongjiang Garrison back then, which had been containing the Jianzhou bandits, but fell apart because of the Mao Wenlong affair and has not been able to recover its breath to this day. Now that the Jianzhou bandits are already weakened, we absolutely must not let internal strife ruin the excellent situation in Liaodong."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded slightly. "Does the Minister of War have any definite proposal?"

"This old minister requests that Your Majesty issue an edict to reprimand Jiang Yuegui. However, the family members of Lu Chuanzong need not be compensated, because he committed murder first. In addition, pacify the troops of the Dengzhou Garrison, quickly make up the full amount of this year's grain and fodder, and grant a general amnesty to all soldiers and officers who participated in this military mutiny…"

…

After Liang Tingdong left, the Chongzhen Emperor's eyes were dark and cold. He looked at Cao Huachun, who had remained, and asked, "In this military mutiny, was Chen Xin pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

Cao Huachun raised his head in astonishment and said, "This… Your Majesty, who told you that? None of the news sent back by the various Eastern Depot dangtou mentioned this point. Logically speaking, Chen Xin does not have this capability. The various battalions check each other by size. Chen Xin only has one main-force battalion of four thousand troops in hand. The troops, money, and grain of the other battalions are all managed by the Dengzhou–Laizhou Provincial Governor, the Coastal Defense Circuit, and the Army Supervisor. On what grounds could Chen Xin command the tens of thousands of troops in Dengzhou–Laizhou?"

The Chongzhen Emperor frowned and thought for a long while, finally letting out a long breath. Although somewhat unwilling, he could only set this matter aside for the time being. He then asked Cao Huachun, "Then what about the grain prices in the capital and along the Northern Grand Canal? The grain price in the capital is approaching five taels. Many commoners' households can no longer afford to eat. Have the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard found out who is driving up the prices?"

Cao Huachun hurriedly said, "This old servant has investigated everything clearly. It is some treacherous merchants hoarding and cornering the market, spreading rumors among the people, and then buying and selling at high prices to profit. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has already arrested ten grain shop shopkeepers and seized a batch of grain."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded and said, "These treacherous merchants are truly detestable. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has done well in this matter, but they must be even more diligent. How can grain prices be so high? I've heard that in past years it was only around one tael. This year it is already four times that. The people regard food as heaven; this must not be neglected. Five taels per dan is too expensive."

………

"Twenty taels per dan? Where can you buy it? It's already thirty taels." The door of the grain shop slammed shut with a bang. Zhang Zhongqi cursed in a low voice, turned around, and led his ox back toward his own village. Along the way, the fields were a scene of desolation; in many places far from water sources, not a blade of grass grew.

Some bondservants were driving oxen by the river, transporting water. Those oxen already looked thin and weak. Liaodong suffered a great drought this year, and because it is further north, the situation was even more severe than in Henan and Shandong. The land belonging to Zhang Zhongqi's household was said to be one shang, which is fifty mu, but not much of it was close to the river. More than half of the harvest had to be paid as banner tax to the banner. Tenant farmers in the Great Ming had to borrow at usurious rates to hand over their grain, and Zhang Zhongqi was not much different. The only difference was that they could go out raiding once a year and rely on that to supplement the family income.

Zhang Zhongqi felt the silver in his bosom. He had only brought twenty taels out, and as a result, he couldn't even buy one dan of grain. He couldn't help but turn his head and curse at that grain shop again.

That grain shop was opened by the household of the former jiala ejen. Later, after Manggultai died, Hooge took over the Plain Blue Banner. The former jiala ejen was implicated in the Manggunji rebellion. Not only was his head chopped off, but his wives, concubines, and assets were all distributed among several trusted followers that Hooge brought with him, one of whom became the new jiala ejen. The grain tax he collected was not a bit less, and he was even harsher toward the niru below.

Zhang Zhongqi did not understand what exactly was going on. In previous years at this time, it was only three to five taels of silver per dan. Last year, after they raided Lushun, it rose to ten taels, but after the eleventh month, it dropped a bit again. In any case, the silver they looted could support them. But this year, after returning from the raid on Xuanfu, grain prices climbed steadily, and the value of what he had gained in Xuanfu was visibly shrinking drastically.

He knew that Zhangjiakou had been looted by the Dengzhou Garrison and the Liaodong Garrison, and at the time they hadn't exchanged for much in the way of supplies. All the silver obtained in Xuanfu flowed back to Liaodong. But he did not know that Dengzhou had engineered an artificial grain shortage. After the grain shortage in Liaoxi, the Mongols couldn't buy grain even with silver, and naturally, Liaodong couldn't buy any either. Inflation had already appeared, reaching its peak at this time when the new crop was not yet in and the old stocks were running out.

Although Zhang Zhongqi was lucky enough to survive in Xuanfu, he lost everything he had gained along the Guangchang route. He also lost his own horse. The horse he had looted was given to Taketan. Although Zhang Zhongqi tried every means, his gains were still limited, and he didn't get a share of any bondservants either.

After returning to Liaodong, the White Armor Soldiers and armored soldiers of their niru were almost completely lost, and the niru ejen was replaced. This new superior paid more attention to the newly arrived wild Jurchens and had no interest in the remaining crippled and defeated soldiers of the original niru. Zhang Zhongqi no longer received the same care as before. Very little of the things distributed within the banner fell to him, and life gradually became difficult. He could only rely on his own farming. Now, faced with soaring grain prices, he began to worry.

Today, after asking around all day, the grain price had exceeded thirty taels per dan. This made Zhang Zhongqi tremble with fear. In the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, when the Later Jin's grain price reached its peak, it was eighty taels of silver per dan of rice, eighty times higher than the normal grain price in the past. Zhang Zhongqi only remembered that every day, people were dragged out and buried, and then people kept digging up the corpses to eat.

He did not know how he had survived that year, but he was certain that it was entirely by luck. If such a thing happened again, he very likely would not survive it.

Zhang Zhongqi calculated his family's savings in his mind and decided that he still had to buy grain today, no matter how expensive it was, because there were still nearly two months until the autumn harvest. According to his experience, the later it got, the more expensive it would be.

But now there were four mouths to feed: the mute father and daughter, and a child. Back then, Zhang Zhongqi only had to look after himself. Now he had to care for an entire family. No matter how he calculated, he couldn't use all the silver at once. They could only all eat more sparingly.

Zhang Zhongqi felt his smooth, bare forehead and muttered to himself, "If it really comes to it, I'll go borrow some from Taketan's household. Anyway, I have to keep them all alive." (To be continued. Please search, the novel is updated better and faster!

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