Chapter 494: Winter

Laughter drifted in waves from the courtyard. Juxiang and several maids were building a snowman in the garden, while Chen Xin's eldest son tottered beside them helping, now and then bursting into delighted giggles.

Chen Xin smiled knowingly. He lowered the two layers of blinds facing the garden, shutting the cold wind outside, then turned back and settled into a fox-fur-draped reclining chair, rocking leisurely.

Across from him, Liu Minyou was still calculating something over a small desk. Chen Xin narrowed his eyes and asked, "You get one rest day every ten days — what are you still busying yourself with?"

Without looking up, Liu Minyou replied, "Figuring out how much charcoal tribute to pay this year, and checking it against the Foreign Affairs Office's plan."

Chen Xin grunted in acknowledgment. Every year's end was the season for sending gifts to officials everywhere, generally even more generous than the summer ice tribute. With two rounds of payoffs each year, the Jingshi officials would at least remember who he was.

After calculating a while longer, Liu Minyou suddenly tossed his brush aside. "Wang Tingshi is buying New Year supplies from the trading company again — probably on credit, and once the debt piles up he'll never pay. And the eunuchs of the Twenty-Four Government Offices in Jingshi are once again purchasing the Inner Court's New Year goods from us this year, and last year's bill still hasn't been settled."

Chen Xin, eyes still narrowed, asked, "Has Song Wenxian evaluated it? Does Foreign Affairs think it's necessary to sell to them?"

"The problem is we can't collect the silver." Liu Minyou said impatiently. "Last year the Inner Court bought over seventy thousand taels' worth of goods, and so far they've only settled just over ten thousand. This year they owe another thirty thousand, mostly southern goods. What's infuriating is they've designated half of it as 'not up to standard,' treating it as inferior merchandise, and claim that out of respect for Lord Chen, they'll pay half price at most."

Chen Xin rocked his chair and let out a snort of laughter. After a moment he said, "The Inner Court's embezzlement tricks are all like this. But when they say they're doing it out of respect for me, that part is true. If an ordinary merchant were labeled 'not up to standard,' they might well end up with their family ruined and their lives destroyed. At least the Inner Court still gives us half price."

Liu Minyou, no longer in the mood to calculate, lay back in his own chair and asked, "Jingshi swallows four or five hundred thousand taels of our Liaodong tax every year. Add up what the trading company and Foreign Affairs Office spend on payoffs everywhere annually, and it exceeds a million taels — not far off from our military expenditure."

"But our revenue is growing even faster," Chen Xin said slowly. "Which shows the silver is well spent. More importantly, this silver goes straight into those officials' pockets, and many of them turn around and deposit it in Four Seas Bank. Nominally we're owed over a million in Liaodong tax, but we only get six hundred thousand in hand. Still, you can't calculate it your way — you should see it as gaining an extra six hundred thousand, not losing four hundred thousand. With our current limited strength, don't lament what we can't take. The payoffs in Jingshi are indispensable. If the Twenty-Four Offices want to buy goods, sell them some, and just treat it as part of the tribute silver."

Liu Minyou let out several long breaths. Managing finances and civil affairs every year, watching so much silver given away to those officials still pained him. In the early Chongzhen years, gift money had been manageable — an ordinary request or visit cost a few dozen taels. Now it had risen to two or three hundred, and Dengzhou Garrison could only follow the going rate. But there truly was no other way. So long as Dengzhou Garrison did not raise the banner of rebellion, the Foreign Affairs Office and the trading company still had to play by the Great Ming's rules.

He shook his head, pushing those vexing matters aside, and spoke to Chen Xin about winter. "Two snowfalls in a row — overland commerce is about to enter its winter hiatus, the port will freeze over soon, and farm work is impossible. These next three or four months will be pure consumption."

Chen Xin shrugged nonchalantly. "Isn't it like this every year? What's different?"

"This winter, the two cotton textile mills in Laizhou will continue production and start shipping after the new year. This year the three mills should produce around ten million bolts. With that industry driving things, we won't be idle in winter, and it will stimulate considerable economic vitality. Overall, Laizhou Prefecture's economy is now more active than Dengzhou's. Dengzhou's various districts are stagnant as dead water in winter, so I've thought of a way to liven up Dengzhou's economy as well."

"What way?"

Liu Minyou sat up and said earnestly, "Many of our combat troops come from Dengzhou's old garrison villages. These men have been saving their pay for a year or two. Around the Spring Festival, could we grant the combat troops leave to go home and spur consumption? There are now cart-and-horse services along all the major official roads. This movement of people would also help those services grow, and in the future it would be much more convenient for you to temporarily conscript transport teams."

The moment Chen Xin heard the words "transport teams," he perked up. He sat up at once and said, "That's a good idea. Laizhou to Dengzhou isn't too far. Anyone with over a year of formal military service could apply for leave to go home. These men have money — once home they'll want good food, they'll want to buy nice things for their children and elders, so naturally they'll spend. Merchants will have to restock, and the cart-and-horse services will get business. It's a fine idea. No one can attack Dengzhou in winter anyway. Just keep the First Battalion on alert in Qingzhou Prefecture."

Liu Minyou said, "Don't release them all at once. Stagger the leave in batches — that will sustain consumption, and the transport pressure on the cart-and-horse services won't be too great. Merchants will also have time to restock by land. We'll set up checkpoints along the roads to collect commercial taxes and build the habit of paying taxes. Right now we rely on monopolistic industries, but since your ambition is the whole realm, you can't depend on those forever. Someday we'll have to shift to taxation, yet at present taxes account for less than ten percent of our revenue."

"That's an excellent idea. Minyou, get on it at once. Dengzhou is where we started, but now Wendeng is gradually being overtaken by Pingdu Department. Let those veterans boost the economy — that's good. My only worry is that Dengzhou's goods won't be adequately stocked. If a large amount of military pay is suddenly withdrawn and spent there, it could drive prices sky-high."

"The general stores can transfer goods from various locations. At least the prices of major consumer goods won't spike. Some price increases for other commercial goods are only to be expected — otherwise merchants wouldn't venture out in the dead of winter. Nowadays the garrison villages have many small village trading companies, all partnerships among the garrison households. This spending will shift the soldiers' high pay into the service sector, redistributing social wealth. A reasonable price rise is acceptable. So, toward that end, I also plan to give the cigarette factory a month's holiday, so they too can go back to the villages and spend."

Chen Xin raised a thumb to Liu Minyou. "Brother Liu, you are indeed still the number one man in the Civil Affairs Department. Mo Huaiwen and Xu Yuanhua are at best executors — they could never make policy decisions like this. Tell me, Brother Liu, do you have any other brilliant schemes?"

Liu Minyou spread his hands. "No more brilliant schemes. There's plenty I'd like to do, but right now everything has to serve your war machine. So let's leave it at that for now. Just one more request: now that we're not short on recruits, could you clean out the personnel in your army? Discharge those ordinary soldiers who are only sons or who have too many children. Among the combat troops who died in battle this year, over thirty were the sole sons of their families, and more than a hundred had two or more children. The Civil Affairs Department can sustain it for now, but later you'll certainly be fighting continuous campaigns against the Jianzhou Bandits and the roving bandits, especially in that place Liaonan. If casualties are too heavy, the burden will be enormous. It's best to discharge those veterans with heavy family burdens and replace them — they could serve as sergeants in the reserves. Recruit more young men. That will ease the pressure on the Civil Affairs Department."

"I'll have to study that further, but I can have Li Donghua start by tallying up the only sons in each unit to see if there's room to replace them."

……

"Gou'er, your letter has been received. It's good that you're no longer playing those Tatar roles. Several soldiers from the neighboring village came back and said you were acting as a Tatar. Your mother here couldn't hold her head up in the village. The general store our family contracted brings in three to five taels of silver a month, steadier than that little grain shop before. Don't be a soldier anymore. Come straight home. Mother will find you a wife. You don't know, but Butcher Zhang from the village has come by several times, wanting to tie our families by marriage…"

Tang Wei lay on his bunk, smoothly finished reading the letter in his hand, tossed it aside listlessly, and picked up another sheet of letter paper. It was from Guan Xiaomei, with only a few short lines: "Fatty Tang, I'm with the Qingzhou theater troupe now. My mother wrote saying she won't let me perform anymore and is pressing me to return to Wendeng. What do you think?"

Xie Fei leaned over and said, "Fatty, Juanzi is also in the Qingzhou troupe. She wrote me saying Xu Pingjie has gone to see Guan Xiaomei several times, and Guan Xiaomei even went out with him once. Xu Pingjie's family now runs their own cart-and-horse service and a salt shop. Xu Yuanhua is back in favor, so the Xu family is a prominent household. You… you'd better stop waiting for Guan Xiaomei. Listen to your mother — go back to Aoshan Guard and tend the shop. Then I won't have to stay with you either. I'll go back to Huangxian. In a few years, once we have some capital, the two of us can partner up and start one of those, what do you call them, joint-stock trading companies."

Tang Wei murmured, "Joint-stock trading company?"

"I hear that as long as you pay taxes according to the regulations, you're under Dengzhou Garrison's protection. Any business disputes are adjudicated by the Industry and Commerce Office, and once a ruling is made, Dengzhou Garrison helps you seek justice."

Tang Wei shot Xie Fei a glance. "Sounds nice. But if a dispute arises with a Jiangnan merchant, is our Dengzhou Garrison going to march all the way to Nanzhili to seek justice?"

"Still better than the way you are. You're an only son — waiting hopelessly for Guan Xiaomei like this isn't worth it."

Tang Wei sighed. He was utterly dejected in this recruit camp. Last time he had beaten up Yuan Guzi, and as a result Yuan Guzi had become squad leader. Although Yuan Guzi had voluntarily joined them in punishment that very day, which slightly improved Tang Wei's opinion of the man, there was still considerable bad blood between them. The training afterward had only grown more grueling. Coupled with Xie Fei constantly talking about going back to Huangxian, Tang Wei was also starting to feel like going home.

Somewhat unwilling to let go, Tang Wei held up the letter in his hand. "Then why did she write to ask whether she should go back to Wendeng? I don't think she agreed to anything with Xu Pingjie."

"She hasn't agreed to anything with you either. Do you really believe you can earn a medal?"

Tang Wei sat bolt upright. He pointed at Xie Fei, about to curse, when suddenly the main door was thrown open. "Attention!" Several tall Garrison Provost soldiers strode in, followed by the training base's commanding officer and several unfamiliar officers.

Tang Wei scrambled to stand in the aisle. Squad leader Yuan Guzi ran over and saluted. "Recruit Company Thirteen, Second Platoon, Third Squad Leader Yuan Guzi, reporting to my lords!"

One officer barked loudly, "I'm the commander of the Second Guards Battalion. You can call me Zhong Laosi. My battalion is still short a few men. I hear your squad's training results aren't bad, so I came to take a look. Anyone want to serve in the Guards Battalion?"

Yuan Guzi suddenly said with agitation, "This humble one… this subordinate wishes to go. This subordinate…" He covered his face and sobbed twice, then continued, "This subordinate is the adopted son of Yuan Gusheng, who died in battle at Fuzhou. From the day Dengzhou Garrison took this subordinate in, this subordinate has heard of Lord Zhong's name. You were my adopted father's commanding officer."

The several officers all turned to look. Zhong Laosi asked in surprise, "You're Yuan Gusheng's adopted son?"

The two officers beside him also drew closer, studying the youth seriously, a trace of astonishment in their eyes.

Xie Fei whispered to Tang Wei beside him, "Fatty, one of them is Guan Xiaomei's brother, you see him? The one who beat you up in Qingzhou Prefecture."

Tang Wei whispered back, "I see him. This is fate between me and Guan Xiaomei. I'm not going back to Aoshan Guard, and you're not leaving either."

Just as Xie Fei drooped his head and agreed, Zhong Laosi over there patted Yuan Guzi. "You've trained well. Yuan Gusheng was a fine man — don't disgrace him. Consider this our fate. Lord Chen has transferred a batch of drummers from this cohort of young recruits to other units, freeing up over a hundred slots. Since you're the squad leader, I'll take your whole squad."

The training base commander leaned close to Zhong Laosi's ear and said, "There are a few craftier ones in this squad…"

Zhong Laosi waved a hand. "There are no soldiers who can't be trained. This squad is accepted. Register them."