Chapter 330: Half a Day

Although the population of Xining Prefecture, which had only forty thousand commoners, suddenly ballooned to nearly one hundred twenty thousand, Liu Laoye didn't consider this a problem at all — he was completely unruffled.

Liu Laoye felt that as long as his second son came back alive from the south, the desperate crisis would be over.

Whatever remained was at worst danger, and even that danger had nothing to do with these people in Xining — it only referred to his nephew Chengzu still being in the south and not yet returned.

More people was a good thing. What did it matter if there was no grain? The Marshal's headquarters had such troops and horses — was there any fear of having no grain to eat?

Even in northern Shaanxi, where the land stretched a thousand li of barren red, there were people who never went hungry meal to meal, let alone in Xining, where grain was plentiful.

So Liu Laoye didn't take any of these matters to heart at all. Under no circumstances must these trifles interfere with Lion's current primary mission: selecting a consort.

Liu Xiangyu handled some official business in Xining city, arranging for the refugees to systematically reclaim land west of Xining before the freeze set in, and incidentally sent some rations and farming tools to Chen Shiwen at Eight Corners City.

After that, he handed government affairs over to a few students, called two personal attendants, brought some rations, and rode eastward on horseback.

The place Liu Laoye was heading to was Chuankou, near the horse pasture of the Guyun Battalion two hundred li east of Xining. There was a small city of two li there, formerly called Guyun Fort, now the imperial court's Baan Sanchuan Camp garrison, with one thousand forty government troops and a commander holding the rank of Garrison Commander.

However, Liu Xiangyu was not going there to seek out the camp soldiers, but to visit someone nearby — the Eastern Li Tusi of Xining, Li Tianyu.

Inside the Eastern Count's Residence, the ancestral home of the Li Tusi, accompanied by the clatter of hoofbeats, Li Tianyu rode in high spirits across the horse grounds spanning a hundred paces square.

This place was called the Eastern Count's Residence because an ancestor of the Li Tusi had once been enfeoffed as Count of Huining. Although the title was later stripped, people in the Hehuang region still referred to the Li family this way.

He spurred his horse galloping along the riding track, drew his bow full, and feathered arrows thudded one after another into the straw targets with wooden cores at the center of the grounds — the human-shaped straw targets quivered slowly from the impact.

Whenever a feathered arrow grazed the straw man and stuck into the soft earth of the opposite riding track, as Li Tianyu raced past, he would swiftly lean down from horseback, using the tip and string of his bow to twist and scoop up the arrow, then shoot it into the target.

Until someone outside the horse grounds shouted through the wooden gate: "Dada, a big official bearing a seal has entered Chuankou."

Li Tianyu slowly reined in his horse, his expression darkening with displeasure at being interrupted by a servant: "A big official bearing a seal?"

The dozen or so nearby fortified villages all belonged to the Li Tusi household. Every family was connected by kinship and all knew each other well. Ordinarily, no outsiders ever came through. Even if someone came to visit, they should first send a name card to arrange a time — who would come barging in so rashly?

Another report came from outside the horse grounds: "He came from the west."

At these words, Li Tianyu's expression relaxed, all doubt clearing from his face. From the west — that made sense. That gang of rebels in Xining had the least regard for propriety.

He gave a light laugh, with no intention of dismounting, and said: "Then invite him into the family temple and have him wait... How old is this man?"

As far as he knew, people from the west truly had no sense of decorum. The rank badge of an official robe might be worn on a person, or it might be worn on a horse. And none of them liked to wear an official seal — wearing an official seal was useless anyway.

Those soldiers were each more unruly than the last. Even the veterans of Xining Guard, Zhenhai Camp, and Fuqiang Fort had all picked up this bad habit under Liu Chengzu's influence — they recognized the person, not the seal.

Li Tianyu had suffered plenty from this. Now, as the Commander of Xining Guard, he no longer had the authority to mobilize the banner troops of Xining Guard. People only recognized Liu Chengzu's face.

So walking around the Hehuang valley with one of those Liu-bandit official seals hung on you was just strange — it was a decoration.

West of Xining, they recognized the person, not the seal — wearing it or not made no difference.

East of Xining, people didn't recognize that seal — wearing it or not also made no difference.

"A man, nearing forty, looks rather refined..." The servant outside the door struggled to describe him, truly unable to think of any more words, and finally said with certainty: "Always holding a tobacco pipe!"

At the mention of the tobacco pipe, Li Tianyu's heart went thump. He knew it was Liu Xiangyu who had come. He immediately swung off his horse and strode quickly over: "Invite him into the study to wait. Watch the clock — I'll be there in a quarter hour."

Even knowing it was Liu Xiangyu, Li Tianyu still had to make him wait. There was no other reason — he knew what Liu Xiangyu had come for: grain.

It was no secret that Xining was now flooded with large numbers of Mongol captives and surrendered people. With the population exploding, no method could resolve the grain shortfall.

Yet just two months ago, the court had massed troops at Lanzhou, and Li Tianyu had just paid the court fifteen hundred dan of autumn grain as tusi tax. Now Liu Xiangyu was coming to demand grain from him. Li Tianyu had it, but didn't want to give it — yet had no way to refuse. So he absolutely had to make Liu Xiangyu wait.

Using a bit of waiting to slightly lower his expectations.

After all, giving a little less counted for something.

Liu Laoye was not the least bit anxious. On this trip, he was determined to succeed. Upon entering the Eastern Count's Residence and hearing that they wanted him to wait in the study, he agreed with a beaming smile: "This old man has already traveled two days to get here — a little while longer makes no difference."

He then followed the servant into the study and sat upright. He even had the leisurely mood to stand by the window and gaze at the pavilions, terraces, and towers of the Eastern Count's Residence. This tusi manor, compared to the Marshal's headquarters he had built for his son, seemed to possess more aesthetic taste.

Meanwhile, in the inner chamber of the rear hall, separated from the study by over a hundred paces, Li Tianyu stood with arms outstretched before a bronze mirror as maidservants bustled about, dressing him garment by garment.

This bronze mirror was Li Tianyu's treasure — a Han dynasty light-penetrating mirror. Unlike the sand-casting method used for recent mirrors, it was cast using the ancient and costly piece-mold casting technique, yielding superb quality. The mirror surface had been wiped with tin and mercury and carefully polished open with white felt. Moreover, because the mirror surface was ground extremely thin and the bronze casting was uneven in thickness, when light struck the mirror surface, it could project the pattern on its back onto the wall.

Only, at this moment, the mirror's owner was in no mood to appreciate the wondrous sight of light penetrating the mirror. He merely stared at his reflection in the bronze mirror, muttering to himself, his mind entirely occupied with how to evade and plead hardship.

In but a moment, a servant came to the door holding a brass egg-shaped clock and said: "Dada, the time has come."

Li Tianyu's grandfather had been Qinghai's first military jinshi. During the Wanli reign, he first served as an Assistant Commissioner in the Southern Pacification Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and later took charge of the Eastern Bureau. This brass egg-shaped clock was an early Western-style clock, a replica of an imperial tribute item of the time. It had only one hand and was not very accurate in timekeeping, but as an imperial reward, it held extremely high value.

Hearing the servant's words, Li Tianyu drew a deep breath and thought to himself: What must come cannot be avoided.

With that, he smoothed the creases from his robe and strode out of the chamber, heading toward the wind-and-rain covered corridor.

His pace was unhurried until he neared the study, whereupon he quickened his steps. Without waiting for the servants outside to open the door, he pushed it open himself and entered, a warm smile on his face as he stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Aiyo, the Grand Elder has come in person — you utterly overwhelm this junior. Why did you not send word ahead? This junior would have gone to Xining city himself to listen to your instruction!"

"Grand Elder" was an honorific, generally used to address another person's father, and also used as a respectful term for the local magistrate of a place.

Liu Xiangyu knew full well that this tusi's enthusiasm was entirely feigned — in his heart, he probably wished he could sweep him right out. So he did not rise, but gently tapped his tobacco pipe and took a puff, giving a scoffing laugh as he said: "General Li is too kind. This old man heard from my worthless son that ever since the fighting started in the south, the General has not visited Xining Guard again."

Li Tianyu chuckled as he rose, thinking to himself: Xining Guard recognizes the person, not the seal — what would I go there for? If it weren't for your fine son seizing all the authority of Xining Guard, I'd sit in the Xining Guard Commander's chair until it collapsed without ever shifting my backside.

Regarding such a matter that both understood perfectly well, Li Tianyu offered no reply. He rose, held the teapot, and filled a cup to the brim for Liu Laoye on the table, then asked: "For the Grand Elder to come today, could it be that something has happened in Xining?"

"General Li need not stand on ceremony with this old man. Liu is no troublesome guest. Please, sit, dismiss your attendants, and let us talk in detail."

Li Tianyu complied readily, dismissing the servants and maids from the study. Sitting down, his face still brimmed with earnest concern: "Grand Elder, please speak."

Liu Xiangyu extinguished his pipe and said with a solemn expression: "Ever since the sea brigands rose in revolt, a great many people have flooded into Xining. Now there is a grain shortage, as I'm sure General Li knows. Liu has come precisely for this matter."

"Ah, the Grand Elder came all this way just for this?"

"This matter..."

Li Tianyu assumed a pose of deep contemplation for a moment, as if steeling his resolve. He rose and cupped his fists: "My Li clan has served the court loyally for generations. Matters in the west are not properly my concern, but since the Grand Elder has come in person today, this junior cannot fail in courtesy. However, I have just paid the court's grain tax. How about this — five hundred dan of clean flour, delivered into Xining within the month."

Liu Xiangyu said nothing, only fixed his gaze steadily on Li Tianyu. His face betrayed no ripple of emotion, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Li Tianyu's cupped hands slowly lowered. He sighed and said: "There are over a dozen tusi houses in Xining. The Marshal's headquarters lacks grain — surely the Grand Elder cannot just seize upon me alone?"

"Of the thirty thousand households in Hehuang, the Li surname accounts for half. The price of grain in Xining is decided by General Li's single word." Liu Xiangyu lifted his eyelids and looked at Li Tianyu: "If Liu does not seek out General Li, whom else could he seek?"

Li Tianyu let out two hearty laughs and sat back down: "There are indeed many people surnamed Li in Hehuang, and many are indeed of my clan, but they have long since passed beyond the five degrees of mourning. Besides, even if we are one family, I cannot go door to door demanding grain from them."

Having said this, Li Tianyu shifted his tone and said: "I do have an idea. Let the Grand Elder hear it and see if it might work... May I ask how much grain and fodder the Grand Elder is short?"

Without the slightest change in expression or quickening of his heart, Liu Xiangyu raised his hand and extended two fingers over the table, then spoke: "One hundred thousand dan."

One hundred thousand dan?

Li Tianyu choked, the rest of his words stuck in his throat. He caught his breath, then glared and said, "This junior is sincerely trying to think of a solution for Grand Sir — please don't toy with me. Feeding how many people would take a hundred thousand dan of grain and fodder!"

Li Tianyu had long known that a grain shortage had arisen in Xining, and that among the four Lius — Liu Xiangyu, Liu Chengzu, Liu Chengzong, and Liu Chengyun — sooner or later one of them would come looking for him.

So he had specifically calculated this grain crisis at the Marshal's headquarters. By his reckoning, it was actually no crisis at all — the headquarters' stored grain should be sufficient.

Because he himself had a stake in the very granary Liu Chengzong built inside Xining city, he had a rough idea of the grain reserves. The Liu family had taken Xining and managed it skillfully; under normal circumstances, they had enough to last past the coming year.

Li Tianyu analyzed with absolute conviction: "Eighty thousand Tibetan and Mongol refugees have flooded into Xining. Reckoning forty thousand adults and forty thousand children: each adult consumes three dou of rice per month, each child one dou and five sheng. To last until next year's autumn harvest requires one hundred eighty thousand dan of grain."

Liu Xiangyu looked at Li Tianyu with eyes full of approval. This Li chieftain was quite capable. By "adults" and "children," he meant grown-ups and kids, and the ration amounts were very generous relief standards.

Such relief grain was already enough to sustain the disaster victims through some labor, and a living standard of nearly four dan of grain per person per year was actually higher than what many of the original inhabitants west and north of the lake enjoyed.

Only, because these were relief-grain calculations, what was being discussed here was processed rations. Converted to raw grain, it would be roughly two hundred thirty thousand dan.

Li Tianyu spread his hands. "Xining's grain reserves are not small. Even counting rations for ten thousand troops, it's still roughly enough. Where would a shortfall of a hundred thousand dan come from?"

"General Li's calculations are correct."

Liu Xiangyu nodded with complete candor, then said, "However, the troops of Xining Prefecture do not number ten thousand, and there are also craftsmen to feed. So this old man is not making an exorbitant demand — I am speaking in all honesty. The grain shortfall is indeed one hundred thousand dan."

"Th-that…"

Li Tianyu truly had not anticipated this situation and was momentarily flustered. Shaking his head, he said, "Then I fear this junior cannot help Grand Sir. I had originally thought to convene the various chieftains to discuss raising grain to weather the crisis, and perhaps we could have raised seven thousand dan of rice for Xining."

The gap was simply far too large.

Moreover, the troop numbers at the Marshal's headquarters made Li Tianyu even more uneasy.

These chieftains were all local emperors within their own domains, but now, across the entire Hehuang Valley, they existed as if trapped in a crevice, and the last thing they wanted was to see the Marshal's headquarters grow stronger.

"That is precisely why this old man has come to call on General Li." Liu Xiangyu said, "The Li clan holds a monopoly over the Hehuang grain market and can surely purchase rations. Xining can buy."

At the word "buy," Li Tianyu's expression changed, and he immediately regained his composure. "Grand Sir must know that the court has sealed the Lanzhou river mouth, every region has closed its passes, and with the population surging and the common folk in panic, the Xining grain market has lately been one price in the morning, another in the afternoon."

"Even so, very little grain is being released into the market. The Hehuang Valley has only so much grain — no matter how much more one wants, there is simply none to buy. A ten percent rise in grain prices is enough to cause panic among the people. Now, because the Marshal's headquarters is short of grain and buying in bulk, prices have already doubled. If more grain is transported in and bought up entirely by the headquarters…"

Li Tianyu shook his head. "Has Grand Sir considered that Hehuang is narrow and densely populated, with farmers making up no more than three in ten? With grain prices soaring, how are all the long-term and short-term laborers, the craftsmen great and small, supposed to survive?"

"General Li speaks truly, and that is precisely why I have come to you — for the people to survive."

Liu Xiangyu was fully aware of all this. Far from being moved, he felt a sense of the dagger emerging from behind the map.

What he had come for was not grain. Grain, in his eyes, was a minor matter. What he wanted was Li Tianyu himself — he wanted the chieftains to serve his purposes, to clear the obstacles for the Lion's advance on the river mouth.

He leaned back, straightened his posture, and spoke as if issuing orders: "First, have one hundred thousand dan of grain and fodder transported into Xining. Second, stabilize the Xining grain price at one tael and five mace of silver per dan, with no change for one year. The one hundred fifty thousand taels of silver for purchasing grain will be delivered at any time."

Shock mingled with surging anger in Li Tianyu. Getting a hundred thousand dan of grain from outside was very difficult, but if one could pay the price, it was not impossible. But to get a hundred thousand dan of grain and also stabilize the grain price — that was absolutely impossible.

He turned his head, his gaze turning vicious, and said through gritted teeth, "This junior respects Grand Sir, but do you truly think I, Li, am afraid of you?"

"The court has stationed heavy troops at Lanzhou — naturally General Li is not afraid. Lanzhou has the great river as a natural barrier before it and a strong city with heavy troops within. Though the realm today is in chaos and the years are dire, and the court has long been in a state of decline, taking that city is still beyond my Lion Cub's ability at present. Even having General cut Liu down right here or bind me and send me to the court is not out of the question."

Having said this, Liu Xiangyu's expression shifted. "Yet the Hehuang Valley would bear the brunt. Smashing forts and razing stockades would be as easy as turning over one's palm. Eternal wealth and honor destroyed in a single day — what boldness does the General possess, that he dares to starve them?"

"Better to do as I say: find every means to procure grain and transport it to Xining. On the day the matter is accomplished, this old man can promise that one son or nephew of the General's clan shall be enfeoffed in the western lands, and the General's ancestral rank of Count shall be restored with added honor. Henceforth we shall share the same boat through fair and foul, rising as the waters rise — could that not fulfill your aspirations that reach the clouds?"

With that, Liu Xiangyu rose, cupped his hands in salute, turned, and walked toward the door. "Liu has said all he has to say. I hope the General will give it careful thought. The scenery in the General's residence is most pleasing — I shall stay a few days. Once you have thought it through, come…"

When Liu Xiangyu spoke of other matters, Li Tianyu, though somewhat angered, did indeed need to consider them carefully. But the moment he heard that Liu Xiangyu intended to stay for several days, he was so alarmed that he hurriedly rose and caught up. "Grand Sir, you must not jest about this! If the Marshal thinks I have abducted Grand Sir… I — half a day, just half a day! This junior will certainly give Grand Sir an answer!"