Chapter 428: First Volume, Chapter 428: Evil Needs Evil to Tame It

First Volume, Chapter 428: Evil Needs Evil to Tame It

In the Jiangnan region, the autumn harvest came half a month earlier than in the Northern Border.

As the most vital grain-producing area of Shedynasty, Jiangnan was now thriving; all its people were immersed in the fields, their faces glowing with satisfied smiles.

After all, for local peasants, no matter how high the grain price rose, the local grain merchants always bought from them at a fixed rate.

In Tangxi City, the Lin family had mobilized nearly its entire force to begin large-scale grain purchases.

The Lin family's old steward personally led a massive grain caravan, and upon passing the Qin Shi Trading House, he found its door tightly shut, no longer the bustling scene it once was.

The old steward let out a cold laugh: "It seems I was overthinking it."

"Now the Qin family has relocated entirely to Beixi County; all their shops in Tangxi have closed for good. They'll never again be able to interfere in Jiangnan. Without Tangxi's shop network to support them, the Qin family's grain shops can't possibly move south—it's as hard as climbing to heaven. Even if they did come, they'd have missed the best time to buy grain."

The old steward was in high spirits: the Lin family owned over a hundred thousand mu of land alone, and annual rent collection was enough to make them Jiangnan's largest grain merchant. Add to that the Lin family's merchant caravans, constantly roaming far and wide to hoard as much grain as possible—indeed, the entire southern grain lifeline of Shedynasty was firmly in the Lin family's hands.

When the Lin family was happy, they supplied grain to the National Treasury; when they were unhappy, hmph, even the Heavenly Emperor would go hungry.

As long as the Lin family remained a powerful clan in Jiangnan, Lin Taibao and the Imperial Consort's positions would remain unshakable!

Just as the old steward was basking in his triumph, a servant came running, stumbling and crawling toward him.

"Steward, disaster! A military force is marching toward Tangxi in full force!"

The old steward snorted: "What's the panic? Is the Jiangnan Commander just drilling?"

"Even the Jiangnan Commander must bow to the Lin family's wishes—no need to worry."

The servant wiped his brow and shouted: "It's not the Commander's troops—those soldiers are dressed like northerners!"

"What?! Northern Border Troops?!" The old steward's heart dropped.

Earlier, Qin Feng had stationed Ning Hu outside Tangxi City under the pretext of "military grain procurement," and they'd taken plenty of grain—even Changping County had benefited. With the Qin Shi Trading House now closed and Ning Hu's troops gone, the old steward thought he could finally have some peace—only for Northern Border Troops to appear now, like a thunderclap to his ears.

"Quick! Turn back! Cancel today's grain purchase plan!"

"Also, send word to the Commander—he must dispatch troops to supervise the Northern Border Troops and keep them out of the city!"

As the old steward gave his orders, a deep, booming voice rang out.

"Old bastard, Tangxi is under the Emperor's rule—when did it become your domain? I'll come in when I want, leave when I want!"

The old steward turned pale; he followed the voice and saw Ning Hu—who had already left—had returned.

And…

He was accompanied by a large force of elite troops, numbering at least one or two thousand.

Ning Hu sat atop his horse, head high, shouting: "The Northern Border war is critical—major battle imminent. We must stockpile grain! Now that Jiangnan's autumn harvest is in, I, General Ning, am hereby ordered by Qin Qianhu to procure military grain. Before we arrived, the Ministry of War had already notified the Jiangnan Commander—Qin Qianhu is the Supervisory Special Envoy; how dare the Jiangnan Commander refuse?"

In status and rank, the Jiangnan Commander was equal to a Cheqi or Piaoqi General.

Especially since his army numbered over fifty thousand.

Yet Ning Hu paid him no mind—he carried orders from both the Ministry of War and the Supervisory Special Envoy Qin Feng; his mission was legal and justified. If the Jiangnan Commander dared obstruct him, he'd be held responsible for delaying the war effort—and the Central Plains Imperial Party would come to reprimand him.

Ning Hu stared at the old steward and sneered: "Come. Let's discuss grain procurement with the Lin family."

The old steward stared, dumbfounded: "Military grain procurement should be negotiated with the County Magistrate or the Ben Zhou Prefect—even the Jiangnan Commander would suffice. Why are you demanding grain from the Lin family? We are merchants—we conduct legitimate business. This demand makes no sense, neither morally nor rationally."

Ning Hu's eyes bulged like ox bells—he refused to reason: "Shut your mouth! You buy grain from peasants for eight to ten wen per dou, then sell it for thirty wen! You've monopolized Jiangnan's grain—so naturally, we're coming to you, Lin family!"

"The Qin Special Envoy orders: procure five hundred thousand shi at the traditional military price of ten wen per dou, and deliver it to the Northern Border within half a month. Anyone who obstructs or delays this procurement shall be charged with treason!"

The old steward turned ashen, crying out: "Impossible! This will kill me!"

Ten wen per dou was nearly the same price as buying directly from peasants—no profit at all.

Ten dou equal one shi; one shi equals one hundred twenty jin. Five hundred thousand shi equals sixty million jin—nearly the entire Jiangnan region's annual harvest. And it must be delivered to the Northern Border within half a month—this was an impossible task. Qin Feng was clearly setting a trap!

Ning Hu scowled, giving the old steward no chance to plead: "Keep screaming. If no grain carts leave in half a month, I'll cut off your head."

Ning Hu threw down his threat, yanked the reins hard, ignored the old steward's wails, and rode out of Tangxi City. Foreign troops were forbidden from entering the city—that was the rule; they could only camp outside.

As for the impossible task he'd thrown at the Lin family, Qin Feng called it the "Broken Window Effect."

Give the Lin family an impossible demand; their cunning will force them to maneuver, minimizing grain supply. Even if they only deliver one-tenth of the target, it'll still be enough to meet the Northern Border's needs.

Ning Hu lifted his head, smugly addressing his men: "Brother Qin said—these merchants won't bend unless we crush them. With war looming and grain scarce, these bastards still buy low and sell high, profiting from national disaster—they're scum! Oh, and send patrols around the area."

"Local grain merchants must buy from peasants at fair prices. If anyone squeezes peasants to meet military quotas, cut them down on the spot—I don't believe they'll dare."

The Deputy Captain whispered: "Ning Qianhu, this is still Lin family territory—if we go too far, they'll retaliate."

Ning Hu glared: "Afraid? The Jiangnan Commander is restrained by the Central Plains Imperial Party. The Lin family's power rests on garrison troops. With national war at hand—who dares act? Worst case, they'll send word to Lin Taibao, who'll go to court and complain."

Evil needs evil to tame it.