I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 136 Harvest and Grain Merchants, Yang He's Dilemma

"Haha, I'm sure many of you have already guessed it."
Thanks to the leader's favor, he bestowed upon me, Wu Laoliu, and Zhu Duanliang the rank of technicians.
Let the three of us bestow upon you the divine status of artisan apprentices.
At that time, you can also go to the spiritual realm to learn and imprint the corresponding related supernatural powers.”

"really?"

"Haha, of course it's true."

"We are deeply grateful for your great kindness, Chief."

"We are deeply grateful for your great kindness, Chief."

Upon hearing that they too could master supernatural powers, the group immediately bowed in gratitude towards the Lintao Prefecture government office, where the dynasty was located.

Feeling the surging spiritual power behind him, Wang Chao couldn't help but smile slightly.

Regardless of the final outcome, the spiritual energy generated by the emotional fluctuations of the crowd will eventually be transformed by spiritual power.

Even the power generated by emotions such as curses and insults can still be assimilated by spiritual power and controlled by the dynasty.

However, being appreciated and blessed is ultimately a more pleasant experience than being cursed or insulted.

It'll be here soon, it'll be here soon.
Unable to resist, Wang Chao glanced at the golden orb above his head once more.

A faint golden glow spread out, revealing a sense of sacred dominance and majesty.

Time passed slowly, and by September of the first year of Chongzhen's reign, the territory of the People's Salvation Army had completed two rounds of harvesting of grain and crops.

It's important to know that even in the water towns of Jiangnan, there are only two harvests a year, and places with three harvests a year are not very common.

However, in Shaanxi, which has been suffering from drought for years, the people in the territory of the Salvation Army have managed to harvest three crops a year.

The consequence of this was that every household had a large surplus of grain.

Can't finish it, can't finish it at all.

So what should be done? Naturally, the only option is to order takeout, and when most people are selling grain, the price of grain will naturally plummet.

Initially, the price was two or three taels of silver per stone, then it rose to the normal price of one tael of silver per stone, and then dropped to eight or five qian of silver per stone.

In fact, grain prices continue to fall.

In a short time, a large number of grain merchants poured into the territory of the People's Salvation Army.

Yes, although all the high-ranking officials, wealthy families and merchants in the territory of the People's Salvation Army were thoroughly purged.

However, the People's Salvation Army did not prohibit foreign merchants from entering, as long as they could pay taxes normally.

After all, they hadn't committed any crimes in the territory of the People's Salvation Army, nor were they civilians in the territory of the People's Salvation Army, so they naturally couldn't be bothered to care.

As long as they are in the territory of the People's Salvation Army and abide by the rules of the People's Salvation Army, it will be fine.

However, after hearing this news, the dynasty fell into deep thought.

Why should you unscrupulous merchants make huge profits from the grain that I, the people and soldiers, have worked so hard to grow?

The dynasty felt that in this time of constant natural and man-made disasters,

It is likely that most grain merchants, when selling the low-priced grain they acquire from the militia and civilians in other places, will not sell it at the normal market price, but will instead take the opportunity to inflate the price of grain.

Selling a shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain for two or even three taels of silver is probably only possible for some merchants who aren't too greedy.

Some merchants might even sell it for four or five taels of silver, or even seven or eight taels of silver per stone.

What if you don't have that much money?
They sold their houses and land, even becoming slaves or servants.
As for not having money yet
Then let them starve to death.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with them.

Therefore, the dynasty decided to crack down on these grain dealers.

So, on that very day, an order was issued that the People's Salvation Army would begin purchasing grain at a price slightly lower than the normal market price: nine qian of silver per shi of grain.

Instantly, the grain dealers lost their appeal.

Consequently, many ordinary people began to sell the government office of the People's Salvation Army.

At the same time, the dynasty began to collect a commercial tax of one-tenth of the grain that flowed out of the country, instead of the one-thirtieth tax levied by the Ming dynasty.

In other words, if grain merchants wanted to transport grain out of the territory of the Salvation Army, they would have to pay a commercial tax of one-tenth of the total tax, which was more than three times the commercial tax of the Ming Dynasty.

Upon receiving this news, many businessmen were filled with lamentations.

However, the grain that should be harvested must still be harvested.

The People's Salvation Army officially purchased grain at nine qian of silver, so they would contribute one tael of silver.

Why is it that other places, especially those surrounding Shaanxi, simply don't produce much grain?

Even if they buy it for one or two taels of silver per stone, they can still make a fortune elsewhere.

After doing all this, the dynasty did not intervene again.

In this way, the grain of the people in the territory of the People's Salvation Army can be sold at the normal market price, and those merchants can also make a profit.

People in other regions, although they could only buy expensive grain, always had a better chance of survival once they had enough food.

This can be described as killing three birds with one stone.

As for the expenses and consumption of the People's Salvation Army.
The grain grown by ordinary people is subject to a 30% tax.

If we include the three harvests this year, it's basically equivalent to one season's harvest.

Even if it's not much, it's more than enough to support an army of over 100,000 for two or three years.

Not to mention, as members of the agricultural cooperative repeatedly use their supernatural abilities, their levels will rapidly increase, and their abilities will become stronger and stronger.

Next year will likely be another bumper harvest than this year.

Now there are already three harvests a year, and in another two years, it's probably not impossible to have four harvests a year or even one harvest a month.

It can be said that the People's Salvation Army is no longer short of food.

What the dynasty had to do was to conscript soldiers, conscript soldiers, and conscript soldiers again.

In addition to the tens of thousands of regular troops he already had, he also planned to recruit another 100,000 new troops and extensively recruit members of agricultural communities.

Once they are trained, the People's Salvation Army can naturally expand again.

The influx of large numbers of grain merchants also boosted commercial development in the territory of the Salvation Army.

After all, when people have spare money, they are naturally willing to buy more daily necessities.

Grain merchants also have needs for food, drink, and other necessities.

Thus, where there is demand, there will naturally be buying and selling.

Gradually, commerce in the territory of the Salvation Army began to prosper. In addition, the extensive road network that the Salvation Army had been building enabled the exchange of goods between different regions.

This territory of the People's Salvation Army has become more closely connected with each other and has been completely "brought to life".

Meanwhile, as those merchants came and went, superficial information about the People's Salvation Army gradually began to spread.

Of course, most people who receive these messages don't really believe them.

For example, members of the agricultural commune possessed the supernatural power to promote crop growth, enabling the crops in the territory of the People's Salvation Army to be harvested three times a year, and so on.
This sounds like something out of a fantasy.

"Hehe. Look, look, this People's Salvation Army is truly destined by Heaven."
Outside the territory of the People's Salvation Army, there was a persistent drought, while within the territory, there was a bumper harvest, with three crops a year.
Mastering supernatural powers
hehe"

Emperor Chongzhen sat behind his desk, his face grim as he sneered repeatedly.

What? You think saving the militia is the will of Heaven, while my Great Ming is rejected by Heaven and Earth?

"hehe."

The officials below also laughed dismissively, thinking it was obviously fake.

However, Emperor Chongzhen and his court officials did not believe it, but the people around them who were on the verge of starvation did.

Or rather, at this moment, they would grasp at any straw of hope.

In an instant, large numbers of people in Shaanxi began to flee to the territory of the People's Salvation Army.

The dynasty, of course, welcomed all such offers.

Similarly, Yang He, the current governor of the three border regions, did not obstruct it.

Because the departure of these disaster-stricken people greatly benefited his efforts to suppress the bandits.

Without the disaster victims, the peasant uprisings that broke out in Shaanxi would naturally be contained.

This made the situation even more difficult for Wang Jiayin and other peasant rebels.

In an instant, people began to surrender again and accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty and appeasement.

The situation in Shaanxi improved dramatically in a short period of time.

Upon receiving the report, Emperor Chongzhen was naturally very pleased and issued several imperial edicts to commend him.

But doesn't Yang He himself know what's going on?
He did indeed suppress those rebels.

However, that was because many of the disaster-stricken people in Shaanxi had fled to the territory of the People's Salvation Army. Without this heavy burden, he was able to focus on suppressing the rebel army.

However, as long as the People's Salvation Army was not wiped out, the danger facing Shanxi was not completely resolved.

Given the fighting strength of the People's Salvation Army, once it expands eastward, the collapse of the Shaanxi region will be imminent.

Moreover, those rebel armies that were recruited and surrendered were not exactly safe; they frequently engaged in looting.

After all, Yang He only pacified them, but didn't give them enough food and money.
They can't just starve to death, can they?

Yang He had also asked Emperor Chongzhen for a pension.

Unfortunately, Emperor Chongzhen didn't even give him 20,000 taels of silver.

It's truly a case of "even a skilled cook can't cook without rice."

Therefore, he often turned a blind eye to the rebels' private looting, as long as they did not raise the flag of rebellion.

All of this put Yang He under tremendous pressure, and he gradually found himself unable to cope.

Therefore, Yang He petitioned Emperor Chongzhen more than once, hoping to replace the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions with Hong Chengchou, who had repeatedly made meritorious contributions in the process of suppressing bandits and advocated killing the bandits.

However, Emperor Chongzhen only replied with four words.

"Cooked with care!"

Yang He's heart sank; this meant his request for permission was being denied.

After some time, Emperor Chongzhen once again bestowed praise upon him and urged him to suppress the People's Salvation Army.

Left with no other choice, he once again submitted a memorial to Emperor Chongzhen, pleading for help.

"I have been in office for more than three years, and not a single day has passed without me being in danger and fear."

However, he still did not claim to be sick or ask for leave even once.

Due to the urgency of the military situation and the fear of the enemy's strength, he could not eat all day.

Day after day, he could not eat, and even thin porridge felt too narrow in his throat. It was as if there was a lump in his chest that he could not resolve.

However, even though I am extremely anxious, I still have no success in eliminating the enemy.

I consider myself an unlucky person; the more I suffer, the more worried I become, and the more anxious I am, the more ill I become.

If Your Majesty would have the mercy to allow me to return home to recuperate, and send my son Yang Sichang to serve on the frontier, this would be a testament to my loyalty.
Furthermore, I hereby recommend Hong Chengchou, a capable general in suppressing the bandits, to succeed me as Governor-General of the Three Border Regions.”

However, no matter how much Yang He pleaded and begged, Emperor Chongzhen still believed that Yang He was capable.

Look, in just over half a year, apart from the militia that has retreated into hiding, many of the bandit armies in Shaanxi have been wiped out or pacified.

Naturally, Emperor Chongzhen would not allow him to resign and return to his hometown.

Seeing that there were no more replies to his letters, Yang He, filled with despair, could only force himself to continue suppressing and pacifying the rebel army.

Meanwhile, Ligdan Khan, having learned of the great harvest in the territory of the People's Salvation Army, also began to have his own ideas.

Previously, he had sent many small armies to try to attack the People's Salvation Army.

However, they were all wiped out by the People's Salvation Army.

Yes, it means they wiped them out completely, not a single one escaped.

Perhaps some were captured.
However, it is a fact that no one escaped.

Faced with this situation, Lin Danhan hesitated and backed down.

That's just his personality.

He launched a series of powerful attacks against the Mongol tribes, conquering them from the east and west.

However, whether facing the Ming Dynasty or the Later Jin, he appeared somewhat fierce on the outside but weak on the inside.

Even though they had attacked the Ming Dynasty before, it was only when they were forced into a corner.

After all, if the Ming Dynasty were to completely shut down the trade, it would cut off their livelihood. Their only recourse would be to attack the Ming Dynasty and plunder the supplies they needed.

Once the Ming Dynasty reopened trade routes and provided him with certain annual rewards, he immediately calmed down and even helped the Ming Dynasty attack the Later Jin.

(End of this chapter)