Fu Shanhe

Chapter 198 Yunnan Crisis
After the meeting, the three of them got busy.

When it comes to gaining resources from the imperial court, everyone has the same interests.

Wars are fought for money and food.

Only by obtaining enough money and food can we expand more troops and gain more merits on the battlefield.

Whether civil servants or military generals, they all need achievements to enrich their resumes.

It may be difficult to assess achievements in other jobs, but military achievements are obvious at a glance.

How many enemy soldiers were killed, how many prisoners were captured, how much lost territory was recovered, all of these can be seen at a glance.

"Mr. Lan, I have something here that requires you to go to Nanzhili.

There was a food shortage in Guangxi, so I negotiated a big deal with Governor Zhang.

The Governor's Office intends to rent out the state-owned mineral resources in Guangxi, with the rent tentatively set at 50,000 taels per year.

The rent for the first three years must be paid in one lump sum with food.

Although the military fields in Yangzhou had another bumper harvest, the treasury only had 300,000 dan of grain in stock.

It is still far from the agreed amount of 900,000 shi.

Purchasing hastily from the market could easily lead to trouble, and the gentry of Yangzhou would be needed to help.

You take my business card and talk to them.

Tell them that if they are interested in cooperating, I can subcontract the minerals to them.

If they are not interested, just purchase the excess food they have.

For the sake of this official’s reputation, I will sell some of it, and ask grain merchants to buy the remaining portion.

By the way, visit the maritime merchants from all over the country and tell them that Lianzhou Port can be opened to them.

The price they have to pay is to bring some food with them when they return from the sea, and all of it will be purchased at market prices.”

Li Mu said calmly.

Compared to before, he finally got on the chessboard.

In this small piece of land of Guangxi, he is also a top figure.

“Sir, Guangxi is not Jiangnan.

Even if we buy all the cheapest coarse grains, fifty thousand taels can't buy three hundred thousand shi!"

Lan Linjie hurriedly persuaded.

Referring to the experience of mining in Yangzhou, a few inconspicuous mines can generate an annual income of tens of thousands of taels of silver.

It would definitely not be a loss to contract all the state-run mineral resources in Guangxi with 50,000 taels.

But if the rent can be converted into 300,000 shi of grain, that may not be the case.

Food prices in Guangxi have remained high since the outbreak of the war.

Even in Lianzhou, which was the first to stabilize, each stone of rice was sold for 2 taels, and many prefectures in inland areas could sell each stone of rice for 3 taels.

The price of coarse grains is cheaper, starting at one or two taels.

Even the price of grain in the Jiangnan region soared by nearly 40% due to the war.

"Mr. Lan, you misunderstood.

If it is all refined rice, I will definitely not agree.

Of the 900,000 shi of grain that Governor Zhang wanted, only 30% was coarse grains, and the remaining 70% was chaff.

I have calculated that based on the grain prices in the Jiangnan region and the transportation costs, the expenditure would be about 50,000 taels.

Many mineral resources in Guangxi are now in my hands, and I can organize people to resume mining at any time.

I have a large number of prisoners of war and criminals in my hands, and the labor costs saved every year amount to hundreds of thousands of taels.

The only trouble is that once the mines are back in production, the miners have to eat.

The demand for food will increase significantly.

So before resuming production, we must purchase as much food as possible.

Analyzing the current situation, food prices will continue to rise until the White Lotus Rebellion is quelled.

Take advantage of the autumn harvest and buy as much as you can."

Li Mu said worriedly.

Huguang was plunged into war, which had a huge impact on the situation in the world.

Fortunately, the front line in Jiangxi was stabilized and the war did not spread to the hinterland, otherwise food prices would have soared.

Due to the impact of the war, Guangxi will be in a state of food shortage for a long time to come.

If all grain is purchased from Dayu, the grain prices will definitely be driven up to the sky by grain merchants.

Since domestic production capacity is insufficient, we can only look overseas.

Unfortunately, Guangxi’s location is a bit remote and it does not have enough say in maritime trade.

If the place was changed to Guangdong, if the powerful officials spread the word, those maritime merchants would definitely be able to get a large amount of food from overseas.

"Don't worry, sir. I will definitely take care of this matter!"

Lan Linjie immediately assured.

As long as it's profitable.

As Li Mu's official position became higher, his business expanded and his demand for money increased.

The imperial court's funding was not enough to support the army under his command.

Guangxi is not a wealthy region and can only exercise its subjective initiative.

The military farms of the garrisons are good industries, but agricultural production takes time.

At present, only a small part of military land has resumed production and is creating value.

Most of the land had just been taken back from the rebels and was now abandoned.

In a short period of time, it will require advance payment to resume production.

If we calculate the economic accounts, we have been spending more than we earn since entering Guangxi.

Even after filling in the money with rewards from the court, captured spoils of war, and various falsely reported expenses, he could only barely cover the expenses.

In the eyes of outsiders, the troops under the command of Commander Li are the most expensive army in Dayu.

... "What? You sold the government-run minerals?"

Bei Tianyou asked in disbelief.

The state-owned enterprises in Dayu were all lucrative, and local officials also took a share of the profits from them.

Many inconvenient accounting expenses are paid by these companies.

Many state-owned industries have been making losses every year, but have not been replaced. The main reason is profit.

"Mr. Bei, please calm down first.

This governor has only rented out the operating rights for three years, and the rights will be returned to the court when the time is up.

What's more, in Guangxi today, there is still a large amount of land in the hands of the rebels, and not many mines can be resumed in a short period of time.

The contractor will certainly lose money in the first year, and whether he can make money later depends on the progress of the counterinsurgency.

The rent I received was not low, and it also helped the court solve its urgent problem. The emperor will not hold me accountable."

Zhang Sihan explained calmly.

Leasing mining rights is suspected of exceeding authority.

However, given the current situation, the imperial court has no ability to resume production in a short period of time.

In fact, after entering Guangxi, he had already set his sights on these state-owned industries.

Unfortunately, the managers appointed by the court either died or ran away, and have long disappeared.

The miners below were the main force of the rebellion and would not stay there waiting for him.

He had neither the money nor the manpower he could trust to resume production, so he had to give up the idea.

Seeing that someone was willing to spend money to take on this troublesome task, he naturally didn't mind throwing it away.

"Governor, given the current situation in Guangxi, which businessman would dare to come here to mine?

Now the only people who have the courage to take over the mine, are not afraid of encountering war, and can resume production in a short period of time are..."

Before Bei Tianyou could finish speaking, Zhang Sihan interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

“Just know these things, don’t tell anyone.

If you want to get ahead in the officialdom, you must learn to be confused when necessary.

After Zuo Guangen's downfall, so many officials were implicated, but I was able to escape unscathed because I was confused at the critical moment.

I only know that it is difficult for merchants to make a profit by contracting these mines. "

Zhang Sihan said with a smile.

According to convention, the profits of these mines would be shared by gentry, officials, local government offices and the imperial court.

Now that the gentry in Guangxi have suffered a heavy blow and have been eliminated from the game early, the cake needs to be redistributed.

How it will be divided specifically depends on the game between officials in Guangxi.

The rent collected guaranteed the income of the imperial court and government offices, and the only thing sacrificed was the interests of officials.

An agreement reached in advance before any personnel appointments have been made will naturally not encounter any resistance.

As for the subsequent troubles, naturally whoever makes the profit will be responsible for solving them.

If officials in Guangxi really hated Li Mu because of this, he would be so happy that he would not be able to contain himself.

However, these are just thoughts. When they are merged together, the benefits are considerable, but when they are distributed to individuals, there is not much.

If the benefits were really huge, Guangxi would not have become a place of exile that everyone despises.

"My Lord, that's brilliant!
Not only did it solve the problem of food shortage, but it also did a favor to the Li family.

When I have made achievements in Guangxi and return to the imperial court, maybe I can use it.”

Bei Tianyou reacted and immediately complimented him.

From his point of view, such a big deal is not something a commander can take on.

Unless the Li family behind them is brought in, it will be a big hassle whether it is raising grain or organizing the resumption of production.

“It’s not as much as you think, I was actually forced to agree.

Even without this rent, we cannot stop people from stealing minerals.

As far as I know, some mines that were hidden by the gentry have now resumed production.

I don’t believe that those gentry sons who were lucky enough to save their lives would have the guts to illegally mine minerals!”

Zhang Sihan said helplessly.

The governor's power comes both from above and from below.

The gentry group suffered a severe blow and the local bureaucratic system failed to be rebuilt in time.

Without any support from below, he, as a mere governor, could only function based on the appointment by the court.

Now every government order issued must be carried out by the army.

The military temporarily replaced the role of gentry and local bureaucrats and became the support of his power.

Once the interests of both parties conflict, his decrees will never be implemented.

"Sir, doesn't this further highlight your ability?
If it were someone else, they would not be able to recover even a single ounce of silver, and would have lost the imperial mine in vain.

Being able to use three years of mining rights to exchange for 900,000 shi of grain to help the people is truly…"

Zhang Sihan was in high spirits after receiving a round of flattery.

……

The situation in Guangxi changed drastically, but the person who suffered the most was the Governor of Yunnan.

When the two armies were in a stalemate, a rebel force suddenly broke into their own territory and threatened their lives.

The rebels suddenly broke through Guangnan Prefecture and headed straight for the Nanpan River.

If we don’t find a way to intercept them, the enemy will soon reach Kunming.

When Zhong Zhenyu thought of the horrific consequences of Kunming's fall, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Return to Kunming for support", this idea just came into his mind and was immediately extinguished by him.

War is never decided by one party. If we want to withdraw our troops now, it depends on whether the rebels agree.

(End of this chapter)