A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 55: Strong wind reveals strong grass, turbulent times reveal loyal ministers
Liyang, Hebei.

Xu Shiji was defeated by Yu Wenhuaji's army and retreated to Cangcheng in Liyang. When he returned west, Prime Minister Yu Wenhuaji occupied Liyang and continued to besiege Xu Shiji. Li Mi led his troops to rescue him.

The army was stationed in Qingzhan, responding to the beacon fire of Xu Shiji. Facing the brave and elite troops led by Yu Wenzhi, Li Mi did not dare to fight head-on.

The counselor Wei Zheng offered a suggestion to dig deep trenches and build high fortifications in order to hold the two sides in a stalemate.

Yu Wenzhi's army marched north from Jiangdu, but they had neither territory nor food, so they would not be able to sustain it.

So Yu Wenhuaji attacked Xu Shiji in Liyang Cang fiercely, and Li Mi led his troops to contain his rear. When Yu Wenhuaji turned around to attack, Li Mi retreated to Linqi.

Across the Qishui River,

Yu Wenzhi was so angry that he cursed Li Mi.

Li Mi, who had already accepted the title of King of Luoyang and turned from a rebel into a loyal and meritorious official of the Sui Dynasty, shouted at Yu Wenhuaji with disdain: "Your family was originally just slaves of the Xiongnu, but your father, brothers, and sons have all been blessed by the grace of the Sui Dynasty. They have been rich and noble for generations, and even married princesses. Your family's glory is second to none in the whole court. You have received the kindness of a great man, so you should repay it with a great man.

How could one rebel and kill the king instead of risking death to remonstrate with him?
You slaughtered the emperor's descendants, insulted the concubines, and killed the innocent.
You do not follow Zhuge Zhan's loyalty, but instead commit the same treasonous and evil acts as Huo Yu. Heaven and earth cannot forgive you, and neither will the gods protect you."

Yu Wenzhi's face was gloomy, and he cursed Li Mi loudly.
"Aye came to fight you, but you argued with him. If you have the guts, fight him. Don't be a coward!"

Li Mi said to his attendants: "Yu Wenzhi is so mediocre and stupid, yet he actually wants to usurp the throne."

Wei Zheng was also very disdainful of Yu Wenhuaji: "I have a plan to destroy the regicide."

"Oh, what's Wei Jishi's plan?"

"The regicide is short of food and fodder, and has no basis for attack. A quick victory is the best strategy. The Duke of Wei could send someone to meet him, falsely claiming a willingness to join forces with him to capture the eastern capital, Luoyang. Once the Yellow River is established, he could be crowned King of Xu, with the appointments of Minister of the Interior, Minister of State, and Minister of the Hebei Province, commanding the military forces of all the prefectures in Hebei. He could also be promised a share of half the food and fodder if he captures Luoyang."

"Yu Wenzhi is greedy but lacks strategy, he is mediocre and cowardly. He will inevitably fall into the trap. When morale is low and food supplies are exhausted, he will fall without a fight."

"This trick of Wei Jishi is really clever,"

"I am just learning Li Shimin's strategy for dealing with Xue Ju."

······
Yushu Township.

Village Chief Wang returned from his duty in Chang'an City and hurried to Wuji Thatched Cottage on horseback.

"Something serious has happened."

Village Chief Wang sighed deeply, and lowered his voice to tell Li Yi the news of the great defeat at Shuiyuan. Two of the eight general managers were killed and three were captured.

More than 10,000 soldiers were killed in the battle, more than 20,000 were captured, and more than 30,000 civilians were captured.

Gaocheng City was also lost.
This could lead to the fall of Jingzhou, Ningzhou, and Binzhou."

In the middle of summer, Village Chief Wang was sweating profusely.

"Liu Wenjing, the Minister of State, and Yin Kaishan, the Minister of Personnel, have both been stripped of their posts and dismissed from office. Your Majesty has also sent someone to urgently summon the Prince of Qin back to the capital."

"There's unrest in the capital right now, and many noble families have already left Chang'an in carriages."

"As soon as the news got out, the grain stores in both the East and West Markets were packed with people. Grain prices were rising every half an hour, and many grain stores simply closed down."

The sky is falling.

The people of Chang'an truly felt the approach of war. This year they kept hearing about the Great War in the Central Plains and Li Mi's siege of Luoyang. In Luoyang city, a piece of silk could only be exchanged for three liters of millet in the shell, and a piece of cloth could be exchanged for one liter of salt, and there was often no market for it.

Now they are also worried that once Xue Ju arrives in Chang'an, Chang'an will also suffer from a famine.

Nowadays, no one can afford to pay more for a dou of rice than a piece of silk. If a piece of silk costs three liters of millet, it means that the price of grain will skyrocket several times.

That's cannibalistic.

"I didn't expect that the King of Qin would be defeated," said Village Chief Wang dejectedly.

"How did the King of Qin lose?" Li Yi didn't expect that there would be such a big defeat. Didn't he prepare medicine for the King of Qin? Could it be that he didn't have those diseases?
"In fact, it wasn't the King of Qin who lost the battle. He suddenly fell ill with malaria and was unable to lead his troops. He therefore asked his Chief Secretary Liu Wenjing and his General Yin Kaishan to take command. However, these two disobeyed the King's order to defend the city and not leave. They underestimated the enemy and arrogantly led 40,000 troops out of Gaocheng City. As a result, they were attacked from behind by Xue Ju's troops and were severely defeated."

Li Yi frowned when he heard this. Malaria?
That’s not right. Among the medicines he gave to Li Shimin, there was one for treating malaria.

"I have a villa in Zhongnan Mountain, which I use for summer vacation and hunting. I plan to transport some food there. If the Qin soldiers really reach the Wei River, I will take my family into the mountains to hide. You can come with me then."

Village Chief Wang is a nice person. Even at this time, he is still willing to help Li Yi.

Li Yi was not that worried. Although Li Shimin did seem to have suffered a great defeat in history, Xue Ju did not reach Chang'an.
He didn't know what variables were behind this, but there was no need to worry.

"How high has the price of grain in Chang'an risen now?"

"A dou of rice costs five or six hundred coins," said the village chief, Wang.

This increase is not small, one dou has increased by one or two hundred coins.
It feels a bit like the time when people were trying to take photos of alcohol.

Moreover, the grain stores in Chang'an are now limiting sales or even stopping sales altogether.

Money can't buy it.

These unscrupulous businessmen are hoarding goods and making profits from the war.

Li Yi thought about the grain and silk he had exchanged for during this period. He had saved quite a bit, including beans, wheat, millet, and rice, totaling more than 100 stones.

When we build houses and buy mules at home, we use silk.

If we send the stored grain to Chang'an now,
Wouldn't that mean you can make some money and gain fame at the same time?
The price of grain in Chang'an skyrocketed, grain stores closed one after another, and the people could not afford it even at high prices. Facing a famine with no rice to eat, Li Yi, who was very understanding, came to the rescue.

Isn't it a righteous act to send food to relieve the urgent needs of the people in Chang'an?

At the current price of five or six hundred coins per dou of rice, one can make two thousand coins per dan, and two hundred coins per hundred dan.

Equivalent to twenty-five taels of gold.

It's worth doing since you can gain both profit and fame.

At this time, the nobles and gentry all let their families and children leave Chang'an, and the merchants in the East and West Markets took the opportunity to raise prices and hoard goods.

He Li Yi did the opposite.

At this time, sending food to Chang'an City is very valuable.
Strong winds reveal strong grass, and turbulent times reveal loyal ministers.
He, Li Yi, is a retrograde.

"Uncle Wang, Chang'an is in turmoil right now, and grain merchants are taking advantage of the situation to raise prices. The people have no food to eat. I plan to transport the grain stored at home to Chang'an to sell.

It can also alleviate everyone’s urgent needs.”

Village Chief Wang looked at him as if he were a fool.
"Wuyi, the situation is turbulent right now. The Western Qin army may drink from the Wei River and march to the gates of Chang'an at any time. What do you think about selling grain at this time?

Judging from this situation, food prices will definitely continue to soar.
It is possible that the price of a dou of rice may rise to a thousand coins, or even higher. Moreover, if a war breaks out, you will not be able to buy food even if you have money.

Listen to my uncle's advice. In times of war, grain is more valuable than gold. Don't sell it no matter how expensive it is. Not only can you not sell it, you must quickly separate and hide the grain. It's best to transport some of it into the mountains."

But Li Yi knows the future development of history.

Regardless of the reason, although Xue Ju won the battle, he was unable to reach the Guanzhong Plain.

Even if the price of grain has risen sharply now, as long as Xue Ju does not come, the Guanzhong Plain will be safe and the price of grain in the capital will fall accordingly.

The price of a bushel of rice and a piece of silk is actually quite high. It is impossible for it to rise further without a war or famine.

In Luoyang, a piece of silk costs three liters of millet, which is a special case.

Li Yi's tofu workshop mostly settled accounts with grain. Some soybeans could be reproduced, but other grains were also piling up.

There is no need to store too much. The price of grain is already high now. If you store too much, the rats will eat it and it will become moldy and cause losses.

You can make some money and gain some reputation at the same time, it's worth it.

Just do it,

Li Yi borrowed carriages and horses directly from several families, including the village head Wang, the village head Wang, Guo Erlang, Dong Xiucai, and Feng Liulang. He then called on a dozen or so young men from the village to help transport the grain to Chang'an. Each man was given two liters of millet for each trip. Everyone was happy to come and earn some extra money.

It was loaded with one hundred dan of rice and sixty dan of millet.
There were about ten horse-drawn, ox-drawn and mule-drawn carts in total, which were loaded with most of the grain stored in Li Yi's home, leaving only soybeans and some millet and wheat.

If Village Chief Wang hadn't held on to the grain and refused to sell it, Li Yi would have planned to buy the grain from Village Chief Wang and Village Head Wang and sell it in Chang'an.

Although Village Chief Wang has been the village chief for ten years, he still cannot understand the future situation. He just believes in one thing: as long as he has food in his hands, he will not be worried.

The more the grain prices rose, the more he held on to the grain and refused to sell it, chasing the rising and selling the falling prices.

Li Yi, on the contrary, chased the decline and sold the rise.

Most people like to chase the rise, and the more it rises, the more they chase, and as a result, they are easily trapped at the top of the mountain.

More than ten vehicles were heading towards Chang'an City.

Forty miles to Chang'an City,

The soldiers at the city gate looked at their convoy in surprise. At this time, there was a lot of traffic at the city gate, most of which were vehicles leaving the city. Among them were many vehicles from noble families. There were carts of things and carts of people, and slaves and maids followed closely as they left Chang'an City.

Li Yi and his team's convoy into the city seemed quite special.
It looks even more special when the cart is loaded with grain.

Li Yi presented the official certificate and then explained the situation.

"I heard that the imperial army suffered a defeat in Jingzhou, and that the rebel army from Longyou is approaching. The capital is in turmoil, and food is in short supply. Many people are panicking because they can't buy food. I have some food stored at home, and I'm bringing it to Chang'an to provide for the people. I'm doing my bit to help."

The leader of the team came over and after hearing the whole story, he expressed a bit of admiration with a hint of confusion.

He lowered his voice and asked, "How much food do you have in total?"

"100 dan of rice and 60 dan of millet."

The leader of the team pulled him aside and asked, "What price are you planning to sell it for?"

"A piece of silk is worth a bushel of millet or rice."

The leader nodded. This price was fair, equivalent to 600 coins for a dou of rice. Now there were shops in the East and West Markets selling two pieces of silk for one dou of rice, which was equivalent to 720 coins for a dou of rice. "Food is hard to buy now, and my brothers have to support their families.

Can I buy twenty shi of millet for my brothers?"

Li Yi didn't expect that as soon as he arrived at the city gate, someone would want to buy it.

"Li Yi from Yusu Township, may I know your captain's name?"

"No matter your surname is Qiu, Qiu Shenyan, you can call me Qiu Liulang."

Li Yi came to Chang'an to transport grain this time for both profit and fame. Reputation was very important in that era. It was both a certificate of ability and a talisman.

If you want to buy this Qiu Shenyan, it’s fine as long as you don’t buy it all.

"Row."

Qiu Shenyan immediately returned home to retrieve the silk. Li Yi chatted with a soldier and learned that Qiu Shenyan came from a military family. His grandfather, Qiu He, was currently the governor of Jiaozhi. His father, Qiu Xing, was Qiu He's eldest son. He had previously led his fellow soldiers in an uprising in his hometown of Mei County, and later led the people in response to Princess Pingyang's request to submit to Li Yuan. He was currently a pillar of the state, General of the Left Guard, and Duke of Meicheng County. Qiu Shenyan's eldest brother was currently a clerk in the Qin Palace.

The Qiu family was a large Xianbei family, and Qiu He had fifteen sons.

The Qiu family would never be short of food. Qiu Shenyan bought food for his brothers. He paid first, and his brothers would then give him the money.

Soon, Qiu Shenyan came back on horseback, followed by a servant driving a carriage with two hundred pieces of silk. The two men happily completed the transaction.

"You have really helped us brothers a lot this time."

Li Yi smiled,
"You have some leftover food. How about I tell my colleagues at the Guard House and buy it all from you right away?"

"Don't bother Captain Qiu. I'm going to take all this food to the Wannian County Government Office."

Li Yi is not here just to make money, he also wants to improve his reputation. If he is taken over at the city gate, it will not be in line with his original intention.

Qiu Shenyan said: "Okay,"

He waved his hand, and no one checked the Luojiabao villagers' whereabouts anymore, and they were all let go.

Li Yi took the grain cart and headed straight for Xuanyangfang in the east of the city, where the Wannian County government office was located.

On the road, this small grain convoy was quite conspicuous, and several times people wanted to buy grain.

Arriving at the Wannian County Government Office in Xuanyangfang, Li Yi explained his purpose to the black-clad officer on duty at the door.

"Sending food?"

The man looked surprised, but still went in to report.

Inside the palace, County Magistrate Xin Chujian was drinking in broad daylight, feeling profoundly depressed. He had once been a sixth-rank attendant to the Sui crown prince, a position of high rank and a beautiful wife, a life of ease and success. Unexpectedly, Li Yuan led his troops into Chang'an. Soon after, upon hearing of his wife's beauty, he summoned her to the palace and never released her again.

Xin Chujian requested several times to release his wife, and the final result was that Li Yuan promoted him from the sixth-rank Prince's attendant to the fifth-rank Wannian County magistrate.

He was angry but dared not speak out and could only accept this reality helplessly. He, Xin Chujian, became a joke in Chang'an.

Being a county magistrate for ten thousand years is not very enjoyable.

"Someone outside claims to be Li Yi, the village chief of Luojiabao in Yusu Township. He is a former junior fellow apprentice of our Sun Facao. He heard that the capital is short of food and the people are uneasy, so he specially sent over a hundred stone of grain."

Xin Chujian raised his eyelids, a little confused, shook his head, and finally understood.

Sun Facao, now promoted to Zhishu Shiyushi, was a fellow Jinshi in the previous dynasty, and was born in the same year. Because of his good family background, his career was smoother than Sun Fujia's, rising all the way to the position of Prince's Sheren, while Sun Fujia was only a Facao for ten thousand years.

He also remembered Li Yi, a student of Dong Xiucai. Some time ago, he was granted the title of Prince's Official by the emperor, but he resigned from his official position and returned to his hometown to open a private school.

"Go, have a look."

Xin Chujian shook his slightly flustered head, came to the gate, and looked at the row of grain carts, feeling indeed surprised.

Li Yi saw a man wearing a crimson official robe and knew that this was the Wannian County Magistrate, so he hurried forward to pay his respects.

After a conversation, Xin Chujian understood the whole story and was delighted. He waved his hand and said, "Li Zheng, courtesy name Dayi, inform the people in the neighborhood to come buy grain. Each household is limited to buying three dou."

A piece of silk and a bushel of rice or millet are much more expensive than before, but now Chang'an City has suffered a great defeat at Qianshuiyuan, the capital is shaken, the people are uneasy, and they are scrambling for food. Even if you have money, you can't buy food.

One hundred shi of wheat and forty shi of millet were sold out in less than half an hour.

Three dou of grain per household, most of the people in Xuanyangfang bought it and were very grateful to the village chief Li who came to deliver the grain. Li Yi's reputation spread among the people of Xuanyangfang immediately, and even the fact that he had been granted the title of Prince's Zhengzi by the emperor and then resigned was known to everyone.

Xin Chujian even asked someone to bring him a pen and ink, and wrote the four big characters "anxious to do good for the public" on the spot and gave them to Li Yi as a reward.

There were more than ten carts of grain, totaling 160 dan of rice and millet, and one piece of silk cost one dou. Li Yi sold 1,600 pieces of silk.

He exchanged these grains for bean curd sheets and soaked bean curd. At that time, the price was calculated based on one dou of rice and one piece of silk. One shi of millet or rice was equivalent to six dou of rice, which meant he earned 144 coins for every dou of grain.

Of the 1,600 pieces of silk, 640 were profit.

In just two hours, he earned 230,000 yuan.

Li Yi specifically collected silk, as silk is more valuable, unlike copper coins, various thin coins, white coins and private coins.

After being invited by Xin County Magistrate to drink a pot of tea and chat for a while, Li Yi said goodbye and went home.
The group went home happily.

Sure enough, chasing the decline and selling the rise in the short term is the most profitable.

On the way back, everyone sang happily. They easily earned two liters of millet on this trip and were very happy.

On Guanma Avenue,
Suddenly, several riders galloped past, raising clouds of dust and heading south.

(End of this chapter)