The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 432 Competition
The first year of the Jialong reign.

Spring begins.

Liaoyang City, Liaodong Commandery.

The Great Zhou inherited the Ming system and established a vassal system. Liaodong and Nurgan were not set up as provinces, but were instead designated as military regions with separate regional command offices, thus strengthening the power of the regional command offices.

The Liaodong Regional Military Commission was under the jurisdiction of Shandong and administered by the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission.

In reality, Shandong was responsible for providing various supplies.

At its peak, the Liaodong Regional Military Commission was subordinate to the Nurgan Regional Military Commission. However, the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission, which was not under the jurisdiction of the Liaodong Regional Military Commission, was required to supply various materials to the Liaodong Regional Military Commission on a regular basis.

Liaodong was also the largest military stronghold in terms of the number of soldiers, with a total of 150,000.

Even after Zhang Jifu's reforms, the number remained at 100,000.

According to the military register of the Ministry of War of the Imperial Court, the army directly under the Dongping Prince's Mansion numbered 20,000, while the army under the Liaodong Military Command numbered as high as 80,000.

How many troops does the Prince of Dongping actually command?

The Liaodong Governor's Office.

Governor Zhou Shibu stared at General Li Jin with a haggard look in his eyes.

The Eastern Hu people had always been a major threat to the Liaodong Military Command. After years of fighting, the Liaodong Military Command gradually reached a balance, having suffered heavy losses over the years and weakened its strength. Both sides then calmed down.

However, the barbarian tribe, which was originally the weakest and could even be bullied by neighboring North Korea, has become stronger day by day in recent years.

Not only were their grain supplies plentiful and their horses numerous, but their armor and weapons were also of superior quality, even surpassing those of the Liaodong Military Command. They were superior to our side in every aspect. Judging solely from the equipment and cavalry scale of both sides, it was truly difficult to say who the real barbarians were.

It's not that they haven't impeached the Prince of Dongping.

The Prince of Dongping smuggled ginseng with the barbarians. The Prince of Dongping obtained a large amount of ginseng, which he then traded with the interior, earning him countless amounts of money and grain. Meanwhile, the barbarians obtained armor, weapons, and various daily necessities.

The previous two administrations had impeached him and informed the court of the dangers of smuggled ginseng in Liaodong.

The retired emperor even issued an edict banning the ginseng trade.

Although the crackdown lasted for a while, the situation became complicated as General Luo Ming and others sided with the emperor. The retired emperor could no longer care about the situation and instead had to appease the Prince of Dongping. The ban on ginseng trade quickly became a dead letter.

The Prince of Dongping's Mansion monopolized the ginseng trade, held various barbarian tribes hostage, and possessed abundant wealth.

In contrast, consider the Liaodong Military Command.

They had to guard against the Donghu, suppress the barbarian tribes, and be wary of Korea. However, all the treasuries were empty, and the imperial court's debts were piling up, leading to widespread discontent among the army.

"Hard to say."

General Li Jin's face was grave. "The people below need to eat, and they have families to support. No one can refuse the Prince of Dongping's offer of a hand. Even if the officials are unwilling, with so many mouths to feed, no one can resist."

Zhou Shibu sighed, "I will personally return to the capital and urge the court to send a batch of money and provisions. We must win back the morale of the army."

“That’s not all.” Li Jin shook his head. “The Prince of Dongping is ruthless and has absolute power in Liaodong. Any general who disobeys him will die at the hands of the barbarians, and those who remain are his men.”

"What should I do?"

Zhou Shibu was helpless, both amused and exasperated: "It's quite a story. The barbarians were going to attack Shenyang in the spring, and it was Xianha who sent someone to tell us that they wanted us to be prepared and not let the barbarians succeed."

This is indeed ridiculous.

The Donghu and the Liaodong Military Command have been fighting each other for half a century, spanning two or three generations, with countless deaths. Now, it is the Donghu who are tipping off the Liaodong Military Command.

"The imperial court must send the Beijing Garrison to Liaodong to keep the Prince of Dongping in check," Li Jin said after thinking for a moment.

According to the Beijing garrison.

Zhou Shibu was confident.

The Beijing garrison has fought many battles over the years.

With the suppression of Japanese pirates in the south and the pacification of rebellions in Shandong, their fighting strength remains quite good, no worse than that of the Liaodong Army. Moreover, the size of the Beijing Garrison is far greater than that of the Liaodong Army. Coupled with the righteousness of the imperial court, as long as there is sufficient food and supplies, many generals will not rebel and will inevitably choose the imperial court.

Under these circumstances, many generals influenced by the Prince of Dongping defected, and his 20,000-strong vassal army could not stir up any trouble, so they naturally bowed down obediently.

"I still have to go to Beijing in person."

Zhou Shibu no longer hesitated and instructed, "If Shenyang falls, Liaoyang will be in danger. If Liaoyang is lost, the entire Liaodong region may fall. So General, you must be careful."

"I am loyal to the emperor as I am paid by him, so please rest assured, Governor."

General Li Jin said earnestly.

In the entire Liaodong region, only Li Jin is trustworthy.

Zhou Shibu knew the difficulties of his journey, but he was determined to make the court clear and could not delay any longer.

The problems in Liaodong cannot be minimized or resolved by delaying; they have become a top priority.

Winters in Datong are very cold.

Jia Huan carried a small wooden bucket in one hand and a rolled-up piece of official document paper in the other, then passed through the gate of the Jiedushi's mansion.

The gates of the Jiedushi's residence were all open.

It is convenient for everyone to come and go.

There were several guards at the gate. When they saw Jia Huan come out, they all recognized him and said with a smile, "Jia Wenshu, do you need any help?"

"Thanks, I'll post this notice. Please look out for me if I need any help in the future."

As a scion of a wealthy family, social skills were his forte.

The few words he uttered casually pleased the guards, who watched with smiles as Jia Huan left.

There are many horse-stopping stones on both sides of the gate of the Jiedushi Mansion for tethering livestock. There is no manure on the ground because the livestock are required to wear manure bags. As for sedan chairs, there are none, as the Jiedushi Mansion does not favor sedan chairs.

Secondly, the largest area is the location of the notice board, which consists of several large and wide wooden archways with eaves. Official documents made of oiled paper are pasted on the wooden boards, making them resistant to wind and rain and able to last for up to a month.

There are many notices.

Jia Huan applied paste to the blank space on the notice board for people's livelihood and then pasted the notice on it.

The notice was about honeycomb briquettes.

The Jiedushi government used honeycomb briquettes, which were not specially supplied but purchased from the market.

The newly posted document details the business contracts to be signed next year between the Jiedushi government and several contracted briquette makers, along with a detailed explanation.

The market price for 100 catties of honeycomb briquettes is three cents. Based on this market price, several honeycomb briquette companies supply 25.5 million catties of honeycomb briquettes to the Jiedushi government every year, with a total value of more than 76,500 taels.

25.5 million catties of honeycomb briquettes.

In addition to the daily needs of the military governor's office, including boiling water, cooking, and winter heating, it also supplies various departments such as the army, scouts, inspection teams, and audit teams, involving tens of thousands of people.

This is different from when I served in the Right Route Army of the Beijing Garrison a few years ago.

The changes in Datong were truly enormous. While there were changes in the Right Route Army at that time, there were no qualitative differences.

After being reprimanded by his brother-in-law several times, and with the guidance of Zeng Zhi and others, Jia Huan quickly changed his attitude and began to urge himself on in every word and deed. He originally wanted to pretend to get away with it, but his own intelligence proved too much.

From imitation to understanding.

Jia Huan could keenly perceive the connections behind every specific change in things.

Just like these honeycomb briquettes.

As the income of the people of Datong increased, this cheap, clean and convenient product quickly became popular. Except for the rural people who still used firewood and a small number of urban residents who still habitually used firewood.

More than half of the city's population began using honeycomb briquettes, and it became the mainstream daily practice.

This can be inferred from the above.

The market for honeycomb briquettes in Datong has an annual trade volume of over 200,000 taels, with a maximum of no more than 300,000 taels. And this is Datong, which is just a prefecture.

wrong.

Jia Huan stood there in a daze in front of the notice board.

One of the guards not far away also noticed Jia Huan. "This kid likes to daydream, huh?" "That's really something, he's the military commander's brother-in-law."

"Our commander has always been fair and treats everyone equally, so who would mistreat him? He's already done a great job; he's worthy of being the commander's brother-in-law," several guards remarked.

Jia Huan thought of the iron smelting workshops and the increasing number of firearms factories.

These are the major coal consumers.

Coal cannot be used directly; it must first be turned into coke. One hundred catties of coal can only produce sixty catties of coking coal, so the amount used has nearly doubled.

If you weren't working at the military governor's office and instead went into business, this would be a good line of work.

A smile involuntarily crept onto Jia Huan's lips.

The coal mining industry is relatively new in Datong, with low barriers to entry and little competition.

If you don't have any capital, you can start small.

Go to the coal yard to borrow coal. The coal yard has plenty of coal, piled up like mountains. They can't wait for more people to buy it. Many peddlers who started out selling honeycomb briquettes started out this way. They would borrow hundreds of kilograms of coal from the coal yard every day, go back and make honeycomb briquettes, sell them all, and then pay back the coal yard with the money they earned, while also getting an advance on the next batch of coal.

A little adds up to a lot.

One of the owners listed in the notice started doing this, and in less than four years, he was already qualified to sign a business contract with the Jiedushi's government, which shows that he made a lot of money.

Unlike other places.

Datong encourages people to get rich and hopes that more and more people will become wealthy.

This trend is very good.

Everyone can feel the energy within it.

It's completely different from what's happening in the capital.

Even someone selling pickles needs powerful connections, perhaps even currying favor with the Grand Secretary; otherwise, the bigger the business, the harder it is to sustain itself.

Small businesses are often harassed by minor officials.

The business was booming, but it was harassed by high-ranking officials.

Often, they are easily dealt with with the excuse of "for the safety of the people." The fruits of a lifetime of hard work and the efforts of so many people end up in the hands of officials, and businesses cease to develop, gradually degenerating into a monopolistic and exploitative model.

"So how could my brother-in-law fail?" Jia Huan was young, clearly just a teenager, but his eyes were unusually bright.

Anyone who does not violate the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Some of the unreasonable aspects of the Great Zhou Code were annotated by the Jiedushi's Office after extensive discussions. Anyone could find ways to do business, resulting in a wide variety of industries.

They even have a guide now.

On the main roads leading to and from Datong, large numbers of people wait every day, and when they encounter caravans or people from other places, they proactively and enthusiastically ask them questions.

No one is threatening outsiders.

Intimidation is illegal. Not only will illegal gains be confiscated, but also hefty fines will be imposed, and those who should be sentenced will be imprisoned.

Without the potential profit, who would do it?

In order to attract business, they had to use all legal means to please the merchants. Many out-of-town caravans were willing to give money, and some even gave tips, simply because the merchants were so enthusiastic and actually brought them convenience.

Some of the bolder ones even set their sights on the army.

The Datong army was unfamiliar with all parts of Datong, let alone Taiyuan and the areas beyond the Great Wall.

Many people made preparations in advance to familiarize themselves with the local situation, and then approached the army to volunteer as guides, providing convenience for the army and receiving compensation in return.

"Crackling."

"Crackling."

The sound of firecrackers echoed from the distant street.

New Year's Eve.

Many families bought firecrackers and set them off in front of their homes, the louder the better, to tell their neighbors that their lives were getting better and better.

The children in the alley all ran out.

Wearing new clothes, they excitedly searched the ground for unlit bamboo firecrackers.

When children play together, there is this fun thing that happens, which is the happiest and most joyful moment for them.

"Watch your clothes."

"If you get your new clothes dirty, I'll beat you to death when we get back."

The only downside is that the mothers follow behind, wanting their children to wear new clothes but also worried that the children will get them dirty. When the neighbors gather together, they not only glance at the children but also chat with each other.

Whose family member works at which business?

How many hours do I work each day? How much do I get paid each month? Are there any opportunities for promotion?

They compete with each other.

With this competitive spirit, in order to encourage the enthusiasm of their employees and attract talent, the merchants introduced more and more positions and ranks, specifying how much each position paid and how often wages were increased.
The only downside was that even though the children were wearing new clothes, they all looked like little radishes.

They were all small and thin, which made their heads appear large.

“There are 170,000 herders outside the pass, 280,000 people in Datong, 160,000 soldiers and their families, about 300,000 people in various agricultural reclamation teams and ranches, and about 300,000 people in Daizhou. It is hard to say about Taiyuan.”

In the Jiedushi's residence.

While preparations for the festival were underway outside, the governor's mansion remained bustling with activity.

Pay triple wages during holidays.

Zeng Zhi, Zhang Yuncheng, Yan Zhongzheng, Gu Shi, and others were present. Also invited were Zhai Wen and Tao Sheng from the prefectural government, as well as Wu Hong, an outstanding official from another region. These capable officials from the prefectural government were specially invited.

Everyone could sense that the military governor's office had changed its stance.

It suggests that they are beginning to recruit officials.

Unrelated people were discussing it enthusiastically, while Zhai Wentao and Wu Hong, who were interested in getting involved, didn't care much.

They had known Wang Xin for many years, most of them since he first came to Datong.

For example, Wu Hong from Daizhou was the first person to get to know Wang Xin when Wang Xin first came to Datong to serve as the garrison commander of Yanmen Pass, and he took the initiative to offer help.

The fact that Wu Hong could provide assistance to military generals shows that he was not a stubborn person.

Upon hearing Zhang Yuncheng mention the uncertainty surrounding the population of Daizhou, Wu Hong felt somewhat embarrassed, as he, as the prefect of Daizhou, genuinely did not know.

Everyone knows the number of people listed in the Yellow Register is incorrect.

Daizhou is relatively small, so while it's impossible to take a complete count, we can make some inferences from various aspects. Taiyuan Prefecture, on the other hand, is too large. As the capital of Shanxi Province, it has at least two million people, which cannot be easily calculated.

"We must be clear about the population within the country. The situation will only be more severe next year. Our goal is to ensure that no one starves to death within the country."

Wang Xin said solemnly.

Open source and reduce expenditure.

We're already in Kaiyuan, so we must continue to cut costs.

“It’s not just about grain.” Zeng Zhi couldn’t wait any longer and had to come up with a solution today. “The Jiedushi’s office already owes more than 300,000 taels of silver, and the shortfall next year will be more than 500,000 taels.”

We either need to find a solution, or we need to abandon the Datong model in Shanxi.

"I believe in being pragmatic and establishing a bilateral system. Datong is one model, while Taiyuan will continue with the original model. Once the Jiedushi Prefecture has the capacity, it can then help the people of Taiyuan."

Although it was regrettable, I felt I had to face reality.

The Datong model is not bad, but its foundation is too weak. Especially in the face of the current severe drought, its current state of development further demonstrates the power of the Datong model.

(End of this chapter)