“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 292: Trading Books for Grain
No matter what new tricks Qiao Yan was up to, even Yuan Shao, who usually couldn’t stand her, had to admit—
She was way too prepared for the drought.
So prepared that…
It kept me up at night.
The soy sauce sold with newspapers quickly spread from those three provinces into Ji Province, not because it was easy to transport but because the market in those provinces wasn’t saturated yet. Compared to that side, the quantity sold here was still quite small.
Then a good chunk of it was bought by Yuan Shao for research, which meant not much circulated.
But even the little that got out caused some discontent in Ye City for Yuan Shao.
People were asking why Guanzhong was preparing for a potential disaster with such gusto while Yuan Shao seemed to be taking it lightly.
These comments just added fuel to Yuan Shao’s fire.
If Qiao Yan hadn’t sent someone to intercept Zheng Xuan first, the Imperial Academy in Ye City would have had way more students by now.
Had the Academy been larger, maybe he could have controlled the narrative like Qiao Yan.
No, that wasn’t enough.
They needed enough paper and enough… influence in the provinces.
This was a top-down operation!
“Most workshops producing soy sauce are backed by noble families, and now they’re only allowed to sell outside without opening workshops in those three provinces, which has already tied them together with Qiao in terms of interests. Now there’s a newspaper giveaway and mass printing.” Xin Pi looked at the newspaper in front of him, his expression serious.
This was clearly bad news for Yuan Shao and his crew.
As someone from a prominent family, Xin Pi saw the benefit tug-of-war happening in Guanzhong.
No matter if Qiao Yan was expanding her voice through her cultural invasion tactics, at least one thing was certain—
The folks who had sided with her might face some power losses, but they could make up for it in other ways, especially in the esteem valued by scholars.
This flipped what could have been a dangerous move for her into a way to break through the situation.
This new batch of soy sauce newspapers came in with traders, and by the time Yuan Shao got the news from his subordinates, it had already been seven or eight days without any sign of chaos from Chang’an, which was proof enough.
As for why it was dangerous?
Yuan Shao had enough newspapers that his strategists wouldn’t miss the underlying issues.
These newspapers were all mass-produced in the same way.
“Not just the newspapers,” Yuan Shao looked around at the crowd and continued.
He wanted to hide the message, but he knew that doing so would just create rifts with his subordinates in this odd time, better to be straightforward.
“There’s also news from Chang’an that books containing the Seven Classics will be registered under the court’s name and distributed gradually after addressing the drought and locust disaster, to show that the Han dynasty is legitimate.”
“To replace… the Xiping Stone Classics.”
At this point, Yuan Shao was practically gritting his teeth.
If Qiao Yan was competing for public support with her anti-locust tactics, now solidifying the status of these classical texts was truly undermining his foundation!
How did the Yuan clan in Runan come to enjoy such a prominent status among scholars?
Aside from generations of high-ranking positions enabling them to elevate countless scholars over decades, they also had significant control over the interpretations of Confucian classics.
This is why his uncle Yuan Wei married the daughter of the great scholar Ma Rong.
This was the game they knew how to play.
But now, Qiao Yan seemingly without any military action was delivering the most savage blow!
If she succeeded in establishing the legitimacy of these texts through a volume-based approach like distributing the Leping Monthly Report, not only would the Yuan clan in Runan’s reputation plummet, even the noble families in his territory would start to distance themselves from him.
Yuan Shao cursed his decision as wickedly clever.
So clever that he couldn’t even mock her for potentially turning revered books into mere giveaways like soy sauce and salt!
Just saying it sounded ridiculous.
He glanced at Xin Pi, who had spoken earlier, noticing this strategist from Yingchuan, whose two brothers served under him, showing no odd reactions, which made him feel slightly more at ease. He asked, “From Zhuo’s perspective, should we also consider mass-producing documents to counter Chang’an’s moves?”
Seeing Yuan Shao express such intent, it would be hard for Xin Pi and the scholars from Yingchuan, along with Shen Pei from Hebei, not to feel tempted.
But after some thought, he replied, “I don’t think it’s wise.”
“For one, considering the drought’s urgency, does Lord have the manpower and resources to pursue this? Let’s talk about the difficulty of the task.”
“Identical documents can only be produced by having templates, but has Lord discovered how these templates are made? Do you even know how the cheap yet high-quality paper they use is produced?”
They couldn’t even procure that paper in bulk, as the regulations from the Guanzhong court stated that any bookshop could only sell a hundred sheets at a time, requiring the buyer’s information to be recorded, with severe penalties for violators.
That amount was merely a drop in the bucket for the scale of publicity needed in Guanzhong.
Creating templates might seem easier compared to research on garlic essence, but the reality could be different and would require further testing.
Xin Pi continued, “Furthermore, such a crucial move certainly must have been agreed upon by the various high-ranking scholars and officials in Chang’an before being implemented. Once the book numbered 1 is released, it will definitely receive widespread support for publicity. Can Lord assure that when we pursue this path, we can beat them to it?”
Xin Pi’s series of questions hit deeper and deeper.
Despite knowing he was just analyzing the current situation, Yuan Shao felt a wave of pressure.
The first question was just about confirming materials, which was a matter of attempts.
The second question was about paper, which Yuan Shao had been struggling to crack since the first year of Jian’an, or rather since the first year of Yonghan here. To this day, the paper he produced was still the same shoddy stuff that had been on the market for years.
High prices or poor quality, it just was not suitable for broad applications.
And that last question exposed the fact that there wasn’t a stabilizing figure on Yuan Shao’s side, while also pointing out something.
If Yuan Shao continued to develop in this way, using other people’s ideas, who would consider the books he published as the orthodox classics?
“I agree with Zhuo’s perspective,” Ju Shou spoke up, breaking the spiral of self-doubt in Yuan Shao’s mind.
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“If it’s just to compete with the other side out of pride, putting the most important matters on the back burner is truly an upside-down way of thinking. I believe you’re well aware of this, my lord.”
Ju Shou lifted the Leping Monthly Report in his hand and said, “There are already some signs that the northern regions might face droughts, possibly to the point of being uncontrollable. How likely do you think a locust plague might occur, my lord?”
Even Yuan Shao, who had no personal farming experience, knew one thing: generally, droughts and locust plagues go hand in hand. The arrival of these two disasters usually leads to many starving to death, which could further trigger plagues.
Yuan Shao frowned and reluctantly replied, “I’m afraid there will be.”
“Then the urgent task at hand is to prevent and manage these droughts and locusts.”
The thought of these two disasters happening simultaneously could plunge the populace, who had just started to enjoy a bit of peace in recent years, back into chaos made Ju Shou’s expression quite grim.
Fortunately, a somewhat bad piece of news might also be considered good news.
“Certain measures can be taken based on operations in Guanzhong and Bingzhou.”
As for why there’s no need to consider Liang Province? It’s because its elevation results in lower temperatures, which greatly suppresses the hatching of locust eggs, so a locust problem is rarely a concern there.
At most, the drought conditions would be more severe.
There’s a similar situation in Youzhou. The geographical position being too far north causes the same issues.
They could then spare some trouble negotiating with Gongsun Zan.
Listening to Ju Shou’s assessment, Yuan Shao turned his gaze back to the Leping Monthly Report in front of him, “Lord, first assign someone to arrange for the people in Ji Province and Qingzhou to… rework the farmland.”
This was a move that wouldn’t cause loss whether those two disasters actually hit or not.
In the past, Bingzhou’s agricultural tool reform had become well-known after an increase in trade.
But what’s the point? By now, Qiao Yan didn’t care about these secrets leaking out; after all, the gap in advantages created early on would only become harder to fill as time went on.
For instance, things like iron rakes might look simple, but they actually consume iron ore.
Yet, most of the iron rakes in Bingzhou and Liangzhou were made long ago, back when they hadn’t entered the standoff phase between the Chang’an court and the Ye City court, so those early investments were well within Qiao Yan’s acceptance.
However, for Yuan Shao now, this was something he needed to take out of his military supplies!
Even in the already apparent drought conditions, he couldn’t charge the populace too high a price for rakes.
The harsher the conditions, the more limited the consumption would be.
When Yuan Shao made this decision, he certainly saw this flaw, but unfortunately, compared to the large-scale purchase of Leping Monthly Reports from Bingzhou to distribute to the people of two provinces, or starting major waterway construction in March—
The loss related to making farming tools was relatively minor.
In Yanzhou, Cao Cao didn’t find himself in as difficult a position as Yuan Shao.
He did face some friction with local scholars later due to his initial means of seizing the Yanzhou Prefecture, but he didn’t have a dragging burden like Yuan Shao with an impediment in Ye City. Plus, he had Chen Gong and others helping to gradually ease relations with Yanzhou’s scholars.
However, it’s clear that he wasn’t exactly cozy about the coming drought.
Whenever droughts happen, Yanzhou tends to suffer more than places like Ji Province and Qingzhou; advantages in climate, soil, and crops become disadvantages here.
What to do? Locusts love to eat…
Cao Cao worried so much that he was losing hair. Sure, planting more beans and alfalfa could be a method to manage the situation, but only if there was a sufficient market for them.
Though beans are grains, I’ve never heard of anyone relying on beans as a staple; they’re usually combined with millet and wheat. If they’re over-planted, consumption becomes a problem.
And as for alfalfa, it’s way more finicky in its growing conditions compared to beans, and Yanzhou doesn’t have enough war horse resources to need it for feeding.
“I don’t think we need to worry about sending crops to Sili to sell,” Cao Cao said, rubbing his forehead, flipping through the newspaper repeatedly, “Such widespread advertising will surely cause bean and alfalfa prices to plummet in those three provinces, and considering transportation costs, we’ll end up losing out.”
In other words, they were still going to have to solve the problem within their own borders.
But even then, Chen Gong could see that amidst this pressure brought by responsibilities, Cao Cao didn’t regret taking up the position of Yanzhou Prefect; he was actively seeking solutions, which brought Chen Gong a great deal of comfort.
Under such stress, Cao Cao even had an open and honest talk with border officers who held some grievances against him, laying it out clearly: they could either work together to navigate this crisis or risk losing the people’s support and their own lives. Any opinions could wait until after the disaster.
For this progress during the adjustment period, Chen Gong felt a sense of responsibility and fully supported Cao Cao in overcoming this crisis.
Since natural events follow their own rules and can’t be swayed by human will, they could only rely on human effort.
Apart from the methods provided by Leping Monthly Report, Chen Gong suggested, “In the western three provinces, Qiao Yan leads by example, making the people lose their superstitious fears of locusts. Historical records even clarify that locusts flying into the sea become shrimp and fish. However, most common folks in Yanzhou are unaware of this; if a locust plague occurs, my lord should personally lead the hunt.”
Cao Cao nodded; he certainly would do that.
“Furthermore, the methods Qiao Yan used back then to combat locusts should be tried out: exchanging locusts for grains, using fire to eliminate them and issuing another decree that if anyone destroys farmland while capturing locusts, those fields would be exempt from taxes.”
Just as Cao Cao was about to speak, Chen Gong interjected, “I know you’re worried that some would rampage through fields to avoid taxes, so strict surveillance and inspections are necessary. Allow me to recommend someone: his surname is Man, name is Chong, courtesy name Bening. He used to serve as a watchdog in the county, doing an excellent job in apprehending thieves and bandits, and once served as the county magistrate in Gaoping. After exposing corruption from the county’s watchdog, he arrested and interrogated him, leading to the watchdog’s execution, after which he resigned and returned home.”
“In extraordinary times, we need extraordinary people!” Cao Cao’s eyes lit up as he responded. “I wonder where this person is; I’ll go invite him immediately.”
Chen Gong replied, “He hails from Shanyang County. Since you have this intention, just send someone to Changyi in Shanyang.”
This was merely a concern. After thinking for a moment, Cao Cao asked, “If we plan to exchange locusts for grains, what if we don’t have enough food on hand?”
They certainly couldn’t give people an impossible offer, but the exchange rate couldn’t be set too low either.
Though last year’s harvest was decent, a significant portion of the grain had already been used by Cao Cao to exchange for warm clothing for the winter.
To smoothly get through one or two years would be fine, but in the face of such disasters, it simply wouldn’t suffice.
Chen Gong decisively replied, “Send someone to Chang’an to inquire of Qiao Yan—”
“If they are willing to exchange their rare books for grain!”
Cao Cao was stunned, “How could they be willing to part with those!”
Chen Gong shook his head, “They might not be willing to part with all their books, but surely one or two families can pool some together. We could carefully select which books to offer.”
“In life-or-death situations like this, we need to weigh what’s more important.”
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