“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 51: Three Thousand Households
Qiao Yan found it hard not to question whether Cai Zhaoji inherited that absurd honesty from Cai Yong.
She replied seriously, “How can you say that? Huangjing grows at the foot of the Taihang Mountains; though it hasn’t been processed, its quality is just passable, yet it is, after all, the spirit of the mountains. The sap of the mulberry tree is like glue; it makes wax seals tighter to prevent the offerings to Your Majesty from spoiling. But the mulberry bark we use for clothing is just the lowest quality.”
Cai Zhaoji exchanged glances with her and thought that in the art of nonsense, Qiao Yan was clearly a master. Even if the Emperor himself saw this mulberry bark clothing, he wouldn’t be able to pick out any flaws in her nonsense.
Qiao Yan then found a thin and frail villager to test the strange-looking mulberry bark clothing.
Having experienced cushy down jackets from the future, she couldn’t help but have a biased view of the mulberry bark clothing, especially since, in softness and warmth, the bark fell far short of her standards.
But for people of this era, it was a different story.
In the north, they often heated their kang beds, a practice that started way back in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. By the Han dynasty, the design of smoke ducts had become increasingly reasonable, but it’s not as if a kang could just catch fire on its own.
A household needed twenty kilograms of firewood daily to maintain the kang and cook, which was hardly feasible outside in the freezing winter.
And once you went out, you’d face the cold, and climbing the mountains was a dangerous task.
The villager, brought in by Qiao Yan, skeptically put on the oddly shaped mulberry bark clothing, but discovered that although it didn’t fit as snugly as regular clothes, it was surprisingly effective at blocking the wind while remaining light.
His physique couldn’t compare to Zhao Yun and Dian Wei, the cold-resistant martial artists; he had been shivering due to a sudden drop in temperature, but now, with the wind blocked, he stood up straight.
He couldn’t help but marvel at this seemingly mediocre garment.
“I had been wondering why the Lord sent someone to find the mulberry trees; their bark is tough and hard to chew, but it turns out it has such surprising effects. Good thing we didn’t eat that stuff last year!”
“…”
“Lord?” He noticed Qiao Yan seemed stunned for a moment upon hearing his reply.
But then he saw her return to calmness and ask, “What do you think of this clothing?”
“It’s great! It’s warmer than hemp clothing, and with this windbreaker, if I wear a couple more layers, I can even try climbing the mountains in winter.” He tugged at the mulberry bark clothing, noticing its toughness meant his pulling wouldn’t rip it apart.
Thanks to its durability, even with some large movements, it didn’t seem prone to break.
He was increasingly fond of this item when he suddenly heard Qiao Yan say, “Then wear this clothing and go.”
He looked at Qiao Yan in disbelief, realizing her serious expression wasn’t a joke, and he happily left with the mulberry bark clothing.
As Qiao Yan watched his significantly lighter departure, she felt a bit dazed.
If initially, she was motivated by not wanting the population in the county to diminish in this winter, now that necessity surged even higher.
What kind of situation would prompt someone to casually mention how lucky they were that the mulberry tree’s bark was too tough to chew, leaving material for her to make the mulberry bark clothing?
It seemed they didn’t intend to treat it like a big deal, casually mentioning it like it was nothing.
He also had no idea how much this simple statement impacted the County Marquis of Leping.
Qiao Yan forcefully shoved his words to the back of her mind and returned to the task of making the mulberry bark clothing.
Having completed the first piece, she now had a better idea of how to improve it.
The method of soaking and processing the fallen bark in the pool, beating out the fibers in different parts of the clothing, stacking the mulberry bark layers, and the overall shape of the clothing gradually became optimized with the increase of samples.
In this endeavor, the women from the Black Mountain labor camp played a significant role. Qiao Yan quickly distributed half of the first batch of mulberry bark clothing to them, while the other half went to the able-bodied men who needed to venture out to chop firewood and continue gathering mulberry bark.
The demand for warmth undoubtedly boosted the labor efficiency of these people, and after seven days, Qiao Yan saw the second batch of mulberry bark clothing.
It was already very close to the paper quilt granted to commoners in the future.
One of the women even tried to slip a layer of hemp fluff between two layers of mulberry bark while boiling and beating the mulberry bark, while another added walnut oil to slightly alleviate the rigidity of the mulberry bark clothing.
Qiao Yan vaguely recalled that wood products could achieve a similar effect, but clearly walnuts presented a better opportunity.
And since such plant oil could work, other oily crops could also serve as materials.
By the time the third batch of mulberry bark clothing made its debut, the model before her, which had originally been a replica of Leping’s terrain, had completely transformed into a record of various crops in the mountains.
The Black Mountain Bandits had only occupied the Taihang Mountains for a month, but in their back-and-forth movements, they couldn’t help but take note of various distinctive features.
At that moment, the red-marked areas on the map indicated the location of the mulberry tree forest. The rest denoted locations of auxiliary materials such as walnut trees.
Xi Zhicai, at this time, no longer thought the map was strange.
Using this finely crafted map model to engage in agricultural recording felt like a bit of a waste to him initially.
But if this could indeed help record every plant and tree in Leping and sustain a whole county, where was the waste in that?
He saw Qiao Yan looking at the terrain model in front of her, revealing a knowing smile.
“I plan to price this mulberry bark clothing at twenty coins,” Qiao Yan suddenly said while inspecting the colorful markings before her, “Given Bingzhou’s prices, a piece of the cheapest hemp clothing costs about a hundred coins. If a household has five members, five pieces of mulberry bark clothing would equal the price of one hemp outfit.”
“Now that autumn harvest has passed, each family’s remaining money should allow for a new piece of clothing,” Xi Zhicai replied.
He found Qiao Yan quite interesting.
She clearly maintained a state of granting benefits to the county residents while not wanting them to think she could solve all their problems or provide everything for free.
This had a far more subtle influence than merely offering favors.
It felt more like a special trading structure.
In this structure, they weren’t just simply paying money for clothing; it was more akin to exchanging a small amount of money to gain something under Qiao Yan’s governance.
“A chance to stay alive.”
With Xi Zhicai’s sharp eye, it was clear that if this trust built up to a certain point, the county folk, already accustomed to it, would definitely choose to adapt to Qiao Yan’s trading system.
In other words, paying for one’s life could be seen as a form of tax imposed on them simply for being within this territory, due to their presence.
This kind of taxation, stemming from “Qiao Yan being the County Marquis of the Han Dynasty in this area,” was not at all the same thing.
He pondered this deeply and felt that Qiao Yan had her own unique pricing strategy, but he continued to ask, “So, what do you think we should do about the Black Mountain Bandits?”
“In border counties, laborers who are provided food and shelter by their employers are typically paid 300 coins a month. Their situation is not much different now, but if I offered that amount, I simply couldn’t afford it,” Qiao Yan admitted bluntly, revealing her current poverty.
Even if she priced a Mulberry Bark Clothing at 20 coins, in Leping County, she’d only end up with about a million coins in total, which would barely amount to over a hundred coins per laborer among the Black Mountain Bandits, clearly below market value.
“But I also cover their clothing and firewood for warmth,” Qiao Yan continued, “Moreover, their food is much better than that of regular workers, plus they have a bit of a criminal record, so let’s settle on 30 coins a month, which means only a little over two months, still manageable.”
“Qiao Yan intends to set a precedent,” Xi Zhicai clapped and laughed, “Then I guess they’ll get to redeem their good citizen status and be officially registered in Leping County.”
Under the Household Registration System of the Han Dynasty, to relocate somewhere, one had to obtain permission from local officials, but Leping had a bit of a unique twist.
Qiao Yan, as County Marquis, wielded significant local control, particularly through Cheng Li, who would follow her directives.
So, it wouldn’t be difficult to issue proof for relocating household registrations.
Xi Zhicai had no doubt that those she treated specially would stay put after this invitation.
The stocks in the granary of Leping, Qiao Yan’s tax reduction decisions, and the development of the Mulberry Bark Clothing undoubtedly appealed greatly to those who had faced hunger.
Even in this tumultuous environment, with rebellions quelled yet still resembling chaos, it stood out as something quite precious.
“Not only that, according to the laws of the Han, the unified editing of household registrations is set for August.” Qiao Yan brought her gaze back from the model and turned to Xi Zhicai, “If I set the date for next August and limit it to 3,000, what do you think?”
Choosing 3,000 from the 9,000 Black Mountain Bandits for the household registration in August…
As long as she could maintain the current state of Leping, those 3,000 registrations would be like bait dangled before the Black Mountain Bandits, sparking a wave of competition amidst her benevolent policies.
This undoubtedly suggested a healthy competition.
Quite clever!
However…
“I think Qiao Yan might have misspoken,”
Xi Zhicai adjusted his sleeves and suddenly bowed to Qiao Yan, “Leping County can’t allocate 3,000 registrations, it needs to be one less.”
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Qiao Yan’s face.
Three thousand minus one! What could that one missing household be? It seemed there was no other answer.
While Xi Zhicai had previously devised a strategy against the prefects of the three counties for her, he had assumed the role of a consultant and never actually stated he would stick around.
But his words about registering in Leping now conveyed a clear sense of belonging, even more than merely offering to serve in the area.
Of course, this registration didn’t mean he had to introduce himself as “Xi Zhicai of Leping” when greeting others, and his ability to make this decision was likely related to his solitary status, having little ties to the local community.
But the underlying message was clear—
He clearly had high expectations for Qiao Yan, hence his willingness to bet on her.
Even if there was a chance he’d leave later on, at least for now, he was tying himself to Leping as part of a shared interest.
This was not a decision an erudite and talented strategist would take lightly.
At first glance, this boldness contrasted sharply with his usual laid-back demeanor, sipping wine and taking it easy.
However, to Qiao Yan, there seemed to be no conflict in this.
For any strategist, being overly hesitant in decision-making was a particularly deadly flaw.
Afraid that Xi Zhicai might change his mind, Qiao Yan quickly replied, “If you would be willing to stay, it would truly be a blessing for both me and Leping.”
“In that case, may I ask what my salary would be?”
Having made up his mind, Xi Zhicai displayed a hint of nonchalance, his tone tinged with a teasing light, “I see Marquis Qiao enjoys citing the law, so does the law specify how a wine-loving fellow like me should be compensated?”
Since he wasn’t exactly being formal, Qiao Yan happily responded in a casual manner, “The law states, standard wage for artisans is 2,000 coins a month. Most artisans only have one skill, but since you can strategize and brew wine, you should be compensated as if for two roles—how about 4,000 coins a month?”
The term “standard wage” refers to government-specified craftsmen.
Xi Zhicai calculated the current grain prices, and her proposed salary standard, plus the various perks of meals and accommodations, was pretty much on par with the price of 600 stones of grain.
In fact, it was just slightly lower than Cheng Li’s treatment.
Considering the time he would dedicate to her and the contributions he’d make, this arrangement clearly made sense.
And she wasn’t being entirely serious about it; her saying “law states” carried a strangely humorous tone.
In terms of work, Xi Zhicai certainly admired Qiao Yan’s meticulous approach to Leping, and this attention to detail was beautifully reflected in the models she built.
Yet, from a strategist’s point of view, her sense of humor was clearly more to his taste.
Perhaps this decision of his was indeed a good one.
However, in the next moment, he heard Qiao Yan say, “But to put it bluntly, that standard wage is often for young men, and given your current build, you may not quite measure up.”
“……”
“I’m not one to cut salaries, so I’ll just have to supervise your food and drink during your spare time,” Qiao Yan said slowly as she watched Xi Zhicai’s expression freeze. “How do you feel about that?”
How do I feel about that?
Xi Zhicai couldn’t help but wonder if it was too late to retract his earlier decision.
Or—
Should he find someone else to divert attention?
