sovbooks Chapter 267 Peace Talk
Chapter 267 Peace Talk
Chapter 267 Peace Talk
When Chen Shouzhen, the clerk of Qushan County, finally got ashore, he felt a little better.
The northeast wind howled, stirring up wave after wave of seawater. The fishing boat moved on the sea like a fallen leaf, bobbing up and down, feeling small and helpless, which almost terrified him.
The landing point was designated by the "heroes".
Chen Shouzhen looked around and found that apart from a pine forest, the surrounding area consisted mostly of stone houses and shacks. According to the county's official register, Yuzhou Island should be inhabited by hundreds of fishermen, herders, and farmers.
Outside the largest stone house, a large group of people had already gathered, carrying swords and bows, looking imposing.
That should be it. Chen Shouzhen guessed, following leisurely behind his companion.
Shao Shuyi had already sat down inside the stone house.
He had someone find a mask for them to wear. Core members like Liang Tai wore masks, and those who couldn't find one simply covered their faces with a piece of cloth. As for the ordinary workers, there was no need for that; no one would remember them.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Tie Niu led a man in.
The man was in his forties, of medium build, with a thin face, high cheekbones, and a short beard. He wore a worn-out blue robe and a black gauze turban. A cloth belt was tied around his waist, but he wore no ornaments. He wore a pair of black cloth boots, the uppers of which were covered with mud and sand, making a rustling sound as he walked.
As soon as the man approached, he cupped his hands and bowed deeply, saying, "Chen Shouzheng, the magistrate of Xiongshan County, greets the valiant warrior."
Shao Shuyi looked him up and down; it turned out he wasn't an official.
However, the clerk was a prominent figure in the county, considered the head of all officials. This position, neither too high nor too low, was actually quite suitable for him to act as a lobbyist.
"Chen, the Registrar," Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "What brings you here?"
As they spoke, someone poured the other person a bowl of tea. The tea was cloudy, with tea leaves and stems floating in it; it wasn't of good quality.
Chen Shouzhen took it with both hands, blew on it gently, took a sip, and his lips twitched from the heat, but he still swallowed it.
After putting down the bowl, he looked up at Shao Shuyi and smiled. The smile contained a hint of bitterness, a hint of ingratiation, and a hint of barely concealed nervousness.
"A brave man, what a skillful tactic." Chen Shouzhen spoke, his voice low, as if he were revealing some unspeakable secret. "The Xudupu Saltworks were seized overnight. Two ships were taken from their anchorage. When County Magistrate Li heard the news, he didn't sleep a wink all night, and half of his hair turned white."
Shao Shuyi didn't say anything, but just picked up his teacup and slowly drank it.
Chen Shouzhen rubbed his hands together, his tone becoming increasingly gentle, as if coaxing a disobedient child: "Brave warrior, what do you lack on the island? Grain? Money? Seafood? Salt? As long as the county has it, we can discuss it. Your repeated trips to—this—this robbery, are ultimately not a long-term solution."
Shao Shuyi placed the teacup on the table, the bottom of the bowl hitting the wooden tabletop with a "tap".
Chen Shouzhen's heart skipped a beat.
Shao Shuyi looked into the other man's eyes and said, "Chen Dianshi, speak plainly."
Chen Shouzhen coughed lightly and lowered his voice, saying, "The county's idea is—since you have this ability, why not try another method? The Xudupu Saltworks produces a lot of salt every year. The imperial court collects salt taxes, and the salt producers deliver salt, so there's always some loss. As for this loss, it doesn't matter who pays it to, it's the same whether it's paid to you or not."
He paused, leaned closer, and lowered his voice slightly, saying, "If you're willing, brave warrior, send someone to Xudupu every month to collect—collect the goods. The people at the saltworks will arrange it at the dock, and the price is negotiable. This way, you'll avoid the danger of war, and we'll avoid—the trouble of being tracked down by our superiors. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?"
Shao Shuyi leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the table twice, and remained silent, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.
Seeing that he remained silent, Chen Shouzhen, feeling uncertain, added, "Lord Li said that as long as the brave warriors don't go ashore to plunder, everything else is negotiable. Xiongshan County is a small place; it can't afford to support many soldiers, nor does it want to make enemies with the brave warriors. We're all seeking wealth, so why fight and kill?"
Shao Shuyi finally spoke, his voice calm and unhurried: "Chen Dianshi, that's a nice way to put it. I take the goods, you collect the money, and everything's fine. But if I'm taking the goods and you send troops to surround me from behind, who can I complain to?"
Chen Shouzhen hurriedly waved his hand, looking wronged, and said, "No, no, absolutely not! You don't know, brave man. All the patrol and inspection offices in Xiongshan County have only a little over a hundred archers. Their swords are all rusty. How dare they surround you? Besides, what I'm saying may be harsh, but the truth is, if something happens to you, brave man, the three salt fields of Xudupu, Banpu, and Linhong in our county will have a shortfall of at least two thousand yin every year. Who will make up for that? Lord Li isn't stupid."
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi initially remained noncommittal.
After a moment, he asked, "Is this the county's decision, or the saltworks' decision?"
"It refers to both the county government and the saltworks."
"How so?"
"The transport office is far away in Yangzhou, while the prefectural and county governments are just a stone's throw away. The salt fields have even more pressing interests involved, so they naturally know who to listen to. Besides, the commanders of the Banpu and Linhong salt fields are aware of my arrival here."
Shao Shuyi nodded slightly, acknowledging his statement, and then asked, "How much per month?"
Chen Shouzhen's eyes lit up, knowing there was hope for this, but he didn't dare appear too eager. He simply said, "It's hard to say how many catties per month. I can only say that the three salt fields will provide a total of 200,000 catties of salt annually, stored on Yuzhou Island. You can send a boat to collect it, and our people will meet you at the dock. It's cash on delivery. The price—500 wen per catty. What do you think, sir?"
"Are you trying to fob me off like this?" Shao Shuyi sneered. "The twenty-nine salt fields of Lianghuai produce 950,000 yin (380 million jin) of salt annually. You only gave me 200,000 jin from three salt fields, and each jin costs 500 wen. Do you think I'm stupid? Fine, fine, no need for your county to send it to us. We'll take it ourselves."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shouzhen panicked and exclaimed, "Brave man, you've been wronged! You've been wronged! The 95 yin of salt quota and surplus salt is just the salt tax; there's really not that much. The last time we produced 95 yin was in the fourth year of the Zhishun era (1333), and now we only produce six or seven hundred thousand yin a year at most. Besides, there are countless salt farmers who are in arrears on their salt quotas; there really isn't that much."
"More than ten years ago, salt production was 95 yin (a unit of dry measure), but now it's only 60 yin. Where did the missing 30 yin go?"
"The salt farmers are fleeing in droves—"
"Don't give me that." Shao Shuyi waved his hand and said, "The reason why the salt farmers fled cannot be ignored, but is the loss of more than 100 million catties of salt entirely due to that? I doubt it."
Chen Shouzhen remained silent.
Those who know, know how corrupt the transportation companies and salt fields are.
For example, if a flood in a certain year leads to a reduction in salt production, the relevant authorities report this and request a reduction of 30,000 yin of salt, which is approved by the Central Secretariat. The question is, did a flood actually occur that year?
Or did an outbreak occur, but did it affect the salt fields?
Did the reduction of 30,000 salt quotas approved by the imperial court truly benefit the salt field operators?
The emperor, residing deep within the palace, only knew what his officials reported to him.
Similarly, what the people of the salt field knew was also announced by the salt field commander, the assistant commander, the supervisor, and the clerk. They said there was no reduction or exemption, so there was no reduction or exemption. Just keep making salt for me and don't ask any questions.
Therefore, when Shao Shuyi asked this question, Chen Shouzhen was speechless. He could only glance at the other man and ask in a low voice, "How much does the hero want?"
Shao Shuyi stretched out a hand.
"500,000 jin?" Chen Shouzhen felt relieved; this number was within his control.
Unexpectedly, Shao Shuyi flipped his hand and said, "One million catties."
Chen Shouzhen was taken aback and said with a wry smile, "Sir, you have quite the appetite. The slightly larger salt merchants in Yangzhou only get three to five thousand yin (120 to 200 million catties) of salt from the inspection station each year. You want two thousand five hundred yin in one go, which is equivalent to that of a large salt merchant."
"Salt merchants and I, are we fair or unfair?" Shao Shuyi asked seriously. "How much salt do your three salt fields produce each year? Can't you spare enough for this million catties? Salt merchants pay two ingots per lot, and I will also pay two ingots. It shouldn't be a penny less."
Chen Shouzhen was speechless.
It is true that the Lianghuai Transport Office sells salt for two ingots of paper money, but that is for the imperial court. Which salt merchant can really get it for just two ingots of paper money?
"The losses can't be that great—" Chen Shouzhen said with a wry smile. One million catties was already beyond the scope of his authorization.
"Brother, why waste your breath talking to them? If the corrupt officials won't give it to us, we'll just take it ourselves," Gao Daqiang said from the side. "I'll take my men ashore today and go to Banpu and Linhong salt fields to collect the salt."
"Oh, my good man, you mustn't, you mustn't!" Chen Shouzhen said hurriedly.
"Why don't you deliver it to us, and why don't you let us pick it up ourselves?" Gao Daqiang shouted. "If we wanted to buy a million catties of salt, you would make excuses and say you didn't have any. But if you actually took a million catties, you wouldn't be happy about it."
"One million catties is two thousand five hundred ingots. If we really buy it, it will cost five thousand ingots, which is a lot of money," Liang Tai said. "It's better to just rob it. Brother Wu, please think it over."
"Let's go ashore and rob, and kill a few corrupt officials while we're at it," Li Fu said expressionlessly.
"Go ahead and grab it! I'm willing to be the vanguard," Bian Yuanheng said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Shao Shuyi remained silent.
Observing his behavior, Chen Shouzhen realized that this "Brother Wu" was indeed somewhat tempted, so he immediately said, "Hero, please don't make a move. Allow me to go back and inform him before making further plans, how about that?"
Shao Shuyi remained silent.
Just as Chen Shouzhen's heart was in his throat, he finally spoke: "Today is the 25th of March. I need to see a reply before 11:00 AM on the 27th. If not, I will march over and seize Banpu and Linhong, and also destroy the prefectural and county government offices, to act on behalf of Heaven."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shouzhen felt a tightness in his chrysanthemum and his hair stand on end.
After a moment, he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I will go back and inform them now, and I will definitely come the day after tomorrow morning."
Shao Shuyi waved his hand, signaling someone to see him off.
After Chen Shouzhen's figure disappeared into the distance, the people inside the stone house burst into laughter.
They hadn't originally planned to seize the Banpu and Linhong markets, but the corrupt official got scared and secretly sent someone to negotiate peace. It's utterly ridiculous.
While laughing and joking, my spirits unconsciously rose considerably.
So, we can actually do this much.
Shao Shuyi was also very satisfied. He knew very well that robbing and seizing was not a long-term solution; cooperating with the salt field officials and taking a long-term, steady approach was the best way.
"Don't let your guard down." He glanced at everyone and said, "Strengthen vigilance and don't make any mistakes."
"Yes, sir!" the crowd replied in unison.
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