Chapter 1321: Borrowing Grain? I'll Give You Someone (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Xun Zhen was beaten into submission by his colleagues, but he refused to admit it verbally.
"...Since they have asked for grain, we as allies naturally cannot stand idly by. However—" He deliberately dragged out the word "how many cooks will Qu Kingdom need to transport the grain they have borrowed? How many troops will need to be dispatched along the way to guard it? The recent battles have greatly depleted the national treasury, and we are struggling to make ends meet. We simply cannot afford it."
Everyone was rolling their eyes at Xun Zhen.
This stingy person is complaining about being poor again.
But Xun Zhen wasn't just making a fuss about being poor; he had a reasoned and well-founded explanation. If you accused him of exaggerating, he'd break it down item by item, showing you how much was spent here and there, down to the unit of currency! Anyone not good at math would forget what they wanted to say after hearing such a long string of additions and subtractions, let alone have a proper argument with Xun Zhen.
Anyone familiar with military campaigns knows that when the royal court allocates ten portions of rations, the soldiers at the front typically only receive two or three. What happens to the rest? A large portion is consumed by the cooks and soldiers transporting the rations, while another portion is lost due to unforeseen circumstances during transport, such as wind and rain causing the grain to spoil. These are normal losses during transport. The longer the transport time, the more grain is consumed along the way, and the less grain is left at the destination.
It is estimated that the state of Kang was not well-off after the war, so the state of Qu borrowed a moderate amount of grain from them.
It wouldn't be so little that Kang would think Qu was so poor that it had to borrow even this little bit of grain, nor would it be so much that Kang couldn't afford it.
but--
Xun Zhen pulled a palm-sized, gleaming brass abacus from his sleeve, its uniformly sized, shimmering green beads gleaming. He deftly manipulated it, giving his colleagues a stern lesson—those who can't do accounting shouldn't give orders!
Those who were good at calculations followed Xun Zhen's steps to do the mental calculations, confirming that his numbers were correct. Those who were too lazy to calculate simply skipped the calculation process and waited for the answer. The final answer was that, under the most ideal conditions—no leaks, no enemy ambushes or interceptions, warm and rainless weather, and transport via waterways—Kangguo would still need to send fourteen times the amount of grain to satisfy this grain-borrowing trip.
Fourteen times!
Isn't this going to cost the Ministry of Revenue its life?
If things go wrong on the way, the loss rate will be even higher.
Other court officials said, "Since they are the ones who have come to borrow grain, we just need to prepare it and let them send their own people to collect it."
How can they bear the losses incurred on the road?
Some people suggested that the loss be split equally between the two sides: "Why not agree on a place for the handover of supplies beforehand, with each side bearing half the cost?"
“Alternating between river and land transport is time-consuming and costly. In my humble opinion, we should use sea transport.” The ocean is Luo Sha’s comfort zone. His men are all skilled swimmers and can navigate the deep sea with ease, let alone the near-shore areas where the danger is greatly reduced. “By using sea transport, I can also find some friends to help escort them, which will save the royal court some money.”
Shen Tang asked curiously, "Shen Lu's friends in the martial arts world?"
The subtext is: Do you have any of these江湖 (jianghu) friends that you can recruit?
Luo Sha couldn't understand, but the others did, and they all quietly strained their ears. Then they heard the mermaid general say proudly, "Not friends from the martial world, but friends from the ocean. I have a group of bowback whales as friends, and they can help protect us."
That was the network he built up by beating up orcas—no, his whale bloodline.
If you hunt killer whales, you'll be a close friend of bowback whales!
Bai Su's face turned black instantly.
My colleagues had incredibly interesting expressions. To be honest, calling on the ocean to provide protection is definitely not an idea that a normal person would come up with!
What's even better is that there's no need to pay the bowback whales.
In terms of cost-effectiveness, they are indeed better than the cooks who transport grain.
Xun Zhen's eyes lit up at this, and his fingers clattered as he manipulated the abacus beads, making everyone hold their breath in suspense for those jade beads: "...Going into coastal shipping? Not bad, not bad!"
He recalculated.
If Luo Sha's suggestion is adopted, 80% of the grain transport routes will be by sea, with the remaining 20% transferred to land and then river transport. The first plan prioritizes land and river transport, accounting for 73%. Land transport requires a large number of vehicles and livestock, resulting in significant losses.
With a few modifications, transportation costs can be reduced by more than half!
The most prominent feature of coastal land is its vast expanse and sparse population. This significantly reduces the risk of information leaks about the grain supply line and the risk of enemy obstruction. Even if discovered, they can increase their speed and temporarily flee towards the open sea to evade surveillance. The enemy doesn't possess Qin Li's abilities; hiding in the vast ocean, unable to distinguish east from west, how can they possibly capture someone?
Xun Zhen could barely suppress the smile on his face.
He held back, thinking that his colleagues might have better ideas.
The national treasury is under great pressure, so we must save money wherever possible!
Other officials were almost tempted as well: "Traveling by sea sounds good, but I've heard that not only are there strange beasts in the sea, but also bizarre giant creatures that often appear, and the weather is unpredictable. If everything goes smoothly, that's fine, but what if we encounter an attack by a sea monster?"
The vast ocean, with no village in sight and no shop in sight.
The chances of survival in a shipwreck are slim.
They had almost no experience dealing with the ocean, and embarking on sea voyages without any preparation, placing their hopes on the unpredictable sea, was far too risky! Even Luo Sha could not escape unscathed from the perilous ocean, let alone a grain transport ship.
Luo Sha was speechless for a moment: "This..."
The tribesmen also spent a great deal of effort to barely adapt to the isolated island and the harsh sea environment; others obviously could not.
Some people let out a helpless sigh.
Going inland would be too costly.
Venturing into the open sea carries many unknown risks.
By refusing to cooperate with Qu Guo, Kang Guo will miss out on developmental opportunities.
For a time, many people also felt it was a tricky situation.
The biggest problem is still the national treasury. If the treasury were full, everything would be easily solved, but Xun Zhen, that greedy pig, just won't budge. Everyone knows that Xun Zhen isn't deliberately withholding funds; this only proves that the national treasury is truly in dire straits.
Faced with this critical moment, Shen Tang gritted her teeth and said, "I have a solution that will cost at most a hundred or so taels of silver, but it's quite risky."
The officials looked at each other and asked, "One hundred and ten taels?"
The grain that Qu Kingdom borrowed could not be bought for a few hundred taels of silver.
How could it be settled for just a hundred or so taels?
Is it too risky?
What kind of adventure is it?
Are they going to target someone again?
Everyone racked their brains but couldn't come up with a way to accomplish this at almost zero cost—compared to that batch of grain, a hundred or so taels was practically nothing. To put it bluntly, the annual expenses for Qi Zhongshu's cats were more than that.
Shen Tang said, "One hundred taels is a travel allowance."
Everyone was even more confused.
Only Gu Chi saw the answer ahead of time: "The lord's idea is that since sending grain there is too costly, it would be better to send the people who produce grain there instead. Whether it is borrowing Zhai Le's land or someone else's land, they should be able to deliver enough grain within the time limit."
Planted and harvested on the spot, ensuring fresh grains and forage.
The biggest risk is that the people sent there might be detained by Zhai Le, who, as the ruler of the country, might very well do such a thing.
The surrendered southwestern subjects: "???"
Each person was so shocked that their pupils dilated repeatedly.
I recognize each character individually, so why can't I understand them when they're put together?
They hadn't fully adjusted to the DingTalk-based system of court proceedings, and having already witnessed the abundant martial spirit of the Kang Kingdom's civil and military officials—who knew that if they didn't stay away, they'd be unlucky enough to be accidentally elbowed—then they heard such a surreal statement. No, the Qu Kingdom is borrowing grain; they're short of grain, not of people to grow it! What's the use of sending farmers there? Can the Qu Kingdom patiently wait from spring planting to autumn harvest?
There are so many things to complain about, I don't even know where to begin.
The problem with Kang Guo Lao Chen was his travel expenses.
“…A hundred or so taels is far too little…” Even the stingiest Xun Zhen couldn’t help but stand up and speak the truth. Kang State and Qu State are more than a thousand miles apart, and there were more than one person sent there. Yet they only gave a hundred or so taels for travel expenses, which is only one tael per person.
Did you eat steamed buns and drink water the whole way?
Shen Tang offered a supplement: "One hundred or so taels per person, the rest will be calculated separately."
Xun Zhen's expression softened: "That's alright."
This budget at least allows for freedom to eat meat.
Shen Tang's proposal was clearly the lowest-cost option.
Qu State will provide whatever amount of grain it needs, and we'll send people to grow that much. It's direct sales from the factory, eliminating middlemen and losses; we'll provide exactly what we need. We'll use Qu State's land and its fertility.
If the soil is not fertile enough, the national fortune of Qu State can still be used.
This method takes the concept of being stingy to the extreme!
Upon hearing this, Chu Yao was basically certain that this task would fall to his student. As a teacher, his biggest concern was Lin Feng's safety. To prevent Qu Guo from detaining people and hindering Lin Feng's return to the country afterward, the accompanying guards could not be weak. Their individual combat strength had to be on par with Gong Xi Chou and the others. To be on the safe side, there should be two guards, along with a small elite group of martial artists for support.
Protecting Lin Feng and others can also serve as a deterrent to the Qu Kingdom.
The courtiers were ecstatic about the proposal.
But no one dared to speak first.
Which top-tier military general is easy to offend?
Which military general would willingly miss the golden opportunity to consolidate their prestige within the army to take on this thankless and demanding task? There are only a handful of generals in the Kang Kingdom's military hierarchy; choosing any of them would offend someone. General Chu Jie is stationed in the country year-round, and those old foxes like Wei Shou and Qian Yong would certainly use insufficient strength as an excuse to decline. Yun Ce is easier to talk to, but they have no connection with him… In terms of military power, Gong Xi Chou and Luo Sha are actually the "soft targets"—who would dare to mess with them?
The group exchanged glances, but no one dared to do anything.
DingTalk's morning meeting fell into an unprecedented silence.
Since they didn't bring it up, Shen Tang could only speak up: "The matter of guarding the guards will be handled by Feng En and Shen Lu. What do you two generals think?"
Luo Sha wasn't very shrewd and didn't understand much. Gong Xi Chou was a bit shrewd, but he didn't hold it against Mama, so naturally he had no objections.
"You two will each select fifty elite soldiers to accompany you."
These elite warriors were selected from the best of the best among battle-hardened soldiers. Although they number only a hundred, they could break through enemy lines even against a force of ten thousand. With the assistance of scholars like Lin Feng, even if the Qu Kingdom were to become greedy, they could still escape unscathed.
Seeing Luo and the other two accept the order, the courtiers were still somewhat dazed—when did these fierce demons become so easy to talk to?
After much thought, it can only be summed up in one sentence—
Brine is used to curdle tofu; one thing subdues another.
Lin Feng began preparations immediately upon receiving the order.
Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if she hadn't gone. After years of research, Kangguo had developed a general system of agricultural incantations and was specifically training scholars in this field. For some reason, only a few female scholars could successfully materialize the incantations, which limited the cultivation and optimization of grains. Incantations that affected the seasons, however, were not limited by gender.
In just half a day, Lin Feng presented a list.
The Qu Kingdom requires a huge amount of grain and fodder, and she needs people to assist her.
Shen Tang glanced at it and put it aside. She had always been very confident in Lin Feng's abilities: "It's fine for Ling De to decide on this matter. I also know that this mission is very tough. In addition to the monetary reward, there will be a further reward upon our return, and a year-end bonus will be recorded."
I can't give you much money, but what else do you want?
Shen Tang was very generous.
Lin Feng smiled and said, "On behalf of my colleagues, I would like to thank Your Majesty in advance."
Shen Tang looked at her with relief: "What are you thanking me for? The most important thing is that you had a safe journey and returned safely. Qu Kingdom is currently in many conflicts with the Central Region, and the internal society of the Gods Society is also stirring up trouble wherever it can. I wonder if we will run into your second brother."
Meeting Lin Su will naturally lead to meeting other members of the Lin clan.
For example, Lin Feng's elder brother and father.
Besides this matter, Shen Tang had something else to tell her.
"You need to bring one more person with you on this trip."
"Please give your orders, my lord."
"It's Meng Yuan."
Tan Ting also took the opportunity of this trip to return to central Taiwan to make preparations.
Lin Feng nodded and noted it down.
Shen Tang instructed Lin Feng to go find her teacher Chu Yao soon. Chu Yao was just as worried as Shen Tang about his student going on a long trip.
Lin Feng chuckled: "Your Majesty, I am not young anymore."
It's just an errand I'm going out on, why worry so much?
Chu Yao echoed the same sentiment as Shen Tang: "How can you not be a child? In my eyes, your son will always be a child."
Even knowing that she could weather the storm, I still couldn't help but worry.
There is also a risk of being detained on this trip, so we must not be careless.
Chu Yao gave her detailed instructions, ordered someone to fetch the sword Lin Feng had taken to maintain and polish, and personally cooked her a pot of three-delicacy noodles. There were many strange animals in the area that had been eaten to extinction, but some had escaped and survived, such as the river shrimp in the bowl. Each shrimp was as thick and long as a baby's calf, with firm and elastic meat and a slightly sweet taste. After removing the somewhat odd-looking shrimp heads and deveining them, and cooking them in the broth, the flavor was better than any seasoning.
These past few days, we've been able to scoop up several baskets every day.
Lin Feng ate three bowls bigger than his face in one go.
"How come the river shrimp are so plump and delicious this time of year?" They're much better than those from the Northwest, with no muddy taste at all. I can't even imagine how delicious they'll be in spring and summer; just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
“The fishermen say that’s just how these shrimp are; their habits are completely opposite to normal river shrimp. Autumn and winter are when their meat is at its most plump.” What Chu Yao didn’t mention was that the fishermen also said that this year’s river shrimp harvest was exceptionally high, and the shrimp were exceptionally large, as if they were overnourished. While the fishermen worried that the river shrimp were ruining other aquatic products, Chu Yao silently thought of another possibility.
Or perhaps—
Is it because there were more bodies thrown into the water this year?
I won't mention it; it will ruin my appetite.
To ease Lin Feng's homesickness, Chu Yao gave her two large boxes of dried shrimp he had made himself, some sweet, some sour, and some spicy. Lin Feng hadn't even traveled more than ten miles when several pounds of dried shrimp had already been consumed, leaving far too little for soups and other meals.
|ω`)
Shrimp, head removed, are edible.
Sending Lin Feng and his group was to minimize their own losses. Tang Mei's power has developed to the point where the secrets of agriculture can no longer be kept, but it is also difficult for outsiders to imitate. Kang Guo has trained many talents in this area over the years, but there are still very few.
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