Chapter 46

Li Yuchun, if he were a minister demoted from the imperial court to a local post, had been traveling through various places such as Tiancheng, Yanghe, Weizhou, and Lingqiu in the past few months. The distance to the southernmost Lingqiu was over 300 li, to the westernmost Zhenlu over 100 li, and to Yanghe also over 100 li. The total arable land in these areas amounted to about 5 million mu. He had visited these places several times in the past few months, almost every day on the road. After the New Year, when Yusheng began to supply large quantities of grain, the money started to accumulate. Later, when the accounting office opened for business, silver flowed in even more abundantly. Zhang Han had silver in hand and would approve the allocation of silver, instructing the bodyguards to bring it. Subsequently, branches were set up in Tiancheng, Yanghe, Zhenlu, and Weizhou, making it even more convenient to access the silver. Li Yuchun set up grain collection points in each county and garrison city, as well as in several larger towns along important routes, totaling about 20 points. Each point had two to three people, and warehouses were rented. After May, they began to collect large quantities of grain, and the grain collected each day was transported to Xinping Fort by the Yusheng mule and horse network. In the past ten days, he had already collected 110,000 dan, and he estimated that by July, when the wheat harvest and summer taxes began, they could collect over 500,000 dan in these areas... This was still due to poor weather conditions and reduced yields in various places. In a good year, just in these areas, they could collect at least 3 million dan of wheat and miscellaneous grains.

Of course, it was impossible for Yusheng to consume all this grain. According to Li Yuchun's estimation, if they continued to collect, they could eventually consume 40% to 50%. The remaining nearly 50% would be from other grain stores or large landowners, who would stockpile grain to sell at high prices during the spring famine. Even if Yusheng offered a good price, not everyone would choose to sell to them... In a corner of Datong, being able to collect so much grain was already quite remarkable.

The main reason was that from Yanghe to Tiancheng and then to Zhenlu, there were quite a few plains, and along the Yang River and its tributaries, there were many paddy fields, which greatly increased the average yield per mu. If they were to go to the mountainous areas of northern Shanxi, where there were more mountains and fewer plains, the situation would not be so optimistic.

Especially in recent years, with water shortages, in areas dominated by dry fields, farmers' harvests were barely enough to sustain them. The people in these areas had to tighten their belts to pay taxes, and the burden was heavy. They had to mix wild vegetables with their limited grain to fill their stomachs. Apart from the grain they had to sell and pay as taxes, they would not sell an extra grain, making grain collection very difficult.

Li Yuchun was very eager to expand to Xuan and Da, where there were more rivers and plains. With a bit of effort, grain collection would be easier than in Shanxi.

However, all his plans were now in vain. Li Yuchun was very confused and did not know what to do next.

This incident clearly had the backing of a powerful figure. Otherwise, a seal-bearing commander and a few grain merchants would never dare to take action against a business as powerful as Yusheng.

Although they were still not as large as the Fan family, in terms of scale, they were not far off. In terms of the accounting office and bodyguards, Yusheng had already surpassed the Fan family.

"Someone is causing trouble again."

Outside, a noisy commotion arose. Li Yuchun's face turned grim, and Yang Qiu also stood up, cursing, "If we were in Xinping Fort, we would beat these bastards to death."

The branch of Yusheng in Tiancheng was quite large. After all, it was a garrison city, much larger than Xinping Fort, with an area of about six to seven li. Although Datong did not have military and civilian thousand-households, each garrison was a real garrison, governing both military and civilian households, and the area was relatively prosperous. The population of the garrison city was about 100,000, making it a large garrison city in the west. The further west you went, the fewer the population of the garrisons, and the population in the northwest was even less.

The branch, mule and horse store, grain store, and accounting office were all in one place, occupying five large courtyards, with about 100 rooms, not much less than Xinping Fort.

The accounting office was in the middle of the stores, with not much silver stored, but the scale was similar to Xinping Fort. The large houses were built of blue bricks, with no windows, only doors, and the security was very strict.

Without such a scale and atmosphere, more and more merchants would not trust Yusheng to entrust their silver and goods for transportation and exchange.

The grain store was on the outermost side, with nearly half of the large houses, treated for moisture resistance, capable of storing about 300,000 dan of grain. Including the branches in Zhenlu and Yanghe, the total grain storage was over a million dan.

All these were set up by Zhang Han, a grand gesture that left Li Yuchun both surprised and impressed.

The noisy crowd outside was made up of farmers selling grain and some small grain merchants, who collected grain from various places and sold it using mules and horses. In the past few days, grain collection had stopped, and many people gathered outside every day, cursing Yusheng for lacking credibility. Li Yuchun knew that most of them were angry because they could not sell their grain, while some were just there to watch the commotion, or even to incite trouble.

Yusheng's grain purchase price was 500 cash per dan, which was a fair price compared to the current high grain prices due to recent disasters and reduced yields. Other large grain merchants, including the Fan family's branches, still bought grain at 300 cash per dan, or at most 1000 cash for three dan. With such a price difference, the number of sellers was naturally high.

When the store outside became chaotic, Li Yuchun and Yang Qiu could not sit still. Today, the crowd seemed particularly large, with almost a thousand people, most of whom were not there to sell grain but to watch the commotion. Outside the store, most were farmers pushing chicken carts, with two to three dan of grain on each cart. These people were mostly there to prepare for tax payments, and the grain they sold was likely just enough to pay the summer tax. If the grain price was half as low, these farmers would have to sell twice as much grain to pay the summer tax, and in a few months, there would be an even higher autumn tax. Additionally, many tenant farmers had to pay nearly half of their rent to the landowners, making the burden very heavy. Even if the grain price was only two fen higher, many would still push their carts for dozens of miles to sell.

If the farmers were still tolerable, they would sit on the ground, waiting quietly, and if the grain was not accepted, they would have to push their carts back home. However, the small grain merchants were very anxious, and they were the main force causing the commotion. As soon as they saw Li Yuchun, many of them jumped up and shouted.

"Mr. Li, didn't you say you would keep buying grain? I ran over a hundred li and bought over a hundred dan at a high price. If you stop now, aren't you forcing me to hang myself?"

"Mr. Li, if you don't buy grain, I'll die at your store door. Yusheng is a decades-old store, how can you do such a despicable thing?"

"You must explain clearly today, are you still buying grain or not?"

These small grain merchants knew that the current situation was not Yusheng's fault. Everyone had heard about Li Yuchun being beaten, and it was clear that the large grain merchants were behind it. Some even guessed that it was related to the gentry or garrison forces. However, most of them had already collected a lot of grain, and if they sold it at the large grain merchants' prices, they would suffer significant losses. Holding onto the grain was also not an option... Everyone knew that after two months, when the summer tax was paid, the grain price would rise again, but holding hundreds of dan of grain for a few months was too much for most people.

Li Yuchun's face was expressionless, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions. In those days, business was rarely conducted with contracts, only with trust and integrity. A businessman's word was as good as a promise, and breaking it was unthinkable. This time, the temporary halt in grain collection left Li Yuchun unsure of the final decision. He knew that if they did not buy the grain, Yusheng's reputation would be ruined, and it would take a lot of effort to recover... Even decades later, people would still speak ill of him... After a lifetime of business, which was already considered lower than scholars, if his good reputation was destroyed, life would have no meaning...

"Mr. Li," Yang Qiu, noticing Li Yuchun's mood, said with a sidelong glance, "These people are just trying to make money off us. If everything is fine, they make money; if there's trouble, they come to cause a commotion. There's no such simple logic. Don't pay attention to them. Besides, everything is up to the young master. You don't need to be so worried. The young master won't let you down."

"Can only think that way..."

Li Yuchun was not as confident as Yang Qiu. He had been away from Xinping Fort for a long time and was now an outsider to Zhang Han's actions. He felt that the development was too fast and the money too easy to earn, but he did not understand the reasons behind it, so his confidence in the young master Zhang Han was not very strong.

No one from Yusheng spoke or said they would continue to buy grain. The farmers pushing carts or leading donkeys continued to sigh, and the small grain merchants became even more agitated, with many waving their arms forward. Yang Qiu waved his hand, and about twenty bodyguards suddenly released their aura, and the scene immediately quieted down.

These bodyguards were experienced hands drawn from various branches, mostly from the Lahu, with a cold and sinister aura. They had been training non-stop for the past few months, engaging in many group fights, and their aura had become even more fierce. Each of them carried short weapons, and as they moved forward, their aura spread, and those causing the most trouble felt the pressure. Although they continued to speak, no one dared to try to rush forward.

Yang Qiu grinned, "Mr. Li, look at those idle men standing on the outside."

Li Yuchun nodded subconsciously, his eyes involuntarily glancing back at the crowd.

These idle men had been standing there from the beginning, coming every day, numbering about 40 to 50. Some held conspicuous long weapons, hiding in the corners, mostly with waist knives or bulging waistbands, indicating they were hiding short weapons like daggers. These people had a certain aura, clearly not good people.

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Today, I want to thank the patron "If it falls again, I'll really jump off the building" for the extra chapter. Your support is the most sincere, and for me, writing good articles is the most sincere. Thank you very much, and I will continue to work hard.

Also, this name reminds me of the stock market.

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