Chapter 61: All for the Place

Upon hearing this, Chen Xie abandoned his original idea. Zhang Yao had been an official and was now a local gentry, so he was naturally very familiar with these matters. "Uncle Zhang, should I go or not?"

Zhang Yao smiled and said, "You should still go. As the saying goes, a county official is not as powerful as a county manager. In Dengzhou, we must still give face to Magistrate Wang. You are a young reserve, and it’s not your turn to be the one to step forward. Besides, this is just the first donation drive of the year. It’s like a rat pulling a wooden wedge; the big part comes later. If the disaster cannot be alleviated, similar things will happen in the future."

Chen Xie nodded in agreement after hearing this. The droughts during the Chongzhen era were getting worse each year. In Shaanxi, there were bandit troubles last year, and this year, a major bandit leader, Wang Jiayin, would emerge. Following him, Wang Daliang, Zhou Dawang, Wang Zuogua, Feishanhu, Dahonglang, Miaomei, Gao Yingxiang, and others would all rise up, with numerous “local bandits” of varying sizes.

In the first year of Chongzhen, these people were still roaming around Shaanxi, temporarily far from Shandong. Even if Chen Xie knew about these matters, he could not talk about them publicly and could only wait patiently.

After talking with Zhang Yao that night and staying at his place, Zhang Yao, who was staying with his wife Zhou, complained, "Sihua has been back for less than a year, and those officials have the nerve to send him a donation request."

Zhang Yao shook his head and said, "The world is like this. This donation drive is just the beginning. Regardless of how much money and grain is raised, how many of the Dengzhou gentry are willing to contribute? These people, each with substantial wealth, talk a good game, but when it comes to the real thing, it’s a different story. Look at Sihua; he has only been back for half a year, and Zhangjia Village is completely transformed. I feel ashamed!"

Zhou knew his thoughts; wasn’t it because the Zhang clan was unwilling to help the villagers during the famine? The Zhangs were a major clan in Muping County, and Zhang Yao’s family had moved from Muping to near Dengzhou, precisely because they disapproved of the clan’s behavior.

The next day, Wang Tingshi, the maritime defense commissioner of Dengzhou, gathered the local gentry and merchants. Chen Xie followed behind Zhang Yao, constantly greeting people along the way. Zhang Yao was a gentry with a degree, not the wealthiest, but the most prestigious in Dengzhou.

This was a gathering of local landlords, and Chen Xie, as one of them, was extremely low-key. However, Chen Xie, who wanted to be low-key, was soon noticed and surrounded by people.

Leading the group was the merchant Qian Buduo, who, along with four or five regional representatives of the joint merchant guild, surrounded Chen Xie, greeting him and patting him on the back. They praised him for his miraculous healing, his contributions to the region, and his talent as a young man, saying all sorts of flattering things.

Now, the merchants in Dengzhou were all eyeing the joint merchant guild. Thanks to their efforts, the American goods of the joint merchant guild had been sold to several neighboring provinces, even as far as Guangdong, Shaanxi, and Sichuan. It was clear that these merchants were very capable. If Chen Xie hadn’t returned to the modern era, the shopkeeper Liu would have been shouting about stockouts again.

According to some scholars, the population of the late Ming dynasty was around 200 million. Even if only one-tenth of the population were wealthy, there would still be 20 million wealthy people. It was easy to see the size of the market Chen Xie faced. Now, the merchants in Dengzhou no longer saw Chen Xie as just a miraculous doctor but as a silver mountain that could provide continuous profits for everyone.

The gentry waited for about half an hour before Wang Tingshi finally arrived, and surprisingly, Sun Guozhen was with him. This caused a commotion, with the gentry bowing and the merchants without degrees kneeling. Chen Xie, being a commoner, also bowed, but he had the position of a militia commander and Zhang Yao’s support, so he only made a long bow.

Wang Tingshi had invited Sun Guozhen not to suppress the local gentry but to show him the difficulty of grassroots work, especially the donation drive. Sun Guozhen knew this, but he still had to come; it was a matter of attitude. When Wang Tingshi reported to the court, he would certainly mention: “Sun Futaizhang and I...”

"Gentlemen, today..." Wang Tingshi began his speech. The meaning was clear: he represented the court in governing the region, and now there was a drought. As locals, everyone was here to help the local people. The government would also allocate some money and grain to get through the crisis. As Wang Tingshi spoke, the expressions of the gentry below were varied. Half of them lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact, while another part sat like they were meditating, eyes closed, as if in deep concentration. Some even closed their eyes to rest.

Chen Xie belonged to the group that lowered their heads, but he would sneak glances around. Zhang Yao, on the other hand, was very calm, seemingly listening intently. When Wang Tingshi finished, he bowed to Sun Guozhen, inviting him to speak.

Sun Guozhen didn’t want to speak, but he immediately noticed Chen Xie. It was hard to miss him; he was tall and had short hair, which, although longer now, still stood out among the Ming people.

"I will say a few words!" Sun Guozhen’s words made Wang Tingshi uneasy. Why? This matter wasn’t Sun Guozhen’s responsibility; it was Wang Tingshi’s as the maritime defense commissioner of Dengzhou. Normally, Wang Tingshi would handle it, and the position of the governor of Denglai focused more on military affairs, with little involvement in local governance. The original intention of setting up the governor of Denglai during the Tianqi era was to support the Dongjiang Town and block the Jurchen sea route.

While Wang Tingshi was still puzzled, Sun Guozhen continued, "A few days ago, I went out in plain clothes and saw the initial signs of drought along the way, causing great distress to the people. When I reached a place called Zhangjia Village, I saw a different scene..." Sun Guozhen had good eloquence, speaking smoothly, and the main point was that he had found a place where things were done differently.

Sun Guozhen used Chen Xie as an example and concluded, "If the gentry in Denglai were all like Zhangjia Village, what would we fear from the disaster?" He spoke with satisfaction, but Chen Xie, hearing this, buried his head in his lap, feeling a deep resentment. Wasn’t this just stirring up trouble for him? After being in the Ming dynasty for so long, maintaining good local relations wasn’t easy. How much profit did he have to give up each year? Did you know?

After Sun Guozhen finished, Wang Tingshi understood that this was about setting an example. However, Wang Tingshi didn’t plan to back Sun Guozhen. Why should he? Chen Xie was a miraculous doctor, and Wang Tingshi had shares in the joint merchant guild. Not only could people get sick and need his help, but the shares alone brought in thousands of taels of silver each month. He couldn’t just let Chen Xie take the fall.

Did Sun Guozhen not benefit from the joint merchant guild? That couldn’t be! Upon further thought, this governor was too cunning. This time, he had sent the donation request, and the blame would fall on him. Everyone would suspect that he had colluded with Sun Guozhen. Moreover, if everyone used Chen Xie as an excuse to donate money and dig wells to fight the drought, and then asked the government for subsidies, wouldn’t this be a case of not getting the sheep but getting dirty? He had hoped to gain some benefits from this donation drive.

Wang Tingshi promptly said, "Gentlemen, the governor’s words are heartfelt. I believe that in this time of disaster, the people of Dengzhou, whether officials or gentry, should unite and overcome the difficulties together." Wang Tingshi’s skill in shifting the blame was evident; he deflected the focus from Chen Xie and the joint merchant guild.

"Since the place is in trouble, I, Zhang, cannot shirk my duty. I will donate 500 dan of grain and 100 taels of silver." Zhang Yao spoke calmly, unafraid of offending the officials. His degree as a jinshi was like a protective charm.

"Xie will follow Uncle Zhang’s lead and donate 500 dan of grain and 100 taels of silver." Chen Xie quickly followed, and the others, seeing this, also followed suit, donating according to this standard. In no time, those who had business with the joint merchant guild adjusted their donations slightly. Qian Buduo and others, for example, donated 300 dan of grain and 50 taels of silver. The rest were less generous, ranging from 300 dan to 50 dan of grain.

In total, the nearly 100 gentry and wealthy families present pledged 5,000 dan of grain and 1,100 taels of silver. The main contributors were the merchants who had ties with the joint merchant guild, who donated all 1,100 taels of silver.

Wang Tingshi was very satisfied, Sun Guozhen was helpless, and Chen Xie was indifferent. These local tyrants and corrupt gentry, who held 90% of Dengzhou’s wealth, were unwilling to be generous at this time. They would wait until Kong Youde, Li Jiucheng, and others used force to