I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country - Chap 55
Chapter 55
Thanks to the availability of food and money, thanks to Liu Yan’s influence, Jiashen Society didn’t notice the increase in the food prices.
The rations for five thousand soldiers were not too much, and Xu Xiong Yuan currently didn’t feel any pressure.
He secretly coveted the local wealthy elites’ mines, especially those glittering gold mines. He really wanted to seize them. However, he couldn’t help but keep Liu Yan’s words in mind. Even though South Jing had its natural advantages, if the local elites united and combined with the surrounding garrison troops, his five thousand soldiers wouldn’t be enough to handle them.
Xu Xiong Yuan could only temporarily suppress his restless desire and patiently wait for news from the capital. During this waiting period, Liu Yan gradually gained his favor.
Zhao Zhou, on the other hand, had a sense that something was amiss. He occasionally asked Liu Yan, “Is the imperial anti-corruption campaign really so intense?”
Liu Yan coldly snorted, his voice filled with both hatred and anger. “On the surface, it seems like an anti-corruption effort, but it’s actually an abuse of power to force people into submission! The higher-ups make empty promises, and the lower-ranked officials just go through the motions. In the end, they only catch a few scapegoats, and that’s considered enough!”
Those corrupt officials in Daheng were just pandering to the emperor!
Liu Yan’s genuine anger was clearly visible, and Zhao Zhou felt it. He didn’t feel comfortable asking further and could only think that perhaps it was because South Jing was too chaotic. Either the anti-corruption personnel hadn’t arrived yet, or the local officials had already swept things under the rug, so nothing significant had happened.
Although this line of thinking seemed reasonable, Zhao Zhou had an uneasy feeling. His right eyelid had been twitching incessantly, and he didn’t know what kind of event was about to occur.
After a few more days, the assassins sent to kill the emperor returned.
These individuals were in a sorry state, collapsing to the ground as soon as they arrived at the Jiashen society. Xu Xiong Yuan was anxiously impatient. He couldn’t even maintain a pretense anymore and stood beside the assassin, urging, “How did it go? Was the assassination successful? Is that damned emperor dead? Why are there only a few of you left?”
The leader of the assassins took a deep breath, gradually regaining composure before bursting into loud laughter. “We’ve wounded that damn emperor with our shots, hahaha! I’m afraid his days are numbered!”
Xu Xiong Yuan was overjoyed, patting the assassin leader on the shoulder and laughing heartily at the sky. “Well done! Heaven is assisting me, Xu, too!”
Xu Xiong Yuan sneered triumphantly. Now, it seemed that the court would no longer be able to control the rebel forces. He could seize the gold mine without anyone being able to stop him.
He ordered his servants to help the exhausted assassins rest and instructed them to prepare a lavish feast to celebrate.
During the banquet, everyone was enjoying themselves and toasting. After a few drinks, Zhao Zhou overheard two guests nearby complaining about the rising prices of food and their inability to afford it.
Zhao Zhou furrowed his brows, and Liu Yan, who was sitting beside him, glanced at him and leisurely poured himself a glass of wine. He showed concern and asked, “Why does Brother Zhao look so worried?”
Zhao Zhou sighed and said, “Brother Liu, you might not know, but the food you brought back recently is almost depleted. Once the military rations run out, the soldiers will panic. I sent people to purchase rice and grain a few days ago, only to find out that the prices in the city have actually increased.”
Liu Yan couldn’t help but smile and asked without changing his expression, “How much did it increase?”
Zhao Zhou replied, “It has risen by thirty percent.”
Liu Yan shook his head as if amused and said, “Zhao Xiong, since your family isn’t involved in these matters, you may not know that this price increase is within the normal range.”
Zhao Zhou questioned, “But a thirty percent increase, is that still considered normal?”
“Of course,” Liu Yan nodded and pondered for a moment. “The recent news about the abundance of minerals in South Jing must have spread. These grain merchants who came from Jiangnan naturally assume that everyone in South Jing is making a fortune. Merchants are driven by profit-seeking instincts.”
Zhao Zhou sighed and felt uneasy. “I hope that’s the case.”
When Liu Yan first arrived at the Jiashen Society, he was accompanied by two hundred new members of the Supervisory Office.
The emperor was in need of personnel, so the members of the Supervisory Office worked diligently. As time passed, the influence of the Supervisory Office grew stronger in secret. People like Sun Xiaoshan emerged from the office, and they traveled throughout Daheng, investigating on behalf of the emperor.
Alongside the Supervisory Office were five hundred elite soldiers from the Eastern Feather Guard, who were always ready to follow the office’s commands. Each of these five hundred soldiers was formidable, capable of taking on ten opponents.
The leader of the Supervisory Office was named Jiang Jin.
Jiang Jin led his team to Jiangnan, first cutting off the information flow between South Jing and Jiangnan to prevent premature alarm in South Jing.
After completing this task, Jiang Jin began the large-scale purchase of food in Jiangnan according to the emperor’s orders.
The grain warehouses in Jiangnan had already been emptied by Gu Yuanbai’s men, and the grain shops had also closed their doors. These people were Gu Yuanbai’s men embedded in Jiangnan. After closing their grain shops, the remaining grain was secretly transported to the Supervisory Office.
How could Gu Yuanbai not take precautions when he intentionally drove the rebel forces to South Jing and Jiangnan?
When he forced the rebel forces here, he had already made many preparations for the scene that would unfold today.
Later on, no one knew when it started, but the phrase “Jiangnan has no food” began to echo throughout the region.
Initially, many people scoffed at the notion. Jiangnan was a prosperous land known for its abundant resources. How could it possibly lack food?
However, as more people began to talk about it, even the skeptics started to hesitate.
They entered grain shops with a mix of belief and doubt and discovered that the grain supply was indeed scarce.
Many grain shops had even closed their doors.
The people of Jiangnan were shocked.
After regaining their senses, in a state of inexplicable panic, the people rushed into the few remaining grain shops, desperately trying to seize the grain. As more people joined the frenzy, the panic of food scarcity grew even stronger. In the end, the shop owners became angry and closed their doors, refusing to sell any more grain.
As this situation escalated in Jiangnan, another rumor began to circulate.
There was an epidemic outbreak in other provinces.
As soon as this rumor spread and people saw the lack of grain in the shops, everyone was thrown into a panic. Regardless of their previous beliefs, fear gripped their hearts at this moment. Under the threat of an epidemic, the demand for food among the people intensified. They had no choice but to seek help from the officials, but to their astonishment, the officials had already fled with the grain!
The people used brute force to break open the granaries, only to find scattered grains on the ground, sparsely scattered with no substantial amount left.
South Jing, being so prosperous, its people had become accustomed to buying various things with currency. They had never imagined a day without food, but when that day truly arrived, they realized how fragile Jiangnan’s prosperity was.
The crops in the fields were still growing, and the households only had the remaining stored grains from the previous harvest. The only ones with enough food were the local wealthy and powerful.
At this point, it was impossible to transport grain to South Jing, as there was not enough local food in Jiangnan itself.
Half a month later, the people of South Jing finally heard the news that had come from Jiangnan.
Jiangnan has no food.
The people of South Jing looked at each other in shock.
Their initial reaction was the same as when Jiangnan first heard the news—disbelief.
But soon, they had no choice but to believe.
Jiangnan had no food. After confirming this fact, the entire population of South Jing fell into chaos. The surrounding provinces that relied on Jiangnan for food supply were left in a predicament. If Jiangnan had no food, what were they supposed to do?
The people of South Jing were plunged into deep fear and anxiety.
They used the money they had earned from selling minerals to buy food from the grain shops. But without food, what use was money, no matter how much they had?
In the blink of an eye, both South Jing and Jiangnan found themselves impoverished, with only money left.
In Ningyuan County, those with status within the Jiashen Society gathered together. Many people wore anxious expressions, all discussing the same issue. “General, what should we do now that we have no food?”
Xu Xiong Yuan’s expression was grim as he turned to the group of advisors and asked, “Do any of you gentlemen have any brilliant ideas?”
The advisors all wore troubled expressions, and Zhao Zhou’s heart raced, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. “How could the food suddenly disappear like this?”
Xu Xiong Yuan’s patience wore thin, and he impatiently said, “Mr. Zhao, since this has already happened, there’s no need to dwell on what happened. The most important thing now is how to obtain food! Soldiers cannot go hungry, as the lack of military pay will lead to desertion and chaos.”
Zhao Zhou hesitated, unable to speak, and ultimately remained silent.
Liu Yan glanced at him soothingly, pondered for a moment, and said, “General, now news of the epidemic outbreak in other provinces is spreading throughout South Jing. Even in a small place like Ningyuan County, there is great panic. Although we don’t know if it’s true or false, the people have already believed it. Now that they can’t buy grain and no one is willing to sell, it poses a problem.”
Xu Xiong Yuan replied, “I am well aware of that.”
Liu Yan sighed and lowered his voice, saying, “It just so happens that our people have also sent someone to the emperor. With the current chaos outside, isn’t it time for us to make a move?”
Xu Xiong Yuan was taken aback by the words, and then his excitement surged. His dark face showed signs of eagerness, clearly indicating that he was already tempted.
Liu Yan continued in a low voice, “South Jing is in such turmoil, and I presume Jiangnan is the same. In such circumstances, we…”
“It’s time for us to make a move,” an advisor exclaimed excitedly. “While the people are in panic, those wealthy and powerful individuals can still sit comfortably. General, I believe the grain is with the wealthy and powerful!”
In an instant, Xu Xiong Yuan recalled the gold mine discovered by the Chen family half a month ago.
Once the greedy thought emerged, it couldn’t be suppressed any longer.
Zhao Zhou’s thoughts followed Liu Yan’’s line of thinking. Regardless of whether the epidemic was real or not, both South Jing and Jiangnan must be in chaos.
The emperor was currently in grave danger. With an opportunity like this, who wouldn’t take the lead?
If they could capture both South Jing and Jiangnan in one fell swoop, with natural defenses and the entire Jiangnan region as their financial backing, coupled with the emperor’s demise…
Zhao Zhou abruptly stood up, gripping Xu Xiong Yuan’s hand in excitement. “General, this is our chance for a comeback.”
A surge of ambition filled Xu Xiong Yuan’s heart, and he exclaimed with great fervor, “Your words align with my intentions!”
