Chapter 360: Chapter 350 Chaos
Xie Jue was not sure whether Lin Helin had solid evidence, but after thinking it over, he realized the only person who could confirm his identity was his mother. Otherwise, he could deny all evidence. Whether his cousin was bluffing them or truly had evidence, he could only wait for his cousin’s next move, but he couldn’t let his cousin stay in Jiaozhou and pressure Xie Xun.
"I came to Zhongzhou to force him out. The Twelve States of Yanyang are impoverished and weak. The court doesn’t want us to take over the Twelve States, not wanting the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry to grow stronger. They hope to keep the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry confined within Ningzhou City to resist the Beiman. If we occupy the Twelve States, it will truly divide the river for governance. We need the people’s support in these twelve states more than the court does. If my cousin continues to stay in Jiaozhou and you’re trapped negotiating with him within the city, Zhongzhou and Jiangnan will run short of grain, river transport will be disrupted, and Jiaozhou won’t be able to store winter grain. This involves more than just getting through the winter—spring plowing, next year’s autumn harvest—at least seven to eight months of grain shortages for the Twelve States. You don’t have time to waste playing games with him; you can only send him away. If I don’t go to Zhongzhou, how can you bring my cousin to Zhongzhou to negotiate a hostage exchange while you’re still stuck managing him in the city?" Xie Jue spoke softly.
Fengyu had learned of Xie Jue’s identity on the way and was quite surprised. Listening to Xie Jue’s calm recounting of his origins, she couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. She had met Aunt Mudan several times, only feeling that she liked to act coquettishly and looked beautiful. In the courtyard of the Marquis Mansion, there were wooden plaques hung on the peach tree, said to be a custom from Sannan, and Fengyu at that time thought it was a tale brought by Aunt Mudan.
She was actually the Sannan Princess.
But Lin Helin’s words might not be true, perhaps he was just trying to use heritage to attack the Second Young Master.
Fengyu looked at Xie Jue and Xie Xun’s extremely similar appearances, knowing that regardless of who their mother was, they were both sons of Marquis Zhenbei.
"I am concerned to the point of confusion, with no other way but to think of bringing our cousin to Zhongzhou."
"I guessed it!" Xie Jue mused, not surprised—this was typical of Xie Xun’s way of doing things, "How did your talks with him go?"
Xie Xun shook his head, "Not smoothly. My cousin has to protect the family and also his sister and Abao. He can only try to find a balance, just like grandfather... At least I know that my uncles haven’t teamed up with Yuwen Jing to harm us."
Each has their stance, so each relies on their own abilities.
"My cousin has no choice but to try a desperate move." Xie Jue understood why he came to Jiaozhou; Yuwen Jing is insane but not a foolish ruler. Emperor Jianming played a good hand of balance, and Yuwen Jing, being influenced, might be even better than the late emperor. Abao was made Crown Prince while still in the swaddle. The queen’s family and the Yuwen Royal Family have to be on the same side, "My cousin can only clear the obstacles for Abao; kinship has its priorities."
Fengyu said, "Let’s not talk about this first; the urgent thing right now is to store winter grain. West Continent and Huangzhou have low populations and can survive on millet and vegetables. If it really doesn’t work, they can still hunt. Other states and counties are different; Jiaozhou has not stored winter grain to date; Dan State and Yu State, Yang City rely entirely on grain shipped from Jiangnan. These four cities alone have 1.5 million people in need of warm clothing and food. At most, it can last until the end of December. Manager Wang said that Jiangnan grain merchants truly don’t have any grain, and it’s not about hoarding and driving up prices. How much grain has the Second Young Master managed to secure in Zhongzhou?"
"It’s a drop in the ocean, only good for emergency relief," Xie Jue said. "Ningzhou’s autumn harvest was satisfactory. If there truly is no grain, we should use the military provisions. I’ve calculated carefully, the twelve states don’t need grain in every household; release the grain when supplies are exhausted."
"Using the military grain will shake the army’s morale." Xie Xun frowned, disapproving of using military rations, but he couldn’t watch the people of the Twelve States suffer and go hungry, fearing a riot would be even harder to manage. "If military grain is used, all of the Twelve States will have to work together during spring plowing next year, praying for God’s blessing without disasters, otherwise, autumn harvests will be difficult, and the army’s spirit will surely falter."
"We can only take it step by step and solve the immediate problems first." Xie Jue said, "Next year’s matters we will discuss in the coming year. Ayu, have the trade firm collect as much grain as possible in Jiangnan."
"Alright!" Fengyu hesitated slightly, saying softly, "There’s another issue. Although the West Continent has discovered a gold mine, it’s very difficult to mine, and smelting takes time. The trade firm suffered heavy losses in Zhongzhou, only transferring half of the assets. The news from Jiangnan isn’t good either, with my mother managing things in the Capital City. Under the Emperor’s feet, Yuwen Jing has already been coveting it for a long time and will make a move sooner or later, so the trade firm’s funds are slightly tight... you may need to economize a bit."
Xie Jue, "..."
Xie Xun, "..."
Ever since having the Third Miss, they never worried about not having enough money, even getting a bit extravagant—the Xie brothers were collectively silent.
Most of the ancestral property of the Marquis Mansion was in the Capital City, except for a part in Ningzhou, and now it has been seized as private property by the Yuwen Royal Family. Xie Jue and Xie Xun wanted to make some money, truly at their wit’s end.
"Is it possible to extort some money from the Beiman?" Xie Xun asked tentatively, "We still need funds to build towns, this money should be provided by the court."
"You might try asking the Ministry of Revenue for money," Xie Jue offered a joke, "Beiman has a harder winter than ours; no way to get grain from them."
Fengyu sighed, "First make it through the winter, and for spring plowing... let the army come out to farm."
"Okay!" Xie Jue said, "You make the arrangements, we will provide the people."
"Second Brother, my cousin received a message from the Capital City that the Empress and Emperor have fallen out and Abao is seriously ill..." Xie Xun was also worried, "Abao is so small, surely nothing will happen."
They had both seen Abao, who was a very beautiful baby.
No matter how wicked Yuwen Jing might be, Abao is Lin Yushu’s child; Xie Jue and Xie Xun did not hope anything bad would happen to him. A Crown Prince in a rift with the Empress and Emperor wouldn’t have an easy life.
"Abao is still young; small ailments are inevitable."
Children are inherently fragile, and cold is a major adversary, with adults being so cautious, let alone a child.
Xie Jue wasn’t inclined to talk to Xie Xun about the people and matters in the Capital City; Xie Xun smartly kept quiet, and Fengyu, knowledgeable and considerate, briefed Xie Jue on the general state of the West Continent, asking for his advice on what to do next.
As the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry returned from Zhongzhou to the Twelve States, Xie Xun, Fengyu, and Xie Jue planned to split into three groups. Xie Xun would take troops to Jiaozhou; with Lin Helin gone, as long as he could solve the winter grain issue, Jiaozhou wouldn’t close its doors. Fengyu needed to return to the West Continent to continue advancing trades with Huangzhou, Yunzhou, and Jinzhou.
After next spring, she wanted to connect all the cities of Yu State, Dan State, and Yang City into a trade network, aside from building the Liangma Road. Fengyu hoped Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin could lead troops to construct a main road through the twelve states.
The current official roads are difficult and complicated; the Twelve States actually could construct a circular official road, and once the roads are improved, trade will become simple. Xie Xun hoped that Liangma Road would be completed by early December.
If a main road were to be built, it would have to wait until the snow melts next year. By December, all areas of the Twelve States would begin to snow, creating harsh weather conditions not conducive to road building.
"Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin’s main task next year is road building everywhere," Xie Xun said.
Without Fengyu’s suggestion, Xie Xun intended to repair the roads. Leading troops from Ningzhou to Jiaozhou, he discovered the problems with the current official roads. The twelve states were too poor, and the roads had never been properly built.
Building a circular official road to connect all the state mansions, facilitating transportation in all directions, once the roads are open, trade will gradually thrive, and goods will move everywhere.
He also realized the importance of road construction. Next year he planned to dedicate the entire year to having Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and Zhou Liyu repair roads throughout the twelve states.
The three discussed the infrastructure construction of the Twelve States and the spring plowing for the next year. With the court cutting off commerce and grain supplies, they must be self-sufficient. Xie Jue was prepared for this, but time was too tight for him, naturally exposing issues.
They also had to be prepared for any counteractions from the court at any moment.
This winter was undoubtedly not going to be a peaceful one!