Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Chapter 796: Chapter 216: Chen Jiusi’s Strategy, Yelu Steps into the Trap (10,000 Words Subscription)

”I have seen the Commandery Princess.”

Chen Jie arrived at Zhao Ya’s temporary residence to meet with the Commandery Princess.

Zhao Ya glanced at Chen Jie with a start and frowned slightly, ”We have just met, do you have another matter?”

Chen Jie clasped his fist and said, ”Commandery Princess, there is an extremely urgent matter, and I have come especially to report to the Commandery Princess.”

”Extremely urgent?”

Zhao Ya slightly frowned, looking at Chen Jie with confusion, ”What is so extremely urgent?”

Chen Jie: ”This matter concerns the life and death of a hundred thousand people in Mianshui; thus, I had no choice but to urgently seek the Commandery Princess for rescue.”

”Hmm, the life and death of a hundred thousand people?”

Zhao Ya instantly became serious, turned to Chen Jie and said, ”You aren’t playing a trick on me, are you?”

Chen Jie said: ”I dare not.”

Zhao Ya said: ”Alright, in that case, speak up, what’s the matter?”

”Grain...”

Chen Jie directly discussed the grain shortage in Mianshui with the Commandery Princess.

Due to the torrential rains, the entire Mianshui County was hit by disaster; fertile fields were destroyed, villages were struck with calamity and even the Mianshui Warehouse built outside the city had issues, leading to an extreme shortage of grain in the whole of Mianshui.

These days, due to the torrential rains plus the fact that ordinary families had some grain stored at home, the problem hadn’t become apparent. But as soon as the rain stopped, people would surely start to realize they did not have enough food.

Then there would certainly be a scramble for grain.

What was destroyed was the autumn harvest; with the autumn grain yield reduced, the people’s summer grain was also nearly depleted. They would face the hardship of not having grain to eat in autumn, winter, and the following spring.

Such a long time, people truly would starve to death.

Even without such length, many people would find it difficult to last until the autumn harvest—thus half of the hundred thousand would starve to death.

Should the Zoroastrian Sect seize the opportunity to incite, it might even lead to a peasant uprising.

Therefore, this matter was extremely urgent, and Chen Jie had no choice but to seek the Commandery Princess’s aid to solve the problem, rescue the people, and stabilize Daqian!

Chen Jie spoke with righteous indignation, talking about the people’s needs, barely mentioning that these same people were also the base of his Fishing Guild; this was because he knew of the Commandery Princess’s rectitude, but had no idea who her master was, somehow having taught such a prince who thought of the country and the people.

Chen Jie even sometimes wondered if the Commandery Princess was from the Mulan people?

Among the Mulan people, there were indeed those who cared about the life and death of the Han people?

After hearing Chen Jie’s narration, Zhao Ya’s expression turned serious.

”So you’re saying, from now until next year’s summer grain crop, the people will have nothing to eat?”

Chen Jie nodded and said, ”Yes.”

”A hundred thousand people?”

Zhao Ya inquired.

”A hundred thousand people!”

Chen Jie nodded again and said, ”Actually, it might not be necessary to wait until the summer grain; once other State Mansion’s autumn grain is out, we could buy grain from them, but these two months, I fear, many people will starve to death.”

Zhao Ya said, ”Do the people have no more stored grain in their homes?”

”There is some, but not much. The rural people outside Mianshui City might still have enough grain to last half a month to a month, but the several tens of thousands of people in the city surely have no grain; they generally rely on the grain from the Mianshui Warehouse.”

”But the Mianshui Warehouse has been flooded by the waters, meaning these tens of thousands have nothing to eat.”

Chen Jie explained the situation, and Zhao Ya’s face grew even more grim. Contemplating deeply, she looked at Chen Jie and said: ”Chen Jiusi, since you have come to report to me, you must know how large the shortfall of grain is in Mianshui. Tell me!”

”From now, until the autumn grain from other State Mansion is available for sale in Mianshui County, roughly how much grain is needed for the transition.”

Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and asked, Chen Jie thought for a moment and said, ”Commandery Princess, there are two months till autumn harvest, and it will take at least a month for grain from other State Mansion to arrive in Mianshui, which includes the time for the autumn harvest and arrangements.”

”And currently, Mianshui has a shortfall of grain for a hundred thousand people; calculating simply, at least three hundred thousand stones!”

”Three hundred thousand stones?”

Zhao Ya murmured, Chen Jie said: ”That’s the amount if we eat frugally. If we wish to eat normally, it is estimated we would need five hundred thousand stones.”

Zhao Ya understood, the bare minimum standard was three hundred thousand stones—meaning that amount was needed if people were to tighten their belts, such as eating wild vegetables with porridge, one meal a day.

If they wished to eat better, like returning to a normal diet, then five hundred thousand stones of grain would be required.

If people were to have two meals a day and the porridge was to be thicker, it would be possible to meet the people’s demands.

So, at a minimum, three hundred thousand stones would ensure no one starved to death; the best would be five hundred thousand, which could guarantee that the people of Mianshui had enough to eat.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and said: ”Since you care so much about the grain problem, doesn’t your Fishing Guild have stored grain?”

Chen Jie said: ”We do, but only less than seventy thousand stones.”

”Seventy thousand stones, that’s far too little against the shortfall.”

Zhao Ya frowned, a shortfall of three hundred thousand and only seventy thousand stones; that’s a shortage of two hundred thirty thousand stones.

Zhao Ya thought for a moment and said: ”Besides your Fishing Guild, the big households of Mianshui, including guilds, how much grain could the court approximately have?”

Chen Jie thought about it and said, ”Combined, they’d also have about fifty thousand stones, but at such a time, those big families would surely think of hoarding and speculating, and would not sell easily.”

Zhao Ya said: ”They dare? Human life is of utmost importance. Do they dare to hoard and refuse to sell grain?”

Chen Jie said: ”Commandery Princess, a man will die for riches as birds will for food. They wouldn’t sell their hoarded grain for a low price.”

Zhao Ya’s brows knitted, ”I don’t believe it.”

”Ah Da.”

”Commandery Princess.”

Ah Da clasped his fist, and Zhao Ya said: ”Go to the County Government, tell County Magistrate Tang Wannian to issue a notice of peace, informing all grain shops in the city that from this day forward, they must sell grain at a fair price. If anyone dares to raise prices privately, they shall be dealt with severely.”