Chapter 723: If You Can Strike at the Root, I’ll Use Others’ Strength Against Them

Dadeng Gorge, Wu Jingzhou.
Since being ordered to suppress the barbarians, Marquis Gu Xingzu of Zhenyuan had led his army from this place, engaging in dozens of battles, large and small. As the eldest grandson of the Gu family, he had followed his ancestors on military campaigns north and south. Most of his time was spent in Guizhou, which his grandfather had guarded for years. After Emperor Renzong ascended the throne, he was stationed there. The court hoped he would carry on his ancestors’ reputation to intimidate the various local tribes, and this expedition was no exception. Yet, he was not his grandfather Gu Cheng, who had served in Guizhou for decades. Although he had won most of the previous battles, rebellious Yao tribes kept emerging, leaving him in a constant state of distress.

He was always fond of women, and even during wartime, he didn’t want to restrain himself. During his stay in Wu Jingzhou, the commanders under his command, fearing punishment from the court, brought beautiful women to him. That night, as usual, he fell asleep wrapped in the arms of a woman. But in the middle of the night, there was a disruptive knocking at the door. Woken up irritably, he cursed out loud, “Which fool is so ignorant?”

“My lord, it’s Si’en County. The rebels there have taken control of over thirty villages in the area. The local officials are terrified and have jointly requested that you send troops immediately!”

“Send troops? Dadeng Gorge isn’t even cleared yet. If I leave, rebellion might break out again. What use are troops then?” Gu Xingzu sprang up, threw on his clothes, and snapped, “Without provisions, even the best army can’t win battles. Tell them to ask Guangdong for supplies. Without them, no amount of skill will help me win!”

Without hesitation, he stepped over the pale, jade-like body beside him, slipped on his shoes, fastened his buttons, and shouted, “Stop making noise outside. Come in and talk!”

At that moment, the man outside pushed the door open and entered. He had a short, sturdy build, a thin face with a pointed chin, along with thick brows and large eyes, giving him an extremely elusive appearance. He was Gu Pingan, Gu Xingzu’s personal general. Gu Cheng, the late first-generation Marquis of Zhenyuan who was later posthumously granted the title of Duke of Xia, had once been a personal soldier under Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang. For this reason, the Gu family spared no effort in nurturing their own personal soldiers and generals. Gu Xingzu currently relied solely on trusted subordinates trained by the Gu family. Although Gu Pingan was average in combat skills, he was diligent and efficient in handling tasks and good at providing meticulous care, which won him Gu Xingzu’s deep trust.

He knelt on one knee to pay his respects before standing up and saying, “My lord, the imperial court has already issued orders. It seems we really can’t delay any longer regarding Si’en County. My lord has already dealt a heavy blow to those barbarians in Dateng Gorge; it’s time to move there. As for military provisions, since my lord is acting under imperial orders, although Guangzhou and Zhaoqing provinces mentioned disasters like hurricanes and heavy rains, they didn’t refuse to supply anything, so there should be no delays.”

“They surely wouldn’t dare delay!” Gu Xingzu snorted irritably before suddenly remembering something else and asking, “I heard that the newly assigned eunuch in charge of maritime trade, Zhang Qian, has already reached halfway. He probably brought news about opening sea trade. Have you sent anyone to Guangzhou? Has the Xu family responded? I’ve been sending messages for so long—they should have prepared the ships by now. Also, have they paid the regular taxes for the first half of the year?”

“I was just about to discuss this with my lord. There were some issues with the Xu family. A new governor has taken office in Guangdong, and he recently sentenced a human trafficker to death for illegally transporting people across the border. As a result, they dare not export goods anymore. On top of that, the eunuch in charge of maritime trade’s ship sank, and the relationships among officials are in disarray. Since there’s only the profit from importing foreign goods left, they’ve only paid half of the taxes for the first half of the year.”

“Half? Does he know who has made his business so smooth? Who has interceded for him with the authorities? With all these excuses, he clearly ignores my orders! What did he say when he heard that Zhang Yue had become the governor of Guangdong? He claimed Zhang would be isolated and powerless in Guangdong, unable to act recklessly as before. But now he’s not hesitant at all, while he himself is shrinking back! Tell him not to shortchange a single penny of the taxes for the first half of the year!”

Seeing Gu Xingzu’s face turn ashen, Gu Pingan hurriedly explained further, “But Xu Zhengping has already given his assurance. He said that with the floods in Guangdong, grain prices will surely soar. On top of that, the marquis has requisitioned 40,000 dan of military grain, so the government is definitely unable to keep grain prices stable. The Xu family is one of the three largest grain merchants in Guangdong. If they join forces with the other two, they can drive grain prices up three to four times. By then, the owed funds for the first half of the year will surely be paid in full.”
“He really knows how to take advantage of my military efforts to scheme!”
Gu Xingzu glanced at the bronze water clock and saw it was only two o’clock in the pre-dawn hour. Still feeling no urge to sleep, he simply ordered Gu Pingan to fetch water to wash his body. After scrubbing himself with the icy cold well water until his skin turned red, he changed into clean robes. Once seated back in the camphor wood chair, he sent someone in to carry away the woman from the previous night. Then he took the soft cloth handed to him by Gu Pingan, wiped his face carefully, and placed the cold cloth on his face again.
“The Xu family is still respectful toward the marquis. The person who came this time said that if the marquis desires it, he can choose some beautiful women to serve him. There are many enchanting and graceful women among the women of Guangdong…”
“Women are just women. Women at home are meant only for procreation, while these ones here are merely for relaxation. Does he think I’m some fool who focuses solely on women?”
Gu Xingzu ripped off the cloth from his face and stared at Gu Pingan, who was kneeling in front of him massaging his legs. He ordered in a deep voice, “Send someone to tell him not to try such crooked methods to win favor. What I want is real money! Since he claims he can drive up grain prices to make money, then I’ll simply cut off his source of income. Send someone to Guangzhou right away and tell them that the military grain must be delivered to Wu Jingzhou within ten days. Otherwise, I’ll submit a report to the imperial court accusing the Guangdong governor’s office of failing to meet the deadline! I’ve already gone this far for them. If there’s any further delay, Xu Zhengping doesn’t need to send any more money—he deserves death for his past crimes!”
Gu Pingan quickly bowed in agreement, but as he reached the door, he couldn’t help stopping and turning back to remind him in a low voice, “It’s only natural for the marquis to urge the delivery of military grain. I’m just worried about another matter. Zhang Yue is known for being tough and ruthless. If the government enforces laws due to grain merchants hoarding goods, the Xu family might not be able to cope.”

Gu Xingzu first frowned, pondered for a while, then laughed and said, “The Xu family isn’t new to business—do they really need you to think on their behalf? Since they’ve joined forces with the other two families, let others take the lead in such matters! Besides, the government’s granaries are insufficient; whatever problems arise are the government’s responsibility. Why should they be prevented from raising prices? If they’re really investigated, let Xu Zhengping take my letter and pay a visit to the local officials! In the past, he’s dealt with cases involving collusion with the Japanese or Mongols, or rebellion. If he starts killing over such trivial matters, even those in the court will say he’s overreacting! Moreover, he’s alone—there’s no way he can convince the officials to act together with him!”
“Your Excellency is wise. I’ll handle it right away!”
With Gu Xingzu’s words, Gu Ping’an naturally had no more concerns. After all, whether it was grain or people leaving the country, it was all about merchants making money. No matter how powerful Zhang Yue was, he couldn’t simply use government force to suppress them—otherwise, only one middleman would have been killed. So, after sending a suitable servant to Guangzhou Prefecture to deliver the message, he set the matter aside and focused entirely on planning to move troops to Si’en County for his master. With so many nobles in the court, opportunities to lead troops to suppress rebellions were rare. If planned well, it might not only advance his status but also earn him greater favor from the emperor, which would be beneficial for the Gu family.
Traveling from Wu Jingzhou through Wuzhou Prefecture to Zhaoqing Prefecture, there were many mountain roads along the way, but with fast horses, it only took two or three days. The Gu family’s servant delivered the letter to the Xu family’s mansion in the southwest of Guangzhou City. After receiving a reply, he hurried back without delay. Upon hearing this news, Xu Zhengping was naturally relieved. Ordinary people shouldn’t fight against the government. Although the Xu family was wealthy and powerful, raising grain prices without any backing could lead to serious consequences. Though he was related to Xu Tao, the left counselor of the provincial administration, the latter merely used his money and occasionally leaked information—true help was hard to come by.
Therefore, he carefully placed the gold-inlaid letter sent with the message behind the main hall, then immediately gathered several family managers to discuss the situation and ordered others to form an alliance with the other two grain merchants. Sure enough, just three days later, probably due to urgent pressure from Guangxi, 40,000 dan of military grain was shipped out one after another. A large convoy of grain carts was sent to Guangxi under the personal leadership of Xu Tao, the counselor of the provincial administration. The very next day after the grain left the city, he took immediate action.

Overnight, the price of rice at the three largest rice shops in Guangzhou soared from 100 coins per dou to 200 coins per dou, shocking countless buyers. When the news reached the prefecture office, Prefect Li could no longer sit still and immediately changed into his official robes to seek advice at the Bureau of Administration. As soon as he was led to the entrance of the second hall, he heard angry shouts coming from inside.

“Lord Zhang, what do you say now? These people are clearly driven mad by greed! After the disaster, military rations have just been dispatched. Instead of helping the victims and showing kindness, they take advantage of the situation to exploit them! 200 coins per dou means 200 guan per shi of rice. At the current market rate of 5 wen per guan of paper money, that’s 400 guan! If we don’t punish these heartless merchants severely, the people will turn against us!”

“I understand your concerns, Lord Xiang. Clues of this issue have been present for some time, and I’ve already made preparations…”

“A clever housewife can’t cook without rice, Lord Zhang. Even if 40,000 shi of military rations arrive, will food fall from the sky? Relying on neighboring provinces is absurd—by the time you ask for loans, it will be too late! I’ve told you before: I’ll lead troops personally to seize those rice shops that dare to provoke the government over and over again. By showing firmness this way, who will dare to act recklessly?”

“Lord Xiang, you’re oversimplifying things. Do you think these rice shops are hoarding large amounts of grain? At most, it’s a hundred shi—utterly insignificant for the entire city of Guangzhou! Without imperial orders, how can you seize those wealthy merchants’ stores? Even if we resolve to seize everything they have, do you think they wouldn’t have prepared in advance and stored their grain elsewhere? Indeed, there are only uprisings among the people; I’ve never heard of merchants rebelling. But merchants are cunning—no one in the world is more deceitful than those driven by profit!”

Hearing this argument, Prefect Li stopped preparing to enter. When the noise inside ceased, he was about to step in when he nearly collided with someone at the door. Startled, he stepped aside and soon recognized the furious man as Right Minister Xiang Shaoyuan. Seeing him cough violently as he stepped down the steps, Prefect Li felt some pity, but remembering his urgent matters, he put aside his concerns and entered.

“Lord Governor…”

“You needn’t say more. I understand why you’re here.”

Zhang Yue waved his hand to signal that Governor Li didn’t need to say more, then immediately spoke up, “Send the officials in the government office to issue a notice right now. Starting from tomorrow, the government will sell grain at Guide Gate and Wuxian Gate. Each person can buy one dan of grain, and those who want to buy more can do so as long as they are willing to queue. The price of rice is 150 coins per dan.”

“But 150 coins per dan is still too high. Ordinary people probably can’t afford it…”

“I’m well aware of that. But just look at those rice shops that charge 200 coins per dan yet still have long queues. As long as our price is lower, those who can afford it will have a choice. That’s exactly what I want! Remember, if those rice shops lower their prices, you must lower yours by 10 coins. In any case, no matter what they do, you must keep your price lower than theirs. Do you understand?”

Although 150 coins per dan was still expensive, it was much cheaper than the prices at the rice shops. So after hearing Zhang Yue’s explanation, Governor Li assumed the grain must have been borrowed at a high cost from somewhere else and didn’t ask further questions. As long as the government had grain to sell, it wouldn’t cause any unrest for now. He quickly bowed in agreement and left the government office in a hurry.

After Governor Li left, Zhang Yue sneered. It was foreseeable that those rice shops would be thrown into chaos, and they might even send people pretending to be ordinary people to buy grain. If that happened, they would fall for his trick. His preparations were far more thorough than they could imagine!

An hour later, officials beating copper gongs announced the news throughout the city, and notices were posted everywhere. For those who were worried that the rice shops truly had no stock and prices would keep rising, the government’s sudden decision to sell grain was undoubtedly excellent news. In no time, the three rice shops that had been crowded with people became deserted, and the shopkeepers and clerks, who had been busy sweating, were caught off guard.