Chapter 214: Stability Prevents Chaos

Zhang Yue was born into a noble family his entire life. The only time he experienced ordinary people’s lives was during the great flood in Kaifeng. Yet he knew well how rare meat was for ordinary families. So, when Old Yang insistently offered it to him, he tried hard to decline, but couldn’t withstand the other man’s enthusiasm and could only silently eat the pancake with the beef.

Since the beef was boiled without salt and had been frozen for over a month, it had a strong fishy smell. But the Yang family didn’t care at all and brought out another jar of liquor. The woman who cooked in the house kept busy in the kitchen and never appeared. According to Old Yang, when there were guests, women could only work behind the stove. The coachman who came with Zhang Yue didn’t enter either; he asked for a bowl of hot water and ate steamed buns outside on the cart.

Old Yang, who had been talkative even when first meeting Zhang Yue, became even more loquacious after a few drinks: “Our Yang family moved here from Shanxi. Back then, if you weren’t tied up by a rope, who would dare not move? When we first arrived in Shandong, the government claimed to provide money for settling down, seeds, farming tools, and oxen—nothing but junk. There was plenty of land, but it had been uncultivated for years. My late parents and I worked day and night to cultivate just twenty acres.”

“We survived plagues and floods and droughts, but nothing was as terrifying as the four years of war during the Jingnan Campaign. The army failed in the north, and the southern army pursued them; when the southern army failed, the northern army chased after them. It was the common people who suffered the most. We don’t know how many died in Shandong. Back then, we built sturdy cellars, and since there were fewer troops in the Qingzhou area, we managed to survive by luck. Young people like Dogger haven’t experienced those horrors. In my opinion, as long as we can keep living, we shouldn’t get involved in those supernatural nonsense!”

Old Yang’s words not only made Dogger lower his head but also convinced Zhang Yue deeply. It was better to endure hardship than die—this was the simple truth in the hearts of ordinary people. Today, Shandong had vast lands with a sparse population. Even princely lords like the King of Han or the King of Lu only owned a thousand hectares each. Land was abundant, but the real fears were famine, plague, and natural disasters. As long as one could survive, who would want to rebel or fight? Thinking of this, he felt even more confident and nodded with a smile.

“The old man is right. How much wasteland can be reclaimed and how much grain can be produced in three years of peace? If the harvests are good, the granaries will gradually fill up, and more cows can be bought after those die from the cold. As the saying goes, bandits and soldiers are related—if chaos breaks out, it’s still one’s own misfortune. If everyone thinks like you, how could the world not be peaceful?”
“That’s quite persuasive, young master!” Old Yang was provoked by Zhang Yue’s words and couldn’t help but take the chance to scold Yang Gouer again. But when it came to the cows that died from the cold, his expression still turned gloomy. “It’s just that at my age, I’m afraid I won’t live to see the day when I can save enough money to buy cows. Sigh, Gouer is getting older too. In the past, I would go around looking for a wife for him but never find one. Now that two of our cows have died, it’s likely he won’t be able to find a wife anytime soon.”
Seeing Yang Gouer’s face turn as dark as the bottom of a pot, Zhang Yue quickly changed the subject and asked, “Old Yang, since you once had two plowing cows, you must have been considered a wealthy family in the village. Besides the government-owned cows, how many other families in the village own their own plowing cows? Is there still anyone who can lend or rent out plowing cows like that person before?”
Yang Gouer, unable to argue with his father, angrily buried his head in his food and almost ate the whole plate of boiled beef by himself. Hearing Zhang Yue’s question, he angrily put down his chopsticks. “That government-owned cow in the village is already too old to plow. Who would expect it to do the work? Family Zhang has four or five cows, but they never lend them out. There are two other families who do have cows, but they charge a hundred big coins just for one day!”
“You’re just too used to comfort. When there were no plowing cows, didn’t your father and I still make a living with our own hands? As for lending cows, didn’t I only lend them to reliable people back then? Plowing cows are treasures; they can’t be given away casually!”
Seeing that the father and son were about to argue again, Zhang Yue quickly stepped in to mediate. After Yang Gouer left, he asked concerningly, “Old Yang, if there are no disasters each year and the harvests are good, how many years do you think it will take you to save enough money for cows?”

Although he had drunk a few extra cups and his face was red, Old Yang remained clear-headed. After tilting his head and thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, “The young master is a scholar who always thinks positively. Even if nothing bad happens, there are still corvée duties! There are many rivers of various sizes in Shandong, and the Huitong River still isn’t fully dredged yet. Take the Zishui River next to us for example—its embankments need to be repaired every year, and it takes months of corvée labor. How easy is it to save up a cow? Even in good years with favorable weather, it takes at least four or five years to save up a cow.”

The conditions in Shandong were indeed worse than those in Henan!

After visiting around these past few days, Zhang Yue now had a clear understanding. After pondering for a while, he explained, “The current governor, Lord Du, has petitioned the emperor to issue another order for reclamation. After reclaiming land, land deeds will be issued, and farmers won’t have to pay taxes or deliver grain for five years. For every two mu of reclaimed land, the government will provide one dou of seeds each year and lend a plow ox for one month. This policy has already been implemented in Jinan Prefecture, and it should be implemented soon in Qingzhou Prefecture as well.”

Hearing this, Old Yang’s eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh heavily. “That’s great! People were reluctant to reclaim land because there were no immediate benefits and there was a risk of ruining cultivated land. Now, with seeds and plow oxen available, more people will start reclaiming land!”

“What’s so great about that? Can we really trust what the government says?”

With that rough voice, the dark cloth cover outside was lifted, and a man in his early thirties strode in. He wore an ochre-colored short jacket, had a square face, broad eyebrows, and big eyes, but very thin lips. After glancing at Zhang Yue, he sat down on the stool where Yang Gouer used to sit by the table and said irritably, “Uncle, what’s there to talk about with those pedantic scholars? They have official positions and are supported by the court, so of course they speak on the court’s behalf! Gouer already told me that the government will lend you a plow ox for free, yet you keep finding excuses! In my opinion, it’s all nonsense—having a harvest is what matters most!”

“That’s right, it’s all nonsense—having a harvest is what matters most!” Seeing that the man ignored him, Zhang Yue wasn’t annoyed. He simply said to Old Yang, “Even if the government’s policies are well-intentioned, mistakes are inevitable at the grassroots level. But it’s still better than doing nothing. Having land to cultivate is better than having none. The more land there is, the more grain can be harvested.”

Only then did the man look at Zhang Yue properly. Seeing that Old Yang ignored him completely and instead pressed Zhang Yue for details, he grew rather disinterested. Yet as he sat there listening to Zhang Yue explain everything step by step, he gradually became more engaged. After all, although he believed in the teachings passed down by the Buddha Mother, if farming could bring tangible benefits, he certainly wouldn’t give it up. Finally, he couldn’t help but interject, “Farming aside, what exactly is this village mutual aid society?”
“The so-called village mutual aid society is essentially formed by selecting a few respected elders chosen by the villagers. Everyone contributes a certain amount of money, which can be used together to buy oxen, seeds, and farming tools for collective use, or saved for emergencies. If a family has extra items they don’t need—like broken benches, ruined plows and harrows, or unusable pots and pans—they can bring them to the mutual aid society. By pooling resources, people can exchange what they have; perhaps your family is short of wood for making a bed, but you can use a broken bench, or if you need to make another tool, the ruined plow and harrow might come in handy, right?”
Old Yang found it increasingly interesting, but he still had doubts. He frankly said, “What the young master is saying probably comes from what he’s heard in the government offices. It sounds good, but I’m worried it might end up causing trouble. Take our village for example—if everyone pools money to buy three or five oxen, deciding who gets to borrow them and whose items are good or bad, it will be hard to organize things properly.”
“That’s why I say we need to elect people everyone trusts to establish rules, with the government acting merely as a mediator. Besides, at first, people might not trust each other, and the number of members might not be large. But if ten people each contribute a hundred coins, that’s one guan, enough to do things worth one guan. If there are a hundred people, each contributing a hundred, that’s ten guan, enough to do things worth ten guan…”
Zhang Yue spoke at length in one go. Not only was Old Yang stunned and could only nod along, but even the man who had initially been dismissive listened intently. When Zhang Yue casually mentioned that the powerful Fang family of Qingzhou Prefecture could initially provide oxen to the government, which would then lend them to families without land for farming and send people to help establish the mutual aid society, the two were even more astonished and delighted.
Although there were many powerful families in Qingzhou Prefecture, the only one the common people trusted was the always generous Fang family!

Now, what Old Yang was worried about was that Zhang Yue might just be lying to deceive him, an old man. He kept asking repeatedly if it was true, and even after Zhang Yue assured him several times, he still wasn’t completely convinced. When he heard that a notice would be posted in Qingzhou Prefecture the next day, he immediately slapped his thigh and decided to go to the city the next day to find out for himself. The man also couldn’t sit still anymore; saying he needed to discuss something with someone, he stood up and left in a hurry.

With his nephew gone, Old Yang turned to Zhang Yue with a smile and said, “Young sir, you’re so knowledgeable. After I go to the city tomorrow to check the notice, I might still need to ask you some detailed questions!”

“If Uncle Yang trusts me, just go to the first household at the west end of Jinxian Street after entering the city, and tell the gatekeeper you’re looking for Zhang Yuanjie!” Zhang Yue said, smiling and winking. “But I’ll also be there to see what’s going on tomorrow. You might run into me there. Don’t worry, I won’t lie. You’ll know once you see it.”