I was infuriated by the telecommunications network. My internet connection broke down when I was posting the second update yesterday, so this is to make up for yesterday, and there will still be more this afternoon...
"Before Zichuan came, the people of Mount Tai were starving and dressed in rags, but now five hundred thousand of them have surplus grain under Zichuan’s governance and can eat with a clear conscience," Liu Bei said, laughing as he walked in from the main gate after hearing Chen Xi’s words. "Zilong has executed government affairs without a single mistake, tirelessly working among the villages for the people’s food supply, not slacking at all. The people remember your kindness and offer seasonal fruits and vegetables, so why don’t you eat any?"
"My Lord may not know that it’s in working among the villages that Yun understands the suffering of the common folk, and also realizes the talent of the strategist. My own abilities are modest, yet I have been given gifts by the people. I truly can’t eat with a clear conscience," Zhao Yun said with hesitation on his face. He couldn’t be as guilt-free as Chen Xi; he didn’t think he had done better than Liu Bei or Chen Xi.
"Eat what you’ve been given. If you feel troubled, just do better next year so that you can eat in peace. If you sit here talking instead of eating, do you intend to let it spoil? Their goodwill is also to encourage you to do better; eat up quickly, and after you’ve finished, think about how you can improve, rather than complaining that you haven’t done well enough," Chen Xi casually tossed a bag of dates to Zhao Yun, "And remember to take those things back with you. Think hard while you eat about how to work next year!"
Zhao Yun stopped speaking, seemingly having resolved to do his best. As for Liu Bei, he had no particular feelings about a valiant general like Zhao Yun spending his days farming. After all, Zhao Yun was very good at it, and Liu Bei didn’t have a shortage of warriors at the moment. Thus, letting Zhao Yun build a strong foundation at Mount Tai seemed very necessary, especially when Zhao Yun was willing to do it.
Liu Bei also picked up a red date and began to eat it satisfyingly, believing he deserved it. After all, Chen Xi had followed him to Mount Tai, and now that Mount Tai was prosperous, he could share in the glory.
Zhao Yun awkwardly ate the dates, still feeling somewhat remorseful, but he was not as stubbornly resistant as before. If it had been like the last time when he argued with Chen Xi while holding a spear, Chen Xi would have certainly sent him away without a second thought. Zhao Zilong on the verge of losing his composure was not someone to provoke!
"Did Zichuan summon me because there is something important?" Liu Bei took his seat at the head and, after moving Chen Xi to the first seat on his left, he took a sip of tea before raising his head to inquire.
"Some things are ready to be carried out. Although I can issue the orders, I still need Lord Xuande to confirm them. Of course, Yunchang, Yide, Zijian, and Wen Ze will also return. Finally, we can proceed to the second stage of the plan," Chen Xi nodded, putting aside the matter of the previous gifts.
Seeing Chen Xi’s seriousness, everyone became solemn, even Zhao Yun set aside his guilt, waiting for the arrival of Guan Yu and the others.
It wasn’t long before Guan Yu and the others arrived one after another. Seeing Liu Bei seated at the head and the somber expressions of everyone else, they too took their seats with due solemnity.
"Zhongkang, you personally guard the main gate, and leave the outside to your Tiger Guard. While we sort through this year’s affairs and decide on the direction for the next year, we absolutely cannot allow others to enter," Chen Xi bowed towards Liu Bei, then addressed Xuu Chu, standing behind Liu Bei, with seriousness.
"Understood!" Xuu Chu fist-palmed and then walked out with his great sword.
"First, let’s discuss our current situation. In May this year, we took control of Mount Tai. We gathered a large number of refugees by substituting work for relief. Then Zijian and Xuangao worked together to pacify the banditry of Mount Tai. We gained a large labor force, which became the foundation for our construction of Mount Tai. In these four months, we’ve basically finished the winter housing and built roads between villages..." Chen Xi slowly reported the achievements of the past four months. It was through Chen Xi’s direction that the entire Mount Tai was turned into a construction site, and that is how he managed to barely achieve his goals in just four months.
"Once again, I thank Zichuan for his assistance," Liu Bei said after listening to the reports, finally having a clear understanding of his domain and realizing for the first time how wealthy he truly was.
"It sounds like a lot, but spread among five hundred thousand people, it’s just a little. It’s barely enough," Chen Xi said helplessly, "There’s no helping it; our land is indeed somewhat scarce. However, ten million dan of grain should be barely sufficient for our plans. Let’s take it slow."
"It seems Zichuan has forgotten that ten million dan is only the grain production. The actual tax revenue is between four million and four and a half million dan," Lub Su pointed out, indicating Zhao Yun.
"Yes, I’m aware. Zilong’s Tuntian Decree doesn’t split evenly, right? It’s forty percent for the first three years and then returns to thirty percent afterward," Chen Xi looked at Zhao Yun and commented, "This method is also good; it allows us to gather refugees more easily because only with more people can the yield increase. In this era, people are the most valuable resource."
Chen Xi was well aware of the ten million dan grain production; after all, he remembered that the Han Dynasty’s peak grain production was about 1.2 billion dan. But spread over the heads of 50 million people, it amounted to roughly 600 pounds per person, which wasn’t a lot.
Moreover, 60 percent of that 1.2 billion dan of grain came from Qing, Xu, Yan, Yu, and Ji—the Five Provinces. Hence, uncatastrophized Xuzhou and Jizhou were particularly affluent. That was why Tao Qian could casually allocate a million dan of grain to Liu Bei. Similarly, during the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao’s hundreds of thousands of soldiers did not lack food, whereas Cao Cao was starving daily.
The advantage of the Central Plains Heartland lay in this very point: the most important grain-producing areas were these five provinces. As long as these provinces had good harvests, the rest of the provinces in the world could survive without producing grain at all. Yet, the tragedy of the Three Kingdoms era was that, by the end, all these five provinces had been ravaged...
As for the afterward so-called major grain producers like Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Yizhou, it was purely a case of no tiger in the mountain, so the monkey became the king. Anyone with a bit of common sense would know that the vast areas south of the Yangtze River, which make up most of Jing and Yang provinces, entered their true development period during the Tang Dynasty. Before the Tang Dynasty, to put it bluntly, those places were wild and untamed lands, where criminals were exiled.
Of course, one must admit that Chengdu in Yizhou is indeed a good place. The greatness of Li Bing and his son can only inspire awe as they managed to successfully transform Sichuan and Shu. But that was limited to just that small area.
Everyone attached great importance to the matter of grain, as having grain meant peace of mind, especially during war times. Grain played a crucial role in stabilizing the political situation. With over four million dan of grain at their disposal, many plans could be put into action. Qingzhou was once a major province, and even if it couldn’t be completely absorbed, slowly nibbling away using grain as bait, who could know? If they wanted to surrender, what could others do? We, with our sympathy and compassion, gather refugees and provide them with land for survival. How noble we are!