PFC Chapter 037 Save Yourself Before Saving Others
Chapter 037 Save Yourself Before Saving Others
Chapter 037
"Lord Commander, raising chickens is not an option!"
Zhang Changgeng quickly adapted to his role as quartermaster. He did not agree to Chen Ying's chicken-raising plan, explaining, "Right now, only the gentry, nobles, and large landowners can afford chickens. Who among ordinary people can afford chickens? Raising chickens is too wasteful of grain. A mature chicken needs to be fed four or five ounces of grain every day. It's too uneconomical. Our resources are too meager; we can't afford to take such a risk!"
"No, raising chickens may be difficult, but we must overcome it!"
Chen Ying sighed and said, "We have three or four hundred children at Shahe School. They are all at the age where they need to grow, but they are not getting enough nutrition and are skin and bones, which is affecting their growth. We don't need to raise too many chickens for now. We can buy some roosters, which can lay an egg every two days, and give each child an egg every day. We can keep the extra ones to hatch chicks!"
In the Ming Dynasty, where chicken feed was unavailable, raising chickens was a thankless task. The native chickens of the Ming Dynasty were slow-growing breeds, unlike imported white-feathered chickens. Even when fed chicken feed, these native chickens would take at least five months to reach market weight.
If traditional feeding methods are adopted, the growth rate is even slower, requiring seven or eight months to grow to about 1.5 jin (0.75 kg). As Zhang Changgeng said, the income and cost of raising chickens are actually a loss.
In the Ming Dynasty, a chicken is worth between 150 and 200 coins. Even if it takes six months to reach market weight, it would require 40 to 50 catties of grain. However, the problem is that 40 to 50 catties of grain is worth more than 300 coins, while the chicken raised would only be worth 100 to 200 coins.
Unless the chicks are hatched in the spring, feeding them insects and grass after the spring arrives can save some grain. However, those who can afford to eat chickens are all wealthy people, and they will desperately drive down the price. Therefore, in a buyer's market, the price of chickens cannot go up.
Chen Ying actually has a set of techniques for raising chickens in a cyclical manner, which can save costs. For example, the cows are given grass, and the cow manure can be dried and then used to feed pigs. The pig manure can be sterilized at high temperature and then used to feed chickens.
"If it's only a little over a thousand, then it's not a big problem!"
Zhang Changgeng laughed and said, "Zhang Deyou from our Thousand-Household Garrison is the best at raising chickens. He can even make his own medicine. He can handle chicken plague and chicken diseases. If you entrust a thousand chickens to him, he will definitely raise them well. Commander, don't look down on Zhang Deyou just because he is a cripple. He really knows how to raise chickens. The eggs can not only feed our children, but also be sold for money. One egg can sell for two to five coins."
Chen Ying nodded and said, "That's right, we do need to raise chickens and cattle, and milk is a good thing!"
"Understood, sir!"
"Bo'an, allocate three thousand taels of silver to Chang Geng; this is your operating fund!"
"Event funding?"
"Yes, as long as you accomplish this, even if you don't spend a single penny, all three thousand taels of silver are yours!"
"this……"
"This humble servant will never fail in his duty!"
Zhang Changgeng entered the Beijing garrison with three thousand taels of silver notes in his pocket. Although he boasted to Chen Ying that he could buy grain from the quartermaster because he had been in the business for a long time.
Reselling military supplies was a serious crime in the Ming Dynasty. Although grain was precious, the problem was that grain merchants did not lack grain, and the Ming Dynasty as a whole actually did not lack grain. This was a fact.
Jiangnan has a large quantity of cheap rice, and it is less affected by the Little Ice Age. Every year when the new rice is harvested, each shi (a unit of dry measure) costs only five to seven qian (a unit of weight) of silver. Even in the thirteenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the price of rice in Beijing remained at eight to one liang and two qian of silver.
Zhang Changgeng had made a living on the Grand Canal and knew the ins and outs. When transporting grain, the imperial court stipulated the losses. The standard was that each shi of grain transported from Nanjing to Beijing would be three dou. Military rations would also be subject to certain losses during storage, such as insect infestation and moisture evaporation.
The quartermaster in charge of managing grain could resell a small amount of grain, but large-scale resale was completely out of the question. First, reselling military rations was extremely risky; if discovered, it could lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of one's entire family. Grain merchants, on the other hand, had their own grain sources and had no need to take such risks, as the prices they paid for grain were already quite low.
Secondly, ordinary soldiers who lacked food had no chance to access it, while officers who did have access to food were not short of it, as they could buy large quantities of cheap food through bribery.
The problem is, he really doesn't have the connections. He did have those connections when he was in Guide Prefecture, but Zhang Changgeng brought his men to the Jingbei Training Ground.
Despite the fact that the Beijing garrison has more than 200,000 troops, most of them are actually stationed outside the city. The military camp outside the city has formed a small city. Along the streets, there are wine shops, pharmacies, snack shops, cloth shops and all kinds of shops. The most numerous are actually half-covered doors.
"Grandpa, come over and have some fun..."
Not long after Zhang Changgeng arrived at Jiaojunchang Street, he was grabbed by the arm by a plump and still-plump old woman named Xu.
"Alright!"
Zhang Changgeng entered the house with a half-closed door. It was a low courtyard with three mud-brick houses. In the main room, a little girl of seven or eight years old was washing clothes.
Half-covering the door, they pulled Zhang Changgeng into the inner room, which was as cold as an ice cellar. The other party began to undress Zhang Changgeng.
"Wait a minute!"
Zhang Changgeng took out a piece of loose silver and threw it on the bed: "Get some firewood, it's too cold in here!"
"Please wait a moment, sir!"
Ban Zhemen picked up the silver, put it in his mouth and gently bit it to determine that it was real silver. He walked out with a smile on his face. Not long after, he came in carrying a charcoal basin.
"Do you have any alcohol?"
Zhang Changgeng took out another piece of silver and threw it into the half-closed doorway, saying, "Get some wine and some dishes!"
She half-concealed the door and put away the silver. She also noticed that although Zhang Changgeng was wearing a brand-new mandarin duck battle jacket, he didn't seem like someone who was out traveling: "Sir, do you want to inquire about something? Or are you inquiring about someone?"
"How should you ask about something? How should you ask about someone?"
Zhang Changgeng knew he had come to the right place. The people who could serve as half-gatekeepers here were actually from the Beijing Garrison. Although they had no powerful backers, they were definitely well-connected.
Many things are not things that only those in high positions can do; it is normal for low-ranking officials to be extremely corrupt.
"I'd like to buy some food, do you know how?"
"How much grain would you like to buy, sir?"
"a lot of!"
"Ten bushels?"
Seeing that Zhang Changgeng had arrived in a carriage, the person behind the half-covered door knew that the amount must be substantial.
"more than!"
"One hundred shi?"
She was delighted that she could also get some commission.
"Big business, tens of thousands of bushels of grain. Do you have connections? You'll definitely get a cut!"
Zhang Changgeng pulled out a silver note: "This is a ten-tael silver note!"
"Please wait a moment, sir!"
Ban Zhe Men was gone for quite a while this time. Just as Zhang Changgeng was about to fall asleep, she brought over an old man with triangular eyes.
On average, any two strangers can establish a direct connection through six intermediaries; this is known as the six-person rule.
Through a man surnamed Liu who worked as a gatekeeper, Zhang Changgeng met a low-ranking squad leader in the 3,000-man battalion of the Jingbei training ground. Squad leaders were minor officials in charge of fifty men, similar to a captain. Then, through this squad leader named He Yan, he spent five taels of silver to meet He Changqing, the battalion commander of the 3,000-man battalion. Through He Changqing, he met Wang Fawen, the clerk in charge of provisions at the government office.
He spent forty-five taels of silver and two days to find the key person in charge.
Wang Fawen sized up Zhang Changgeng: "How much grain do you want?"
"Thirty thousand shi?"
"What's the price?"
"What price does Lord Wang wish to offer?"
"The market price is one tael and six mace of silver per shi!"
"If it were only one tael and six mace of silver, I wouldn't be here risking my head!"
"That's the truth! How much can you offer?"
"We'll see if we can sell 30,000 shi!"
"Who are you...?"
"The Thousand Garrison of Shahe..."
Zhang Changgeng said, "However, we don't have that many carriages, so we need you to deliver the goods to our door."
"Home delivery is also an option!"
……
"Greetings, Commander!"
Inside the public bathhouse of the Shayu Garrison Command, a group of military households who were taking a bath hurriedly stood up and saluted when they saw Chen Ying enter.
"No need for formalities!"
Chen Ying entered the bath. The hot water was so intense it made him wince, but it felt incredibly comfortable. The foundation for the Shahe Garrison Command had now been laid. However, unlike most unscrupulous capitalists, Chen Ying didn't relentlessly exploit the ordinary craftsmen.
Although he didn't pay the craftsmen a very high salary, he gave them many hidden benefits. First of all, there was food. In the eight bureaus of the Sand Defense Command, all the craftsmen had unlimited food, just like the canteens of later generations. Except for the side dishes, the main dishes were unlimited.
This increases costs too much because food is too expensive. Now that there is heavy snow, food prices are rising even higher. High welfare means high expenditure, and with traditional technology, the profits are far from enough.
Chen Ying soaked in hot water. In the next ten days or so, the Ming Dynasty would usher in the fourth year of the Tianqi reign. Wei Gonggong, who had completely seized power, would begin to let himself go, and the Donglin Party would suffer an even more severe blow.
In fact, both the Tianqi and Chongzhen reigns were plagued by internal strife that drained the court's resources. The key issue was that the Donglin Party was too experienced in power struggles. When Donglin Party members such as Zuo Guangdou and Wei Dazhong were attacked, they changed their approach and used Wei Zhongjin's influence to do their own thing.
Wei Zhongxian was certainly shrewd, but the problem was that those who joined him were mostly people who were not doing well in their careers, especially in the military field. Wei Zhongxian had no capable fighters under his command. For example, Gao Di, who joined him, was simply a good-for-nothing. To say that he misled the country and its people would be an understatement.
He must find new sources of income as soon as possible.
Just as Chen Ying was lost in thought, Chen Dani rushed in and said, "Commander, the grain..."
"Are they here?"
Chen Ying didn't even have time to scrub himself clean. He hurriedly got out of the large pool, put on his clothes, and arrived at the warehouse, where a large group of soldiers in military uniforms were unloading trucks.
When Chen Ying arrived, the grain carts were already half unloaded.
He stood at the warehouse entrance, watching the soldiers carrying sacks in and out, their movements swift and their expressions normal, as if they were not doing a capital offense, but simply a routine job.
"Lord Chiju!"
"Um!"
Chen Ying walked to a vehicle, grabbed a handful of rice, and rubbed it between his fingers. The grains were firm and glistening with oil; it was top-quality military rations.
His heart was in turmoil.
Since his transmigration, he had heard countless rumors about the corruption of the Ming Dynasty, but this was the first time he had witnessed it firsthand.
More than a thousand regular soldiers escorted 30,000 shi of military rations, transporting them from the Beijing garrison warehouse to a garrison command post in broad daylight.
This is no longer just corruption; it's rotten to the core.
"Lord Chiju!"
The captain in charge of transporting the grain came over with a smile on his face: "The grain is all here, please count it. If there are no problems, the brothers will leave."
Chen Ying nodded and waved to Chen Daniu, who handed a cloth bag to the commander: "It's freezing cold, brothers, you've worked hard. Here's a little something for tea, nothing special."
The bag was heavy; it contained two hundred taels of silver.
This is not payment for the grain, but a special benefit given to the officer in charge of delivering the grain.
The commander accepted it, weighed it in his hand, and his smile became genuine: "Thank you very much, Commander!"
The convoy left, leaving behind mountains of grain sacks.
He thought of the widow in Yongcheng who sold her daughter, of Chai Mingyuan's public violence during disaster relief, and of the Tianqi Emperor buried in his calculations in the West Warm Pavilion.
In this Ming Dynasty, some people struggle to survive in the mud, some do good deeds and save lives outside the rules, and some think about how to make their people suffer less in the deep palace.
However, some people are openly treating the nation's lifeline as a business.
"Bo'an, do you think the Ming Dynasty can still be saved?"
Song Xianze remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head: "Brother-in-law, I don't know either. But I do know that we have to save ourselves first."
Yes, you must save yourself before you can save others.
The six or seven thousand men of the Shahe Garrison were spared first, as for the Ming Dynasty, which was rotten to the core...
If the Ming Dynasty wants to be revived, it needs drastic measures; some people truly deserve to die.
The problem is, there are too many people in the Ming Dynasty who deserve to die.
"Lord Commander, here is 1,632 taels of silver..."
"I've already said, this is your operating fund, and it's what you deserve!"
If we buy grain at market price, each shi (a unit of dry measure) would cost at least 1.16 liang (another unit of dry measure) of silver. But the problem is that even if we take into account the expenses incurred, each shi of grain costs less than 7 qian (another unit of dry measure) of silver.
Some might ask, if the price of grain had already risen to one tael and six mace of silver, couldn't these officers just sell it in the capital? Because they couldn't sell it in the capital. The grain merchants in the capital were no pushovers; behind each grain merchant stood a large group of powerful figures, either nobles or civil officials.
If they dare to sell grain to the capital, these grain merchants will expose them, and the military officers will be impeached one after another; no one can protect them.
Even Wei Zhongxian didn't get involved in the grain business, because it was the private domain of those civil officials, and the consequences of overstepping their bounds would be very serious.
As for a soldier secretly selling a few bags of grain, the grain merchants might turn a blind eye. But the officers of the Beijing garrison are in a very awkward position. They have the ability to steal grain, but they dare not sell it, and no one dares to take over on a large scale.
Chen Ying was not afraid. Even if the matter was exposed, he would have something to say. If the court did not pay them their military pay, were they supposed to starve to death?
The food problem has been temporarily solved, but the long-term consequences are very serious.
But Chen Ying couldn't care less about that now.