I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 219: Xu Si, the expert on “speculating on grains”

"Haha, new policy? I think it's a bad policy. We should have fully supported Cao Mengde to take over Yanzhou. Otherwise, how could we have the disaster we have today?"

After Xu Xi finished speaking, he complained loudly in front of everyone: "I said before that we should send troops to attack Wenyang and cut off Wang Jing's retreat, so that he would never return. But you guys were afraid of death and missed the opportunity. As a result, it is too late to resist now."

Wang Yu was very unhappy when he saw Xu Xi was getting more and more outrageous. He sneered and mocked him: "You can shout even louder. Are you afraid that the secret guards in the city can't hear you?"

"you!"

"Well, now that the situation is pressing, you still don't forget to fight among yourselves. How shameful!"

Seeing Wang Yu and Xu Xi arguing again after just a few words, Xu Si felt overwhelmed, but for the sake of the overall situation, he could only act as a peacemaker: "Everything is not going well, and it is inevitable that everyone is a little angry, but the most urgent task is to solve the problem, not create new problems."

"Do you have any idea?"

Everyone's eyes immediately focused on Xu Si, and it was obvious that they wanted to hear his opinion.

Xu Si stroked his goatee, his eyes deep, and thought for a moment before speaking: "Using force is a dead end. The only solution now is to fight with words."

"A literary fight? How do you fight?"

Everyone present was a famous figure in Yanzhou. In fact, they had already thought of all possible solutions, so they were very curious about Xu Si's words.

Except for the reckless Xu Xi, the others had the same idea as Xu Si. They did not want or dared to confront Wang Jing head-on.

So when Wang Jing went to Mount Tai to attack Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao, he deliberately left many loopholes and carried out a fishing enforcement. However, with the previous experience of the noble families and aristocratic families in the four counties of Sili, the famous families in Yanzhou had obviously learned their lesson. None of them took the bait this time, and all of them sat aside and watched the demise of the Zhang family of Dongping.

If they can fight with words right now, they definitely don't want to fight with force.

After all, you have a big family and a big business, so why bother playing with your life?
Xu Si did not disappoint everyone and immediately proposed a solution: "Without food, there will be no stability. Doesn't Wang Yuanxu want to implement new policies to weaken us? Then use facts to make him understand that our family is the real cornerstone of Yanzhou."

"You mean, we cut off Yanzhou's food supply together?"

Wang Yu's eyes lit up, and he obviously agreed with Xu Si's approach.

Xu Si also said with a firm face: "That's right. Most of the grain in Yanzhou is in our granaries. As long as you are reluctant to sell or even ban the sale, there will be a shortage of grain in the market. Unless Wang Yuanxu has no shame, he will be helpless. In order to stabilize the people of Yanzhou, won't he come to us for help?"

This strategy is undoubtedly a vicious one.

In Xu Si's opinion, although Wang Jing had made great military achievements, he rarely broke the rules.

Xu Si seized upon this point and planned to play some underhanded tricks on Wang Jing.

Without enough food on the market, the people of Yanzhou will inevitably riot. At that time, Xu Si only needs to guide them secretly to immediately overturn the so-called new policy and make it completely impossible for Cheng Yu to do his work.

"Good idea, let's do it!"

In addition to Wang Yu, Wang Kai, Wang Gong, Mao Hui and others also agreed with this decision.

Even Xu Xi, who had been shouting that he wanted to chop people down, was no exception.

A few days later, the secret guards noticed the abnormal situation in the Yanzhou grain market.

"General, a large number of grain shops in Changyi City have suddenly closed down."

The secret guards, who had received professional training and were very sensitive to this type of information, immediately ran to report to Wang Jing after getting the news.

"What happened?"

"Someone is secretly colluding to drive up food prices, which has now caused panic among the people, but the specific situation is still unknown."

There is no doubt that someone is secretly doing something again.

It’s not difficult to guess who is causing the trouble.

Wang Jing immediately ordered the secret guards: "Pay close attention to this matter and send someone to inquire. I need a list."

"Yes!"

Shortly after the secret guard left, Xun You and Guo Jia were also summoned to discuss the matter.

Guo Jia only listened for a while and roughly guessed who was behind the scenes: "My lord, the people who planned this must be Xu Si, Wang Yu and others."

These so-called Yanzhou celebrities had previously served under Liu Dai, controlling all matters in Yanzhou. It could be said that these famous families were the real masters of Yanzhou, and Liu Dai was just a puppet.

These so-called Confucian scholars kept talking about "loyalty" and "filial piety" all day long, but in fact they had no loyalty to Liu Dai at all. They would only be loyal to their own interests and the interests of their families.

The change of ownership of Yanzhou in history was due to Cao Cao's policy of seeking only the best for their talents affecting the interests of the Yanzhou families, which led to his later move of recruiting Lu Bu and expelling Cao Cao.

Wang Jing has never stopped paying attention to these people, so he can react immediately after the other party takes action.

After analyzing the intelligence, Xun You couldn't help but feel a little worried: "My lord, if this matter is not handled properly, the people of Yanzhou will definitely be unstable, but if it is handled decisively, I am afraid it will damage your reputation."

Logically, Xu Si and others had the right not to sell their own grain. Xun You even guessed the excuse clearly. When the time came, these people only needed to speak with one voice and say that it was Wang Jing's forced implementation of the new policy that led to a decrease in their grain production and a lack of grain to sell, which would completely arouse the anger of the people.

Man is like iron and rice is like steel. If he doesn't eat for a meal, he will be hungry. Man lives to eat, and once he is hungry, he will lose his mind and turn into a beast.

Xu Si and others thought they controlled the food supply in Yanzhou and wanted to negotiate terms with Wang Jing in this way.

After Xun You's reminder, Wang Jing quickly reacted and sneered, "Do they think they are worthy of asking me to take back my order?"

The most taboo in the implementation of the new policy is to change it overnight. If you stop when encountering a setback, it will inevitably be abandoned halfway and the policy will end with the death of the leader. Therefore, Wang Jing would never compromise and would only fight the other party to the end.

As for the food problem in Yanzhou, it is actually easy to solve: "If they don't sell food, we can transfer it from Luoyang."

"Does Luoyang have enough food reserves?"

Guo Jia and Xun You were both very surprised. They thought that the original food reserves had been almost consumed due to the series of battles.

Wang Jing laughed, feeling quite relaxed: "We used up a lot of our previous grain reserves, but this year we have a good harvest of autumn grain, and the output has doubled."

"Double!"

Guo Jia and Xun You were surprised again.

The numbers that Wang Jing said really made them feel incredible.

The staple food today is still grains and other food crops, but Wang Jing asked Shi Zimiao to recruit Taoist Qigong practitioners to use the Taoist techniques of refining elixirs to refine fertilizers. Now, a large number of fertilizer workshops have even been established. The output of fertilizers has been rising steadily, and eventually it has fed back into agriculture, doubling the grain output.

In the social system of agricultural civilization, agricultural output is always the top priority. Even the Confucians, who sneer at new technologies, dare not slander or despise any technology that can increase agricultural output. Instead, they praise it highly and even allow the inventor to go down in history.

Therefore, Xun You and Guo Jia were very curious about how this was done.

After all, even if raw Rehmannia is transformed into cooked Rehmannia, it won’t be that fast.

Wang Jing smiled and said, "The increase in grain production is due to the use of chemical fertilizers."

"fertilizer!"

Xun You and Guo Jia had already known about the existence of fertilizers, and they also knew that Wang Jing was secretly developing this powerful weapon that could increase grain production.

However, the news that grain production had doubled still shocked the two of them.

The fertilizer issue was originally a secret, but Wang Jing did not hide it from Xun You and Guo Jia, and told them the details: "Fertilizer is a chemical product that can increase soil fertility. I was the first to come up with the idea, and then I ordered Shi Zimiao to study it secretly. The first batch of finished products was made a year ago. After trial use, the effect was good and it could greatly increase land output. Later, Master Xuanming personally led the Dandao team to solve the problem of large-scale refining. Now it has been widely used in several government-run military farms, and the effect is amazing."

As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Chinese already knew that weeds in the fields could promote the growth of millet after they rotted.

The Qi Min Yao Shu (Essential Techniques for the People) details how to grow green manure and the method of crop rotation between leguminous crops and gramineous crops. It also mentions the technique of mixing crop stems with cow dung and urine, which can be transformed into fertilizer after trampling and composting. However, the real development of fertilizers was after the Tang and Song dynasties. With the promotion of rice in the Yangtze River Basin, fertilization experience was accumulated day by day, and the fertilization principle of "suitable time, suitable soil and suitable materials" was summarized, that is, fertilization should be determined according to changes in climate, soil and crop factors.

Before Wang Jing traveled through time, out of curiosity he had come across a lot of relevant chemical knowledge in a forum organization on the Internet called "The Traveler Alliance". Now, relying on his memory and making use of existing conditions, he has successfully combined some of the chemical technology with the Taoist alchemy secrets, successfully replicated chemical production, and put it into practical use.

Wang Jing obviously understood how great the influence of advanced fertilizer technology was in ancient society, and he had kept it secret before so that he could use it to increase grain production in his own farming and gain greater advantages.

As for the promotion, it has been postponed until now.

Guo Jia was very excited. He bowed to Wang Jing and said, "My lord, this fertilizer can be used as a trump card for our army. With this trump card in hand, we can expect hegemony!"

In troubled times, the most important thing is food. Without food, there will be no stability; with food, there will be no panic!
It is often said that he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world, but he who wins the food can win the hearts of the people.

…………

East County, Baima Ferry.

There were people coming and going on the dock. There has been a recent food shortage in Yanzhou, and people are in a panic.

"Hey, have you heard? All the grain stores in Changyi City are closed."

"Hey, don't mention it. Our situation is not much better. It's only been a few days, and the price of food has tripled. If it continues like this, who can afford it?"

"This year, natural disasters and man-made disasters continue. The world is becoming more and more difficult to endure."

"I heard that it was because Marquis Qi was aggressively confiscating land and grain that caused the grain prices to soar."

"Yes, I've heard about this, too. It's all over the place!"

At the dock, many porters gathered in groups of three or four while taking a break and talked about the situation in Yanzhou.

Because Xu Si and others secretly spread rumors, Wang Jing's reputation in Yanzhou began to be questioned from all sides.

These local aristocratic families in Yanzhou may not be able to accomplish anything, but their ability to cause trouble and hinder others is second to none.

Today, Yanzhou has just experienced war and there is a lot of work to be done.

Xu Si and others did not think about building their hometown or helping the poor and needy, but instead created trouble for their own selfish reasons. Not only did they spread rumors everywhere, they also tried to use means of unsettling the people in order to obstruct Wang Jing from implementing his new policies.

Unfortunately, the lower-class people are illiterate and their sources of information are limited, so they have no way of knowing the truth of the matter. Instead, they believe everything they hear, and Xu Si and others use their power of public opinion to distort the truth.

Now most of the local people in Yanzhou only know that Wang Jing has come. The new policy has just been implemented and they can’t even afford to eat.

Therefore, driven by some people with ulterior motives, voices opposing the new policy gradually emerged among the people. These voices grew louder and louder, and there were signs that they were spreading like wildfire.

Until cargo ships from Luoyang arrived at Baimazin in large numbers.

"A ship is coming!"

The dock workers, who had been complaining about the high price of food, immediately ran to take the job.

Then they were stunned: "God, food! Mountains of food!"

Sacks of grain were carried out of the cabin by sturdy porters wearing coarse linen clothes. They were then packed into nets and lifted onto trucks on the shore with a wooden crane, where they were stacked by workers on the shore.

The large amount of grain from Luoyang left everyone stunned and unbelievable.

You know, in the past, Luoyang had too many people and not enough food, so they had to use the water transport method to supply food to Luoyang from the prefectures and counties on both sides of the Yellow River to maintain the normal operation of the capital.

Why is it the other way around now?
Not only is Luoyang self-sufficient in grain, but is there even enough food to export to Yanzhou?

This incident shocked the people of Yanzhou. After all, Yanzhou used to have abundant grain, which was transported to Luoyang via the Yellow River. But now, Yanzhou's grain supply is insufficient, and the court has to transfer grain from Luoyang to support Yanzhou?
The common people who had no surplus food applauded in response, but the wealthy families who hoarded food and planned to push up food prices were dumbfounded.

In order to push up grain prices, they had previously spent a lot of money to purchase grain reserves from the public, and all of this costs money!

The Jiangling Xu family, where Xu Si came from, was one of the forces that purchased grain on a large scale. The Xu family was a famous family in Jingzhou, but the Xu family also had property at Baima Ferry, several of which had warehouses storing huge amounts of grain. Therefore, the news that a large amount of grain had been shipped to the dock soon reached his ears.

As a last resort, Xu Si could only call everyone together to discuss the matter.

Changyi City, in charge of the Zhonglang Mansion.

Wang Yu arrived the fastest, and as soon as he entered the room, he grabbed Xu Si and asked, "Is the news true?"

Xu Si's face was dark and his expression was very gloomy: "I personally sent someone to confirm that the rumors are true. The only thing to be thankful for is that the news has not yet been reported back to Changyi, but I'm afraid we can't keep this secret for long."

"What should I do?"

Wang Yu was anxious. He really couldn't understand why such a large amount of grain was transported from Luoyang in such a short time.
Isn't this going to kill him?

You have to know that he spent a lot of money to hoard grain and was just waiting to sell it at a high price after negotiating with Wang Jing to make a profit.

But if food prices plummet, he will be finished!

Xu Si and Wang Yu were both frowning, as Wang Jing had a large amount of food in his hands, which they had never thought of before.

Later, Wang Kai, Wang Gong, Xu Xi and Mao Hui also arrived one after another. After hearing about this from Xu Si, they all looked sad and depressed.

The situation was originally very good, and they thought they had a sure win and would be able to force Wang Jing to surrender.

However, they did not expect that Wang Jing would easily break the deadlock they had set.

Xu Xi was the most unwilling to admit defeat. He gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone, is there any trickery here? Luoyang has always relied on external imports of grain to sustain its huge consumption. When has there ever been a precedent of transporting grain to other states for sale?"

Xu Si frowned and thought carefully: "You mean, this is a false impression deliberately created by Wang Jing?"

Xu Xi nodded with hatred in his eyes, and he had already determined in his heart that this was the truth: "I guess Wang Jing has no surplus food at all. I guess only the outermost layer of the food he transported is real food, and the inner layer is most likely disguised with mud and sand. This method is used to scare us and make us lose our composure."

Wang Kai agreed with Xu Xi's statement: "It's a reasonable guess. I also think Wang Jing is cheating!"

After thinking about it, the others came to the same conclusion. They actually knew very little about the news in Luoyang, especially the details of projects such as military farming and fertilizers. Wang Jing had always kept it secret from the outside world. Even within the Northern Army, there were very few people who knew about it, let alone outsiders like Xu Si.

Therefore, Xu Si and Wang Yu looked at each other and agreed with this: "It is indeed possible. After all, according to common sense, Wang Jing has been mobilizing troops continuously, and Luoyang has a large population but insufficient arable land. It is impossible for him to have extra food to squander."

"Then we will keep our troops in place and respond to all changes with the same attitude."

Xu Si said with certainty that as the backbone of many famous people in Yanzhou at this time, he very much enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, controlling and dominating the situation.

Faced with Wang Jing's way of allocating grain, Xu Si and others chose to sit back and watch. All grain shops in Changyi City remained closed.

In other counties, grain prices remain high.

These people clearly wanted to fight Wang Jing, the imperial court, and the new policies to the end.

Changyi City, the governor's palace.

After Wang Jing explained the clues, he smiled coldly: "You are so stubborn that you are courting death."

Xun You sighed: "Alas, Xu Si has always been known as a great man, but I didn't expect him to be so short-sighted. He only sees profit and forgets righteousness. He is really unworthy of being cultivated."

Guo Jia, however, was proud and had a faint smile on his face: "Gongda, why are you sighing? The lord has given them a chance, but they themselves don't know how to cherish it. This is called self-inflicted evil, and they can't live."

"Since they don't want to take the blame, then we don't need to pay attention to them. Fengxiao, follow the original plan, open the Changping Warehouse and sell grain to the people."

"My subordinate understands."

(End of this chapter)