This letter was sent by Zhang Liang to Jiangnan, then forwarded by Yuan Caiwei who dispatched someone on a fast boat to deliver it to the East Sea.
The main content was that grain merchants from Jiangnan had accused the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce of extortion, claiming that grain purchases had not been paid for.
According to Da Kang laws, in cases involving litigation, the authorities had the right to seal the assets in question.
As a result, nearly all the granaries Jin Feng had in Xichuan were sealed.
In other words, the months of effort Jin Feng had put in amounted to nothing.
The primary goal of the opponents was to prevent Jin Feng from opening the granaries to distribute grain.
This way, the grain they had hoarded in advance could be sold at exorbitant prices.
In the letter, Zhang Liang stated that as temperatures continued to drop, the cold disaster in Chuanshu had grown increasingly severe.
Every day, an endless stream of commoners came to Damang Slope begging for food, and their numbers were growing.
Damang Slope still had considerable grain reserves, but with five thousand Zhenxi Army troops plus tens of thousands of refugees now relying on Zhang Liang for sustenance, and the granaries sealed, Zhang Liang dared not casually distribute the army’s grain to the people.
He could only watch helplessly as they starved.
“How can they earn such black-hearted money without fearing retribution?”
Tang Xiaobei read Zhang Liang’s description in the letter, and two trails of tears streamed from her eyes.
“As long as there is profit, they care nothing about whether the steamed buns are stained with human blood!”
Jin Feng said worriedly, “I wonder what the situation in Xichuan is like now.”
It had taken many days for Zhang Liang’s letter to reach Jiangnan, then be sent from Jiangnan to the East Sea, and finally into his hands.
With the weather growing ever colder, Jin Feng dared not imagine what scene awaited at Damang Slope.
“I am more worried about Xihe Bay,” Tang Xiaobei said. “Who knows if those people have made a move against the village!”
“They would not dare!” Jin Feng gritted his teeth. “If anyone dares touch Xihe Bay, I will rebel and wipe out their entire families!”
Now, with neither he, Tang Xiaobei, Zhang Liang, nor Han Feng in the village, the only ones left to take charge were Guan Xiaorou and Tang Dongdong.
Guan Xiaorou had a gentle nature. She was the sort who endured silently even when pressured beneath Tang Xiaobei as a concubine. Jin Feng had no expectation that she could shoulder major responsibilities.
Tang Dongdong had her own opinions, but she had always been occupied with the textile factory and had never managed overall affairs.
Different trades are worlds apart. Tang Dongdong usually did not involve herself in the escort agency or chamber of commerce. She might not even understand their operational models clearly.
In the current situation, asking her to take over temporarily would indeed be asking too much.
“Master, do not worry. Perhaps we are overthinking it.”
Seeing Jin Feng’s brows knitted almost into knots, Tang Xiaobei quickly comforted him. “Jinchuan is, after all, the fief of Marquis Qing. No matter how arrogant they are, they must give face to the Qing family.”
“I hope so. Otherwise, we might truly have to rebel!”
Jin Feng took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
“Sir, forgive my boldness, but with a court like Da Kang’s, you would be better off rebelling.”
Da Liu glanced around, saw no one else nearby, and said in a low voice, “If you became emperor, you would surely be ten thousand times better than the current one!”
“This matter can be spoken of in the tent, but do not talk nonsense outside!”
Jin Feng frowned and reminded him.
“Sir, this is no nonsense. We now have the Zhenyuan Army. With a bit more training, the court’s pampered soldiers could not stop us. We could fight all the way to the capital!”
Da Liu said, “If you took the throne, it would be a blessing for the realm!”
Hearing this, Tang Xiaobei’s eyes also gleamed brightly.
If Jin Feng became emperor, she would be an imperial consort.
“Da Liu, conquering the realm is easy, but holding it is hard. Moreover, Da Kang is not as hopeless as you say.”
Jin Feng said, “Do you believe that if we marched to the capital, countless loyalist armies would spring up across the land? Then we would become the target of everyone, besieged by all the feudal lords and officials in the realm!
Do you think our mere five thousand Zhenyuan troops, mostly new recruits, could stand against the entire realm?
Moreover, the Chen family has ruled for centuries, with royal clan members scattered everywhere. If we killed the emperor, these royals would certainly declare themselves emperors or be proclaimed so by ambitious men.
Then wars would flare up everywhere, the realm would fall into great chaos, and the common people would suffer even more than now!”
Da Liu nodded in sudden realisation, though he muttered, “Then you mentioned rebelling earlier and got me excited for nothing.”
“I said rebel, not kill the emperor.”
Jin Feng said, “For example, if I return and discover some high court official is behind this, I could kill him.
That too would be rebellion, yet it would not make us the target of all. At most, the emperor would send forces to Jinchuan to suppress us.”
“That would work too. It would certainly be more satisfying than now, always having to watch others’ faces and swallow anger, right?” Da Liu asked.
“You are right. It would indeed be gratifying, and I believe we could absolutely hold Jinchuan. But have you thought about what comes after?”
Jin Feng said, “Now, our Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce does business across the realm, bringing in cartloads of copper coins and supplies every day from outside.
Once we rebel, the emperor would surely blockade us in Jinchuan. Then we would become fish in a stagnant pond.
How many people are in Jinchuan altogether? How large is the territory? Even if everyone joined the fight, how many soldiers could we muster?”
Besides disliking the busyness of being emperor, this was one of the main reasons Jin Feng had never rebelled.
His foundation was still too shallow.
Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Jinchuan’s territory was too small. If trapped there, no matter how capable Jin Feng was, without sufficient resources, he could not unleash his potential.
For instance, the iron ore used in Xihe Bay was mostly transported from hundreds of li away.
The nitre for hand grenades and magnesium for flash bombs came from even farther.
War burns money and resources. If confined to Jinchuan, Xihe Bay’s stockpiles would soon be depleted.
Then he would lack even the steel to make heavy crossbows. How could he fight?
Hearing Jin Feng explain this, Tang Xiaobei and Da Liu nodded in understanding.
“Let us hope it does not come to that.”
Tang Xiaobei sighed helplessly.
“That depends on how those lords act,” Da Liu sighed as well.
“Whatever they do is their affair. We must prepare for the worst.”
Jin Feng took paper and brush, leaned over the small table, and wrote swiftly.
“This letter to Brother Liang, this one back to Xihe Bay.”
Jin Feng stamped his seal on the notes and handed them to Da Liu. “The weather is cold now. Chuanshu might face heavy snowstorms. Have people copy the letters multiple times and prepare several carrier pigeons.”
He had not brought many pigeons from Xichuan and Xihe Bay, but this matter was too critical. Jin Feng had to ensure his letters reached Xihe Bay and Damang Slope safely.
“Yes, I will arrange it at once.”
Da Liu took the notes and ran off.
But by the time the copies were made, night had fully fallen.
Releasing pigeons now would be pointless. They would not fly until morning.
Jin Feng could do nothing about it, only sighing inwardly, “It seems I really need to research the telegraph properly.”
