Chapter 354: How Long Can You Hold Out?

Just by his tone, Li Daoxuan understood.Wei Zhongxian had already been overthrown!

Those policies left by Wei Zhongxian now had to be revoked one by one—especially those affecting the interests of the civil ministerial group.

The mining tax was one such policy.

The Jiangnan civil officials, unwilling to pay this tax and eager to pocket the money for themselves, inevitably invoked the ancient decree that scholar-officials were tax-exempt.

By doing this, the coal mines they had previously contracted instantly became their private property, entirely tax-free.

This was classic “private encroachment on state resources.” Anyone with the slightest foresight, or the faintest sense of justice, knew this wasn’t right. Continuing like this would lead to a swarm of vermin completely emptying the nation.

Feng Jun seemed to be one of those with “some foresight and a flicker of justice.” He didn’t want “state resources encroached upon.” He feared that after Gaojia Village occupied the Jinshuigou coal mine, they would “under-guise” it under an official’s name, then devour the entire mine outright.

He couldn’t bring himself to do this!

Li Daoxuan smiled; this Feng Jun was quite interesting.

He didn’t blame Feng Jun for being wary of Gaojia Village. In fact, in his position, such caution made him a good official. Had he handed over the coal mine to Gaojia Village without a second thought, glowing joyfully, that would’ve marked him as a foolish official. Then Li Daoxuan couldn’t have kept him anyway, lest one rotten apple spoil the whole barrel.

The more Feng Jun sought to protect the coal mine and avoid surrendering it to Gaojia Village, the more Li Daoxuan respected him and wished to recruit him under his wing. That he fiercely guarded the “old Ming court’s” state resources today meant tomorrow he would fiercely protect those of a “new nation.”

Li Daoxuan spoke: “Lord Feng worries our Gaojia Village might seize Heyang County’s coal mine?”

Hearing “Madam Li” ask this, Feng Jun’s expression turned solemn: “Madam Li, Gaojia Village has shown kindness to my Heyang County, something this official is well aware of. But coal mines… cannot be casually entrusted to private hands. The intricacies involved are far too many…”

Li Daoxuan smiled gently. “Very well. Let’s make a gentleman’s agreement. We in Gaojia Village will mine Jinshuigou for a day, then unconditionally provide food aid to Heyang County’s common folk for that same day. What say you?”

Upon hearing this, Feng Jun’s heart jolted again.

Gaojia Village had struck!

Dig coal for a day, give grain for a day. Conversely, if mining stopped, grain aid to Heyang County would cease.

Heavens above!

The classic offer one couldn’t refuse—bread or the knife. Take it or leave it?

Feng Jun’s brows knitted deeply together…

Heyang County could not afford an interruption in grain supply right now. One break and all its people would go hungry. Not a bite of Three Ponds Knife-Shaved Noodles would be seen again—bah! Why think of noodles now? Stay focused!

Once commoners had nothing to eat, a second Fan Shanyue, a third Fan Shanyue would inevitably rise. The hard-won peace the people of Heyang had gained would be shattered anew.

Thinking like this, trading a little coal from Jinshuigou for the entire county’s sustenance wasn’t a loss.

Gaojia Village might profit greatly from this move, but the commoners of Heyang County most certainly wouldn’t suffer.

Though there was a risk of state resources being diverted, shouldn’t state resources exist to ensure the people’s welfare in the first place?

Damned right it should!

Feng Jun’s face grew earnest and severe. Stern and unsmiling, he spoke formally: “Very well. This official shall establish a gentleman’s agreement with you all. For each day you aid Heyang County with grain, you may mine coal at Jinshuigou for that same day. No matter how forceful the pressure from the imperial court, this official will withstand it.”

Li Daoxuan smiled. A sound fellow it is. Then so be it.

Truthfully, whether Feng Jun yielded the mine or not, Li Daoxuan would rescue Heyang County’s people. From another perspective, whether Feng Jun agreed or not, Li Daoxuan would go ahead and mine the coal.

A minor official like Feng Jun lacked the power to halt Li Daoxuan, this “vast Deity.”

He had merely teased her playfully for a bit, that’s all.

The outcome of teasing turned out quite well!

It had not disappointed him.

Li Daoxuan smiled and said: “Since we have agreed, we need to go manage the coal mines in Jinshuigou. Lord Feng, will you go with us or provide a handwritten order to show the coal mining workers at the official kiln?”

Feng Jun said: “This official will go with you!”

He truly wanted to see how the people of Gaojia Village would handle his official coal.

Therefore, Gao Yiye’s group began heading toward Jinshuigou.

Feng Jun also mounted his horse and set off with the clerk and the yamen runners.

Gao Yiye entered the large carriage, so it wasn’t convenient for her to talk to Feng Jun, who was riding on horseback.

But Thirty-Two was also riding a horse and walked alongside Feng Jun, where the two were well-suited for conversation.

Thirty-Two smiled and said: “Lord Feng is truly honest and upright.”

Feng Jun said: “You flatter me. This official has little skill. In recent years, the whole county was ravaged by a Fan Shanyue, and I feel ashamed before all the elders and fellow villagers.”

Thirty-Two asked curiously: “How many common people remain in Heyang County now?”

Feng Jun said: “When Fan Shanyue caused great havoc, this official truly didn’t know the population count. However, just in the past few days, as people from Gaojia Village came to distribute food, many who were hiding emerged to work. That made it convenient for me to tally them up. Currently, this official has registered 83,232 people, and an estimated 10,000 or so are hiding in remote places, not counted by this official.”

Thirty-Two silently praised in his heart: This person did have some capability; in just a few days, he had made such a clear count of the population.

Feng Jun continued: “My sole worry now is this county’s over 80,000 registered people. At a minimum, they consume forty to fifty thousand jin of grain daily. If they wish to eat more substantially, it requires eighty thousand jin. Plus, your village lets them work and pays each worker three jin of grain per day as wages. If thirty thousand people come out to work, that would mean an extra ninety thousand jin of grain dispersed daily…”

Feng Jun said: “In total, at least one hundred thirty thousand jin of grain are consumed per day. That amount isn’t small at all.”

He looked into Thirty-Two’s eyes and asked earnestly: “I wonder how many days your village can actually hold out?”

Upon hearing this, Thirty-Two found it amusing. He thought to himself: The Deity could simply grab a fistful of flour at will and overfill all eighty thousand of your people.

But he could not speak that way.

He pretended to put on an awkward expression, frowning and showing a worried look: “One hundred thirty thousand jin daily? Let me calculate carefully.”

He deliberately moved his fingers back and forth as if counting.

Feng Jun saw him calculating seriously with a slightly troubled expression, making Feng Jun feel concerned too. He thought to himself: Why does Thirty-Two’s look seem so grave? Is it because he felt pressured after hearing Heyang County’s population? Oh heavens! Please don’t say it won’t last long. Who knows how many days this severe drought will continue? Gaojia Village absolutely must hold on.

Just as he thought this, Thirty-Two held out three fingers and said: “We can only hold out for this long.”

Feng Jun was astounded and said: “Three days?”