bullyxtreme Chapter 93 Dilemma
Chapter 93 Dilemma
After Li Feng uttered these words, the tent fell silent for a moment.
Li Sheng remained calm and composed, shifting his gaze from the grain register to the people present.
"How much is 'not much'? Be specific."
Li Feng took a deep breath, turned to the last page of the grain register, and tried to keep his tone calm.
"General, the county granary originally held more than 23,000 shi of grain. After more than ten days of opening the granary and distributing grain, plus the food and fodder for the 7,000 soldiers and horses, nearly 2,000 shi have been consumed, leaving just over 21,000 shi. Based on 7,500 people, at a rate of two sheng per person per day, plus the rations for the people in the city, it should last until the summer harvest without any problem."
He paused, looked up, and his gaze was somewhat complicated.
"But after the summer harvest, we couldn't collect a single grain of grain from the people's hands."
The battalion commanders in the hall looked at each other, not daring to look at Li Sheng.
They all knew that this was the promise the general had made to the people of Xiapi.
Li Feng glanced at Li Sheng's expression, understood immediately, and spoke his mind.
"Our Taiping Army promised that the land distributed to the people would not be subject to any taxes in the first year. This promise came from the general, and we shouted it countless times inside and outside the city with gongs and drums. Only because the people believed us could they cultivate the land with peace of mind. If we turn around and start requisitioning grain after the summer harvest, will the people still believe us?"
Li Sheng leaned back in his chair, not interrupting, letting Li Feng continue.
Li Feng turned to another page of the booklet, his tone becoming even more serious.
"General, if we use our grain reserves sparingly, we should be able to last until the end of August. However, from the beginning of September to the autumn harvest in October, we will not receive any new grain."
In other words, the county granary's grain reserves were meant to last until the autumn harvest in October, but that simply wouldn't be enough.
The tent fell silent.
The battalion commanders all looked grave.
At this moment, Liu Wu added a comment from the side.
"The army's food supplies are running low. Although there are only two hundred horses left, they need to be fed concentrated feed, and even bean feed is becoming unsustainable."
No one spoke in the tent. The flame of the oil lamp flickered in the night wind, and the shadows of everyone swayed on the tent walls.
After a while, someone tentatively spoke up.
"General, how about reducing the soldiers' rations? Or, if all else fails, we can let them bring their own rations after the summer harvest in June."
"That's a good idea!"
"Indeed, the actual situation isn't that difficult! Don't you all agree?"
Now they were in the mood to make jokes.
However, Li Sheng remained silent for a long time, so someone bolder asked.
"General, what do you say?"
Seeing that everyone had stopped talking and was looking at him, he spoke up.
"This method won't work!"
"what?"
"Why is that, General?"
Everyone was puzzled.
Now that food supplies are already insufficient, and they are not levying taxes on the common people, nor agreeing to reduce rations, how can the army maintain its strength?
"Rations cannot be reduced. In fact, they should be increased."
Everyone in the hall was stunned.
Li Feng thought he had misheard.
"General, you mean...?"
"Starting tomorrow, each soldier's daily ration will be increased to two and a half liters. Elite troops will receive three liters. Liu Wu, you must intensify training. How can soldiers fight on the battlefield if they are not well-fed?"
Liu Wu's eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly, as if he had realized something.
However, the others weren't so clever.
"General, we already don't have enough food. If we add more rations, won't we be short-lived?"
Li Sheng glanced at him, his tone calm.
"You're right, it'll only last a shorter time. It used to last four and a half months, but with increased rations, it might only last three months. But what I need isn't to save food, I need soldiers who can fight."
He turned around, his eyes blazing.
"If we save food, the soldiers won't have enough to eat, they won't have the strength to train, and when they go to the battlefield, their legs will be weak and they won't even be able to lift a sword. How can they fight? If we lose, they'll all die. Who will eat the food we save?"
The tent was completely silent.
"Therefore, from today onwards, rations will not only not be reduced, but will be increased. Soldiers must be well-fed and trained to be highly skilled. Liu Wu!"
Liu Wu suddenly stood up.
"exist!"
"I'm entrusting the training to you. The five battalions must undergo intensified daily drills beyond what's already covered. Formation drills, bayonet fighting, archery, and siege weapon operation—nothing can be neglected. I want to train these men into a fighting force within this month. Can you do it?"
Liu Wu took a deep breath and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Yes, General! Rest assured, if I fail to master it, I, Liu Wu, will offer my head!"
Li Sheng nodded, then looked at Li Feng.
"Ah Feng, you'll coordinate with Brother Ah Wu on the allocation of supplies."
"promise!"
Li Sheng finally looked at Zhou Chang.
"Registration Officer Zhou, I have a question for you."
"Please speak, General."
"After the summer harvest, if we don't requisition the grain from the people, will they have enough to eat?"
Zhou Chang flipped through the calculation booklet.
"General, I have calculated it. Each household that has been allocated land will receive between thirty and fifty mu per person. The summer harvest yield is about one to two shi per mu. After deducting food rations and seeds, each household will have about five to ten shi of grain left over. The people will either store this surplus grain or take it to the market to exchange for salt, cloth, and other goods. If the Taiping Army does not levy taxes, the people's lives will be much better than before."
Li Sheng nodded.
"Alright, then we won't levy a single grain. A promise is a promise, and it can't be broken. We, the Taiping Army, must keep our word."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the tent.
"But that doesn't mean we should just stand by and watch. How many cattle, horses, and mules have we seized from powerful families before?"
Zhou Chang quickly pulled out another booklet.
"Reporting to the General, a total of 237 oxen, 68 horses (mostly draft horses), 115 mules, and 142 donkeys were seized from the four major families and other small and medium-sized powerful clans. Most of these livestock are currently being kept at the official pastures outside the city, while a small portion has been distributed to the families of Taiping soldiers who need to cultivate the land."
Li Sheng nodded.
"Let the soldiers' families keep what they have; don't take it back. As for the rest—oxen, horses, mules, and donkeys—take them all out and rent them out to the people in the name of the county government."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Zhou Chang's eyes widened.
"The general means..."
"The summer harvest has just ended, and it's time to plant the next crop, right? The people have land, but many families don't have oxen for plowing. They have to pull the plow by hand, and it takes them several days of hard work to grow just one acre. We have oxen, mules, and horses, and they're just sitting idle anyway, so we rent them out to the people."
Li Sheng paused, his tone softening.
"How do we rent it? We charge by the acre. We rent an ox to plow an acre of land and collect some grain as rent. It's the same if we use mules or horses to plow the land. The people can afford the grain, and we provide the labor. In this way, the people save their labor, and we get the grain. It's a win-win situation."
Zhou Chang opened his mouth wide, and it took him a long time to close it.
Renting cattle and horses to the people? He had been a registrar for decades and had never heard of any government doing such a thing.
But upon closer examination, this method is indeed ingenious.