Chapter 24: An Exorbitant Demand

Mi Zhu was acutely aware that the current state of the government granaries could only sustain Liu Bei until the summer harvest.

Therefore, Liu Bei’s sudden desire to implement a system of military agricultural colonies, and his determination to see it through, left Mi Zhu deeply perplexed. He was both astonished by Liu Bei’s boldness and suspicious that the man might be hiding resources unknown to him.

Mi Zhu fully understood Liu Bei’s desire for these colonies. At present, all manner of supplies were in dire shortage. If they refrained from establishing the colonies, their existing funds and grain might just hold out. However, once the project began, resources—money, supplies, and food rations—would inevitably be stretched thin, leaving them in a deficit.

Yet, the potential benefits were simply too great to ignore. If the colonies could be established and successfully implemented now, the dire situation in Xu Province would see significant improvement by next year. The impact of such agricultural efforts was not limited to a single year; the earlier they began, the sooner they would reap the rewards. While the initial investment of resources remained the same, the output grew exponentially with time.

Mi Zhu had originally assumed that, given Liu Bei’s cautious nature, he would choose the safer path and slow the pace of the agricultural project. He expected Liu Bei to first focus on cutting expenses and compressing expenditures to accumulate supplies, only launching the project once sufficient reserves were in place. Indeed, his observations had confirmed this; although Liu Bei had not explicitly stated his intent, his actions showed no preliminary preparations for such an endeavor.

It seemed, however, that his judgment had been flawed. Mi Zhu had not expected such decisiveness from the man, or perhaps... had Liu Feng been the one to sway Liu Bei, causing him to change his mind on a whim?

Though many thoughts raced through his mind, Mi Zhu’s expression remained composed. He offered a humble reply, "Young Master, you are too generous with your praise. The Governor cares deeply for the livelihood of the people and has issued specific decrees, while Yuanlong has been working tirelessly to pacify the populace and oversee the farming. I am merely following the trail of a dragon, doing what little I can to assist; I am unworthy of such high commendation from you."

Liu Feng smiled, and in the next moment, he cut straight to the point: "If my father also wishes to establish these agricultural colonies, I wonder if the Assistant Governor would be willing to provide his full support."

Mi Zhu thought to himself that the matter of the colonies was indeed the goal. Since the Governor had made his resolve, and Mi Zhu had long intended to prove his worth, he answered with a solemn expression: "Rest assured, Young Master. Whatever the Governor and you require, I shall do my utmost to fulfill."

Liu Feng was somewhat surprised that Mi Zhu had included him in the pledge. Was he currying favor with him directly? Despite his skepticism, Liu Feng proceeded to the next step, making a demand that was nothing short of exorbitant.

"To be frank, Assistant Governor, the funds and grain required this time are substantial. For the entire Xu Province, I fear we must rely entirely upon you."

Liu Feng looked at Mi Zhu and rattled off a list of figures that left the man utterly stunned.

"We anticipate a need for seventy thousand stone of grain for rations, one hundred oxen, two thousand sets of clothing and footwear, one thousand sets of bedding, thirty thousand pounds of iron, one million in currency, and thirty thousand stone of assorted seeds."

In the Eastern Han period, the primary crops in Xu Province were millet, wheat, and rice. Rice had the most demanding cultivation requirements, needing abundant water sources as well as high exposure to sunlight and fertile soil, yet it offered the highest yield, averaging over three stone per mu, with top-tier fields producing over four. Wheat came next; it was less particular about the land and yielded slightly less, though still over three stone. Millet was the least demanding, being drought-resistant and capable of growing in poor soil, but its yields were the lowest—less than two stone per mu. However, millet could be double-cropped, bringing the annual yield to roughly three stone.

The grain output ratio in the Han Dynasty was approximately 1:20, meaning one stone of seeds would yield twenty stone of grain. Although there were slight variations between crops, this was the general rule.

Liu Feng’s plan for the colonies involved five hundred qing of rice paddies, one thousand qing of wheat fields, and twenty-five hundred qing of millet fields. Totalling four thousand qing, if calculated at ten pounds of seeds per mu, they would require eight million pounds of seeds. With one Han stone equal to one hundred and twenty pounds, this converted to roughly thirty thousand stone of various seeds.

Four thousand qing of land was equivalent to four hundred thousand mu. In the Han Dynasty, a single farming household could typically cultivate eighty mu of land, meaning they needed at least five thousand households. Assuming an average of four people per household, that amounted to twenty thousand people. Liu Feng had to prepare at least half a year’s rations for them to see them through until the summer harvest. Two adults required three stone of grain per month to survive; at that time, side dishes were rare, and meat was virtually non-existent, so their energy came almost entirely from grain, leading to a high caloric demand. A family of four—two adults and two children—required at least five stone of grain per month. After all, these farmers were to work the colonies, and they would have no strength for the grueling labor if they were not well-fed.

For five thousand households, Liu Feng needed to prepare one hundred thousand stone of grain to sustain them until the harvest. The investment was immense, but if the colonies succeeded, the returns would be equally bountiful.

From grain alone, each season could yield six hundred thousand stone. Even if Liu Feng were generous and split the harvest fifty-fifty, he would net three hundred thousand stone—enough to cover the costs of maintaining five thousand additional troops for Liu Bei for an entire year. Furthermore, this was only the first harvest. With the level of agricultural maturity in the late Eastern Han, many crops could be harvested twice a year, or three times every two years. If the colonies were managed properly, by the second year, the output could potentially surge to one million stone, not including the secondary income from textiles and sericulture.

The benefits of the colonies were immense, but the crux of the matter was whether Liu Feng could secure enough rations and seeds. As for whether the Mi family possessed such wealth, the answer was yes. The family of Lu Su, merely a powerful clan in a single county, kept two large circular granaries, each holding three thousand hu of rice. When Zhou Yu sought to borrow grain from him, Lu Su had simply pointed to one of the granaries and lent him three thousand hu. The Mi family had been the wealthiest in Xu Province for over a century; surely their foundation was dozens of times stronger than Lu Su’s?

Liu Feng clearly remembered that when Mi Zhu married his sister to Liu Bei, he had provided two thousand servants, along with gold, silver, silk, armor, and weapons, which had allowed Liu Bei to regain his momentum. Within six months, Liu Bei had swiftly recovered his strength, commanding ten thousand troops and drawing the wary gaze of Lu Bu. Therefore, as long as Mi Zhu was willing, he certainly possessed the supplies.

Mi Zhu was truly startled by Liu Feng’s grand demand. He had originally anticipated that since he had sponsored ten thousand stone of grain for Tao Qian’s earlier colonization efforts, he would simply follow suit and provide the same for Liu Bei. He had never imagined that Liu Feng’s appetite would be so vast, demanding ten times the grain—seventy thousand stone for rations and thirty thousand for seeds. If one added the million in currency, the hundred oxen, the clothing, the bedding, and the iron, the total was more than twenty times what he had given to Tao Qian.

One of Mi Zhu’s greatest virtues was his calm temperament. Thus, despite his inner shock, he remained poised and steady on the surface.

After a moment, Mi Zhu shook his head slowly: "Young Master, this... this is truly too much."