Protect Our Chief - Chapter 33

Chapter 33 The Turning Point of Fate

Wang Shouzhe broke out in a cold sweat. He thought of those starving civilians. In a situation where even gold could not buy food, what would they do to survive? Sell their children? Sell their houses and possessions?

“This means that the more grain the noble clans hold in their hands this time, the more control they have over the situation. They can use other methods to make up for their losses and strengthen their clan.” Qian Xuelan was indeed an outstanding businessman. With just a few words, he explained the aftermath of the disaster clearly. “The officials of Da Qian government and the Violet Palace Academy will transport food from other counties, right?” Wang Shouzhe had transmigrated from Earth after all, and he still couldn’t bear to see civilians suffer.

“Yes, but it’s necessary to raise food from various counties, transport it, and sell it at an affordable price,” Qian Xue’an said seriously. “Actually, from today onwards, the Violet Palace Academy and the government have already started the disaster relief efforts. However, it’s almost impossible to rescue the entire Longzuo County in a short period of time, especially since our Changning Wei is located in a remote area…”

He saw that Wang Shouzhe was frowning, so he persuaded, “Brother, I know you’re kind-hearted. Actually, I can’t bear to see this scene either. However, our power is limited. We should be satisfied with being able to take care of ourselves at a time like this.”

“Brother Qian is right. I was being a little unreasonable.” Wang Shouzhe naturally understood this principle as well. He said in relief, “Then according to Brother Qian, should I ask the trading company to pay me three times the contract price?”.

“Brother, you have to understand. Even if the compensation is tripled, it will still be a breach of contract by the Qian’s Trading Company. The trading company is definitely unwilling to ruin their credibility for breaching the contract unless absolutely necessary.” Qian Xur’an winked and said, “I’ll give you a figure. You have to insist that the contract can only be revoked for 10,000 gold plus 3,000 gold’s worth of food.”

“What?”

Wang Shouzhe’s eyelids twitched. Qian Xue’an was even more ruthless than him. According to his initial estimation, he would be satisfied if the other party could buy back the contract at twice the price.

This price had already exceeded three times the compensation price, and there was even more value in 3,000 gold’s worth of food.

“In any case, you’ve already offended the current manager of the Qian’s Trading Company. You might as well step on the line and offend him more severely.” Qian Xuelan chuckled and said, “Moreover, even at this price, the Qian’s Trading Company won’t suffer a loss. We can still earn a sum.”

Qian Xue’an’s words made sense, but was it really appropriate to screw his own clan over like this?

As if he had seen through Wang Shouzhe’s thoughts, Qian Xue’an explained solemnly, “Firstly, the Qian’s Trading Company is too big. A mere 10,000 to 20,000 gold in compensation is just a drop in the bucket. Secondly, I’m just a concubinal son. If you didn’t help me, it would be hard for me to ascend in this lifetime. Consider it repayment for your kindness. Thirdly, I really hope that Brother Shouzhe can become stronger. It will be more beneficial to our pact if you become stronger.”

“All right, let’s do it then.” Wang Shouzhe could not refuse such a huge benefit. The Wang Clan was too poor now. If they could receive such a huge sum of money, it would be an opportunity for them to rise up.

“In that case, I’ll help you with this matter.” Qian Xue’an seemed to have a plan in mind. “When I report to the manager, I’ll increase the price by 30%. Then, I’ll slash the price slightly to console him a little. In addition, Brother Shouzhe has to swear not to publicize this. The Qian’s Trading Company can’t afford to lose face like this.”

Of course he wouldn’t publicize it. The best choice was to make a fortune in secret.

Wang Shouzhe stood up, cupped his hands, and said, “In that case, I’ll have to trouble you, Brother. I also need to add a condition. The insecticide powder cannot be sold to the Zhao Clan of Ping’an and the Liu Clan of Ping’an.” To Wang Shouzhe, strengthening oneself was a good thing, but it would be best if it could weaken the enemy at the same time.

“Even if you don’t mention this condition, I would consider it,” Qian Xue’an replied with a smile. “Moreover, in this disaster, the demand for the insecticide powder is greater than the supply. The Zhao Clan of Ping’an and the Liu Clan of Ping’an are only last-rate noble clans. It’s very difficult for them to obtain a share of insecticide powder in the first place. Brother, congratulations!”

In the eyes of the Wang Clan of Ping’an, the Liu and Zhao Clans were both very powerful and difficult to deal with. But in the eyes of the Qian’s Trading Company, they were just two ordinary small clans.

“Congratulations too.”

The two of them laughed. The discussion was settled. Immediately, Qian Xue’an slammed the cup on the ground and roared as he left the scene. “Wang Shouzhe, you’ve gone overboard. Do you really think our Qian’s Trading Company is a pushover? Just you wait…”

Then, he stormed out of the door with the two guards outside the door, who were as silent as cicadas in the winter.

Wang Shouzhe was rather satisfied with Qian Xue’an’s reaction and methods. It seemed like he made the right choice in choosing this ally.

At this moment, his second brother, Wang Shouyi, walked in worriedly. “Shouzhe, Steward Qian came to find you a few times in the past two days. Has something happened?” The current Wang Clan could no longer afford to withstand too much trouble.

“Don’t worry, Second Brother. It’s a good thing for the clan,” Wang Shouzhe replied with a smile. Then, he changed the topic and said, “By the way, how’s the research on the live fish equipment coming along these two days?”

At the mention of this question, Wang Shouyi immediately became spirited. “I have to say, Shouzhe, your ideas are really unique and wonderful. Just methods such as spraying water to increase live air and using pumps to exchange water to increase the air are enough to change the water storage and transportation industry. My initial attempts gave rise to very good results. Next, it’s time to modify the carriage bucket and the breeding pond in the shop.”

“Then Second Brother, you must make the best use of your time and build more breeding ponds in this backyard,” said Wang Shouzhe with a smile. “Otherwise, Sixth Uncle will definitely beat you up.”

“That’s right. There are more and more live fishes over at Sixth Uncle’s side over the past two days…” Wang Shouyi cupped his hands and said,” Fourth Brother, excuse me. “Then, Wang Shouyi ran out in a hurry.

Heh, this Wang Shouyi was becoming more and more proactive. This was a good thing. It was no wonder. As the clan began to look up, the morale of the clansmen would also be stimulated.

Wang Shouzhe attached great importance to the two family assets, the fishing fleet and the fish stall. Originally, the annual net profit of these two places added up to only about four or five hundred gold. However, after some suggestions and adjustments, it was very easy for the net profit to exceed a thousand.

He was even confident that after next year, the fishing fleet and the fish stall would exceed the combined profits of the three farms.

Seizing the opportunity to inflate the insecticide powder and earn a fortune was certainly something worth celebrating. However, the development of the clan’s businesses was the true foundation of a clan’s strength.

In addition, the 3,000 gold’s worth of food that Qian Xue’an mentioned also gave Wang Shouzhe a slight headache. Being able to control food during a disaster year did mean getting ahead of the game.

However, what was the concept of 3,000 gold’s worth of food storage? According to the current price of food, that was about 50,000 to 60,000 quintals, enough for 20,000 people’s consumption for a year!

One had to know that were less than 30,000 people in the entire Ping’an Town.

With such a huge amount of food, transporting and storage alone would be a huge problem. Naturally, there were granaries built in the various farms of the Wang Clan of Ping’an. However, old grain from last year was stored in those granaries. Coupled with the reserved space for production this time, they were more or less full. At most, they could add another ten or twenty thousand quintals.

However, people always came up with solutions.

Ever since Ancestor Zhouxuan built the main residence, he had taken into account the future development of the clan. There were fifty courtyards for important clansmen alone, and there were no less than hundreds of other buildings in total.

Most of them were empty. It was easy to pack up and stock up on tens of thousands of bags of grain. In this disaster year, the safest place was none other than the main residence of the noble clan.

The main residence of every noble clan was built in places where the terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, their defenses were the strongest. Storing the food there was safe.

Moreover, it was mentioned previously that the Wang Clan’s main residence was built beside mountains and rivers.

The mountain it was beside was naturally the subsidiary mountain of Liuping Mountain Range. The water it was beside was a small lake called Lake Zhuwei. This lake was personally named by Ancestor Zhouxuan, and it was named after Ancestor Zhouxuan’s most beloved main daughter, Zhuwei.

Lake Zhuwei was not very large and occupied only ten thousand acres of water, but it was the natural barrier and backyard of the Wang Clan’s main residence.

Most importantly, it also had a natural river that had been artificially maintained. There was a fork several miles along the river that led to the other two farms aside from the silkworm farm.

Among them, the main river channel of the Bountiful Farm was connected to Lake Zhuwei in a winding manner. The total distance of the winding river was about 20 kilometers.

And upstream of the Bountiful Farm’s river was the tributary gate that Ancestor Zhouxuan had maintained in the past, called Bountiful Gate. This gate was a hydraulic facility and was mainly used to regulate the level of water in the inland river channel. However, because it used a winch system, ships were unable to pass through it.

However, this did not matter much. In order to maintain access to the inside and outside of the Bountiful Gate, it needed to be dredged and maintained regularly, so the water level was very deep… Wang Shouzhe quickly organized his thoughts. He immediately wrote two letters and summoned Wang Zhong and Wang Yong inside.

“Patriarch.” The morale of the two clan guards was quite good. It was obvious that they thought highly of the clan’s future development.

Wang Shouzhe handed the letter to Wang Zhong and Wang Yong to deliver. He instructed, “After you deliver the letter, you don’t have to return for the time being. Stay there and help.”

After the clan guards received the order and left, Wang Shouzhe sipped his tea alone slowly. His eyes flickered, and it seemed like his heart was not calm. If everything went smoothly, this pest disaster would instead be the turning point in the Wang Clan’s fate of decline.