klisemfg Chapter 535 The Predicament of the State of Chu
Chapter 535 The Predicament of the State of Chu
"Didn't we agree that Chu would provide military rations? Why are you asking us for more?" Chang Hong slammed the letter on the table and roared at the Chu messenger, "We've already used up a lot of grain to prepare for our private army. We're almost out of food at home. Where would we get any surplus grain to give you?"
The messenger rubbed his hands awkwardly, his face plastered with a fawning smile: "Young Master Chang, please calm down. It's just that Chu is facing a severe food shortage, and the King of Chu has no choice. I hope you all will lend a helping hand out of our shared hatred of the enemy. Once we defeat the Qin people, Chu will repay them tenfold."
In the following months, messengers from Chu kept coming, demanding grain. The initial requests to "borrow" grain turned into urgent demands, and they even demanded that the Chang clan contribute gold and silver to support Chu's military expenses. Chang Yan and the other nobles finally saw through Chu's true colors—they had no genuine intention of helping Shu restore its kingdom; they simply wanted to use their power while simultaneously exploiting Shu's resources.
This farcical "alliance and counter-alliance" ultimately came to an end amidst Chu's relentless demands for grain. Those nobles who had once vowed to revive Shu had their grain and money squeezed dry by Chu, yet they hadn't even seen a glimpse of Chu's army.
Two months have passed in the blink of an eye, and spring is already more than halfway over. While everyone is busy, the situation in the Liao family is not optimistic.
The two Liao brothers stood in front of the empty granary, staring at the few shriveled grain sacks, their faces full of worry. Liao Yong said in a low voice, "Brother, I heard that the Chang family has sent people to contact the Ba family. They said they are willing to rent out their land to the Ba family in exchange for some grain and wages."
Liao Gang slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the lush green millet seedlings outside the window, his eyes empty and lost. He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly: "The Chang family... have they surrendered too?" His voice was low, filled with disbelief and deep disappointment.
Just a few months ago, Chang Yan had solemnly vowed to him that he would stand with him to uphold the glory of their ancestors and would never yield to the Ba clan. However, the once magnanimous noble patriarch had now bowed his head in the face of the pressures of reality.
For the first time, Liao Gang's resolve wavered. The glory of his ancestors was important, but the hunger before him was so real, so unbearable. He touched his own shriveled belly, which clung to his spine, and glanced at his younger brother's sallow face, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
These stories from Shu quickly reached the Chu Kingdom through passing caravans. Those Chu people who were still hesitant about fleeing north became even more determined after hearing them—rather than wait to starve to death in Chu, they would rather seek survival in Qin. As a result, more and more Chu people fled north, Chu's labor force dwindled, the food shortage worsened, and the crisis escalated imperceptibly.
It was early May, a time when spring rains should be nourishing all things and everything should be growing vigorously, but the main hall of the Chu King's palace was shrouded in a lingering gloom.
Outside the palace, a light rain pattered down, like the pitying tears of heaven, striking the vermilion palace walls and splashing up tiny droplets, but it did nothing to dispel the suffocating oppression inside. A sense of despair permeated the air, so heavy it was almost impossible to breathe.
In the royal palace, the sounds of traditional string and wind instruments had long since vanished, replaced by the suppressed gasps of the courtiers and the heart-wrenching cries of cicadas outside. King Chu, Fu Chu, sat high on his throne, his brow furrowed, his fingers unconsciously tapping the gilded armrests. The dull "tap-tap" sound resonated in the hearts of every minister.
"My lords," the King of Chu's voice carried a hint of weariness and barely concealed anxiety, "from last year until now, the reports of famine from various counties have piled up on my desk. The grain reserves in the granaries are dwindling daily, rice prices in the market are soaring, and there are even groups of starving people looting grain... Can anyone tell me, how has my great land of Jingchu, a land of fish and rice, come to this?"
The hall was silent. Several senior officials bowed their heads, staring intently at their official tablets, as if they could see something extraordinary in them. Everyone knew the crux of the problem, but no one dared to point it out easily.
The King of Chu, receiving no reply, grew even angrier and spoke again: "Where are the grain carts from Shu? Why haven't we seen any grain carts from Shu for a month?"
The hall remained deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. The ministers either bowed their heads, holding their breath, not daring to meet the King of Chu's gaze, or exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with helplessness and unease.
At this moment, an elderly official with white hair and beard walked shakily out of the queue. He was the Grain Transport Commissioner, in charge of the transportation of grain and fodder. The old official's face was covered with wrinkles, like parched earth, and his eyes were filled with weariness and worry. He held a secret report in his hands, as if the bamboo scroll weighed a thousand pounds, making it almost impossible for him to straighten his back.
“Your Majesty,” Su Ke Ling’s voice was hoarse and dry, like a broken bellows being pulled, “the supply from Shu has been cut off because the Chang clan is simply unable to continue. Now that Shu belongs to Qin, the Chang clan is already taking a huge risk by secretly sending grain. Moreover, after the Ba clan cooperated with Qin to mine iron ore, the Ba clan bought Shu grain at high prices and transported it to Qin. The people of Shu benefited greatly from this, and their lives became increasingly prosperous, so those who supported the Chang clan became fewer and fewer. The Chang clan was already in decline, and most of its property was seized by the Ba clan. The grain supplied to Chu was all donated free of charge. Now they… are simply unable to continue.”
Fu Chu's face grew even uglier. He was well aware of the Chang family's predicament, but he was unwilling to admit that the State of Chu now had to rely on the secret assistance of a fallen noble family, and he was even less willing to accept the reality of being suppressed by the State of Qin in every way.
Just then, another civil official stepped forward to report. His face was also pale, and his voice trembled slightly: "Your Majesty, what's even more serious is that the granaries in various places are also empty. Documents reported by some counties show that even the reserved grain seeds are not enough. This year's spring planting cannot be delayed."
These words caused an uproar throughout the court. The ministers could no longer remain silent, whispering amongst themselves, their discussions rising like a tidal wave. Without seeds, even if they could barely survive the spring, there was no hope of an autumn harvest. This was far more despairing than the current famine, for it severed the future of the entire nation, plunging the State of Chu into an abyss of no return.
"Where are the seeds?" Fu Chu suddenly stood up from his throne, the dragon chair scraping against him with a harsh sound, like the roar of a wild beast. "Where did all the seeds from last autumn's harvest go? Did you eat them all?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Su Keling knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly until blood quickly seeped from his forehead. "Last winter, the famine struck unexpectedly. To survive, the people secretly ate all the grain stored in the official granaries. By the time we discovered it, it was too late. We deserve to die!"