60. Granting Grain from the Granary Shows True Noble Loyalty

The autumn harvest had just concluded, though this year's agricultural prospects appeared somewhat bleak. The summer had brought excessive rainfall, followed by strong gales after the autumn, perhaps portending drastic changes in the world by the coming year. Yet Zhang Xun was no meteorologist; he had no way to analyze and forecast future weather patterns amidst such climatic shifts.

Outside, the grain was transported day and night to be stored in the granaries, while inside, Li Rang bid farewell to Madam Zhang. Madam Zhang urged him insistently to pass the imperial examinations, declaring that only by achieving the rank of *jinshi* could the prestige and glory of the Wuxi Li family be sustained.

Li Rang merely acknowledged her words with a nod and hurried off toward the temporary imperial court.

*It is better that he left,* Zhang Xun thought. *Should I surrender immediately, there will be one less person standing in my way. Had Li Rang stayed, he surely would have broken with me in righteous indignation and returned to Wuxi to raise a volunteer army. Now that he has gone to the imperial court, he has saved me the trouble.*

The concerns regarding the grain reserves had been greatly alleviated after supplementing them with this year's summer and autumn harvests. Within the righteous granaries of the Zhang clan, there were now seven thousand *qun* of grain, amounting to no less than four hundred and fifty thousand *hu* in total.

With such a vast quantity of grain, Zhang Xun was confident he could sustain twenty thousand Yuan soldiers passing through for fifteen days, while still guaranteeing thin porridge for the local folks of Changzhou for half a year.

Should shortages occur, they could forage for water chestnuts and lotus roots in Taihu Lake, or even peel the stems of aquatic grasses, chop them up, and boil them into porridge—that would pose no problem either. Wild water celery grew all along the riverbanks; when driven by extreme hunger, there was nothing one could not eat.

Now only the final, crucial issue remained: how to keep Madam Zhang in the dark when the time came.

The others would be easy to handle. In any era, those who followed the crowd always constituted the majority. With Zhang Xun taking the lead, the local gentry and commoners would most likely surrender as well. Naturally, there would certainly be loyal and righteous patriots, but since Changzhou could not hold them, they would essentially flee to seek refuge with Zhao Huai in Liyang and continue their resistance.

Protecting their families from the hands of the Yuan soldiers would be Zhang Xun's greatest act of benevolence. With Zhang Xun acting as the chief collaborator, once the Yuan troops demanded money and grain, they would undoubtedly set off to attack Hangzhou. By then, Zhang Xun would unquestionably be the master of Changzhou, and concealing a few individuals would be a mere trifle.

He ought to sound out Madam Zhang's stance...

Upon entering the flower parlor where Madam Zhang resided, he found her standing and listening to a report. It was said that the wife of the former Vice-Chancellor, Yao Xide, had passed away, and notification had been sent, requiring someone to be dispatched to offer condolences.

The Yaos of Mashan were also a prominent local family. Yao Xide's son, Yao Chi, had attained the rank of *jinshi* in the first year of the Xianchun era and was currently serving an official post in Fujian. Messengers had already been sent to notify his family, and they would presumably return shortly.

*Hiss, Yao Chi.*

Zhang Xun, who had just stepped across the threshold, suddenly froze in his tracks. Yao Chi was observing a period of mourning at home precisely due to his mother's death; no wonder he was rushing back to Changzhou from Fujian.

What could be done about this? Yao Chi hailed from Tongchuan Prefecture in Sichuan and held a blood feud of destroyed families and exterminated clans against the Mongols; he would never surrender to the Yuan army.

Moreover, his was a prominent and influential household, the lineage of a Vice-Chancellor, whose every word would command a following.

Madam Zhang assumed Zhang Xun had paused upon hearing the news of the bereavement. She instructed him to take a seat, noting that she had associated with the late Madam Yao, and all proper courtesies must be observed. She therefore directed the elderly maidservant to send some offerings to the Yao family in Mashan.

Since the deceased was a female relative, Zhang Xun did not need to make a personal appearance. Once Madam Zhang finished giving her orders, she turned around and asked Zhang Xun what business had brought him. There was no pressing matter—the rice had been dried and successfully stored in the granaries.

As November approached, preparations had to begin for the New Year gifts to be distributed among various households. Additionally, local shops and merchants had begun sending items to the residence, which needed to be received and stored. Although Zhang Xun managed these affairs, certain distant relatives were inevitably overlooked, so he used this excuse as a pretext.

Hearing this, Madam Zhang nodded, agreeing that this was indeed important business. She then inquired one by one about the various relatives and family members, supplementing the list whenever Zhang Xun accidentally omitted someone.

Just as the two of them were verifying the headcount, someone rushed in panic, shouting that disorderly soldiers had surrounded the estate and were demanding at the gate to see Zhang Xun.

*Mutinous soldiers!*

Where had undisciplined soldiers come from? Zhang Xun's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly guessed they must be the routed troops retreating from Ezhou. On one hand, he placated the old lady, asking her to take her eldest daughter-in-law and the three children to take refuge in the inner courtyard; on the other hand, he dispatched someone to summon Ma Yong.

Ma Yong had already returned from Yangzhou, the two places being relatively close. With Ma Yong's detachment of three thousand men, there was no need to worry unduly about the arrival of a few thousand defeated soldiers.

After adjusting his attire, he saw Zhang Xi trotting in with a crossbow slung across his back. A loyal friend indeed, upon hearing about mutinous soldiers, he had not fled but instead hurried over to lend a hand. Close behind him was Chu Jiu, clutching a bow and carrying twenty arrows on his back, following step for step.

The gates of the grand courtyard had already been completely shut and secured with massive wooden bars. The estate steward brought over two ladders so that Zhang Xun could climb up and observe the situation.

Daring not to expose himself too much, he revealed only the upper half of his body, and Zhang Xun's mind settled somewhat. The unruly soldiers were indeed mutinous troops, but every single one of them appeared utterly exhausted. Evidently, they had fled for their lives all the way, and upon finally reaching Changzhou and locating Zhang Xun's estate, their adrenaline had suddenly drained, causing them to collapse to the ground in exhaustion.

From another ladder, Zhang Xi shouted loudly at the mutinous soldiers, demanding to know who their commanding officer was and why they had come to a private residence instead of going to the authorities.

While he was still shouting, a dozen soldiers escorted Zhang Shijie out. Zhang Shijie spoke in a loud voice, announcing that he had come to pay a visit to Second Young Master Zhang and requested him to come out for a conversation.

*Phew, that broke me out in a cold sweat. I thought someone was launching an attack.*

Instructing Zhang Xi to guard the gate properly, Zhang Xun finally ordered his men to open the doors and welcome Zhang Shijie. Upon catching sight of Zhang Xun, Zhang Shijie covered the distance in two strides and fell to his knees right before him.

He begged Zhang Xun to save his battalion, explaining that ever since their rout from Yingzhou, they had not eaten a single morsel of food for three or four days.

They had passed Huangzhou, but Huangzhou refused to take them in. They had passed Jiangzhou, but Jiangzhou refused them. They had passed Runzhou, but Runzhou refused them as well. With absolutely no other recourse and their soldiers on the verge of starvation, they had no choice but to throw themselves on Zhang Xun's mercy.

*Ah, how tragic.*

That being the case, what more was there to say? Zhang Xun immediately ordered his men to set up cauldrons and boil water, preparing porridge for this band of defeated soldiers in the open space just outside the estate. It was not that he distrusted Zhang Shijie, but rather that he feared trouble if the mutinous soldiers entered the house; keeping them outside was far better.

Some soldiers, driven mad by hunger, caught sight of the white rice and grabbed handfuls of it, stuffing it straight into their mouths without even waiting for the porridge to cook. Fortunately, Zhang Shijie was still present and shouted a few reprimands, calming them down and prompting them to陆续 gather firewood and start fires.

As for Zhang Shijie, Zhang Xun led him to the nearby righteous granary and pointed at the seven thousand *qun* of grain. "How many men do you have, and how much grain you can carry away is entirely up to you."

Needless to say, Zhang Shijie was deeply moved. He grasped Zhang Xun's hands and exclaimed that Second Young Master's righteousness was unmatched under heaven.

A strapping, burly man actually shed tears, recounting to Zhang Xun the collapse of the military situation in Ezhou. It was from his lips that Zhang Xun learned many details of the chaotic battle fought outside the city walls of Hanyang Jun.

"There is no rush; sit down first and drink a bowl of hot soup," Zhang Xun thought. Since he had already prepared to surrender, learning this news a day early or a day late made little difference to him.