Chapter 134: The Grain Mission

As for what made the ceremony so distinctive, Liu Yao had nearly turned the entire opening into a product launch. The person introducing everything was naturally Zhang Fang, the head of the Blazing Cloud Trading Company under Liu Yao. Drawing on the knowledge he possessed from his previous life, Liu Yao had made a name for paper books throughout the land. Along with the fame of those books, Youzhou Academy would undoubtedly become renowned across the realm as well.

Zhang Fang explained that, because the supply of paper books was limited, anyone outside Youzhou who wished to purchase paper or books would have to pay a certain amount of money. As for exactly how much, that would depend on who the buyer was.

Within Youzhou, however, anyone who wished to buy them would naturally receive a friendly price. They were, after all, their own people; a token payment would suffice.

Most importantly, anyone who joined Youzhou Academy, as well as any official serving in Youzhou, could use the paper and receive the books free of charge, without spending a single coin. With such benefits, it was impossible for Youzhou Academy not to become popular. Naturally, the amount one could receive varied according to rank. Trusted confidants such as Guo Jia and Zhang Fei could ask for as much as they wanted.

When Zhang Fei saw the paper, he nearly drooled. Aside from his fondness for fine wine, Zhang Fei also loved calligraphy and painting, and he was particularly skilled at painting beautiful women. Even Liu Yao, an archaeologist in his previous life, could not help but marvel at Zhang Fei’s artistic ability. No authentic works by Zhang Fei had survived from the previous world, but now Liu Yao had the chance to feast his eyes upon them.

Quite a few scholars immediately joined Youzhou Academy. Naturally, Liu Yao did not accept every applicant. First, he tested their character and determined whether they truly wished to study, then assigned them to different disciplines. Those who had come solely for the paper and books were simply driven out.

Because of this, for a long time the officials in other regions were all green with envy at the officials of Youzhou. Not only did Youzhou’s officials receive generous salaries, they also enjoyed all kinds of benefits. The high salaries likewise meant that corrupt officials were rare in Youzhou. The wages Liu Yao gave them were enough to support them for the rest of their lives. Apart from those truly insatiable fools, few would risk embezzlement. Once discovered, the punishment was execution.

Thus, the officials of Youzhou worked diligently to improve their records, terrified that they might lose such an excellent position. There were countless people eager to join the ranks of Youzhou’s officials, and who knew how many eyes were watching them from behind? Moreover, even setting official positions aside, Youzhou was currently the most peaceful place in the entire Han Empire. The Yellow Turbans could not reach it, nor could the foreign tribes set foot within its borders. Only in a place like this could one truly be safe.

And so, the opening ceremony of Youzhou Academy came to an end. The academy had already made a name for itself. Although it could not yet compare with an established institution such as Yingchuan Academy, surpassing it was merely a matter of time. Yingchuan Academy placed greater emphasis on the sons of aristocratic clans, whereas Youzhou Academy cared more about the overlooked children of humble families. Of course, it would not reject those scions of noble houses who sincerely wished to study.

After the ceremony, the Three Elders of Jingzhou and Kong Rong stayed in Youzhou for several days before departing. Liu Yao could only feel regret at their leaving. Some matters, after all, had to be left to fate.

It was worth mentioning that the great scholar Zheng Xuan had also decided to remain at Youzhou Academy. No one knew what Cai Yong had said to him, but Zheng Xuan had chosen to stay and serve as the academy’s head alongside Cai Yong. There was no distinction between principal and vice principal. With the two venerable scholars presiding over the academy, and a large number of teachers joining it, talented people would surely continue to stream into Liu Yao’s service in the years to come.

Time passed swiftly, and an entire year soon went by. In the seventh month of the third year of Zhongping, Youzhou’s development remained extremely rapid. Four cities surrounding Ji County had already been completed. They were by no means small; each was capable of housing two to three hundred thousand people. Ji County itself currently had only a little over six hundred thousand residents.

Liu Yao named the four cities Azure Dragon City, White Tiger City, Vermilion Bird City, and Black Tortoise City. The names were admittedly somewhat vulgar, but no one objected. The refugees had all moved in, and Liu Yao distributed plots of land to them according to the number of people in each household. As long as they were willing to reclaim the land and cultivate it, they could live respectable lives in Youzhou.

Half a year earlier, Hua Xin had come to Youzhou through a letter of recommendation from Guan Ning. Liu Yao immediately appointed him Administrator of Shanggu. Bing Yuan was appointed Administrator of Yuyang, while Liu Yao’s senior fellow disciple, Gu Yong, was promoted to Administrator of Youbeiping after achieving excellent results over the past year. Although appointments to such positions technically required an imperial decree, arranging one was no difficult matter for Liu Yao; a single letter was enough. It could be said that Youzhou had now become utterly secure, with no room left for trouble.

The time for the autumn harvest was approaching. Every autumn harvest was the happiest season in all of Youzhou, because the harvest meant that there would be food to eat.

Thanks to the land-settlement system Liu Yao had established, the people of Youzhou only had to surrender part of their grain to the government. The remainder belonged entirely to them. Besides keeping what they needed for themselves, they could sell any surplus grain to the authorities, who would purchase it at the prevailing market price. The people were delighted to sell their excess grain to the government. In doing so, they could support the governor they respected most while also earning a substantial amount of money for their daily expenses.

However, on this particular day, terrible news shattered the harmonious atmosphere.

That day, Liu Yao—the laziest man in all of Youzhou—had just been dragged away by Ju Shou to deal with several important matters of state when someone burst into his study in a panic.

“My lord! My lord! Something terrible has happened!”

Liu Yao stared in surprise at the newcomer. Who else could it be but Zao Zhi, the Agricultural Commandant?

“Zao Zhi, what has happened to make you so frantic?” Liu Yao asked suspiciously. Yet a shadow had already fallen over his heart. Zao Zhi was in charge of agriculture. If he said something terrible had happened, then it must concern the grain.

“My lord, there has been a locust plague in Ji Province this year. Now scattered swarms of locusts have already appeared in Yuyang, Ji County, Shanggu, and several other commanderies and counties of Youzhou,” Zao Zhi said anxiously. Since ancient times, locust plagues had been natural disasters—something beyond the power of ordinary men to resist.

“Damn it! How could the locust plague in Ji Province have reached Youzhou?” Liu Yao sprang to his feet with a furious roar. He slammed his palm onto the table, and beneath his monstrous strength, the table abruptly met its end.

“My lord, the locust plague originally broke out in Ji Province. But after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the crops there have scarcely been planted, so the locusts have begun moving toward our Youzhou,” Zao Zhi explained.

“Damn it... Of all places, why did the locusts have to come to Youzhou? Is it because our harvests are simply too good?” Liu Yao thought gloomily before dropping back into his seat.

“My lord, a locust plague is no small matter. If we cannot deal with it, then this year’s harvest in Youzhou will all be lost. Although we have stored grain and need not fear starvation, it will still have a tremendous impact on our plans for the future,” Ju Shou said anxiously from the side.

“Ding! The Protect the Grain mission has been activated. Preserve one hundred percent of the grain to receive thirty lottery draws. Preserve ninety percent to receive twenty-seven lottery draws... Preserve fifty percent to receive fifteen lottery draws. Preserving less than fifty percent constitutes failure, and sixty lottery draws will be deducted. Host, do you accept the mission?”

Just as Liu Yao was seething with anger, the ancient tome’s icy voice rang out once more in his mind.