The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 47 - Land

“Your Highness, Yuan Li has returned to Fanyang.”

The next morning, at the gatehouse.

Zhao Xu was feeling uneasy about having to entertain Yuan Li again, but Liu Fu’s words brought him relief.

“That Yuan Li, he comes and goes as he pleases without a word. He really treats Yan Prefecture like it’s his family’s territory,” Liu Fu grumbled.

The situation in Yan Prefecture had been promising, but Yuan Li’s arrival meant the Zhang Family would start flaunting their power again.

“In the Dasong Dynasty, it’s all about who has the bigger fist. We’re weak now, so naturally, people look down on us,” Zhao Xu remarked, finding anger pointless.

Glancing at Liu Fu, he continued, “Let’s not dwell on this. The Prince’s Mansion needs to win the hearts of Yan Prefecture’s people. How is the land distribution going?”

“The lands of the Huang Family and Du Family have been divided, but many common folk still have no land to farm. Moreover, Your Highness’s policy of charging low rent has spread to other prefectures, attracting many refugees, which makes the land even scarcer,” Liu Fu said, troubled by the situation.

Yan Prefecture had a small population, and it was hard enough to attract people with a good reputation. Losing them due to lack of land would be a shame.

Zhao Xu paced out of the gatehouse.

What Liu Fu could see, he could see as well.

In his view, the most important aspect of a fief was its population. With people came labor, and with labor came wealth and a steady supply of soldiers for the army.

That’s why he was eager to buy the human brokerage, turning himself into a slave trader, bringing people from all over the Dasong Dynasty to Yan Province.

“I have a plan now, but I’m not sure if it will work,” Zhao Xu mused.

This was a plan he had long considered, but lacked the strength to implement. Now, the time was ripe.

“Your Highness always has the best ideas for Yan Prefecture,” Liu Fu chuckled.

Whenever he thought he was at a dead end, Prince Yan always surprised him.

“I’m just not sure if the regional magnates will take the bait. Go ahead and invite the magnates of Yan City,” Zhao Xu instructed.

Liu Fu nodded and hurried off.

Before long, the magnates arrived at the Prince’s Mansion.

No one dared to ignore Prince Yan’s orders, especially with heads still hanging at the city gate.

“What instructions does Your Highness have for us?” Dong Yuan spoke first.

He came as soon as he got the message, not even telling his son Dong An, clearly competing with him to impress Zhao Xu.

It wasn’t that he distrusted his son, but the business opportunities casually tossed by Prince Yan had brought great profits to the Dong Family.

His son was starting to overshadow him.

Besides the Dong Family, representatives from the Yang Family and Lv Family were also present.

Lv Chang’s father was more spirited than ever.

His son had joined the Prince’s personal guard and become a battalion commander, bringing honor to the family.

Along with these larger families, there were smaller ones like the Liu Family and Chen Family, which Zhao Xu had come to know over the past few days.

To his surprise, the Zhang Family wasn’t present, nor were several families close to them.

Zhao Xu scoffed.

Yuan Li’s presence in Yan Prefecture had emboldened some people.

But that was fine.

Because what he was about to do would have a lasting impact on Yan Prefecture.

“Please, everyone, have a seat,” Zhao Xu invited the guests to sit.

Zhao Xu’s gaze swept over the gathered crowd as he spoke, “A few days ago, regarding the ice-making venture, I had you establish a merchant house to be jointly managed, with future profits to be shared.”

The group nodded in agreement, with someone adding, “By now, it should have been selling in Jinling for some time.”

“Next month, someone will return with the accounts and the silver.”

The thought of soon sharing in the profits had the regional magnates visibly excited.

Zhao Xu nodded in acknowledgment. With the shares from the Huang Family and Du Family, the Prince’s Mansion was now claiming nearly sixty percent of the business guild’s profits. He was indeed the happiest of them all. However, that wasn’t the main focus today.

He shifted the topic, “But you must understand that the art of ice making is quite susceptible to leaks. I’m concerned that once it gets out, the guild’s profits will dwindle.”

The crowd showed signs of worry at his words. Despite their vows, there was no guarantee that others wouldn’t seize the opportunity. After all, many southern nobles were more powerful than Prince Yan.

Yet, since Prince Yan had brought it up, he surely had more to say. They waited for him to continue.

“Therefore, to safeguard your interests, I have decided to include the liquor from the Prince’s Mansion in the guild’s trade, giving it supply priority.”

Zhao Xu’s words made the hearts of the magnates race. Everyone knew that the Prince’s Mansion’s fine liquor was a surefire profitable venture, unlike the seasonal and cumbersome ice trade.

“Your Highness, is this true?” A minor magnate was nearly faint with happiness.

Zhao Xu nodded. But of course, he wouldn’t give it away for free, so he added, “However, you’ll need to exchange something for it…”

“Please, Your Highness, what do you require?” one of the magnates asked eagerly.

The lucrative profits from the liquor were obvious, and they were willing to pay the price for a share.

“Your land,” Zhao Xu stated his purpose plainly.

Unlike the Huang and Du families, these magnates were his supporters. Seizing their land as he did with the Huang and Du families wouldn’t be appropriate. Thus, he decided to offer a share of the commercial profits.

His goal was not only to acquire more land but also to establish a coalition of interests around him, thereby securing greater support.

“Land?”

The magnates exchanged glances. They were well aware of Prince Yan’s obsession with land. Over the years, they had amassed significant landholdings, some of which lay fallow. Now that Prince Yan governed Yan Prefecture, acquiring these lands would be easy for him, especially with the examples of the Huang and Du families fresh in their minds.

Now, with Prince Yan offering a trade, it seemed reasonable, certainly better than having their past misdeeds exposed and their lands confiscated.

A cautious magnate spoke up, “Your Highness, our Chen Family has twenty thousand mu of land. We will keep only five hundred mu for our family to farm and are willing to hand over the rest.”

“Excellent. For each mu, I will give you six silver, deducted from the liquor profits,” Zhao Xu smiled.

The Chen Family magnate was delighted, “Then how much of the liquor profits will our Chen Family receive?”

Zhao Xu wasn’t naive. With the current sales of the Prince’s Mansion’s liquor, annual profits could easily reach millions of silver, and as its reputation grew, so would the income. He couldn’t afford to give them too much.

Thus, he decided to allocate only a small portion of the liquor profits, distributing it among the magnates according to the amount of land they surrendered.

“I will allocate only twenty percent of the profits, divided among you based on the land you contribute,” he declared.

“Twenty percent…” The magnates murmured among themselves.

“It’s said that recently the Prince’s Mansion sold sixty thousand jars of liquor, which amounts to nine hundred thousand silver. After deducting costs, there should be a profit of five to six hundred thousand silver. Over a year, that’s three to four million silver. Twenty percent would be five hundred thousand to six hundred thousand silver, or even more…”

“This liquor brings in money every year, while our lands don’t always yield good harvests annually.”

“We’re making a profit.”

After some discussion, the magnates seemed to reach a consensus. They stood up in unison, “Your Highness, we are willing to exchange our land for a share of the profits.”

“Good.”

Zhao Xu exchanged a glance with Liu Fu, and both of them smiled.