Xi'an Prefecture.
Governor's Yamen.
Inside the main hall, Wang Shunxing, Governor of Shaanxi, sat beneath the official plaque like a man slowly drowning in paperwork.
One report after another landed on his desk.
He read.
He frowned.
He sighed.
Then he sighed again, longer.
Good news?
None worth mentioning.
The much-vaunted pacification strategy spearheaded by Yang He, Supreme Commander of the Three Borders, had collapsed into something between a farce and a curse.
After the main rebel force crossed the Yellow River into Shanxi, the largest remaining rebel group within Shaanxi was the northern faction led by the Shen brothers—Shen Yikui and Shen Yiyuan.
Yang He had dispatched Zhou Riqiang, Magistrate of Ningzhou, along with several others, bearing amnesty documents and fine words.
Shen Yikui agreed.
On the ninth day of the third month, over sixty rebel leaders—including Sun Jiye and Ru Chengming—were paraded into Ningzhou.
They returned Magistrate Jiang Yingchang of Heshui.
They handed back the official seal of Bao'an County.
To ensure maximum theatrical effect, Yang He ordered a dragon pavilion erected atop the city wall.
The surrendered rebels were marched forward, pressed to their knees, and made to shout:
"Long live the Emperor!"
Afterward, they were escorted to the yamen to bow to Yang He, then collectively dragged to the Guandi Temple, where they swore oaths loud enough to shake the roof tiles.
The performance was flawless.
On the sixteenth, Shen Yikui himself arrived in Ningzhou to meet Yang He.
Yang He played his part expertly.
First, he solemnly listed ten crimes committed by Shen Yikui.
Then, with a dramatic pause, announced an imperial pardon.
Shen Yikui was granted a garrison command.
Famine relief tickets were distributed.
The surrendered men were ordered to disband and return home.
Following this, other rebel leaders—Shang Tianlong, Wang Laohu, Duxinglang, Hao Lin'an—lined up to accept amnesty.
For a brief moment, Shaanxi appeared peaceful.
False peace.
As soon as the "return home" phase began, everything fell apart.
Pacified rebels turned feral.
They robbed villages.
They murdered.
They burned homes.
Petitions flooded in like spring floods.
Yang He tried desperately to hold the line with Shen Yikui, but the rest spiraled out of control. Li Laochai and Duxinglang, freshly "pacified," rebelled again and seized Zhongbu County.
One fire extinguished—another erupted.
Pacification had become a bottomless pit.
Wang Shunxing put down the last report and leaned back.
"…What are we to do," he muttered, staring at the ceiling like it might answer him.
At that moment, a clerk hurried in.
"Governor," he announced, "Judicial Commissioner Shi Kefa requests an audience."
Wang Shunxing straightened. "Commissioner Shi? Show him in."
Moments later, Shi Kefa entered.
He was still in official robes—but in his left hand, he held a fistful of wheat stalks.
In his right, a filthy burlap sack.
The contrast was so jarring it nearly offended the furniture.
Wang Shunxing blinked. "…Commissioner Shi. Care to explain why you look like a traveling scarecrow?"
Shi Kefa's eyes shone. "Governor, please—look closely at these wheat stalks."
Wang Shunxing leaned forward, squinted, then stared for a long moment.
"…They're green?"
Shi Kefa's mouth twitched.
As expected, he thought bitterly. Years of officialdom rot one's farming instincts.
Forced to spell it out, he said, "Governor—these stalks are thick. The nodes are dense. The leaves are broad. This year's yield will at least double."
"Oh?" Wang Shunxing's interest finally stirred. "Double grain output? That is worth noting."
Shi Kefa lifted the burlap sack like a treasure chest. "And this—this is the reason."
Wang Shunxing eyed it warily. "You're telling me dirt can do that?"
"Celestial fertilizer," Shi Kefa said reverently. "Made from a mineral treated with sulfuric acid—details aside, artisans know how to produce it. Apply this, and wheat grows like that."
He shook the stalks for emphasis.
Wang Shunxing sucked in a breath. "Then it must be promoted immediately! Mobilize artisans—produce it en masse!"
Shi Kefa nearly beamed. "The Governor agrees?"
Then—
Wang Shunxing froze.
He slapped his forehead.
"Wait," he said slowly. "Artisans need wages. Mining needs miners—also wages. Producing this fertilizer costs silver."
Shi Kefa's shoulders sagged.
"And once produced," Wang Shunxing continued mercilessly, "farmers won't trust it. We'd have to distribute it for free at first. Only after results can we sell it."
He spread his hands.
"In short—huge upfront costs."
Shi Kefa exhaled heavily. "Yes."
Wang Shunxing sighed. "This official has no money."
Shi Kefa tried one last angle. "We could petition the court—"
"Impossible," Wang Shunxing cut in instantly. "For years, every tax demand from the capital has been met with the same reply from Shaanxi: no money. If I ask now, what do you think His Majesty will say?"
Shi Kefa thought for a moment. "…'No money, only my life.'"
"Precisely."
Silence fell.
Shi Kefa clenched his fists. "Such an opportunity—and we let it slip?"
Wang Shunxing sighed again. "As Governor, I want increased yields more than anyone. But wanting doesn't mint silver."
Just then, another clerk rushed in.
"Governor! A letter from Liang Shixian, Magistrate of Chengcheng County."
Wang Shunxing blinked. "Chengcheng?"
Shi Kefa's eyes lit up. He had just come from there. The sights were still vivid in his mind.
The letter was brought forth.
Both men read.
Then froze.
It was an offer of aid.
Liang Shixian wrote that Chengcheng, being part of Shaanxi, could not bear to see its people suffer. They were willing to provide a large batch of celestial fertilizer—for free.
They would even send instructors to teach its use.
One year only. A trial.
After that—ahem—future use would require purchase.
Neither Wang Shunxing nor Shi Kefa had any concept of "free samples" or "market cultivation."
To them, this was pure benevolence.
Shi Kefa slapped the table. "Governor! Heaven has opened a door! With this fertilizer, grain yields will soar—perhaps even quell the unrest!"
Wang Shunxing felt ten years younger. "Excellent! Commissioner Shi—you just came from there. Go again. Bring it back."
Shi Kefa bowed deeply. "This official will not fail."
Far away, unseen—
Somewhere under the amused gaze of Dao Xuan Tianzun,
a very modern business model quietly entered the Ming Dynasty.