"They're all really clever, aren't they? They've put the shops under their wives' names. Some have opened rice shops, others oil mills, and some even textile shops. The shops have been set up from Ning City to Liao City, and even throughout Xining. They're not only making money from the frontier army but also from the common folk. Look at the pricing of these goods—whether it's rice or soy sauce, it's all more expensive than elsewhere."
Due to the long distance from the border to the Capital City, the soldiers' rations are often given once every six months, half in food, half in silver. When they run out of food, they will naturally buy nearby in Xining, but the grain in Xining is much more expensive than in other places. One tael of silver could buy a hundred pounds of rice elsewhere, but in Xining, it only buys seventy pounds.
No wonder the frontier generals report every year that the rations are insufficient. This is one of the reasons behind it.
