"The literati, the farmers, the artisans, the merchants?
Why is it that merchants, holding the most grain and money, have the lowest status?
Lu Yu's words were like poisoned needles, piercing the hearts of every merchant, leaving their already riddled souls even more broken!
And just as everyone's spirits were heavy...
Lu Yu's words continued, "Why? Because merchants are not united! Because the essence of merchants is profit-seeking, because of the infighting between various merchants! There has never been a central figure to stand up and lead the merchant group to grow bigger and stronger!"
"The so-called 'merchant' character is nothing more than buying and selling. There is buying, so there is selling. All of you present are merely running existing businesses, vying for resources, and galloping on your own little plots of land!"
"But have you ever thought? If you unite and integrate resources, perhaps you can make the existing market bigger and stronger! Have you ever thought, if one day, our Cao Ying's cavalry treads across the Western Regions, reaches India, and sets foot in the far north where no one has ever been!"
"At that time, it will require merchants like us to go to these places, establish trade with the grasslands, border towns, and even distant empires, selling what we have into their countries and bringing in what we don't have into our empire! The new resources brought about by this, how can they be measured? In this way, who would dare to underestimate the status of us merchants?"
Speaking of this...
Lu Yu scanned the crowd, and everyone's eyes shone with a brilliant, dazzling light!
Evidently, they were moved.
Such impassioned "grand pronouncements," if spoken by someone else, perhaps... these shrewd merchants would not have been so stirred, but... who was speaking these words?
It was Lu Yu! It was Yin Lin! It was the current hottest figure in the entire Central Plains!
His words were convincing!
Just as the first sprouts of excitement began to bloom in the hearts of all the merchants...
Lu Yu's words continued, and his tone became even more serious.
"In the future, the entire Central Plains, and even the entire north, will undergo a sweeping reform, and reforms... will always revolve around the word 'merchant.' And I, Lu Yu, Grand Minister of Han, will promote all of this within three years!"
"Based on me! I will establish a Chamber of Commerce supported by the court and greatly supported by the Ministry of Works! It can also be called an 'Alliance'! The current goal is north of the Yangtze River, the Central Plains and the north, for now, let's call it the 'Jiangbei Alliance'!"
"Whether it's the refined salt you saw just now, the yellow croaker, the paper, or the welfare lottery... I, Lu Yu, will introduce more products in the Jiangbei Alliance in the future. You all should also think about how much profit you will make in the future if you join the Jiangbei Alliance. Our Jiangbei Alliance is backed by the court, so how can our status be lower than that of scholars, farmers, or artisans!"
Lu Yu's words were like a spell, circling in everyone's minds...
Making every merchant present have endless fantasies!
Not to mention status, not to mention the legendary trade with the grasslands, border towns, and distant empires, but just these things before them... this yellow croaker, this lottery, this refined salt, this paper... just with these things alone, it was enough to make people's eyes turn red with envy!
The value of each item was immeasurable...
It was no exaggeration to say that these were mountains of gold!
If they could get a share, even a small share, it would be a vast fortune, let alone... what attracted them most, these merchants...
- The Jiangbei Alliance backed by the court!
- Their backs suddenly straightened up!
Seeing the expressions of the merchants, Lu Yu narrowed his eyes. He knew that the time was almost right.
"Everyone, I, Lu Yu, have always been 'direct in my speech.' Now... it's time for me to be a villain first and a gentleman later!"
"There is no free lunch in the world. Our Jiangbei Alliance members can naturally cooperate on lotteries, yellow croakers, paper, and refined salt, but it is not so easy to join the Jiangbei Alliance! If you want to get on board, first... you must have a ticket in your hands!"
As he spoke...
Lu Yu waved his hand and ordered someone to open the last black box. Inside the box was another box. When this box was opened...
Pieces of paper leaped out...
No, it was more than just paper!
These papers were much sturdier than ordinary paper, and they were printed with extremely complex patterns. Among them, a striking true dragon was vividly depicted. Besides this... there were also six large golden characters written on it - Great Han Empire National Debt!
Lu Yu raised his hand and introduced.
"The contents of this box are the national debt jointly issued by our Jiangbei Alliance and Great Han," Lu Yu took out a piece and waved it in front of the merchants.
Everyone's eyes darted, and they stopped discussing, afraid of missing any crucial information!
Of course...
The merchants understood Lu Yu's initial statement that "there is no free lunch in the world."
Doing business is about business...
The essence of merchants is "harming people." None of them are "good people." If Lu Yu had no ulterior motive, that would be strange!
Great Han national debt, is it?
The ticket to the Jiangbei Alliance, is it?
For a moment, everyone was full of anticipation, looking forward to what Lu Yu would say next!
"This item is called national debt! The so-called national debt is not issued in my personal name, but in the name of Great Han, in the name of the court! Our Jiangbei Alliance is merely the executor!"
"After you subscribe to the national debt, I will write your names on it, along with the subscribed money and grain, and then stamp it with the imperial seal of the 'Imperial Seal,' and then it will be considered complete!"
Seeing that the merchants below were all confused.
Lu Yu realized that it seemed... the merchants of this era did not yet have the concept of "financial management," and he had to explain it in more detail.
"For example, if someone among you buys national debt for fifty thousand shi of grain... it doesn't mean that this fifty thousand shi of grain belongs to the empire. On the contrary, this fifty thousand shi of grain is still yours. After the agreed period, this grain will return to your hands, and... every year, a large amount of grain will be paid to you as 'interest'! This is equivalent to Great Han borrowing money from you..."
Hiss... The Great Han Empire borrowing money from merchants?
As Lu Yu's words came out, the entire hall of merchants erupted in an uproar.
One should know that in the past... various feudal lords and warlords had tricked them into donating money and grain, but in the end, it was a donation... the kind that was given and never returned.
But... the Great Han Empire's "borrowing and returning"?
Their subconscious feeling was... there's such a good thing?
The empire borrows money from you and pays you 'interest,' and returns your principal when it matures? This... this is too exaggerated!
Speaking of which, these merchants had received some education, so they understood it much easier than ordinary people!
Plus... Lu Yu's detailed examples allowed them to understand it roughly.
Even if they understood, why did it feel a bit... a bit fake?
Before they could question it...
Lu Yu's words rang out again.
"Why? I will use this national debt as your ticket to join the Jiangbei Alliance. You are all extremely intelligent people, and you naturally know that the most important thing in business is 'trust.' You have a large amount of grain deposited with me, with the Jiangbei Alliance, with the empire! Only in this way, whether it is the empire, the Jiangbei Alliance, or myself, we will not be afraid of you causing trouble. Similarly, this method can prove your loyalty to the empire! Only then can I confidently hand over my business to you!"
At this point, Lu Yu took a deep breath and recited the last sentence.
"Everyone, I will not elaborate on the current situation in the world. As long as Commander Cao is here, this national debt will be valid. As long as the court is here, this national debt will stand firm, and our Jiangbei Alliance can become a behemoth in the Jiangbei business world! Whether to board this 'great ship that rides the wind and waves' is up to you, and it depends on your foresight and courage!"
"I will absolutely not force anyone present to buy national debt, but... you had better think clearly. The main theme of the world in the future will inevitably be 'reform.' Once you miss it, you miss it. Let alone my ship, in a few more years, your old tickets might not even be enough to board a broken boat!"
After the speech...
The armored soldiers of the Long Xiao Camp carried the wooden boxes filled with national debt before everyone.
The entire courtyard was once again filled with "buzzing" discussions...
The merchants were in an uproar, and many small groups huddled together, discussing and deliberating.
Through discussions... some who vaguely understood finally understood what national debt was?
It was a contract where you lend to the empire, and the empire gives you 'interest' every year, and the principal is returned upon maturity...
It seemed a bit unreliable.
But precisely because Lu Yu linked this national debt with the Jiangbei Alliance, with refined salt, with yellow croaker, with lotteries, and with paper, it was no exaggeration to say that as long as the control of these items was in Lu Yu's hands, and as long as the empire could guarantee Lu Yu's monopoly in these fields, then... how could the meager 'interest' be embezzled, and the principal would naturally be safe.
What's more, by purchasing national debt, they could establish a trusting relationship with this "White Horse Marquis" and become a member of his Jiangbei Alliance, participating in these refined salt, yellow croaker, and lottery activities. How could the profits from this be measured?
The merchants present were all shrewd people...
This was actually a very simple multiple-choice question...
No, this was a single-choice question!
At this moment, Lu Yu squinted his eyes, sat on a bamboo chair, calm and composed. He wanted to give these merchants ample time to consider.
However, the final outcome was actually predetermined.
To give a simple example...
In "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," everyone knew that the Fuwei Escort Agency had the Bixie Sword Manual, and everyone coveted the Bixie Sword Manual. But suddenly, Lin Pingzhi directly photocopied three thousand copies of the Bixie Sword Manual and sent them to the martial arts world.
The subsequent story was as expected.
If you don't practice it? You will be killed by others. But if you practice it, your little turtle will surely be gone, but you might not even be able to defeat others!
This is the so-called involution...
Just like now, with the Jiangbei Alliance emerging, if no one joins the Jiangbei Alliance, then Lu Yu will make a fortune alone. But if everyone joins? It's equivalent to not joining!
Who is the ultimate winner? Who is finally making a fortune? It's obvious!
As expected...
After an hour of discussion.
A group of merchants, led by Steward Zhao of Xipicheng, expressed their willingness, each subscribing to national debt of fifty thousand shi of grain. Steward Zhao was particularly special. To leave a good impression on Lu Yu, he subscribed to one hundred thousand shi at once, and for the longest term of five years!
And with this one hundred thousand shi...
The merchants from other regions could no longer sit still and enthusiastically subscribed to national debt!
Xipicheng can only produce one hundred thousand shi at most? A total of over four hundred thousand shi! Then... Guanglingcheng can produce at most two hundred thousand shi? A total of over five hundred thousand shi!
All the merchants in Guanglingcheng produced five hundred thousand shi, so Pengcheng could not fall behind! They produced five hundred and fifty thousand shi, and also Donghai, Dongguan, Langya...
... A crazy subscription for national debt began!
It seemed that these "smart" merchants were all "far-sighted"!
And Lu Yu accepted it with pleasure!
In fact, his cost was only the meager annual 'interest,' and the business of refined salt, yellow croaker, paper, and lottery. Originally, if these businesses were only done by the government, they would not have grown that big...
The development would have been very slow!
With the help of these merchants, it would be completely different... The market would expand at an extremely terrifying speed!
For example, the lottery...
Lu Yu's cooperation method with the merchants was "commission-based." From now on, the government would no longer sell lottery tickets, but would only be responsible for drawing the numbers...
And these merchants who joined the Jiangbei Alliance had obtained authorization from the Great Han court!
Anyone could open a shop to sell lottery tickets.
As for the profits, they were calculated based on the number of lottery tickets sold. For example, if ten thousand lottery tickets were sold in a month, Lu Yu would return one-tenth of it to the merchants. If it were one hundred thousand, or one million, then 1.5%, or 20% would be returned...
In short... the commission system of later welfare lotteries was here, and Lu Yu was simply copying it!
It only took four words - the more you work, the more you get!
The business of refined salt, paper, and yellow croaker was the same.
Lu Yu only needed to grasp the production side and distribute the selling rights to these merchants.
On the surface, it was about making money together, but in reality, the biggest profits still came from Lu Yu's side... or, from the so-called Jiangbei Alliance!
Thus!
In just one month, the grain and fodder Lu Yu had raised in Xuzhou city exceeded three million shi!
One should know that in that year, Gongsun Zan, a major grain hoarder among the feudal lords, had stockpiled three million shi of grain in Yijing during his peak!
This amount of grain was no longer a matter of solving Cao Cao's urgent need.
It was no exaggeration to say that with this grain and fodder, Cao Cao already possessed all the conditions for a northern expedition!
Of course...
At this moment, at Guandu, Cao Cao did not know these things!
His gaze was fixed on Yuan Shao's army attempting to descend south from Cangting!
...
...
Hebei, on the official road from Liyang Commandery to Cangting, a large camp of Yuan's army was erected.
It was only twenty li away from Cangting. As long as Yuan Shao gave an order, the 200,000 Yuan troops could cross the river and descend, flanking towards Yan Province's Chenliu Commandery, capturing Chenliu Commandery, this vital transportation hub!
However...
At this moment, in the early morning... the huge gate of Yuan's camp was closed, like a lurking beast. The entire Yuan camp appeared exceptionally quiet.
Naturally, there were guards standing solemnly at the gate, full of spirit...
Ever since the raid on Wuchao, Yuan Shao had strictly ordered the three armies to guard the gate, strengthen vigilance, and dispatched countless scouts!
But at this moment.
"Dada dada..."
The sound of hooves echoed. Because it was too early, the official road was extremely quiet, and the sound of hooves became exceptionally clear. Two scouts galloped to the gate.
The guards recognized them as their own outriders and quickly opened the city gate to let them in.
Not long after...
"What?"
In the central army tent, a roar erupted.
The voice was Yuan Shao's, and his tone was extremely deep. The armored soldiers in the nearby military camps were all awakened by such a sound.
"You say? The food and supplies plundered by those Taishan bandits in Taishan Commandery were not real?"
Yuan Shao's eyes were wide with anger, his eyes blazing... staring at the scout in front of him!
Hearing the commotion here, Yuan Shao's three sons, Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Yuan Shang, all rushed to the scene immediately.
After a brief inquiry, they learned.
It turned out that the scouts had sent an urgent report: a grain convoy from Xuzhou heading to Yan Province had been discovered thirty-five li south of Cangting!
How could this be tolerated?
Yuan Shao also had informants in Xuzhou. Lu Yu's trip to Xuzhou to raise grain was not a secret. Yuan Shao and his three sons knew better than anyone about those ships full of yellow croaker.
Of course...
At first, they paid no attention. Fish... this kind of thing, if not refrigerated, could not be eaten within three days of being caught!
How could it be transported to Guandu?
But they never expected that Lu Yu's operation was truly ingenious... He used cheap sea salt to replace expensive coarse salt, and instantly... preserved hundreds of thousands of yellow croakers into salted fish. This way... the transportation conditions were met!
Upon receiving this piece of information, Yuan Shao...
Immediately sent people with gold, silver, and jewels to Taishan to visit Zang Ba, the leader of the Taishan Army!
And invited him to rob these hundreds of thousands of yellow croakers.
According to Yuan Shao's plan, as long as Cao's army's food supplies were cut off for another ten days, Cao's army would have no grain at all, and Cao's army would surely be in chaos!
As expected.
In the intelligence reported by spies recently stationed at Guandu, Cao Cao had already begun to distribute grain in small measures. Yuan Shao understood this tactic. This little brother of his had used it quite a bit in the past, but... he didn't know which unlucky grain officer would die in vain this time!
Of course, none of this was important. What was important was... the time to march south was approaching.
As long as... Cao Cao's food was cut off, he would be unable to send troops to Cangting to intercept them!
Yuan Shao's southward march would be smooth sailing. If everything went smoothly, and they could directly penetrate Cao Cao's hinterland, "Chenliu Commandery," then the situation would be entirely different!
But... it was precisely at such a time that such a crucial piece of intelligence was reported back.
"Lord Yuan, we saw with our own eyes that thirty-five li south of Cangting... the Long Xiao Camp was personally escorting a grain convoy from Xuzhou!"
"From a distance, we could see... it was yellow croaker, those salted yellow croakers, hundreds of thousands of them!"
Hoo...
After hearing the scout's report, Yuan Shao's expression became even colder.
"These hundreds of thousands of yellow croakers were not plundered in Taishan Commandery?"
"How can there be yellow croakers after being plundered?"
Yuan Shao posed his question...
Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi were still contemplating, while the youngest son, Yuan Shang, slapped his forehead. "Father Marshal, my son understands... this must be Yin Lin's feint!"
"In Yin Lin's plan, the grain convoy passing through Taishan Commandery was a decoy. The real grain convoy chose to take a detour, passing through Xuzhou to Yan Province, and then transporting it to Guandu. This route is also the most stable and hardest to detect!"
"That's not right!" Before Yuan Shang could finish speaking, his elder brother Yuan Tan immediately interrupted. "According to our Yuan army's movements, Yin Lin would not be unaware that our army's target is Cangting. Yin Lin is so cunning? Why would he let the grain convoy pass through Cangting and head towards Yan Province? Isn't this clearly asking Father Marshal to investigate and plunder it? When has he ever made such a simple mistake? This is probably a stratagem by Yin Lin. His goal is to ambush the grain convoy and surround Father Marshal!"
Hiss...
Two completely different viewpoints.
Originally... Yuan Shao fell silent. His old problem recurred!
- Choice paralysis!
Coincidentally, this time the choice was presented by two sons!
One was his most beloved youngest son, the other was his heroic eldest son. This...
"Elder brother is mistaken!"
At this moment, Yuan Shang spoke again, his tone becoming even more serious. "The reason why Father Marshal has been outmaneuvered by Yin Lin repeatedly is that Yin Lin has long understood Father Marshal's personality, and whatever choice Father Marshal makes, it is within his expectation."
"Therefore... Yin Lin must have calculated that Father Marshal would discover this grain convoy, but he also calculated that Father would hesitate, would waver... and time is fleeting. By the time Father makes up his mind, the grain might have already been transported to Guandu! Yin Lin is banking on Father not daring to intercept the grain!"
At this point, Yuan Shang's tone grew heavier.
"Doesn't Father know that the darkest place is often under the lamp!"
"The so-called - 'under the lamp is dark'!"
...
...