A worn black and white military boot lightly trod on fallen leaves.
On the way back, Cao Cao was constantly pondering Guo Fengxiao's words – "Yuan Shao will die!"
Indeed, this elder brother was known for his narrow-mindedness, that was common knowledge, but... to think he'd die so easily from just two battles, "Guandu" and "Cangting"... it couldn't be, could it?
As he thought of this, Cao Cao narrowed his eyes.
"Zhong Kang? You tell me. Will Yuan Shao die?"
Cao Cao asked Xu Chu, who was walking beside him, with great interest.
Xu Chu scratched his head. He knew how to solve problems with his fists, but he didn't understand these life and death matters.
Immediately, he smiled and replied, "Lord Cao, how would I understand such things!"
"It's just that, for anyone, to lose two such frustrating battles, in just over a month, with nearly a million soldiers, dead or surrendered... no matter who it is, it would be difficult to bear, wouldn't it? What's more terrifying is..."
Xu Chu paused here, his words abruptly cut off.
Cao Cao, however, raised his hand. "Continue, it's alright!"
Xu Chu paused for a moment and then continued, "What would make Yuan Shao most uncomfortable is his eldest son! He couldn't defeat Lord Cao, but are any of his sons a match for the eldest son? Thinking about it is fine, but once he starts overthinking, wouldn't that be the end of him? Wouldn't he fall into a dead end, and perhaps, just as Guo Fengxiao said, 'die from some nonsense'!"
Heh...
Xu Chu's words were crude but not without reason.
Cao Cao's eyes fixed, indeed, this was the truth of the matter...
"Hahahaha!"
He burst into hearty laughter. "In times of chaos, the strong prevail. It's not suitable for the untalented and powerless. If Yuan Shao truly dies, then it would be interesting! I've heard his sons are not to be trifled with!"
"As for comparing these unworthy sons to my Cao Cao's brilliant offspring? Are they worthy?"
Speaking of which...
Cao Cao asked curiously, "Where is Yu'er? He set off from Donghai Commandery some time ago, where is he now?"
Mentioning Lu Yu...
Xu Chu pondered for a moment and immediately replied, "In Xiapi City. I heard that the eldest son left Huang Zhong's son, Huang Xu, to manage the 'Salt Works' and the big yellow croaker business in Donghai Commandery, and dispatched He Yan back to Xudu to refine the workshops. This time, he is going to Xiapi City to establish the headquarters of the Jiangbei Alliance there, with Zhuge Kongming as the deputy alliance leader! He will be in charge of the Great Han Welfare Lottery and national debt affairs!"
The situation in Xuzhou was reported to Xu Chu daily.
Xu Chu knew that Cao Cao always cared about matters and people there!
– Salt Works, Jiangbei Alliance, Welfare Lottery, National Debt!
Cao Cao was familiar with these new terms...
But he didn't know the specifics, such as national debt!
Also, the first batch of 500,000 big yellow croakers had solved the immediate crisis, but had the grain for the northern expedition been raised?
Just then...
"Lord Cao, urgent report from Xuzhou..." a Hubei guard hurried over.
Huh?
Hearing this sound, Cao Cao looked around. Where was the person? Normally, when urgent reports from Xuzhou arrived, the messenger would be panting, but this time, not a single messenger was in sight!
"Where is he? Where is the urgent report?"
Cao Cao inquired...
The Hubei soldier quickly handed over a "newspaper"...
That's right, it was a newspaper!
This newspaper was sent from Xiapi City. It was printed by the Xuzhou branch of the "Imperial Academy Press" managed by Cao Zhi and sent to Yanzhou, then uniformly printed by the Yanzhou newspaper branch and sent to the entire Yanzhou, naturally including Guandu.
In terms of timeliness, it seemed no slower than an urgent report!
Looking at the words filled on the newspaper, Cao Cao quickly took it and read with great interest.
It was a good thing he read it...
Upon reading it, Cao Cao's eyes widened, and his eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
"Announcement on the Issuance of Xuzhou National Debt –"
"– The Zhao Clan Merchant House in Xiapi City subscribed to national debt, twenty thousand shi of grain, the grain has been stocked in the granary, for a period of five years, with an annual interest rate of four percent!"
"– The Zhang Clan Merchant House in Donghai Commandery subscribed to national debt, thirty-two thousand shi of grain, the grain has been stocked in the granary, for a period of three years, with an annual interest rate of three percent!"
"– The Li Clan Merchant House in Pengcheng subscribed to national debt, twenty-five thousand shi of grain, the grain has been stocked in the granary, for a period of five years, with an annual interest rate of four percent!"
"..."
"– The above merchants voluntarily subscribed to national debt, and are all creditors of the Great Han Empire. Local governments are requested to provide them with appropriate convenience. This is hereby announced!"
It could be said that the entire newspaper was filled with news of wealthy merchants in Xuzhou subscribing to national debt. There were one to two hundred entries, with these wealthy merchants subscribing for as little as one to two thousand shi, and as much as over thirty thousand shi, for terms ranging from three years to five years...
Cao Cao didn't understand what "national debt" specifically was, nor what "annual interest rate" was.
But those...
Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of grain, were tangible existing things...
The Xuzhou newspaper was managed by Cao Zhi. Although this son's poetry was flowery, he would never fabricate such important matters.
Cao Cao could still believe this.
So...
Cao Cao was very curious now, what exactly was this national debt?
How could Yu'er get so many "shrewd" merchants to willingly hand over their grain?
Continuing to read the newspaper, Cao Cao saw the detailed explanation of national debt, which was in the lower right corner of the newspaper!
– "National debt, also known as imperial public debt, is a form of special relationship established by raising funds and grain from the public based on the credit of the empire!"
Cao Cao read this paragraph three times and still didn't understand...
He recognized every word, but when put together, they seemed... very unfamiliar!
Immediately, he pondered if Zhi'er could write the article in a more simple and easy-to-understand manner.
– "For example, every citizen of the Great Han can subscribe to national debt with money or grain. The subscribed money and grain will be stored in the national treasury of the Great Han!"
– "Within three to five years, interest will be obtained. For example, for twenty thousand shi of grain, with a five-year term and an annual interest rate of four percent, the interest would be eight thousand shi per year. The interest is settled annually, cleared by the Great Han treasury! After five years, the original grain will be returned in full! The quantity and term of national debt issued by the Great Han are limited, and it is first come, first served! Moreover... subscribing to national debt means you are a creditor of the Han Empire!"
Hiss... Seeing this, Cao Cao's eyebrows slightly twitched.
He sighed, "What a national debt! What a creditor of the Han Empire, hahahaha, hahahaha..."
Cao Cao was very intelligent. By this point, he could already grasp the brilliance of Yu'er's move.
The so-called "three percent, four percent" interest, though seemingly not small, what was it in the eyes of these merchants?
But... once they subscribed to national debt and became creditors of the Great Han Empire, it would have profound implications.
After all...
The status of merchants in the Great Han was always low. Although they could possess countless wealth, according to the laws of the Qin Dynasty, there were certain restrictions on them.
Not only merchants, but also sons-in-law and stepfathers...
Even if these people were rich beyond imagination, they were not allowed to wear silk, nor could they ride luxurious carriages, nor live in houses exceeding the prescribed limits, nor have too many servants!
To put it bluntly, even if merchants accumulated a large amount of wealth in this era, it was difficult to spend it wantonly!
As the saying goes – Though rich, with no display of splendor!
This was the meaning!
Moreover... merchants' children were not allowed to hold official positions, and... during corvée labor, they were more likely to be assigned to remote, extremely cold regions.
The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system...
Therefore, these Qin Dynasty systems were all preserved. In short, whether in Qin... or Han, merchants couldn't spend their money, nor could they enjoy... enjoy themselves. It was agonizing, making them want to cry!
Thinking of this, Cao Cao's eyes flickered repeatedly.
In this way, the national debt introduced by Yu'er, on one hand, concentrated the wealth that merchants couldn't enjoy or spend freely. Merchants could also earn profits through this wealth. Although it was little, it was better than letting it go to waste!
On the other hand, once merchants became creditors of the Great Han Empire, it would be another story.
As creditors of the Great Han Empire, it wouldn't seem excessive for them to ride in luxurious carriages, would it? Expanding their residences, wouldn't that also seem reasonable? Keeping more servants would be even more logical, wouldn't it?
"Hahaha..."
Cao Cao burst into hearty laughter...
He realized why these merchants were flocking to "national debt".
Of course, Cao Cao didn't know the binding relationship between the Jiangbei Alliance and this national debt.
On one hand, there was the steadily rising status, and on the other, the dual profits brought by national debt and the Jiangbei Alliance. Given this, unless the merchants had been kicked by a donkey, how could they not subscribe to "national debt"!
Furthermore, Cao Cao realized that this method of "national debt" was excellent... if they lacked grain in the future, they would issue national debt, first in Xuzhou, then in Yanzhou, then in Sili, then in Yuzhou...
Endless issuance, never-ending...
Giving someone a fish is not as good as teaching them to fish.
Yu'er's move had permanently solved the major problem of grain! The great difficulty!
"With Yu'er here, it is truly my Cao Cao's fortune, and the fortune of the Great Han. Yu'er has proven with his actions that he is worthy of being the master in these chaotic times!"
Cao Cao uttered this sentence...
Xu Chu, however, scratched his head, his mind still struggling to comprehend the national debt. "Lord Cao, I understand that the eldest son's method of raising grain through 'national debt' is powerful! And the results are remarkable... but the problem is, after gathering so much grain at once, can we repay it when the term is up? According to the current tax revenue, it seems... there's a significant shortfall!"
Speaking of this, Xu Chu paused. "What if we really can't repay it? Then..."
"Even if we can't repay it, we must repay it!"
Cao Cao blurted out the words, his tone becoming much more serious.
Speaking of this, he gave Xu Chu a meaningful glance.
His expression changed...
"Hahahaha... hahaha!" He burst into hearty laughter.
He didn't say what was on his mind, but Cao Cao thought that as long as they could repay the first installment, then in the future, the merchants who bought national debt would multiply!
This money and grain had merely passed through their hands, and sooner or later... these merchants would still deposit it into the Great Han treasury!
Because the temptation was too great!
In the long run, this was a profitable deal!
As for... when the accumulated national debt reached a massive figure in the future, then... whether to repay it would depend on his mood.
Of course, with borrowing comes repayment. Until the last resort, Cao Cao would not be a man without faith!
"Haha..."
Cao Cao was still laughing, and as he laughed, he spoke, "People say, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. For thousands of years, merchants have always been at the bottom of the empire, yet they possess the most money and grain in the entire empire."
"Due to various restrictions, this massive amount of money and grain accumulated in their hands in a closed loop, failing to form an effective circulation. So-called good steel was not used on the knife's edge!"
"This is like a lake, with its inlet sealed off, devoid of vitality, eventually becoming stagnant water!"
"Yu'er's idea is very novel, but also very risky. I imagine his purpose in issuing national debt or establishing the Jiangbei Alliance is to liberate this money and grain from the closed loop and open an exit for this stagnant water to form a circulation! In this way, the entire Great Han's wealth will come alive!"
"As for later, we can use this money and grain to flatten the northern regions, to unify the world, to develop production. Let alone the world, as long as the Central Plains and the northern regions are far from war, with the wisdom of Lord Xun and the talented scholars of Yingchuan, and the wise men of the world, are we afraid of not earning this meager interest? Yu'er's move is one that... one that..."
Cao Cao wanted to say "one move three benefits," but it seemed... it was more than three benefits!
– Merchants benefit!
– He Cao Cao benefits!
– The common people benefit!
– The imperial court also benefits!
There seemed to be one more thing, which was Yuan Shao in the north crying tears of regret... if he knew that millions of shi of grain were about to arrive at Guandu!
Heh heh... Cao Cao just "heh heh"-ed.
This kind of mental blow was even more terrifying...
Perhaps it would be the last straw that broke the camel's back, and just as Guo Jia said – Yuan Shao will die!
Haha...
Hahahaha...
Thinking of this, Cao Cao burst into laughter again.
Just then.
"Report... Lord Cao, a total of three million seven hundred thousand shi of grain from Xuzhou has now... Minister Lu has divided it into five grain convoys and sent them to Xudu, Guandu, and other places. They will arrive within ten days!"
Hearing this, Cao Cao's eyes suddenly narrowed.
He raised his forehead and looked towards the north...
It seemed that at this moment, he saw the most prosperous northern region, those lands of Qing, You, Ji, and Bing, easily within reach!
Heh heh...
With these over three million shi of grain and fodder earned by Yu'er!
Heh heh...
The four northern prefectures, I, Cao Cao, will gladly accept them!" "Zhong Kang, order Zhang Wenyuan to deliver an imperial decree to Yu'er!"
"An imperial decree?" Xu Chu was stunned. "Lord Cao, please clarify, how should the Ministry of Personnel draft it?"
"No need to draft!" Cao Cao smiled heartily. "Yu'er has made great contributions this time. Let him write the imperial decree himself. Whatever reward he desires, let him write it all in this decree, and I, Cao Cao, will request the Emperor for him!"
Huo...
Hearing this, Xu Chu was stunned.
Letting the eldest son write the imperial decree himself, Lord Cao's move... seemed somewhat "meaningful"!
...
...
Xuzhou, Xiapi City, Wanhua Pavilion!
This was the most famous brothel and pleasure house in Xiapi City!
The readers in front of the screen were all experienced drivers...
Naturally, they knew that a brothel and a pleasure house were two different things. The essential difference was that the girls in a brothel would sleep with you as soon as they saw your wealth!
As long as it was 688, 988, or 1288 yuan!
But in a brothel or pleasure house, if you wanted to sleep with the girls, unless the girls took a liking to your "talent"! Otherwise, no amount of money would work!
At this moment...
A woman with heroic spirit and a middle-aged man in his forties were standing in front of this Wanhua Pavilion.
"Uncle..."
The woman was Lü Lingqi, who had recently avenged her father by killing four enemies and had rushed to Xiapi City without stopping.
The reason was simple... Lu Yu had arrived in Xiapi!
Although she didn't know why he was here... this was an opportunity, an opportunity to avenge her father, and an opportunity to complete her master's mission!
"Uncle? You're saying this Wanhua Pavilion is managed by the Mount Tai Army behind the scenes?"
Lü Lingqi's words blurted out...
The man in his forties beside her said, "That's right. When the Marquis of Wen occupied Xuzhou in the past, his biggest concern was obtaining genuine intelligence from the common people, so he spent a large sum of money to purchase this 'Wanhua Pavilion' in Xiapi City and entrusted me to manage and operate it! Over the years, Wanhua Pavilion has provided us with no small amount of intelligence..."
Speaking of this, the man paused. "This Wanhua Pavilion is now the most famous pleasure house in Xiapi City, frequented by celebrities and wealthy merchants!"
The middle-aged man who was talking animatedly was none other than Zang Ba.
Who would have thought that this burly man with a bandit-like appearance was the mastermind behind this 'Wanhua Pavilion' filled with countless charming women.
"Then this is perfect!" Lü Lingqi's lips curved slightly, a hidden smile appearing.
However, in this smile, there seemed to be a different flavor, like a cold glint, a glint that pierced directly into the chest like a dagger!
Zang Ba, however, narrowed his eyes...
"Does the young lady really intend to do this?"
"What?" Lü Lingqi feigned a coquettish manner, "Can't this young lady be the top courtesan of Wanhua Pavilion?"
"It's not that..." Zang Ba frowned even more tightly. "How can the young lady be so sure that Lu Yu will come to this Wanhua Pavilion? What if... he doesn't come, then... wouldn't that be..."
"He will come!" Lü Lingqi said confidently. "Ever since this Lu Yu entered the capital, he had Cai Yan as an elder sister in his residence. Later, he took Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao as concubines. I heard that before taking concubines, his elder sister would arrange for a maid to accompany him to sleep every night."
"But since leaving Xudu City, he first went to Guandu, then to Xuzhou. It's been more than half a year now. Such a romantic young master? For over half a year without a woman, how could his heart not be filled with lustful thoughts?"
Speaking of this, Lü Lingqi paused.
"Doesn't he always like to talk about military strategy? Then this time, my strategy of luring the snake out of its hole and drawing the enemy deep... let's see if he can understand it! Can he see through it!"
Speaking of this, Lü Lingqi's eyes blinked repeatedly.
Then, she lowered her eyebrows and looked at the names embroidered on her sleeves...
Among them, Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, Cheng Lian, and Song Xian had already been killed, leaving only the last three – Lu Yu, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei!
Looking up, at the signboard of "Wanhua Pavilion"!
What Lü Lingqi thought of was – "Those who mix around must eventually pay the price."
It's just that...
Perhaps she never dreamed that.
This sentence... would be said first by Lu Yu and put into action.
– Girl, those who mix around must eventually pay the price!
People say – losing the wife and also the soldiers!
But there is another saying that is even more tragic, which is to lose oneself entirely!
Lü Lingqi? Which kind will it be?
...
...