At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 185 Give up your fame and lay the foundation of hegemony

Shouchun, Chen Mansion.

Chen Wen sat in the mansion and drank some tea, with a look of deep exhaustion on his face.

Ever since Zhang Liao captured Lujiang in a surprise attack, Zhou Qi realized that his current intelligence network was not perfect.

Therefore, he asked Chen Wen to expand his subordinates, not only dispatching intelligence personnel to the counties and counties, but even starting to infiltrate the surrounding areas.

As a result, Chen Wen's workload began to increase significantly. He was so busy during this period that he really wanted to take a break.

However, he also enjoyed it.

With more people under his command, his power will naturally begin to increase. If nothing unexpected happens, it won't be long before Chen Wen's position may be further advanced.

At this time, Chen Wen was very glad that he had chosen to follow Zhou Qi and had been loyal and never give up for so many years.

If not, Chen Wen is self-aware. With his background and talents, he might still be a wanderer in the countryside. How could he be as prosperous as he is now? Even the children of Yangzhou's aristocratic families would be very respectful when they see him.

As a result, Chen Wen's family began to rise slowly.

"After Ming Gong conquers the world, I will become a hero of the founding of the country. Maybe I will be able to be a general, a marquis, and a wife."

"General, play director Shi is visiting!"

Just when Chen Wen was thinking about the future, he suddenly heard the servant's report.

He hurriedly sat up and came to the door in person to greet Xi Zhicai, saying: "The presence of the military advisor really makes this humble house shine!"

Although Xi Zhicai is now the Chief of the Chariot and Cavalry General's Office, old people like Chen Wen prefer to be called Military Advisor in private.

Xi Zhicai raised the wine bottle in his hand and said with a smile: "I heard that the general likes to drink. It just so happens that I am addicted to alcohol today and want to have a few drinks with the general."

Chen Wen was overjoyed and hurriedly introduced Xi Zhicai into the mansion, and then began to have people prepare the dishes.

It didn't take long for the kitchen to produce a table full of hard dishes.

Xi Zhicai couldn't help but twitch his index finger, and he and Chen Wen exchanged cups with each other, full of interest.

Three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The two of them were already a little drunk, and Xi Zhicai pretended to be casual and said: "Huang Shao followed Ming Gong for a long time, but he never thought that he would die in battle in the end. It's really sad and lamentable!"

When Chen Wen heard this, he slapped the case with drunkenness, and said with some dissatisfaction: "That guy Zhang Liao killed Huang Shao in a surprise attack, and instead of beheading him to avenge his blood, Duke Ming entrusted him with a heavy responsibility. Canonize it as the capital of Lujiang County."

"I have been following you since the late Ming Dynasty, and now I am as high as six hundred stones."

"Zhang Liao, what kind of virtue and ability is there to be so highly valued!"

"Oh!"

Unexpectedly, just as Chen Wen was speaking vigorously, he heard the sound of the wine glass breaking.

He looked at Xi Zhicai in astonishment, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with the military advisor?"

Xi Zhicai stared at Chen Wen, and said in a deep voice, "Wine can be drunk, but words can't be spoken."

"General, have you ever thought about what the consequences would be if today's words were to reach Duke Ming's ears?"

Hearing this, Chen Wen felt his whole body tremble, and suddenly felt cold sweat dripping down his back, and even the alcohol dissipated somewhat.

He looked at Xi Zhicai, and hurriedly said: "Military teacher Rong Zhi, a certain Cai just made a slip of the tongue after drinking, not the true thoughts in his heart."

Xi Zhicai sneered, "I think it's more like telling the truth after drinking."

Chen Wen was so anxious that he almost cried. He immediately swore and swore: "Without the help of Ming Gong, I would be just a wanderer in the countryside. How could I be where I am today?"

"Huang Shao and I had a close relationship. He was killed by Zhang Liao. I felt unhappy, but I didn't dare to be dissatisfied with Duke Ming."

"I just think that Zhang Liao is just a new recruit, and he killed Huang Shao, an old member of Ming Gong. He shouldn't be used in such a big way."

Xi Zhicai sneered again and again, and shouted: "Why, you still want to teach Minggong how to employ people?"

Chen Wen was sweating profusely when he heard this, and waved his hands and said, "My tongue is clumsy, and I said something wrong, but it's definitely not what I mean."

Looking at the flustered Chen Wen, Xi Zhicai knew that the heat was enough, and immediately stopped scaring the other party, but said seriously: "I have a word, and the general will listen to it."

"Today's Ming Gong is no longer the grandson of a mere rural coward in the past, but a prince with tens of thousands of powerful soldiers and millions of people under his rule. A single word can decide the fate of countless people."

"The general is not the country ranger of the past, but was entrusted with important tasks by the Ming public and held great power."

"In the past, both princes and generals could kill people out of anger."

"Today, you should understand that there is a difference between king and minister, and there is an order of superiority and inferiority."

"Especially for a general who is so highly regarded by the Ming Dynasty and holds an important position, he should keep a clean mind and keep a distance from other generals."

"General, you should know that the only person you are loyal to is Ming Gong. No matter Huang Shao or the other leading generals, they are not related to the general. If they collude with each other and form cliques for personal gain, what will the superiors think?"

When Chen Wen heard this, he was sweating profusely and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

The wine that he just drank turned into sweat and flowed out. He only felt cold all over, and he didn't feel drunk at all.

Only then did he understand why Xi Zhicai, who always liked to be alone, suddenly came to visit today and drank so much wine with him.

He looked up at Xi Zhicai, and asked with a trembling voice: "Dare to ask the military division, is this a personal act, or..."

Chen Wen couldn't say what happened next.

If it was the latter, things would be very dire, and he was already considering whether to resign on his own initiative.

However, Xi Zhicai stepped forward and patted Chen Wen on the shoulder, comforting him: "General, please rest assured that Ming Gong's trust in the general has never changed."

"It's just that Ming Gong is too loyal and lacks the majesty of the lord in front of his subordinates. Since I have been worshiped as a military adviser, I naturally have to think about it."

"If this continues, it will be detrimental to Ming Gong's rule."

"Today's words leave my mouth and enter the general's ears."

"My aunt forgot to speak, and the general's aunt forgot to listen."

Having said this, Xi Zhi felt that there was no need for him to stay in the mansion, so he left immediately.

It wasn't until Xi Zhicai was sent away that Chen Wencai finally calmed down.

"If this matter is just a reminder from the military advisor, there is still room for redemption."

He recalled his behavior and dealing with things for so many years, but he suddenly woke up, and he was indeed a little carried away.

What he is now in charge of is the intelligence department. There is no doubt about the status of this kind of person, but Chen Wen does not avoid suspicion at all, and has very close personal relationships with other powerful generals.

He didn't feel it before, but when Xi Zhicai reminded him like this, he suddenly felt terrified.

Since then, Chen Wen has lived in seclusion except for work.

Both the generals who were good friends in the past and the children of aristocratic families who deliberately catered to him began to distance themselves intentionally.

Xi Zhicai knocked on Chen Wen, and then followed the same pattern and had a drink with Xiang Hong.

However, Xiang Hong has a special status, so Xi Zhicai didn't say it so bluntly, but just vaguely ordered it.

Fortunately, Xiang Hong knew a little bit, and since then he has begun to pay attention to his behavior and interpersonal communication.

The reason why Zhou Qi did this was because he didn't want his old brothers to end badly in the end.

Just like Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, it was because the old brothers who followed him to fight the world had no sense of boundaries, coupled with taking credit for pride and forming a party for personal gain, this led to the disaster of death.

It is better to let Xi Zhicai speak out and wake up everyone now than to have things out of control later.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

But after the price of food in Lujiang County skyrocketed, food from all over the country was shipped to Lujiang.

However, due to the aristocratic families and large grain merchants all joining forces to short the grain market, the price of grain in Lujiang remained high.

It's not just a local big businessman in Yangzhou.

In the end, even aristocratic families and businessmen in Jingzhou and Yangzhou joined the short-selling feast.

Of course, there are also some people who are timid and take advantage of high prices to sell grain and make a fortune.

However, the vast majority of people, after learning that the Yangzhou aristocratic families had joined forces to raise food prices with the intention of forcing Tian Feng away, were still on the sidelines, hoping to make a profit.

Shu County, Sheriff's Mansion.

"Your Majesty, the price of food in Lujiang has not fluctuated much for three consecutive days."

Hearing this, Tian Feng couldn't help showing a smile on his face.

The current situation in Lujiang is that the more grain is shipped from various places, the higher the price will be, and those grain merchants are unwilling to sell grain.

Now for three consecutive days, the food supply has not increased significantly, which illustrates two problems.

First, aristocratic families and businessmen may have no extra wealth in their hands.

Second, the caravans that come from outside to transport food have basically arrived.

"Are you going to close the net?"

Seeing the smile on Tian Feng's face, Gao Shun couldn't help but asked.

Tian Feng shook his head, and said: "If the net is closed like this, those foreign businessmen and aristocratic families will lose everything, but the local aristocratic families and businessmen, who have no transportation costs, may see the sharp drop in food prices. They insist on not selling food."

"In today's troubled times, the importance of food is self-evident. Even if they lose a lot of money, as long as they hold a huge amount of food, they will have a great say."

Hearing this, Gao Shun couldn't help but frowned slightly, and said, "If they insist on not selling grain, we can't grab it by force, right?"

Tian Feng shook his head and said: "With the power of the big families and big merchants in Lujiang, unless Duke Ming sends up a large army to snatch it, if they occupy the right, do you think the soldiers of Lujiang County will listen to our command?"

Tian Feng was originally born in a wealthy family, so how could he underestimate their strength?

Just look at the Lujiang Zhou family's operation to make the [-] soldiers and horses recruited by Lu Bu surrender, and you can see how terrifying the family is.

Gao Shun asked, "Sir, do you have a plan to break the situation?"

Tian Feng looked at Gao Shun and said, "Come play a play with me tomorrow."

The next day, Tian Feng summoned Gao Shun, Juncheng, and some important officials from the county capital.

He looked at everyone solemnly, and said, "Nowadays, food prices are skyrocketing and people's grievances are boiling. Do you have a good plan to break the situation?"

There are many officials in the county capital, you look at me, I look at you, but no one speaks.

Seeing this, Tian Feng couldn't help but look gloomy, and jumped up against the case, shouting: "The price of grain in Lujiang County is soaring, not because of the lack of food in the territory, but because some people are obstructing it, colluding with each other, and maliciously raising the price of grain."

"The Sheriff has given them a chance, but these people don't know what is good and they insist on going against the Sheriff."

"After half a month, 50 shi of grain will be shipped to Lujiang. We will first print and distribute 50 shi of grain coupons and distribute them as grain. After half a month, the grain coupons can be used to exchange grain at the government."

"You're going to get ready now, and be sure to print out all the food stamps quickly."

As soon as Tian Feng finished speaking, everyone was in an uproar.

The county magistrate asked directly: "50 grains is not a small amount. May I ask the county governor where it comes from?"

Tian Feng waved his hand, and said impatiently: "You don't need to know about this matter, just print and distribute food coupons, and you must ensure that they cannot be forged."

After arranging the task, Tian Feng left Gao Shun alone and took him to the study for a secret discussion.

Jun Cheng's expression moved slightly, and he quietly followed, his ear pressed against the crack of the door to eavesdrop.

Inside the study.

Tian Feng quietly pointed to the door, deliberately raised his voice slightly, and said: "What we discussed with you today must not be revealed in half, otherwise we will definitely fall short."

Gao Shun said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please give me your orders!"

Tian Feng said: "There is no shortage of food in Lujiang County, and I can't raise 50 shi of food at all."

"However, we can deliberately release this false news. If the aristocratic families and grain merchants in Lujiang learn that 50 shi of grain is about to arrive in Lujiang, they will definitely feel panic and sell their grain out of fear that grain prices will plummet."

"At that time, the price of grain in Lujiang County plummeted, and there was no need for us to buy grain from other places."

Gao Shun asked hesitantly: "How can we make them believe that 50 stones of grain will be shipped in the near future?"

Tian Feng smiled and said, "This matter is easy."

"First you send people to Jiangxia, and secretly tell Zhang Liao to hire a large number of boats, then fill the boats with sand, gravel, and straw, disguise them as grain, and then transport them to Lujiang with great fanfare."

"Heavy troops can be deployed along the way to guard, don't let outsiders get close, and observe for flaws."

"As soon as this news comes out, how can the aristocratic families and grain merchants in Lujiang County not fall into the trap?"

"If they still hesitate, I will use the government's reputation, public land, taxes, and my official position as collateral to issue food coupons in advance, and promise the people of Lujiang County that they can use the food coupons to exchange for food in half a month."

"Seeing that I am so swearing, they will definitely fall into the trap."

"In this way, I only need to issue 50 shi of useless food coupons and sell them at a price lower than that of the grain on the market. After the price of food plummets, I can buy food in large quantities and then recycle the food coupons. "

"In this way, not only can the food price in Lujiang County be stabilized, but the government can also take the opportunity to make a fortune."

Hearing this, Gao Shun couldn't help but admire him and said, "This is a great plan!"

Jun Cheng, who was eavesdropping outside, was now frightened. He didn't expect Tian Feng's plan to be so vicious.

If he really succeeds, the major grain merchants and aristocratic families entrenched in Lujiang County may lose all their money this time.

He quietly withdrew and then secretly spread the news.

Representatives of the major families in Lujiang County were shocked and frightened after receiving this secret news.

Afterwards, everyone sneered and said, "Tian Feng thinks he has all the plans, but he didn't expect that all the people up and down the Lujiang River are our eyes and ears."

"Since we have heard the news, we will not only make Tian Feng's plan come to nothing this time, but also make him never stand up again!"

Three days later, Tian Feng suddenly summoned the famous elders among the people, as well as the representatives of the aristocratic families who were stranded in Lujiang County, as well as the big grain merchants from all over the country.

He took out a lot of food stamps and said to everyone: "These food stamps can all be used as food in half a month."

"In the next three days, in the name of the government, I distributed the food stamps in batches at a price lower than the market price of food."

"I hope you can convey to the people of Lujiang County that there is no need to continue to buy high-priced food. If you want to buy it, just buy our low-priced food stamps."

"As long as you hold food coupons, you can exchange them for the same amount of food after half a month."

When everyone heard the words, they were all in an uproar.

A representative of an aristocratic family asked, "Where does the government get the food?"

Tian Feng said confidently, "Zhang Liao has already bought 50 shi of grain in Jiangxia, and he will arrive in Lujiang in half a month."

Everyone who heard the inside information sneered in their hearts, but they didn't show it at all.

Another person asked: "If the government cannot provide so much food in half a month, won't all the food coupons we purchased become invalid?"

Tian Feng said swornly: "Everyone, please rest assured. If the government cannot provide so much food in half a month, it will recycle all the food stamps at the food price of that day, and will never let the folks who bought the food stamps They suffer."

A large grain merchant asked: "What if grain prices soar in half a month and the government cannot spend enough money to redeem food coupons?"

Faced with everyone's doubts, Tian Feng raised his seal and said: "I am willing to use the public land in Lujiang County and future taxes as collateral, and I will buy back all the food stamps no matter what."

"If I can't do this, I will resign from the post of Lujiang County Sheriff!"

As soon as Tian Feng finished speaking, someone shouted: "Your Majesty, what you say is true?"

Tian Feng swore an oath: "If you break this oath, the sky will be struck by lightning!"

After saying that, Tian Feng immediately took out a batch of food coupons and sold them at a price [-]% lower than the market price, and released batches at regular intervals.

as predicted.

With these food coupons suppressing food prices, Lujiang Army's originally strong food prices began to slowly fall.

Some foreign aristocratic families and grain merchants did not know that all the grain transported by Zhang Liao was fake. They were worried that the price of grain would plummet, so they also sold it at a reduced price.

The four wealthy families in Lujiang who knew the inside story were worried that food prices would indeed be suppressed, so they hurriedly got together to discuss countermeasures.

"Tian Feng's plan is really clever. If we don't take action, when everyone starts selling food, the price of food will inevitably drop to a terrible level."

Someone showed embarrassment and said: "Before I waited to hoard food, I almost used up all the money in the family."

"Tian Feng has issued 50 shi of food coupons. With the remaining wealth in our hands, we absolutely cannot swallow them all."

"Once food stamps continue to spread among the people, food prices will still be out of control."

The leader showed a ruthless look on his face and said in a deep voice: "The matter has come to this, why don't you give it a try?"

"Although there is not much money left in the family, the mansions and land properties of the major families are inexhaustible. As long as you take out part of the mortgage and sell it off, what's the point of a mere 50 food stamps?"

When everyone heard this, they showed hesitation.

Mansions and properties can be said to be the lifeblood of a wealthy family.

Let them put all their eggs in one basket and sell these things as collateral to buy food stamps, which is a bit worrying.

Seeing that everyone was silent, the other person suddenly got up and shouted: "If God doesn't take it, you will be blamed instead!"

"Imada Yutaka is looking for death. He dares to use public land and taxes as collateral. All we have to do is buy up all the food stamps and let the food prices skyrocket within half a month."

"When the agreed date arrives, if the other party fails to produce food, not only will the other party spit out the money we spent on buying food stamps, but also get high profits. Why not do it?"

After hearing what this person said, everyone who was still hesitant at first made up their mind.

As long as they work together, what's the point of mere Tian Feng?
In this way, the major families in Lujiang County used their mansions and land properties as collateral, no matter how many food coupons the government offered, they would buy them all at high prices.

This strange phenomenon made those foreign grain merchants who originally planned to sell grain at a low price start to wait and see again.

For three days in a row, the major families in Lujiang County not only bought all the 50 shi of food coupons, but also bought the food that appeared on the market.

As a result, the half-month period has not yet been reached, and instead of falling, food prices have risen a lot.

Little did they know that Tian Feng took this opportunity and asked Gao Shun's men to pretend to be grain merchants from other places and sell off all the grain they had previously hoarded in batches at high prices.

At this time, Zhang Liao had already led two thousand Bingzhou elites and all the naval forces under Zhou Tai's command, recruited many ships, and the mighty fleet sailed down the Yangtze River.

After arriving in Lujiang County, they went directly upstream from a tributary of the Yangtze River to Shu County at Linhu.

The agreed fifteenth day is coming in a blink of an eye.

At dawn, the major families in Lujiang County had already surrounded the county capital with the food stamps they had purchased previously.

"My lord, we are all here to exchange food."

Tian Feng was woken up early, looked at the noisy crowd who came to exchange food, and hurriedly comforted him: "It's not yet noon, everyone, don't worry."

Seeing that his death was imminent, Tian Feng remained stubborn, and all the representatives of the major families sneered.

They were not in a hurry and waited quietly until noon.

Just when everyone was about to continue to attack, they saw several horses galloping towards them.

"Report to the envoy, the food fleet has arrived!"

When everyone heard this, they were all in an uproar, and they were all shocked and confused.

Tian Feng laughed loudly and said, "Everyone, take all the food coupons and follow me to the river to exchange for food!"

At this time, Gao Shun was already wearing armor, leading a thousand fully armed limited camps, and thousands of county soldiers, closely guarding Tian Feng.

After today, Tian Feng will definitely have a bad reputation. He will be hated by the aristocratic families and grain merchants in Yangzhou, Yuzhou, and Jingzhou, and his reputation will also be stained by everyone.

However, despite Tian Feng's fame, he raised countless amounts of food and grass for Zhou Qi, and it was legal.

This move will shorten Zhou Qi's several years of recuperation and rest, and will also lay a solid foundation for his career as a king.

(End of this chapter)