I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 537 Borrowing Food
"What did you say?" Huang Zhong looked incredulous.

"You mean that Lu Fengxian took the county town without any casualties... and there were no casualties in the process of taking the county town?"

Huang Zhong repeated the information he had received and got a definite answer again.

Only then did he believe that it was really Lu Bu who did it.

Although he still found it hard to believe.

Tian Feng, who had come upon hearing the news, exclaimed, "I had seen General Lu before, and he looked tough and strong, but I didn't expect him to be so rough but also delicate. I was shortsighted and made a mistake in judging him!"

After hearing this, Huang Zhong felt a little embarrassed to say that Tian Feng was not mistaken about the person.

Seeing Tian Feng holding a document in his hand, he immediately changed the subject and asked, "Do you have anything important to do here?"

Tian Feng handed the document in his hand to Huang Zhong and said, "I came here precisely because of General Lu."

Huang Zhong took a look and saw that it was about Lu Bu forcibly borrowing money and food from the wealthy families in the city.

He just felt the blood boiling - Lu Bu had just accomplished a great achievement, and right after that he did such a thing.

Could it be that the imperial court was short of money and food for the army? Why was it so? Moreover, this also made the general seem too domineering... After meeting Zhou Yu at the beginning of this year, Huang Zhong keenly discovered this problem under Zhou Yu's reminder, but it was obvious that Lu Bu did not have this awareness.

Huang Zhong was about to apologize to Tian Feng and said that he would order Lu Bu to return the money and food he had borrowed, but he suddenly heard Tian Feng speak -

"General Lu is right...the money and grain were originally stolen by the bandits, so it can't be considered as looting the people's property."

Seeing that Huang Zhong seemed a little puzzled by his attitude, Tian Feng further explained: "General, you should know that the longer the journey to transport grain, the longer the laborers have to serve, and the greater the loss on the way."

"Now, civil unrest in various places mostly occurs during the summer harvest in May. The coffers of the northern states and counties that mainly produce wheat are mostly empty... The money that General Lu borrowed now is fine, but one stone of grain is equivalent to two stones of grain transported from the three prefectures."

It is not easy to transport grain from Sanfu to the east. There is a place called Sanmenxia on the Yellow River when leaving Hangu Pass. Ships passing through this place often capsize, so it is necessary to take land transportation on this section of the road... This will increase consumption too much.

Huang Zhong naturally understood these principles. Seeing that Tian Feng had expressed his support, he had no reason to object.

Huang Zhong suddenly felt that he seemed to have misunderstood Lu Bu.

Is it true that Lu Bu is now just as Tian Feng said, rough but meticulous?
"However, borrowing grain is fine, but the money that General Lu borrowed...even if these wealthy families in the city are guilty of colluding with the bandits, the money should not be confiscated." Tian Feng continued to speak frankly, his temperament the same as before.

Huang Zhong did not feel disgusted by Tian Feng's straightforward attitude, but rather felt very cordial. However, when he thought of the content of Tian Feng's words, he immediately threw away the "guilt" he had just felt towards Lu Bu.

There is no misunderstanding!
This Lu Bu is still the same reckless man!

Huang Zhong immediately promised: "Don't worry, I will send an order to order Lu Bu to return the money immediately!"

"But there is one thing I don't understand. Now that we have borrowed the grain, how can we pay it back in the future? Does it have to be transported from the three prefectures?"

Tian Feng replied: "General, don't forget that in the north and south of these thirteen states, there is an official who is in charge of the transportation of materials. He makes a lot of money every year, and at the same time, he can also make up for the shortage... General, you may as well write a letter to the emperor to show your appreciation. Of course, I will also write a letter to the emperor."

Equalizing officials?
Huang Zhong understood that the debt was borrowed for state affairs and was used for state affairs, so naturally he didn't have to worry about how to repay the debt.

"However, it is better not to borrow grain before His Majesty's permission," said Tian Feng.

"Thank you for the reminder!" Tian Feng left with satisfaction. Huang Zhong was busy with military affairs, and he also had to do his best to eliminate the worries of the army that was suppressing the rebellion.

As he had said before, the best way was to supply military supplies directly from the local area, but as a prefect, he could not ignore the livelihood of the people.

However, Tian Feng believed that after obtaining the emperor's approval, at least in Runan, there would be no pressure on military food.

Luoyang.

Liu Bian looked at the memorials from Tian Feng and Huang Zhong, the contents of which were basically the same.

He was not worried that the two would collude to deceive him, but would he allow the army to borrow food?

This reminded Liu Bian of an ancient term - military business.

"Lu Bu, Lu Bu, you really cause trouble for me." Although he said so, Liu Bian knew in his heart that it was not Lu Bu's fault. Even what Lu Bu was thinking when he borrowed grain, I am afraid only he knew it. Maybe Lu Bu didn't think anything, but simply didn't want the money and grain he seized to return to the hands of the rich in the city easily.

This is indeed an emergency measure to relieve logistical pressure.

"What do you think?" Liu Bian asked Xun Yu and Jia Xu.

Xun Yu first replied: "In an emergency, we should take the initiative. I think it is okay. However, if the army borrows grain at will, it will inevitably make everyone feel insecure. Therefore, the households that want to borrow grain must be carefully selected."

Jia Xu thought for a while before asking, "Your Majesty, are you worried that military discipline may be damaged if this precedent is set?"

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu glanced at Jia Xu, who had an expressionless face.

The latter has been showing off his talents more and more in front of the emperor in recent years. Relying on his experience and age, Jia Xu can often think more deeply than him when considering some major issues.

This time was no exception. Without even looking at the emperor's response, Xun Yu understood that what Jia Xu said was the purpose of the emperor summoning them.

Perhaps, he should request to be a governor or a magistrate in a prefecture for one or two terms.

These thoughts were fleeting, and Xun Yu was listening to the emperor asking: "Is there a way to have the best of both worlds?"

Xun Yu looked at Jia Xu, but found that Jia Xu did not answer immediately.

Seeing this, Xun Yu, who already had the answer in his mind, replied: "Your Majesty, I think that perhaps we can order the transport officials to go with the generals to borrow grain together. The grain will all pass through the transport officials to the army. In this way, the transport officials will just be there to pay it back. In the future, there will be no need to worry about the transport officials forcing us to borrow money and grain."

After Xun Yu finished speaking, Jia Xu said, "I second the proposal."

Xun Yu thought to himself when he saw this: It's like this again... Although Jia Xu no longer cared about hiding his shortcomings, the habits he had developed over the years were affecting him all the time.

He has his own troubles, and Jia Xu has his own problems.

After getting a satisfactory answer, Liu Bian said, "I have thought of a way to make the transport officials borrow grain without the need for the generals to accompany them, but promise to return the grain in the next year and also give them a profit. If 10% or 20% is not enough, then we can give them 30% or 40%. In short, as long as the profit is lower than the loss of transporting grain, it will be acceptable."

"In this case, if someone is willing to lend us grain, that would be the best."

Xun Yu and Jia Xu heard this and said, "I second the proposal!"

(End of this chapter)