I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

"Oh? Tell me why."

"When they entertained the owner of Chen's Grain Store at Baixianglou, I secretly observed him. Judging from his demeanor and behavior, he had the authority of a soldier and the manners of a rich family's son. He was definitely not an ordinary grain merchant. Moreover, he spoke with a Guanzhong accent. I'm afraid he came from the three auxiliary areas of Chang'an."

“This information is important, you did a great job!”

Ding Ba was generous in praising Wang Lin, a person whom he had focused on cultivating.

What's more, this time, Wang Lin did a really good job, and the information he brought could be very useful.

The Sanfu, also known as the "Three Qins", were three officials established during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han to govern the Chang'an capital area. They were Jingzhao Yin, Zuo Fengyi, and You Fufeng. Later, the names of the official positions gradually evolved into the place names of the three regions, symbolizing the most core and elite area in the Guanzhong area.

The other party came from the Three Auxiliary Regions, was very noble, and had military demeanor, so his status must be very important.

Ding Ba immediately prepared to take the news to General Wei's mansion and inform Wang Jing. Before leaving, he also told Wang Lin, "Continue to monitor closely. Record every move they make for me!"

"Don't worry, sir. I understand!"

Seeing that he had accomplished a great feat, Wang Lin became more motivated. He used to be just a poor boy from the Wang family in Taiyuan, and his greatest achievement in life was to be a housekeeper or accountant in a mansion.

But now, because of his intelligence, he was sent by Wang Jing to follow Ding Ba and had the honor to participate in various major events. This was something he could never have imagined before!
Therefore, Wang Lin cherishes this opportunity very much, and hopes that he can climb to a higher position to see more vast and magnificent scenery!
Only in this way can life be free of regrets.

Ding Ba brought the news and quietly walked into the back door of General Wei's Mansion. With the token in his hand, he passed through without hindrance and soon saw Wang Jing who was accompanying Cai Yan to tease Little Nine-Tailed Fox and Little Golden Crow.

It was midsummer now and there were plenty of fruits and vegetables. Cai Yan cut them into small pieces and fed them little by little to the two little ones who were wagging their fox tails.

As for the little Golden Crow, this guy is now bigger than an adult horse. He squats on the ground and is used as a warm pillow by Wang Jing.

The two little nine-tailed foxes were rolling around happily on the ground at this time, making Cai Yan laugh sweetly, her face flushed, and she was so beautiful.

Ding Ba lowered his head and didn't dare to look any further.

Cai Yan also saw Ding Ba and felt a little disappointed, but she was also a well-educated and talented woman, so she knew that she should not sacrifice public affairs for personal reasons, so she smiled and said to Wang Jing: "My husband, business is more important."

"Well, I'll come keep you company later."

Wang Jing apologized, took Ding Ba to the side hall, and dismissed the servants and maids around him: "Tell me, what's the important matter this time?"

"My lord, someone is coming from Chang'an."

Ding Ba then talked about the two mysterious grain merchants named Huang and Xie who were buying up grain in large quantities in Luoyang City. "The owner of Chen's Grain Store, Chen Gui, is just an agent. Behind him are probably several major families in Luoyang City, all of whom are powerful officials in the court."

"Huang? Thank you? Haha, interesting..."

Wang Jing waved his folding fan, creating a breeze, and then ordered, "Come here, call the two military advisors."

After a while, Guo Jia and Xun You arrived at the General Wei's Mansion in a carriage, and were taken to the side hall by servants and appeared in front of Wang Jing. After listening to Ding Ba's retelling of what had just happened, Guo Jia also took out a folding fan and fanned it like Wang Jing: "If I'm not mistaken, Huang and Xie are both pseudonyms. It's not difficult to guess the real surnames of these two people."

Guo Jia's insight was so sharp, and his tone was even more certain: "The person in charge of Chang'an City now is Huangfu Song, and the purchase of grain is a matter of life and death for the entire army. Even if Huangfu Song cannot come in person, he will definitely send his most trusted confidants to come."

Xun You also nodded and agreed, "Huangfu Yizhen has a son and a daughter. I guess the two people coming this time must be his son Huangfu Jianshou and his son-in-law Xie Wenxiong."

The two counselors were both the best of their time. After a little thought, they roughly guessed Huangfu Song's current embarrassing situation and that the situation in Chang'an City was very bad.

Guo Jia's eyebrows flew, his eyes were like knives, and his words were extremely sharp: "Huangfu Song has 40,000 soldiers and sits in Chang'an. It seems that he is as stable as Mount Tai, but in fact he is in a difficult situation. In front, there are the Qiang people who are in rebellion, and in the back, there are the tyrants who are rebelling. During the reign of Emperor Ling in the past, it was difficult to suppress the rebellion of the Qiang people even with the whole country's strength. Now, no matter how capable Huangfu Song is, he is alone in a corner, without money and food. It is difficult for him to save the situation."

Liangzhou is poisonous. This has been the consensus among all intelligent people since the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

There are not many places in this area where people can grow crops, and the imperial court has to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars in military expenditures every year to maintain stability in the region. The expenditure is so huge that even during the most prosperous period of the empire, it was difficult to bear.

Moreover, with the world in chaos at the moment, the central government of the court is struggling to take care of itself, so how can it have the spare energy to support Huangfu Song in suppressing the Qiang rebellion and the armed rebellion led by Ma Teng, Han Sui and other powerful people in Liang Province?
So Huangfu Song had no choice but to collect taxes from Chang'an and then send people to Luoyang to purchase food.

Because Wang Jing promoted military farming on a large scale to stabilize prices, the price of grain in Luoyang had even fallen to the lowest level in history, driving many grain merchants into bankruptcy.

Only large grain merchants with strong backgrounds like Chenji Grain Store can hold on for the time being and not collapse.

"Chang'an..."

Wang Jing weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and then said: "This is related to the strategy of the Western Region. The Guanzhong area cannot be lost, so Huangfu Song's army cannot be destroyed. At least for now, he is still needed to stay in charge and suppress the villains."

Local heroes such as Ma Teng and Han Sui in Xiliang are separatist. They are ambitious but incompetent. It's okay to let them fight wars, but if they govern the local areas, I'm afraid they will be no different from the cruel and greedy Dong Zhuo.

Rather than handing the Guanzhong area over to these reckless men who can only destroy and not build, it is better to let Huangfu Song guard it. At least Huangfu Song still abides by the rules and will not act recklessly.

As for the Qiang people, there is no need to mention them. They are a group of bandits who only know how to kill and burn people. The city of Chang'an cannot fall into their hands.

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia immediately closed his folding fan and volunteered, "Don't worry, my lord. I'll leave this matter to Jia Lai. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

At Baixianlou, guests gathered together.

All those who came to the banquet today were wealthy businessmen dressed in silk clothes, wearing gold ornaments on their hands, and with a fortune.

The most eye-catching among them was a tall and thin middle-aged man. He was Chen Gui, the owner of Chenji Grain Store and the largest grain merchant in Luoyang City.

The other grain merchants were all potbellied and shaped like pigs, with fat heads and big ears. If you didn’t know, you would think today was a gathering of pig demons.

Only Chen Gui, who was tall but lean, with long arms and a strong body, was said to be a good fencer in Luoyang City when he was young, and was one of the warlocks of the same generation as the Sword Saint Wang Yue.

However, he has been doing business over the years and has restrained his murderous aura. Not many people still remember him, the famous swordsman from Luoyang who once dominated the world.

"Brother He Gao, I wonder what you think about this?"

Sheyuan sat opposite Chen Gui and asked softly, reminding him not to be too greedy: "The price we offer is already 20% higher than the market price, which is enough to show our sincerity."

Before coming, She Yuan and Huangfu Jianshou secretly visited the people of Luoyang and learned about the local grain prices.

If Wang Jing had not stipulated that affordable grain could only be sold retail to the people and that bulk purchases were not accepted, She Yuan and Huangfu Jianshou would not have wasted time talking to Chen Gui and would have simply gone through official channels.

However, the amount of food they wanted was too much, and Sheyuan was also worried that if he bought government grain, Wang Jing would see through the weakness of Chang'an City and take the opportunity to blackmail him and put forward various conditions.

That's why Sheyuan didn't hesitate to spend more money and went to great lengths to find Chen Gui to buy it.

However, the wealthy and powerful families, who made huge profits in previous years by driving up grain prices, are now unable to sell their grains even at a loss, and have long been starving like mad dogs.

After finally waiting for the prey to fall into the trap, how can you let it go so easily?

As for the friendship between the conservative family and Huangfu Song...what a joke!

You have the money to earn but you don’t even give face to your own father. Who do you think you are, Huangfu Song?
At this moment, Chen Gui did not give Xie Yuan any face. He just shook his head with a cold face and said firmly: "This price is too low. If you really want it, I will ask for twice the price."

"Twice! Why don't you just go and rob?"

Huangfu Jianshou couldn't hold it in any longer, his anger almost bursting out from his glaring eyes.

If there weren't so many people watching in the hall, he might have drawn his sword and chopped off the head of the profiteer in front of him.

Chen Gui was unmoved by Huangfu Jianshou's anger. What if it was just a son? Even if Huangfu Song came in person, would the powerful and wealthy families in Luoyang be afraid?

As for friendships and relationships, they are all bullshit in the face of interests.

The wealthy families in the capital had long been tortured half to death by Wang Jing, their income had dropped sharply, and they were living a tight life. They couldn't even afford to buy a few sets of expensive furniture from Qiqiao Pavilion. Would it be unreasonable for them not to make a good fortune?

Now in order to make money, they really don't care about their relatives!

Chen Gui raised his head and glanced at Huangfu Jianshou, then looked at Sheyuan, and said expressionlessly: "You two, it's useless to get angry at me. I didn't set the price. If you want it, you can only buy it at this price, not a penny less."

Sheyuan and Huangfu Jianshou were extremely annoyed. They naturally knew that Chen Gui must have a lot of supporters behind him. Before they came, they even thought that they could get some benefits by relying on Huangfu Song's name.

After all, he was one of the three heroes of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He had pacified the Qiang people, destroyed the Yellow Turbans, and served as the General of Chariots and Cavalry. He had a wide network of contacts in the court. We all knew each other every day, and we were all members of the old party. You couldn't just not give him any face, right?
What Sheyuan and Huangfu Jianshou didn't expect was that the other party really didn't give them any face at all!

Not to mention discounts, the purchase price must be 20% higher than the market price, so you have to spend twice as much.

Upon learning about the other party's attitude of being desperate for money, not only was Huangfu Jianshou, who had a hot temper, furious, but even Sheyuan, who had always been a bookworm, almost lost his temper. He had never seen such a bully!

Chen Gui saw that the two men looked angry but remained silent. He could only speak again: "You two, I am just a businessman. Business is business. Even if the price is twice as high, it is still much lower than the grain price in Chang'an City, right? After all, there is still profit to be made. It's just a matter of how much or how little you make."

Why do you earn more and I earn less?
Although Confucianism despises talk of profit, from maintaining the functioning of the government to supporting military expenses, money and food are needed everywhere.
Therefore, the more one is in charge of the household, the more one knows how precious daily necessities are, and the more one must calculate every penny carefully.

It is natural that Sheyuan would not spend this extra money. After all, he bought the grain for his own use and it did not generate any profit.

He appealed to Chen Gui's emotions and reasoned with him: "In Chang'an, the soaring grain prices are due to unscrupulous merchants driving up prices. How can you use this as evidence? Moreover, for large-scale purchases, it would be fine if you didn't give us a discount, but you are raising the price by twice as much. Isn't this a bit too much?"

Chen Gui spread his hands and said, "It's impossible to lower the price. The transaction is entirely voluntary. How about you two go back and think about it first?"

Chenji Grain Store was well-informed and had already investigated the matter thoroughly through various channels. He knew that Chang'an was short of food, and Huangfu Song was even more short of food, so he dared to be so fearless and ask for a huge amount of money.

Just when Chen Gui thought he had She Yuan and Huangfu Jianshou in his grasp, a man suddenly broke into the banquet.

This man is young and handsome, with a chic temperament. Holding a folding fan, he has an elegance and composure that is captivating. He is none other than the genius Guo Jia.

Guo Jia's words were sharp, and he succeeded in stealing the show with one sentence: "Whether Shopkeeper Chen is willing to sell or not is actually not important at all, because without my order, not a single grain of grain can pass through Hangu Pass."

Chen Gui naturally recognized Guo Jia, the popular figure in front of Wang Jing. He was in a very bad mood, but he could only bite the bullet and go forward to greet him: "Master Guo, I am really sorry for not welcoming you. Why didn't you inform me in advance so that I could prepare in advance?"

Guo Jia's eyes slanted slightly, and he smiled coldly: "I just want you to be defenseless. Okay, those who are not involved can go away."

After saying this, he gently waved the folding fan in his hand.

The scene suddenly became like a hurricane. All the guests at the banquet fled for fear of being drawn into this terrifying vortex and being caught up in the fight between the big shots and being crushed to pieces.

Except for Chen Gui, all other grain merchants ran away.

Guo Jia raised the corners of his lips, revealing a disdainful yet playful smile: "Why, Manager Chen isn't leaving?"

Chen Gui was even more upset at being looked down upon by Guo Jia, and he responded pointedly: "I am the owner of this place. How can I leave when I have guests?"

"Ha, when will it be your turn to be the master of Luoyang City?"

Guo Jia did not give Chen Gui any face at all, and the contempt in his tone was not concealed: "It is important for people to know themselves. The consequences of not knowing one's own capabilities cannot be borne by you, not even the people behind you."

The cold gaze and the threat of death were clearly just light words, but for some reason, Chen Gui felt a great power and oppression from Guo Jia.

It was like a huge wave sweeping over him, making it difficult for him to even muster the will to resist. He subconsciously took several steps back.

After Chen Gui left, She Yuan and Huangfu Jianshou were the only ones left in the huge Baixian Tower. They remained silent and confronted Guo Jia.

Guo Jia was alone, but he was not afraid: "Please take a seat, everyone has left, it's time to talk business."

Sheyuan glanced at Huangfu Jianshou, signaling him not to speak, then stood up and faced Guo Jia, asking solemnly, "What does the devil want to talk about?"

The word "genius" represents Sheyuan's vigilance and alertness. After all, for Guo Jia, the military advisor under Wang Jing, his abilities have been well known to many forces, and they are deeply afraid of him.

Guo Jia smiled but did not answer immediately. Instead, he took the opportunity to pour himself a glass of wine, took a sip and showed an expression of enjoyment. Then he said, "In Chang'an City, the price of high-quality rice has risen to 1,500 coins, nearly four times the original price. Even the least valuable corn is sold for more than 1,000 coins, more than five times the original price..."

"Am i right?"

After Guo Jia finished speaking, he showed a playful smile to Sheyuan and Huangfu Jianshou: "The price of grain has skyrocketed. Not only is the livelihood of the people difficult, but it is even more difficult to support the army. Although Huangfu Yizhen controls Chang'an, it is not easy to support 40,000 elite soldiers. In fact, it is not impossible to support them, but in that case, he can only wield the sword against the noble families. Does he dare?"

In today's Chang'an City, taxes on ordinary people have been squeezed to the limit, and the self-cultivating farmer system is on the verge of collapse.

The aristocratic families took advantage of the chaotic times to annex land and swallow up wealth more unscrupulously.

But for those in power, doing so will cause many social problems, such as self-employed farmers losing their land and becoming refugees.

They had no income and could not afford to buy food or feed their families.

Either the whole family died, or they rebelled to survive, so in addition to the Qiang rebellion, the Yellow Turban Army once again revived in the Sanfu area and became active.

Huangfu Song had fought against the Yellow Turban Army before, so he naturally knew all of this, so he did not dare to oppress them too much. However, the aristocratic families did not have such scruples, and many of them even colluded with Ma Teng, Han Sui, and even the Qiang people. As long as they killed the original owner of the land, wouldn't they be able to get a piece of excellent farmland without spending any money?

This is also the reason why there is endless war in this area. The existence of the guide party provides the soil for the war to continue to survive.

When Guo Jia mentioned the grain price, it was clear that he was telling Sheyuan that the information about Chang'an City was always under his control. It was as if he was saying to him, "Your lies can't fool me!"

Sheyuan was horrified: "How did he know this? This is top secret information!"

Although Sheyuan tried his best to control the changes in his facial expressions, the shrinkage of his pupils in the depths of his eyes still allowed Guo Jia to see through his fear and panic in his heart: "Brother Wenxiong, it seems that this matter was indeed predicted by me."

Guo Jia was also feeling emotional at this time. If Wang Jing had not insisted on establishing a business guild like Fu Man Lou to secretly collect this information, how could he have mastered such critical information and gained the upper hand in the negotiations? (End of this chapter)