I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 74 Spend Other People's Money Doing Your Own Business [Edit]

"Is this true?"

"As expected of you, my lord, you came up with a solution so quickly!"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise when they heard this, and their eyes immediately focused on Wang Jing.

As the commander of the Northern Army, Wang Jing naturally had to appear calm and composed in order to stabilize the morale of the troops. Therefore, he spoke in front of everyone: "The land in Hedong is fertile, and it has been trading with surrounding counties all year round. In fact, there is no shortage of food."

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Xu Huang even showed an embarrassed expression: "My lord, you are not planning to forcibly collect food and grass from the people, are you?"

Wang Jing smiled and said, "Gongming, don't worry. The people of Hedong are already poor and destitute, and they were exploited too much by Dong Zhuo before. How much surplus food can they have? I'm talking about the nobles of Hedong. They have been managing the land for generations and have countless properties. How could they not have food in their homes? If the army is running low on food, you can ask them for it."

Wang Ling smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "Second brother, the noble families and clans in Hedong will probably not hand over the grain obediently. If we resort to force, our reputation will probably be ruined."

The aristocratic families actually represent an entire interest group.

Anyone who dares to take action against this interest group will inevitably be counterattacked.

Dong Zhuo is the best example. He deposed and enthroned emperors and controlled the government. This affected the interests of the Guandong gentry and took away the political benefits that originally belonged to the aristocratic families. That's why after Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu shouted at him, eighteen princes came up to fight against Dong, causing the whole world to rebel.

Even a prominent family like the Yuan family of Runan did not dare to openly stand against the aristocratic families and powerful clans. Yuan Wei could only find a warlord like Dong Zhuo to do this kind of dirty work because he was worried that the situation would get out of control.

Seeing that Wang Jing was actually planning to target the noble families and wealthy clans in Hedong, Wang Ling quickly spoke out to dissuade him.

Although Wang Jing came from a noble family and would not become the second Dong Zhuo, he dared to damage the interests of the noble families and wealthy clans, and his reputation would still be ruined. It would be difficult for him to recruit famous people as officials in the future, and who knows if someone would raise the banner of rebellion in the rear area one day.

Wang Ling's concerns were actually reasonable, but Wang Jing had made up his mind. He had no intention of relying on the noble families and powerful clans to succeed, so he was firm in his attitude: "Yan Yun does not need to persuade us anymore. The collection of food and grass is urgent. We have no choice."

Anyi County, Yuwang City.

Now that the government troops had swept from east to west, the Baibo Army in the southeast of the Yellow River had been basically wiped out, so the battle line continued to move northward, and Anyi County, which was first arrived at, naturally became the safest rear base.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the city gates opened and more than a hundred armored cavalrymen filed in, the sound of their iron hooves rumbling like thunder.

They were taciturn, yet exuded an astonishing murderous aura. One could tell at a glance that they were invincible warriors on the battlefield. Their torn clothes and armor looked like medals of honor, making them look even more ferocious.

The leader was wearing bright armor and had a proud brow. Although he was young, he had a kind of heroism and majesty that looked down on the world.

"It's the Northern General!"

"Wang Jia Erlang is indeed extraordinary. With such a spirit, I'm afraid he is unparalleled in the world!"

Upon hearing the news, the people of Anyi County rushed to see Wang Jing's true appearance.

Today, Wang Jing is the savior of Hedong County. At the age of 21, he led a large army to wipe out the rebellion. His reputation gradually spread. It won’t be long before he becomes a household name in the entire Sili area.

The eight battalions of the Northern Army under his command were also regarded as the king's army sent by the imperial court, undefeated in all battles and unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness.

Countless people were saved because of Wang Jing, so they were all grateful to him. Men all worshipped him as a hero, and the girls who were waiting to be married shyly and timidly glanced at him, hoping that Wang Jing could stop for a moment and look at them more.

Wang Jing was on horseback, smiling and waving to the crowd, causing the people to cheer.

Of course, Xun You also played an important role in Wang Jing's rising fame, because it was he who secretly spread various stories about Wang Jing.

It can be seen from this that propaganda work is very important both in ancient times and in modern times. Although Wang Jing has never studied journalism, he has seen many fancy operations performed by people who have studied journalism. Therefore, after a brief chat with Xun You, he came up with a lot of fancy things.

For example, recruit some people with sharp eloquence and ask them to go to crowded places to tell some made-up stories, among which Wang Jing is the main one.

Because the language is easy to understand and the stories are vivid and interesting, it is very popular among the grassroots people.

After all, poor people lack entertainment on a daily basis, and listening to stories is the greatest enjoyment for them.

After all these operations, Wang Jing quickly gained the support and love of the local people in Hedong by virtue of his achievements in suppressing rebellions and governing the local area.

Seeing that their lord was so popular among the people, the Iron Scale Sword Guards who followed him were also honored. They all held their chests high with expressions of great pride.

Our lord is so popular that he will surely conquer the world and create a prosperous era in the future. He is a top-notch hero in the Central Plains.

Only such a heroic leader is worthy of our following until death!

Yuwang City, the prefectural government’s residence.

When Wang Jinglong stepped into the main hall with the stride of a tiger, everyone's eyes at the banquet were instantly focused on him, and some people who had never seen him were even more curious about him.

Although Hedong Prefect Wang Yi and Wang Jing have the same surname, they are not from the same clan. Wang Yi is from the Beidi Wang family of Liangzhou. In his early years, he studied under the Grand Commandant Liu Kuan. Since he took office as Hedong Prefect, he has done a pretty good job, at least he is quite loved by the local people in Hedong.

After greeting Wang Yi, Wang Jing looked back and around. Although he was smiling and had a warm expression the whole time, the people from the aristocratic families around him were still very wary of Wang Jing.

Now the Northern Army is strong in men and horses. After launching the winter offensive, it has defeated the Baibo bandits on the battlefield and continuously recovered lost territory.

But the local prominent families were very worried that Wang Jing would become another Dong Zhuo. After all, the Xiliang soldiers were also very capable fighters, but when they came to plundering the land, they were even more ruthless than the rebels.

Of course, their worries were about to come true.

Wang Jing attended the banquet wearing armor. The armor plates collided with each other and made clanging sounds as he walked, bringing the sounds of swords and horses on the battlefield to this banquet that should have been filled with laughter and joy.

Wang Jing took advantage of the prefect Wang Yi's home turf and caught the local famous families in Hedong in a trap.

The heads of the aristocratic families were not stupid either. Seeing Wang Jing wearing armor to the banquet, they understood that this was clearly a Hongmen Night Banquet.

Wang Jing passed Wang Yi with a majestic horse and a golden sword, and sat directly in the first seat, looking down at the whole audience with an indifferent gaze. Then he said in a loud voice: "Everyone here is from a prominent family in Hedong, and the court is now in trouble. It is a time to recognize loyal people in times of turmoil. Is there anyone willing to set an example?"

It sounds nice, but it is actually a trick to force donations, or it can be directly called extortion. This is what Dong Zhuo did in the beginning, waving a shining sword to get everyone to donate generously.

It's said to be voluntary, but do you dare not volunteer?

When the celebrities attending the banquet heard that Wang Jing was there to ask for money, they all lowered their heads, said nothing, and started playing dead. They wanted to use this silent protest to make their attitude clear - they would never accept Wang Jing's "atrocities"!
"Alas, for whom did I work so hard and risk my life with my soldiers? Is Hedong my hometown? The Northern Army is facing a little difficulty, but you are unwilling to support them with even a little food. Don't you feel guilty?"

Wang Jing questioned loudly. Facing this group of stingy people, he knocked on the table in dissatisfaction, "It seems that no one is willing. I thought you were all descendants of loyal officials and were willing to take the initiative to help the court. I didn't expect that you all let me down so much."

A middle-aged scholar with good looks, dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, stood up and openly refuted, "General Beizhong is wrong. It has been five years since the Yellow Turban Rebellion began in the seventh year of Guanghe. The Xiongnu often come to Hedong to plunder the grass and the people's livelihood in the county has long been in decline. We are all living a tight life, so how can we get any money and food to support the Northern Army?"

Wang Jing glanced at the other person and smiled coldly: "You find a good excuse. What's your name?"

"My name is Zhou Rong, a mere name that is not worth mentioning." Zhou Rong introduced himself in a reserved manner. Although he had a smile on his face, the arrogance and contempt in his eyes were inadvertently revealed, and he had an attitude of neither servility nor overbearing.

He did not stand up when Hedong was caught in the flames of war.

Now that the Baibo Army has been driven away and Wang Jing has come to collect grain, he dares to stand up.

It was simply that the Baibo bandits really dared to kill people, but Zhou Rong was certain that Wang Jing would not dare to do anything to him, so he wanted to take this opportunity to show off in front of the famous families in Hedong and boost his reputation.

Wang Jing would naturally not indulge such a person.

Before coming, Wang Jing had asked Xu Huang, who was familiar with the local situation, for a list of local forces. Among them, the Fenyin Zhou family of Hedong County was on the list, and ranked very high.

This is because the Fenyin Zhou family is a branch of the Ancheng Zhou family in Runan, and the descendants of Zhou Ren, the Marquis of Rufen in the Han Dynasty, are of high status. They are a prestigious family with powerful ancestors and are not declining now.

Therefore, the people of the Zhou family have always been arrogant.

Zhou Rong took the lead in opposing it, and other powerful families naturally followed suit, determined to resist the tax.

"So you are all against serving your country?"

Wang Jing glanced coldly at these so-called famous and elegant people in front of him. They came here in gorgeous clothes to cry poor to him?

Who the hell are you trying to fool!
The aristocratic families are all misers as expected. The civil unrest in Hedong County was caused by you parasites. Now that something has happened, you guys are trying to blame others and act as if it has nothing to do with you.

If possible, Wang Jing would have drawn his sword right then and there and slaughtered all these fat, greedy and selfish aristocratic families in front of him.

Zhou Rong didn't know that Wang Jing had already developed murderous intentions towards him. He still thought he was a very noble man and continued to stand on the opposite side of Wang Jing. He said with confidence: "General Beizhong, it's not that we are unwilling to contribute, but we are really unable to do so. Please be considerate of us, General."

Wang Jing stared at Zhou Rong deeply, and finally sneered and said: "As the saying goes, first courtesy, then force. I have already given you courtesy, but you don't cherish it. What is going to happen next may make everyone very unhappy. I also hope that you can be more considerate."

After leaving such a cruel remark, Wang Jing immediately stood up and left. In his rolling cloak, there seemed to be thunder and explosion, and murderous intent was hidden.

In this world, no matter how reasonable the words are, it is difficult to convince others to follow the correct advice. Instead of continuing to waste his words, Wang Jing would rather use a sword to speak, after all, the truth is only beneath the blade.

If you don’t want to listen to Mahayana Buddhism, then let’s talk about the mighty heavenly dragons.

Seeing Wang Jing leave the banquet like this, some people began to panic. They gathered around Zhou Rong, looking terrified: "We are so unkind, will we offend the Northern Army General?"

"Yes, yes. I heard that this man is young and full of vigor, and even dared to confront Dong Zhuo head-on. Should we pay a little bit, just as a gift?"

Some people have begun to back down. After all, they don't want to offend Wang Jing to death.

But Zhou Rong relied on his family background and said with disdain: "So what if I offended him? Whether Dong Zhuo is rude or not, he can do nothing to us, right?"

None of the aristocratic families who were able to gain a foothold in Hedong were good people. Many of them secretly colluded with the Baibo Army and even the Southern Xiongnu. Even a powerful man like Dong Zhuo could not stay here. He could only rob innocent people but could not touch a single hair of the aristocratic families.

And Zhou Rong was not afraid of the Northern Army at all, and he didn't care whether Wang Jing would bear a grudge against him. After all, aristocratic families have their own rules, and you, Wang Jing, are also from aristocratic family. Can you still use force against me?
Zhou Rong secretly disdainful in his heart.

You can only take what I give you.

You can't take what I don't give you.

Zhou Rong is now setting rules for Wang Jing, making him understand who has the final say in Hedong.

At the same time, after leaving the banquet, Yan Hu was furious. He held the hilt of the Broken Water Sword tightly with his left hand, and said indignantly: "My lord, why don't you let me take people to chop that guy down? His arrogant face just now is really more and more annoying the more I see it!"

The soldiers of the Northern Army were fighting desperately on the front line, and these bastards were hiding in the rear and reaping the benefits. Now they are unwilling to supply even a little bit of food. How can Yan Hu swallow this anger?
Yan Hu found it hard to understand: "My Lord, are these noble families all fools? Aren't they afraid that the Baibo Army will break through the county and wipe out their entire family? Will they die with their money and food when the time comes?"

Wang Jing, however, knew the nature of the noble families and the powerful clans very well, and said sarcastically, "People are like this. They won't cry until they see the coffin. They always think they can be an exception. And to put it bluntly, with the war and human disasters in Hedong right now, a large number of self-cultivating farmers will surely lose their land. At that time, the noble families will only need to spend a little money to annex large amounts of land. Even the chaos in Hedong over the years may have been caused by them in secret."

After hearing this, Yan Hu was stunned: "No way? Is there really someone who is so cruel and crazy?"

Wang Jing sighed: "Don't overestimate the moral bottom line of these people. In this world, as long as there is more than double the profit, people will take risks and trample on all the morals and laws of the world."

Yan Hu thought of what he had seen and heard when he traveled around the world. Some things that he couldn't understand at the time seemed to be understood now. He couldn't help but sighed: "This is really a wise saying."

"My lord, how can we force them to surrender? The army is running low on food. Do we really have to start a massacre?"

Wang Jing seemed quite calm, and said with a smile: "No hurry, things like confiscating the family's property and exterminating the whole family should be done with a legitimate reason, otherwise wouldn't we be bandits?"

Regarding the issue of military rations, Wang Jing had actually discussed this possibility with Xun You long before the troops set out.

But in fact, the threat was not as big as imagined, because the base camp of the Taiyuan Wang family was in Bingzhou, very close to Hedong. Even if there was a real situation, food could be mobilized from Taiyuan.

The main reason why Wang Jing didn't do this was that he didn't want to consume the Wang family's resources too early. After all, the food in his own bowl must be kept as the capital for dominating the world in the future and used at the most critical moment.

As for now, the best strategy is to spend other people's money and do your own business.

After much thought, the fastest and best way is to find a rich dog owner in Hedong and kill him. That way, he can make a fortune and solve the problems of food and military pay.

Therefore, Wang Jing was quite happy that Zhou Rong jumped out. He immediately looked in the direction of Zhou's family in Fenyin County. At this time, his eyes were slightly cold, and his laughter was murderous: "Soon, the excuse we need will be delivered."

Sure enough, a few days later, Xu Huang came to report to Wang Jing with several letters: "My Lord, some of Li Le's personal soldiers have confessed. They are willing to testify that the Zhou family had secretly colluded with the Baibo Army. The Zhou family secretly provided Li Le with food and local intelligence information in Hedong. Even more than ten years ago, the Zhou family had already sold stolen goods for Li Le."

Wang Jing was overjoyed after hearing this: "Can you find evidence?"

As long as there is solid evidence, he would dare to kill the other party and confiscate his property and destroy the entire family.

Xu Huang lived up to his trust and said with a firm look, "Yes! In the second year of Guanghe, a wealthy merchant from Yuzhou passed by Hedong. He brought a treasure called the Inlaid Gold Boshan Furnace. It is said that this furnace was made by a skilled craftsman from Chang'an over several years. Its craftsmanship is so sophisticated that it is rare in the world. This incident caused a huge sensation in the entire Hedong County at that time. Many people have seen the true appearance of this treasure with their own eyes."

"Later, it was said that the merchant was attacked by bandits and the treasure was lost. According to the confession of Li Le's personal soldiers, this case was committed by Li Le. The inlaid gold Boshan furnace was finally sent to the Zhou family's gate and never appeared again. It must be hidden in the Zhou family's treasury at this time."

Wang Jing was overjoyed to get such crucial information.

Isn't this the chance to take action?
Colluding with the Baibo bandits and robbing and killing passing merchants, either one of these is a definite death penalty!
Wang Jing had already decided to attack the Zhou family, and immediately gave the order without hesitation: "God is really helping me! Come, gather the troops for me. This time we must search the Zhou family for the stolen goods, make the Zhou family's crimes public, and make Zhou Rong speechless!"

Yang Ye had been in the officialdom for a long time and was a member of the Hongnong Yang family, so he knew the rules of the officialdom and was a little worried: "My lord, if there is no victim to file a complaint, I am afraid the governor will not accept this case."

Wang Jing, however, had a look of disdain on his face: "This is a major case of murder and robbery. In order to enforce justice, can the murderer be allowed to go unpunished just because there are victims? If Wang Yi is so foolish and incompetent, I don't mind replacing Hedong with a new governor who can rule for the people."

At this point, Yang Ye knew that Wang Jing had made up his mind and was determined to take action against the Zhou family of Fenyin.

(End of this chapter)