Duchang City, inside the Chancellor’s residence.
“Ziyi.” Upon hearing this, Kong Rong looked at Taishi Ci and said with satisfaction, “The fact that you can think this way shows that your mind has already matured.”
“……”
The corner of Taishi Ci’s mouth twitched slightly.
He thought to himself: I think your mind is the one that hasn’t matured…
“You need not worry about this matter.” Kong Rong continued, “I, Kong Wenju, do things—why would I care about the opinions of ordinary people? Most of those Yellow Turbans in Yan Province were originally peasants from Qing Province.”
“Zhang Yuheng and his father, were originally people of Beihai Commandery. In the past they caused chaos everywhere, so I had no choice but to deal with them. Now that Zhang Yuheng has shown a desire for stability, I still have to deal with him.”
“The four commanderies of Yan Province contain more than three million people. The grain required is immense beyond measure. The fact that Zhang Yuheng can restrain and organize them is a good thing.”
“It is good for both the state and the people!”
“As long as they do not cause chaos, once the world becomes somewhat stable, a single imperial edict from the Son of Heaven will be enough for those four commanderies to submit without resistance.”
“Right now, they are simply short on grain.”
“As long as I, Kong Wenju, can provide it, then I will. It is better than letting them once again besiege Duchang and plunge Beihai into war.”
“I only hope Zhang Yuheng is a man of his word!”
After speaking, Kong Rong’s eyes were filled with hope.
“……”
Taishi Ci opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but found his words weak and powerless.
Instead, he began to feel that what Kong Rong said actually made sense.
That feeling was strange.
He could not tell whether the problem lay with him—or with Kong Rong.
…………….
That night, Xu Province.
In Qu County of Donghai Commandery.
Inside the Mi family residence, within a pavilion, the two brothers Mi Zhu and Mi Fang sat facing each other, both with worried expressions.
“Brother,” Mi Fang licked his lips nervously and said, “If the Qihuo Army truly attacks Xu Province, can Governor Tao really not withstand them?”
“Difficult. Extremely difficult.” Mi Zhu shook his head.
“The Qihuo Army possesses not only the will of the Yellow Turbans, but also the determination of people fighting for survival.”
“Since their rise, every battle they have fought has ended in victory.”
“Cao Cao of Dong Commandery held strong defenses, yet still suffered heavy losses. Yuan Shu led nearly two hundred thousand troops against them and was likewise defeated.”
“In my estimation, the Qihuo Army’s military strength is likely not inferior to Yuan Shao in Ji Province.”
“As for our lord, he has few troops and weak generals. The only capable commander, Cao Bao, is merely a figurehead in name only.”
“The troops available for battle, are no more than four thousand Danyang soldiers.”
“Facing the Qihuo Army would be no different from striking an egg against a rock.”
At this point, Mi Zhu’s expression grew distant.
“Most importantly, our lord is already elderly, his health declining day by day. His two sons are both of mediocre talent and incapable of great responsibility.”
“If Xu Province lacks a strong ruler, it will eventually be annexed by the Qihuo Army.”
Thinking of Xu Province’s situation, Mi Zhu could not help but feel despair.
He also felt a deep pessimism about the future of the Mi clan.
Deep in his heart, he longed for Xu Province to be taken over by a true strong ruler—someone who could allow the Mi family to survive in this chaotic age.
“Lord Tao is already old?” Mi Fang seemed to think of something.
“Brother, you said his health is declining. Is that true?”
“There is no need to lie to you.” Mi Zhu glanced at him and sipped his tea, lost in thought.
“Brother,” Mi Fang continued, “Do you truly believe the Qihuo Army can compare with Yuan Shao of Ji Province?”
“That is only in terms of military strength.” Mi Zhu replied.
“Yan Province is a land of constant conflict, surrounded by powerful enemies. They are not an officially recognized authority of the court. To firmly hold Yan Province will still take time.”
“At present, Yuan Shao cannot easily move against Yan Province, and the Qihuo Army cannot expand further. The only thing they can do is send troops to raid nearby commanderies.”
“But even if they raid, Xu Province still cannot resist. The Qihuo Army has several times the manpower of Xu Province, and most of their soldiers are veterans of many battles.”
“Do you understand now?” Mi Zhu was not a military expert, but he could still judge strength from results.
“I understand.” Mi Fang’s heart sank.
“Brother… do you think our Mi family could attach itself to the Qihuo Army?”
He had not expected the Qihuo Army to have grown so powerful.
What Shen Fang had once said was now gradually becoming reality.
“So…” Mi Zhu raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Can you give up a life of luxury? Can you give up wealth worth billions?”
“And if I cannot?” Mi Fang curled his lips and muttered:
“Brother, you also said that in times like these, being able to preserve one’s life is already good enough.”
“Besides, given the situation in Xu Province— If we cannot stop the Qihuo Army in the future, will we really be able to keep all this wealth and fine clothing?”
“We’ll see,” Mi Zhu replied.
He did not refute him further and only sighed.
“That is merely the last resort. If the Qihuo Army can truly accomplish something, then the Mi clan…”
He did not continue.
Instead, he shook his head and said, “Zifang, from now on, when dealing with transactions with the Qihuo Army, you may appropriately offer them some concessions.”
The trade between the Mi household and the Qihuo Army had long been known to Mi Zhu.
At first, he did not pay it much attention.
After all, both white salt and the “Warm Fragrance Jade” were valuable goods.
But now, he felt that maintaining good relations with the Qihuo Army might serve as a fallback path for the Mi family.
“We can’t lower prices,” Mi Fang shook his head.
“The price of grain has already risen to two thousand coins. Those aristocratic families are also hoarding grain, hoping prices will rise even further.”
“As for the Qihuo Army, they have never cared about money. As long as you give them grain, they never bother to question the price.”
The surge in grain prices in Xu Province was partly due to Mi Fang himself.
But he had already given up trying to manage it.
Let prices rise as they wished—his family had already stockpiled enough white salt, and money had become just numbers on paper.
In a prosperous era, the fact that Mi Fang had increased his family wealth nearly tenfold during this period would already be considered remarkable.
“……”
After a long silence, Mi Zhu said, “Do you know which noble clans are hoarding grain?”
“Of course I do.” Mi Fang quickly replied.
“There are the Chen clan, the Yan clan, the Lu clan, the Liu clan, the Ge clan…”
“Zifang.” Seeing his younger brother listing them off one by one, Mi Zhu interrupted him.
“This Lu Su you mentioned—he is from the household in Dongcheng of Xiapi, correct?”
“Yes, that’s the one!” Mi Fang remembered these competitors clearly.
However, he was helpless against them.
The Mi family had always been merchants by lineage.
If not for a pragmatic governor like Tao Qian, it would have been nearly impossible for them to rise in official standing.
Thus, when facing these aristocratic families, Mi Fang subconsciously felt inferior.
This was also part of the Mi family’s way of surviving.
“Tell me everything you know,” Mi Zhu said calmly.
“I will personally present it to our lord in the future.”
“Alright, brother!” Mi Fang’s eyes lit up at that.
He believed that with Tao Qian’s methods, there would surely be a way to force those aristocratic families into submission and obtain the grain.
— The end of the Chapter–
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