Yu Province, Runan Commandery.
Inside the grand hall of the Administrator’s Residence in Pingyu City.
Yuan Shu wore a serious expression as he read the letter.
The more he read, the more he felt that he truly bore a great responsibility upon his shoulders.
The pressure suddenly seemed immense.
Yet he felt no anxiety whatsoever.
Instead, he was filled with ambition and confidence.
The letter continued:
“If Lord Yuan does not believe me,
I am willing to cede the four southwestern commanderies of Yan Province.
At present, this is the only thing of value I can offer.
The people of Yan Province suffer greatly.
I humbly request that Lord Yuan lend me two million shi of grain, so that millions of common people may survive.
Since Your Lordship bears Heaven’s Mandate, you should take it upon yourself to rescue the people of the realm, pacify this age of chaos, and establish a new order.
Do not disappoint Heaven’s will.
Respectfully,
Zhang Yuheng.”
After finishing the letter, Yuan Shu fell silent.
In his view, nothing written within seemed false.
After all, he too believed in the prophecy:
“He who shall replace the Han shall be Dangtu Gao.”
Furthermore, during their previous battle, the enemy really had shown no intention of pursuing him.
And since Zhang Yuheng claimed to have studied under the Way of Great Peace, perhaps he truly possessed some mystical abilities.
At the very least, he had been able to recognize Yuan Gonglu’s extraordinary destiny.
More importantly, the man was willing to cede four southwestern commanderies of Yan Province.
Having reasoned through everything, Yuan Shu felt refreshed and invigorated.
His entire body seemed filled with strength.
Even the officials standing below him suddenly appeared much more agreeable.
“Yan Xiang!” Spotting Yan Xiang among the assembled officials, Yuan Shu unconsciously adopted a dignified tone.
“How much grain do we currently possess?”
“…”
Yan Xiang was momentarily stunned.
He had no idea why his lord seemed to have undergone a complete transformation after reading the letter.
Nevertheless, he answered honestly.
“My lord, according to the latest accounting, our grain reserves remain sufficient. We still possess more than three hundred thousand shi.”
Before Yuan Shu’s campaign, he had prepared five hundred thousand shi of grain for the army.
That amount was sufficient for several months of military operations.
Of course, it represented only a portion of their total reserves.
And since the campaign had lasted little more than a month, less than four hundred thousand shi had actually been distributed before Yuan Shu returned in defeat.
“Only three hundred thousand shi?” Yuan Shu’s face darkened.
“How can three hundred thousand shi possibly be enough?”
“Immediately raise two million shi of grain for me!”
He had some understanding of grain logistics.
Just not very much.
The civil and military officials below were equally astonished.
None of them understood what their lord intended to do.
Two million shi of grain was enough to feed an army of one hundred thousand men for an entire year.
“My lord.”
Seeing that Yuan Shu appeared completely serious, Yan Xiang frowned deeply.
“May I ask why Your Lordship requires so much grain?”
Yu Province lay in the heartland of the Central Plains.
It was fertile and productive.
Yet since Yuan Shu had taken control, local governance had deteriorated badly.
In Yan Xiang’s view, obtaining two million shi of grain now would come at the expense of the common people.
It would practically be taking their lives.
“Why?” Yuan Shu glanced at the letter.
Suddenly inspired, he replied:
“Zhang Yuheng has sent me a letter offering the four southwestern commanderies of Yan Province in exchange for two million shi of grain.”
“I believe it’s a worthwhile bargain.”
He very much wanted to tell everyone present that he, Yuan Gonglu, was the man destined by Heaven.
But he restrained himself.
The time was not yet right.
Besides, the price Zhang Yuheng had offered was hardly a low one.
“Wha—!”
As soon as Yuan Shu finished speaking, the hall erupted into an uproar.
The information contained in that statement was simply too shocking.
“The four commanderies are just being handed over?”
“As expected of our lord! That Zhang Yuheng must fear offending you and dares not become your enemy!”
“This…”
The officials broke into animated discussion.
They had seen territory gained through victory before.
But territory gained after suffering defeat?
That was a first.
Two million shi of grain was certainly a great deal.
But compared to four commanderies in southwestern Yan Province, it was still a bargain.
Those lands amounted to nearly half the territory of Yu Province itself.
“My lord.” The only person who remained calm was Yan Xiang.
“But Your Lordship has personally seen those four southwestern commanderies.”
“They are barren wastelands now.”
“There are scarcely any people left, not even proper settlements.”
“What use would they be to you?”
“My lord—”
Just as Yuan Shu was about to retort, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe stood up and bowed.
“This subordinate believes that Yan Xiang’s words are nothing more than the opinion of a common man!”
“The four southwestern commanderies of Yan Province— are even more fertile than the four northeastern commanderies. They contain vast stretches of arable land, easily exceeding ten thousand qing. With only minimal development, they can produce abundant grain.”
“This is the first advantage.”
“Second, those four commanderies are currently desolate and uninhabited. This perfectly solves the problem in Yu Province, where the population is large but arable land is scarce. If we allocate just a few mu of fertile land to each household, countless people will flock to Yan Province.”
“Third, our army has just suffered a defeat and even lost the wealthy lands of Nanyang. Both troop morale and Your Lordship’s prestige have been somewhat affected.”
“If we obtain those four commanderies of Yan Province, it will greatly boost morale. Your Lordship’s reputation will not decline—instead, it will soar like the rising sun.”
Yang Hong said solemnly:
“Therefore, taking the four commanderies of Yan Province not only relieves the people’s hardship but also expands our territory.”
“The benefits are numerous.”
“To Your Lordship, there is nothing but advantage and no disadvantage.”
“The only concern this subordinate has is whether the words of those Yellow Turbans can truly be trusted.”
“If they break their promise, and frequently send troops to raid our territory, it would become a serious problem for us at present.” Yang Hong spoke bluntly.
He clearly did not agree with Yan Xiang’s assessment.
No matter how one looked at it, the four southwestern commanderies of Yan Province were still fertile Central Plains territory—strategic land that all powers coveted.
If there was a chance to acquire them, only a fool would refuse.
As for the common people?
In their view, the world had never lacked people.
That was the most honest belief held in their hearts.
“My lord, Minister Yang speaks wisely. I agree!”
Ji Ling was the first to stand and voice his support after hearing this.
“We also agree with Minister Yang’s words!”
The other officials rose one after another and bowed in agreement.
Not only due to Yang Hong’s prestige, but also because of their own interests and their understanding of Yuan Shu’s attitude.
“Hahaha!” Yuan Shu looked at the officials below and laughed loudly.
“What Yang Hong says is exactly what I desire!”
“Rest assured.”
“The so-called Yellow Turbans of Yan Province are nothing more than a group of refugees trying to survive.”
“They now call themselves the Qihuo Army, don’t they?”
“What does ‘Seeking for survival’ mean?”
“I believe all of you understand it well enough!”
“They simply want to stay alive—and I, Yuan Gonglu, will give them a way to live!”
“By then, Zhang Yuheng will surely come to submit to me with his followers!”
These were not entirely empty words.
Yuan Shu truly believed them, because many of his own generals had originally been bandits and outlaws.
Moreover— he, Yuan Gonglu, was the chosen one of Heaven.
Even Zhang Yuheng had acknowledged that.
Therefore, Yuan Shu did not regard Zhang Yuheng as any real threat at all.
“My lord.” Seeing that Yuan Shu had already made up his mind, Yan Xiang attempted one last effort to dissuade him, his expression anxious.
“It is now the spring plowing season. Even if we were to strip Yu Province bare, we still could not gather two million shi of grain!”
“Yang Hong, what do you say?” Yuan Shu ignored Yan Xiang and instead turned his gaze to Yang Hong.
After all, Yan Xiang was the military clerk in charge of logistics and administration, while Yang Hong was the Chief Secretary of the household administration.
He was essentially the head of civil affairs.
And most governmental matters were handled by him.
“My lord,” Yang Hong replied, “Yan Xiang is not entirely wrong. In the current state of Yu Province, it is indeed extremely difficult to raise two million shi of grain. However, if it is five hundred thousand shi, it should still be possible.”
“My lord may consider writing to Zhang Yuheng…”
“Impossible!”
Yuan Shu felt he could not afford to lose face.
Before Yang Hong could finish, he interrupted sharply:
“If we can only gather five hundred thousand shi, then so be it. As for the remainder, convert it into valuables and send them over.”
“Ji Ling!”
“Mobilize two thousand troops and escort five thousand shi of grain to Yan Province first. Sign the agreement with Zhang Yuheng, then garrison Dingtao. Do not make any mistakes!”
— The end of the Chapter–
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