Chapter 63

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This method of work-for-relief completely dispelled the worries of the displaced people. Moreover, the wages for Mount Tai were paid daily, with no delays, and no matter how many people came, they could all be fed. After all, Chen Xi had already mastered the system; as long as the money kept circulating in Mount Tai, he could continue to operate.

And in the short term, Chen Xi was not short of money or grain. The wealth obtained from suppressing bandits and training troops was sold to Xuzhou, and then converted into grain and transported back. Xuzhou had plenty of grain, and Tao Qian was willing to support Liu Bei, so he naturally agreed to lend grain to Chen Xi. With the suppression of bandits and the purchase of grain, Chen Xi had over a million dan of grain in circulation.

It must be said that Kong Rong's reputation and Tao Qian's wealth provided strong support, making Liu Bei's current situation much better than Cao Cao's. At least now, Mount Tai was bustling with activity, even appearing falsely prosperous, with a constant flow of traffic and a thriving scene, while Cao Cao was still wandering...

The reason it is called "false" is that if Chen Xi were to withdraw the grain supply, Mount Tai would immediately fall into a state of decline, even rapidly collapsing. However, as long as he could hold on for a few more months until September, when the millet matures, Chen Xi would have no problem even if he withdrew his grain supply.

What Chen Xi is waiting for now is these three months. Under the conditions of his own seeds and a small number of oxen, he has basically cultivated all the arable land in Mount Tai. Since summer millet only takes about a hundred days, once this period is over, the foundation for future plans will be laid. So during this time, Chen Xi has already prepared: anyone who causes trouble will be eliminated!

In July 191, Yuan Shao had just ascended to the throne of Ji Province, Cao Cao was about to establish himself in Dong Commandery, Gongsun Zan had not yet taken control of You Province, and Liu Yan had just sealed off Yi Province, preparing to claim kingship. At this time, everyone was laying the groundwork, and no one would provoke others, making it the last opportunity for development. [△ Web.]

192 and 193 were the last two years for development. From 194 onwards, natural disasters such as droughts, locust plagues, and epidemics ravaged the land. In 192 and 193, only Emperor Xian of Han in Chang'an suffered from annual earthquakes, leading to the frequent replacement of the Three Excellencies...

Taking advantage of this last opportunity, Chen Xi has already prepared to buy grain everywhere. There will likely be no such opportunity again. He plans to stockpile enough grain for several years. He will not end up like the historical Taishan Governor Ying Shao, who, despite defeating the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, gained nothing due to a lack of grain. Grain is the king in this era!

Taking advantage of the last two bountiful years to accumulate grain and wealth, and then using the natural disasters to take over the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, is the most practical and feasible plan. In short, the goal for these two years is to build high walls and stockpile grain.

Zang Ba had already surrendered. Zhang Fei, seeing that he had few capable generals, and considering that Zang Ba was acceptable, did not say much. As for Hua Xiong, he calmly appointed Zang Ba as his deputy. Although he had defeated Zang Ba in battle, he knew that in terms of commanding troops, he was not Zang Ba's match.

Zang Ba was very pleased that Hua Xiong was willing to appoint him as a deputy. Despite his severe injuries, he gritted his teeth, mounted his horse, and pledged that he still had some influence in Mount Tai and was willing to persuade Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yi Li to surrender.

Although Hua Xiong was not very intelligent, he felt that it was worth a try. Thus, in Zang Ba's gratitude, he sent a few people to escort him to Sun Guan's stronghold.

As expected, Zang Ba was a man of his word. He did not use this opportunity to regroup and fight Hua Xiong again. Instead, because of Hua Xiong's righteousness and trust, he went to great lengths to persuade the three largest bandit leaders in Mount Tai to surrender. Soon after, Sun Guan bound himself and presented himself to Chen Xi.

The incident of the grain raid was thus resolved. As for the Zhen family members who died, Chen Xi did not care much, as he and the Zhen family were no longer on good terms.

In September, Mount Tai was pacified, and Chen Xi finally had a lot of time to spare. He also had some capable people at his disposal. However, the strategists he had hoped to recruit were mostly not interested in Liu Bei. Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, Gu Yong, and others from the aristocratic families even mocked Liu Bei's recruiters.

In the end, Chen Xi gave up on recruiting more civil officials. After all, stockpiling grain was something he could handle himself. Having them would just mean a few more cups of tea each day, and not having them would mean a few fewer cups of tea, not a significant impact.

As for the Zhen family, which had planned to invest in Liu Bei, they quietly reduced their investment in Mount Tai after Yuan Shao took control of Ji Province. It was clear that in the eyes of the Zhen family, Liu Xuande, a member of the Han imperial family, did not have as much potential as Yuan Shao, who had four generations of high-ranking officials.

Chen Xi had already anticipated this and did not take it to heart. Boldness and adaptability are always essential qualities for an excellent merchant. He never expected that his arrival and a few casual arrangements would make the Zhen family fully support him. That was simply impossible.

The Zhen family, based in Ji Province, and Yuan Shao, who had the potential to dominate the world, would inevitably have close ties. Family management would not allow the entire family to be put on the line for personal feelings. The Zhen family, which appeared to be just a wealthy merchant, was actually much more than that. Chen Xi knew a very interesting fact: the Zhen family, with hereditary positions of two thousand dan, could not be just a wealthy merchant.

The Yuan family had four generations of high-ranking officials. In the Three Kingdoms era, where families valued matching status, would they let their most beloved son marry Zhen Mi just because she had the grace of a phoenix? What a joke! Even if the family had millions in wealth, what did it matter when all of Hebei was under the Yuan family's control and they had the ambition to rule the world? What were wealthy merchants? How many did they need? Ridiculous!

Chen Xi had nothing to say about the Zhen family's choice. This was not the time to calculate such things. Even if he were to defeat Yuan Shao in the future, he could not completely destroy the Zhen family. At most, he would replace the family head. Provoking the aristocratic class without absolute power was unwise, of course, unless Liu Bei was truly angry, in which case there would be no choice.

The Zhen family's withdrawal thoroughly angered Liu Bei, who had failed to recruit scholars and had been mocked. Now, even wealthy merchants dared to defy him, which was understandable.

Fortunately, after Chen Xi explained the situation, Liu Bei did not completely break ties with the Zhen family. However, from the look of his suppressed anger, it was clear that when the Zhen family fell into his hands, they would not have an easy time. It was likely that the entire Hebei aristocracy would suffer.

Under these circumstances, Chen Xi had no choice but to inform Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping, transferring the business in Ji Province to them. He urged them to quickly squeeze out the Zhen family's salt and horse trade in the northern border, forcing the Zhen family to apologize to Liu Bei. Otherwise, once the anger simmered for three to five years, and Chen Xi took over Qingzhou and crushed Yuan Shao, the Zhen family might be dragged down with the Hebei aristocracy.

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