Chapter 502

It was a few days after Liu Mang left Lady Cai’s place. He had met with his new subordinate, the merchant, Mi Zhu Mi Zizhong. Mi Zhu was directed to Jingzhou while Wei Yan went back to Yiyang to command his troops.

“Are you Mi Zhu?” Liu Mang asked as he had not seen Mi Zhu before. All he knew was Mi Zhu’s history and his ability to make money.

“This commoner greets Your Highness!” Mi Zhu said respectfully as he lowered his head. At the same time, he took this chance to observe Liu Mang. Liu Mang was only about twenty three years old while Liu Bei and Cao Cao were over forty. Tao Qian that Mi Zhu would have been over sixty by now and Liu Biao was over fifty. In comparison with the others, Liu Mang was extremely young. He was the youngest amongst all the ruling warlords right now, including Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang.

However, it was the younger ones that had potential. Mi Zhu knew this because the younger ones would have more ambition just like Liu Biao and Tao Qian in their younger days. Age was the reason Mi Zhu abandoned Tao Qian in favor of Liu Bei. Naturally, he was happy that he was now serving someone younger than Liu Bei. Mi Zhu observed Liu Mang to see what he was like.

“This commoner?” Liu Mang laughed at the way Mi Zhu addressed himself. If someone like Mi Zhu was called a commoner, what would the actual commoners be?

“Master Zizhong, get up. You are not a commoner but my Head of Commerce. You are also Marquis Guang. Are you still not going to get up?” Liu Mang said respectfully as he knew that merchants have terrible positions in that era. A merchant’s greatest reward was respect. Liu Mang also did not care about their status as merchants since merchants are needed to make the world flourish. Liu Mang also stepped forward to help Mi Zhu up.

Mi Zhu felt relieved to hear Liu Mang’s words. Liu Mang seemed like a wise ruler with a good temper.

“Thank you Milord!” Mi Zhu replied, calling Liu Mang his Lord to build a relationship.

“I hope you do not blame me for poaching you from Liu Bei.” Liu Mang said.

“I won’t.” Mi Zhu shook his head. Before this, he might have resented Liu Mang for this but not after he had seen Liu Bei’s true colors. Besides that, it was also more profitable to work for Liu Mang.

“Then that’s good.” Liu Mang smiled. Mi Zhu was not able to gain any respect working for Liu Bei but Liu Mang was able to give him a title and position. All he needed to do was paperwork.

“Zizhong. To make a long story short, I summoned you to Jingzhou because there is an important job I need you to do!” Liu Mang initially wanted Mi Zhu to reunite with Mi Fang and Lady Mi to further obtain his loyalty but Mi Zhu’s expertise was urgently needed at Jingzhou.

“An important job?” Mi Zhu’s eyes shone. Rather than the importance of his job, he was more afraid that he would have nothing to do. Only by working could he make his position stable. “Milord. Please instruct me!” Mi Zhu knelt and cupped his fist.

“This is an extremely important matter. Zizhong must handle this carefully. If you make a mistake, you can only pay with your life!” Liu Mang warned. He was willing to give Mi Zhu title and position but this was not something that can be neglected.

Liu Mang then continued. “The provisions in Jingzhou will be start being delivered to Yangzhou in a few days. Zizhong, you will be in charge of the negotiations with Jingzhou to ensure that these provisions reach Yangzhou safely. You must also attract some merchants to move to Yangzhou!” These two tasks were equally important but the second task was much harder to accomplish. While Lady Cai and Kuai Yue could help them obtain the provisions, the merchants might not move unless they see benefits.

“These are the conditions we can offer.” Liu Mang said and took out a paper. He knew businesses cannot be done without a foundation so he had to show some good faith.

Mi Zhu read the paper and saw many benefits such as the possibility of becoming an official, schooling, and titles. He could not help but look back at Liu Mang who was sitting in his chair.

Mi Zhu took a deep breath. If all of these were implemented, the world would not be controlled by the nobles alone anymore. The merchants would also have a share.

“Milord. Are you implementing all this?” Mi Zhu asked in disbelief.

“Can you not understand what is written?” Liu Mang asked back.

“If that is the case, I, Mi Zhu, will promise to make sure Yangzhou will never be short of money!” Mi Zhu said with confidence. If the promises were genuine, at least half of all the merchants will go to Yangzhou. It would be unlikely for Yangzhou to be short of money.

“I will leave everything to Zizhong.” Liu Mang nodded. He had absolute confidence in Mi Zhu.

***

Kuai Yue left the governor’s building with a smile while Cai Mao followed him out looking uncomfortable.

“Master!” Liu Mang’s horse keeper greeted Kuai Yue the moment he came out. Although this horse keeper was here, he was not sent to keep an eye on Kuai Yue. The Kuai Family and Liu Mang already had a strong relationship thanks to Kuai Yue’s son. This was a fact that could be seen by all.

“Tell His Highness that we already obtained the provisions!” Kuai Yue said happily. An official that graduated from the Lumen Academy described the importance of selling provisions to Yangzhou with such eloquence that he garnered the praise of the audience. Since he belonged to Pang Degong’s faction, it was essentially saying that Liu Mang had obtained Pang Degong’s support.

This happened Liu Biao and many military officers were in hall discussing military matters. This hall was seldom used as Liu Biao was old and no longer meticulous. However, there was a change in the war which was why everyone gathered.

“Milord! The war at Jiangxia is becoming more intense with Sun Ce’s soldiers attacking repeatedly. We have lost over a thousand men and numerous warships! Military Advisor Zhuge and General Wen Pin are avoiding confrontations.” One official reported as he cupped his fist.

“The Jiangdong Army are attacking repeatedly?” Liu Biao frowned. Sun Ce was his biggest enemy. If it had been any other warlords such as Cao Cao or Liu Bei, Liu Biao would be spared as killing him would make people spread bad rumors. However, Liu Biao had killed Sun Ce’s father. If Sun Ce were to wipe out his whole family in the name of filial piety, nobody would say anything.

Sun Ce had been attacking repeatedly thanks to the Liu Mang’s Army. By demanding ten thousand gold for Sun Quan, Sun Ce ended up extorting twenty thousand gold. This money was used to build more ships and also as a reward to the soldiers.

With the money, the morale of the soldiers rose and they fought hard enough to surprise even Zhuge Liang. He lost about a thousand soldiers.

“What of Xiakou?” Cai Mao asked. They have already lost more than half of Jiangxia to their enemy. Sanjiangkou and Wuchang belonged to the enemy. Jingzhou now only had control of places like Chibi and Xiakou. If they were to lose Xiakou as well, they would lose Jiangxia.

“Xiakou is still safe thanks to Military Advisor Zhuge made prompt decisions. Although we lost a thousand men, the enemy lost many more along with three ships.” An official replied.

Hearing this, Cai Mao sighed with relief. As long as they still had Xiakou, Jingzhou would be safe. The rest was no longer Cai Mao’s problem.

“General Wen Pin have also requested for more provisions!” The official added.

“Again?” Cai Mao was the person in charge of handing out provisions in Jingzhou. He felt the pain of losing provisions even though those provisions belonged to Liu Biao.

“Didn’t we just send them provisions? They have already used it all?” Cai Mao asked. He had send them enough to last a year but the provisions were used up quicker than he expected.

“In the letter, General Wen Pin explained that the continuous fighting for Xiakou caused the soldiers to become exhausted. For their stamina, they were given three meals a day instead of two.

Cai Mao wanted to object. Having an extra meal would not help with their exhaustion. However, Liu Biao approved of this before Cai Mao could raise his objections.

Cai Mao did not say anything more. To Liu Biao, the provisions were not important as long as Jingzhou was safe from Jiangdong. On top of that, they should have a bumper harvest that year.

“Milord! The dam broke and thousands of mu worth of farmland is flooded!” One official spoke up.

“The dam broke?” Liu Biao asked with a frown. These farmlands would have provided them with a lot of provisions. The Jiangling nobles lowered their heads when they saw Liu Biao’s frown. This is because they were the ones that caused it. They diverted the river water to their own homes to use as artificial manpower. Normally it was fine but the heavy rain and diverted water was too much for the dam.

“Milord! We should immediately dispatch the troops to repair the dam. The people in Jiangling should also be exempted from tax for a year.” Kuai Yue quickly advised.

Just as Liu Biao was about to agree to Kuai Yue’s words, Kuai Liang stood up. “Milord, I want to add something. We should also investigate the reason the dam broke. We must punish those responsible to set an example!” Kuai Liang added as he glanced at the Jiangling nobles.

“How did the dam break? It is naturally because of the river current pounding against it!” The Jiangling nobles quickly tried to interrupt Kuai Liang. It was evident that they were guilty based on their actions.

“Really? This dam was constructed during Emperor Huan’s reign and has survived several decades! Why did it break now?”

“That…! That is because it must have been worn out after a long time!”

“Enough!” Liu Biao massaged his head. He knew what the nobles were up to but all the nobles in Jiangling would have to be punished if he were to pursue this matter.

“The tax at Jiangling will be exempted and the authorities at Jiangling will be responsible for repairing the dam. Zirou. You will be supervising them! You are allowed to execute anyone that violates orders before reporting to me!” Liu Biao ordered. Without Kuai Liang, it was possible that the same thing might happen again which would be a huge disaster to the people. Even if he did not tax them, it would be like protecting the noble’s misdeeds. As a result, the one that receives the infamy at the end would be Liu Biao. That was why he involved Kuai Liang. Kuai Liang was known for being impartial. Anyone that tried to bribe Kuai Liang would immediately be reported to Liu Biao or worse, immediately executed.

“Yes!” The nobles and Kuai Liang accepted the order and withdrew. One side had a bitter expression while the other had a smile.

“Are there any other matters?” Liu Biao asked feeling exhausted. His muscles were still sore from riding the horse a few days prior.

It was at this moment when Kuai Ran stepped forward. “Milord. His Highness the King of Shu seeks an audience. He wants to discuss about buying provisions!”

Hearing this, Liu Biao was forced to sit back down. “Didn’t I already say that I need to prioritize the army at Jiangxia?” Liu Biao asked and turned to look at Kuai Yue.

Kuai Yue remained silent. Instead, it was Kuai Liang that stepped forward to reply. “Milord. It is true that our army at Jiangxia need provisions but so does Yangzhou. It is within our capabilities to provide for both!” Kuai Liang knew that Yangzhou only needed about a hundred thousand stones worth of provisions while Jiangxia needed one tenth of that. However, Jingzhou had five hundred thousand stones of surplus. They might as well sell it. Refusing because they lack provisions was a flimsy excuse.

Liu Biao frowned not knowing how to reply. He still remembered his conversation with Pang Tong. Liu Biao had no relations to both Yuzhou and Yangzhou. He did not want to get involved. If he were to sell provisions to Liu Mang, he would offend Liu Bei. In that case, it was better not to sell provisions to anyone.

“Master Zirou! Are you trying to rebel?” Since Liu Biao wouldn’t speak, someone else would naturally speak for him. Wang Kang was from the Lumen Academy so everyone saw the Pang Family backing him. They all knew the Pang Family did not want Yangzhou to obtain provisions because of Pang Tong.

“I wouldn’t dare!” Kuai Liang lowered his head and replied.

“In that case, why would you overturn the Lord’s words? If the Lord said there is not enough provisions, who are you to say otherwise? It is not that the Lord is unwilling, we are simply unable to help!”

“Master Wang. I, Kuai Liang, did not study much but don’t think I can be deceived so easily.” This Wang Kang’s job was to handle Jingzhou’s provincial military affairs. As it happens, he was in a position where he would know exactly how much provisions they had and how much was harvested.

When Kuai Liang claimed to not study much, everyone else frowned. Kuai Liang was one of the more studious scholar in Jingzhou. If he said he did not study much, everyone else is pretty much illiterate.

“Lord Wang. How much provisions did we obtain from last year’s harvest?” Kuai Liang was prepared for this having learned how much they had from his brother and Cai Mao.

“Even though it was a bumper harvest, it was only enough for us.” Wang Kang replied. He was smart enough not to say the actual figure.

“Five hundred and seventy thousand stones!” Kuai Liang stated the figure. “Our army consume one hundred and forty thousand stones. All the other defenders at various regions consume one hundred and twenty thousand. Another one hundred and ten thousand is used as payment. The remainder is over two hundred thousand stones worth of provisions.” Kuai Liang explained. With so many officials, the total salary needed is also naturally high.

“We have a surplus of two hundred thousand every year. Even if we were spendthrift in the last ten years, we should have more than five hundred thousand stones! Lord Wang. Is that still just enough for us to use? Could it be that you have been embezzling the provisions?”

“You!” Wang Kangobviously could not admit that he had been embezzling. “Kuai Zirou! Everyone here knows that His Highness Liu Mang is now your in-laws! You are helping His Highness with those intentions! Do you want the Lord to surrender Jingzhou as well?” Wang Kang’s words caused others to murmur.

These kinds of relationships are usually kept under wraps. Although everyone knew of it, they were not supposed to mention it as the ones on top always feared their subordinates making alliances elsewhere. By saying it, Wang Kang broke those unspoken rules.

“Helping family is normal. Nothing strange about it. As for wanting the Lord to surrender Jingzhou? Hahaha! I think that person is you! What benefits did that Pang Tong Pang Shiyuan give you that you insist on thwarting Yangzhou’s intention to buy provisions? ‘Make friends with those afar and fight against neighbors’. Although Yangzhou is closer to Jingzhou, we are separated by the Yangtze River while Nanyang is within our Jingzhou’s territory. On the other hand, Liu Bei is ambitious enough to annex the territory of his ally Zhang Xiu. We may probably be next on his list! On top of that, Pang Tong Pang Shiyuan also tried to sow dissension within Jingzhou and cause chaos!” Kuai Liang indirectly told Liu Biao that the ones that send the letter that night was sent by Pang Tong.

“Selling provisions to Yangzhou on the other hand brings benefits such as being able to guard against Cao Cao’s attack from the North!” Kuai Liang added giving the other nobles another thing to consider. Some of them may want to hug Cao Cao’s thighs but there were more that wanted to defy Cao Cao. This is not only because Cao Cao’s reputation was bad but also because they did not want to give away their wealth to Cao Cao nobles. They might even share the same fate as the Deng Family.

“Wouldn’t Liu Bei also be able to defend us from Cao Cao? We might as well give the provisions to Liu Bei!” Wang Kang rebutted and showed his low intelligence. Kuai Liang had already said that Yangzhou was not a cause for concern because of the Yangtze River. On the other hand, Liu Bei who occupied Nanyang simply need to follow the river to attack Jingzhou. He was a threat if he became too powerful. It was still good if Liu Bei were to defend them from Cao Cao but what if Liu Bei attacked them instead? On top of that, Liu Bei already had the reputation of a backstabber. This reputation had already spread far and wide. If Liu Bei did not place a gag order in Yuzhou, the citizens there would also start to question Liu Bei.

“Milord! I think we should sell provisions to Yangzhou!” A few nobles agreed after hearing Kuai Liang’s speech including the one that usually supported the Cai Family. Selling provisions to Yangzhou was much better as Liu Mang was also willing to buy it at an overcharged price. On the other hand, Liu Bei was poor and cannot be trusted.

When the Cai Family’s supporter stood up to support Liu Mang, all of the opportunist followed suit. Although Cai Mao did not want to support Liu Mang, he had no choice because he was requested to do so by his sister.

The only one that still resisted was the Lumen Academy’s official. While Liu Biao still did not have any intention to sell provisions, the official started to feel threatened. At this moment, another person stepped forward and destroyed the balance.

“Milord! I also think we should sell provisions to Yangzhou!” The man stepped forward and knelt.

“Hm?” Everyone’s eyes grew wide. Even the Lumen Academy’s official was shocked beyond belief. Liu Mang’s last supporter was the Pang Family’s eldest son, Pang Shanmin.

“Young Master?” Wang Kang never expected Pang Shanmin to defect.

“Pang Shanmin?” Liu Biao narrowed his eyes as he considered his options. Pang Shanmin’s father was Pang Degong. That man was one level higher compared to Pang Tong. If Pang Shanmin had stepped forward, this could mean that it was Pang Degong’s intention.

“Milord. Yangzhou have a high population but they also have plenty of things that need to be done. They have a large army but have little warships. Their war is waged on land, not water. On top of that, they are also sworn enemies with Jiangdong. If the people starved, there would be civil war and Yangzhou would easily become Sun Ce’s foundation. On top of that, Liu Bei and Sun Ce are allies. It would be difficult for us if they team up to attack Jingzhou. If we help Yangzhou, we would have their gratitude and they would bear the brunt of Sun Ce’s attacks. The stronger Yangzhou becomes, the less pressure we would face and the more peaceful Jingzhou would be. They would protect us not only from Sun Ce but also from Cao Cao! We may even be able to finish off Sun Ce!”

Before this, Zhang Xiu was in charge of guard duty but then Zhang Xiu wanted to defect to Cao Cao’s side. On the other hand, Liu Mang could not do this because Lu Bu and Cao Cao were enemies that have almost killed each other. If the two could have made peace, they would have already done so a long time ago.

Pang Shanmin’s words were so convincing that Liu Biao also became restless. The most important point is that Pang Shanmin’s father is Pang Degong. In terms of military, Liu Biao was the leader of Jingzhou. However, Pang Degong was the leader spiritually. That was why Liu Biao could not afford to offend Pang Degong.

Liu Biao believed that these were actually Pang Degong’s words. After all, Pang Shanmin had always given the impression of a modest person who never conspired in any way. Pang Shanmin’s skill was in teaching. He would become a good teacher but conspiring and scheming was a different story.

“Milord! Shanmin’s words have opened my eyes. I have been ignorant! Liu Bei is ambitious while the King of Shu would make a good ally!” Wang Kang immediately changed his opinion and abandoned Pang Tong. He too believed that Pang Shanmin was acting under his father’s instruction and now believed that Pang Shanmin was going to be the heir.

However, all of their assumptions were wrong. Pang Degong only promised Liu Mang that the Lumen Academy would not interfere. He did not say that he would support Liu Mang. So why did Pang Shanmin suddenly support Liu Mang? This is because he found out the truth.

Liu Mang had Tang Yun’s death investigated. With Jia Xu, the Kuai Family and the Cai Family’s contacts and support. He found out that Tang Yun died at the river, not Xinye. While Pang Tong had killed everyone to prevent word from spreading, he had miscalculated. There was a survivor who ended up being sheltered at the brothel. The assassin could not escape death but still managed to reveal the truth of the matter.

When Pang Shanmin found out that his brother was the murderer, he was heartbroken, and angry. Tang Yun was his closest friend and grew up with him and Pang Tong. Yet, Pang Tong killed him and framed others for selfish reasons. Pang Shanmin was disappointed and frightened of how cold blooded Pang Tong was. That was why he suddenly defected and spoke his opinion.

“Did you plan this?” Cai Mao asked Kuai Yue with his eyes.

Kuai Yue shook his head and laughed bitterly. “How could that be?” Kuai Yue was capable but the Pang Family was beyond his capabilities. He had to be respectful to them and it was unlikely they would do him any favors. On top of that, Pang Shanmin was like a hermit who paid no attention to affairs in life. How would Kuai Yue make use of him? Rank, fame, wealth. These things were useless to Pang Shanmin. How would one make Pang Shanmin follow orders?

“It is not you?” Cai Mao frowned. If it was not Kuai Yue, then it had to be Liu Mang. How capable must Liu Mang be if he could get both Cai Mao’s sister and Pang Degong to help him?

“We request Milord to ally with Yangzhou to ensure a century of peace in Jingzhou!” Kuai Yue knelt, taking this opportunity to get Liu Biao’s verdict. When Kuai Yue knelt down, the others quickly followed. Even Cai Mao had no choice but to kneel.

With everyone now supporting Liu Mang, there were no more obstacles.

“A hundred years of peace!” Liu Biao’s eyes shone. He was old but he still had to plan for his child. It did not matter whether it was Liu Qi or Liu Zong that would be heir. As long as Jingzhou was peaceful, they would be able to live good lives. Regardless of who ended up as heir, they would first need to keep Jingzhou or they would both disappear like Tao Qian’s children. Looking at his choices, he also found that allying Liu Mang was the safest option.

Finally agreeing to their proposal, Liu Biao ordered Wang Kang to count the provisions and give it Cai Mao. Cai Mao was then ordered to do business with Liu Mang. All of the profits will then be deposited into the government treasury.