With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 65, Can Cao Cao Pay Back the Money He Lends?
"My lord, there's no rush. Didn't General Cao Hong say he wants to give it a try? Let's let him do it. I think he'll run into trouble soon."

Guo Jia smiled, a sly glint in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Guo Jia said confidently, "For the money shop to operate, the most important thing is not Xuchang, but to connect with the surrounding cities. For example, if someone deposits money in Xuchang but withdraws it in Runan, then as the amount of money deposited increases, it will inevitably need to be transferred between different places. General Cao Hong can't possibly lead his troops to escort it personally, can he?"

Cao Cao suddenly realized, "I understand, but I still want to persuade him again. It would be best if he could give it up voluntarily, so as not to hurt the harmony."

Guo Jia reminded him, "My lord, we are not competing with Cao Hong for the money shop business. Your ambition is to conquer the world. Yuan Shao is currently the only one in power, and we are surrounded by wolves, struggling to survive. Therefore, we urgently need to change our current situation. At present, there are many places in the country that need to be rebuilt and we need money. The military farms have only just been implemented and have not yet shown results. The sudden appearance of the money shop is a great help to us. Therefore, we must keep this money shop firmly in your hands."

The next day, right after the court assembly, Cao Hong came to see Liu Xie with a bitter face.

Upon meeting, he immediately poured out his grievances, "Your Majesty, what should I do? My lord came to see me last night, wanting to take over the money shop."

Liu Xie was not surprised at all. The reason he handed over the money shop business to Cao Hong was to create conflict between them.

Liu Xie then advised, "Zilian, Cao Cao's ambition is to conquer the world. No matter how profitable your business is, he will not be interested."

"Yes, that's what I think too, but the lord said that there are too many places where money is needed right now, and he wants to use the money in the bank to make ends meet."

Liu Xie shook his head. "The money in the bank can't be touched casually. Have you thought about what would happen if the depositors found out if too much was misappropriated? Of course, Cao Cao is indeed short of money. How about this, you can lend Cao Cao some money first. If you borrow and pay it back, it won't be difficult to borrow again. Cao Cao is your brother. Take it in case of emergency, and you can pay it back later."

Cao Hong frowned. To him, lending money was like giving it away to someone else, and it still hurt his heart.

Besides, Cao Hong was borrowing from Cao Cao, so he was a little unsure of himself.

Liu Xie advised, "Zilian, brothers are brothers, but Cao Cao is still your lord. So you should make concessions when necessary. How can you ignore his difficulties?"

Cao Hong thought for a while, gritted his teeth, and said, "Alright, since His Majesty has said so, I will discuss it with my lord later."

Liu Xie praised, "That's right. If you want to do something long-term, you have to have a long-term vision. Besides, if you have more money in the bank, you can lend it out and make money from money."

"Loan sharking? Making money from money?" Cao Hong blinked, then paused, stunned.

"The logic is simple. For example, if I borrow a thousand coins from a money lender for a month, when I repay the loan, I will have to pay back a total of one thousand one hundred coins, including the principal and interest. The extra one hundred coins is what you earn."

"I was just giving an example. Of course, the interest rate can't be too high, otherwise people won't be so willing to borrow money from you."

Cao Hong nodded repeatedly, "I understand. This method is indeed excellent. Your Majesty is truly insightful."

After receiving the instruction, Cao Hong immediately went from worry to joy and left excitedly.

After he left, Zhao Yun asked, "Your Majesty, why did you persuade him to lend money to Cao Cao?"

Liu Xie withdrew his gaze from the direction Cao Hong had gone and smiled meaningfully, "Because if you lend money to Cao Cao, once it's gone, he probably won't get it back!"

The more often they ask for it, the greater the conflict between them becomes!

Cao Hong took the initiative to befriend Cao Cao, promising to lend him money. Although Cao Cao was still not entirely satisfied, he thought about it again and realized that this was a viable solution.

Cao Cao's words startled Cao Hong, as he immediately asked for thirty million.

Cao Cao even took the initiative to draw up a written agreement, saying, "Zilian, don't worry. After the autumn harvest and the taxes collected, I will definitely give you the money first. You're in business, so you'll get your share of the profits." Despite the huge amount, Cao Hong couldn't refuse. Cao Cao's outward appearance was quite impressive.

However, a few days later, Cao Cao found Cao Hong again, frowned and said, "Zilian, another barbican needs to be built outside Xuchang. Give me another 20 million, and I'll give it to you after the autumn harvest."

Cao Hong gritted his teeth, his heart bleeding, and lent money to Cao Cao once again.

The money exchange was booming every day, and Liu Xie's secret encouragement played a significant role in this success.

…………

Every few days, Liu Xie would come to Hongyun Restaurant. Several times he noticed that Princess Qinghe would come here to stroll around at noon, as if she was deliberately waiting for him.

Liu Xie saw through it but didn't say anything. Sometimes when they met, he would just greet each other with a smile.

That day, while having lunch on the second floor, Liu Xie said to Wang Cai, "You've worked hard these past few days. You've been a great help to General Cao Hong's money shop."

Wang Cai said, "Young master, you're too kind. General Cao is your friend, so this favor is nothing to us."

"How many people did Liu Biao and his men take to Chen State on this trip?"

Changing the subject, Liu Xie still showed great concern for Prince Chen, Liu Chong.

Wang Cai poured Liu Xie a glass of wine and replied, "Don't worry, there are twenty people in total. I've already told everyone. Prince Chen loves his people like his own children and has such a good reputation. As soon as they heard that we were going to protect Prince Chen, Liu Biao and the others were very happy."

Liu Xie nodded and instructed, "Liu Biao and the others are all loyal and righteous people. Send someone to their families to send them more money and food. Remember, they don't need to know about this. They are all loyal and righteous people who don't expect anything in return, but we can't let them do things for us for free without feeling at ease."

"I got it!"

…………

Chen County!

This is the capital of the State of Chen. Zhang Kai has been here for several days, looking for an opportunity. Soon, he came up with a plan.

Chen Wang and Luo Jun were approachable and down-to-earth. They often went out to inspect the local people and understand their conditions.

On this day, Zhang Kai, disguised as a representative of refugees who had received relief, led a group of people dressed as refugees on Luo Jun and Prince Chen's journey. From a distance, they all knelt on the ground.

"Lord Luo, King Chen, you are our great benefactors! I, Zhang Cheng, kowtow to you both."

Zhang Kai disguised himself as a rough blacksmith, with seven or eight people behind him dressed as farmers. The crowd knelt down in the street, crying and shouting.

Not only did it attract the attention of many passersby, but Luo Jun and Chen Wang also had to come and check it out.

Because they had helped so many people on a regular basis, Luo Jun and Chen Wang had no recollection of Zhang Kai and his ilk, nor did they suspect anything.

"Get up quickly, we didn't really do anything." Luo Jun came closer, reached out and took Zhang Kai's arm, trying to help him up.

(End of this chapter)