Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 184 If you're not willing, I'll make you willing!

Dong Zhuo recognized his former officials, which strengthened his own faction, while Ding Yuan gained a promising future and a smooth career. Both sides were naturally happy!
Before long, servants filed in and arranged the wine and meat that Ding Yuan had prepared in advance to reward the army on the table in an orderly manner.

At the same time, officials appointed by Ding Yuan delivered wine and meat to the soldiers at the drill ground inside the city and the main camp outside the city.

Dong Zhuo leaned forward slightly, his robust body sweeping over the dazzling array of delicacies on the table. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, but he quickly regained his composure. He rested his elbows on the table, his fingertips gently tracing the patterns on the bronze wine vessel. His expression, seemingly smiling yet not smiling, concealed a sharp, scrutinizing edge.

Ding Yuan sat upright to the side, his hands folded on his knees, looking very proper. Seeing that Dong Zhuo had not yet picked up his chopsticks, he remained motionless, even deliberately slowing down his breathing.

Although everyone in the hall was laughing, they were all watching Dong Zhuo's actions, waiting for their commander to pick up his chopsticks first. For a moment, the atmosphere was so tense that it almost froze.

Noticing the scrutinizing gaze Dong Zhuo cast at him, Ding Yuan maintained a perfectly measured smile, but could not hide the nervousness that occasionally flashed in his eyes.

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the delicacies on the table, but the table was filled with three kinds of sacrificial animals: beef, mutton, and pork, as well as pickled fish, dried meat, and even rare fruits and vegetables.

Such a lavish food arrangement is completely unlike what a city besieged for more than a month should have.

Especially in the Bingzhou region, even in peacetime, it is not easy to enjoy these foods, let alone in Jinyang City, which has been besieged for more than a month.
Although animal husbandry was quite developed in Bingzhou and meat prices were relatively low, in the midst of war, it was impossible to provide such a large amount of meat for the entire army. Dong Zhuo, who had served as the governor of Bingzhou, was aware of the financial situation of Taiyuan County. In his view, Taiyuan County's finances were absolutely unable to bear such an expense for meat.

Ding Yuan naturally noticed the doubt in Dong Zhuo's eyes, and with a smile on his face, he explained, "Reporting to Lord Dong, these are supplies that the merchants voluntarily donated to the Prefect's Office in the hope of helping the Prefect's Office defend Jinyang City and prevent it from being slaughtered."

Jinyang, the capital of Bingzhou, was not as desolate and barren as people usually imagined. It had a considerable amount of arable land, and its commerce was quite prosperous due to the trade in livestock such as horses, cattle, and sheep. Caravans traveled long distances to sell Jinyang's scarce grains, vegetables, and fruits, drawn by the high profits.

Merchants who had been doing business in Bingzhou for many years naturally understood that if Jinyang City fell, not only would they lose the goods they had brought, but they would also lose their lives. Therefore, they were quite generous.

So they're a group of generous and righteous people, huh? That sounds perfectly reasonable... what a load of rubbish!
Dong Zhuo narrowed his eyes slightly, tapping his index finger rhythmically on the wine cup, and couldn't help but sneer. Anyone who believed such words was a fool.

There are certainly righteous merchants among them, but the vast majority of merchants are driven by profit.

Since his army entered Bingzhou, merchants, knowing that war was raging in Bingzhou, still chose to come to Bingzhou to sell grains and fruits, and took the opportunity to buy livestock whose prices had skyrocketed in the Central Plains.

The mere tenfold profit was enough to make these merchants disregard swords and spears. Given the previous situation in Jinyang City, it would have been considered merciful for these merchants not to hoard goods and then drastically raise grain prices to profit from the suffering of others, let alone generously donate money.

Ordinary merchants, even if their cattle and sheep died of illness due to unsold goods, would never donate them to the government. While it's possible that a few loyal and righteous merchants might genuinely be willing to donate, such a massive donation of supplies cannot be simply described as "generous." "Half a month ago, a horse merchant in the city colluded with the Xiongnu rebels, attempting a night raid on the city gates to let the rebels into the city. Zhang Zhishu discovered this and killed him! Afterwards, merchants in the city vied to donate, fearing they would be left behind."

Ding Yuan only mentioned an ordinary matter: it was not surprising that a horse merchant who frequently bought and sold horses from the Southern Xiongnu colluded with the Xiongnu rebels.

Whether the merchants' generosity stemmed from the possibility that if they didn't hand over their goods voluntarily, Ding Yuan, the governor of Taiyuan, might charge them with "colluding with foreign tribes" and force them to hand over their goods along with their lives remains unknown.

In any case, the general public's impression of merchants is that they value profit over righteousness. Right now, in order to make money and survive, these merchants naturally have the motivation to collude with the Xiongnu.

Of course, Dong Zhuo had already used this tactic when he was in Liangzhou, or rather, most of the governors or generals of the border prefectures had done it.

Merchants who dare to hoard goods during wartime should be killed!

When there is a food shortage, merchants are unwilling to contribute; kill them!

These guys are willing to risk their lives for money; the more lenient you are with them, the more ruthless they become.

Therefore, Dong Zhuo was too lazy to investigate whether Ding Yuan's words were true or false. At least the court would never investigate a loyal and brave Han official who had made meritorious contributions in defending the city, just to clear the names of these merchants.

Dong Zhuo threw his head back and laughed loudly, his beard trembling with the laughter. He slapped Ding Yuan's shoulder heavily with his right hand, picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks, and put it into his mouth.

Moreover, since he had already acknowledged Ding Yuan as his former subordinate, he naturally wouldn't bother to investigate this trivial matter for the sake of a few lowly merchants.

Having received Dong Zhuo's tacit approval, and seeing that the last hidden danger on his body had been removed, and that Dong Zhuo seemed to genuinely acknowledge him as his former subordinate, Ding Yuan was in an increasingly cheerful mood. However, it was still somewhat inappropriate to discuss such illegal and disorderly topics at the dinner table.

Ding Yuan then tried to change the subject, praising the bravery of his generals before looking around as if searching for someone. He craned his neck but couldn't find the person. He asked, "Lord Dong, I once heard that His Highness the Crown Prince recruited a man surnamed Lü from Bingzhou as a Yueqi Colonel. I wonder if this man is currently in your army?"

Dong Zhuo smiled without saying a word. He didn't know where Lü Bu was at the moment; perhaps he was already in the Xiongnu royal court.

(End of this chapter)