Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 360 The Smoke of War Behind Us (5K Chapter Combined)

Le Jin left the tavern with some doubts.

He had originally planned to go to the official granary to discuss buying grain, but now that there was a possibility of exchanging twice as much money, he naturally had to put the grain purchase on hold for the time being.

These days, buying grain isn't just about buying food; a whole series of things need to be considered, including transportation, manpower, security, and defense. Otherwise, Cheng Yu and Le Jin wouldn't have been sent along, bringing a full three thousand people and eight hundred vehicles.

The difference between buying 50,000 bushels of grain and 100,000 bushels of grain is significant.

If it were 50,000 bushels of millet, the 800 horse-drawn carts they brought could transport more than half of it. These were military supply carts, and the maximum load of each cart was 50 bushels of grain (one bushel of millet is about 13 kilograms).

The laborers can carry a portion of the grain and are responsible for feeding the old horses and fodder; 50,000 bushels of grain can be transported away in one go.

However, if 100,000 bushels of millet are to be purchased, the number of supply wagons must be doubled.

These supply wagons can be carried by either oxen or crossbows, but oxen are preferred because they have a greater carrying capacity and better endurance.

If it were an oxcart, the load could reach eighty bushels.

But they didn't have oxcarts.

Because Liu Bei amassed a large number of oxen, there is currently no price for cattle in the various states of the Central Plains.

Cao Cao does not dare to requisition large numbers of oxen for plowing at present.

In the provinces of Yan and Yu, there were practically no more independent farmers; the cattle were all in the hands of powerful families. Cao Cao had just executed Bian Rang's entire family, and his relationship with the powerful families in Chenliu and other places was somewhat strained. He couldn't afford to further harm the interests of these families.

Qingzhou currently has no shortage of cattle, and the various official settlements are willing to sell cattle, but most of the cattle are in Liu Bei's hands, with each healthy ox fetching a price as high as 50,000 to 100,000 coins.

This is the price for a large sum of money; we don't accept inferior money.

This would require redesigning the procurement and transportation plan. Some money would need to be used to purchase oxcarts or replace the horses with oxen, which would better align with Cao Cao's intention to send them to Qingzhou.

But the current price of cattle...

If I don't exchange a lot of money, I really can't afford it.

After thinking it over, Yue Jin decided to go back and discuss it with Cheng Yu first, and let Cheng Yu settle the score.

……

When Le Jin returned to the garrison camp, it was already dark.

Guo Jia's men had already left. The weighing of inferior coins had been going on for two hours, from afternoon until dark, and about eighty cartloads had been exchanged. This efficiency was already quite high.

There are still 600 truckloads of counterfeit money parked at the camp.

"Wenqian, have you inquired about the grain purchase?"

Cheng Yu was anxiously waiting for Le Jin to return.

"I didn't have time to go to the official granary... I learned that the Right General's troops and the people of Qingzhou can exchange one jin of inferior currency for fifty coins of superior currency, while people from other states can only exchange twenty coins in Qingzhou..."

Le Jin hesitated for a moment: "I met a comprador in the city who was interested in lining his own pocket... He said he could act as a middleman and help us exchange it for forty coins per catty."

Although the mysterious man in the tavern didn't want to do business with Cheng Yu, Le Jin still told Cheng Yu about it.

Le Jin was still somewhat sensible; his main responsibility was to lead troops for protection, while Cheng Yu was the official in charge of procurement. Le Jin did not make any decisions on his own.

"Two prices, one inside and one outside the state... This is the Right General's way of winning over the hearts of the people of Qingzhou. If we had known about this earlier, perhaps the officials of Qingzhou could have helped us devise a plan to exchange it for fifty coins per catty..."

Cheng Yu could understand the reason for the price difference, but he was still a little annoyed: "But right now... I've already agreed with Guo Fengxiao that we'll come back here to weigh it again tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM). What exactly is the background of the person you met?"

"...The man did not reveal his name and refused to meet with Prefect Cheng, saying he did not want to be reported. He only told me to take money to Tugu County to make a deal with him."

Le Jin recounted his experience in detail: "This person knew the number of carriages we brought, and since he greeted me at the entrance of the money shop, he's most likely one of their employees. In such a rush, perhaps only that person could quickly complete such a large transaction and exchange double the amount of money... Should we give it a try?"

"Could this be a trap?"

Cheng Yu subconsciously felt something was amiss: "Such a big deal, yet they didn't reveal their identities... and even let you take money out of the camp, could it be that they intend to rob us?"

"Perhaps... but whether it's a trap or not, we can give it a try. I'll take the carriages and horses to Tugu, while Prefect Cheng and his troops will lie in ambush. We'll just wait for that person to show up and then capture him."

Le Jin said in a low voice, "That man is acting suspiciously and probably doesn't want to be known. He will definitely make the transaction in a secluded place. Even if we plunder his goods, no one will know... If he is treacherous, the Prefect can lead the army to kill him."

“No… Zhang Liao escorted us all the way, and Zhang Fei ordered us to stay in this camp; this is all for surveillance. They won’t interfere with our purchasing of supplies, but if we lead troops to fight in Qingzhou, then we’ll be breaking the rules… What if the Right General refuses to sell grain because of this?”

Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "Grand Commandant Cao and Young Master Ang are still in Linzi... We can't cause trouble in Qingzhou."

Le Jin was stunned for a moment before realizing that the entire journey from Dongjun to Jinan had been under the surveillance of Zhang Liao and Zhang Fei.

Of course, you can also call it protection.

This is clearly intended to prevent people from other states from asking locals in Qingzhou to "buy on their behalf".

Their convoy was large and difficult to hide. Once they left the camp, Zhang Fei would definitely receive the news. They were not Qingzhou troops, and if they acted recklessly, the consequences would be unpredictable.

"What can we do? Are we just going to let Guo Jia cut our pay? That's double the amount of money... enough to buy double the amount of grain..."

Le Jin said with a worried look, "I was thinking of asking Mr. Zhongde to recalculate how to purchase the items... Moreover, the longer we stay, the more we will consume, and we don't have time to plan carefully."

"If Zhang Yide is willing to help us exchange the money, we might as well do this business with him."

Cheng Yu said, “Zhang Yide is a trusted confidant of the Right General and has a master-disciple relationship with Guo Jia. Wouldn’t it be more convenient for him to do this? If he is willing to exchange money for us at a price of forty coins per catty, this is much more appropriate than us secretly plotting with those who are hiding their true intentions.”

"It's also..."

Le Jin nodded, and the two of them went to find Zhang Fei that very night with some good wine.

“I cannot interfere in the exchange of money, otherwise it would be an overreach of authority and illegality. My elder brother is extremely strict in investigating such matters, and any mistake will result in complete dismissal... It's not that I don't want to help you two, but I simply cannot. Every sergeant, military garrison, official, and even civilian household has the right to investigate... Besides, I, Zhang, am not short of money and have no need to take such a risk.”

They were already stationed at the location designated by Zhang Fei, so finding Zhang Fei would have been easy. However, upon hearing about this, Zhang Fei refused outright.

Zhang Fei was quite amiable and told the two men about the profit-sharing method that Liu Bei, Jia Xu, Xun You, and others had devised together, which was an open secret under Liu Bei's rule.

Only then did the two realize that many of Liu Bei's affairs were related to interests.

For example, when Zhang Fei governed Jinan, if the taxes, rent from military farmland, and revenue generated by official industries exceeded the basic standard, Zhang Fei could receive a share of the excess.

Guo Jia manages the money exchange, and any profits generated beyond the planned budget are also entitled to a share.

This profit sharing wasn't just for a few people, but for everyone from top to bottom, including the military farm officials, officials at all levels, workshop managers, and even village elders who weren't considered officials. As long as they did well, everyone got a share.

At the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Personnel sets targets, and roughly half of the profits exceeding those targets will be distributed.

Even loss-making businesses receive profit sharing... For example, Zhang Fei's art academy has an annual budget. If the results of talent cultivation exceed expectations, the academy will increase its budget, and half of the new budget will be used for profit sharing.

In other words, those businesses that are obviously losing money don't need to save money. As long as they can produce results, more money will be allocated, and everyone can share in the profits.

After achieving results, these previously loss-making non-profit organizations often generate some profitable projects.

In fact, the art academy should be able to break even next year, because some of its subsidiary businesses have already started to turn a profit. For example, the printing press will purchase printing plates from the academy, and after deducting the basic standard, the extra profits can be distributed among the academy staff.

Of course, the profit-sharing ratio varies depending on the industry.

Every year, the Ministry of Personnel formulates its own annual profit-sharing plan based on the current situation. This is a very large undertaking, so the Ministry of Personnel has transferred a lot of manpower from various departments to supplement its staff. The operation of each industry is discussed by professionals.

Xun You, as the chief official in charge of personnel assessment, worked overtime every day for this purpose, and was practically welded to the Ministry of Personnel.

Jia Xu spent his days fooling around outside, but his work results were quite obvious. He did inspect various departments outside, but he was only responsible for setting standards. He would hold small meetings with Liu Bei, and the time-consuming tasks such as refining the regulations and calculating proportions were all left to Xun You and others.

This links everyone's personal interests with the overall development of the entire force, but it doesn't use money as the standard of measurement. Instead, it uses various development indicators similar to 'market share'.

For example, the military focuses on mission completion and defense zone coverage—the military is also considered a non-profit organization, receiving bonuses based on performance, and the most important thing is to complete orders.

This profit sharing is not a reward, but a daily distribution. If someone makes extra contributions, they will receive a separate reward; if they fail to complete their tasks, bonuses and benefits will be reduced for everyone involved.

The river officials in charge of water conservancy were assessed based on the stability of the river channels and the newly added irrigated area. The more stable the water level in each river channel, the higher the income of the river officials.

The indicators for the land reclamation officials were total output and per capita output per mu, while the indicators for the supervision system were the overall effectiveness of all officials.

The system is still imperfect and certainly has many loopholes, but the general direction is correct. Both local officials and the 'project team' will try their best to maintain this system because this profit-sharing system allows them to profit quickly, even faster than if they used their authority to start businesses and get rich on their own.

Moreover, this will encourage officials to cultivate truly capable people rather than forming cliques and hoarding their own territory—it doesn't matter if one's own abilities are lacking, as long as someone can take charge. If things are done well, everyone benefits, and factionalism can't compare to real money dividends.

Although each department has different tasks and targets, they are all interconnected, and a change in one can have far-reaching consequences. If someone oversteps their authority, not only will their own interests be harmed, but the interests of their colleagues will also be affected, and this will certainly be reported.

If it affects the overall interests, it affects Liu Bei's interests, and a complaint against him will be successful.

As for corruption... corruption is really rare under this system of all-people shareholders. Currently, everything under Liu Bei's rule is growing rapidly. The share of profits that can be obtained by doing things well is more than that of corruption, so there is no need to take such a risk.

This system, which profits from growth, benefits everyone and is incompatible with the aristocratic clan system of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei did not object to officials giving preferential treatment to their clansmen through back channels, but if such preferential treatment affected the overall interests, his colleagues would inevitably object...

No matter how powerful you are, if you delay the distribution of bonuses and profits among everyone, you will definitely not get the short end of the stick.

Zhang Fei is already a millionaire just from profit sharing, but with his current power, the only way he can support his family is by opening a few large wineries in Jinan. This is a reasonable arrangement that doesn't hinder his business development while still helping his family.

The biggest premise of this system is that everything needs to continue to grow.

The overall sustained growth essentially relies on the rapid operation of the economy.

This requires a good and stable trade environment—with inter-departmental purchases, a large volume of transactions between the government and the private sector, and a rapid increase in domestic demand due to improved living conditions for many poor households, making trade much faster than in other states.

Such operation requires relatively stable prices and a credible currency as a medium of exchange.

Zhang Fei certainly didn't understand this logic, but he was obedient. Liu Bei had given strict instructions regarding the money exchange, so Zhang Fei really didn't dare to touch it.

In the middle of the night, Cheng Yu and Yue Jin left Zhang Fei's residence and remained silent.

Le Jin may not have noticed much, but Cheng Yu could tell that Liu Bei's strength was growing at an extremely rapid pace.

Let's consider the situations in Yanzhou and Yuzhou...

Cheng Yu sighed softly, "Wenqian, go and try to find that person. You bring the carriages and horses, I'll bring the troops..."

……

Tugu County.

This is a small county with a small size and population, with only three thousand households and less than twenty thousand people. It was almost abolished during the reign of Emperor Huan.

The reason for its small size is that the county is located in the hilly area on the northern foothills of Mount Tai, and the terrain is not conducive to large-scale farming.

The reason this small county has been able to remain a separate county to this day is mainly because there are mines here, namely the Zhangqiu Iron Mine.

Le Jin led the transport team to a place a few miles outside Tugu County, where they met the fat and thin master and servant who had been in the wine shop before.

This is a fork in the road; to the south is the Zhangqiu mining area, and to the east is the county town.

Upon seeing Le Jin, the fat man stepped forward and glanced at the convoy behind Le Jin: "How many did you bring? Six hundred carts?"

"Six hundred cartloads...how do we weigh them?"

Le Jin nodded.

"We won't weigh it. We don't have time, and you want to save time too, right?"

The fat man pointed directly to the road behind him: "I'll give you a thousand catties for one cartload, forty thousand coins, which is twenty-four million... Come with me, and we'll settle the deal directly."

"Who are you? Do you really have that much cash?"

Le Jin looked at the fat man, feeling rather uneasy.

"Never mind who I am... Just let your wagons unload the goods at the smelting plant, and you can take the money with you."

The fat man shook his head and pointed in the direction of the mining area: "The smelting plant is only three miles from here."

Le Jin didn't ask any more questions and followed the fat man with the transport vehicle.

The smelting plant was surrounded by walls, and there was also a military unit on guard.

The fat man waved his hand, and someone opened the door, leading Le Jin to a very large warehouse.

The warehouse was filled with large cash boxes, just like those in the bank's vault. The large coins inside were all strung together and stacked very neatly.

Le Jin stepped forward to inspect them, and they did indeed appear to be real money, and all of them were brand new.

"Is this the Right General's mint?"

Le Jin felt he understood a little better; no wonder the fat man dared not reveal his name and was unwilling to do business with acquaintances.

"Hurry up and unload the goods, stop talking nonsense..."

The fat man was getting impatient: "Each box is worth fifty thousand coins. Just count the boxes yourself... Take them and leave quickly."

Seeing that it was indeed a legitimate transaction and that the other party was quite sincere, Le Jin felt relieved and instructed the laborers to start loading the carts.

No need for weighing and calculation, just unloading, which is very fast.

All the boxes were neatly arranged and easy to pack. It didn't take long to pack all 480 boxes, since there were plenty of vehicles and horses, and there was room to spare even if you threw one box into each vehicle.

After loading, Curry left over a hundred boxes of money, while the rest of the place was piled with all sorts of inferior coins.

Le Jin didn't want to cause any more trouble. After the transaction was completed, he led the carriages and horses, gave a shout, and left the smelting site.

Cheng Yu had already led 700 elite troops to ambush near the intersection. He had followed the cart tracks and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Le Jin come out safely.

But then, Cheng Yu looked up at the sky behind Le Jin, his eyes filled with astonishment.

When Le Jin looked back, he saw thick smoke rising from the direction of the smelting site.

This is certainly not a signal fire, but it's definitely a large fire...

Cheng Yu looked at Yue Jin in horror: "Wenqian, this..."

Le Jin was completely dumbfounded: "The transaction went smoothly... the money was in the car, I checked it all, how could this happen?"

"...Run! We've probably been framed!"

Cheng Yu immediately told Yue Jin to run away: "Back to camp, find Zhang Yide... Oh no, it's probably too late..."

Just then, a commotion arose behind Le Jin's convoy, and soldiers could be seen rushing from the hills to the south.

The sound of cavalry hooves could also be faintly heard.

Meanwhile, smoke signals also rose in Tugu County to the east—this was indeed a signal for war.

"...How could this be?"

Le Jin still couldn't understand it; everything had been going so smoothly...

"Someone is trying to sow discord between General Cao and General You!"

Cheng Yu's face darkened: "Judging from this situation, the money you exchanged will probably be falsely accused of robbery! We shouldn't have been greedy..."

"There's no reason for the Right General's men to do this. That smelting plant in the south should be a place for minting coins..."

Le Jin gritted his teeth, spurred his horse around, and said, "I have to catch that guy and get to the bottom of this!"

"Wenqian, don't be impulsive... that person has definitely already escaped."

Cheng Yu pulled on Le Jin's reins: "If you go and fight again, it will confirm that you have committed robbery!"

Le Jin clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down: "No, no... He wanted to sow discord, but he didn't attack me directly in the smelting field... He doesn't dare to fight me face to face either. He doesn't have many men to use. I will definitely be able to capture him!"

"If we can capture that person, everything will be resolved! If we cannot capture that person and clarify the facts, we will not escape the pursuit of the Right General!"

(End of this chapter)