Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 116 Liu Bei begins, first by showering the eunuchs with gold coins (Seeking updates and monthly votes)

Zhang Feng was filled with mixed emotions, but he was extremely respectful: "Liu Yongzhou's demeanor is as impressive as ever. It is truly a great honor for me to be acquainted with him."

As the primary stepping stone for Liu Bei's rise to fame, Zhang Feng is frequently mentioned as a negative example of Liu Bei. The more well-known Liu Bei becomes, the more Zhang Feng is relentlessly criticized.

If that were all, it would be fine. After all, Zhang Feng and Liu Bei are not on the same path. As long as they don't interact, Zhang Feng can pretend to be stupid.

Can be biased.

Upon learning that Liu Bei had led the Yongzhou army into the city in a powerful manner, Zhang Rang and other eunuchs panicked.

When Zhang Rang and others betrayed Jian Shuo, they learned that Liu Bei had a secret edict from the late emperor.

Unable to ascertain Liu Bei's intentions, Zhang Rang and others privately discussed and decided to send someone to sound out Liu Bei's thoughts.

Zhang Feng, who had a brief encounter with Liu Bei and happened to be returning to Luoyang to report on his duties, became the best candidate.

Although Zhang Feng was very unwilling, he dared not disobey his adoptive father's strict orders and could only reluctantly bring money to visit Liu Bei.

Then they had to keep a smiling face and be respectful, for fear that they might be whipped in the street by the "temperamental" Liu Bei if they weren't careful.

The thought of being nearly beaten to death by Liu Bei in Anxi County made Zhang Feng's legs go weak.

"Inspector Zhang, please take a seat?" Liu Bei had a stool brought over and greeted him warmly.

Zhang Feng hurriedly replied, "I dare not."

"If you don't sit down, wouldn't it make me seem like I'm being disrespectful to my guest?" Liu Bei's face hardened, startling Zhang Feng into quickly taking a seat.

The eunuchs carrying the boxes behind Zhang Feng were so frightened they dared not utter a sound.

Zhang Feng, who usually thought highly of himself as Zhang Rang's adopted son and was arrogant and domineering, was now as timid as a mouse in front of a cat when he saw Liu Bei!
After taking his seat, Zhang Feng dismissed several eunuchs and then glanced at Liu Bei's left and right, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"It's alright." Liu Bei chuckled. "Let me introduce you. The one on the left is my disciple, Ma Chao from Fufeng; the one on the right is also my disciple, Fa Zheng from Fufeng. Neither of us are outsiders, so if you have anything to say, please feel free to speak."

Ma Chao and Fa Zheng stared intently at Zhang Feng, their sharp eyes seeming to scrutinize a trembling little mouse hiding in a corner.

Zhang Feng gritted his teeth and said with a forced smile, "On the orders of my godfather, Attendant Zhang, I am sending two boxes of small gifts. I hope Governor Liu will accept them with pleasure."

"Only two boxes?" Liu Bei feigned a frown. "Inspector Zhang, I am now the Governor of Yongzhou, commanding six thousand Yongzhou soldiers. In this Luoyang city, besides my brother, the General, who can control me? You only bring two boxes of meager gifts; you are underestimating me too much. Considering you are acting under orders, I will not make things difficult for you. Take these two boxes of meager gifts back; I cannot afford to lose face."

Zhang Feng's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "Liu Yongzhou has misunderstood, this is just a greeting gift."

But inside, Zhang Feng was spitting blood.

This is all my money!
Do you think it's easy for me to earn money?
Taking in Zhang Feng's reaction, Liu Bei chuckled and said, "Inspector Zhang, we're old acquaintances. It's getting late, so I won't beat around the bush. You name your terms, I'll name my price; if we can reach an agreement, we'll talk; if not, we'll call it a day."

Zhang Feng took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and asked, "May I ask, Liu Yongzhou, has come to Luoyang this time to help the General kill us?"

"Don't overthink it, nothing like that happened. It's just that the General saw that I had seized Huangfu Song's military power, killed more than eighty powerful bandits in the Three Auxiliary Regions, and defeated Han Sui, the rebel leader entrenched in Hanyang County. He was worried that I would become too powerful, so he used the pretext of killing the eunuchs to lure me back to Luoyang. Alas, what a miscalculation! I never thought that I would be outmaneuvered by He Jin." Liu Bei feigned honesty and sighed repeatedly.

Zhang Feng was shocked to hear this.

Could Huangfu Song's military power be taken away so easily?

More than eighty powerful thieves were killed without warning?
Did the rebel leader Han Sui suffer a defeat so easily?

You've only been in Yongzhou for a few months!
Then, thinking that Liu Bei was just a minor county magistrate in Anxi a year ago, but now he has become the governor of Yongzhou, Zhang Feng suddenly felt that there would be a problem if Liu Bei couldn't accomplish these things in the next few months.

Upon hearing that Liu Bei believed he had been lured back to Luoyang by He Jin under the pretext of killing the eunuchs, Zhang Feng was secretly delighted.

"So that's how it is. The General became arrogant once he gained power. First, he unjustly executed Jian Shuo, the Colonel of the Upper Army, and then he executed Dong Zhong, the General of the Cavalry. Even Empress Dong died of fear. Of course, eunuchs who indulge in illegal activities can be killed, but what crime have we committed? It is hateful that the General wants to kill us all!" Zhang Feng said indignantly.

Liu Bei watched Zhang Feng's impassioned performance quietly without offering any comment.

It's all just dogs fighting each other. Who gets killed is none of Liu Bei's concern. Liu Bei only cares about how much money and grain Zhang Rang and the others can provide.

Seeing that Liu Bei remained silent, Zhang Feng changed the subject and asked, "Since the General also intends to harm Liu Yongzhou, why doesn't Liu Yongzhou join us in dealing with the General? If Liu Yongzhou is willing, we will surely reward him handsomely!"

“Inspector Zhang, when asking someone for a favor, you can’t just talk the talk without walking the walk.” Liu Bei didn’t answer, but instead said, “I once heard that when the late emperor wanted to depose Empress Dowager He, Attendant Zhang and others each contributed ten million of their family fortune as a gift to save her.”

“I will not take advantage of you. You only need to pool together hundreds of millions of coins and deposit them into the Yongzhou Quanfu, and I will help you deal with the Grand General. How about it? A mere hundred million coins is not much for you.”

A hundred million isn't a lot?

That's way too much of a price!
Zhang Feng couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Is 100 million a lot of money?

Liu Bei stipulated in Yongzhou that the laborers who built water conservancy projects would receive 1,000 coins per month, 10,000 coins per ten months, and 10,000 people would receive 100 million coins.

Even with such a small amount of money, Liu Bei felt he had suffered a huge loss.

If Zhang Feng knew that Liu Bei calculated things this way, he would be so angry that he would curse Liu Bei, saying, "A laborer earns a thousand coins a month, you might as well just pay him directly."

“Liu Yongzhou, one hundred million coins is definitely not enough.” Zhang Feng dared not offend Liu Bei, so he could only bargain, “How about thirty million coins?”

"Thirty million coins?" Liu Bei's face turned cold: "If that's all you have, then please leave!"

"Wait!" Zhang Feng said hastily when he saw Liu Bei about to send them away, "Add another ten million!"

"Add another ten million!"

Liu Bei remained expressionless and ordered Ma Chao to throw Zhang Feng out of the camp gate.

Zhang Feng was even more astonished: "A hundred million coins it is! I'm willing to go back and persuade my godfather to give Liu Yongzhou a hundred million coins!"

Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed: "Inspector Zhang is so generous! It's settled then! It will only take a little over ten days to transport the hundred million coins from Luoyang to Chang'an. Once the Quanzhou government in Chang'an receives the money, I will definitely keep my word!" If the hundred million coins were used to support 20,000 soldiers, it could support them for a year when grain prices were stable in peacetime, and for half a year when grain prices fluctuated during wartime.

Although it's a small amount, it's a long-term solution. Let's get the hundred million first, and then talk about the rest.

Zhang Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

When they arrived, Zhang Rang promised 100 million coins, but Zhang Feng wanted to gain some benefits, so he quoted 30 million coins. Unexpectedly, Liu Bei only wanted 100 million coins and wouldn't budge.

"Please, Liu Yongzhou, do not break your promise," Zhang Feng emphasized again.

Liu Bei chuckled: "Don't worry. Don't worry. Before the money reaches Quanzhou Prefecture in Yongzhou, even if the General wants to harm you, I will dissuade him by saying that the time is not right."

After seeing Zhang Feng off.

Fa Zheng couldn't help but wonder, "Teacher, would Zhang Rang and the others really be willing to spend a hundred million? I don't think they would believe that you would deal with He Jin."

Liu Bei was unconcerned: "If Zhang Rang and the others truly believe I will deal with He Jin, then there's a problem. This hundred million coins is to buy my neutrality. As long as I accept the money, they can focus on dealing with He Jin without worrying that I will help him. After all, He Jin didn't send me to Luoyang with good intentions."

Ma Chao couldn't help but laugh and said, "I feel that He Jin's decision to invite the teacher to Luoyang was a mistake."

Liu Bei also laughed: "Don't worry about feeling it, this is a mistake. He Jin thinks that because he has great power in Luoyang and famous scholars and fierce warriors are vying to attach themselves to him, he can make me bow down. However, although He Jin has power, he is himself a fat sheep being stared at by a group of fierce beasts."

"The eunuchs wanted He Jin dead, the ministers wanted He Jin dead, and the generals wanted He Jin dead. But He Jin was oblivious to the danger and didn't know how to restrain himself. He could have used his position as Grand General to maintain a balance between the eunuchs, ministers, and generals, but he insisted on fighting with the eunuchs, allowing the ministers and generals to benefit. How foolish he was!"

"You must also remember this. When choosing an opponent, you must first ascertain their strength. The weak should be directly annexed and eliminated, while the strong should be united in alliances."

Ma Chao and Fa Zheng both solemnly replied, "We will follow your teachings, Master."

the other side.

Having reached an agreement with Liu Bei, Zhang Feng hurriedly returned to the palace and truthfully recounted how Liu Bei had been lured into Luoyang by He Jin and how Liu Bei could be persuaded to join forces against He Jin for a hundred million coins.

“A hundred million coins, just as I expected.” Zhang Rang sneered and said, “Liu Bei is extremely greedy.”

“When the late emperor was alive, Liu Bei, one of the eight colonels of the Western Garden, would often ask the late emperor for money, grain, weapons, gold, silver and jewels; when Liu Bei went to Chang'an to take up his post, he also took away a large amount of money from Pingguan.”

"A hundred million coins is nothing to me. If it can keep Liu Bei neutral, it's worth it."

Zhang Feng was taken aback, thinking that Zhang Rang hadn't heard him clearly, and emphasized, "Father, Liu Bei said that if we get a hundred million coins, he will help us deal with He Jin."

"You fool, you should think things through more!" Zhang Rang scolded lightly, saying, "Liu Bei was able to rise from a minor county magistrate in Anxi to the governor of Yongzhou in just over a year because he was not afraid of powerful figures. This was the foundation of his power."

"If Liu Bei were to truly help us deal with He Jin, his reputation for fearlessness in the face of powerful figures would be ruined, and his future actions would be guided by common sense, instead of his current irrational behavior. With Liu Bei's wisdom, why would he ruin his own reputation?"

“From the very beginning, I never intended for Liu Bei to help us deal with He Jin. As long as he remained neutral and did not take sides, we could rest easy.”

Zhang Feng then realized what was happening and flattered, "Father, your wisdom is truly remarkable; I am ashamed of my own inferiority. Should we deliberately delay paying this hundred million coins? Once Father has eliminated He Jin, you won't need to pay them anymore."

"Foolish!" Zhang Rang scolded, "The people in the palace rely on their reputation. If they ruin their reputation for hundreds of millions of dollars, who will be willing to work for them in the future? There must be rules about what money is acceptable to take and what money is not. We must not break the rules."

“I don’t trust anyone else with this matter. You personally deliver this hundred million coins to the Quanzhou government office in Yongzhou. I want to see how He Jin reacts when he invites the generals to Luoyang but then fails to command them. Hmph, when I was working in the palace, He Jin was just a butcher from Nanyang! He wants to kill me? He doesn’t have the ability!”

Zhang Feng hurriedly replied, "Father, rest assured, I will never fail to do anything to hinder your important matters."

To reassure Liu Bei and maintain neutrality, Zhang Feng loaded a hundred million coins onto carts overnight and sent them in a grand procession through Liu Bei's camp to demonstrate the "credibility of the people in the palace."

Upon hearing the news, Ma Chao and Fa Zheng arrived at the camp gate and were shocked to see hundreds of carts filled with money.

"Teacher's predictions are truly prophetic. I never expected these eunuchs to be so trustworthy," Fa Zheng exclaimed in admiration.

Ma Chao scoffed: "I think they're not keeping their word, but rather afraid to offend the teacher. If the teacher isn't powerful enough, these eunuchs will surely resort to underhanded tricks again."

Fa Zheng laughed and said, "No matter what, Master just spoke and a billion coins entered Yongzhou Quanfu. Such ability is beyond my reach!"

Ma Chao also laughed and said, "Teacher's skills are unmatched, not to mention you and me, there are few in the world who can compare. Let's follow your instructions and go into the city to spread the word about Yongzhou Quanfu. We'll deceive as many people as we can."

"Ahem." Fa Zheng reminded him, "This isn't a scam! Yongzhou Quanfu is directly under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou Prefecture, and its credibility is guaranteed. How can it be called a scam? Besides, Zhang Rang has already deposited a hundred million coins into Yongzhou Quanfu. They may not trust the teacher, but surely they trust Zhang Rang's judgment?"

"Once those people Gai Xun has won over also send people to deposit their money into the Yongzhou Quanfu, it will create the herd effect that the teacher mentioned. People who are unaware of the truth will rush to deposit their money into the Yongzhou Quanfu."

"With money, Yongzhou can accelerate its development. The faster Yongzhou is developed, the stronger it becomes. The stronger Yongzhou becomes, the higher the reputation of Yongzhou Quanfu will be, and the more people will want to deposit their money there."

"The teacher said that in these chaotic times, it is not safe to keep money in your own cellar. Even if you put it in a grave, there will be thieves who will rob the grave and steal the gold."

After receiving Gai Xun and Zhang Feng last night, Liu Bei formulated a propaganda plan for Quanzhou, Yongzhou.

In modern terms, it means: creating hype, increasing popularity, and attracting people to deposit money.

Look! Eunuchs and ministers are all vying to deposit their money in Yongzhou Quanfu. Doesn't that prove the credibility and security of Yongzhou Quanfu?
If it weren't for the limitations of transportation capabilities in that era, Liu Bei could have created an even bigger buzz and attracted more attention, causing the officials of Luoyang to vie to transport their money to Chang'an.

"To get rich, build roads first—that's absolutely true!"

Liu Bei, while in his camp, also heard the news that Zhang Feng had transported hundreds of carts carrying hundreds of millions of coins to Yongzhou, and couldn't help but sigh.

This is only a hundred million coins, and it already requires hundreds of vehicles. If you want to transport more wealth from Luoyang to Yongzhou, the transportation difficulties alone are enough to make your scalp tingle.

"I wonder how Dong Zhuo managed to loot all the wealth of Luoyang and transport it to Chang'an in just a few months. How many oxen and horses must have died from exhaustion on that journey!"

After silently calculating the wealth of Luoyang and the distance from Luoyang to Chang'an, Liu Bei was filled with emotion.

Thinking that as soon as he entered Luoyang, He Jin showed up, Gai Xun came looking for him, and Zhang Rang brought money, and only Yuan Shikai and Dong Zhuo's people hadn't arrived yet, Liu Bei couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly.

"The more people who come to me, the better. When Luoyang is in chaos, you will understand who has the right to throw a chessboard at people."

(End of this chapter)