Three Kingdoms: Daily settlement helps Liu Bei revive the Shu Han dynasty.

Chapter 109 Lu Yong's Final "Ultimatum"

The three heads of the family all adopted a very respectful posture.

Meanwhile, Gu Yong, the head of the Gu family, was holding a roll of finely crafted bamboo paper produced by the workshop in his hand hidden in his sleeve.

Half a month ago, he used countless connections to buy this roll of paper from Wanling, spending a total of five thousand coins.

He was genuinely shocked when he received the roll of paper.

But then I thought, Cai Hou paper is very expensive, and this piece of paper, which is several times more exquisite, cannot be sold cheaply.

But there were still some things he wanted to confirm again.

"The Army Division." Gu Yong stepped forward first, showing the paper in his hand, and said, "This paper was purchased from Wanling by someone I asked, and I heard it was written by the Army Division."

"May I ask, what is the selling price of this paper?"

Lu Yong took the paper and glanced at it from front to back.

He recognized it at a glance as one of the first batch of prototypes.

The back also has fine bamboo curtain patterns, and the paper thickness is not uniform.

This batch of paper has long been obsolete. The refined paper that the workshop produces now is much whiter and smoother than this.

Lu Yong didn't point it out, but instead asked, "Mr. Gu, how much did you pay for this roll of paper?"

Gu Yong didn't hide anything: "Five thousand coins."

He said this with a hint of smugness in his voice.

Five thousand coins for a roll of paper—in Jiangdong, only top-tier families like the Gu, Zhu, and Zhang families could afford that.

Ordinary small families probably wouldn't even have the courage to ask the price.

This can be seen as him indirectly showing Lu Yong that he and his group are sincere and have sufficient strength to support Liu Bei.

Lu Yong handed the paper back, saying, "You've been scammed."

"?" Gu Yong, Zhu Heng, and Zhang Dun were all stunned at the same time.

"New paper has already started mass production, and now even the most ordinary paper is 30% better than this roll of paper."

Moreover, a ream of ordinary paper only costs two hundred coins.

Even the finest paper only costs a thousand coins per ream.

"!!!" The three of them gasped.

One cut is one hundred sheets.

A hundred sheets of this paper only cost two hundred coins? That's outrageous!

Gu Yong's hand hung in mid-air, as if someone had struck his pressure points.

He wasn't losing his composure because he'd been taken advantage of; he was thinking about the sensational effect this new paper might cause.

Zhu Huan's mouth was slightly open, and he forgot to close it.

He is twenty-one years old this year, a time when he is young and full of vigor.

He previously believed that no matter how much trouble Liu Bei and Lu Yong caused, they would eventually have to seek help from these top families.

However, to their utter surprise, Liu Bei's development model and speed seemed to have exceeded their expectations.

Not only did they create a new type of paper, a powerful weapon, but they also brought in the descendants of Xu Ruzi of Yuzhang, who was even more famous than them, and established the Chongwen Academy.

Upon hearing this news, the prominent families of Wu County, both large and small, became restless.

They all requested that the four major families step forward and actively align themselves with Liu Bei.

Otherwise, if we wait any longer, we might not even get a sip of soup.

Lu Yong immediately saw through their intentions in coming to see him.

I deliberately ignored them before, hoping to wear down their arrogance.

The point is to let them know that the same tactics used in front of other feudal lords won't work here.

"If the three of you are interested in paper and Chongwen Academy, you might as well go to Wanling to meet Liu Yuzhou and Xu Gong."

"Master Xu is currently presiding over the Chongwen Academy and urgently needs renowned scholars from all over the country to participate in this grand undertaking."

When Lu Yong said this, his tone was very calm, as if he didn't care at all.

He knew that these three people would definitely go to Wanling after they returned.

Because they must have all realized that if the powerful families of Wu Commandery didn't expand outwards, the powerful families of Danyang and Yuzhang would completely overtake them in the near future.

By then, those who consider themselves the best in Jiangdong will probably have truly become frogs in a well.

Gu Yong was the first to come to his senses.

He carefully folded the paper and put it into his sleeve, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, strategist."

Gu Yong moved slowly, as if he was trying his best to hide the shock in his heart.

He had already realized that Lu Yong's casual remark might be an ultimatum.

This guy is very different from others.

When others deal with powerful families, they usually target their family wealth, land, or personnel.

Lu Yong, however, used his own creativity and productivity to bind others through interests and competition.

You may look down on him today, but you might never be able to reach his level again tomorrow.

Having figured this out, Gu Yong suddenly felt a sense of fear towards Lu Yong.

This person seems to have been sent by God to put an end to the aristocratic families!

terrible!

Zhu Huan wanted to ask something more, but Gu Yong gently tugged at his sleeve.

The three exchanged a glance, then tacitly bid each other farewell and left.

After walking several dozen steps, Zhang Dun finally couldn't hold back any longer and lowered his voice: "Are we just going to accept this?"

"If you don't admit it, what else can you do?" Gu Yong replied.

"Fight them?" Zhu Huan said something he himself didn't believe.

"Lu Huai'an has 10,000 elite troops, while Guan Yu has 15,000. How can you possibly fight them head-on?"

After a moment, Gu Yong couldn't help but sigh again and said, "Didn't any of you see Lu Huai'an's ambition?"

"I see now—" Zhu Huan replied quietly, "Two hundred coins for a ream of new paper—he's going to smash the rice bowls of all the scholars in the world, and then start all over again!"

The three of them boarded the carriage in silence.

Lu Yong watched the three walk away, then turned to look at the elder of the Lu family.

The man was in his fifties, dressed in a simple blue cloth robe, and stood at the very back of the line.

He had been standing there silently since the beginning, neither moving forward nor speaking.

The heads of the other three families also didn't communicate with him, completely ignoring his existence.

The Lu family's current situation is somewhat delicate.

The head of the family, Lu Kang, died of illness after Sun Ce conquered Lujiang.

The Lu family suffered heavy casualties during the two years that Sun Ce besieged them in Lujiang.

Of those who escaped from Lujiang back to Wu County, less than half had survived, and almost all of the able-bodied men had been lost.

The person in charge of the clan now is actually a thirteen-year-old boy.

In addition, the Lu family had a feud with Yuan Shu, while Liu Bei was Yuan Shu's ally, so other families kept a certain distance from the Lu family.

After all, if you get implicated, there's really no one to reason with.

It was precisely because they were wary of Liu Bei and Lu Yong that the Lu family only sent one clan elder as their representative this time.

This way, neither Liu Bei nor the other three families would be offended.

"A member of the Lu family?" Lu Yong asked.

"My name is Lu Ming, and I greet the Military Advisor General." The clan elder stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "The patriarch is still young and unable to travel far, so he specially sent me here. I hope the General will forgive me."

Lu Yong nodded slightly, then said, "I would like to meet your family head and the current person in charge."

Lu Ming was taken aback.

He hadn't expected Lu Yong to make this request.

The current head of the Lu family is Lu Ji, who is only eight years old.

The one in charge was Lu Xun, but he was only thirteen years old.

What does Lu Yong want to see them for?

To win them over?

Threat?

still----

"The head of the family is young, and I fear I may offend the strategist—" Lu Ming considered his words, wanting to politely decline.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yong interrupted him directly, saying, "It's alright."

"Since we're going the same way, let's go to the Lu family's place for a visit."