novelSusiti Chapter 11 Relying on him as a confidant
Chapter 11 Relying on him as a confidant
"What a blunder! What a blunder!"
Liu Bei felt increasingly heartbroken as he thought about it: "If I had known that these powerful families in the border regions were so wealthy, I should have raised their status even higher."
Shan Jing, who was standing next to him, was still in shock.
The young prefect, who had been in charge of finances and grain in Liaoxi for several years, was now looking at the handover document signed by the Yang family in his hand, his fingers trembling slightly.
His eyes were filled with unbelievable admiration as he looked at Liu Bei.
He originally thought that being able to squeeze tens of thousands of bushels of grain and tens of thousands of coins out of Yang Kui would be an incredible feat.
Unexpectedly, Liu Bei directly tapped into his enormous wealth of 100,000 shi of grain and 1 million coins.
"Liu Bingcao... no, Brother Xuande!"
Dan Jing swallowed hard, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse.
"I have served in western Liaoning for over ten years and have seen countless capable officials, but I have never seen such methods as yours!"
"That old bastard Yang Kui is always a miser, never giving a penny. The Prefect has come to borrow money several times, but he's always given me the cold shoulder. Today, you've made him so willing, even offering to cover the craftsmen's materials!"
"I'm speechless!"
As he spoke, Shan Jing gave Liu Bei a thumbs up.
Liu Bei snapped out of his daze, suppressed his regret, and maintained his calm and humble demeanor, waving his hand with a smile.
"To say he is merely a 'person' is an overstatement."
"This is all thanks to the Lord's willingness to put in the effort; I need not waste any more words!"
Upon hearing this, Shan Jing felt even more admiration and looked at Liu Bei with a newfound affection.
He had originally only been acting on Hou Chong's orders to cooperate with Liu Bei, but now he genuinely respected this fifteen-year-old boy.
Upon returning to the government office, Liu Bei and Shan Jing went straight to the main hall.
Hou Chong was still frowning as he looked at the proclamation from the prefecture demanding payment of border defense funds, and it seemed as if a few more strands of white hair had appeared at his temples.
Upon hearing that Liu Bei had returned, he almost immediately put down his pen, hurried over to greet him, his voice full of anticipation.
"Xuande, how's it going? What about the Yang family...?"
Liu Bei bowed and presented the handover documents and ledgers of money and grain signed by Yang Shi with both hands, and said with a hint of excitement.
"Reporting to the Lord, I have successfully completed my mission!"
"The Yang family has agreed to provide 100,000 shi of millet and 1 million coins in cash, which will be transported into the prefectural treasury within three days."
"In addition, the Yang family is willing to provide all the craftsmen, timber, ironware and other materials needed for the repair of the forts in Yangle and the beacon towers along the Yangle County, without costing the prefecture government a single penny."
"One hundred thousand shi...one million coins..."
Hou Chong paused, then asked uncertainly, "How much? Did Xuande misspoke?"
After receiving confirmation from Liu Bei, Hou Chong was still incredulous and turned to look at Shan Jing.
Dan Jing is finally satisfied, and he'll let others experience the shock he caused!
He then vividly described what had happened.
Hou Chong looked repeatedly at the document signed by Yang Kui, his fingers tracing Yang Kui's vermilion seal on the document, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
He looked at it three times over before staring at Liu Bei in a daze, his eyes filled with shock and unbelievable ecstasy.
The county is now in arrears with three months' worth of military pay, and the state government's demands for payment are getting more and more urgent. He is already at his wit's end.
This sum of money and grain could not only clear all the arrears in wages and pay the taxes owed to the prefectures, but also repair dozens of dilapidated beacon towers and border forts along the Liaoxi line.
The relief efforts were made to all the displaced border residents, and even to train a new militia of a thousand men from the border region, thus completely reversing the passive and vulnerable situation in western Liaoning.
"Excellent! Excellent! Xuande, you are truly a lucky star for Liaoxi!"
Hou Chong slammed the document shut, slammed it on the table, and burst into laughter.
The gloom of the past few days vanished, and his eyes were filled with undisguised admiration as he looked at Liu Bei.
"I only hoped you could get some money from the Yang family, but I never expected you to do such a great service!"
"Xuande, you have great talent and a broad vision!"
Liu Bei remained humble and bowed, saying, "You flatter me, Lord Prefect."
"If it weren't for the wise decision of the Prefect and the full authority given to me, and if it weren't for the strong support of Prefect Shan, this matter would have been impossible to accomplish."
"Being prepared was merely a matter of chance, and I simply did what I was supposed to do."
He was neither greedy for credit nor arrogant, maintaining his calm and composed demeanor. He even brought up Shan Jing, which pleased Hou Chong even more.
Hou Chong immediately approved: "Xuande, take a rest first. I will host a banquet in the inner hall tonight to reward you for your merits!"
So Liu Bei took his leave, as he needed to think carefully about how to use the money and provisions wisely.
evening.
When Liu Bei followed Hou Chong inside, three people were already waiting at the table.
Upon recognizing the group, Liu Bei was immediately struck by their presence. These were none other than the three generals under Gongsun Zan from his dreams: Yan Gang, Zou Dan, and Shan Jing!
So they all inherited it from their fathers-in-law!
So, isn't this my future self?
Liu Bei was inwardly thrilled, but his face remained impassive!
Upon seeing Hou Chong lead Liu Bei in, the three of them bowed in unison and said, "Greetings, Lord Prefect."
Hou Chong waved his hand, pulled Liu Bei to sit in the secondary seat next to him, and said to the three of them with a smile.
"This is Liu Xuande of Zhuojun, a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, a disciple of Mr. Lu Zigan, and also our Liaoxi military officer."
"As you all probably know, the 100,000 shi of grain and 1 million coins that the Yang family received were all thanks to Xuande alone."
Upon hearing this, all three except Shan Jing turned their gazes to Liu Bei, their expressions a mixture of scrutiny, surprise, and a subtle, almost imperceptible, inquiry.
Hou Chong then introduced the other people one by one.
Yan Gang was about thirty years old. He was the military commander of Liaoxi Commandery and the top general under Hou Chong. He was tall and strong with a thick beard.
Despite being dressed in simple clothes, his fierce aura was impossible to conceal.
The second person, Zou Dan, appeared relatively refined. He was the commander of the border fortress, with an introverted nature, and was in charge of the defense of the beacon towers and border fortresses in western Liaoning. He was considered the second-in-command in the military.
As for the third one, Shan Jing, he needs little introduction; he was already a fan of Liu Bei.
At this point, Liu Bei had officially entered the core circle of Liaoxi Commandery and was regarded as a trusted confidant!
After several rounds of drinks...
Yan Gang was the first to stand up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Liu Bei, and said in a loud voice, "Brother Xuande, I heard from Shi Chang that you single-handedly persuaded Yang Kui to raise 100,000 shi of grain and 1 million coins, relieving the urgent crisis in Liaoxi!"
"I, Yan Gang, am a rough man, and I don't mince words. Just for the fact that you accomplished something we hadn't been able to do for years, I respect you!"
As he spoke, he picked up a wine cup and handed it over, his eyes filled with genuine admiration.
In his eyes, Liu Bei, though he looked young, was a capable and competent colleague who deserved to be treated with respect.
Liu Bei accepted the wine cup with both hands, bowed in return, drank it all in one gulp, and said humbly, "Commander Yan, you flatter me."
"This is entirely due to the wise decision of the Prefect and the strong assistance of Prefect Shan. I was just lucky and happened to be there at the right time."
"The stability of the Liaoxi border is entirely due to the bloody defense of the soldiers under the command of the Commandant. This small contribution is not worth mentioning."
"In the future, when training troops to defend against the barbarians, I will need to consult with the Commandant more often."
In short, he gave Yan Gang plenty of face, remaining neither humble nor arrogant, and his sense of propriety was just right.