NOVPUBHua Xiong led the mounted infantry towards Yanzhou, the latest intelligence already in hand: Cao Mengde had become the Governor of Yanzhou, and then Chen Xi had already defeated the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou. He was ordered by Chen Xi to avoid any trouble and pass through Chenliu quickly, which is why Zang Ba was sent to meet him just in case.
Of course, once Zang Ba left Mount Tai to meet Hua Xiong, it meant that the situation with Cao Mengde had taken an unfavorable turn, so unless absolutely necessary, Chen Xi hoped that Hua Xiong wouldn’t utilize the cavalry led by Zang Ba. After all, the arrival of Zang Ba would equate to a fallout with Cao Cao. In such a situation that called for stability, a high-profile approach was only meant to prevent others from disrupting his plans, not to provoke war.
With this letter in hand, Hua Xiong also became much more cautious. He certainly did not want to be the reason for any issue in Chen Xi’s grand strategy, even though he was clueless about what this "grand situation" was.
On the other side, the battle between the Zhen Family of Jizhou and the Mi Family of Xuzhou had also reached a climactic point. The internal strife among the Five Great Merchants, the battle between the first and the fifth, shockingly resulted in the Mi Family of Xuzhou, a third-generation wealthy merchant, directly suppressing the Zhen Family, a family heritage of over a hundred years. They dominated the Zhen Family from various aspects, almost entirely blocking the Zhen Family’s commercial routes.
The wealth of the Zhen Family was so considerable that nearly everyone in Jizhou had a rough estimate, yet unexpectedly, they were easily suppressed by the Mi Family. Offering better quality goods at lower prices, and as for new products, the Mi Family had already displayed them while the Zhen Family had yet to launch theirs. This disparity meant that the Zhen Family had a hard time selling anything, leaving their goods to rot.
Fortunately, the Zhen Family was native to Jizhou and highly respected, and being from an Aristocratic Family, they had their own exclusive channels. Initially, they were not greatly affected, suffering only in the lower and middle-tier sales due to the Mi Family’s impact. The Zhen Family had encountered such situations before and thus continued to focus on their upper-tier sales.
The tragedy of merchants in this era was that their low social standing prevented them from accessing the true upper echelons of the Great Aristocratic Families. Only Aristocratic Families had the privilege to communicate with each other, while merchants simply didn’t have the right. Thus, the Zhen Family was indifferent to the Mi Family’s onslaught.
Originally, the Mi Family alone really had no means to counter, but now they had many comrades-in-arms, and not all the Jizhou Aristocratic Families appreciated the Zhen Family. There was always one or two who eyed the Zhen Family with disdain, such as the Cui Family, a Great Aristocratic Family of Jizhou, and the Geng Family, descendants of the Minister From the Dragon Liu Xiu. They would not forget to take advantage of any opportunity.
Consequently, the Zhen Family faced a plight. With the Zhang Family and Geng Family backing the top-tier sales, and the Mi Family already beginning a clean sweep below, had it not been for Jizhou Government Office’s restraint, the Zhen Family would have been driven out of the middle and lower-tier sales scope by the Mi Family. This turn of events meant the Zhen Family, who had planned to make a fortune in Jizhou, was now effectively blockaded, with all their goods stuck in their hands, bleeding silver coins every day.
"Damn Mi Family, what are they trying to do!" Zhen Mi’s mother, of the Zhang Clan, watched the daily accounts with flaming anger. She had never imagined their century-old Aristocratic Clan would be locked down by a three-generation upstart merchant family!
"Matriarch, Matriarch, something terrible has happened!" It was at this moment that the Zhen Family’s housekeeper rushed to the inner courtyard’s entrance, shouting frantically.
"Zhen Lun, what sort of appearance is that of you shouting and screaming!" Zhang Clan frowned and asked. As the housekeeper, Zhen Lun should have maintained the Zhen Family’s dignity at such a time; it was too embarrassing, "Go take ten lashes!"
"Matriarch, it’s bad news. The Mi Family has come with the Government Office’s people and the entire Zhen Family’s debt contracts to collect debts." Zhen Lun bowed his head and quickly explained the whole situation.
Zhang Clan’s matriarch was taken aback when she heard this, then all the events of the year connected in her mind, "Very well, I don’t know which family would dare to scheme against my Zhen Family like this. Let’s go take a look. Neither the Cui Family nor the Geng Family has the guts to do this. If the person behind this believes that the Mi Family alone is enough to make our Jizhou Zhen Family surrender, it really is a joke. Let’s go; he wants to see government officials, we will see government officials! If the Zhen Family can be defeated by a merchant family that has risen in the last three generations, then it truly is time for us to face our demise in Jizhou!"
"Mi Zizhong has seen Lady Zhen," Mi Zhu said with a bitter smile as he bowed slightly. He did not enjoy playing the villain at all.
"You are Mi Zizhong?" Zhang Clan’s matriarch glanced at Mi Zhu and nodded slightly, "Indeed, a person of talent. How does it feel to be helpless?"
"Zhu truly doesn’t wish for this, but since I’ve already agreed, there’s no choice but to proceed. Please after you, my lady!" Mi Zhu nodded, without agreeing to Zhang Clan matriarch’s words, gesturing for her to proceed.
"Let’s go. I want to see how your backer plans to defeat our Jizhou Zhen Family in Jizhou. If the head of the Mi Family ends up with nowhere to go, he can come to my Zhen Family. I have great faith in Mi Zizhong’s talent," said Zhang Clan’s matriarch with a light laugh, showing no panic about the current situation, epitomizing the grace of an aristocratic lady. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
"Alas, please go ahead, my lady. The Zhen Family’s influence in Jizhou is indeed powerful, but it’s limited to Jizhou only. Perhaps you don’t even know whom you have offended. Sometimes, a single word or a look can cause great destruction. Please remember that when the time comes," Mi Zhu said, shaking his head gently, not the least bit annoyed by Zhang Clan matriarch’s words, calmly replying.
When Chen Xi had vanquished the Yellow Turbans and then subdued a million troops, incorporating Qingzhou into Mount Tai, and marched north with his triumphant force, Mi Zhu knew the outcome. It didn’t matter that the Zhen Family was in the wrong; even if they were not, they would be abandoned by Jizhou. No one would want to bring war to their doorstep for the sake of others. The Zhen Family was just one of the aristocratic families of Jizhou; not to mention that it was not the biggest one. Even if it were, they would still have to face this ordeal by themselves this time.
An aristocratic family’s strength lies in its connections, and it is these connections that make them a powerful local force. But this time, the Zhen Family’s connections had to remain silent under the pressure of the Yuan Family’s influence!
This resulted in the Zhen Family’s power plummeting by ninety percent without their connections, and Chen Xi found a perfect opportunity to subdue the Zhen Family, driving a stake into Hebei. Although this stake was not stable yet, as Liu Xuande’s power grew, that stake would become ever more stable!
One day, when Liu Xuande’s power is secure, the Zhen Family will see a chance to soar like a dragon. Compared to the Yuan Family that abandoned them, the Zhen Family will naturally make a choice: a necessary peg that could shake the foundation of Jizhou when needed.
It was the Zhen Family’s connections that Chen Xi needed. The Zhen Family lost this time because the Yuan Family was too powerful, and the other families could only give up. But when Liu Bei gained momentum and pressed down on Yuan Shao in Hebei, the situation would reverse, and the aristocratic families of Hebei would need to consider whether to lean towards the Zhen Family, supported by Liu Bei, or to continue following the Yuan Family down the same path!
With this, many problems would be solved easily. Therefore, the Zhen Family was very important in Chen Xi’s plan, very important indeed. Too many calculations needed an aristocratic family from Hebei, too many plots required the face of an aristocratic family from Hebei!
