NOVPUBJia Xu felt dizzy, he had been so shaken by the news from Chen Xi that he was now somewhat frantic. If Chen Xi hadn’t delivered the message in such an indifferent tone, Jia Xu would have never believed it.
"Are you certain?" Jia Xu asked, his eyes shining with intensity, "Are you sure the area where the Wuhuan Xianbei are living together is really like what you said? If so, why aren’t they farming there?"
"Because they’re either too foolish or they never thought of farming there. Even though it can only be planted once a year, Wen He, do you think it’s worth it?" Chen Xi said with a mocking expression, looking out over the Northeastern Plain. The Xianbei and Wuhuan would never have imagined that the place they were squatting on was such a treasure.
"If that’s true, then there’s no need to say more. That place must be taken into our hands. Five million qing of fertile land is even better than taking the Central Plains!" Jia Xu’s eyes flashed with a cold light. Once it was confirmed as true, there would be no need for further discussion. It had to be fully secured—land that could be farmed simply couldn’t be abandoned! This had been the tradition of Huaxia for thousands of years!
"What do you think? I’ve even laid out the path for the future," Chen Xi said with a smile, "You can send someone to investigate. After all, we have good relations with Liaodong. Although the Northern Frontier is dangerous, I think it wouldn’t be a problem for you to conduct an investigation." Chen Xi continued to pour ideas into Jia Xu.
Chen Xi already saw the eagerness in Jia Xu’s eyes. Holding a place with tens of thousands of qing would probably go unnoticed. With such a piece of land as ancestral property, the problem of sheltering his descendants would be much less worrisome.
"I will send someone to investigate. If there really are five million qing of fertile land, then there’s nothing else to say. All enemies blocking our path must die. However, I want to ask one thing—Money and Grain, Money and Grain, where is the money?" Jia Xu stared at Chen Xi, asking. He was taking on this matter.
"Let’s wait a bit on the matter of money. Many local tyrants live off of lending money to the people. I am waiting for the right opportunity. There are still many things not in place. I am planning to reintroduce a new coinage system; this time we must have enough copper," Chen Xi remarked, his expression darkening at the thought of those parasites.
Chen Xi really wanted to carry out coinage reform, but the limited copper mines restrained him. And currently, Liu Bei was not the strongest among the feudal lords; if the coinage went wrong, it could backfire. So, for now, Chen Xi could only say he was waiting for news, waiting for accurate news from Gan Ning!
Once the news was confirmed, Chen Xi only needed to wait for the opportunity, a chance to strike a crippling blow against his opponents in one fell swoop. Copper had value, but unfortunately, it couldn’t equate to a currency on its own. Additionally, the Han Dynasty was short of copper coins. For large transactions, guarantees were relied upon instead of money, and the loopholes in this system were fatally flawed.
"Indeed, you have prepared early. Such prudence suits you, Chen Zichuan. Without such ability, it wouldn’t be right. But who are you planning to outwit?" Jia Xu nodded, indicating this fit the image of Chen Xi he had known all along—someone who always planned three steps ahead.
"Why do you think the aristocratic clans and tyrants lend money in the first place? It’s almost the end of the year again. If it weren’t for the excess supplies we dispensed last year, how many people would be left broken and destitute because of those loans?" Chen Xi said, looking at Lub Su, who was still gazing into the distance, "Do they really lack that little bit of hard-earned money from the people?"
"This is the accumulation of hundreds of years of malpractice," Jia Xu said quietly. His family also lent money, but compared to the ninety-nine percent of aristocratic families that were far too avaricious, returning the principal with just a ten percent interest after the early spring was much fairer compared to those that charged double or more in interest.
"They’re holding too much money, preferring to bury it rather than use it. So what happens when the value of money depreciates? To one-tenth, one-twentieth, or even to the value of the copper itself?" Chen Xi said with a smile, uttering words that frightened Jia Xu, "And then, to maintain stability in my territories, I abolish the old currency and mint new copper coins for circulation."
Jia Xu observed Chen Xi’s expression and couldn’t help but give a wry smile. Although he didn’t understand what was happening, Chen Xi’s words allowed him to guess the outcome—the aristocratic clans that hoarded old coins would definitely have more than half of their assets evaporated by this move. It was even possible that Chen Xi had intentionally spent money to purchase those physical goods beforehand.
"That’s ruthless, but I admire it," Jia Xu praised. "With this method, those aristocratic clans will have no choice but to watch over half of their possessions evaporate."
"It’s just talk. When the time really comes to act, I won’t do it like that," Chen Xi said calmly. Sometimes he did indeed want to take a severe measure against those clans with problematic thinking—morally upright in public but shameless in private. However, given the tremendous upheaval it would cause, even though such a move could ensure that those on the receiving end wouldn’t have the financial or human resources to retaliate, it was ultimately too cruel.
"I knew it," Jia Xu said helplessly. Such harsh strategies were not something Chen Xi could employ, unless it was to be handled by Li Youu; otherwise, a normal person—even he—would not go to such lengths.
"Let’s wait and see. I won’t do such things until we have the power to thoroughly crush the major trends of the world. After all, it would be quite troublesome after the fact," Chen Xi sighed, understanding that while everyone knew some things were right, the impact always needed to be considered.
"Mhm, let’s focus on the horse administration and the military dogs for now. By the way, do you have any experts in these fields?" Jia Xu nodded and smoothly changed the subject.
Jia Xu then made sure his family’s lending business wouldn’t be affected by this; they didn’t need the money and were simply following the trend for multi-layered protection. However, compared to Chen Xi’s explosive deconstruction method, he certainly didn’t want to be implicated.
"If not, we could look for some prodigals who enjoy cockfighting and dog walking, or those who hope to ride horses," Chen Xi considered and said. "Although they are not talent scouts, when it comes to dogfighting and how to make dogs fiercer and more obedient, they have their own expertise. The same goes for prodigals who like spirited horses."
"Hmm, that makes sense," Jia Xu appraised Chen Xi and said. "Your perspective on things is indeed unconventional, but I can’t deny that these people are quite suitable."
This world was never short of experts in cockfighting and dog walking, especially in the bustling city of Fenggao. Even as theater provided them with more options, it couldn’t prevent these prodigals from still enjoying cockfighting and dog walking.
Chen Xi and Jia Xu were idly chatting while keeping an eye on Lub Su. If he didn’t speak up, Chen Xi and Jia Xu would not be able to enter today and would just have to enjoy the breeze outside, which was not yet cold in this season. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
If it had actually been a cold wind, the first to run away would probably have been Lub Su. Just think about it, a top strategist with a spiritual talent of ice who couldn’t endure his own power—that was truly a tragic situation.
"Finally, they’re here," Chen Xi said with a slight smile as he saw the carriage approaching slowly.
"Kongming?" Jia Xu clicked his tongue in amazement. He had not expected Liu Bei to invite Zhuge Liang. "He’s finally at the point where he can attend meetings independently. You’ll no longer have the opportunity to be his guide."
(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
