C18. God of Wealth.
Yang Zhongfa had to go through great hardships to slow down the people chasing after Yuan Li, and when they arrived at the Tunqi Camp, they saw Yuan Li and Chu Hechao chatting and laughing.
Yuan Li's smile towards Chu Hechao was gentle and polite. Surprisingly, Chu Hechao also showed great respect and patience towards Yuan Li, appearing very patient.
At a glance, their apparent close brothers relationship seemed like an illusion compared to what Yang Zhongfa had just witnessed, with them seemingly fighting on horseback.
Rubbing his eyes vigorously, Yang Zhongfa was shocked by Chu Hechao's demeanor, unable to close his mouth. He scratched his head and went to find Yuan Congyun and Han Jin, "What is going on?"
Han Jin, Yang Zhongfa's deputy, and Yuan Congyun, his colleague, both under Chu Hechao's command, were sent by Chu Hechao to oversee the troops at the Tunqi Camp. This was to ensure soldiers were trained regularly to prevent laziness and to prevent soldiers from being poached by the camp's captains.
Even more confused than Yang Zhongfa, Han Jin shrugged, "Sir, I have no idea. General arrived with his sister-in-law like this, I have never seen the general behave so respectfully; it's frightening."
Yuan Congyun cleared his throat and gestured towards Yuan Li, "Is that the eldest young master's wife?"
"Yes, but the young master prefers to be called 'young master,'" Yang Zhongfa tutted, "You better change how you address them, don't call her eldest young master's wife or sister-in-law. The general said that we should rely on the young master to provide us with military funds!"
Yuan Congyun sighed deeply, "I didn't expect that after the eldest young master's death, his wife would take over. Yang Zhongfa, I don't dislike this young master, but there are some things I must ask you. You need to give me an honest answer. Can this young master truly handle such a big responsibility? This is the rear of the 130,000 army, the lives of 130,000 soldiers and ours! This is no joke!"
"Congyun, can't you see the general's attitude? Don't you understand?" Yang Zhongfa patted Yuan Congyun's shoulder, "If this young master didn't have what it takes, would the general be so respectful?"
After saying this, Yang Zhongfa's expression turned slightly peculiar, and he added in a low voice, "Not overly respectful... the general didn't even get permission from the young master Yuan, yet he abducted him."
The other two gasped and whispered, "He was truly abducted?"
Yang Zhongfa reluctantly nodded.
Yuan Congyun muttered, "The general really did this, sigh."
The court had placed the military funds for Chu Hechao in front of the Tunqi Camp. However, knowing that Chu Hechao had brought a thousand soldiers, they ignored this, only dropping off the food supplies and not sending workers to transport it.
The military funds were not ancient calligraphy or gold and silver, but bags of food. The food supplies for the 130,000 army for a month amounted to 900,000 stones, which, when loaded onto carts, formed a long line that proved difficult for a thousand cavalry.
But it seemed like Chu Hechao had anticipated this. With a command, all unnecessary luggage from the military funds was discarded in front of the Tunqi Camp, and they set off with everything essential.
The group headed towards Ruyang County.
Yuan Li looked back sadly at the discarded items, "Why didn't the general bring more cavalry when he came to Luoyang?"
Yang Zhongfa sighed, "Young master, it's not that we didn't want to bring more; this is all we could bring."
"Horses are hard to find, cavalry is hard to train. The Northern Territories lack abundant food, so finding strong cavalry and horses is already quite challenging."
The saddles they had did not have stirrups, and soldiers training to ride horses often died under horse hooves.
Yuan Li had long been thinking about introducing stirrups that could significantly boost the combat effectiveness of the cavalry once they had enough support. He contemplated that when they reached Youzhou, this could be prioritized.
Yuan Li asked Chu Hechao, "How many cavalry troops are under the general's command?"
Chu Hechao replied, "Five thousand."
Five thousand.
Yes, a little more than Yuan Li had expected.
Not long after, Guo Lin and Lin Tian, with Liu Jixin and Wu Kai, caught up with the main force. Seeing Yuan Li safe and sound, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Yuan Li informed them that he would be heading to Youzhou and asked Liu Jixin and Wu Kai in a gentle tone, "If both of you do not wish to accompany me to the north, I will find a suitable place for you."
Wu Kai and Liu Jixin exchanged a glance.
Liu Jixin turned to look at the long line of transport vehicles and cavalry, a spark in his eyes. He immediately bowed, "Since Liu is following the young master, naturally, I will accompany the young master through thick and thin."
On the other hand, Wu Kai hesitated for a while, then looked at Yuan Li with a struggling expression, "Young master, if I leave, there will be no one to care for my elderly mother at home, and I will be troubled in my heart."
Yuan Li immediately responded, "If you trust me, I will send someone to bring your mother to Ruyang, where my household will support her and ensure she lives comfortably and peacefully."
Wu Kai breathed a sigh of relief and firmly declared, "I will also follow the young master."
Taking the opportunity, Liu Jixin requested to bring his wife and children along. His wife and children were healthy and could endure the journey, so Yuan Li approved.
On the way, Liu Jixin wanted to demonstrate his capabilities. After riding his horse around the long convoy, he returned to Yuan Li and said, "Young master, the batch of provisions is not right."
Upon hearing this, not only Yuan Li but also Chu Hechao and his generals looked at Liu Jixin, "What's wrong?"
Liu Jixin remained calm and composed, "The provisions are mixed with a substantial amount of old grain."
Yuan Congyun visibly relaxed, "I am aware of this. Although it's old grain, it has not deteriorated and can still be eaten. The court can't provide new provisions now, and even if it could, it wouldn't give it to us."
Liu Jixin presented a handful of grain for them to inspect, "Not exactly. If it was just old grain, I wouldn't have brought it up. But please look, young master and gentlemen, this old grain has been soaked in water."
Everyone was shocked. Yang Zhongfa's face turned dark, and he snatched the old grain from Liu Jixin's hand and tasted it. Instantly, his face turned black, "What he said is true."
Yuan Congyun couldn't believe it, he also tasted the grain. After a few moments, his eyes were red with anger, and he cursed, "Damn it! I'm going to report this to the court!"
Yang Zhongfa grimly said, "I'll go with you."
The two turned their horses to leave.
"Stop." Chu Hechao said expressionlessly.
Yuan Congyun and Yang Zhongfa abruptly halted and clenched their teeth before turning back to return.
"Who do you think you'll find in the court? Can the court change the provisions for you? Do you have time to waste with the court?" Chu Hechao sneered.
Yuan Congyun gritted his teeth as he lowered his voice, "I personally inspected these provisions, General, I willingly accept the punishment."
Chu Hechao responded, "I will punish you when we return."
With that, he looked towards Luoyang, tapping his horsewhip absentmindedly against his other hand.
A chilling aura emanated from his nonchalant actions.
The dappled sunlight fell on his high nose bridge and thin lips, the sound of the whip striking his black leather gloves making several of the generals tense up, their scalps tingling.
"Sister-in-law," Chu Hechao suddenly spoke, "Who do you think is behind planting the old grain?"
Following the direction towards Luoyang, Yuan Li muttered two words: "Eunuch."
He not only guessed that it was eunuchs, but he could also guess the reason why the eunuchs did what they did.
It was not because he guessed that the corrupt officials in Hanzhong had been plundered by Yuan Li, or because Chu Mingfeng was secretly orchestrating a purge against them. It was simply because on the day of Chu Mingfeng's burial, they felt humiliated by Chu Hechao, so they used this method to deflate Chu Hechao's ego.
They just wanted to let off steam.
How ridiculous and absurd the reason was, but that was the reality.
Yuan Li's eyes gradually settled on something.
In the past, when he read similar things in books, he found them truly ridiculous and comical, thinking that these eunuchs were foolish, greedy, and short-sighted. But when he actually encountered such a situation, Yuan Li realized what kind of feeling it was.
Uncontrollable anger.
And a deep feeling of powerlessness.
Just because they wanted to let off steam.
So how much of the provisions for the thirteen thousand soldiers in the Northern Border were water-soaked remains unknown.
Ridiculous, truly ridiculous.
Chu Hechao suddenly grabbed the reins and the bones in his fingers emitted a terrifying sound, "Brother's wife is insightful."
Yang Zhong furiously exclaimed, "Those eunuchs—"
He clenched his fists and angrily smashed his thigh.
Yuan Li remained calm and looked at Liu Jixin, asking, "Mr. Liu, do you have any way to prevent the damage to these provisions?"
Liu Jixin modestly replied, "I dare not. To prevent the damage may be difficult, but there is a good way to make up for it."
Chu Hechao glanced sideways at Liu Jixin.
Liu Jixin smiled mysteriously, "Since the provisions will soon spoil on the Chen Gu Road, why not exchange them with others before they spoil, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Yang Zhong gruffly said, "How can we exchange them! These provisions amount to at least tens of thousands of stones, if we have to exchange them one by one, it might take until next year!"
"Ah, please listen to me, sir," Liu Jixin shook his head and smiled, "we do not need to exchange with ordinary people, but with the powerful clans and families."
The powerful clans and families were different from the noble families. The powerful clans had ample wealth, vast lands, and peasant tenants, they were true landlords, but they might not necessarily have the knowledge or official positions.
On the other hand, the noble families were a combination of wealth, power, and knowledge. Liu Jixin didn't dare to provoke the noble families but he encouraged Chu Hechao to bully the powerful clans.
Throughout history, in times of war and if there was a shortage of money or provisions, they would always be seized from the powerful clans, everyone knew this. However, there had to be a reason, otherwise, they would be no different from bandits, which would tarnish their reputation.
Liu Jixin spoke slowly, "All of you are generals of Northern Zhou, and the soldiers in Northern Border are soldiers of our Northern Zhou. Now the high-ranking officials of the country, and the border defense forces have no provisions to eat, taking the still edible old grain to exchange for some longer-lasting old grain or new provisions with them, what's so difficult about that?"
"The righteousness of the country comes first, I believe these powerful clans will understand and will be willing to exchange new provisions with us. As we travel to the Northern Border, passing through Yezhou, Yizhou, and other places, there are countless powerful clans and families. We can simply stop briefly in front of their doors to exchange provisions with them, this way we save time and effort, it won't delay us much, isn't that beautiful?"
Dragging the soldiers and horses to people's doorsteps to exchange provisions?
What's the difference between that and using force or open robbery?!
However, Yuan Congyun couldn't help but praise, "Great idea!"
Yang Zhong also laughed heartily, "You literary types always need to come up with a pretext to do things. To forcibly buy and sell, all in the name of national righteousness, hahaha, I quite like it!"
Liu Jixin just smiled without saying a word, twirling his beard as he glanced at Yuan Li and Chu Hechao.
He was worried that he might see displeasure or rejection on their faces, but thankfully, Yuan Li and Chu Hechao were not foolish or naive individuals. Seeing them both smiling slightly, Liu Jixin felt assured.
Chu Hechao decisively said, "Let's do it this way."
The next morning, the group finally arrived at Ruyang County.
Zhao Ying was waiting with others at the county gate of Ruyang. When he saw the army approaching, he perked up. But as the army neared, he saw his own young master among them!
Zhao Ying was shocked and quickly went forward to pay his respects. Yuan Li instructed the others to wait outside the city and then went on foot to give some instructions to Zhao Ying, who hurriedly left.
Yuan Li then called for Wang Er, "Are you willing to accompany me to the Northern Border?"
Without hesitation, Wang Er replied, "Wherever the young master goes, I will follow without question."
"Good!" Yuan Li said, "Then bring your horses and armor."
Time was of the essence. In nearly a day, Yuan Li collected all the things he needed to take with him and informed Yuan Song of all the matters that needed attention.
Fortunately, under Yuan Li's supervision, the people of Ruyang County lived peacefully and never thought of rebelling. After investigating, they found very few households with white cloth tied to their doors.
Lastly, Yuan Li hurriedly bid farewell to his parents before returning to the outskirts of Ruyang City.
By then, the generals who had been waiting outside the city for a day were impatient.
Yuan Congyun was anxious, as every day wasted meant a loss of provisions. He didn't know Yuan Li well and didn't fully trust him, so he impatiently asked, "Why hasn't Young Master Yuan come yet? It's been nearly a day! What needs to be instructed for so long?"
Yang Zhong was also growing impatient, "Exactly, why hasn't Young Master Yuan come out yet?"
As soon as they spoke, they saw Yuan Li walking out of Ruyang City gates with a group of carts and laborers.
As they approached, before they could voice their complaints, they saw bags of bulging grain on the carts.
Some grains were scattered on the wagon planks, and the white, plump rice grains glistened with a pearly light.
Everyone's eyes widened.
These were all carts of grain, and they were new provisions!
As several carts and dozens of people emerged, Yuan Congyun and Yang Zhong could still maintain their composure. But as ten-plus carts and hundreds of people arrived in front of them, both were left speechless, staring blankly at the rice on the carts and the people behind.
"My God," Deputy General Han Jin muttered.
Yuan Li walked over leisurely.
Everyone looked at him intently, wanting to ask if all this grain was being transported to the Northern Border, but because of their earlier impatience and complaints, they felt embarrassed to speak up.
But Chu Hechao asked, his voice softened, "Brother's wife, what is all this grain for?"
"All the provisions going north together, I have taken out all the surplus grain that can be spared at home," Yuan Li said casually, smiling with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture upright, "I also organized three hundred troops to escort the provisions to the Northern Border, so the soldiers there can also have some relief."
Yuan Congyun took a deep breath and suddenly stepped forward, solemnly bowing, "Young Master Yuan, I admire your righteousness."
Yuan Li helped him up, "Mr. Yuan, there is more to come, no need to rush."
Yuan Congyun couldn't help but look towards the city of Ruyang.
Yuan Li casually clapped his hands, and shortly after, the sound of horse hooves resounded as thirty sleek and magnificent horses walked out of the city gate.
These thirty horses were all exquisite and strong, with a proud and calm demeanor, clearly well-fed and cared for.
Yang Zhongfa couldn't help but admire, "Great horses!"
Yuan Li said, "Since Mr. Yang likes it, I will gift you a horse. Feel free to choose one."
Yang Zhongfa was overjoyed and quickly thanked Yuan Li before hurrying towards the horses.
Han Jin also mustered the courage to approach, "Young Master Yuan, may I also choose a horse?"
Yuan Li laughed heartily, "Of course, go ahead."
His generosity and smooth manner made Han Jin both delighted and regretful for his earlier dissatisfaction. He bowed to Yuan Li respectfully and joined Yang Zhongfa in selecting a horse.
Yuan Li then turned to Yuan Congyun, "If there is a horse that catches your eye, feel free to choose one."
Blushing, Yuan Congyun waved it off. After he walked away, he couldn't help but boast to others, "Young Master Yuan is truly noble."
The more hospitable Yuan Li was to him, the more guilty Yuan Congyun felt. He admired Yuan Li's noble character and couldn't stop praising him.
Seeing this, Chu Hechao walked to Yuan Li's side and whispered, watching Yang Zhong and Han Jin choosing horses, "Impressive, Sister-in-law."
Yuan Li turned his head and shared a knowing smile with him.
The warhorses were not the final gift.
When Zhao Ying and Wang Er's group brought out the goods of the corrupted officials, everyone was truly shocked.
Gold, silver treasures, silk fabrics, calligraphy and paintings, all hidden in wooden boxes, each item invaluable. Yuan Li showed each of them these treasures, leaving the them gasping in awe. When they saw the dozen boxes of glittering gold, Yuan Congyun's legs went weak.
Several generals had the same thought.
God of Wealth, this was definitely the God of Wealth!
No wonder the generals treated Young Master Yuan so politely, they were practically ready to worship him.
Yang Zhongfa, who knew some inside information, was in disbelief that these goods were actually in Yuan Li's possession, muttering to himself, "My goodness."
He immediately looked at Chu Hechao, who had a cold smile on his face.
Barely containing his anger, Yang Zhongfa quickly averted his gaze, now even more impressed with Yuan Li.
If even the generals could be fooled, and then Yuan Li dared to present these items so openly now, Young Master Yuan was truly impressive.
And truly brave.
Yuan Li didn't forget to test Chu Hechao's limits and asked, "General, do you like this grand gift?"
"I like it," Chu Hechao's mouth twitched briefly before breaking into a smile, politely saying, "Sister-in-law, you have truly impressed me."
But what more could he say?
He could only thank Yuan Li sincerely for presenting the goods.
With that, Yuan Li finally finished organizing all the belongings, the sun setting and the evening growing darker.
The soldiers, horses, and farmers picked up their belongings, Yuan Li mounted his horse, and everyone set out on the road to the Northern Border.
As the remaining light of the setting sun cast a final glow, Yuan Li turned his head and looked at the tiny city wall at the end of the road, with two small characters on it: Ruyang.
Goodbye, Ruyang, father, mother.
When I return, I hope it will be a day when peace is restored all over the land.