My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 65 Gifts for the Seller

Liu Feng solemnly thanked Mi Zhu, and also expressed that there were more things he wanted to rely on Mi Zhu for. The latter was overjoyed and calmly expressed his willingness to serve Mi Zhu.

Afterwards, Lu Su also presented a gift.

Lu Su prepared many gifts, among which two were quite special: a pair of swords and precious weapons.

Liu Feng was very pleased after reading it and solemnly left his seat to thank Lu Su.

Lu Su was flattered and returned the greeting.

Lu Su felt that Liu Feng was young, dashing, and resourceful, and that Liu Bei and his son were like a tiger father and a dragon son. He realized that he had not chosen the wrong person to support.

If Liu Bei and his son could advance further, wouldn't I be able to gain merit by following the dragon, climb the social ladder, and ascend to heaven?
Yes, Lu Su was never a Han official, and he was incredibly audacious.

Lu Su's loyalty was always to his lord, not to the Han Dynasty.

The reason is very simple: Lu Su was more of a powerful clan than a member of the gentry.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Lu Su, a wealthy and powerful man with thousands of acres of land, who had no worries about food and drink and was able to study, had no way to become an official.

These channels were all controlled by the aristocratic families, especially those with a long tradition of studying classical texts, ensuring that not even the slightest bit of residue could slip through.

One can imagine how much resentment these powerful figures would harbor.

In fact, powerful figures like Lu Su were commonplace at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The famous Yellow Turban Rebellion was not simply a peasant uprising, but a religious uprising led by powerful figures.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was so large in scale because powerful local figures flocked to support Zhang Jiao.

This support was not just lip service; it involved going all out, even sacrificing family wealth to provide financial, material, and human resources, all for the purpose of securing an opportunity to serve in government after the overthrow of the Han Dynasty.

Historically, Lu Su was extremely loyal to Sun Quan and was highly valued by him.

But Lu Su was the first person to persuade Sun Quan to have the ambition of an emperor, and he was also the one who firmly believed that the Han Dynasty was doomed.

Ultimately, it was because if Sun Quan surrendered, scholars like Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong could easily become high-ranking officials, even among the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, in the Han court controlled by Cao Cao.

But what about Lu Su?
Even a county magistrate with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain) is not available!
How could Lu Su not grit his teeth and support Sun Quan against Cao Cao?

Therefore, we should not overestimate Lu Su's status, nor should we use later generations' evaluations of Lu Su's talents to ignore his current low status.

At Liu Feng's strong urging, Liu Bei gave Lu Su a much higher starting point, more favor, and more trust than Sun Quan.

At this moment, Lu Su could only feel that his decision was absolutely right. He only regretted not coming to serve sooner, and that he had to be recruited by Fang Boxuan.

A scholar will die for one who understands him; Lu Su had made up his mind to assist the Liu family father and son in achieving great things.

Lu Su was quite confident in his abilities, and now that he had encountered an enlightened ruler, he was certain that he would one day be appointed as one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, and be granted a title that would be passed down through generations.

Lu Su then presented the second gift, a black wooden box.

The wooden box is small, only about a foot square, and its four sides are carved with beautiful patterns.

Mi Zhu, standing to the side, was somewhat surprised. He felt that the thing looked familiar. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but after thinking for a moment, he closed his mouth again.

When he opened the black box, Liu Feng was surprised to find that it contained snow salt and rock sugar.

Lu Su actually managed to purchase the first batch of snow salt and rock sugar from the Mi family's market and presented them to himself as gifts.

"Hahahahaha."

Liu Feng and Mi Zhu couldn't help but laugh when they saw this.

Lu Su was completely bewildered, not understanding what the two were laughing about. Liu Feng stopped laughing and said to Lu Su, "Mr. Zijing, you don't know, this snow salt and rock sugar are from the Prefect's family business. They were just put on the market recently, and I didn't expect you to spend so much money on them."

Mi Zhu continued Liu Feng's words with a smile: "Mr. Zijing, you may not know that these two items were made by the young master. My family is just a small number of craftsmen and merchants. We are fortunate to have the young master's favor and have been able to distribute these two items."

This……

A huge wave surged through Lu Su's heart. As a local tyrant, he knew better than anyone how terrifyingly valuable snow salt and rock sugar were.

The Han Dynasty had countless local tyrants like Lu Su, who possessed wealth but could not serve in government. They could only indulge in pleasure to numb themselves and erode their ambitions.

After the initial shock, a surge of elation welled up inside me.

When it comes to vying for power, nothing is more important than money, provisions, and manpower.

Xuzhou was a wealthy prefecture, with an annual grain production of 200 million shi (a unit of dry measure) at its peak.

Even with a tax of one-thirtieth, it would still generate seven million shi of revenue.

After deducting the portion reserved for local counties and prefectures, the state government would receive three million.

This is enough to support tens of thousands of soldiers. Add to that the troops of the local prefectures and kingdoms, and what Chen Deng said when he strongly urged Liu Bei to come to Xuzhou—that he would gather 100,000 strong soldiers to help Liu Bei conquer the world and restore the Han Dynasty—was not entirely empty talk.

In addition to taxes, the profits from snow salt and rock sugar can be used for military rewards.

Lord Liu treats the virtuous and talented with respect, and treats people with utmost sincerity. Over time, he will surely attract talented individuals to flock to him and serve him to the death.

At that time, Xuzhou had wise and capable officials in the imperial court and brave and valiant generals in the army. The army was strong and well-equipped, sufficient to expand outwards, and great things could be accomplished.

Lu Su suppressed his burning desire and said with a wry smile, "I didn't expect you two to have such abilities, and I certainly didn't expect you to already recognize this item. Could my actions be considered like showing off my limited skills before an expert?"

Liu Feng and Mi Zhu laughed together, and the atmosphere became very harmonious.

Liu Feng ordered his attendants to put away the gifts, and then ordered the banquet to begin.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were no iron pots, so stir-frying never came into being.

Therefore, the two most luxurious dishes at the banquet were grilled meat on a stone slab and raw fish.

Although Hua Tuo was there, Liu Feng was still worried about parasite eggs in the sashimi. Therefore, he adjusted the menu and changed the raw materials used for sashimi from river fish to sea fish.

Fortunately, Xuzhou is located on the coast, and Tancheng is only a couple hundred miles from the sea. If the fish were delivered by fast horse, there would be no worry about it spoiling.

However, people generally value river fish and despise sea fish, so it's unclear whether they can understand Liu Feng's good intentions.

Halfway through the banquet, it became clear that Lu Su and Mi Zhu had enjoyed themselves to the fullest and were no longer drinking.

Liu Feng readily agreed, then ordered his attendants and maids to leave. He then instructed Pan Zhang to lead armored soldiers to guard outside the hall to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

Lu Su and Mi Zhu sat quietly at their seats, their faces calm and composed, watching Liu Feng make the arrangements.

"Your Excellency, Mr. Zijing, please forgive my rudeness, but the matter I am about to discuss is of utmost importance and must not be leaked."

Mi Zhu smiled and nodded, while Lu Su praised, "If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life; if matters are not kept secret, they will cause harm. What you have done, my lord, is exactly in accordance with the way of the sages."

Once everything was arranged, Liu Feng invited Mi Zhu and Lu Su into a secret room. He then took out several silk scrolls and presented the prefecture's plan to plot against Zang Ba, including a two-pronged approach and a strategy to extract supplies from under the cauldron.

Thank you to Zhanxi Si or Cun Laozi for the 500 points, thank you to Qingfeng☆ for the 5000 points, and thank you to YAM Zai for the 6700 points.

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(End of this chapter)