With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 97, Bank Run

Cao Hong came at the invitation. He had recently lost a noticeable amount of weight, and his brows were furrowed, his face full of worry.

He, who used to always be beaming, has been extremely troubled lately. His money cart has run into problems four times in a row. He barely managed to get it delivered on the fifth attempt, but his losses have already reached 30 million coins.

Those truckloads were full of money, and they were all robbed. Many of the guards escorting the goods also died. Cao Hong led his troops in pursuit several times, but he couldn't find a single clue.

Along the way, many people in the mansion greeted him, but Cao Hong ignored them. It wasn't until he saw Cao Cao that he managed to put on a smile.

After inviting Cao Hong to sit down, Cao Cao said with deep emotion, "Zilian, it's been a long time since we've had a banquet together like this, either because I'm too busy or you're too busy. It's not like when we were young, when we could play and have fun together all day long."

"I still remember it to this day. Back then, we fought and stole things together with Xiahou Dun and the others. We were like a bunch of wild kids, and we almost turned the sky upside down in Qiao County."

Cao Cao was lost in his memories of the past. He was silent for a while, and then said, "Later, I went to Luoyang with my father. Before I knew it, many years had passed since we last saw each other."

Cao Cao stood up, took the wine pot himself, and came to Cao Hong to pour him wine.

Looking at Cao Hong, Cao Cao continued, "Although we haven't seen each other for many years, when I returned from Luoyang, I was determined to punish Dong Zhuo. You and Zixiao came without saying a word, bringing your brothers from the clan."

At this point, Cao Cao's eyes welled up with tears. He patted Cao Hong on the shoulder forcefully, saying, "Although we are not blood brothers, we are still connected by blood, and our kinship is unbreakable. You will always be my most trustworthy brothers."

Cao Hong, a man of courage and integrity, was deeply moved by Cao Cao's words. He immediately picked up his wine cup, drank it all in one gulp, and replied, "My lord, rest assured, I will never have any disloyalty to you!"

Cao Cao nodded. "I believe you. Back when we were chasing Dong Zhuo on the banks of the Bian River, we were ambushed by Xu Rong. If it weren't for you, I might have lost my life long ago."

Cao Cao not only cherished old friendships, but also trusted his kinsmen from the bottom of his heart.

Then, changing the subject, Cao Cao said, "Zilian, you have been helping me all along, and I am truly grateful to you. Now, I know that your money shop is in some trouble. I have reminded you about this matter before. You alone are not enough to handle it. You should relinquish the money shop."

"This?" Cao Hong frowned, quite reluctant.

Even if the money shop had problems, he was unwilling to hand it over directly.

Cao Hong wasn't stupid at all. He could just hand it over and be done with it. From now on, the money shop would have nothing to do with him anymore.

If it were someone else, they might have thought that Cao Cao was behind it, but Cao Hong was impetuous and lacked strategy, so he didn't think that far ahead.

Cao Cao poured him another cup of wine. "Zilian, you are good at leading troops and fighting battles, but I'm afraid you are not really suitable for doing business. Especially a business as big as a money exchange, which requires consideration of all aspects. As a regional warlord, I have enough power to ensure the normal operation of the money exchange. I can use the name of the court to send people to escort it."

After all, he was his brother, and Cao Cao still hoped to persuade Cao Hong to make concessions, to try to be courteous first and then resort to force, so as not to make the relationship too strained.

However, the booming business of the money shop in recent days has made Cao Hong somewhat reluctant to give up, and he finds it difficult to let go.

After a moment's hesitation, Cao Hong said, "My lord, Yellow Turban rebels have appeared nearby. I was just about to discuss this with you. I want to lead troops to wipe out the Yellow Turban rebels and completely eliminate the bandits in Yanzhou and Yuzhou. In this way, not only can the money shop's business return to normal, but other businesses can also get back on track."

Cao Cao frowned and patiently advised, "Zilian, my meaning is very clear. You are brave in battle and skilled in military affairs. Doing business is not something you should do. Besides, you have earned enough now. Even if you give up the money shop now, I will still not interfere with your real estate business. You can continue to do it. What do you think?"

Cao Cao wasn't usually this patient; this was only because he had a brother. If it were anyone else, Cao Cao would have turned on them long ago.

Cao Cao hosted a family banquet and tried his best to persuade Cao Hong, but he still couldn't convince him.

Cao Hong, on the contrary, wanted to take advantage of this incident to personally lead troops to suppress the bandits, but Cao Cao naturally would not agree.

He thought to himself: If I really let you fight the bandits, wouldn't that mean you're fighting me instead?

A rare family dinner ended on a sour note.

After Cao Hong left, Cao Cao sighed and casually patted his hand, saying, "Come out!"

Guo Jia stepped out from behind the screen with a smile.

Cao Cao sighed, "Even I can't persuade him anymore. Fengxiao, do as you plan."

"Yes!" Guo Jia replied, a rare seriousness on his face!
The next day, someone came to the money exchange, showed the receipt for the money deposited, and asked to withdraw one million coins.

Although the amount was relatively large, it was nothing to the money shop.

The shopkeeper immediately counted the money, loaded it onto the cart, and had the man transport it away. In the afternoon, another big customer came and withdrew one million coins.

At first, Cao Hong did not pay much attention to this matter, but on the second and third days, two or three big customers came to collect money every day.

People are naturally curious, and soon it sparked discussion among others.

"What's going on? This money exchange used to be full of people depositing money, but these past few days, it's been full of people coming in carts to withdraw money, and it's all large sums of money."

Guo Jia sat in the restaurant, leisurely drinking his wine and quietly watching the money exchange across the street.

The surrounding chatter naturally reached his ears, but Guo Jia simply smiled and said, "The real show has only just begun." "They're here again, more people are coming to collect their money. Look, there are so many people."

Five carriages suddenly appeared in the distance, and from each carriage a high-ranking official in fine clothes hurriedly got out. Before even entering the money shop, he shouted, "Hurry up, withdraw all the money we deposited before, or it will be too late."

"Yeah, hurry up, I got here first."

These people rushed into the money exchange and, upon reaching the counter, began shouting.

"I'll take two million."

"I'll take three million!"

"I'll take five million!"

The fact that these people took the lead quickly caused a sensation, with some speculating that something might have happened to the money exchange.

At this time, Guo Jia sent people to spread the news at the entrance of the money shop.

"Have you heard? Something happened at the money exchange. A lot of money carts were robbed by thieves a few days ago. Hurry up and withdraw your money, or you won't be able to get it out."

This immediately caused an uproar among the crowd. More and more people gathered to watch, and word spread quickly. Those who had deposited money before rushed into the money exchange, clamoring to withdraw their funds.

Liu Xie was strolling around when he happened to come across this place. Upon seeing the scene, Liu Xie was first surprised, then shook his head and sighed.

Zhao Yun hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Liu Xie shook his head. "I'm afraid Cao Hong's money shop is doomed."

Liu Xie never expected that such a run on the country could happen even in ancient times.

Moreover, the money shop had only been established for a few months, so he didn't believe it was a spontaneous run on the bank.

Seeing the crowd growing larger, Zhao Yun quickly reminded him, "Your Majesty, it's dangerous here. We shouldn't get too close."

Liu Xie turned his head and saw the tavern next door. The two of them stepped inside.

This is just an ordinary tavern, not the one owned by Wang Cai.

Liu Xie spotted Guo Jia from afar. Everyone else stood up and peered out the window to watch the spectacle, but Guo Jia remained calm and composed, sitting there patiently.

A smile appeared on Liu Xie's lips; he suddenly understood everything.

Only Guo Jia could come up with this idea.

They exploited people's curiosity and fear to trigger a run on the bank.

"Fengxiao," Liu Xie greeted him as he walked over.

He had changed into casual clothes again today. When Guo Jia saw him, he smiled and took out the Five-Stone Powder that Liu Xie had given him. "This tastes really good. There's not much left in this bottle."

After returning last time, Guo Jia had secretly had someone check and confirmed that there was no poison.

Even the medical officers were pleasantly surprised to find that the toxicity of the original lime powder had been reduced.

Guo Jia's feelings were really complicated at the time. Liu Xie knew his importance to Cao Cao, yet he was helping him reduce the poison. Considering Liu Xie's previous attempts to persuade him to give up the Five-Stone Powder, Guo Jia couldn't quite understand Liu Xie.

In short, Liu Xie harbored no ill will towards him.

Liu Xie approached, took out a new bottle from his pocket, tossed it to him, and said, "Use it sparingly. This isn't anything good. You're too addicted."

The two drank a few cups and then went out onto the street. Cao Hong's money shop was packed with people and in complete chaos. It was destined to be the most unforgettable day for Cao Hong!
After taking the Five-Stone Powder, Guo Jia asked, "Your Majesty, why did you develop this substance? Was it only for me?"

Liu Xie rolled his eyes at him. "Fengxiao, your skin has become increasingly thick lately. I want to use my medical skills to develop a substitute for Wushi Powder. Of course, this is just the beginning, and I have no guarantee that it will be successful in the future. But I still hope to reduce the original toxicity as much as possible."

Guo Jia asked in surprise, "Does Your Majesty intend to develop a substitute and make it available throughout the country, so that no one will continue to use Five-Stone Powder?"

Liu Xie nodded. "I know it's difficult for you to quit, so I'll take a different approach and create a replacement."

Guo Jia nodded, deeply moved.

He thought to himself: It's clear that the emperor has no selfish motives in this matter; he wants to benefit more people.

"Fengxiao, you don't understand the dangers of Five-Stone Powder. Let me put it this way: this stuff not only causes people to go crazy and lose their minds, but it also greatly shortens their lifespan. For example, if you keep taking it, you can only live for another ten years at most!"

(End of this chapter)