Dahan: A 100-year-old veteran, I will build the strongest family

Chapter 104: Extorting a million dan of grain, Little Zhou Yu: Can you teach me the art of war? ( words long chapter)

In the court, when Li Hong said that the Beiwei army did not have enough money, food and supplies to fight the Yellow Turbans, the civil and military officials were furious.

Even on the steps, Liu Hong, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and the other ten eunuchs became nervous.

The Han Dynasty was ruled by aristocratic families.

They are all vested interests, ruling over millions of people from a high position.

But, tell them now that the Yellow Turbans cannot be suppressed?
Their power and wealth may very likely vanish into thin air.

This made the powerful people in the court unable to sit still.

"The Beiwei Army is running low on food and supplies. What should we do? The national treasury probably doesn't have much money, right?"

Everyone became anxious and whispered to each other, but they all felt that trouble was coming.

After Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Lu Zhi and others successively led the imperial army to war, the treasury of the Han Dynasty was very empty!
Cao Song, who was the Minister of Agriculture, looked unhappy and stood up and said:

"Your Majesty, after Generals Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Lu Zhi led their troops to the battle, a large amount of money and grain was allocated, and now the treasury is empty. Even if the military rations and baggage of the guards at the pass around Luoyang are intercepted and given to the Beiwei Army, only 110,000 dan of grain can be collected."

Cao Song was the first to step forward and report, causing the commotion among the civil and military officials in the hall to become even more heated.

"What can we do? If we intercept the military rations and baggage of the troops guarding the pass around Luoyang and leave them to the Beiwei Army, we can only gather 110,000 dan of grain. This is a drop in the bucket. Besides, the troops guarding the pass around Luoyang are also important. We can't intercept their military rations. We can't abandon Luoyang."

"I had hoped that the Beiwei Army would be able to turn the tide and suppress the Yellow Turbans after returning to the Han Dynasty, but now we have no money, food or supplies."

These sounds made Liu Hong, who was already looking grim as he sat on the dragon throne, even more irritated, and he slammed the table.

"Chaos, chaos, chaos, is there any use? Shut up!"

Liu Hong's angry and irritated voice rang out, and the noisy sound in the hall immediately quieted down.

"Tell me, is there any way to quickly raise military rations so that the Beiwei Army can go out? Only if the Beiwei Army goes out can we hope to pacify the Yellow Turbans. Otherwise, you should all know what the consequences will be, right?"

Liu Hong looked at the hundreds of officials and started yelling in annoyance.

Under the Yellow Turbans' magnificent and powerful offensive, Liu Hong was really tired and irritable.

Everyone in the hall fell silent.

However, everyone looked at each other with frowns, and no one stood up to speak.

The Beiwei Army needed food and supplies for their expedition, but the national treasury had none, so undoubtedly someone had to pay for the food and supplies.

After Li Hong finished talking about the situation of the Beiwei Army, he completely relaxed and stopped talking.

No matter how the court argues or makes decisions, the Beiwei Army can only go out to fight once it has enough money, food and supplies. Li Hong will not care about anything else.

The hall was silent and no one spoke.

Liu Hong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, became even angrier.

I feel deeply disappointed, angry and dissatisfied with the officials below.

Not only do they usually hold positions but do nothing, each family also relies on their power to amass wealth and embezzle the court's money.

Now, the Beiwei Army needs money and food to go out, but they are silent.

"The garrisons at the major passes in Luoyang have a heavy responsibility, and these 110,000 dan of military rations cannot be moved. Sikong, tell me, what should we do?"

Liu Hong quickly set his sights on Yuan Feng, who was sitting in the first row of civil officials, and called out his name directly.

When Yuan Feng heard Liu Hong's name being called, he took a deep breath and stood up. He first bowed to Liu Hong, then turned around and looked at the civil and military officials.

"Everyone should know that the Yuan family of Runan was attacked by the Yellow Turban bandits, and the Yuan family suffered heavy casualties, right? To be honest, I have an irreconcilable hatred for the Yellow Turbans."

Yuan Feng stood up and was the first to express his hatred for the Yellow Turbans.

All the civil and military officials nodded. They knew that this was a matter that had shaken the government and the country.

It was because the Yuan family of Runan was conquered and so many people were killed that they all felt a sense of crisis when facing the surging Yellow Turbans.

"The Beiwei Army is currently the most promising army in the imperial court to wipe out the Yellow Turbans. Since the Beiwei Army is short of military rations and supplies, and the national treasury is out of money and food, then the only way is to raise military expenses and money and food from all sides. I am the prime minister of the current dynasty, and the Yuan family has expressed its willingness to donate money and food to support the Beiwei Army!"

In the court, Yuan Feng looked solemn and serious, and even directly expressed his willingness to donate money and food to support the Beiwei Army.

This made Li Hong, who was waiting to see the changes in the court, couldn't help but look sideways.

This old guy was more cooperative than ever today, and he is very aware.

Of course, although Li Hong was a little surprised, he was not that surprised.

Yuan Feng was so straightforward and willing to provide money and food to the Beiwei Army. I'm afraid he also wanted to use the Beiwei Army to avenge the Yellow Turbans.

After all, Li Xi showed no mercy and directly broke through the Yuan family's Wu Fort, slaughtering hundreds of people from the Runan Yuan family's direct and collateral branches, which made Yuan Fengqi extremely hateful.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Liu Hong was satisfied after hearing Yuan Feng's statement.

The Beiwei Army has no money or food, so they need to raise money and food.

In any case, the Beiwei Army must be dispatched!

Liu Hong then turned to General He Jin who was standing behind Li Hong.

Logically speaking, He Jin is now the general, the highest official position on the military side, and should stand first.

However, He Jin felt very weak when facing Li Hong.

He Jin truly admired Li Hong's great military achievements, and felt that Li Hong was highly respected and was in the same camp as them, so he still stood behind Li Hong.

"General, the Prime Minister has already given a solution to raise grain from all parties. What do you think?" Liu Hong asked He Jin directly.

He Jin quickly stood up and said to Liu Hong:

"Your Majesty, I agree with Sikong's idea, and I am willing to donate money and food to support the Beiwei Army!"

He Jin said to Liu Hongdao.

Liu Hong listened to He Jin's words and nodded slightly.

Although He Jin did not have strong abilities, he was the elder brother-in-law of his two princes, Liu Hong.

He is almost treated as his own man, and Liu Hong is already very satisfied as long as he can perform so-so. Liu Hong mainly seeks loyalty.

"Okay, Sikong and the general both think that raising money and donating food to support the Beiwei Army is the only way."

"Then we should collect money and food from all sides to support the Beiwei Army's expedition."

"General Li, I wonder how much money and food you need to lead the Beiwei Army to suppress the Yellow Turbans?"

After seeking advice from the Sikong and the general, Liu Hong set the tone directly and asked Li Hong.

Li Hong was delighted when he heard this, but his face was solemn and serious. He said thoughtfully:
"Your Majesty, I have led the Beiwei Army to fight in the southern grasslands of the desert for several months. The Beiwei Army has not suffered too much damage, and there are still more than 97,000 soldiers who can fight. However, considering that the Yellow Turbans are wreaking havoc in nearly ten states of the Han Dynasty, and that the Yellow Turbans not only have four main forces, but also have a million people, it will probably take a long time to completely wipe out the Yellow Turbans. In addition, the Yellow Turbans do not produce anything, but only know how to plunder food as military rations. It is conceivable that no matter how much food is available, it will be wasted. Even if the Beiwei Army wins a battle, it will not be able to seize much food. Considering all aspects, I need to at least guarantee the Beiwei Army's supply of money, food and baggage for a year or two."

"Your Majesty, I need 1.5 million dan of grain and 150 million 5-zhu coins for military pay. Of course, it would be best if the 150 million 5-zhu coins could also be exchanged for grain. So, not to mention other military supplies, I dare to issue a military order for 2 million dan of grain. I swear not to return to the court until the Yellow Turbans are defeated!"

In the court, Li Hong's voice was loud and clear, shocking Liu Hong, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and other civil and military officials. "What! One and a half million dan of grain and 150 million five-zhu coins in military pay! Or even two million dan of grain?"

As Li Hong revealed the money and food needed for the Beiwei Army's expedition, the court was instantly shocked and filled with uproar.

"One million and a half dan of grain and 150 million five-zhu coins for military pay. How can there be so much money and grain? Now that the Yellow Turbans are rampant, the price of grain has risen to a sky-high level. How can even two million dan of grain be raised?"

All the civil and military officials looked at each other and exclaimed in disbelief.

The number of two million shi directly shocked all the civil and military officials.

This number is simply too huge.

You know, an ordinary person only consumes one stone of grain in one or two months.

"General Li, isn't this too much? That's 1.5 million dan of grain. You even said 2 million dan of grain. How can Luoyang get that?"

Liu Hong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was startled by Li Hong's sudden loud words and exclaimed to Li Hong.

However, in the face of the exclamations of the civil and military officials in the court and Liu Hong, Li Hong remained unmoved.

Are 1.5 million shi of grain or 2 million shi of grain a lot?

A lot, naturally a lot for an individual.

However, compared with maintaining an army, it is not too much.

Luoyang City, with a huge population of one million, probably consumes no less than one million dan of grain every month.

Of course, Li Hong did not want to take grain from the people, but he felt that the court should still have granaries.

Historically, when Dong Zhuo led more than 200,000 Western Liang troops into Luoyang, they unearthed many granaries around Luoyang. It would be better for Li Hong to benefit from this than for Dong Zhuo.

Liu Hong also had his own small treasury, and the wealthy and powerful families were in the habit of hoarding grain in times of chaos.

One million and a half dan of grain or two million dan of grain may seem like a lot to an individual, but to Liu Hong, an emperor who sold official positions and titles, and the aristocratic families who liked to hoard grain, they seemed insignificant.

"Your Majesty, I am not asking for too much. This is the money that the 100,000 Beiwei troops spent on the expedition for more than a year. It is not much. I think what the prime minister and the general said makes sense. Since the army is short of money and food, we should let all parties with the ability and financial resources work together to raise money and food. The Yellow Turbans are powerful, and our top priority is to pacify them. If we can't pacify them, then everything will be in vain. The noble families in various places will be attacked and massacred by the Yellow Turbans, and even the imperial capital will be in danger. What's the point of keeping money and food?"

Li Hong cupped his hands and said to Liu Hong, which made Liu Hong's face uncertain. Finally, he sighed and said:

"What the old general said is true. If we can quell the Yellow Turbans in a year and a half, I will be able to laugh. From this perspective, two million dan of grain is not a lot. What do you think, my dear ministers?"

When Liu Hong asked the question, all the civil and military officials looked at each other, but finally they all gritted their teeth and expressed their opinions one by one.

Counselor Cai Yong bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I still have money and food in my house. I will use it to support the Beiwei Army when I get back!"

Imperial Censor Wang Yun: "Your Majesty, I am also willing to raise money and food to support the Beiwei Army in their campaign against the Yellow Turbans!"

……

A large number of officials came forward and expressed their willingness to raise money and food to support the Beiwei Army in its campaign against the Yellow Turbans.

They were all touched by Li Hong's words.

The Yellow Turbans are now gaining momentum, like a wave. We will be lucky if we can put them down. If we fail to do so, the Yellow Turbans will frantically attack local aristocratic families and even break through the imperial capital Luoyang, and no one will be able to escape.

"Good, good, good. I am very pleased that all of you, my dear ministers, are willing to stand together with the court!" Liu Hong was very happy when he saw that almost all the civil and military officials stood up and expressed their willingness to raise money and food to support the Beiwei Army.

"Where is Luoyang Magistrate Zhou Yi? You are to register the noble families and officials who are willing to raise money and military supplies. You must report to me within one day how much money and food have been raised. Time waits for no one."

Liu Hong instructed Luoyang Magistrate Zhou Yi,
An elegant middle-aged man in his twenties or thirties hurriedly bowed and agreed.

At this time, Li Hong bowed to Liu Hong with a serious expression and said:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so nosy. I feel like I have something to remind you of. The Yellow Turban Army is made up of poor people. You must not recruit people from Luoyang to raise money and food. The Yellow Turbans are everywhere in the Han Dynasty. If the people of the imperial capital also join the Yellow Turban army, then..."

Li Hong hadn't finished speaking, but Liu Hong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, had a dark complexion in an instant, and many officials also looked at each other in bewilderment.

If Li Hong hadn't said it, I'm afraid they really wanted to take some action against the people of Luoyang. After all, two million shi of grain is not a small number.

However, as Li Hong reminded them, they were all shocked. If the people of Luoyang were forced to collect grain and turned into Yellow Turbans, wouldn't that mean they would be attacked directly from within?
Liu Hong took a deep breath and said:

"Did you all hear General Li's reminder? At this time, you must not cause any more trouble. If a large number of Yellow Turbans appear in Luoyang, think about the consequences!"

Yuan Feng, He Jin, Yang Ci, Huang Wan and other high-ranking officials took a deep breath, their faces filled with solemnity, and they had made up their minds that they could not take money and food from the people this time.

Seeing that the reminder was effective, Li Hong also breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't want to be responsible for the Wei army's money and food problems, as in the end it would be the people of Luoyang who would pay the bill.

With his reminder, Liu Hong and a group of officials should not dare to harm the people of Luoyang.

The court meeting almost didn't end that day.

Led by Yuan Feng and He Jin, and with Luoyang magistrate Zhou Yi as the lead, all the civil and military officials gathered together to discuss how much grain and five-zhu coins to give out. Li Hong was very satisfied to see their distressed and painful expressions, and he stroked his beard.

These big families are rich after all!

After experiencing the disaster in their hometown, the Yuan family actually took out 30,000 dan of grain and 5 million five-zhu coins, which simply blinded Li Hong's eyes.

Of course, the Yuan family took out 30,000 dan of grain and 5 million five-zhu coins and put them into the Li family's pockets, which made Li Hong even happier.

The civil and military officials each raised money, and everyone spent a lot of money. Then, at the suggestion of Sikong Yuanfeng, all the heads of the noble families in Luoyang were summoned to the palace to raise money and food.

All the noble families, big and small, in Luoyang City shed blood one after another, and finally raised 870,000 dan of grain and more than 69 million five-zhu coins in one day, which was a huge amount of money and grain that could be quickly delivered to the army in a few days.

870,000 dan of grain and more than 69 million five-zhu coins are indeed a large number, but it is still far from the number Li Hong requested.

When Luoyang magistrate Zhou Yi put the statistical results in front of Liu Hong, Liu Hong gritted his teeth and slammed the table with a painful look on his face.

"I took out 100 million five-zhu coins from the treasury, and then drew 800,000 dan of grain from Ao Cang and Xingluo Cang. This is the limited capital left to the Han Dynasty by several generations of emperors. Hey, take it, and let General Li send troops in three days!"

That night, Luoyang magistrate Zhou Yi brought a young man about ten years old into Li's house and presented a huge amount of data, including 1.67 million dan of grain and 170 million coins, to Li Hong.

"General Li, this is the money and food that His Majesty and the civil and military ministers have raised for the Beiwei Army. I hope that General Li can live up to everyone's expectations and wipe out the Yellow Turbans!"

In the hall of the General of Chariots and Cavalry's mansion, Zhou Yi handed the statistical paper to Li Hong and said solemnly.

Li Hong was also shocked when he saw the huge data of 1.67 million shi of grain and 170 million coins, and a strong feeling of joy swept through his body.

It won’t take long to pacify the Yellow Turbans. They will be quickly defeated in a few months, and the rest will be profit.

In addition, the Yellow Turbans actually obtained a lot of money, food and other things from the aristocratic Wubao and government offices.

The Li family made a fortune by raising money and food for the Beiwei Army this time!

"Haha, good, with so much money and food, I have the confidence to go to war against the Yellow Turbans!" Li Hong laughed.

However, just as Li Hong laughed out loud, a childish voice sounded.

"In fact, the Yellow Turbans are not that strong. The Beiwei Army is so powerful. If they take action, the Yellow Turbans will definitely be defeated."

A crisp, childish voice startled Li Hong, who was smiling. He looked towards the source of the voice, only to see that it was the young man who came with Zhou Yi.

The young man was about ten years old, with a delicate and lovely appearance, and his eyes were sparkling with intelligence. He was looking at Li Hong curiously.

(End of this chapter)