In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 865 Without money, you can't move an inch – The Fat Pig of Beijing

Old Master Liu rode in a horse-drawn carriage, swaying and wobbling, until he arrived at the Liaodong Military Commandery.

At the entrance of the yamen, many carriages were already parked, each one incredibly luxurious.

Even in this snowy weather, the clan emblem on it was polished until it shone brightly.

As soon as Old Master Liu stepped down from the carriage, the officials immediately came to greet him.

"Master Liu, please come in."

Liu Yanchen followed the clerk to the office where the military commander received guests.

Stepping inside, a warm breeze immediately greets you, shutting out the cold wind and drizzle outside.

He glanced around and saw that there were only five people in the room.
But they were all old acquaintances, some powerful and influential people in the city.

Upon seeing him arrive, everyone present except for an elderly man with a white beard remained seated.
The other four stood up and bowed slightly.
"Old Master Liu".

Liu Yanchen smiled and pressed his hand down:
"No need to be so polite. We're all acquaintances. It would be a laughing stock if word got out that you're being too respectful to an old man like me."

The others just smiled, but the old man sitting opposite them let out a long sigh:

"Old Liu, things are about to change drastically in Liaodong."

Young people are taking over one after another, but we have no successors; there's no pillar of support in our family.

Liu Yanchen sat down. The old man opposite him was named Zang Shengjie, also the head of a prominent family in Liaodong.

He controlled some trade relations with Goryeo.
He controlled most of the businesses involving furs and herbs.

"Old Master Zang, it's all because the younger generation in our family is so disappointing."

These brats spend their days indulging in debauchery and never do anything productive.
It forces us two old folks to show our faces in public.

Look at them, several of them have gone to Jiangnan to recuperate, while we're stuck here. It's absurd.

Liu Yanchen pointed to the three middle-aged men and spoke with a smile.

Zang Shengjie suddenly looked a bit older and sighed softly:
"Isn't Liu Sili an official in the capital? He just doesn't have time to come back and take care of his family affairs."

"Old Liu, there's no need to worry. In Liaoyang City, I might be the only one without a successor."

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat somber.

Just as Liu Yanchen was about to speak, faint footsteps sounded from outside the door.

Pan Jing appeared at the doorway and saw the five people inside.

His stern face instantly broke into a warm smile.
"Gentlemen, I've long admired your reputation."
I have been in Liaoyang for many days, and only now have I had the time to meet you all. Forgive me for my ingratitude.

The group rose to their feet and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Lord Pan."

"Sit down, sit down, don't be shy, make yourself at home."

Everyone took their seats, and Pan Jing looked at the people in front of him.

The five major families were the most prominent force entrenched in Liaodong.
They have blood relatives in various major cities.
The family owns fields, people, and mines.

If we can get their support, then building the road will be a piece of cake.

As Pan Jing was lost in thought, Zang Shengjie looked at him thoughtfully and tentatively asked:

"Lord Pan, you look familiar to me. Did you come to Liaodong a few years ago?"

Pan Jing laughed, making no attempt to hide anything:
"I dare not deceive Elder Zang. I served under Marquis Wuding in Liaodong for many years."

At the time, he was just a minor commander in a garrison, not worth mentioning.

"Oh? No wonder Lord Pan looks so familiar to me, it turns out we're old acquaintances."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanchen looked at him thoughtfully, a look of realization dawning on his face:

"Lord Pan, I think I've seen you before. It was when you were organizing troop training outside the city, wasn't it?"

"Yes, yes, I didn't expect that Old Master Liu still remembers."

Pan Jing was overjoyed. Since it was an acquaintance, things would be much easier.

"Haha, Mr. Zang and I are getting old, it's rare to see an old friend like us."

I apologize for my rudeness, Lord Pan.

"Since we're old friends, why be so formal?"

Pan Jing waved his hand, and his personal guards brought out fruits, tea, and snacks.

Everyone chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

After about 15 minutes, Pan Jing slammed his teacup down, his smile vanished, and he spoke very solemnly:
"Gentlemen, I have invited you here today because there is an important matter to discuss."

"Oh? What is it? Please speak freely, sir."

Zang Shengjie straightened his back very solemnly, giving Pan Jing plenty of face.

Taking a deep breath, Pan Jing said in a deep voice:

"Several gentlemen have likely heard of the grand events in Da Ning."
When I arrived, I passed through Daning.
I saw the bustling construction site and the wide road that would connect Daning City and Shanhaiguan.

For a time, I longed for it.
Therefore, I was thinking, could we build such a road between Liaodong and Daning City?

This would allow for future trade and commerce, a win-win situation for both sides.

After the words were spoken, the yamen room fell silent.
Zang Shengjie and Liu Yanchen, who usually get along very well, also fell silent, quietly holding their teacups.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Even the very young Wen Jingchen couldn't stand the awkwardness and laughed:
"Since the Commander wants to build a road, it's a decision made with a single word, and we will certainly support it wholeheartedly."

Pan Jing, as if grasping at a lifeline, asked with great interest:
"Does Master Wen think that the military commander's office should also have roads repaired?"

Wen Jingchen's heart skipped a beat, and he regretted his impulsiveness.
He pursed his lips and forced a smile as he said:

"We have some merchants under our command, so if the roads were better, that would be fine too."

Pan Jing nodded in satisfaction and looked at everyone present:

"Since everyone agrees that the road should be built, then I won't keep you in suspense any longer."

They wanted to build an official road from Daning to Liaoyang.

At least 400,000 taels of silver are needed.

I have already discussed this with Lord Lu of Daning City.

The cost of this road was shared between the Northern Military Command and the Imperial Court.
The rest will be handled by our Liaodong Military Command.

"Excellent, excellent." Zang Shengjie nodded with a smile and said respectfully:
"Lord Pan truly lives up to his reputation as a high-ranking official from the capital; his actions are indeed extraordinary."

Once this road is built, Liaodong and Daning will be closely connected, which is a tremendous good thing.

"I just wonder when the commander plans to start construction?"

"Ahem." Pan Jing coughed lightly, his face showing difficulty:

"Old Zang, to be honest..."
The military region had just experienced war, and the people were impoverished and suffering immensely.

This matter of money is a real headache.

Upon hearing this, everyone present looked enlightened, as if they had just figured it out.

The atmosphere became dull again, making Pan Jing very embarrassed.

After a while, Liu Yanchen spoke with a smile:
"Lord Pan, repairing bridges and paving roads is simply something we wealthy people should do."

My Liu family still has some money, which can help the Commander-in-Chief a little.

Pan Jing's eyes lit up instantly, and he looked over in disbelief!
"Really?"

Liu Yanchen smiled and nodded:

"How can we not support something as beneficial to the country and its people as road construction?"

However, such a massive project required the labor of tens of thousands of people.
It may take several years to repair; I wonder if the imperial court has agreed?

Please don't misunderstand, sir. I was just afraid, so I hurriedly threw the money in.
If the imperial court then disagrees with the command's road construction, we'll be in a real bind.

Pan Jing's face stiffened, but he smiled and said:

"Old Liu, rest assured, I will handle this matter."

As long as there is sufficient financial support, the imperial court will not mind contributing to its development.

After all, with the road repaired, troop deployment will be much easier in the future.” Zang Shengjie nodded:
"What Lord Pan says is absolutely right. May I ask how much silver the Commander-in-Chief still needs?"

Pan Jing remained silent for a long time, while several piercing gazes shot towards him.

"The Dusi may still be short 100,000 taels of silver."

"One hundred thousand taels?"

Zang Shengjie was stunned when he heard the number; a hint of absurdity flashed in his aged eyes.
"Lord Pan, how do you plan to raise the 100,000 taels of silver needed?"

"Taxes will be collected at the beginning of the year."
At that time, the re-equipping of the garrison troops can be paused, allowing us to squeeze out some silver.
Some of the garrisons and military posts within the capital region were repaired, and land reclamation and mountain clearing were also able to squeeze out some resources.

As for the rest, we'll need the help of the gentlemen of the Commandery.

The group looked at each other, remaining silent for a long time.

Liu Yanchen broke the silence:
"Lord Pan, this matter involves a huge sum of money, a shortfall of 100,000 taels of silver."

Even if we are seriously injured, why don't we wait for the imperial edict?
With the imperial edict in hand, we have a better understanding of the situation and can better discuss it with our other friends.

Now, empty words are not enough to prove anything.
Even if you manage to get some money through connections, it won't be much.

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions.
The discussion lasted for almost an hour before it ended in discord.

After seeing the man off, Pan Jing stood at the entrance of the military headquarters and let out a sigh.

Being the commander of the frontier region was much more difficult than he had imagined.

In Yingtian, the capital city, a month and a half has passed since the sweet potato harvest.
The massive upheaval has finally begun to subside.

Even prime land in Yingtian, which had been priced high but had no market demand, began to see transactions.
Prices gradually recovered, while the price of substandard land began to fall.

Those wealthy and powerful figures in the capital who noticed this scene almost all breathed a sigh of relief.

They no longer expect to make money from the land.
I just hope things can be more stable, and that there won't be this constant ups and downs.

This past month and a half has been arguably the most devastating period of losses for the powerful and wealthy.
Dozens of wealthy businessmen from other places returned empty-handed, their retirement life abruptly ended, and they had no choice but to go back to doing business.

Within the capital city, road construction projects also became massive.

Initially, the repairs were only carried out in the lower part of Yingtian, near Jiangning County and Jubao Gate.

Because there are many residents and many merchants coming and going here.

However, the land speculators led by Yingtian Trading Company and Duke Li Jinglong of Cao State...
They amassed more and more wealth, until it became so much that they themselves were afraid.

They had no choice but to continue spending lavishly, repairing all the alleys and main roads in the four cardinal directions.
They even did some maintenance for the imperial city.
Some of the moldy and spotted bluestone slabs and white marble were replaced!

Even so, the money they left behind still made them uneasy.

Many, too many!
Even Li Jinglong, the Duke, felt it was a hot potato!
At this moment, he was walking on the Imperial Road, heading towards the Governor's Mansion.

His expression was extremely solemn, and his handsome eyes darted around furtively.

He felt that countless eyes were watching him.
They pointed and gestured at his back.

When he entered the governor's mansion,
The stinging feeling gradually subsided, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He soon arrived at the Left Army Commander's Mansion.
In the courtyard, they met Xu Huizu, the Duke of Wei, who was rushing over.

Xu Huizu held the document in his hand, his face grave.

Upon seeing Li Jinglong, a complex expression flashed across his face, before he glared at him fiercely and hissed in a low voice:

"You still dare to go out?"

Li Jinglong looked dejected, sighed heavily, and complained:

"The money I worked so hard to earn is now being treated like it was stolen! We're hiding and making a complete mess of things!"

"Serves you right!" Xu Huizu didn't hold back in his criticism:

“There are countless people in the capital who want to eat you up, but you brought this on yourselves.”

Li Jinglong sighed helplessly, shrugged, as if he had no other options:

"Being half a step ahead is genius, being a full step ahead is madness. Indeed, geniuses are envied by everyone!"

"What kind of nonsense is this? Keep quiet at today's military meeting and don't delay things."

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Xu Huizu's expression was somewhat solemn, and he lowered his voice to say:
"The roads built in Daning City are about to be put into use, totaling 150 li."

The imperial court attached great importance to this matter, and Liaodong also sent a memorial, intending to build a road as well.

His Majesty's intention is to have the Military Governor's Office, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works all contribute some funds to see if it's enough; if so, then the repairs can proceed.

Li Jinglong raised an eyebrow:
"What if that's not enough?"

Xu Huizu's gaze lingered on Li Jinglong, his meaning unspoken.

"Why!"

Li Jinglong's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

After drawing everyone's attention, he suddenly lowered his voice:
"The roads inside and outside the city have been repaired, and a lot of money has been spent. Why does Liaodong have to get involved with us?"

"Hmph, who told you you're rich?"

"Isn't Liu Sili even richer?"

"His money belongs to the Yingtian Trading Company, and it's from one of the Six Ministries of the Imperial Court."
Why spend your own money when you can spend other people's money?

In short, be careful, lest you become the slaughtered pig of the New Year.

The two unknowingly arrived at the entrance of the Left Army Commander's Office. Xu Huizu left a message and went inside.

Li Jinglong stood at the door, his expression shifting repeatedly.

Finally, he sighed softly, realizing that what he said made sense.

He followed them into the government office, and whether it was just his imagination or not, he wondered.

Li Jinglong felt that when he entered the yamen, the eyes of all the officials seemed to be shining.

Especially Zhu Shou, the Left Army Commander, and Xiao Qi, the Vice Commander, seemed to want to devour him.

He feigned composure, walked to the rear right side of the head seat, and sat down next to Xu Huizu.
They remain as observers today.

Before long, Duke Fu Youde of Yingguo and Marquis Guo Ying of Wuding walked in together, and everyone in the room, regardless of rank, got up to greet them.

They sat down to the left rear of the head of the table.
After chatting with the others for a while, he silently looked at the document in his hand, his expression becoming serious.

At this moment, Zhu Shou, who was at the head of the table, put down the document, glanced around, and said in a deep voice:
"I have gathered you all here today for two matters, which I would like to discuss with you."

"The first thing is the area between Liaodong and Beiping,"

Should we continue to increase our troop strength to guard against the nomadic tribes of the Bo'erhai grasslands?

According to our scouts, most of the grasslands around Buyur Lake now have eleven [unclear - possibly referring to a number of grasslands].
Each of these was a large tribe of over 30,000 people, controlling countless cattle and sheep, with perhaps over 100,000 able-bodied men.

"The second thing is that a cement road needs to be built between Liaodong and Beiping Regional Military Command."
It's three times the width of the original official road, capable of accommodating thirty carriages side-by-side, and the estimated cost is 400,000 taels!

As soon as Zhu Shou finished speaking, a collective gasp filled the yamen.
Many of the adults in the audience were shocked by these numbers.

"Lord Zhu, the Fisherman's Sea has just achieved a great victory."
"They've already made a comeback in just two years?"

Minister of War Shen Jin frowned slightly, his voice heavy.

"There has been no recovery, according to the scouts."
Most of these steppes were migrated from the Tatar and Oirat regions.

There are only two local fishermen in most parts of the sea.

As for why they migrated, it was also related to our northern expedition.
Nairbuqa's fate made many people aware of the tyranny of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
So everyone dispersed, resulting in this scene.

Shen Jin's expression grew even more solemn, tinged with some doubt:
"There are already eleven fishing boats in the Bu'er Lake area, and the population is about to reach 500,000. Why did the imperial court only find out about this now?"

The kind-hearted Shen Jin was somewhat startled; there were 500,000 people entrenched in the north.

A heavy snowfall could cut off their escape route, thus allowing them to plunder southwards.

If hundreds of thousands of people rush in, even if you can hold them off, the losses will be enormous.

His question created a somewhat awkward atmosphere in the room.

After a long silence, a voice came from the corner, tinged with a mocking tone:
"The Northern Pacification Command is busy doing business with the grassland people."
Naturally, they would prefer as many people as possible; why would they report this matter to the imperial court?

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Qi De, the chief clerk of the Ministry of War.

(End of this chapter)