Tiger Guards

Chapter 84 Huge Wealth
As the sky gradually brightened, Liu Xie, who had stayed up half the night, finally fell asleep.

It was not until daybreak that Yang Biao, who was in charge of reorganizing the county troops, sent 300 men to reinforce the defense.

During sensitive periods, sending too many troops is not good, nor is sending too few.

Zhao Ji stood guard for a night and returned to Wei's manor with his riding slave and Qu Bei.

They were all very tired, and the two men selected knights, fifty each, and sent them to the emperor's headquarters to patrol the periphery.

However, last night the leaders of both sides discovered something extraordinary in the manor.

Therefore, Zhao Ji and Qu Bei had to conduct in-depth negotiations.

In Wei's bright and open attic, Zhao Ji and Qu Bei had breakfast together.

Before the army is reorganized, it is best for the two to eat and sleep together, just like close friends who hit it off at first sight and feel they had met too late.

The breakfast was rich, including food prepared by Huben for Zhao Ji and breakfast prepared by Xiongnu nobles for Qubei.

Zhao Ji took a piece of yogurt lump and took a small bite. It was brown and yellow and didn't look very clean, but Zhao Ji trusted his stomach.

After moistening it with saliva, bite into small pieces and chew them. It is very sour, appetizing and makes your mouth water.

Seeing Zhao Ji tasting the yogurt cubes and not disliking this typical Zhuhu food, Qu Bei smiled more often.

Ghee, a specialty of the Xiongnu herdsmen, is very popular among the Han people, but they generally lack interest in yogurt, another product produced during the production of ghee.

Qubei ate his corn porridge and started a conversation with a small matter, asking, "No one from Jishan has survived. The court has put their heads on display in Anyi to verify their identities. Why does Zhonglang look so downcast? Is there anyone he knows from Jishan among them?"

"No, I've lived in Jishan for almost two years. There are indeed hunters and mountain dwellers who are good at archery, but there is a general lack of mounts."

Zhao Ji stirred his bowl of mutton soup, which still contained chunks of tofu, and continued, "There's something I can't understand. In February, a group of Xiongnu crossed the Fen River and took the small road to Jishan. They were ambushed near Baibi. People say they were ambushed and annihilated by bandits from Jishan. Rumors are circulating about this. Could the Right Wise King shed some light on this?"

"This..."

Qu Bei obviously knew the inside story. Seeing that the topic was heading in the direction he expected, he smiled and said, "It's not a good thing either. Zhonglang, please keep it a secret and don't get angry."

"I just want to clarify my doubts. If other matters have nothing to do with me, I won't interfere."

Zhao Ji expressed his position, frowning and trying to guess: "Is it related to the smuggling of horses, salt, iron and military equipment?"

"This is a minor matter. It won't kill over a hundred people."

Qubei smiled playfully, squinting at the weeping willows outside the attic window. "Most of the emperor's concubines, royal family members, and noble wives were abducted by the thieves Li and Guo. Some also escaped from the common people and crossed the river to Hedong. One of the concubines falsely claimed to be Princess Wannian, hoping to be sold to the north for a high price. When she arrived, the north claimed she was a fake and demanded an explanation. The south refused, so they sent people across the Fen River and took the small road to Jishan, hoping to avoid the eyes and ears of Hedong."

He laughed, though not with amusement. "But when these people set out, someone leaked the news to the south. After crossing the Fen River in the south, the soldiers and horses were poisoned, and they were attacked and killed by bandits from Jishan. Then, the Chanyu Yufuluo died of illness in the north, and his brother succeeded him. And I dared not return to the country."

"Because of a woman whose identity is difficult to identify, I became a lost dog."

Qubei sighed and said, "Many nobles in our country admire Chinese learning and like to marry noble Han women. In recent months, some women have asked for help from Puban County. The county government will send people to Anyi, but we cannot know how many will be sent. I wonder how much Zhonglang thinks this information is worth?"

Zhao Ji was silent. After taking a sip of the mutton soup, he felt a heaviness in his heart. He was puzzled. "I don't understand. They are so rich. The coins in the cellar are piled up, the hemp ropes are rotten, and there is even an uncountable amount of gold. Why would they care about such a small profit?"

This Wei family manor had a cellar vault, but the Huns did not just rob it and left, and they sent their own special forces to station there.

Last night, both sides were wary of each other and discovered not only the tunnel but also the cellar.

The amount of money was too generous, and only the leaders of both sides knew about it.

It was so generous that it could not be revealed to the tribesmen, let alone distributed, and even the court could not know about it.

No matter how this wealth is handled, it will cause trouble.

Zhao Jin would rather not discover these things than go to Bei. This money is given to the Xiongnu knights. After they become financially independent, who would care about you, the Right Wise King?

Not only will Qubei's power be destroyed, but his subordinates and leaders at all levels may also be left without any support.

Although the situation here in Huben is a little better, it is not much better.

If the people below know about it and you don’t understand, how can they obey and support you?

Isn't this what we are fighting for?

Wealth that is far beyond our cognition and ability is a disaster, especially in a year of food shortage like this.

Too many people cannot tell the difference between gold and food, and the vast majority of people lack self-control.

In any era, self-control and self-discipline are rare and excellent qualities.

Zhao Ji was very puzzled about Wei. The coins were rotting in the cellar, but he was still doing these kinds of things. What was he trying to achieve?
Since Wei Qing, the Hedong Wei family has prospered. Centering around the Hedong Salt Lake, the Wei family has accumulated huge wealth over three hundred years.

Zhao Ji found it difficult to understand, but Qu Bei, who understood a little better, said, "The Wei family has deep roots and supports so many people, so they must find something to do. If they do nothing, other powerful families will grow stronger, and how could they let the Wei family go?"

"I understand. Thank you, Lord Xian, for your guidance."

Zhao Ji bowed and thanked him, feeling heavy-hearted. This was just like the powerful men, big and small, stuffing their troops into the county soldiers, just to eat the taxes in Hedong, squeezing Wang Yi's financial space and preventing Wang Yi from expanding his trusted forces.

A county magistrate with only a hundred or so troops was obviously easy to control. He was a good county magistrate who was reasonable, lenient and loved his people.

After a brief pause, Zhao Ji said, "Although the Weiwei Zhou Zhong and Yang Qi have promised you and me that they will severely punish the Hedong clan thieves and thoroughly investigate, I do not trust them. I am worried that if we fail to eliminate the clan thieves, the Jishan bandits will wipe out my entire family. This matter of the Princess Wannian is extremely important to me. If Zhou Zhong and Yang Qi stop halfway, I hope to use this matter to anger the emperor."

Even though the truth of the Princess Wannian was unknown, Wei sold a person who claimed to be the Princess Wannian to Yu Furuo as a real princess. For Liu Xie, who had lost all his relatives, this crime was more than ten times heavier than Dong Zhuo's!
Only by eliminating the Hedong clan thieves can the so-called Jishan bandits disappear and your family will be safe.

Even though I don’t get along very well with my family, they are still my family after all. How can I let outsiders bully me?

As for Wei Gu's life, it is no longer that important at this moment.

The matter of Princess Wannian was too serious, and Wei Gu might not be aware of it.

Perhaps he knew about the huge wealth in the cellar of the manor, or perhaps he didn't.

But you can't gamble on the probability. If you want to keep this huge fortune, it's best to get rid of Wei Gu.

If the ministers make peace with the Hedong clan bandits, then we should expose the incident of Princess Wannian and let the emperor massacre the clan bandits.

By then, Wei Gu would have no chance of escaping beheading, and ordinary death penalty would no longer be able to appease the emperor's anger.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Ji said, "The wise king has traveled extensively and knows that in troubled times like these, soldiers and horses are the most valuable assets. I hope the wise king can persuade his subordinate kings not to seek their own doom. If you offer this treasure, the wise king may one day ascend to the throne of Chanyu."

"Chanyu..."

Qubei murmured, turning his head to look out the window at the weeping willows. "This little prince doesn't care about these riches. Although the Wei father and son are dead, their elders and confidants are still alive. What I am worried about is Zhonglang. Since Zhonglang can make such a decisive decision, this little prince respects him."

The wealth here is so great that even if the Huns unite as one, they cannot take it away; what's more, if they are exposed, the Huns will have their own thoughts and will not be able to withstand a fight. Not only will they not be able to take away the wealth, but they will also lose their lives.

He turned around to observe Zhao Ji and saw that he was not moved at all, so he asked, "Zhonglang, do you really not like gold?"

"Things you can't bring with you when you're born, and can't take with you when you die, are less valuable to me than a granary of grain. Your Majesty, there's no need to test me. Join me in writing a memorial to the Emperor."

"Zhonglang is truly a hero!"

(End of this chapter)