Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 206: Planning
The General's Office was once again caught in a tug-of-war and buck-passing.

With everyone passing the buck and blaming each other, the incident of the robbery in Yandu was forgotten.

Four ships were anchored at Guangling Port. Liu Daogui boarded one of them, which was filled with money and silk, no less than 30,000 to 40,000 strings of cash. The total value of the four ships was as much as 110,000 strings of cash.

Liu Daogui's purse was full again. "How could there be so much?"

Kuai En laughed loudly, "Liu Yi wanted to curry favor with Sima Yuanxian and used this money to buy a Zhenwu General, but before it could even be transported up, we robbed it! This amount of money is not much. If all the salt fields are restored, what is this amount of money?"

Langya cannot compare to Yandu after all.

Yandu has been vigorously developed since the Spring and Autumn Period.

"I'll give you 20,000 strings of cash, and the rest will all be converted into grain and stored in Lanling. After the New Year, each household will receive one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain," Liu Daogui said to Liu Huaishen.

The world is about to descend into chaos. Food will be the hard currency, and money will continue to depreciate.

"Don't worry, Agui," Liu Huaizhen nodded.

"Twenty thousand strings of cash? You're really willing to share some of the money with me?" Kuai En's eyes lit up. He had been completely taken advantage of by Liu Yi, leaving him with psychological trauma.

Liu Daogui was never stingy with money and liked to use it to bribe people. He believed that such relationships could last because he believed that "if you put in a lot of effort, why shouldn't I share the money with you? My rule is to be fair in rewards and punishments."

"Now I understand why you two brothers have become so famous. Not only can Liu Yi not defeat you, but I'm afraid no one in Jiangzuo can defeat you either."

Kuai En's face was full of admiration.

Liu Daogui smiled and said, "Go to my brother's place, change your name, lie low for a few years, and when things have calmed down, you will have your day to shine."

"Alright!" Kuai En bowed respectfully, then led his subordinates onto another merchant ship under the cover of night, heading towards Jingkou.

Liu Huaisu purchased grain in Guangling overnight.

I originally thought that 90,000 strings of cash could buy a lot, but the price of grain had already skyrocketed. A dou of rice was selling for 300 strings of cash, and a shi of rice was 13 strings of cash!
Liu Daogui's 70,000 strings of cash were only enough to buy a little over 5,300 shi (a unit of dry measure).

And you might not even be able to buy them.

Liu Huaisu lamented: "Last year, there was a severe drought in Guzang, Xiliang. Even a bushel of coarse grain sold for five strings of cash. People resorted to cannibalism, and more than 100,000 people starved to death."

Li Damu asked, "So, are we still going to buy it or not?"

Liu Daogui gritted his teeth and said, "Buy, buy them all, and we need to do it as soon as possible!"

This year, the Celestial Masters sect caused chaos, resulting in heavy casualties among the people of the three Wu regions and eight counties. More than 200,000 people were plundered by Sun En, and grain prices are expected to rise further.

Money is no longer of any use if you keep it in your hands.

Moreover, Sun En could make a comeback at any time, and then having money wouldn't be of any use.

Liu Daogui's mind is now filled with thoughts of food. He used to live in Jingkou, where his family often went hungry, and he knows all too well how terrible hunger can be. When people are starving, they don't care about anything else.

Now that the business is expanding, the issue of food security can no longer be taken lightly.

Fortunately, I have farmland south of the Sishui River. After clearing the land last year, I should be able to harvest something this year.

After returning to his official residence, Liu Daogui tried to keep a low profile.

Let Huan Hong, Gao Yazhi, and Liu Yi fight like dogs.

Liu Laozhi also sent someone to inquire once, but when it came to the internal strife between the Huan and Sima clans, he only scratched the surface, choosing to protect himself and stay far away.

Logically speaking, given such a major incident, the imperial court could have used this opportunity to remove Huan Hong.

But for some reason, they remained unmoved, and didn't even question Liu Yi.

Just as Liu Daogui was wondering what was going on, Yuan He delivered a secret letter.

After reading the letter, Liu Daogui was also stunned. It wasn't that Sima Yuanxian was unwilling to take action, but rather that he was currently overwhelmed with other matters and had no time to deal with this mess.

In just two months, the armies of Xifu had decided the victor.

After Huan Xuan captured Baling, he took a step back and led his army back to Lingkou, the mouth of the Ling River where it flows into the Yangtze River, located in Dangtu County, Danyang Prefecture.

Yang Quanqi and Yin Zhongkan believed that Huan Xuan was afraid of their strength and that the army was short of food, so they took the initiative to attack. A great battle was fought at Matou. Yang Quanqi led Yin Daohu and other elite troops of 10,000 men to advance by both land and water, and defeated Huan Xuan's vanguard Guo Quan.

However, Huan Xuan then led his elite troops to the scene and attacked from both land and water, first defeating Yin Zhongkan's navy and then surrounding Yang Quanqi.

Yang Quanqi fought valiantly but was no match for the elite Xifu army. His retreat was cut off by the Xifu navy, and his entire army was wiped out. Yang Quanqi fled to Xiangyang alone, but was caught up by Feng Gai. He and his brother Yang Guang were beheaded and their heads were sent to Jiankang and hung at the Zhuque Gate for public display.

His younger brother Yang Siping, and his cousins ​​Yang Shangbao and Yang Zijing fled to the barbarian lands and escaped the disaster.

Yin Zhongkan fled to Zancheng, where he was captured by Huan Xuan's pursuing troops and forced to commit suicide by poison.

His son, Yin Jianzhi, transported the body to Jiankang in a hearse and buried it in Dantu...

Huan Xuan gained control of Yong and Jing provinces in one battle, which made him a powerful figure in Jiangzuo. With the addition of Jiang and Yu provinces, his strength increased rapidly and surpassed that of Jiankang.

Everyone knew what he would do next. All the important towns on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River had fallen into Huan Xuan's hands, and Jiankang was already under his military might.

"Yin Zhongkan not only betrayed Yang Quanqi, but also the Sima family..."

Liu Daogui was speechless. He wasn't afraid of god-like opponents, but he was afraid of pig-like allies.

Yin Zhongkan held key fortresses and important towns on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. He could easily send some capable people there, implement a scorched-earth policy, and hold the position without fighting. This would give Huan Xuan a hard time, and he certainly wouldn't have won so easily.

No wonder he and Wang Gong were on good terms; they were two of a kind, boasting great reputations, but when it came to the crucial moment, they were both utterly useless and their reputations collapsed.

Wang Yan, Yu Yi, Yin Hao, and Wang Ningzhi were all like this.

Yin Zhongkan's rapid defeat had even greater consequences. Sima Yuanxian originally intended to sit back and watch the two tigers fight, but the defeat was so swift that he had no time to react before Jingzhou and Xiangyang were annexed by Huan Xuan.

A colossal entity has risen in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

In the Jiangzuo region of the lower Yangtze River, the situation changed dramatically, and Huan Hong's power rose accordingly.

After reading the secret letter, Liu Huaizhen was also stunned. "If Yin Zhongkan hadn't committed suicide by poison, I would have really suspected that he was an inside man of the Huan family... Huan Xuan killed two birds with one stone and became a powerful figure in Jiangzuo. I'm afraid Huan Hong will be detrimental to Agui."

Liu Daogui laughed and said, "This is Guangling, the territory of the Northern Army. What can Huan Hong do to me? He should be afraid of me!"

The last demonstration was very effective; the group bickered amongst themselves, but none of them came to cause trouble for him.

This shows that these people are aware of the situation and will never provoke those they shouldn't.

Liu Daogui's foundation is now solid. He can't speak for himself outside Guangling City, but inside Guangling City, Huan Hong and Liu Yi combined are no match for him.

Liu Huaizhen shook his head, "That makes sense."

"Since the court can't take care of us, let's just take over Yandu, restore the salt fields, and monopolize the salt profits." Liu Daogui decided to go all in; it would be a waste not to take advantage of the easy money at hand.

Yandu is right next to Sheyang Weir; it's just a short distance away, and military households can cross it at any time.

In other words, Yandu was under the control of military households.

The military households now follow Liu Daogui's lead without question. With the right timing, location, and popular support, they might as well take advantage of it.

"If the imperial court investigates, they might suspect us..." Liu Huaizhen's name is not wrong; he is very cautious in everything he does.

"Haven't you realized yet? The imperial court is finished."

(End of this chapter)