Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 51 Debt
The two groups on the left and rear gathered more than a hundred soldiers who were proficient in water. Zhao Lunzhi and Li Damu led them to Yandu County to meet up with the Tianshi Dao.

The land and water shape the people. Having lived by the Yangtze River since childhood, almost everyone in Jingkou can swim.

There is always a way out. As long as you are willing to work hard, you will always find a way to survive.

A light snow fell in the fifteenth year of Taiyuan (390).

Liu Daogui had just sorted out various things and had no time to catch his breath when trouble came again.

Yuan He said he would report the matter truthfully, but Huan Hong and Huan Daozhen did not let the matter go easily.

They did not dare to cause trouble for the soldiers, as they did not dare to put the blame on Liu Daogui.

"Three hundred dan of grain, five hundred sets of winter clothes, one thousand jin of firewood and grass, equivalent to a market price of twenty-three thousand one hundred and twenty-seven strings of cash, three hundred and fifty-six coins and seven cents..." Xun Xinzhi counted the beads on the abacus.

It's accurate to the centimeter, which shows how precise the abacus is.

More than 23,000 coins, that's more than 23 million coins...

Liu Daogui stood there in a daze, taking a long time to catch his breath. "Chief Secretary, please understand. This money... was used to support the nobles, not to be embezzled by me. So why is it being charged to me?"

Xun Xinzhi rolled his eyes. "You said it's for the nobles. Do you have a military order? Do you have a transfer order from this Chief Secretary?"

If it was Yuan He, Liu Daogui could still make a few excuses, but when he met Xun Xinzhi, no matter how much he reasoned, it would be useless.

Liu Yi was tricked by him and fell into a deep pit. He hasn't climbed out yet. No one knows where he is or whether he is dead or alive.

"The envoy and the chief secretary were not at the military headquarters at the time, but the soldiers had already come to us..."

"That's your business. If you don't acknowledge this account, you will be guilty of embezzling money and food. According to military law, you can be exiled to Lingnan." Xun Xinzhi lay on the table, poured a cup of tea with one hand, and sipped it slowly.

"I am willing to admit it, but I can't afford so much money." Liu Daogui was furious. Xun Xinzhi was more difficult to deal with than Huan Hong.

The winter clothes and food belong to the Huan family, not to him, so why should he rely on others' power...

I don’t know what Yuan He told Huan Hong.

But his last name is Yuan after all, and Huan Daozhen and Huan Chengzhi both have the last name Huan...

"That's easy. It's 20% interest every year. It doesn't matter if you can't pay it back. Once you sign this contract, you will be a member of the Huan family from now on." Xun Xinzhi took out a bamboo slip and pushed it in front of Liu Daogui.

Although the 20% profit is a little lower than the popular monk millet on the market, the cost is really too huge.

With the interest compounding, Liu Daogui will not be able to pay it back not only in this life, but he may not even be able to pay it back in the next life.

But he said it was 20% interest per year, which means 4,600 strings per year...

The new year has just begun and there is still a year left until the end of the year.

The Huan family is being targeted by Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao, and it is unclear what their situation will be by the end of the year.

If Liu Daogui could gain a foothold in Lanling, with a blank seal in his hand, and use his brain, it would not be impossible for him to make 5,000 coins a year.

Lanling is on the border, so at worst, he could just use both the black and white sides to rob Yan State...

Too many lions won't bite, too many debts won't worry.

As long as Huan Daozhen and Huan Chengzhi don't kill me now, there will always be a way to survive.

Huan Hong's goal was just to have an obedient dog, not to actually kill himself.

Xun Xinzhi acted as if he had Liu Daogui in his grasp, "You'd better not have any other thoughts. Don't forget that your entire Liu family is still in Jingkou."

The threat is beyond words.

"How dare I?" Liu Daogui still maintained a respectful look on his face, but anger rose in his heart. You, the Huan and Xun families, had better stay high and mighty forever and not give others any chance.

"That's good that you don't dare. Take care of yourself." Xun Xinzhi glanced at him and snorted.

"I'm leaving." Liu Daogui bowed.

Xun Xinzhi didn't even raise an eyelid. After leaving the Office of the Chief Secretary, Liu Daogui immediately went to find Yuan He. He was responsible for the account, but he still needed an explanation and some inside information so that he could handle things with more discretion in the future.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he went out, he ran into Yuan He.

He looked like he had been waiting for a long time.

"Sima Ke, please make the decision for your subordinates!" Liu Daogui started to play the victim as soon as they met.

Yuan He said, "I can't do anything about this matter. It's already hard to negotiate a 20% annual interest rate. If you open up more fields in Lanling and capture more bandits, wouldn't it be easy to get 400 to 500 dan of grain a year?"

Lanling has fertile land and a mild climate, and is named after its abundant orchid production.

"A good cook cannot cook without rice, and I am short of manpower..." Liu Daogui took advantage of the situation.

Yuan He said meaningfully, "You are a member of the middle-ranking army. The deployment, training, and suppression of bandits are all handled by you."

Liu Daogui was waiting for this sentence.

The Central Military Commissioner submitted a letter of recommendation, which was stamped by the Commander-in-Chief. It was reasonable and logical, and Xun Xinzhi and Huan Daozhen were unable to interfere.

When the time comes, I will lead the four divisions of the Central Army to the north, make a coat out of tiger skin, and suppress the evil spirits in Lanling. Then things will be much easier.

All things are difficult at the beginning, but once you take the first step, the rest will be easy.

"Thank you Sima for your guidance!"

"Dao Ze, how is Minister Wang these days?" Yuan He suddenly asked.

The Minister Wang was naturally referring to Wang Mi.

How could I possibly know about the Wang family of Langya?

However, the meaning behind his words was very clear. He was testing the relationship between Liu Daogui and Wang Mi.

I had always thought that he was helping me, but it turned out that he was doing it for the sake of the Wang family of Langya.

"Sima has praised me, how could I know about Minister Wang's affairs?"

Wang Mi did say that if he encountered any problems, he could go to Wuyi Lane to find him, but since others said so, Liu Daogui could not really do so.

"That's true. Daoze, please be more careful in the future." Yuan He said this and entered the yamen.

Liu Daogui was stunned and stood there, paying more attention...

Yuan He has been immersed in officialdom for many years, and what he says cannot be taken lightly.

After thinking about it, it must be Huan Daozhen or Huan Chengzhi who won't let me go...

Two days later, Liu Zhong and Liu Zhen finally returned from illness and brought Xiao Yuanzhi's letter.

The letter said that Xiao Tingzhi was indeed from the same clan, but they were already five generations apart and had been separated by more than seventy years between the north and the south, so their relationship was not very close. However, he had already sent someone to contact him.

Should give some thin noodles.

In addition, the letter also mentioned that the court had transferred Wang Gong as the governor of Yanzhou, the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of Yan, Qing, Ji, You, Bing, Xu and Jinling in Yangzhou, the former general, and the acting general, and he was stationed in the Northern Palace.

Western Yan's Murong Yong is preparing his troops, eyeing Luoyang covetously. The imperial court may deploy troops to Heluo. Liu Laozhi has been reappointed as the prefect of Pengcheng, supporting General Longxiang and Yuzhou Governor Zhu Xu, who is guarding Luoyang...

Liu Daogui closed the bamboo slips and suddenly understood why Yuan He asked about Wang Mi today.

It turned out that the situation in Jingkou had changed. Wang Gong, Wang Xun, and Yin Zhongkan had obtained the military power of the Northern Palace. Their strength had greatly increased, surpassing Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao.

Yuan He threw a stone to test the waters in order to find a way out for himself. If he could establish a relationship with Wang Mi, coupled with the Yuan family's status, his future would be limitless.

The Wang family of Langya is so famous and has a deep foundation that it dominates the world's aristocratic families.

Whether they admit it or not, in the eyes of others, Wang Mi is Liu Daogui's backer.

(End of this chapter)