You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 111 Price Listing
Tan Zhen truly understood Tong Xuanshuai's state of mind.

You might think you have a good relationship with Chen Shao, but he'll betray you and slap you in the face.

Just when you think you've fallen out with him, he can act like nothing happened and come back to talk about collaboration.

And you really can't refuse him.

Because he's not taking you for a fool; he's genuinely trying to exchange benefits with you.

He personally commanded his troops to advance by both land and water. When Fang La was at his wit's end, he set fire to government offices, treasuries, and civilian residences. Afterward, he took several boatloads of treasures and escaped with his trusted relatives.

Then they were ambushed by Chen Shao halfway there.

Chen Shao was willing to exchange Fang La, Fang La's wife Shao, his son Fang Hao, the fake prime minister Fang Fei, and 52 others for the grain transported from Hangzhou.

Tan Zhen fell into deep thought.

Chen Shao doesn't plan to be promoted any further, because he can't be promoted any higher. He's a very practical person, and even if you give him a title or something, he probably wouldn't care.

Shao-ge'er, Shao-ge'er.
Do you really think that once the imperial court has freed up its resources, it will allow you to continue your separatist rule in the Northwest?
Tan Zhen felt that Chen Shao was too young.

After conquering Liao, Youyan was recovered, and annual tribute was no longer required.

If the imperial court can recuperate for a few years, its strength will increase to a higher level. At that time, whether it is Western Xia or Chen Shao in the Northwest, they will be nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.

Do you really think we're still living in the Five Dynasties period, an era where warriors roamed freely?

In Hangzhou, six million shi of grain were arranged by Fang La to be burned once the city fell.

Unfortunately, his follower set the fire too late, and most of the victims were saved.

These grain supplies absolutely cannot be exchanged with Chen Shao; Commander Xuan still needs them for his campaign against Liao.

However, since Fang La had already declared himself emperor and given his wife, children, and subordinates official titles such as empress, crown prince, prince, and prime minister, this achievement was very tempting.

Looking at the messenger, Brother Pang, Tan Zhen said, "This is a big matter. Please have Brother Shao come and discuss it with us in person before making a decision."

After clasping his hands in a fist salute, Pang Ge withdrew.

Once outside Hangzhou, Pang Ge began to grumble, "That old eunuch has such a sinister aura. Every time I stand next to him, I feel a chill down my spine."

Back at Chen Shao's camp, after relaying Tan Zhen's message, Mei Zang Pang asked, "General, please don't enter the city. I'm afraid it's a trap."

"You still know about the Feast at Hongmen?" Chen Shao looked up with a smile.

“The group of people gathered outside our camp performed a village opera during the New Year. I went to see it.”

Chen Shao laughed and said, "Who invited whom to the Feast at Hongmen?"

"Xiang Yu invited Liu Bang."

Chen Shao laughed heartily and said, "Prepare the horses!"

With a dozen or so personal guards, Chen Shao headed straight for Hangzhou, unafraid of Tan Zhen turning against him.

These officials of the Song Dynasty followed a set rule: if you wanted to punish Chen Shao, you had to have a pretext.

Otherwise, it will become a reason for other parties to attack you.

Moreover, to deal with Chen Shao, you can't just deal with Chen Shao; you have to dismantle his power structure first.

Now that he's here, he can still keep the various people in the Dingnan Army in check. People can talk to him about things, and he can even be used to quell the rebellion in Jiangnan and block the Western Xia.

If he were gone, and the Northwest were to descend into chaos, it wouldn't be as trivial as the situation in Jiangnan.

Fang La was pacified in a few months, but the Western Xia dynasty has been in turmoil for over a hundred years.

The sun was already high in the sky when they entered Hangzhou city, and Chen Shao almost vomited.

This once prosperous city is now filled with a foul stench; Fang La has truly not been lenient with the people of Hangzhou during this period.

There are corpses everywhere, and it's been so long and they still haven't finished dealing with it.

When we arrived near the government office, things were a little better; the floor had already been washed clean.

As he approached the gate, Chen Shao greeted a group of guards with a broad smile.

All of them kept their eyes straight ahead, pretending not to know him.

Chen Shao didn't mind. After entering, he found that there weren't many people in the hall, except for Tan Zhen and another person he didn't recognize.

Tan Zhen smiled and introduced, "Brother Shao, come here quickly, let me introduce you. This is Yuwen Xuzhong, courtesy name Shutong, a Jinshi in the third year of the Daguan era."

"Uncle Tong, this is Chen Shao, courtesy name Mingyuan, the brother-in-law of General Zhong."

In the Song Dynasty, the title of Jinshi (进士) was still the most valuable. Even without mentioning official rank, people would first point out that the person was a Jinshi.

At this point, most martial artists would feel inferior to others, even if their official rank was higher.

Fortunately, Chen Shao was no ordinary man. He smiled and said, "So it's Brother Shutong. I've heard so much about you."

Yuwen Xuzhong nodded politely, "I have heard of your great name, General."

Chen Shao sized him up and found him to be a handsome man with a broad forehead, full cheeks, and dignified appearance. He spoke politely and made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Chen Shao couldn't help but wonder when Tan Zhen had acquired such a figure.

Logically speaking, the matters to be discussed next were somewhat too explosive and not suitable for other people to be present.

Since Yuwen Xuzhong was able to stay, he must be a confidant of Tong Guan.

Actually, this was simply because Chen Shao didn't understand people like Tong Guan very well.

Strictly speaking, Yuwen Xuzhong was one of Liang Shicheng's men. They never hid their deception of each other when they did things that deceived their superiors.

Many things were done by a group of people. Try suing one of them. If you dig up all those old stories, even if all eighteen generations of ancestors were resurrected, they wouldn't be enough to kill.

Why were the Six Thieves able to coexist for so many years, despite their ups and downs and changes in status and power, yet none of them ever left the stage?

It is this strange yet plausible relationship between treacherous officials that allows them to fight amongst themselves, but also to unite as one when faced with a critical threat.

"With the recapture of Hangzhou, the civil unrest in Jiangnan has been effectively quelled. The next step is some follow-up matters. Shao-ge, you have truly made a great contribution. By the way, how is the situation in the Northwest?"

"Lord Tan, your question is rather inappropriate. I was ordered to come here to quell the rebellion. The affairs of the Northwest are the responsibility of the state officials. How can I possibly do two things at once? The Northwest will always be the Northwest of the court, the Northwest of His Majesty, not my fiefdom, Chen Shao's territory."

"Haha, Brother Shao is still as witty as ever." Tan Zhen secretly observed Chen Shao's expression and said, "I only heard that the Xia bandits have gathered troops in Yanzhou again."

"Oh?" Chen Shao asked, "When did this happen?"

Tan Zhen smiled slightly at Chen Shao, whose face was full of inquiry, and said, "I also learned about this from the military newspaper in the capital just a few days ago."

Chen Shao sneered inwardly and sighed softly, "People leave and the tea grows cold. Such an important matter, yet Yanzhou didn't even send me a message."

"Human relationships are fickle, and the world is cold and indifferent. There are many sycophants in the world, so why should Brother Shao be upset about this?" Tan Zhen gave Chen Shao a meaningful look.

Chen Shao cursed inwardly, "Someone like you think you can distract me and sow discord?"

Even if someone in the Northwest wanted to seize power, they would be completely impenetrable.

Would a diverse group of Qiang and Hu people allow a Han Chinese official from the Song Dynasty to take control of the overall situation?

Or would the Han soldiers he led allow a single chieftain to dominate?
You want me to go back to the Northwest? I'm not leaving. I'll be the first to fight, and the first to leave after we win.
At that moment, a muffled rumble of thunder came from the horizon, attracting the attention of all three, who turned their heads one after another.

"Looks like it's going to rain," Tan Zhen said casually.

"One spring rain brings one chill." Chen Shao laughed. "As the military commissioner of Liangzhe, Lord Tan should also consider rebuilding Jiangnan. Otherwise, how many people will freeze to death on the streets? I dare not even think about it."

Tan Zhen's temper grew increasingly irritable. He couldn't help but reach out and tug at his collar, inwardly cursing that this guy was even more talkative than him. He wasn't in a hurry at all and just wouldn't bring up Fang La's matter.

He had lost patience to argue any further, so he nodded and said, "Fang La is a villain who has caused considerable harm. What does Shao-ge'er intend to do with him?"

"Tan Gong is the commander-in-chief; how could I be qualified to deal with Fang La?"

Tan Zhen said, "Before this thief fled Hangzhou, he ordered his men to burn down the government treasury, turning six million shi of grain into ashes. This is truly an outrage against both gods and men!"

"Alas!" Chen Shao sighed, "What a tragedy! All that pure white rice has been burned like this, and the imperial rations haven't arrived yet. My brothers haven't had anything to eat for three days!"

Tan Zhen had no objection to this, because Chen Shao led his troops to quell the rebellion but indeed did not receive a single grain of rice.

One thing at a time. Tan Zhen is not the kind of person who is completely unreasonable, and it doesn't mean that we will stop cooperating in the future.

Even if he didn't point it out, Tan Zhen would still make it up to him.

“Military rations are really scarce. How about this: Hangzhou has been ravaged by Fang La, and less than one in ten people are still alive. There are still some paintings, calligraphy, gold, silver and jewelry from the ‘Palace of Imperial Sacrifices’ in the treasury. Shao’er, you can take them and find a way to buy military rations. Don’t let the soldiers lose heart.”

"That's fine too."

Chen Shao knew that he most likely wouldn't get any grain, but he'd be willing to pay money!

He didn't actually have much money. But he was situated between the Tanguts, Mongols, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Khitans, and the Central Plains, so money could be converted into resources.

The gentry, wealthy families, and officials of Hangzhou were indiscriminately slaughtered by Fang La.

Those who were killed can no longer reclaim their family property. Even if they have descendants, it's a messy affair, and they probably can't get it back.

After things were out in the open, neither side kept anything secret anymore. Everyone knew what kind of people the other was, and there was no need to worry about saving face.

Tan Zhen clapped his hands and called in all his subordinates who were in charge of the accounts; these were all old friends of Chen Shao.

Unspoken to each other.

"Everyone knows that Hangzhou had six million shi of grain, but after Fang La set fire to it..."

Chen Shao immediately waved his hand and said, "I don't care about that."

Tan Zhen's expression turned somewhat grim. He waved his hand, signaling his men to continue, skipping over the matter of Fang La burning the grain.

The accountant glanced at Chen Shao and continued, "The current price of rice is about 2500 cash per shi (a unit of dry measure), so six million shi would be equivalent to fifteen million guan (another unit of dry measure)."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Chen Shao and asked him if he agreed.

In fact, the price of grain in the Song Dynasty has risen due to the many wars in recent years. In the early Northern Song Dynasty (such as in the second year of Duan Gong), the price of grain was extremely low, with a price of "ten coins per dou of rice". However, due to war and inflation, the price of grain has soared.

Chen Shao knew he had underreported the number. He had planned it out before he came and had a clear line in his mind.

“They’re all acquaintances.” Chen Shao rubbed his temples. “Twenty million, I guess.”

Tan Zhen stood up immediately. This money absolutely had to be scrutinized down to the last penny, because the biggest problem facing the court right now was finance.

For this reason, they were even willing to take action against the Imperial Guards.

This shows great courage. The problem of the Imperial Guards was known to emperors and prime ministers throughout history, but no one dared to touch it.

Only Zhao Ji and Cai Jing, one was the emperor with the most power since the founding of the Song Dynasty, and the other was the prime minister with the most power.

Only then did they dare to give it a try.

"Brother Shao, don't ask for too much."

"Then it's eighteen million strings of cash. I'm not taking money; I still need to do business and make my own profits. In any case, these are all things from dead people. I didn't ask the court for a single penny for this rebellion!"

Yuwen Xuzhong was stunned.
He wondered if he had misheard.

At first, both sides used high-sounding official language to cover up their true intentions and secretly pulled each other along.

How did they suddenly become so open to bargaining?

Such a significant matter was described to them as nothing more than a quarrel between a peddler and a buyer at the market.

After much thought, his thoughts settled on Chen Shao's words, "They're all acquaintances."

Chen Shao came from the Victorious Army; perhaps this was the norm within their army.
Yuwen Xuzhong believed himself to be absolutely loyal to the emperor and patriotic. He was wholeheartedly concerned for the well-being of the Song Dynasty, but he was not pedantic.

He believed that pursuing everything aboveboard was impossible; as long as it benefited the country, he could tolerate some sordid schemes.

Just like this time, if Chen Shao from the Northwest hadn't led his cavalry to drive the rioters to Hangzhou, who knows how much money and grain would have been wasted if they had spread out.

Moreover, Chen Shao didn't actually ask for much.
In this campaign against Fang La, Chen Shao was the main force, and his cavalry was invincible, making full use of the advantages of cavalry.

Of course, it was also because the Southerners had never experienced the brutal beatings of cavalry.

It should be noted that six million shi of grain, while sounding like a lot, meant that the imperial court had to allocate twice that amount each year to supply the imperial guards.
It was said that there were 600,000 Imperial Guards, but in reality, only a very small portion of the money and provisions ended up in the mouths of the ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Guards.

The rest were divided up by all sorts of monsters and demons, who clung to the Song Dynasty like bloodsuckers, sucking its blood.

If Your Majesty and Grand Tutor Cai can successfully reform the finances of the Imperial Guards, the military rations saved each year will be enough to support the army fighting against Liao for ten years.

Yuwen Xuzhong tried his best to adapt to the situation. He secretly reminded himself that he was not an inflexible person and that they were also trying to quell the rebellion, which was better than losing.

Seeing that he was being outmaneuvered by Chen Shao, Tan Zhen simply pushed aside the accountant and took the initiative to negotiate with Chen Shao himself.

At times, the two sides engaged in heated exchanges and sharp debates; at other times, they sighed and lamented, feigning pitifulness; and occasionally, they reminisced about the past and their feelings.
His ability to laugh, scold, and express himself with ease impressed even Yuwen Xuzhong.

Finally, the two sides settled on a price of 17 million, plus the complete withdrawal of Shengjie Army from several fortresses in Hengshan; Chen Shao promised that he would not lower the price for jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, gold and silver, and medicinal materials, and would accept them all.

This actually helped Tan Zhen a lot.

He gained a great deal from this battle, but transporting the spoils back to cash would require too much time and effort.

Since Chen Shao was willing to take it all, Tan Zhen was happy to make some concessions, since wholesale and retail prices are not the same.

This is the difference between powerful traitors and regional warlords.

No matter how powerful you, Tong Guan, Tan Zhen, or even Cai Jing and Liang Shicheng, are, you are still within the system, bound by rules and regulations, and subject to various other forces.

To digest such a large amount of wealth, various factions will need to wrangle, compromise, and divide the spoils. It's going to be quite a hassle.

Chen Shao, on the other hand, could directly command the merchant caravans within his jurisdiction to serve him. In the five prefectures of Dingnan, no one would make things difficult for him.

All you need to do is offer benefits, provide convenience, and pay some compensation.

As a result, merchant ships began to arrive in Hangzhou, a city in dire need of reconstruction.

They are professional and efficient, handling valuation, bookkeeping, loading, and transportation.
Chen Shao, on his side, also handed over the prisoners one by one according to the progress of the task.

Fang La had some talented subordinates, but most of them died in battle.

Those who escaped with him were all relatives, a motley crew of oddballs.

After capturing Fang La, he discovered that the real Fang La was not as monstrous as the rumors suggested.

This man has his merits, but he can't shake off his free-spirited and chivalrous nature. He can be a powerful figure in the local area, but he lacks a lot when it comes to actually starting a rebellion.

First of all, he doesn't know how to fight.
Both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yuanzhang rose from humble beginnings to rebel, but Zhu Yuanzhang was a natural-born military genius. The combined achievements of all the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty might not even equal his.

However, Fang La made the mistake of infiltrating Hangzhou, which shows that he had no strategic vision.

With the delivery nearly complete, Chen Shao mounted his horse and prepared to conduct one last inspection of the military camp before setting off back to the Northwest.

Before this expedition, Chen Shao was very happy, and he regarded Fang La as a great gift.

It's an NPC who replenishes his health before the Jin army marches south.

But after actually winning, the arrival of victory did not bring the joy I had anticipated.

The cold air and the smell of blood in his nose gave him a vague feeling that... the horror and slaughter had only just begun.

Moreover, the tragic state of Jiangnan made him completely unable to feel happy; these were his fellow countrymen.
Why was he so determined to stop the Jurchens from advancing south?
It's just that they don't want to see the Central Plains trampled by foreign tribes and rivers of blood flow.

Now, seeing them fighting amongst themselves, they are even more brutal than foreign tribes.

Although this battle was not as large as the one fought by the Western Xia, far too many civilians were swept up in it. They were powerless to fight back and were repeatedly bullied by Fang La, the Xiang Army, and the Imperial Guard.

Several soldiers wearing wide-brimmed hats were escorting a group of prisoners when suddenly one of them spotted Chen Shao and shouted, "General, spare our lives!"

Chen Shao turned his head and looked around. Among the prisoners, some were cursing loudly, some remained silent, and some were eager to try.

Chen Shao went over and asked, "What are these?"

A junior officer replied, "General, these are all prisoners, but not among the fifty-two."

"What's your name?"

"Wang Yin!"

Chen Shao was filled with respect and chatted with him for a while before realizing that Wang Yin was not as important as he was in Water Margin.

He was just an ordinary military officer under Fang La, not a man of both literary and martial talents; he was a stonemason by trade and had never been to school.
They couldn't even get on the list of the fifty-two people who were exchanging money.

"Your lord Fang La was defeated, and everyone was willing to die for him. Why did you surrender?"

Wang Yin shouted, "Fang La could not succeed. His demise was his own fault. I advised him to cut off the canal transport, threaten the Yangtze River defense line, not to enter Hangzhou, and to treat the people well, but he did not listen!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shao nodded. The fact that he could say "do not enter Hangzhou" showed that he did indeed have some talent.

"Untie me and come back to the Northwest with me."

Wang Yin knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "Thank you, General, for sparing my life!"

Do you have family members?

"All alone."

"That's fine."

(End of this chapter)