Chapter 24: The Impact of Tax Traps

  Lü Rui was indeed wronged by Cao Pi, but he insisted on marrying Cao Jie to Lü Rui as his first wife, and formally became in-laws with Cao. However, Lü Rui didn't hold any grudges, after all, being in-laws with Cao wasn't a bad thing either. Cao Jie, the empress of Emperor Xian of Han, was famous for her loyalty to her husband, so having this marriage connection wasn't bad at all!

  After the festival in Puyang City, Lü Rui took his entourage back to Fan County. Cao Song had not died yet, and it was uncertain whether Cao would launch a second expedition against Xuzhou. However, Lü Rui's fishing net in Fan County was about to be reeled in. Hehe, three years of preparation were needed, and by then, all the merchants in the world would be fooled by Lü Rui!

  Lü Rui returned to Fan County not long after, Cao Song also brought the young children of the Cao family to Lü Rui's Fan County. The reason was simple: Cao Chongzi had come for a vacation. Cao Song didn't cause any trouble, but Cao Pi and his group of kids gave Lü Rui a headache, causing the Qi State Marquis' residence to be in an uproar every day. In the end, Lü Rui could only issue a strict order that the young children of the Cao family were not allowed to enter his inner courtyard, before things finally calmed down slightly.

  In the Xu state, the steward of the Mu family was anxiously pacing back and forth in the courtyard. Why hadn't the master returned yet? He had important matters to report! Mu Zhen and Mu Fang had gone to Jingzhou to do business, and the steward had received the tax bill for Fan County from a few months ago. He stomped his foot anxiously - originally one coin of tax was now several hundred thousand coins! And what's more? Alas, seeing the accounts calculated by the accountant for the next few months' taxes, the steward was anxious to the point where his forehead was twisted into a mountain shape!

  Miao Zhuo returned three days later than expected, and Miao Fang and Miao Zhuo, the two brothers, entered the house with laughter. This time, they had successfully negotiated a big business deal, with the support of the Jiangdong family, their business in Jiangdong was now secure!

  The steward saw Zou and hastily went forward, anxiously shouting: "Master, you've finally returned!"

  Miao Zhu was taken aback, what's wrong with the housekeeper today? Usually a person who has experienced great winds and rains, how can he be so flustered? Today it's just his own brother here, if there were outsiders present, wouldn't that be losing face? Miao Zhu flicked his sleeve and asked: "Housekeeper, what's going on?"

  The steward hastily came forward and said in a low and urgent tone: "Master, something big has happened! The military supplies we transported from the north are probably gone!"

  As soon as he heard this, the whip in his hand slipped out of his grasp and fell to the ground. After a few seconds, Mo Zhu came back to himself and hastily asked, "Were you robbed by mountain bandits?"

  The housekeeper looked around and whispered to Mo Zhai: "Master, speak inside!"

  At this time, Mei Zong only discovered that he was at the gate. If it reached Tao Qian's ears, his life would be saved, but it would be half lost! Mei Zong hastily pulled the steward into the inner hall.

  The two of them entered the inner hall, and the steward hastily handed over the taxes he had calculated for three months later to Zou Shi. Seeing the numbers on it, Zou Shi was stunned, just staring at the decorations in his own house, without saying a word.

  The bitterness in my heart, the tears I've cried, can't express my emotions. I was schemed against, but what can I do? Not admit it? No way, a merchant's most important asset is integrity. Tell Tao Qian that I was deceived? People say "no sincerity, no business", would anyone believe me if I said I was deceived? Even if they did, I'm still the one who was beheaded to uphold military law!

  Mi Fang looked at her brother's appearance, and she was also bewildered. This time they were done for, done for. Tao Qian would not let the two brothers off. Thinking of this, Mi Fang tentatively asked: "Big Brother, what about this?"

  Mou Zhu looked at Mou Fang and said: "Second brother, pack your bags, this time we're going to Fan County to discuss business!"

  Miao Fang listened, scratched his head, looked at the beautifully decorated Chinese furnishings in the house, and asked: "Big brother? Are we giving up everything in Xuzhou?" After finishing speaking, he looked at all of this with a heartache. This was the Miao family's hard work for several generations. If they were to lose it like this, how could they face their ancestors?

  Mou Zhu looked at Mou Fang and said, "Second brother, don't be flustered. Although we lost to Lü Rui once, it's not necessarily impossible to turn the tide of defeat around. Let's go to Fan County tomorrow and win back our losses!"

  Miao Fang listened and nodded blankly: "Big brother? What about everything in Xuzhou?"

  Mo Zhu smiled and said, "We'll take our family to Fan County, leave the business at home to our brothers in the clan. Xuzhou still needs the Mo family to stabilize the market, and Master won't make things difficult for us. We'll go out and avoid the storm, then plan our next move!"

  As soon as he heard this, he suddenly realized that it made sense. As long as the two brothers left Xuzhou, Tao Qian would not be able to find them and would not dare to deal with the Mi family, because Xuzhou still needed to rely on the Mi family to maintain commercial stability, and the daily lives of the people also depended on the Mi family's business. Once he understood this point, Mi Fang immediately prepared his luggage and left Xuzhou at night with Mi Zhu and their families.

  Soon, Chen Deng also received the intelligence on taxes sent by Guan's family. Chen Deng was stunned when he saw the intelligence and hastily asked someone to invite Mi Zhu to his mansion. However, Guan's family returned to report that Mi Zhu brothers had already left Xuzhou!

  Chen Deng sighed, waved his hand to let the butler go down, and both he and Zou Jue were calculated. He didn't expect that the two great strategists of Xuzhou would be calculated by a child like this. Unexpectedly, Lü Rui's son actually understood this strange way? The arithmetic method was actually studied to such an extent. This child is clever, haha, has my Chen Yuanlong's style!

  Just as Chen Deng was admiring Lü Rui's cleverness, Chen Gui walked in. Chen Deng hastily bowed and said, "Father!"

  Chen Gui leaned on his cane and slowly sat down, then said: "Yuan Long? As for Lv Rui's tax case, what do you plan to do?"

  Chen Deng said: "Father, I have decided that our Chen family will return to Guangling and wait for an opportunity to take action!"

  Chen Gui nodded, although the Chen family suffered a heavy loss this time, it did not involve Xu Zhou Tao Qian's interests. The father and son could still stay in Xu Zhou safely. Moreover, Guangling was their hometown, with deep roots. With Guangling as their backing, the Chen family could stand undefeated in Xu Zhou!

  Chen Gui looked at Chen Deng and asked: "Yuan Long, this time our Chen family suffered a great loss. How to recover the loss depends on you."

  Chen Deng listened and cupped his hands saying: "Father, please give a clear order!"

  Chen Gui said: "Yuan Long, do you know where the Zou brothers went? They went to Fan County!"

  Chen Deng was stunned. Go to Fan County? Retrieve the goods? This is unreasonable! Chen Deng asked, "Father, why are Zou and Ju going to Fan County?"

  Chen Gui said: "To turn the tables, to regain the face that the Jiang family has lost, and also the influence. Do you know or not? Now all the aristocratic families in the world are spreading rumors that the black hand behind is the Chen family and the Jiang family!"

  Chen Deng was shocked and jumped up immediately, what? We've become the behind-the-scenes mastermind? Isn't this framing us?

  Chen Gui saw Chen Deng's appearance and said: "Yuan Long, don't be surprised. These are all rumors from the streets. After a long time, they will become true, and after a long time, the truth will also be revealed. What our Chen family needs to do is the same as the Mi family - to regain our face! We can't just be insulted by others without doing anything back. Yuan Long, hurry up and go to Fan County with Mi Zhu, and give Lü Rui a hard time!"

  Chen Deng nodded and said: "Yes, Father!"

  Chen Gui nodded and said: "Three days later, I will return to Guangling, you can set off too!" After finishing speaking, Chen Gui turned around and left.

  Just as the two big families in Xuzhou were filled with regret, Lü Rui was in Fan County, taking inventory of the spoils of war! As long as any family merchant team entered Fan County, their goods would be immediately confiscated. Many family leaders wanted to resist, but after seeing the tax bill and Lü Rui's troops, they all stopped. Others were just collecting taxes legally, if they took action, that would be their fault first, being killed or robbed would all be Lü Rui's rightful gain!

  In less than a month, Lü Rui's use of tax laws to seize the goods of the Han family had spread throughout the land. He began to enter the eyes of the great families of Han, and the first marquis appointed by Emperor Ling of Han in a hundred years was originally thought to be just a spoiled brat. Who would have thought that he actually had such extraordinary skills? The great families of Han were shocked, especially the wealthy merchants: "This young man is quite capable of doing business!"

  Lü Bu's law of plunder not only caused the aristocratic families of Xuzhou to suffer heavy losses, but also caused the Zhen family in Hebei to suffer heavy losses, which in turn affected the supply of Yuan Shao's army!

  Nearby Hebei Yi County, Yuan Shao's army was battling Gongsun Zan. Inside Yuan Shao's main tent, Yuan Shao sat in the main seat, staring at the officer in charge of provisions, his eyes blazing with anger. "I'm just about to launch a final attack on Yi County," he said, "and you tell me that our grain and fodder are gone?"

  The grain officer knelt down, trembling with fear, looking at Yuan Shao. If Yuan Shao uttered a word of execution, his own head would fall to the ground! Tian Feng saw this and stepped forward, cupping his hands and saying: "My lord, it's not that he's not trying his best at this time, the Yan family has also done their utmost. If it weren't for the help of the Yan family, our army might not even have had enough grain to retreat."

  Yuan Shao looked at Tian Feng, shook his head, what a pity! No food or fodder, Gongsun Zan? The only option is to retreat. If not, when the whole army has no food to eat, it will lead to mutiny!

  Yuan Shao clenched his fist and slammed it on the table, then said: "Pass down my order: retreat, have Zhang Yan and Mai Yi guard the rear, and have the main army return to Ye City to plot our next move. Appoint Gao Gan as the left army's protector to prevent a surprise attack by Zhang Yan!"

  Everyone nodded and said in unison: "Yes!"

  On the way back to Ye City, in the horse-drawn carriage, Yuan Shao leaned against the wooden bed and looked at Tian Feng, saying: "Yuan Hao? The grain and fodder in Ye City are only enough for my army's daily expenses. If my army cannot collect grain and fodder, I'm afraid that within two years, we won't be able to start another war, and it will be difficult to unify Hebei."

  Tian Feng looked at Yuan Shao and said: "What does your lordship mean?"

  Yuan Shao nodded and said: "Yuan Hua, I intend to appoint you as an envoy, go to Fan County, no, go to Yanzhou, and discuss with Meng De how to buy back our military rations. Remember, our army is currently most lacking in grain and fodder, whatever the conditions, as long as they are suitable, we can agree!"

  Tian Feng nodded and cupped his hands, saying: "Yes sir, I will definitely dig out the mastermind behind Lü Rui!"

  The next day, Tian Feng took a hundred guards and went to Puyang.

  Inside the city of Puyang, in Cao's mansion, many aristocratic families from Yanzhou gathered here. Cao refused to see them on the grounds that he was unwell. He paced back and forth in his room, worrying, how did I, old Cao, get framed again? The matter of taxation, I absolutely had no knowledge of it, this point old Cao swore to heaven! But how could the aristocratic families of Yanzhou believe him? Lü Yi collected taxes with legitimate contracts, not violating the law, reasonable and fair. The aristocratic families were at a loss, they could only come to Cao's place to make trouble and vent their anger.

  At night, Cheng Yu and Guo Jia arrived at Cao Cao's mansion. Cao Cao received them in his study.

  Guo Jia saw Cao Cao and cupped his hands saying: "My lord is well? Has he been troubled?"

  Cao was taken aback, smiled and pointed at Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, are you making fun of me again? This is a good disciple you've brought up!"

  "Your Excellency, Rui'er grew up in the Cao family!"

  The two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  Cao took a sip of wine and said: "I didn't expect that Rui'er would have such a peculiar talent, it's making me laugh and cry at the same time!"

  "Your Excellency, Rui'er is indeed lazy and indulgent, fond of enjoying himself, playing with unusual objects, and loving wealth. Everyone has their own preferences, but Rui'er's antics have brought great benefits to our army!"

  Cao listened and his complexion changed, then he said: "What is the situation with the imperial family in Yanzhou?"

  Guo Jia cupped his hands and said: "My lord, the aristocratic families of Yanzhou have suffered significant financial losses and can no longer control their numerous slaves and fertile lands. Many of these slaves have been absorbed into our army, bolstering our military strength. Recently, we've added 20,000 new soldiers to our ranks!"

  200,000 soldiers? The aristocratic families are indeed the root of the great Han's calamity. Being able to recruit 200,000 soldiers from their household slaves shows just how powerful they are. However, this time, heh heh, you've also suffered a huge blow. Without money and grain, how can you feed your people? Farming? It takes a whole year to reap the harvest, and time is precious!

  Cheng Yu also stood up and said: "My lord, I have already ordered the newly added soldiers to garrison in the abandoned fields and cultivate them. Within a year, we will have new land and grain, and our military strength will surely increase greatly!"

  Cao nodded and asked: "With so many new soldiers added, will there be enough food and fodder?"

  Guo Jia glanced at Cao Cao, smiled and said: "My lord, the grain is not enough, but you have a foster son with plenty of grain and fodder. Why don't we make him sign an IOU? I heard that Rui'er has seized all the grain and fodder from Yuan Benchu, and Yuan Benchu has retreated from Yizhou!"

  Cao heard this and said, "What, you want me to write an IOU again? Have I become a debtor? How am I supposed to repay it later?" Cao looked at Guo Jia, who flipped his hand, indicating, "My lord, I have no other solution, do as you see fit!"

  Cao only shook his head and sighed, "It seems we can only write more IOUs." Cao tapped the table and asked, "Feng Xiang, Zhong De, if we always borrow grain from Fan County, isn't that a temporary solution?"

  Cheng Yu cupped his hands and said: "Your Excellency is wise, so I and Feng Xiao have decided to speak to Your Excellency: advance on Xuzhou and seize the grain stores of the southeast!"

  Cao Cao listened and thought it made sense. With Rui's disturbance, the military strength of Yan Province surged, and they seized Xuzhou. This gave them more land, especially since Xuzhou was rich and fertile, providing a base for attacking with food and money. Cao Cao thought for a moment, then slammed his fist on the table and said: "Good! Let's use Tao Qian's disrespect for the imperial court's orders and his plot to harm high-ranking officials as an excuse to send troops to Xuzhou!"

  Guo Jia and Cheng Yu bowed their hands and said: "We are willing to assist our lord in capturing Xuzhou!"

  Lü Bu's tax policy unexpectedly influenced Cao Cao's decision, and Cao Cao decided to launch a second expedition against Xu Province, expanding his territory! Is this a coincidence or the usual course of history? Did Lü Bu change the course of history or did he create history? Only heaven knows!