Chapter 44: Jiang You's Richest Man

  Regarding Yuan Chonghuan, in the Ming Dynasty, he was a household name. During the Later Jin's brutal period, he was like a giant nail that the Ming Dynasty had placed in Liaodong to stabilize the region, leading the Guanning Iron Cavalry to defend against foreign enemies and repeatedly foiling Huang Taiji's plots. In the military, he was known as the God of War. Later generations' evaluations of him were polarized: some said he was a national hero, while others said he was a sinner for all eternity. Many opinions swirled around, but no one could convince anyone else because it was history, and no one had witnessed it firsthand - not even Lu Haoshan could distinguish right from wrong.

  Liaodong is too far from the capital, and in ancient times, news was blocked. When something big happened somewhere, it would often take several months to spread. Now, Emperor Taizong led his army to attack the capital, and the emperor himself was worried, but the people of Jiangyou couldn't feel it. They still worshiped gods, drank wine, and admired lanterns as usual. It's not that they were numb or heartless, but rather there was very little news about this aspect, and the imperial court would also selectively block information. In the eyes of ordinary people, as long as they had paid their taxes to the state and could make a living, they were content.

  Lu Haoshan's current position is too low, and he can't even get in touch with people like Yuan Chonghuan or important events. It wasn't until he saw the imperial edict and a stack of official documents that Lu Haoshan felt the urgency of time.

  Lu Heishan's heart was filled with emotion as he flipped through the stack of imperial edicts: As the saying goes, "Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger." Yesterday, they were still basking in the emperor's favor, but after one night, they were thrown into prison. Yuan Chonghuan could not have imagined that after leading his troops on a long journey of several thousand miles to return to Beijing and provide relief, he would not even be allowed to enter the city gate. After a bloody battle outside the city, he was lifted into Beijing in a large basket, and with one order from Emperor Chongzhen, he was thrown into prison. The iron cavalry of Geng Jing, who had fought bravely, did not even have time to rest and regroup before being forced to return to Liaodong, covered in blood and armor. This treatment of the meritorious general chilled the hearts of countless soldiers.

  Those people who were once so powerful, some were Yuan Chonghuan's family generals, some were his confidants, and some were his personal attendants. These people who were once invincible have now become the most wanted criminals of the imperial court. It is indeed true that thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west bank of the river, it is hard to predict the affairs of the world.

  If it weren't for the imperial court still needing the Geng Jing Iron Cavalry to guard the borders, or if the Geng Jing Iron Cavalry were not too elite and powerful, with no one able to suppress them, I estimate that Chongzhen would not have let this legendary army go. Chongzhen had the ability and talent, but unfortunately was born at the wrong time, taking power when the Ming dynasty was already on its last legs, and coincidentally encountering the Little Ice Age, having the heart to govern the country, but lacking the strength to change fate.

  Another thing is that he is too suspicious.

  "Sir, sir, are you okay?" Cao Hu looked at Lu Hao Shan holding those warrants and not speaking for a long time, as if in a trance, and couldn't help but ask softly.

  Lu Haoshan finally came to his senses, shook his head and smiled: "Nothing, just thinking that Houjin is too deceitful, now it dares to send troops to our Great Ming, threatening the capital, truly audacious."

  "It's not possible!" Cao Hu said with a furious face: "That pigtail has only tens of thousands of people, but my Great Ming has tens of millions of people stationed in Liaodong. It seems that they have all become decorations, letting others ride on their heads and shit. Now they are still infighting, it's simply a group of fools."

  "Alright, don't say any more, be careful what you say or trouble will come from your mouth." Lu Haoshan interrupted him and said: "These national affairs are not something that small people like us can comment on, just do your own job well."

  Cao Hu's face turned stern and he immediately said: "Yes, sir, your teachings are correct."

  Zhou Dàyuan smiled and said on the side: "Cao younger brother has arrived, just in time, let's have a meal together."

  "This..."

  Lu Haoshan nodded and said: "Go ahead, we are discussing our next plan."

  County Magistrate and the others have spoken, so naturally there are no objections. The two of them go to the Welcome Pavilion together for a meal. Although the Welcome Pavilion is crowded with people, the three giants of Jiangyou County have arrived, and this Welcome Pavilion is also a property of the county government. When the fat shopkeeper sees the county magistrate arriving, he puffs out his chest and hurries out to personally take care of the three of them. Soon, a sumptuous feast is prepared in a private room where no one can see. Besides, Lu Haoshan is not a pedantic person, so on this rare good day, they naturally want to enjoy themselves thoroughly.

  When a person has been eating wild vegetable porridge for several months, he knows how happy it is to be able to eat a delicious piece of braised pork.

  After three rounds of wine and five dishes, they again brought up the matter of Cao Hu and Li Yunniang, slowly turning the conversation to the main topic. Lu Haoshan took a sip of wine and casually asked: "Prefect Zhou, after Chen Gui's death, has anyone come knocking on your door looking for trouble? I heard that Chen Gui used to be all-powerful in Jiangyou, with many followers, and I'm worried about potential future troubles."

  "Sir, you can rest assured," Zhou Dajuan said with a smile: "As the saying goes, 'when a person leaves, the tea becomes cold', who would still care about a fallen person? Sir, that move of not pursuing others' responsibilities and then guaranteeing that all received benefits will not be pursued is a great trick. It isolated him at once, and no one in Jiangyou County dared to speak for him again. Chen Gui had two sons, neither of whom was learned or skilled, and they formed a gang called the Black Tiger Hall. On the day Chen Gui went to prison, Cao the police chief led his men to disband it. Oh, right, I heard that he had a good relationship with the Governor, and he never forgot to show respect during holidays, but unfortunately, the Governor was removed by the Emperor last September for not doing a good job collecting grain. So, there's no one left to speak for him either."

  Lu Haoshan said with some doubt: "Isn't the Chen clan the largest family in this county? Not even a single movement?"

  "Since ancient times, civilians do not fight with officials. If Chen Gui hadn't died, they might have made a fuss again. But now that Chen Gui is dead, would they still dare to rebel?" Cao Hu sneered: "I'm afraid they won't make trouble, I was thinking of grinding their sharp edges, in the past they relied on Chen Gui's power and did many things that couldn't be seen in public, if we didn't bother them, they would all laugh secretly, would they still dare to make trouble?"

  Zhou Dàyuán sneered coldly on the side: "The first great family? Are they worthy of it?"

  "Huh? Does Jiang You have a family even more prominent than the Chen clan?" Lu Haoshan asked with a curious expression.

  "The Chen family, which only recently produced a Chen Gui, has risen to prominence in just the past few years. To be precise, it was only after Chen Gui took office as county magistrate that they began to flourish. The time is too short, and now the Chen family has only two useless young scholars who are not even close to being a jinshi or a juren. They have no foundation whatsoever. At most, they can be considered a nouveau riche family, capable of intimidating ordinary commoners. If we're talking about the number one family in Jiangyou, it's got to be the Zhao family."

  "What's with the Zhao family? What's going on?" Lu Haoshan curiously asked.

  When it comes to the Zhao family, Zhou Dàyuan's eyes showed a few more points of respect, and he said seriously: "If you want to say that the first family in Jiangyou is the Chen family, then the Zhao family would be second. No one in Jiangyou County dares to claim to be the first. It is said that Old Man Zhao was a scholar and had read extensively on the classics, his behavior and demeanor were elegant and courteous, even the maidservants in their household were dignified and refined, exuding an air of a wealthy family. Some people say that his ancestors held high-ranking positions, while others claim that they have relatives who are successful salt merchants. However, the Zhao family never discusses these matters and keeps a low profile. Moreover, they are not native to Jiangyou, so their reputation is not as great as the Chen family's. In my humble opinion, whether it's talent or wealth, the Chen family can't compare to the Zhao family's little finger. Old Man Zhao is truly the richest man in Jiangyou."

  "Aren't they locals?"

  "Uh, it's said that they moved here over 40 years ago and immediately bought a large piece of land to settle down. At the time, it was still handled by a local official, you can tell they have a wide network of connections, and many people say they are a branch of some big family, coming here to spread their roots. However, they pay taxes on time, never shirk labor duties, and maintain excellent public order. For decades, there hasn't been a single case of fighting, the county government can't quite figure them out, and slowly Zhao's village became a rather special existence."

  This small Jiang You still has such a family? Lu Haoshan immediately became interested and had already planned to go and investigate their background when he had time.

  Everyone discussed the situation of the county government, and under Cao Hu's strong request, Lu Haoshan agreed to kick out Zhang Chunian, who had once been Chen Gui's confidant, from the county government. Zhou Dayuan also suggested that several of Chen Gui's loyal followers in the county government be transferred far away, and Lu Haoshan agreed with this requirement as well.

  Just getting started now, still need to rely on these two people to help themselves out, naturally want to show their trust in them.

  Just as it was about to end, Lu Haoshan said seriously to Zhou Dayuan: "Zhou officer, I have something that needs you to take care of."

  As soon as Zhou Dàyuan saw Lù Hào Shān's serious expression, he immediately stood up, bowed and said: "Sir, please instruct."

  "Nowadays, disasters occur year after year, and prices are skyrocketing. It's estimated that for a long time to come, the situation will only get worse. As the saying goes, 'with grain in hand, one is not worried', other things are of no concern to this official, but Jiang An Cang must be managed well, and all unusable or spoiled food must be disposed of. This official has reviewed the documents, which say that Jiang An Cang can store up to 30,000 dan of grain. This matter is now entrusted to you."

  "Sir, as the ancients said, 'A good year is followed by a bad year.' After suffering from disasters for several years, shouldn't we have a year of favorable winds and rains? I agree to manage Jiang An Cang well, but now there's too much accumulation. I'm afraid if we suffer losses, they will also be great. According to the regulations, storing 10,000 dan is already sufficient."

  As usual, that's not wrong, but coincidentally, when it comes to the Xiaobing River period, those disastrous days are still long. However, Lu Haoshan couldn't explain these things to him, so he had to deceive him by saying: "This is what a very famous Taoist priest said, and he also asked this official to keep it confidential. Zhou Siyi, just do as I say, and the silver needed can be withdrawn from the county government."

  "Yes, sir." Now Zhou Dàyuan is obedient to Lu Haoshan's words, after all, the money spent is not his own. He finished speaking and quickly rolled his eyes a few times, saying in a low voice: "Sir, if this year is still a poor harvest, grain prices will rise again. If it is placed in Jiang'an and discovered by the superior officials during inspection, it may be transferred away. Even if it is not transferred away, the grain price has risen, and the account operation is not good. Why don't we find another place to hide the grain? After all, if there is a loss, it will be the county government's, but if there is a profit, it will be yours."

  Zhou Dàyuán said with a smile so wide it lit up his whole face, truly radiant.

  "Alright, it seems Zhou Sishi has thought this through. Let's do it then, and store as much as possible. I guarantee you'll make a profit, not a loss." Lu Haoshan was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately agreed to his proposal.

  To achieve great things, the first thing to do is to deeply cultivate one's foundation and accumulate resources. Later on, food will be more precious than gold. With food, there will be people. Now, Lu Haoshan only cares about results, not the process.

  "Yes, sir."

  Three people were talking and eating at the same time. Just as they were about to finish, someone suddenly knocked on the door: "Young master, young master"

  It was Liu Jinzhu's voice, and Lu Haoshan immediately responded: "Come in."

  Liu Jinzhu came in and said, "Young master, Zhang Yunhui, the county clerk, has an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please return to the county government office immediately."