diymy Chapter 40: Zhongshan’s wealthy businessmen
Chapter 40: Zhongshan’s wealthy businessmen
Everyone drank a few more cups, and the aroma of tea filled the air.
Liu Bei put down his teacup and began to discuss the most pressing matter at hand.
"Gentlemen, there is one more thing."
He looked at everyone and said slowly, "Qiuliju previously gifted me over a hundred top-quality grassland warhorses and over a thousand fine sheepskins."
"What I mean is, apart from Demou and Yigong, who each choose one horse, all the rest of these warhorses should be replaced with oxen."
"These sheepskins were all sold and exchanged for money and food."
Upon hearing this, apart from Xu Rong and Tian Yu, who already knew, Cheng Pu and Han Dang were all taken aback.
Han Dang was the first to speak, urgently saying, "My lord! Those are over a hundred top-quality warhorses!"
"These are all carefully selected fine steeds from the grasslands, enough to form an elite cavalry force. How can we replace them all with oxen?"
"What a pity!"
Cheng Pu nodded in agreement and said in a deep voice, "My lord, what Lord Yi said is absolutely right."
"With these horses, we can immediately train an elite cavalry force of several hundred men, giving us more confidence to deal with the Xianbei."
"While oxen are important, there is no need to replace all warhorses."
Liu Bei shook his head, his tone calm yet firm, and said, "I know these warhorses are precious, but right now, what Liaoxi lacks most is not warhorses, but oxen for plowing."
"More than 20,000 households of refugees were distributed to various forts. They had to reclaim wasteland and cultivate the land, but without oxen, they had to rely entirely on manpower, which was extremely inefficient."
"The refugees have no hope, no food, and even with many warhorses, they cannot defend Liaoxi."
He paused, then added, "Furthermore, with our current financial resources, raising over a hundred warhorses would be extremely costly."
"Why not replace them with oxen for plowing, so that the benefits can truly reach the people, allowing displaced people to settle down and the fields to produce grain?"
"With full granaries and the people at peace, will we still have to worry about not having warhorses in the future?"
Upon hearing this, both of them fell silent.
They were all military generals, and their first thought was about military strength, but Liu Bei was thinking about the foundation of Liaoxi and the people under his rule.
Upon closer examination, this is indeed the case.
Without people and without food, even the most elite cavalry is like a tree without roots.
Tian Yu spoke first: "Your Majesty's wisdom and foresight are admirable."
"It's just that local oxen are scarce in western Liaoning. It won't be easy to find enough oxen to replace the oxen that make up a hundred or so warhorses. It will be hard to find such a large horse merchant in a short time."
"What's so difficult about that!"
Han Dang immediately slapped his thigh, stood up and said, "My lord! When I was in Lingzhi, I met a group of horse merchants from Zhongshan."
"They trade horses in Youzhou and Bingzhou year-round, have extensive connections, and are honest and reliable. They'll definitely be able to get some oxen."
"Leave this to me, I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly for our lord!"
Liu Bei was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Excellent! Lord Yi, I entrust this matter to you!"
No one had any further objections; they all felt that it was most appropriate to entrust this matter to Han Dang.
The group chatted about some details and parted on good terms.
The next morning, Han Dang, accompanied by two attendants, rode at full speed to Lingzhi to find the group of horse merchants.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and all matters in western Liaoning were progressing in an orderly manner under the management of Tian Yu, Xu Rong, and Cheng Pu.
As refugees were gradually distributed to various forts, the reclamation of wasteland and the repair of water conservancy projects had begun, and the expansion of the local militia had also started. The whole county was in a thriving state.
On this day, Liu Bei was in his mansion inspecting the resettlement of the refugees sent by Tian Yu when his personal guards came in to report.
"My lord, the traitor Han Cao has returned, bringing with him two guests who claim to be horse merchants from Zhongshan. They are waiting to see him outside the gate."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately put down the register, stood up, and said, "Please come in quickly!"
Before long, Han Dang strode in, followed by two young men in their twenties.
He had a thin face and sharp eyes, and looked like a shrewd, pragmatic, cautious and thoughtful person.
The other person had a square face, was calm and experienced, and looked like a person with sharp eyes and decisiveness.
Behind the two were dozens of strong and muscular men, each with a tall and upright posture, clearly skilled guards protecting the caravan.
"My lord! I have brought the person to you!"
Han Dang grinned and stepped aside to introduce them.
"This is Su Shuang, and this is Zhang Shiping."
"They're all wealthy merchants from the Zhongshan Kingdom, who trade horses in the northern frontier year-round. They're my old brothers from Lingzhi!"
Liu Bei looked at the two men before him and was suddenly jolted, his heart filled with turmoil.
Su Shuang! Zhang Shiping!
These two were his first and most important angel investors when he raised his army in his previous life!
It was these two who provided him with money, provisions, and horses at the very beginning of his uprising, enabling him to raise his first army and embark on the path to conquer the world.
In his previous life, he had lived a life of hardship and always felt grateful for the kindness of the two people, but he was never able to repay them.
He never expected that he would meet the two of them at this time, in this place, and in this way.
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping noticed Liu Bei looking at them and their expressions changed slightly.
They hurriedly stepped forward, bowed deeply to Liu Bei, and spoke with utmost respect, without a trace of the arrogance of wealthy merchants: "We, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping, greet Lord Liu!"
"I have long admired your esteemed name, and it is an honor to meet you today!"
"Please rise, both of you!"
Liu Bei quickly stepped forward, helped the two up with both hands, and his tone was full of joy and warmth.
"I have long admired your esteemed names; it is truly an honor to have you both here today!"
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were both taken aback. They were just horse merchants from Zhongshan who had only recently taken over their family business.
Although he had some minor reputation in the northern frontier, he never expected that Liu, the famous magistrate of Youzhou, would say, "I have long heard of their great name."
He was immediately flattered and felt even more favorably disposed toward Liu Bei.
The two men quickly replied, "Your Excellency is too kind to us commoners!"
"We are merely horse traders who travel all over the country; how could we possibly deserve such high regard from the magistrate?"
"But you, my lord, have secured the borders against the Xianbei and cured the plague, saving countless lives. Even Lord Qiao has praised you highly."
"We had long heard of your righteous deeds in Youzhou and admired you greatly."
"If it weren't for the introduction of the Yi brothers, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to visit the magistrate."
The two hit it off immediately and found themselves getting along very well.
Knowing of their future righteous deeds, Liu Bei did not put on airs. He simply chatted with them about the customs and traditions of the northern frontier, the difficulties of the horse trade, and the people of the border regions.
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping traveled all over the country and were used to the arrogance and greed of officials.
I have never seen anyone like Liu Bei, who held such a high position yet remained so humble and polite.
A person who cares about the people and understands the hardships of business.
He admired her even more and had already decided to befriend her.
After chatting for a while, Liu Bei led the two to the stable in the backyard to see the more than one hundred grassland warhorses.
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were both experts on horses. Looking at each horse, their eyes were filled with amazement, and they repeatedly exclaimed, "What fine horses! Truly fine horses!"
"These are all top-quality steeds from the grasslands, with superb speed and stamina. In the Central Plains, they are treasures that are in high demand and short supply!"