Chapter 1281 – Conquering Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (23)
Speaking of which, probably no one would believe that Hua Yuan didn’t come to Dongqing to mess with Yuan Xin, Huang Song, or Jiang Pengji. No, he was genuinely here to借粮 (borrow grain). Yes, you read that right! Hua Yuan’s intention this time was to persuade the warlords to lend his lord a batch of grain.
The Southern Barbarians had wiped out Nan Sheng, and they tried to establish a regime to control the remnants of Nan Sheng, but alas, their civilization was even more barbaric than the Northern Frontier. They only knew how to destroy and had no idea how to appease the common people or help them recover. Short on women? Go snatch some! Short on food? Go pillage! Short on money, land, or manpower? Use force to conquer! The people of Nan Sheng were suffering greatly, and various factions were rising in rebellion against the Southern Barbarians.
However, wars need grain, and this would delay the spring sowing.
Delaying spring sowing means that the year’s harvest would vanish into thin air, making the food shortage even worse and further escalating the war.
It was a terrifying vicious cycle.
The grain shortage in Nan Sheng was growing larger, so many of the major warlords had to tighten their belts, let alone the smaller ones.
An Huan had established a foothold with Lü Zheng’s strategies, swallowing a few minor warlords before beginning to expand his influence.
Expanding influence requires capital, and An Huan’s conditions were too weak; sometimes he had to seek sponsorship and support to temporarily get through tough times.
This grain borrowing was truly a last resort.
If he couldn’t borrow grain, the people under his rule would struggle to survive until the next autumn harvest, and don’t even talk about recruiting troops to strengthen their power.
What does “borrowing” mean?
Temporarily using someone else’s possessions.
Due to the geographical position of Nan Sheng, they couldn’t borrow grain from the Southern Barbarians, and Zhong Zhao was too far away. After considering all options, they could only focus their sights on Dongqing. Little did they know, Dongqing was in chaos, with Jiang Pengji and Huang Song, the sibling rivals, fighting fiercely, neither looking like a landlord with surplus grain. Even if they had extra grain, these two were probably too calculating to easily part with it—a conclusion Hua Yuan drew after studying their personalities.
Without a doubt, Jiang Pengji was sharp and cunning, unwilling to suffer losses no matter what; tricking her would be far more challenging than Hua Yuan imagined.
Even regular folk would expect interest on borrowed money; loan sharks demanded a return of nine for every thirteen borrowed! And in chaotic times, food was rarer than gold.
Lending out food is easy, but getting it back is tough.
Jiang Pengji’s rapport with An Huan only extended to their cooperation with the Red Lotus Sect and their brief meeting at the Huang Shui Conference. With such a meager connection, could he expect her to lend An Huan a large amount of grain without interest? Before arriving in Dongqing, Hua Yuan had some thoughts, but they disappeared thereafter.
Before heading out to borrow grain, Lü Zheng, An Huan’s chief strategist, had even sent him a cool reminder.
“There’s still some hope with Huang Song, but don’t count on Liu Xi,” Lü Zheng had said.
When Jiang Pengji was studying in Langya County, he had crossed paths with her and knew well how sharp she was.
Even a thousand-year-old fox spirit could only be toyed with by her.
Even if Hua Yuan had abilities, against her, he’d probably meet his match.
Hua Yuan was still unaware of how difficult Jiang Pengji was to deal with, boasting, “How will I know it won’t work if I don’t give it a shot? She controls seventy percent of the grain-producing areas in Dongqing. Word has it that she’s managed things well these past few years, winning several major battles on others’ turf, and her lands have been flourishing, stockpiling who knows how much grain. That said, Liu Xi is actually the wealthy landlord who doesn’t worry about food during festivals.”
Not to mention the fortune Jiang Pengji had earned herself, the funds Liu Zhi had prepared for her were no small amount.
Even if she hadn’t reached out to Liu Zhi, to outsiders, this father-daughter duo appeared inseparable; the resources Liu Zhi amassed were all for his daughter.
Lü Zheng shook his head. “If you had the chance to see her, you’d know what kind of person she is.”
Hua Yuan asked, “Didn’t you have some friendship during her youth? Was she difficult even back then?”
“Very difficult! When she was studying in Langya, she was the star that everyone avoided. If you ask her for grain, nine for thirteen is already a good mood—get a bit more aggressive…” Lü Zheng paused here, a strange expression crossing his face.
Hua Yuan: “…”
Nine for thirteen, that’s practically payday loan territory!
The more Lü Zheng said, the more curious Hua Yuan grew about Jiang Pengji. After all, she was the first female warlord in history daring to vie for dominance alongside male warlords. What woman could command so many talented individuals willingly?
The result—
When Hua Yuan arrived in Dongqing, he realized these two were locked in a fierce battle.
Fighting was a money and grain-burning endeavor; with insufficient grain at home, how could they possibly spare any for others?
Even if Hua Yuan wanted to borrow on credit, it was likely Huang Song and the others wouldn’t allow it.
Without a proper channel, he could only think of a roundabout way to save the day.
Hua Yuan carefully analyzed the whole battlefield and keenly noticed profit could be made in Chenzhou, immediately rushing there through the storm.
Yuan Xin and Nie Xun were at odds; the former had injured the latter and was being pressured to jump through hoops by Jiang Pengji’s 50,000-strong army—
“Heaven is helping me!”
A plan quickly formed in his mind.
Hua Yuan excitedly rubbed his hands together; he knew how to pull off this trick!
With Yuan Xin and Nie Xun at odds and facing life-threatening dangers, the chances of Hua Yuan getting exposed dwindled to the minimum.
Yuan Xin, with his proud and arrogant personality, dismissed Nie Xun’s suggestions, simultaneously underestimating Hua Yuan, foolishly thinking Hua Yuan wouldn’t dare to play tricks.
Little did he know, Hua Yuan was even better at manipulating people than Nie Xun.
Both he and Nie Xun suggested a scorched earth strategy, but the only difference lay in the final handling of the grain.
Nie Xun suggested sending the grain to the borders of Haozhou, which would both prevent Jiang Pengji from fueling her army with war and also provide close support to Huang Song’s front lines. If Jiang Pengji was forced to retreat, this grain could be transported back to Chenzhou at the fastest speed to soothe the common people.
Hua Yuan’s suggestion was completely different—he proposed that Yuan Xin transport the grain to the southern part of Chenzhou, stating the south was a critical rear base.
His reasoning was quite compelling; using grain as bait, he would prompt Jiang Pengji’s army to delve further into enemy territory. By the time she wanted to withdraw, it would be too late. The food that 50,000 troops were carrying wouldn’t be enough to break out of Chenzhou, and they’d be ensnared in the heart of Chenzhou, dying from hunger and thirst.
What he didn’t realize was that Hua Yuan assembling the grain in southern Chenzhou was just to make it easier to steal!
When he left, he hadn’t touched anything of Yuan Xin’s, but he cleverly imitated Yuan Xin’s notes and seals to create a fake order.
By the time Yuan Xin sensed the danger, Hua Yuan brazenly made off with the grain!
If it weren’t for Jiang Pengji throwing a wrench in the works, likely Yuan Xin would have taken a few more days to realize something was amiss.
Nie Xun sensed something was wrong and hastily notified Yuan Xin to send troops to chase the grain.
At first, Yuan Xin didn’t believe it; he thought Nie Xun was looking for trouble. But after considering Hua Yuan’s various behaviors, Yuan Xin hesitantly sent troops to pursue. With a gap of two to three days, by the time Yuan Xin’s soldiers arrived at the storage site, they discovered the granary was empty—
Keep chasing—
