Chapter 210

Chapter 210

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 7: Eight Hundred Qin Rivers, Occupying Guanzhong Chapter 210: Sky-High Debt

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Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 210: Sky-High Debt

Although there are no strict requirements for scholars of the Han Dynasty to master calculations, according to the trends of the current era, most need to be well-rounded.

Take Cai Yong as an example; his achievements in calligraphy and literature are remarkable, and his prowess in calculations and astronomy is also noteworthy.

Xu You also follows this pattern.

Although he often mingles with famous scholars and is involved in the political struggles of the Han Dynasty, he is by no means ignorant of calculations.

Seeing this rule of doubling daily, and calculating a few numbers ahead, he realized something terrifying.

This amount is not right.

At first glance, it seemed like just a few grains of food, but Xu You’s mind is quite agile.

After calculating a few more days ahead, he could no longer provide an exact number. Even if it became one dan after a month, doubling it over a year, the final amount would far exceed the fifty thousand dan he mentioned!

It’s way off!

This is likely a debt that could empty the government storehouses of Ji Province and Qingzhou and still not be repaid!

Xu You tried his best to keep his expression relaxed to avoid showing weakness in front of Qiao Yan, but when he spoke again, his voice was a bit shaky: “May I ask, Lord Qiao, about this rule…”

“Is there a problem with this rule?” Qiao Yan calmly replied: “During the war against Dong Zhuo, weren’t all sides short of food?”

This is an indisputable fact.

At that time, the various prefects and forces that went to war had just taken office, and the continuous disasters in the Han Dynasty had left the food reserves in various places not very abundant. The few who had some stock were just putting on a brave face.

Thus, the value represented by the fifty thousand dan of grain Qiao Yan provided was far greater than fifty thousand dan today.

When Yuan Shao proposed borrowing grain from her, his intention was that she might refuse, giving them a reason to delay sending troops.

Even if she did provide it, given the financial situation of the various provinces, it would weaken her power.

But Qiao Yan provided it, so she was in the right.

Facing her calm gaze, Xu You could only reply with a “yes.”

Qiao Yan then asked: “In the rules I set for Yuan Benchu, did I not say that if he repaid within a year, I wouldn’t even charge him interest?”

This was a very generous clause for repaying the debt.

Even relatives don’t get such favorable treatment.

To be honest, with the Yuan Clan’s four generations of three dukes, even right after moving the capital to Ye City, they could have afforded such an amount of grain.

By the time Yuan Shao had been in Ye City for a year, it would have been even easier.

But Xu You, having known Yuan Shao for so many years, could easily guess Yuan Shao’s thoughts at the time.

What he thought was nothing more than:

After a year, Qiao Yan would be in Liangzhou, and sending grain there would only support her military campaign, causing trouble for himself.

Everyone was already a key figure, managing two provinces’ military and political affairs, and repaying the debt would be seen as showing weakness.

Holding onto these fifty thousand dan of grain might create even greater value.

These three reasons summed up to one sentence: don’t repay.

This delay went beyond the interest-free year, leading to the current situation where Xu You, after a quick calculation, felt doomed.

If Qiao Yan weren’t standing in front of him, Xu You would have loved to sigh.

My lord, if you can’t calculate the accounts clearly, you shouldn’t agree to such unconventional debt terms.

You should have informed us subordinates earlier to do the calculations!

For others, this might be a debt that, given Yuan Shao’s power and background, could be repaid or not.

But for Qiao Yan, it was not.

She had both the position and the capital to demand repayment.

What made Xu You feel even more awkward was that he had come with the phrase “double repayment” as a gesture of goodwill.

If it were just a thousand dan of interest, doubling the fifty thousand dan could indeed be seen as a goodwill gesture.

He could have continued the conversation, mentioning their past cooperation in fighting Dong Zhuo, and how they could cooperate again, albeit with slightly different terms this time.

But faced with this sky-high debt amplified by the rules, what could Xu You say other than a “yes” to Qiao Yan’s rules?

At this point, fifty thousand dan, after the autumn harvest, would be an insignificant amount in the grain reserves of Ji Province and Qingzhou.

Thus, his earlier words seemed like an attempt to use such an amount to offset Yuan Shao’s year-overdue massive debt.

This was no longer a gesture of goodwill but an act of dominance!

What made the situation even more awkward was that Xu You had only brought the intention to repay, not the actual grain.

This meant that if the terms weren’t agreed upon, outsiders might think Yuan Shao had no intention of repaying the debt, rather than planning to send the grain to Bingzhou!

Even if they understood the loophole in the rules, so what?

If Yuan Shao had repaid the grain last year, not only would he have avoided any loss, but he might have maintained an alliance.

At that time, Qiao Yan, who proposed the rules, was only sixteen. When suddenly asked for such an amount by the allied forces, it was understandable that she came up with a harmless trick.

Moreover, Yuan Shao, as a key minister supporting the emperor and holding the position of Qingzhou’s governor, even if he couldn’t match Qiao Yan’s achievements in conquering Liangzhou and advancing into Guanzhong, he at least had to maintain an image of wisdom and intelligence.

Qiao of Bingzhou dug a pit, and you, Yuan of Qingzhou, without calculating if there was a problem, just jumped right in. Doesn’t this imply that Yuan Shao isn’t smart?

It doesn’t matter if others can’t figure it out immediately, but Yuan Shao can’t afford not to.

Xu You wasn’t surprised to see Qiao Yan’s expression darken in that instant, “Xu Ziyuan, Xu Ziyuan, it seems your Yuan of Qingzhou has no sincere intention to cooperate. Why bother sending you here?”

Before Xu You could utter the words about both sides welcoming the emperor in Ye City, Qiao Yan had already pointed, “Escort him out! Without the sincerity to repay the debt, why waste a trip here? Are you here to spy on military intelligence or to mock us? Speak plainly, what’s with the roundabout talk!”

Xu You really wanted to cry injustice!

After Ju Shou made this judgment, the most rational choice for Ji Province was to cooperate with her, seize this best opportunity, and certainly not to mock.

But he misspoke, and Qiao Yan had no intention of letting him make amends.

After Dong Zhuo’s death and Li Jue’s escape, Chang’an was almost entirely under Qiao Yan’s command. At her order, Xu You was dragged out like some harmful object.

These attendants even escorted him all the way outside Tong Pass, effectively sending him out of the Sanfu region currently controlled by Qiao Yan.

Xu You’s face turned pale, then green, then red.

In such a situation, there was no other path but to return to Ji Province.

He had also gleaned a signal from Qiao Yan’s attitude: even if he found some way to return to Chang’an, he could never explain this rule clearly and would only humiliate himself.

She would not ally with Yuan Shao to support the emperor in Ye City, who in her view lacked both ability and legitimacy, to realize Yuan Shao’s vision of court order.

This was the essence behind this move.

It was just that Yuan Shao coincidentally had a debt leverage in her hands, making this expulsion seem so smooth.

Afterward, she would either continue trying to find Liu Xie or, as Ju Shou said, attempt to install another emperor!

This underlying meaning made Xu You, while lamenting the failure of his mission, choose to hurry back to Ye City to inform Yuan Shao of the news.





Just… when he stood in Yuan Shao’s council hall in Ye City, looking at the strategists around him waiting for his response, and then his gaze fell back on Yuan Shao’s face, his expression couldn’t help but waver for a moment.

Hearing Yuan Shao ask about Qiao Yan’s words, Xu You instinctively asked, “My lord, after a year of debt repayment, delaying one day adds one grain of wheat, delaying two days adds two grains, three days add four grains, four days add eight grains, and so on, doubling each day. It’s been over a year now, how many grains of wheat is that?”

Hearing Xu You repeat the words, Yuan Shao frowned, “Why are you asking this? Isn’t 50,000 dan enough to cover the interest? Does Qiao Yanshu really want me to count it myself?”

She doesn’t have that right!

But whether Qiao Yan needs him to count it himself is uncertain. After he said this, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Those who were proficient in civil affairs knew that Xu You wouldn’t say such things for no reason and immediately started calculating in their minds. Those who couldn’t figure it out mentally started drawing on the table with tea water.

“Wait, my lord!” Ju Shou exclaimed, “Is this… the debt repayment clause you agreed to with Qiao Bingzhou back then?”

This is a heavenly debt!

Seeing Yuan Shao not refute, Ju Shou guessed it must be true.

His expression immediately mirrored Xu You’s.

He suddenly understood why Xu You acted the way he did after returning from Chang’an.

No matter how much Yuan Shao was influenced by preconceptions or indifference, after seeing his two subordinates react this way, he should realize something was wrong.

He immediately called for the grain officer and had someone bring the counting rods.

After the grain officer reported the weight of a thousand grains of wheat in Ye City, someone started precise calculations.

After a while, Yuan Shao heard the calculator report, “My lord, after the first month and four days of calculating interest, the interest had already exceeded 50,000 dan.”

Yuan Shao’s vision darkened.

That means, in two more days, it wouldn’t be a sum that 100,000 dan could cover!

What kind of ghostly debt is this!

Yuan Shao looked at the scattered counting rods on the ground and the varied looks from his subordinates.

Even though none of them could directly say it, their looks seemed to carry an underlying message—

What on earth was he thinking when he agreed to that rule, and how could he not calculate the specific amount before sending Xu You to Chang’an with the promise of double repayment?

Especially after already losing face once, he absolutely couldn’t afford to lose face again.

He suppressed the urge to kick the table in front of him and refrained from shouting “Qiao Yan has ruined me,” only squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth, “What did she say?”

This astronomical debt was something he couldn’t repay anyway. If Qiao Yan came to collect, he would rather lose face than let “Qiao Yan is too aggressive” be known to the world!

Who says debtors must repay? If it comes to it, they’ll resort to arms.

After all, he had already ordered Guo Tu and Xin Ping to supervise the construction of crossbows and planned to send Tian Feng to Bingzhou tomorrow to steal techniques.

Now, the only urgent matter was how to handle the aftermath of failing to win over Qiao Yan.

His advisors reached a unanimous suggestion—

Wait.

Wait for Qiao Yan to decide whether to find someone or directly abandon Liu Xie and appoint someone else.

These two scenarios would require different responses from them.

And this wait brought news from Youzhou.

Qiao Yan sent Huang Wan as an envoy to Youzhou, inviting Liu Yu to return to Chang’an and ascend as the Son of Heaven.

She actually chose Liu Yu!

This was an option neither Yuan Shao nor his strategists had anticipated.

Given the power Qiao Yan held and her own achievements, if she wanted her influence to last and secure her position in the court, she should have chosen a young descendant of the Han dynasty.

In the 400-year history of the Han dynasty, there were plenty of Han royal relatives to choose from, and many could probably be found in Chang’an alone.

But Qiao Yan didn’t do that; instead, she chose Liu Yu, who had both reputation and ability.

Liu Yu was in his prime and had heirs to ensure succession. Choosing him as the next Son of Heaven wasn’t the optimal solution for anyone aiming to become a powerful minister.

“But this way, any suspicion of her choosing someone else with ulterior motives is completely eliminated,” Xin Ping and Xin Pi exchanged glances, with the latter voicing this thought.

This wasn’t good news for Yuan Shao.

Behind all of Qiao Yan’s “reckless” actions was always a plan to place herself on the moral high ground.

The 50,000 dan of military provisions were one example, and appointing Liu Yu as the Son of Heaven was another!

But perhaps the bad news for him didn’t stop there; there were also chain reactions from that debt.

When Xu You, the envoy, headed towards Chang’an, it was impossible to ignore the battle reports that had reached Yanzhou and Yu Province.

Naturally, it became known that Xu You not only failed to achieve any friendly talks but was also thrown out of the Sanfu region.

Digging deeper into the reasons, Yuan Shao’s previously undisclosed debt conditions spread through rumors from Chang’an.

Cao Cao in Yanzhou might have just sighed that Yanshu’s cunning hadn’t diminished over the years, but in Yu Province…

Yuan Shu had been laughing at this news for quite a while.

Even though he knew when he tried to ally with Qiao Yan that she was likely the one to embarrass Yuan Shao, today’s situation completely exceeded Yuan Shu’s expectations.

“Adding double the previous day’s amount each day, what was Yuan Benchu thinking to believe he could delay this condition?” Yuan Shu’s gloom vanished, and even though he received news yesterday of families secretly crossing the river, it didn’t affect his good mood.

“I always said Yuan Shao isn’t a descendant of our Runan Yuan clan. How could our clan have such a fool? Bringing a verbal promise of 100,000 dan only to humiliate himself, he’s become a laughingstock.”

“Fortunately, I drew a clear line with him early on. After all, he has no shame, but I still have some.”

Yuan Shu said this without blushing or skipping a beat, causing Yuan Huan to roll his eyes unseen.

He thought to himself, forget Yuan Shao, if this problem were given to Yuan Shu without any explanation or hints, he definitely wouldn’t figure it out either.

What’s the point of a younger brother mocking his elder brother?

They’re equally matched.

But Yuan Shu’s words didn’t involve any decision-making mistakes; it was just some thoughtless taunting of his opponent, which didn’t fall within his remit to advise.

After all, they couldn’t repair relations with Yuan Shao in the short term, and with Yuan Shu’s strength, they couldn’t attack Ye City anytime soon. Letting the boss vent a bit was harmless and even a positive psychological adjustment.

Seeing Yuan Shu stop mocking Yuan Shao, Yuan Huan stepped forward and calmly said, “I believe now is not the time to continue mocking Yuan Qingzhou, but for you to express your stance to Qiao Bingzhou.”

Yuan Shu reined in his smile and asked, “You mean we should support her decision to appoint Liu Bo’an as the Son of Heaven?”

Yuan Shu thought about Liu Yu’s luck and felt a bit of a toothache.

He originally thought Liu Yu going to Liangzhou to dissuade Qiao Yan from advancing, only to have his Youzhou sneak-attacked and seized by Gongsun Zan, seemed like another joke.

But obviously, it was this trip to Liangzhou that established a connection between him and Qiao Yan.

Who wouldn’t say, Liu Yu…

What Liu Yu? It’s all because Yuan Shao was foolish and shot himself in the foot!

Yuan Shu’s mind was working quickly now, and he had a stronger intuitive talent than anyone in putting himself in others’ shoes.

Why did Liu Yu go to Liangzhou back then?

It could only have been Yuan Shao stirring the pot behind the scenes!