My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 107 Iron Camp and Prefect

"Prefect, I have heard that your family has a long history of iron smelting, and there are blacksmith shops in the prefecture that sell weapons and farm tools. I wonder how much iron your family produces in a year?"

The Eastern Han Dynasty inherited the previous dynasty and established a total of 34 ironworks throughout the country. Compared with the 48 in the Western Han Dynasty, it seems to be much less. However, in reality, some were merged, and the total output was not less than that of the Western Han Dynasty.

Apart from the two newly added locations in Yunnan during the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were a total of 32 locations in other traditional prefectures and counties.

Xuzhou was a major iron-producing area, with a total of seven large state-run blacksmith shops located in Qu County, Ju County, Pengcheng, Xiapi, Guangling, Dongwu, and Yandu.

Moreover, there are eight other places near Xuzhou: Pei, Qiancheng, Dongpingling, Licheng, Ying, Linzi, Dongmou, and Changyi. Six of these places are located south of the Yellow River in Qingzhou.

This demonstrates just how powerful the salt and iron resources of Xuzhou and Qingzhou were.

Unfortunately, not to mention the outlying provinces, even within Xu Province, Pengcheng was completely destroyed, with all the artisans slaughtered by Cao Cao.

Guangling and Yandu did not obey the prefectural government, so the matter had to be put on hold for the time being.

Dongwu belongs to Kaiyang and is located in the northernmost part of Langya Commandery. If Kaiyang cannot take it, Dongwu cannot take it either.

Ju County is located north of Kaiyang, in the hands of Xiao Jian, the prefect of Langya appointed by the imperial court. It is the next target of Liu Bei's group, and for the time being, it is beyond their reach.

In other words, only Qu County and Xiapi were truly under Liu Bei's jurisdiction!
In these two places, it would be difficult for Liu Bei to gain access.

Because there are people behind both of them.

Behind Xiapi was naturally the Chen family, the most powerful aristocratic clan in Xuzhou.

As for Qu County, it was naturally home to the Mi family, the most powerful and wealthy merchant family in Xuzhou.

Liu Bei, the governor of Xu Province, had seven ironworks under his jurisdiction, yet he could not effectively control any of them.

This shows how poor Liu Bei's foundation was.

Furthermore, the old weapons and equipment of the Xuzhou army had all been given to Cao Cao's army during the major defeats of the past few years. It was quite remarkable that they could still assemble so many suits of armor, even leather armor missing parts.

Although Liu Feng asked about the Mi family's private iron camp, where did the Mi family's private iron camp actually come from?
They undermined the foundation of the Eastern Han Dynasty, substituting government-run operations for government-run ones.

Liu Feng hadn't dared to mention it before, even though he knew that Mi Zhu and the Mi family were extremely loyal to his father, he still didn't dare to take the risk.

There's no other reason than that the Liu family is too weak.

We cannot afford the consequences of the Mi family turning against us.

They couldn't even afford the cost of alienating the Mi family.

But things are different now; the situation has improved significantly.

Not only did Liu Bei completely subdue the Danyang faction, which had been utterly destroyed, and gain control of more than half of the military power in Xuzhou, but he also crushed the Langya Taishan army in one battle, trapping Zang Ba in Kaiyang City and leaving him to await his death.

If Liu Bei previously relied on the unwavering loyalty of Chen Deng and Mi Zhu to secure his position as governor of Xu Province, now he can truly be the governor of Xu Province based on his own hard power.

Even without Chen Deng and Mi Zhu, Liu Bei could still survive, though it would be much more difficult.

Of course, Liu Bei wouldn't be that stupid. If he really did that, who would still fight with him?
Chen Deng and Mi Zhu supported you so much a few months ago, giving you money, effort, and supplies. Wasn't it all for the sake of getting something in return?
Therefore, Liu Bei has done a very good job by appointing Chen Deng as commander-in-chief and overseeing all military affairs, and Cao Bao as deputy commander-in-chief. All the major factions in Xuzhou can benefit from this war of northern expedition against Langya and share in the military achievements.

Although the Mi family did not receive any military merits, it did not mean that the Mi family did not gain anything. As an important ally and close subordinate of Liu Bei, how could he let the Mi family watch the show from the sidelines without getting any benefits?
This is certainly not conducive to unity.

Liu Feng and Liu Bei had already discussed it and prepared a big cake, just waiting for the Mi family to be pleasantly surprised.

However, before the surprise, Liu Feng still hoped that the Mi family could contribute some more money... no, more shares, such as the Iron Official Camp, the Iron Official Camp, and so on.

Mi Zhu had a very clear understanding of his family's business. After a brief moment of thought, he replied, "My family has a blast furnace in Qu County. If there are enough raw materials, it can produce 500 catties of iron per day, which is about 180,000 catties per year."

An annual output of nearly 200,000 jin is no small amount.

However, this number should be halved.

Because a jin in the Han Dynasty was not 500 grams, but only 248 grams, which is 2 grams less than half a jin in modern times.

By modern standards, an ancient suit of iron armor would weigh at least 30 to 40 jin (15 to 20 catties), which would require about 30 to 40 jin of pig iron.

This figure is in modern weights (jin). If converted to Han Dynasty weights, a suit of armor would weigh between 60 and 80 jin, which is quite reasonable.

Based on this data, if a thousand sets of iron armor are needed, at least 60,000 catties of pig iron would be required, which is about one-third of the annual pig iron production.

If we also consider the output of Xiapi, and if we calculate based on a similar output to that of Tongqu County, then Xuzhou's annual iron production could produce 6,000 sets of iron armor.

However, things cannot be done that way, since pig iron has many uses, mainly for various agricultural tools.

Without iron farm tools, grain production would drop drastically, and people wouldn't have enough to eat. Even if they had iron armor, they wouldn't be able to wear it.

Moreover, there is another very important issue, which is the production process of the armor.

Having enough raw materials is not enough; production efficiency is also crucial.

Liu Feng silently calculated in his mind and came to this conclusion.

At this point, Mi Zhu continued, "Although my family produces nearly 200,000 catties of pig iron annually, pig iron has a wide range of uses and is used in large quantities. There is hardly any left over each year. It is already extremely difficult to make weapons, so there is really no spare capacity to increase the production of armor."

Mi Zhu could also guess what Liu Feng was planning.

A phalanx of spearmen naturally has a stronger defense when all members are armored. If they can wear iron armor and iron helmets, they will not be too afraid of even ordinary powerful bows and crossbows, thus greatly increasing their power.

Unfortunately, Mi Zhu then went on to give a detailed account of the uses of pig iron.

For example, a hoe requires 2 to 4 catties of Han-style pig iron, and a curved plow also requires 6 to 12 catties of pig iron to make iron plowshares and other parts that need to be made of pig iron.

Ten thousand hoes require thirty thousand catties of pig iron, and a thousand curved plows require ten thousand catties of pig iron.

These are all consumables that need to be replenished frequently, and a large amount of pig iron is consumed every year.

This doesn't even include the numerous uses of iron, such as coins, weapons, iron tripods, iron cauldrons, iron furnaces, vehicle and horse fittings, sewing tools, beauty and cosmetic tools, and so on.

The amount of iron used alone already exceeds the iron production currently controlled by Liu Bei in Xuzhou. Where would there be any surplus production capacity to manufacture the enormous iron armor?

Liu Bei and his son fell silent in response to Mi Zhu's reply.

However, their thoughts were completely different.

Liu Bei lamented the hardships of the world, while Liu Feng pondered how to increase production and establish a military industry.

Mi Zhu suddenly spoke again: "Zhu, I am willing to hand over the Iron Camp to the prefecture. I hope the governor will agree."

Liu Bei and Liu Feng looked up in surprise.

Liu Bei was incredulous, while Liu Feng sighed inwardly.

Mi Zizhong really values ​​Liu Bei too much; he only asked about the situation, yet he immediately offered to send it over.

However, Liu Feng was wrong this time. Mi Zizhong's generosity this time was not only because of Liu Bei, but even more so because of Liu Feng.

Witnessing firsthand how Cao Bao's thousand troops, having been transferred to Liu Feng's command for just over a month, had undergone a complete transformation and were now able to easily defeat the Taishan Army, stirred up a wave in Mi Zhu's heart that no outsider could imagine.

In the eyes of the local scholars in Xuzhou, the fighting power of the Taishan Army was stronger than that of the Danyang Army.

Tao Qian was able to defeat the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou mainly because of the Taishan Army, while the Danyang Army only played a supporting role.

After all, the Danyang Army was Tao Qian's prized possession, and he was reluctant to use it lightly.

Tao Qian forgot that even the sharpest sword will become dull if it is kept hidden and not used or properly maintained.

The Battle of Langya had a significant impact on the scholars of Xuzhou.

Mi Zhu originally thought that Liu Bei was already very capable in battle, kind-hearted, and valued the gentry, making him an excellent collaborator.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei's son, Liu Feng, surpassed his father in talent and ability. Economically, rock sugar and snow salt had brought the Mi family substantial income, and their relationship was incredibly harmonious.

In terms of politics, Mi Zhu witnessed firsthand how Liu Feng, after arriving in Xuzhou, gradually helped Liu Bei turn the tide, dismantle the Danyang faction, and eventually absorb and assimilate it.

In military terms, after just over a month of training, they had already trained a formidable force that, with fewer troops, annihilated Chang Xi's forces.

Mi Zhu was a local and had served as the Prefectural Governor for a long time, so he was very familiar with the military situation in the prefecture.

Although it is said that Danyang produces elite troops, and the Danyang Army of Xuzhou was Tao Qian's favorite, it was naturally the number one military force in Xuzhou.

But in reality, everyone in Xuzhou knew that the Taishan Army was the strongest fighting force in Xuzhou.

The battle against the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou was won by the Taishan Army as the main force, while the Danyang Army only basked in the glory from the rear and did not contribute much effort.

However, Zang Ba was a low-key person, and after gaining territory, he was willing to submit to Tao Qian. Therefore, the Taishan Army was never as famous as the Danyang Army.

But now?

Liu Feng had only been training him for a month and a half, yet such a tremendous change had already occurred.

If Cao Cao's army comes again in the future, won't Liu Bei and his son be the ones to protect the territory and keep the people safe?
Mi Zhu's vision was among the best in Xuzhou, as were his courage and boldness.

He had figured it out: rather than having the Iron Official Camp in Pengcheng burned to the ground by Cao Cao, it would be better to give it directly to Fang Bo and at least gain some goodwill in return.

Liu Bei politely declined, saying, "Zizhong, why do you say that? Do you think I'm someone who would seize someone else's property?"

Seeing that Mi Zhu still wanted to explain, Liu Bei resolutely refused, saying, "This is absolutely impossible. If you have any problems, Feng'er, you can naturally ask for help from the Prefect. But the Prefect's family property must not be taken away."

Liu Bei's refusal was extremely firm, clearly indicating that he was very serious.

Mi Zhu could only temporarily abandon his thoughts of serving the country.

Qian Zhao, watching from the sidelines, was once again amazed. She never imagined that there would be people crying and begging for property these days.

Qian Zhao knew about the Iron Official Camp; there was one in Zhuozhou, the hometown of both him and Liu Bei.

It wasn't as large as the one in Qu County, but it was still very big. It could be considered the largest industry in Zhuozhou. Although it was still state-run, all the local powerful clans and gentry wanted to get involved because the benefits were too great.

But Mi Zhu just gave away such a large business so easily. Just how rich is the Mi family?

Qian Zhao knew in her heart that this was not simply a matter of having money or not. Even if someone had money, who would be willing to give it away?

I can only say that I was oversimplifying things.

Before he arrived, he thought that Liu Bei must be facing many dangers and setbacks in Xuzhou, and that he was a weak governor who needed his help to turn the situation around.

It's unbelievable that the other party is not only not weak, but a big shot like the driver is crying and begging to give away his assets. It's completely shattered Qian Zhao's worldview.

Liu Feng, however, chuckled and changed the subject, saying, "Father, is there anything else you'd like to ask about the Prefect's attitude?"

Liu Bei suddenly realized something and turned to Mi Zhu, saying, "Zi Zhong, there's something I need your approval for. But I've already made up my mind, and you can't object to it."

"Speak," Liu Bei laughed heartily, appearing very pleased.

Mi Zhu was somewhat surprised. Liu Bei had always treated him with great respect, and this was the first time he had ever heard such a domineering request.

He wasn't worried at all, after all, Liu Bei's face was already beaming with joy, and he couldn't possibly miss it.

What would that be?

Fortunately, Liu Bei didn't let Mi Zizhong guess any further and directly revealed the answer: "Zizhong, after the fall of Langya, I intend to divide the prefecture into three prefectures. The position of prefect of Langya is still vacant. I want to appoint your disciple Fang as the prefect of Langya. You cannot refuse this matter and must share my burden."

Mi Zhu's pupils dilated; was Langya to be divided into three?
My own younger brother was appointed as the prefect?
What about the other two counties?

Mi Zhu suddenly felt that there was a lot of information to be had and didn't know where to begin.

If Mi Zhu was like this, then Qian Zhao, standing to the side, was even more baffled.

Liu Bei explained earnestly, “Langya is a complex and intricate place, and only virtuous and capable officials can govern it. I intend to divide it into three parts. The northern part will be divided into Dongguan Commandery and Jucheng Commandery, one in the east and one in the west. The southern part will be governed by Kaiyang, encompassing Linyi, Zengxian, and Jiqiu counties, and will remain Langya Commandery. For the position of Governor of Langya Commandery, I favor Zifang. What do you think, Zizhong?”

Mi Zhu then realized that this prefect was a scaled-down version, with only four counties under his jurisdiction. Even so, it was still quite important. Especially the Kaiyang area, which was the heart of Langya Commandery, surrounded by the Yi and Shu rivers, forming the most fertile plain in Langya Commandery.

Most importantly, it is only thirty to fifty miles from here to Tancheng. In the past, Zang Ba was a powerful figure who made Liu Bei feel like he had a thorn in his side and could not move.

Now that the state government has taken back Langya, the person who can take over as the governor of this place must be one of Liu Bei's most trusted people.

Mi Zhu's usually calm and collected expression finally broke down, and he realized that he had not misjudged Liu Bei.

Despite Mi Zhu's wealth, influence, and power in Xuzhou, he was not a force to be reckoned with.

In reality, the Mi family had been living in constant fear and unease since the chaos that had gripped the world.

From Mi Zeng to Mi Zhu, they were all wise men with a long-term vision who foresaw the declining state of the Han Dynasty.

Especially when Tao Qian, for the sake of money and grain, did not hesitate to recruit Mi Zhu as his chief advisor, Mi Zhu was not happy that he could actually hold such a high position, but rather fearful and worried.

What businessmen fear most is the breaking of rules.

Whether the rules are good or bad, as long as there are rules, businessmen have standards to rely on and can find ways to solve problems around those standards.

But if the rules are broken to the point that there are no rules, then merchants will have no legal recourse, and at that point, they won't even be able to guarantee their own safety, let alone talk about development and growth.
This is the fundamental reason why the Mi family invested in Liu Bei at all costs: they wanted to support a warlord who was close to them and who treated his relatives and friends well.

Mi Zhu never expected that Liu Bei's development would be so rapid, and that his investment had already started to generate profits.

Mi Zhu was somewhat relieved, as he had proactively increased his investment each time before, and Liu Bei should be quite satisfied with the Mi family's performance.

"My lord, Zifang is still young and inexperienced. He has not been recommended for the civil service examination. If he is appointed as the prefect, I am afraid that people will not accept him."

After thinking it over, Mi Zhu decided to refuse, and his reasons were quite valid.

A tall tree catches the wind. Mi Fang wasn't selected through the recommendation system for filial piety and integrity. It would be fine if he were just a county magistrate, but to jump straight to the position of prefect, even if it's just a prefect who manages four counties, would still be worth more than two thousand shi (a unit of grain). There would probably be a lot of opposition.

After all, once he has this stepping stone, Mi Fang can easily be transferred to the position of prefect of a major prefecture, and then it will be impossible for others to stop him.

"The Prefect need not worry too much; even if some mediocre people have their opinions, it is of no great importance."

Liu Feng interjected, "Since my father and I entered Xuzhou, you have provided us with tremendous support, granting us every need for money and provisions. Our ability to march north to suppress the bandits of Mount Tai was also thanks to you, sir, for gathering enough provisions for our army. Isn't this a great achievement?"

"The merit of supplying military provisions alone is enough to reward Mr. Mi Er with the position of prefect. Why should the Prefect listen to the words of mediocre people?"

Liu Bei and Qian Zhao nodded in agreement. Indeed, as Liu Feng had said, without military provisions, there would be no northern conquest; without the northern expedition, Langya could not be recovered. This was merely a reward of a few counties; some powerful clans with larger appetites might even feel that they had been treated unfairly.

Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu finally stopped objecting and was secretly delighted.

Like Chen Deng, although the position of the Prefectural Governor was high, how could it be compared with that of the Prefect?
If a county magistrate is a marquis of a hundred li, then a prefectural governor is a veritable feudal lord. Officials of all ranks in the prefecture must even regard the prefectural governor as their sovereign, which shows how high his power and status are.

So Mi Zhu stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Bei, clearly to express his gratitude on behalf of his younger brother.

Liu Bei smiled and helped Mi Zhu up; the harmony between ruler and minister could not have been greater.

That evening, Liu Bei hosted a banquet for his ministers, especially Mi Zhu, Qian Zhao, Xu Sheng, and Pan Zhang.

The next day, Chen Dao led fifty riders to escort Chang Xi to Tancheng.

At this time, Liu Bei had no relationship with Chang Xi and had no idea that the two would become good friends in the future.

However, this did not prevent Liu Bei from showing great concern for Chang Xi, which eased the latter's anxiety somewhat.

Early on the third day, Liu Feng, along with Chang Xi and Sun Qian, set off north for the Kaiyang battlefield. Sun Qian would act as Liu Bei's plenipotentiary envoy, accompanying Chang Xi into Kaiyang to try and persuade Zang Ba to surrender.

(End of this chapter)