My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 124 Liu Feng'en Asks Taishi Ci

"good!"

Liu Feng clapped his hands excitedly: "Elder Zeng, it's settled here. I'll send you the complete set of silk manuscripts on the salt field renovation, along with diagrams, as soon as I get back. Please send reliable people to the island to survey it. Those original residents who wish to stay can be hired to work; those who don't want to stay should all be relocated. I'll complete the paperwork for you after I get back. Also, do you think it would be more advantageous to appoint you as the magistrate of Qu County?"

"Young Master, you mustn't."

Mi Zeng narrowed his eyes and said carefully, "In this way, too much noise will cause unnecessary trouble and spying. There are not many people on Yuzhou Island to begin with. We only need to determine the ownership of the island in the state, and then use money and food as bait to quietly absorb the island's inhabitants."

"After that, we can quietly move into Yuzhou Mountain Island."

Liu Feng hesitated and said, "Elder Zeng, you may not know this, but I will be stationing troops here sooner or later. Besides, once construction begins, I'm afraid it will be impossible to keep it a secret from Qu County, right?"

Mi Zeng laughed heartily: "From Qu County to the seaside is three to five li, and from the seaside to the island is another three to five li. In addition, the island is very large. If construction is carried out on the seaside side, Qu County probably won't even be able to smell it."

Liu Feng was finally relieved.

"I just don't know why the young master is keeping this so secret. Does he have other plans?"

Mi Zeng was an old and shrewd man. He knew that Liu Feng was very concerned about keeping secrets, so he knew that there must be something important going on. Only at this moment did he take the opportunity to ask the question.

Liu Feng didn't mind at all, because this was something he was going to tell Mi Zeng anyway.

He recounted everything he had seen and heard along the way, including his encounter with Xu Qin, a guest of the Wang family.

Upon hearing this, Mi Zeng glanced at Liu Feng again.

He was used to such things and had even grown cold-hearted.

It was truly eye-opening to see that such a young and talented person as Liu Feng could actually feel anger over the humiliation of commoners.

"Then, according to the young master's opinion, what is the solution this time?"

"There is no other way than to sever its foundation."

Liu Feng said, “In this era of great strife, heroes rise from the prefectures and counties, fierce generals emerge from the ranks, and those skilled in economics arise from the land reclamation and financial management. Now, Xuzhou is in dire straits, its soldiers are without armor, its generals are without armor, and its soldiers only receive a salary of one hundred coins per month when they go to war. This is all because the money and grain are not under the control of the prefecture.”

“People like Wang Yu are greedy for money and lustful, exploit the people, and amass great wealth, but they do not think about serving their country.”

Liu Feng said passionately, "In that case, why shouldn't I take this money and use it for the people's livelihood and the soldiers' benefit?"

Zhou Tai and the others remained seated behind Liu Feng, and they were able to remain calm and composed when they heard that Mi Zeng wanted to form a marriage alliance with Liu Feng.

But after Liu Feng said those words, the group fell silent.

There was no other reason than that Liu Feng cared about them.

Zhou Tai and the others felt a surge of warmth in their hearts. Their intense emotions made them wish they could immediately serve Liu Feng to the death, just to repay the kindness shown to them by the patriot.

Mi Zeng was also moved by Liu Feng's generosity. In fact, deep down he was also fed up with the Wang and Gan families. Otherwise, why would he retire in his prime and go home to enjoy his retirement?
This is also the reason why he would always scold Mi Fang whenever he saw him going on outings with Wang Yu and others, enjoying himself immensely.

Unfortunately, Mi Fang did not understand his father's inner suffering. Instead, he defended Wang Yu and the others. If it weren't for Mi Zifang's respect for his father and brothers and his obedience, Mi Zeng would not have wanted this foolish son.

"Aren't they just profiting from boiling the sea?"

Liu Feng sneered, "Then I'll destroy their foundation. If they sell salt for 1,000 coins a shi, I'll sell it for 900. If they sell it for 800, I'll sell it for 500! In short, my costs are much lower than theirs, and my output is much higher. Then the prefecture will set up laws to prohibit salt production. Let's see how they can compete with me then?"

At this point, Liu Feng's gaze turned icy. Just by looking at his expression, you could tell that he was eager for Wang Yu and the others to rebel, so that he could eliminate them once and for all.

Liu Feng then discussed with Mi Zeng and entrusted all matters concerning Yuzhou Island to him, asking him to begin making arrangements as soon as possible.

Liu Feng's purpose was to kill Wang Yu and his gang as soon as possible. Although these people were disgusting, they were a great tonic for Xuzhou and for Liu Bei and his son.

After reaching an agreement, Mi Zeng originally intended to invite Liu Feng to stay.

After thinking about it, Liu Feng politely declined.

He knew that the Wang family had spies following him. A brief meeting was fine, but staying overnight would be difficult to explain and would arouse the Wang family's suspicion.

Liu Feng was naturally not afraid of the Wang family, but there was no need for it. What if the Wang family came to back down?
Liu Feng wanted to maintain his image as a reasonable person.

Soon after agreeing on how to contact Mi Zeng, Liu Feng took his leave.

Xu Qin has chosen good people this time; they even know to stake out the area, and he's arranged for them to be stationed at both the front and back gates.

However, his manners were still lacking, and Zhou Tai and Pan Zhang saw right through him at a glance.

Liu Feng ignored them and led Zhou Tai, Pan Zhang, and others to an inn to stay.

Early the next morning, Liu Feng set off from Qu County and headed towards Tancheng.

This matter has been successfully completed, and the process and technology of salt production have been completely handed over to Mi Zeng. It's time to return to Tancheng, after all, there are still a lot of new things waiting for Liu Feng to handle there.

Xu Qin's men followed Liu Feng and the others to the city gate of Qu County. After watching them leave the city, they immediately rushed back to the Prince's Mansion to report.

"You said they stayed in Qu County for a full half day, only leaving around dusk?"

Wang Yu carefully inquired with Xu Qin's guests and received an affirmative answer.

“Mi Zifang left a few days ago, otherwise we could have tried to get some information from him.”

Wang Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. When that Zhuozhou native spoke coldly, he was really quite frightening: "Forget it, I won't bother with him anymore. In any case, he's just a Zhuozhou native. It's fine once he leaves. My Wang family isn't the kind of people who hold grudges."

After much deliberation, and considering the brave warriors Zhou Tai and Pan Zhang, Wang Yu ultimately abandoned the idea of ​​intercepting Liu Feng on the way.

After all, the Wang family's elite troops numbered only about a hundred. They were only good for suppressing salt workers, but if they were to face the fierce and powerful warriors, Wang Yu felt that his side was likely to be in grave danger, so he decided to avoid trouble.

Wang Yu had no idea that his decision would actually extend the life of himself and the entire Wang family.

If he really dares to make a move, Liu Feng will probably be very grateful to him.

Because he wouldn't even have to wait for the salt fields to be completed and for production capacity to explode before he would be punished for attacking the son of the governor.

The journey there was delayed because of the detour taken during the inspection, but the return trip was much faster. The group traveled at a brisk pace and returned to Tancheng in just four days.

This trip by Liu Feng took almost half a month.

After returning to Tancheng, Liu Feng sent Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang to check on the troops' training, while also instructing Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin to go back and rest.

After making the arrangements, he returned to the prefectural capital and first went to pay his respects to his grandmother and Madam Tian.

After all that travel, Liu Fengren got a bit tanned, which naturally made his grandmother and Madam Tian feel sorry for him.

After calming his grandmother and mother down, Liu Feng naturally went to pay his respects to his father.

It was now late April, and the weather was gradually warming up, no longer as cold as before.

The land reclamation program that Liu Feng had been vigorously promoting was now in full swing and had entered the busiest time of spring planting. By the time of the autumn harvest in June and July, it would be able to deliver more than 300,000 shi of grain to the state.

"Father, your son has returned."

Upon reaching the main hall, Liu Feng removed his shoes and stepped inside. From a distance, he bowed and paid his respects to Liu Bei.

"You still know how to come back."

Liu Bei had already received the news. How could he not care about his precious son? Before Liu Feng and the others set off, he specially sent four sets of iron armor and six warhorses to Zhou Tai and the other three.

Although these items were called rewards, they were gifts bestowed by the governor of the region upon Zhou Tai and others.

In reality, however, this is a father's care for his son.

Even without mentioning the warhorses, these four sets of iron lamellar armor alone could transform Zhou Tai and his men into tanks from the classical era.

With their courage, martial arts skills, and boldness, these four men were more than capable of defeating a hundred unarmored or lightly armored soldiers.

This is no exaggeration. For Wang Yu's elite troops, being able to withstand around 10% casualties is already quite impressive, though it's highly unlikely they could actually do that. A hundred-strong force would be practically crippled if they killed or wounded just ten of their men first.

Is this difficult?
Of course there are; this could kill ten out of a hundred people.

But would it be difficult for Zhou Tai and the others?
But then it became easy again. Pan Zhang, dressed in plain clothes, killed seven unarmored bandits.

Pan Zhang, who could not possibly wear iron armor, was instead unable to do so.

Pan Zhang is such a capable fighter on his own, there's no reason why he would be less effective after adding Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, and Xu Sheng, right?
Not to mention they even specially sent six warhorses, wasn't that just so that if things didn't go well for Liu Feng, he could run away with Zhou Tai and the others?
This gift is quite valuable; in this day and age, neither iron armor nor warhorses can be bought with money alone.

Liu Feng blinked and flattered, "Father, what are you saying? I have been thinking of you day and night since I left home. I wish I could grow wings so I could fly back to your side as soon as possible to fulfill my filial duty."

"Alright, alright, I'm not buying your act."

Liu Bei said he wouldn't buy into that, but his expression became quite animated: "Don't run around anymore in the coming days. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao have both sent letters, wanting to send envoys to discuss important matters with me. According to their estimates, the envoys will arrive in the next few days, so you can take this opportunity to make preparations."

"In another month, we will also begin mobilization and prepare to head south to Guangling."

As Liu Bei spoke, his eyes were filled with daydreams, clearly already dreaming of unifying Xuzhou.

"Father, don't be too happy yet."

Liu Feng couldn't help but pour some cold water on the idea: "I always felt that Cao Yanzhou and the General of the Rear wouldn't be so easy to talk to, just watching us head south to Guangling. Even if they really can't spare the resources, they will definitely find a way to stop us."

Liu Feng continued, "Have you received any news from the spies in Shouchun and Juancheng these past few days?"

Liu Bei sighed, "It's really difficult to get anything done."

Upon hearing Liu Feng's question, Liu Bei shook his head: "There is no news. Cao Cao is currently engaged in a fierce battle with Lü Bu. I heard that he just won a great victory, besieging the enemy and attacking their reinforcements, defeating Lü Bu's 10,000-strong force. It was a great victory for Cao Cao, with thousands of heads taken."

Liu Bei was still somewhat afraid when Cao Cao was mentioned.

He was beaten so badly by Cao Cao that he almost developed psychological trauma.

He wasn't afraid of losing to Yuan Tan, because it was due to the disadvantage in troop strength and supplies, coupled with Tian Kai's chaotic command.

Losing to Cao Cao did indeed hurt Liu Bei, who was in a position of strength and had the advantage of being well-rested and outnumbered.

Liu Bei had hoped to launch a counterattack under the city walls and achieve a minor victory, but instead, he was brutally beaten and routed.

Liu Feng smacked his lips and shook his head: "I always feel that Cao Cao and Yuan Shu are too honest, and even Yuan Shao is excessively honest. This makes people very uneasy."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes flashed with wariness, and he asked carefully, "Then what do you think they will do?"

"There's probably nothing we can do."

Liu Feng carefully considered the situation: "Yuan Shu has grain but no troops to mobilize, while Cao Cao has troops but no grain. Surely Yuan Shu can't ally with Cao Cao and send him grain, can he?"

At this point, Liu Feng laughed. Not to mention the deep-seated hatred between Yuan Shu and Cao Cao, the former was chased all the way to Yangzhou by the latter.

Even considering Yuan Shao's reputation, Cao Cao would never betray his sworn brother Yuan Shao and seek refuge with the bones buried in the tomb.

Afterwards, Liu Bei inquired about the outcome of Liu Feng's journey to the east.

Liu Feng, with a hint of pride, reported: "The people of our Han Dynasty need an average of 6 jin of salt per person per year (the modern average salt consumption is 5 kilograms, equivalent to 20 jin in the Han Dynasty). One shi (石) is 120 jin. Currently, excluding Pengcheng, Xuzhou still has 1.6 million people, requiring 80,000 shi of salt per year. If we levy a salt tax of 100 coins per shi, the annual revenue would reach 8 million coins. This is only the revenue from salt taxes. If we can promote the salt monopoly system and control the production and wholesale of salt, we can earn hundreds of millions of coins annually."

As for sales and distribution, it's best to leave that to the merchants.

Firstly, it avoids the bloated state-run institutions that lead to soaring costs and the waste of employing a group of idle people who then engage in corruption.

Secondly, it can also allocate a portion of the profits to the private sector, increasing commercial activity and enabling the government to increase tax revenue.

Thirdly, facts have proven that, apart from completely abandoning the salt tax, this joint government-private partnership structure was undoubtedly the best approach.

After Liu Yan reformed the salt laws, this practice was continued by successive dynasties.

Upon hearing that he could earn at least eight million coins a year, and even up to one hundred million coins, Liu Bei was so envious he cried.

He immediately inquired about the progress of the salt administration. Upon learning that the salt fields had only just begun construction and would take at least several months to become effective, and that production capacity would need to be continuously increased and the scale of the salt fields expanded, it might take several years before they could reach an annual revenue of hundreds of millions of coins, he was visibly disappointed.

“Father, even if we can earn tens of millions every year, it will greatly increase the income of our state.”

Liu Feng quickly encouraged Liu Bei, since he still needed to ask his father for help.

Liu Bei thought about it and agreed. His treasury was almost empty, so an extra ten million in revenue each year would be excellent.

"However, we still need Father's help with this matter."

Liu Feng revealed his true intentions: "Father, you are unaware of this. During my recent travels, I discovered that the powerful clans and gentry along the coast are all engaged in salt production. Moreover, they use their power to monopolize the local areas, employing large numbers of farmers as salt workers to make huge profits. They then use the wealth they acquire to support thugs in order to recruit even more salt workers."

Liu Bei's face darkened. With his keen senses, it wasn't hard for him to discern the problem.

Just then, Liu Feng added, "Father, these salt workers work in groups of thousands, sometimes tens of thousands. Because they are engaged in salt production, they already have a certain level of discipline and teamwork. If there are thugs in the middle to organize them, they can become a local militia that can be mobilized to fight at any time."

Liu Bei nodded with a gloomy face, clearly having thought of this as well.

"What are your thoughts, Feng'er?"

"I earnestly request that Father allow me to compile another copy, so that I may be stationed in Qu County in the future."

Liu Feng calculated that it would take at least six months to a year before regular troops needed to be stationed on Yuzhou Island. Before that, the Mi family's servants would be enough to deal with any threat.

After all, the Mi family was the most powerful family in Qu County.

Others' teams, including salt workers, numbered no more than a thousand, while the Mi family could easily muster several thousand servants from their own household alone.

If you include the salt workers from the Mi family, they could easily take on tens of thousands of people; it's terrifying to even think about.

Fortunately, the Mi family is on our side, so there's no need to worry for now.

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Xu Sheng's troops have expanded to two thousand men. In that case, let Zijing be given the title of naval captain, and let Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin be appointed as commanders of separate detachments to train a thousand naval troops to participate in the campaign against Guangling. After Guangling is captured, they will be promoted to commanders of separate detachments based on their military merits, and will command the naval troops. For the time being, they will all be under your command."

After hearing Liu Bei's arrangements, Liu Feng was secretly pleased, as this had already met his minimum standards.

He just wanted to haggle down the price.

Liu Feng cautiously probed, "Father, I have another request, and I would like to ask for your permission."

Liu Bei raised an eyebrow. He had gained a lot of experience by now, and whenever Liu Feng was particularly polite and obedient, it meant that Liu Feng wanted something very much.

This time, they even used words like "request" and "permission," so it seems my eldest son has quite a grand plan.

"My son, please tell me first."

Since Liu Bei had already realized this, he naturally became wary and dared not speak too confidently.

Otherwise, if he regrets it later, where is his dignity as a father?

Liu Feng chuckled and tried to continue his scheme: "Father, I just want to ask you for a favor. It's just a small favor for you."

Liu Bei remained unmoved and pressed, "Who are you?"

Seeing that Liu Bei was determined not to fall for the trap, Liu Feng had no choice but to confess: "I would like to ask Taishi Ziyi for help."

"Taishi Ziyi?"

"Indeed, I have heard that Taishi Ziyi is skilled in archery and horsemanship. In the past, he once rode alone and came and went as he pleased when the city was besieged by tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans. He shot so many Yellow Turbans that they dared not pursue him and could only let him do as he pleased."

Liu Feng looked on with envy: "This is truly a great man."

(End of this chapter)