Taiheiki

Chapter 21 Redemption
"Okay, let's practice first!"

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Cai Buyi disliked his fellow clansmen in Xiangyang. Although they all shared the surname Cai, he could sense the arrogance and contempt hidden beneath their smiles. Perhaps in their eyes, he was no different from the guests and retainers who knelt in the courtyards every year to beg for tax exemptions. It was just that they begged for a few bushels of grain, while he begged for an official position or a place in the imperial examination. Conversely, Master Cao, a man of higher status and no connection to him, acted casually and affably in his presence. At their departure, while Master Cao didn't agree to recommend him as a filial and honest official, he did agree to ask Feng Cheqi for a military officer with a salary of 400 dan (approximately 100 dan) on his behalf, thus ensuring that his efforts had paid off.

"Sir!" a servant bowed and said, "Master Cai left a letter in the room!"

"Oh?" Cai Buyi took the letter. The envelope was in Cai Mao's handwriting, indicating that it was for him. He opened the letter and read just two lines when his face suddenly turned gloomy.

"What? Because of the recovery of Cao Wujiu's lost gold, Master Cao thinks highly of Wei Cong. Not only does he intend to highly recommend him, he also gave him one million yuan to deposit at Deng's residence in Wancheng!"

Cai Buyi dropped the letter. Although Cai Mao's letter only casually mentioned a few things, his intentions were obvious. But didn't he know that Wei Cong was a member of the Communist Party? Would he kill him just for this recommendation? If it were exposed, not only would his reputation be ruined, but he would also offend Master Cao. Wouldn't that be extremely stupid? Thinking of this, Cai Buyi's face showed a hint of coldness.

A few minutes later, Cai Buyi picked up the letter again and read it again: Master Cao values Wei Cong very much, will recommend him highly, and leave him one million coins and a military officer salary of 400 dan. These lines of words seemed to have life, deforming, leaping, and dancing before his eyes, turning into a series of mocking faces. Cai Buyi's breathing became more and more rapid and heavy.

"Somebody come!"

"I'm here!" A servant appeared at the door.

"Go to the lakeside villa and ask if Young Master Wei will be in Xinye in the next few days. If he is going out, where does he plan to go?"

"As you command!" The servant bowed and was about to leave when Cai Buyi stopped him, "Remember, just hint at it indirectly. Don't let anyone else notice you!"

"The villain understands!"

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Wancheng, Deng's residence.

"The gaps fit together seamlessly, and the lines are continuous and unbroken. Hmm! The talisman fits perfectly!" The shopkeeper at Deng's residence put down the two jade pendants in his hands and smiled at Wei Cong, who was sitting behind the desk. "Please wait a moment, my dear. I'll have someone bring the money you deposited with me!"

"Thank you for your help!" Although Wei Cong had prepared himself mentally, the corners of his mouth still curled up subconsciously - as a former worker, it was really difficult for him to maintain his original status after suddenly gaining wealth equivalent to his salary for several lifetimes.

"My dear, I have one more question. Do you use copper coins for all these or—"

"What do you mean? Wasn't what my friend deposited copper coins?" Wei Cong asked in confusion.

"Of course, your friend is storing copper coins, but one million coins is not light! I'm afraid it would be inconvenient for you to carry it."

"That's right!" Wei Cong finally realized that although it was the end of the Han Dynasty, the currency system had not yet collapsed. Later, Liu Bei's "Dangbai" coins and Dong Zhuo's small coins had not yet appeared. The one million coins Cao Cao left to Wei Cong were, to be more precise, the "Wuzhu coins" that were famous in later generations. As the name suggests, the weight of the Wuzhu coins is five baht, and each coin weighs about 3.5 grams. One million coins would weigh three tons. Even if Wei Cong brought two four-wheeled carriages this time, it would be difficult to load three tons of copper coins.

"Can it be exchanged for something else, such as gold?" Wei Cong asked cautiously. Whether in ancient times or modern times, exchanging large amounts of gold is a very sensitive topic and may cause big trouble.

"Of course!" The shopkeeper opposite laughed. "However, my dear, you should also know that this gold is usually only found among the nobles of the court. It is not common among ordinary people. If you want to exchange copper coins for gold, you have to give a discount!"

"Discount?" Wei Cong gritted his teeth. "How much discount?"

"Twenty thousand coins for one jin!"

Wei Cong sucked in a breath of cold air. The Han jin was much lighter than today's jin, weighing about 247 grams to 250 grams. The exchange rate of gold to copper coins in the late Western Han Dynasty was about one jin of gold for ten thousand coins. Of course, due to the fierce wars during the Han Dynasty and the lavish burial customs of the Han Dynasty, the price of gold in the Eastern Han Dynasty was much higher than that in the Western Han Dynasty. According to the records in "Records of the Eastern Han Dynasty", the exchange rate of gold to copper coins in the early Eastern Han Dynasty was about one jin of gold for about 1.3 coins. The shopkeeper actually shouted out a high price of coins for one jin, which was really outrageous.

"No, your discount is too high!" Wei Cong said angrily, "I already asked when I came here, and they offer 13,000 or 14,000!"

"Those are just small shops. You can exchange tens or hundreds of thousands of coins, but anything more is out of the question. Who can afford to exchange a million coins at once? Besides, the quality of their gold is far inferior to that of our Deng Mansion. What we exchange for is the same quality as the tribute presented to the court every year. You can see for yourself when the time comes. You get what you pay for! Besides, if you find the gold price too high, you can exchange it for copper coins instead! Or silk. A piece of silk is worth 800 coins and is much lighter!"

"Change to silk?"

"That's right!" the shopkeeper said with a smile, "You can transport it south and sell it to the barbarians. You can exchange it for animal skins and mountain goods and then ship it back. You can make a lot of money. But there's a war in the south now, so business is not easy!"

"You know there's a war going on in the south!" Wei Cong rolled his eyes. The old man clearly had him in his sights. He finally understood why archaeological finds in China often revealed vaults filled with copper coins. It wasn't that ancient people were misers, it was simply that copper coins were something you couldn't take with you when it mattered most. Ten thousand coins weighed thirty-five kilograms. If someone had a hundred thousand coins at home, they'd have to prepare several large animals to transport them when they fled, and they'd probably lose their lives. "Do you have any bills of exchange, flying money, or anything like that?" Wei Cong asked, hoping against hope.

"Bill of exchange? Flying money?" The shopkeeper was already a little impatient, but seeing that the guy in front of him was a wealthy man, he still held his temper: "I have never heard of any of what you are talking about, sir. Could you explain it to me?"

"Since copper coins are difficult to transport, I can leave them in your store and you can issue me a deed. I can then take this deed to another store and withdraw my money. Wouldn't that save me the trouble of transporting the copper coins?"

"My dear, you're joking! This is convenient for you, but we in the inn have to keep your copper coins for nothing, which adds trouble. What's the benefit? Isn't it just a waste of effort for you?"

"How can it be a waste of effort?" Wei Cong said anxiously, "These copper coins of mine are with you, and you haven't taken them away. You can use them to lend out and earn interest. What a great benefit. Besides, you can also take a percentage of the flying money. How can there be no benefit?"

Seeing that Wei Cong still refused to exchange the gold according to his offer, the shopkeeper grew increasingly impatient and raised his voice a few notches: "I have made it very clear just now. Our shop does not have the flying money or bills of exchange you mentioned. If you want copper coins, please take them. If you want to exchange them for gold or silk, it is all up to you. Just don't make things difficult for me!"

"What do you mean? What's the problem? Is this how I teach you how to do business?"

A steady voice came from outside the door. The shopkeeper's face changed drastically. He quickly stood up and bowed towards the door, saying, "Boss, that's not what I meant!"

"Shut up! I heard it all clearly outside the door, and you still dare to quibble!" A tall and strong man walked in from outside. He was only two or three fingers shorter than Wei Cong. He had a straight square face with three strands of beard, and his brows were full of majesty. Wei Cong hurriedly stood up and saluted: "May I ask who you are--"

"My name is Deng Zhong, and this Deng Mansion is our family property! Just now, one of our servants did not know the seriousness of the matter and spoke nonsense, which offended you. Please forgive me!" The man bowed deeply to Wei Cong as a greeting.

"I don't deserve it!" Wei Cong quickly turned aside, not daring to accept Deng Zhong's courtesy. "Are you the owner of this Deng Mansion?"

"I was entrusted by the elders in my family to look after this property! What is the flying money draft that I heard you talking about outside the door? Where have you seen it? Please explain it to me! I will be very grateful!" Deng Zhong said with a smile. At this time, the majesty on his face had disappeared, and what remained was only a charming smile, especially his eyes, which were full of sincerity and enthusiasm, making others feel that he is thinking about you and will never deceive or lie, and they can't help but trust and feel close to him.

Oh no, is there no such thing in this era? He just said something that didn't exist in this era. He hesitated in his heart and showed an embarrassment on his face. Deng Zhong saw it and thought that such a business secret would be disclosed by the other party since he had no relatives or friends. He laughed and said, "By the way, you came to our shop to withdraw money, right? The main business has not been completed yet, and I asked about other things. It is really rude! Forgive me, forgive me!"

"That's right!" Wei Cong recounted how he had just wanted to exchange some of his money for gold so it would be easier to carry, but he wasn't satisfied with the price the shopkeeper had given him. Finally, he said, "When I was doing business in Shu, it was also inconvenient to carry large sums of money. So, the local shops had a kind of voucher. I would deposit my money in a shop in one place, then take the voucher to another, and use it to withdraw money from the shop in the other place. The voucher was easy to carry and could be used like money. I didn't have to worry about thieves stealing it if I hid it on my person. It was really convenient. The locals called it a 'bill of exchange' or 'flying money'. So I asked the shopkeeper about it, and an argument ensued!"

"I see!" Deng Zhong nodded. "There's another reason for the gold price. I'm sure you've heard about the imperial court ordering Feng Cheqi to lead troops to quell the Wuling Barbarian Rebellion. The rising gold price is due to this. If you don't rush to exchange your gold and wait two or three months, by next spring, the price should drop significantly!"

"Feng is leading the cavalry to conquer the Wuling barbarians?" Wei Cong was stunned by this. He simply couldn't understand how the exchange rate between gold and copper coins had anything to do with the imperial court sending troops against the Wuling barbarians. After all, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the primary currencies in commercial transactions were copper coins, cloth, and grain. Gold rarely appeared in normal commerce, except as a means of storing wealth among the nobility and wealthy merchants. Seeing this, Deng Zhong whispered an explanation. It turned out that at the time, power in the court was almost entirely in the hands of the eunuchs. Although Feng Gun was a renowned general, his appointment as General of Chariots and Cavalry and his campaign against the Wuling barbarians were undoubtedly due to the support of the palace eunuchs. Therefore, upon leaving Luoyang, Feng Gun's first concern wasn't how to deploy his troops, but rather how to raise gifts for the palace eunuchs—gifts, of course, copper coins weren't as convenient as gold. As a result, the price of gold in Wancheng skyrocketed, and Wei Cong was also affected.

"Gold prices skyrocketed in Wancheng after we gave so many gifts? How many gifts would that require?" Wei Cong clicked his tongue.

"This time, the Wuling Barbarians have spread throughout the four counties of southern Jing, even plundering the area surrounding Jiangling. The imperial court sent Feng Cheqi as general, and I heard he not only mobilized the Sanhe and Five Schools, but also recruited the Bandun Barbarians and Danyang soldiers. It's said to have a 100,000-strong army. By that calculation, the cost must have been at least 300 to 400 million coins. Even if even a tenth of that was given as a gift, that would still be 30 to 40 million coins. Add to that those who want to take advantage of the situation, and it's no surprise that the price of gold has skyrocketed!"

"Isn't this just taking advantage of the situation to hype things up? Who said the ancient Chinese had no financial skills?" Wei Cong cursed inwardly, "The battle hasn't even started yet, and they're already using one-tenth of the military budget to bribe the eunuchs. Are these Feng Qi cavalry really any good? Don't let them lose to the Wuling Barbarians and the whole of Jingzhou suffer. Shouldn't I just run away first to avoid being implicated by these crooked officials?"

Deng Zhong noticed that Wei Cong looked uneasy and asked, "You look worried. Is it because you can't wait?"

"Well..." Wei Cong laughed bitterly, "I do, but I'm mainly worried about whether Feng Cheqi can pacify the Wuling Barbarians. After all, I feel a little guilty about giving out so much money to bribe the eunuchs before the battle even begins!"

"If that's the case, then you don't have to worry!" Deng Zhong laughed. "Do you know where Feng Cheqi is from?"

"I don't know!"

"The Feng Cheqi family's ancestral home is Dangqu (a place name during the Western Han Dynasty, encompassing the Qujiang River basin area of present-day Nanchong, Bazhong, Dazhou, and Guang'an. The seat of government was Sanhui Town, northeast of Qu County, Dazhou, Sichuan (where the Ba and Zhou Rivers converge to form the Qujiang River). Dangqu was the capital of the ancient Qiang State. The Qiang were fierce and skilled in warfare, especially with wooden shields and powerful crossbows. They fought in formation, immovable as a mountain, and could climb mountains and cross ridges with swift steps. They were known as the "Bandun Barbarians." The Feng family was already a prominent local clan. If the Feng Cheqi family were to dispatch troops this time, the Bantun Barbarians would surely respond enthusiastically and fight to the death. While the Wuling Barbarians were causing a major rebellion, their tribes were divided and their commands were inconsistent. With the Feng Cheqi's strength, if they could defeat one or two of the leading factions, the rest would surely surrender."

　Yesterday, a book friend in the discussion forum said that the protagonist is super calm and powerful, and that it is an old-fashioned and exciting story with no progress, and so on.

　　Let's put it this way, he's actually right. All of Weber's historical online writings throughout his life are amalgams of Liu Bang, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Gao Huan, Yuwen Tai, Li Shimin, Li Yazi, and Yang Xingmi. The general idea is this: profound and magnanimous, he values talent over wealth, and is admired by the heroic. He possesses a profound and lofty character, always a solemn presence that is unpredictable. In moments of opportunity, he is as swift as a god. As for military and national strategy, he single-handedly wields his vision, rarely foreseeing the actions of civil and military officials. He commands the army with strict laws, winning battles and devising unparalleled strategies. He listens to and makes decisions with utmost scrutiny, and cannot be deceived. He recognizes people and values talent, protecting veterans and veterans. He is generous and attentive, always attentive to cultural and educational matters, discussing matters with them and assessing their true intentions, without resorting to extravagance. He prioritizes talent when promoting people, even those who are merely qualified, and rarely appoints those with empty reputations. The generals went out to fight, following the strategic plan, and were always victorious. However, disobeying instructions often led to their flight. He was elegant and frugal, with no gold or jade ornaments on his swords, spears, saddles, or harnesses. He lived at home as if he were an official. He was benevolent and compassionate, and loved his students. Initially, Lu Jingyu of Fanyang was renowned for his knowledge of the classics, and Han Yi of Lu County was renowned for his calligraphy. Both were captured for treason and granted the privilege of being placed in his residence, where they taught his students. His civil and military men were dedicated to their duties, and many were captured and spared. Consequently, people from near and far flocked to him, eager to serve him! (From the Northern Qi Annals of Emperor Shenwu).

　　Why did Weber write this? Because the ancient wars for supremacy in East Asia and China were perhaps the most brutal civil wars in human history. Any participant with even the slightest flaw in character, politics, military, luck, or health would be doomed. A mediocre time traveler would be practically wiped out.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)