Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 83: Seven Generations of Accumulation, All Handed Over

Song Shi'an felt that these words were too shameless, and he was a little embarrassed to say it outright, so he hesitated a bit, but he didn't expect that neither of them understood.

After they understood, they were completely dumbfounded.

The atmosphere froze instantly.

After a long silence, Wei Wusheng finally couldn't help but ask, "You let them go, and I'll go and bring them back?"

"Yes."

Song Shi'an confirmed.

"Is this what you mean by having a legitimate reason for launching an attack?"

Wei Wusheng frowned, feeling that this was a bit too shameless.

Song Shi'an, who had already thought it through, said, "We must not plunder the powerful clans like Zhang Gong. If we do such a thing, we will be impeached to death by the court officials. The soldiers will also be worried about being targeted and retaliated against afterward, and will hesitate and waver. But now, they have taken out their own grain and money. After they leave the city, we will distribute the money and collect the grain. When they return to the city, they will have nothing left."

"And what about the dignity you mentioned?" Wei Wusheng asked. "Why dignity?"

“I instructed Zhang Gong and other powerful families to move all their grain out and store it in their courtyards. As for their property, they were to send it all to a warehouse on the city wall at the city gate. After paying the money, they could leave.”

In detail, Song Shi'an explained, "When the incident comes to light, the people will definitely have grievances. Then, Your Highness will personally investigate."

"The results of the investigation were..."

Suddenly realizing what was happening, Xin Yue murmured, "Did the powerful Zhang family bribe the soldiers and officers guarding the city to leave?"

Wei Wusheng suddenly realized what was going on, stood up excitedly and said, "We then investigated and punished a group of officers and soldiers guarding the city, each of them was fined three years' salary. Then, we sent cavalry to persuade the powerful families to return to the city, citing that they were not allowed to leave the city without permission during wartime."

"At that time, the people all exclaimed that His Highness the Sixth Prince truly enforced the law impartially, treated everyone equally, and cared for the people." Song Shi'an boasted, "Some people in Shuofeng City said that with the arrival of His Highness the Sixth Prince, the clear sky of Shuofeng has arrived."

"Moreover, the entire process was documented in military records without the slightest deviation. In fact, it was witnessed by tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians." Wei Wusheng finally understood the ingenuity of the plan. "No one could force Zhang Gong to accept a bribe!"

Why go through all this trouble?

Because in this era, no one can control everything.

Things that are brought into the open are more or less sensitive.

In wartime, forcibly plundering aristocratic families might seem justifiable.

However, if the military uses a state of combat readiness to amass wealth and extort money from powerful families, then this balance will be broken.

Never underestimate a family with a thousand-year history.

Moreover, Song Shi'an himself came from a prominent family, so there was no need for him to become Huang Chao.

"And another thing," Song Shi'an added, "After those powerful clans returned, they had lost all their food and property. At this point, they were no different from ordinary people. If they wanted to rebel again, they would have no power. They could only obediently perform corvée labor."

You still dare to breathe on it?

Hanima coin.

"They'll just beg us for food."

Wei Wusheng smiled.

"My conversation with Master Zhang today has given me some inspiration," Song Shi'an said. "He said that as long as we don't offend the powerful families in this battle, our victory will be flawless."

"how?"

"Since His Majesty is going to use military settlements to put pressure on the powerful families, I think as long as we don't go too far, His Majesty will surely defend us."

What do you mean by "not too excessive"?

"Not taking their lives indiscriminately, that's the bottom line."

Song Shi'an said definitively.

“Alright.” Wei Wusheng nodded and said to Song Shi’an, “I entrust this matter entirely to you. If you need me to intervene, please inform me as soon as possible. Xin Yue is also in your care; feel free to give me any instructions.”

"Thank you, Your Highness." Song Shi'an clenched his fist and saluted.

Xin Yue was a little concerned; what exactly was he thanking her for...?

"Then go and rest, we have important things to do tomorrow," Wei Wusheng urged.

"Yes."

And so, the two of them left the room.

After walking outside for a while, Xin Yue looked at Song Shi'an and said somewhat subtly, "Are you really not greedy at all?"

"Although my family's wealth is not as much as these wealthy families combined, or even far less, money is just a number to me now," Song Shi'an said nonchalantly.

"Aren't you a son born out of wedlock?"

With just one sentence, Song Shi's attempt to put on airs was thwarted. He waved his hand dismissively, "Go to sleep. See you tomorrow."

Xinyue, who had placed her hand on the hilt of the sword, slowly nodded.

.........

At the Zhang residence, Zhang Ting held a lantern in his hand, with Zhang Gong, who was leaning on a cane, beside him.

In the pitch-black night, the two walked slowly. When they reached the entrance of the treasury, Zhang Ting took out his key and opened the door.

Inside was a large granary of grain.

In fact, this doesn't take up much of the Zhang family's grain reserves.

His family's main food supply came from the countryside. The food and wages in the city were only enough for the nearly one hundred people in the entire prefecture for several years.

The farmland, just this branch alone, amounts to seven or eight thousand mu.

But it's not just that.

"Be careful of the fire, protect the lamp," said Zhang Gong.

"Yes."

Zhang Ting carefully carried the lantern and walked inside.

Then, deeper inside, there was a large earthenware jar that was empty but covered with a wooden lid.

Holding the lamp, Zhang Ting used one elbow to forcefully push the earthenware jar open.

Then, a different wooden plank appeared on the ground.

After unlocking the door with the key, Zhang Ting removed the wooden board.

It is a hidden passageway staircase.

"Dad, slow down."

Zhang Ting reached out to help Zhang Gong, and the two of them slowly went inside.

This is a damp cellar.

Wherever the light shone, there were boxes everywhere.

It was packed full, more than twenty in total.

Half of the Zhang family's wealth is here.

The rest are in the old house in the countryside.

Money and grain are things that can't all be kept in one place.

However, losing half of the property is also heartbreaking.

Seeing this, Zhang Ting really couldn't stand it: "Seven generations of accumulated wealth, are we really going to use it to bribe Song Shi'an?"

“As long as I am still here, my clansmen are still here, and the court still has power, even if Beiliang is lost and all our land is gone, we can eventually regain our wealth and status after a few more years of recuperation.” Zhang Gong knew very well that his real source of confidence was the governor’s nephew.

Even if he has encountered some problems this time and needs to be demoted, it shouldn't be to the point of being completely stripped of his position.

At least, there are still those who reach the second rank.

His eldest son is now a fourth-rank official.

As long as he hasn't stepped down, everything will be alright.

"Song Shi'an is really crazy. How could he, all by himself, embezzle so much?" Zhang Ting said incredulously.

“Of course not,” Zhang Gong corrected. “Would he dare to embezzle so much by himself? Of course he would involve several others and distribute the money. Perhaps even the Sixth Prince would get a share.”

"Does even the Sixth Prince need to be greedy?"

"Don't be so surprised. There are plenty of corrupt princes out there, and Wei Wusheng isn't even a prince." Zhang Gong finally understood. "It seems they really came here seeking wealth and power. They want fame, merit, and money."

Let's just give up on this north wind.

Wei Wusheng, Song Shi'an, and others' wishful thinking of achieving fame and success after repelling Ji Yuan was thwarted.

"If you leave early, you can still keep your money."

Zhang Tingtai held onto a box of money, reluctant to part with it.

In fact, grain was always requisitioned during each city defense operation.

However, it will not involve money.

The reason is simple: money is the lifeblood and the only thing people have to live for.

Once you take his money, he'll give up on the idea.

In addition, when defending a city, money is not needed at all.

"Should we still talk to my cousin?" Zhang Ting wanted to make one last effort. "Let him communicate with the Sixth Prince personally, bypassing everyone else. If it's the Sixth Prince, he'll definitely give us face. After all, my cousin still controls the rear."

“No, we must go with the other powerful clans,” Zhang Gong said directly.

“Those people have received so much kindness from us in the past. Now they want to take advantage of us and my cousin.” Zhang Ting found it hard to accept. “Have we been too good to them?”

"A single thread cannot make a line, and a single tree cannot make a forest."

He slowly turned around, no longer looking at the treasure chests. Zhang Gong was unsparing in his opinion: "The Wei family only became emperors because of the protection of the Dayu aristocratic families. We, without these dependent powerful clans, could not become the local emperors of Beiliang."

(End of this chapter)