Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

As soon as the Prince of Huainan spoke, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, while simultaneously wanting to roll their eyes. After all that, it turned out the Prince had no intention of fighting the court at all. He only summoned them to discuss the matter because he didn't want to be seen as a coward. Now, by having everyone speak, it was a result of their collective discussion.

Having understood the prince's thoughts, everyone's mood lifted like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly brightening their day. As long as there was no war, they could continue living peacefully.

Therefore, when Jiang Pingda's entourage arrived at Huainan City, they saw the King of Huainan leading a group of civil and military officials to line up outside the city to welcome them.

Seeing Jiang Pingda's army approaching from afar, the Prince of Huainan rode up on horseback with his sons, marching to meet them.

"Hahaha, General Jiang, it's been many years! How have you been?" Zhou Gang greeted Jiang Pingda with his hands clasped in a fist salute.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects. However, being in heavy armor, it is inconvenient for me to perform the proper greeting, so I will refrain from kneeling. I hope Your Highness will forgive me!" Jiang Pingda returned the greeting from the Prince of Huainan while seated on his warhorse, his hands clasped in a fist salute.

"Ah, General, you have worked tirelessly for the court. It is thanks to soldiers like you that the Great Kingdom has been able to maintain its stability and the people live in peace and prosperity. As a member of the Zhou royal family, I should thank you properly. General, please, I have already prepared a banquet in my residence to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey!"

"General, you mustn't! Who knows if there's an ambush in the city?" The deputy general who was with Jiang Pingda hurriedly reminded him in a low voice after hearing what the Prince of Huainan said.

"Haha, it's alright. Your Highness has always acted with integrity and never despised the behavior of such petty people. In that case, this humble general thanks Your Highness for your hospitality!" Jiang Pingda said loudly, looking at the Prince of Huainan. He was speaking to the adjutant, but also to let everyone present hear.

"The general truly understands me." After saying this, he paused for a moment, then pointed to his sons behind him and said...

"This is my son, who spends his days fooling around and doing nothing. I've long wanted to send them to the military camp to get some experience. Today, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite this young general to bring my good-for-nothing sons to the camp to see how the soldiers live each day. What do you say?"

His purpose in doing this was to reassure everyone, by leaving his sons here as hostages.

Upon hearing what the Prince of Huainan said, the deputy general who had just warned Jiang Pingda to be careful suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Look how straightforward the other party was; he had been judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.

"Since His Highness has said so, Vice General Guo, you should lead the young masters to take a good look around the military camp and make sure they are well taken care of. If anything goes wrong, I will not let it go lightly," Jiang Pingda instructed the vice general, continuing the conversation with the Prince of Huainan.

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys. General, please rest assured, Your subordinate will protect the young masters and will not allow them to suffer any harm."

"Very well! Then I'll have to trouble Vice General Guo!" the Prince of Huainan said with a smile, seemingly quite satisfied. He had no choice; even if he was dissatisfied inside, he had to pretend to be. He was seeking peace, not asking the other side to fight him.

After pledging his sons here, the Prince of Huainan led Jiang Pingda and a small squad of guards to the palace.

After entering the city, Jiang Pingda found it peaceful and quiet. Shops were open for business as usual, and people were leisurely browsing the stalls. There was no tense atmosphere of impending war. Jiang Pingda realized that the King of Huainan was genuinely willing to make peace with the court.

After enjoying a good meal at the Prince of Huainan's residence, Jiang Pingda, carrying a box of silver notes given to him by the prince, left the city and returned to his camp outside the city. The Prince of Huainan originally wanted him to stay at his residence, but Jiang Pingda politely declined. Upon returning, Jiang Pingda wrote a detailed account of the Prince of Huainan's attitude and his observations in the city in a memorial to the throne, which was then sent back to the capital by express horseman.

Inside the Prince of Huainan's residence, Zhou Gang looked at his sons standing before him and asked...

"What did you see or hear today in the barracks?"

"Father, I saw that their camp has plenty of food, and the rations are quite good, better than what our soldiers eat. The steamed buns are made from a mixture of flour and water." Zhou Shou told his elder brother before he could speak.

"Oh? Mixed noodles? That must be delicious. It seems the imperial treasury is quite wealthy these days!" Zhou Gang said after hearing his second son's words.

"Of course! Aren't there many people saying that Princess Wenfu, the Princess of Zhenguo, is a celestial being descended to earth, capable of conjuring food out of thin air?" Zhou Shou used to dismiss this rumor as gossip, but after spending the day in the military camp, he discovered that they truly had no shortage of food. Even the hay fed to their warhorses contained a considerable amount of cooked black beans. Their diet was indeed quite high-class! It seems the rumors were true.

"What do you say?" The King of Huainan turned his gaze to his eldest son, Zhou Ting.

Zhou Ting had initially felt deeply ashamed of his father's surrender without a fight, but after seeing the enemy's rations today, he felt somewhat disheartened. If the rumors about the Princess Zhenguo were true, the court would no longer be constrained by food supplies, and could wage war whenever it wanted. Even if his side were to win this time by chance, what about the future? Their food supplies were far from inexhaustible.

If the enemy army were to truly surround his city and cut off all supply lines, then there would eventually come a day when he couldn't hold out any longer. At that point, it would be either surrender or death. Thinking of that scenario, a chill ran down his spine. In that instant, he realized that his father was indeed cunning and shrewd, able to foresee the situation so early and make the choice most advantageous to himself.

Seeing his eldest son looking down and lost in thought, Zhou Gang didn't force him. Instead, he turned his attention to his younger son, Zhou Xian.

"Third brother, what do you say?"

"Well, Father, my opinion is the same as my second brother's. Their food is indeed very good. I asked some soldiers about it, and they said it's their normal food, but when there's a battle, they'll eat even better, with meat soup and fruit! I asked them if they weren't afraid of the battle, and they not only didn't seem afraid, but they even seemed excited."

Upon hearing his third brother say this, Zhou Ting immediately continued,

“I heard from them that if someone dies in battle, their family will receive a pension of one hundred taels of silver, and the imperial court will also allocate land to their family and reduce their taxes for several years. Many people say that if they die, it will be worth it to leave their wives and children with silver and land, so they are not afraid to go to the battlefield.”

"Where did the court get so much money—one hundred taels of silver per person as a pension?" The Prince of Huainan exclaimed in surprise upon hearing his son's words.

"When the late emperor was still alive, Princess Wenfu Zhenguo was only a county princess. Her father donated 200,000 taels of silver in one go for the compensation of soldiers who died in battle. Under his leadership, wealthy merchants from all over the country followed suit and donated a lot of silver to the court. All of this silver was used for the compensation of soldiers who died in battle. Because of this, when the court recruited new soldiers, there were a lot of people who signed up and were very enthusiastic." Zhou Ting told his father everything he knew clearly.