Free Web NovelChapter 289: Take Guanjun, Gain Wealth and Grain
That night.
Outside the residence, the cold wind was bleak.
Inside the residence, it was as warm as spring.
However...
At this moment, Tao Qian’s heart felt as though it had been frozen with three feet of ice, shivering from the cold.
He really didn’t want to hand over Xuzhou to Long Chen!
What he said earlier was purely to be polite, to show his generosity, and to express gratitude to Long Chen for coming all the way to help.
But now, the situation was clearly slipping out of his control.
“Has Lord Tao thought it through? How exactly do you plan to negotiate?”
Long Chen’s persistent voice rang out again.
“Hmm, this old man thinks that I could gift Guanjun of Xuzhou to my virtuous nephew. The other counties will still be governed by this old man.”
Tao Qian’s old face remained calm as if he wasn’t the one who had just been crying and shouting about giving all of Xuzhou to Long Chen.
This old scoundrel’s face was indeed as thick as city walls.
Long Chen couldn’t help but “praise” Tao Qian harshly in his heart.
As for Guanjun...
It was obviously a trap for Long Chen!
Guanjun was located in the northwest of Xuzhou, directly connected to Cao Cao’s Yanzhou. If war broke out again, the first one they would face would be Cao Cao.
Clearly, Tao Qian was treating Long Chen like a fool!
His purpose was to make Long Chen guard the borders for his Xuzhou.
Would Long Chen agree to this?
Clearly...he would.
“If that’s the case, I will follow Lord Tao’s suggestion and take Guanjun.”
Long Chen respectfully clasped his hands toward Tao Qian.
Silence.
The air seemed to congeal, and though there were many people in the residence, at that moment, not a single person spoke.
They were all stunned by Long Chen’s words.
Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao both furrowed their brows.
They couldn’t believe that their usually wise and resourceful lord would suddenly make such a foolish decision.
They understood the hidden meaning behind Tao Qian’s proposal.
They didn’t believe Long Chen couldn’t see it too.
So, there was only one explanation that made sense:
Their lord had his own considerations.
Xu Chu and Dian Wei, however, didn’t understand.
They only knew that they could have directly taken the governorship of Xuzhou, but now they could only get one county.
This territory had clearly shrunk a lot! freēwebnovel.com
Such a loss!
Such a loss, my lord!
Xu Chu and Dian Wei’s eyes widened as they tried to signal to Long Chen that this was a bad deal and he should definitely not agree to it.
But Long Chen acted as though he didn’t see their looks, causing them to stomp their feet in frustration.
As for Cao Bao and others, they were extremely excited, praising:
“Lord Long is truly righteous! So righteous!”
But any observant person could see that this was the joy of petty people achieving success.
Mi Zhu and other merchants let out a deep sigh and slowly shook their heads.
He had already done everything in his power, even risking offending Tao Qian.
But Long Chen still didn’t listen to him.
They couldn’t help but start doubting if their judgment was correct.
Logically speaking, with such a great opportunity, anyone would accept it.
But Long Chen didn’t, which truly made them anxious.
As for Chen Deng and his father, they frowned deeply in thought.
Had they overlooked some factor?
Otherwise, why would Long Chen give up Xuzhou and choose Guanjun?
“Well, well, well! My virtuous nephew, you truly are this old man’s good nephew!”
“Rest assured, my virtuous nephew, if you ever lack provisions or silver, just come to this old man.”
Tao Qian stroked his long beard, laughing heartily, his face glowing with joy.
Having taken such advantage, there was no way he wouldn’t give Long Chen some benefits.
No matter how fast a thousand-mile horse can run, it still needs good feed to cover a thousand miles in a day.
The same logic applied to Long Chen.
“In that case, I must trouble Lord Tao.”
“My army has been on the move constantly, and their strength is severely depleted. Plus, we’re about to go to Guanjun to take up the post, so we’ll need more provisions.”
“Also, my soldiers from Jiangdong suffered heavy losses in this battle, and they need a lot of compensation. I’ll have to trouble Lord Tao with these matters.”
“I’ve roughly calculated it: Lord Tao only needs to provide 300,000 stone of grain and 100,000 taels of silver.”
Long Chen respectfully clasped his hands toward Tao Qian.
Anyone who didn’t know would think he was a refined gentleman.
But upon hearing Long Chen’s words, Tao Qian was immediately shocked, standing frozen in place.
What the hell!
Even the most cunning merchants of the Han dynasty don’t demand such a high price as you!
300,000 stone of grain, what does that even mean?
It’s equivalent to the food consumption of 100,000 troops for three years.
And adding 100,000 taels of silver on top of that, even if Long Chen didn’t get Xuzhou, he would still make a huge profit.
“This...my virtuous nephew, isn’t this price a bit too high?”
Tao Qian cautiously asked.
“It’s not high at all, not one bit. Lord Tao, think about it: if it weren’t for my soldiers from Jiangdong fighting to the death, would Xuzhou have held out until now?!”
Long Chen’s tone grew heavier, carrying a strong sense of authority that even made Tao Qian feel a bit frightened.
“T-this... my virtuous nephew, how about we discuss this further?” Tao Qian asked through gritted teeth.
He recalled how Long Chen was willing to negotiate when he offered Xuzhou earlier, so he figured they could still negotiate now. After all, Long Chen was asking for so much that it would take a huge chunk out of Xuzhou.
“No, there’s no room for negotiation on this matter,” Long Chen responded firmly.
“The reason I was willing to negotiate earlier was because of Lord Tao’s old age. But now, there can be no more discussion!”
“Why is that?”
“Earlier, I was negotiating for myself. Now, I’m doing it for the tens of thousands of Jiangdong soldiers under my command.”
“This grain and silver are for my soldiers, so they cannot be compromised.”
Long Chen’s words were resolute, and his tone carried a deadly seriousness.
Tao Qian was momentarily too intimidated to respond.
But these few words instantly filled the generals under Long Chen with deep gratitude.
Dian Wei and Xu Chu even had tears welling up in the corners of their eyes.
“Our lord treats us so well; I’ll never leave him for the rest of my life,” Dian Wei nodded firmly.
“My lord... I swear, as long as I, Xu Chu, am by your side, I won’t let anyone harm you, not even a single hair.”
Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, and their fists clenched tightly.
Having such a righteous and soldier-loving lord was truly a blessing they had earned over many lifetimes.
“Indeed, even though I don’t understand why Lord Long refused the position of Governor of Xuzhou, observing how he commands his subordinates, I am deeply impressed,” Chen Deng quietly nodded toward his father.
Those who achieve great things often possess a good quality, which is to love their soldiers like their own children.
During the Spring and Autumn period, Wu Qi was such a person; when his soldiers were injured, he would go so far as to suck out the pus from their wounds with his own mouth.
This led his soldiers to fight bravely on the battlefield, unafraid of death.
Now, they finally understood why Long Chen’s soldiers were so formidable in battle.
A large part of the reason was because of how well Long Chen treated them.
“In that case, could you give this old man a few days to gather the grain and silver?” Tao Qian asked with a respectful bow. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
There was no other option.
Long Chen had already declined the position of Governor of Xuzhou. If he refused this request as well, what would the world think of him?
Moreover, he didn’t necessarily have to provide all the grain and silver himself!
Xuzhou was full of aristocratic families and wealthy merchants dripping with riches.
With just a few cuts here and there, he could easily meet these demands.
Tao Qian couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
