"Are they all his?"
After a long silence, Cao Hong raised his head and asked again. After receiving a nod from Yang Zhi, the originally warm drinking atmosphere in the tent was broken.
Everyone felt as if they had drunk fake wine, and the food and wine in their hands suddenly no longer tasted good.
Can you still do this?
How much land and real estate did he buy, as well as houses inside and outside the county?
You know, before the news of the emperor's capital being established in Xuchang was announced, many people were not optimistic about the place due to the war and had long wanted to take refuge in a safer place.
These real estates cannot be sold, because every family that has money will first exchange it for food. Therefore, if it was purchased by others before, it was either because they were not afraid of war or they were taking a gamble.
Zhang Bochang must have expected it.
Why couldn't we have thought of this?
The generals and colonels in the tent looked at each other angrily, looking a little uncomfortable.
Cao Hong slapped his forehead and felt helpless. He looked up at Yang Zhi and said, "You said Zhang Han bought half of Dongshiliting. What about the other half?"
Yang Zhi spread her hands and said helplessly: "The other half was bought by the eldest young master."
Cao Hong's face turned cold.
This Han didn’t think of me at all! Fortunately, I still regarded him as my brother in Xuzhou, Cao Hongxin said.
After thinking for a while, he raised his head impatiently and asked Yang Zhi: "Then, have you sent someone to discuss it with Bochang?"
"I'm gone," Yang Zhi walked up to him and knelt down, "I'm not coming back now. He said that we are not equal. It is easy to make mistakes by sending messages like this. It is better to ask the general to say it in person."
"Harm," Cao Hong slapped his thigh, stood up with his stocky body, and asked Yang Zhi to bring two jars of good wine, "Let's go, without further ado, let's go discuss it now. Maybe he has some other tricks."
Cao Hong didn't like Zhang Han before, but since he taught him how to recruit the gentry and Confucian scholars in Xuzhou, he looked at Zhang Han with admiration.
Now that the matter has fallen on him, we should indeed go find him in person.
Not long after, Cao Hong came to visit Zhang Han at his residence. At this time, many people gathered here. It was probably a celebration banquet, and it was very lively.
Guo Fengxiao and Xi Zhicai are among them. Apart from them, there are many old faces.
For example, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu and others who followed Zhang Han in Xuzhou, and Zhang Liao who later surrendered to his elder brother.
When he entered the courtyard, he walked across the stone bridge in the river courtyard and walked straight to the main room on the stone road. The floors in the house were all made of wood, which was quite elegant. The house was very large and the courtyard was accessible. There were many plants planted in the corners of the courtyard, mostly with Mostly bamboo.
When he walked to the door, Cao Hong was a little confused. Zhang Bochang actually lived in such a good house. The house looked like a courtyard left by a wealthy family and recently renovated.
Alas, all the money I spent in the past was in the dog's belly. It was a mistake.
Not long after, Zhang Han came out to welcome Cao Hong and said, "Uncle Zilian! Today is a celebration banquet. I know you are busy supervising the construction, so I didn't invite you. I apologize."
"No need, Bo Chang, I need to see you if I have something to do." Cao Hong glanced inside and made some gestures with his eyes. It was considered as a greeting. The people here didn't have a good relationship with him, so there was no need to force it.
Moreover, there was also a celebration banquet in his own camp, and Cao Hong also came here after drinking. Now that he saw the real owner, Cao Hong asked Zhang Han about those mansions on the spot.
"Zixiu and I did buy these real estate mansions before. That was because we were considering welcoming the emperor to the hinterland in the future. Everything would be expensive."
"I just thought that in Xu County, I can take advantage of the cheap prices and buy whatever I want, and then I will buy more and more when I have some spare money. Needless to say, Zixiu is rich..."
He was an eldest son, and his family had a mountain of money. It was not considered earned money, but he could get a little if he performed meritorious deeds, and more if he held on to it.
After that, apart from inviting Zhang Han to drink wine, eat meat, and hold a banquet, most of the rest was spent on these things.
Now, the two of them basically occupy less than half of the land that can be bought and sold in Xu County.
Most of the others are brothers from the Suwei camp, including Gao Shun and Dian Wei.
But Dian Wei had a bit of "strange" arrogance. He had an idea and sold the mansion a few days ago, planning to buy a bloody horse for himself, and the buyer was Sun Qian.
I made twice as much money, and I was so happy that I even bought some wine to drink today.
"Well... then, how do you think we should discuss this mansion now?"
"Uncle," Zhang Han stretched out his hand to signal Ji Boxiao to go into the house and get a glass of wine, handed it to him, and said softly: "You only need to supervise the construction. There is no need to move these mansions until some are built on the surrounding land. When the mansions are side by side, I will buy them and give you a few mansions.”
"Tomorrow, I will ask Bo Xiao to deliver a box of gold cakes to your house. These are gifts and do not need to be divided under the account."
"Well, I'll go talk to Zixiu again. We're all members of our own family. There's nothing to discuss, right? The original mansion can be renovated and expanded, as long as it's in line with the capital's construction."
"As for the land, when the tribute from the princes arrives and the compensation is allocated, you can actually ask for more. Brother, do you understand this?"
Cao Hong felt very comfortable listening to the previous part, and he didn't know whether he was drunk or something. Zhang Han became more and more handsome as he looked at him. This guy really knows how to do things.
The money is given generously.
But then I thought about it carefully and realized that it was right. The money was not earned by his hard work. It was as if the money itself produced more than ten times the money when he closed and opened his eyes.
Of course generous.
But his last words made Cao Hong make some guesses for a moment, and he asked with a smile: "What does Bo Chang mean? How do you plan to arrange the money?"
Zhang Han pulled him aside. The two faced the moonlit landscape of the pond and stood side by side under the moon. Zhang Han said: "In the past, outsiders always criticized you and me for loving money as much as life and being greedy by nature."
"It's really those people who made wild speculations, malicious slanders, and even gave our counselor a nickname of drunkenness, sex, and wealth. It's really abominable."
"Not bad!" Cao Hong's cheeks bulged slightly and he nodded with deep approval.
Zhang Han continued: "Just like this, you and I are taking money and occupying land. It stands to reason that if this matter is found out, the lord will definitely punish it, but why has it not been stopped?"
"Does the lord really trust me so much?"
Isn't it? ?
Cao Hong glanced at him and felt that Zhang Han was thinking too much. If it weren't for the lord's preference, you would have been beaten long ago.
I don’t know how many people in my camp, Lieutenant General, want to challenge you!
They even attacked in groups, but they just endured it.
"Otherwise why?" Cao Hong glanced at him with a hint of envy in his tone.
The eldest brother took care of the younger ones a lot, especially Cao Ang and Zhang Han, but was very strict with their brothers, but no one complained about it.
Because the soldiers and horses are divided into the hands of the clan, each other knows that they are the ones who are truly relied on, and they are their own brothers.
Zhang Han uttered a word of surprise and continued to be seductive, "Since Zixiu also did it, the lord must also know about it."
"He knew, but he didn't scold and stop me because he saw the benefits of this section. We did this not because we were greedy for money."
Zhang Han Zhengyi Lingran glanced sideways under the moonlight and seemed to be quite dignified. He smiled and said: "It's about planning."
"Planning?"
Cao Hong was thoughtful, and his eyes lit up after a moment, "You mean, you want to pay tribute to the princes with high compensation, so that they can't save money?"
"Ha," Zhang Han suddenly smiled, "Yes, that's true. Nowadays, the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty are all occupied by the factions of the ministers, but they have no soldiers, so they dare not boss us around. But the tributes from the princes can only be paid by the ministers. The imperial edict and the official position conferred by the emperor will definitely be sent."
"If you don't send it, you can be punished for treason. I'm afraid you can't do it in remote places like Yizhou and Liangzhou, but those in Jiyou, Huainan, and Jingzhou will definitely pay tribute according to the imperial edict." Zhang Han grabbed Cao Hong's arm , "Once this money is put into the treasury, the minister will have a surplus of food, and he can recruit troops and horses, and continue to grow in the name of protecting the imperial city. Brother, do you think these tributes are really for the emperor?"
Cao Hong breathed a deep sigh of relief and said: "This is using money to support the ministers and allowing the nobles to buy troops and horses to disrupt our rear. Over time, we will definitely be attacked from both sides and be in chaos."
"Yes, in this case, we can use land compensation to empty out the ministers, which has two wonderful effects. First, if they refuse, it will cause widespread resentment among the people. If they are not morally responsible, they can only remove them and replace them; second, if they refuse, they will be replaced. If they pay compensation, the money can secretly flow into my and Zixiu's hands, wouldn't that just go into Cao's pocket?"
"They are all officials. They understand that His Majesty's prestige is extremely important now, and the Lord does not compete with them for the position. Therefore, the Gongun princes will definitely cherish their reputation even more and will not give us any chance to criticize. Therefore, I predict that they will Let the Chancellor prepare an edict to pay compensation, so as to calm the people's hearts and make Xudu prosperous."
"The money is divided into three parts. One part is of course used to compensate me, Zixiu, and many landowners; the second part is transferred to my righteousness and my father-in-law, and can be used to finance Yanzhou and Xuzhou soldiers and horses; the third part is for Give it to Uncle Zilian...Uncle Zixiao and other clan generals to reward the army, so as much as you want, it is best to let them touch their own bones..."
"It would also help to make these normally aloof ministers understand that times have changed. The days when they were high in the temples and ignorant of the people's sentiments and could just make orders at will are gone forever."
"Good plan."
Cao Hong laughed. He knew why he liked Zhang Han so much. This kid had so many tricks and would cause trouble again.
What a clever, cunning and cunning person. He clearly wants to make money, and he does it so openly. Moreover, he has his elder brother protecting him, so he won't be punished in the future even if the incident happens.
At most, his reputation was ruined and he was accused of being extremely corrupt, but he didn't care at all about these accusations.
Cao Ying's several advisers were all drunk, seduced, and wealthy. Who cared about the opinions of scholars? !
These are all wild, heroic and passionate madmen. In short, they are all old yinbi.
Zhang Han is a small silver coin because he is still young.
Moreover, those ministers, as soon as they arrived in Xudu, after being settled for a while, they wanted to fight for power and gain, and they seemed to want to kick them away.
There are still many people who are looking forward to the Yuan family coming to take over Xudu. I really don't know what year it will be, but Cao Hong has long disliked them.
"Good nephew, I understand. You can't control this matter. I'll do it as you say!" Cao Hong held the back of Zhang Han's hand with his backhand and patted it heavily.
After taking the photo, my palms still felt hot and painful.
This kid has such hard bones and skin.
…
In the second half of the celebration banquet, the other military guests had already left. Gao Shun did not drink alcohol, but only drank water, so he also arranged for guards to patrol the front yard.
After finally sending a carriage to send off Xu Huang and Chen Qun who came to congratulate him, Zhang Han was almost sober, with some heat left by the drink.
Then, together with Guo Jia and Dian Wei, they watched the wine sacrifice perform his Qingqing sword technique in the courtyard.
They are all used to it. Fortunately, there is no well in this courtyard. After offering wine and asking for love for a while, they will fall down when it is time to "pick up a sword and ask the love of heaven".
Zhang Han also recited a poem, "The orchid sends his friend Xu Dudao, if the sky is sentimental, the sky will also grow old", which was blatantly plagiarized by Xi Zhicai. When he recited this sentence, he would fall to the ground, and then be helped by Dian Wei Go to the wing and find a room to sleep in.
Guo Jia had a good drinking capacity, and he and Zhang Han sat on the floor in the corridor, talking freely and freely.
At this time, Sun Qian and the others were busy seeing off guests, and the two of them had the opportunity to have a deep chat.
Guo Jia mentioned something that caught Zhang Han's attention, "It is indispensable to have hundreds of officials, but the news of the imperial city is indispensable."
Zhang Han sat up and said with a slightly raised brow, "What an excellent idea you have! There should be a sentry specifically subordinate to the lord to monitor the officials, so that they can have a clampdown on each other."
"Oh, yes," Guo Jia chuckled. This is what the so-called heroes think alike. "But we can't propose this matter yet. We need to plan secretly, select primary and secondary officials, cultivate various secret skills, and wait for the opportunity to be done overnight. .”
"With such a secret sentry force, if Dali Temple is reopened, the security in the city can be firmly controlled. I am already thinking about how to set up the structure..."
"As expected of you," Zhang Han said sincerely. After he came, he really relieved a lot of the burden of offering wine.
"Oh, why do you and I need to praise each other?" Guo Jia's expression was arrogant, but it was still quite useful.
But then I couldn't help but think that it was quite magical that the current relationship between their advisers could be so harmonious.
In other words, are they just like each other?
So, I couldn't help but think of that comment that is not widely circulated.
"Zhang Bo often drinks a thousand cups without getting drunk, and likes to have banquets and drink and talk happily; Guo Fengxiao is a lustful person, and he will never let go of the flowers; the drama talent is drunk and has no external wealth, and the salary distribution must be used to pay back the money. All the wealth is gone."
"Well..." Zhang Han listened with a smile, sighed deeply, and said quietly: "Then, Mr. Wen Ruo will be so angry with us that he will scream and be ashamed of being in our company!"
"Hahaha!!"
The two looked at each other for a moment. They were both talented people, and they immediately figured out the perfect reason to involve Xun Yu in the "qi" aspect.
He burst into laughter immediately.
…
In July, the busy farming season has long passed. This year, there is a lot of land to be cultivated. The climate is suitable and neither dry nor moist, reflecting the appearance of a bumper harvest.
After Cao Hong ran around several times, most of the expansion of the Xudu capital was completed. The officials calculated the compensation for the people's wealth and life, and reported it to the emperor.
At this time, the princes who had received the imperial edict also sent envoys to pay tribute, and also ordered officials to come to the court to pay homage.
Both the Shangshutai and the Yushitai were busy with this matter. Taiwei Yang Biao, Taiservant Han Rong, and Chief Nong Zhu Jun were all upset when they heard about it.
After calculation, if these compensations were to be paid, the money and food obtained from the tribute would only be enough for 80%. This does not include the tribute sent by Cao Cao from Yanzhou and Xuzhou.
Because the construction of palaces, inner cities, outer cities, and various city gates requires expenses everywhere.
They discussed and argued almost all night, but still could not make a decision.
If the remaining 20% think about Cao Cao speaking again, they will definitely be lowered in the future. And those sent to visit the people all know that the people are resentful and dissatisfied with the hard work of the people.
This is already dissatisfying. Once they are forcibly expelled and taken back to the Han Dynasty, it may cause further changes... How can it stand up to public resentment now?
At this point, they could only agree to it and recalculate various expenditures.
The tributes from Jizhou, Youzhou, and Jingzhou had just arrived, and as soon as they were counted, they were gone.
If we want it again, we still have to wait until next year. In the following days, how can we maintain the country's expenditure?
I'm afraid I have to rely on Mr. Cao...
(End of chapter)
