Yuan Shu got the answer he wanted from Xiaohuangmen, and his heart felt a lot more stable.
After all, as long as Zhang Rang presides over this auction, then his position as Nanyang State Shepherd is basically guaranteed.
After this auction, the Yellow Turban Uprising began. Starting from Julu, people in prefectures and counties across the country took up arms to rebel.
The Yellow Turban Army led by the three Zhang Jiao brothers, General Tiangong, General Digong and General Renggong fired the first shot to destroy the Eastern Han Dynasty.
This is why Yuan Shu insists on winning the Nanyang Prefecture, even if it means using huge wealth.
For this reason, Yuan Shu went to the auction this time to ensure that he could win the official position of Nanyang Prefecture Mu without any risk.
But he had prepared eight billion dollars early, and no one could compare with him just for this alone.
When Yuan Shu entered the venue, he just couldn't see Wen Nu sitting in front. But Yuan Shu had no intention of going over to say hello, after all, the bidding was about to begin.
Therefore, Yuan Shu casually found a seat and sat down.
Hearing these businessmen and some officials brag to each other and inquire about information, Yuan Shu couldn't help but feel sad. Because what these people are talking about is nothing more than how to quickly make up for their losses from the common people after bidding for the official positions they want.
In their opinion, this auction. It's just that they first used the money of ordinary people to bid for official positions, and then snatched the money back from them.
Such a big man has become corrupt to such an extent. How could he not die? It was just a matter of time.
And Yuan Shu is just one of many ambitious people.
Thinking of this, Yuan Shu simply closed his eyes. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao sat together, but Cao Cao himself always felt uneasy. Especially after Yuan Shu came out, but he couldn't tell where he was.
He just felt that Yuan Shu was becoming increasingly unclear to him. Moreover, now he wanted to probe Yuan Shu's tone from Yuan Shao's mouth, but Yuan Shao also said nothing about Yuan Shu.
But Cao Cao didn't think much about it. After all, Yuan Shu, whom he knew from his studies until now, never had a good look on him. He always fights with Zhao Ji and skips classes every day, so Cao Cao knows very little about Yuan Shu.
At most, they can only be regarded as classmates. After all, they also studied under Cai Yong.
At this time, the voice from Xiaohuangmen sounded: "Sir Zhang Changshi has arrived~"
As this sound fell, everyone fell silent in unison. After all, everyone knows Zhang Rang, one of the Ten Constant Attendants, because it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the head of the Ten Constant Attendants.
Even His Majesty respectfully calls him Great Father, which can be said to be extremely powerful.
As a man wearing a red brocade robe and a gold veil slowly walked in from outside, everyone stood up to greet him.
Even Yuan Shu himself is no exception. After all, he is still just himself. Moreover, he is still demanding Zhang Rang. In the future, when the Yellow Turban Uprising occurs, he will probably have to trouble Zhang Rang a lot.
After all, in Yuan Shu's impression, Zhang Rang was the guy who, together with the other nine great eunuchs, used Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty as a puppet.
If you want to rely on imperial power to gain greater rights in the future, then there is no way to bypass this guy.
Zhang Rang looked at everyone present and said in a distinctive male duck voice: "This time, our family has obeyed His Majesty's order to host this official auction."
"So you don't need to be cautious. I hope you will bid enthusiastically in the next auction!"
"Then, everyone, sit down. The bidding for the first official position will begin now."
Zhang Rang asked everyone to sit down first, and then gave those dishonest guys a hard look. In fact, it means that there are no filial piety to his fellows and officials, because they all came in from other ways and channels.
This made Zhang Rang very dissatisfied, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he is not the only one who dominates the palace and the court, and he cannot eat them all.
Zhang Rang: "The position of magistrate of Taoyuan County has a salary of 600 dan."
"The starting price is five million yuan, everyone can start bidding freely."
In fact, the normal salary for a county magistrate is only 300 dan per year. But Taoyuan County is a particularly fertile place with a large population.
This means that there are more people who can be exploited, and the annual salary of several hundred dan is not worth mentioning to them.
What they want is the position of the county magistrate, because in this way they can legitimately exploit the people. And no one will care about them, after all, they are not just exploiting the common people themselves.
A large part of what they exploit is basically handed over to their immediate superiors. But even so, they still make a lot of money.
So when Zhang Rang finished speaking, someone immediately raised the price: "Seven million yuan!"
Someone else immediately followed and said, "Seven and a half million dollars!"
"I, Mr. Li, have ten million dollars to become a monk!"
It turns out that this Li family is a descendant of Li Guang, the great general of the Han Dynasty. That's why he had such capital to bid up to 10 million yuan, and no one dared to continue to bid after he made the bid.
The main reason is that it is simply not worth it, after buying it for 10 million yuan. Then there will be much less money for them to earn.
Maybe even three to five years may not be enough, after all, they also have people above them.
But the Li family can do it, after all, no one dares to touch their bad luck. Even though the Li family has declined, it is undeniable that the Li family is still one of the top noble families in the Han Dynasty.
Seeing that no one continued to bid, Zhang Rang immediately said: "Well, congratulations to the Li family for auctioning off the post of Taoyuan County Magistrate for 10 million yuan."
"After the auction is over, you can stay here and wait to receive the imperial edict and documents."
The people from the Li family saluted Zhang Rang and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang, for your acceptance!"
Cao Cao said to Yuan Shao: "Brother Benchu, now this is just the position of a county magistrate, and it has already been auctioned for 10 million yuan."
"It seems that it is still very difficult for you and me to get the official position we expected. I just hope their ambitions are not that big."
Who is Cao Cao? How could he worry about this? He was just testing whether the capital brought by Yuan Shao was enough. After all, he could only rely on Yuan Shao's help to bid for the position he wanted now.
He, Cao Cao, didn't have that much money. After all, he always claimed to be fair and honest when he was the Sili Colonel. Although his grandfather was also a member of the Ten Constant Attendants, he was reluctant to squander so much money on Cao Cao.
Because with his grandfather's ability, he could put Cao Cao in the military camp. It just takes a little more effort.
After hearing what Cao Cao said, Yuan Shao said calmly: "Don't worry, Meng Deji. The money I have prepared is enough for you and me to bid for the position you want."
"So Mengde doesn't have to worry!"
Yuan Shao: It seems that my uncle and second brother are right. Maybe I am really not as good as Cao Mengde now.
But Yuan Shao didn't show it at this moment. After all, nothing happened now that would make the two of them fall out.
Zhang Rang ignored the crowd and said, "The next auction is for a military position, a halberd-wielding general."
"This is the only military position among the official positions in this auction, with a salary of one thousand dan."
"The starting price is 100 million yuan, anyone who is interested can get it."
After Zhang Rang finished speaking, the crowd below was already discussing. Because this is completely different from the news they said they had received, it stands to reason that there should be a fifth-grade general with real power.
But now there is no more, so now the general holding the halberd is the only one who is popular in the army. In other words, there are more wolves and less meat, so this position will definitely be coveted by many people.
But since this position has no real benefits, many people have been dismissed.
The most nervous person present was Cao Cao, who heard that 100 million yuan was used as the starting price. But there was only one position, and he had to take it even if he didn't want it. So he could only look at Yuan Shao and said: "Brother Benchu, I wonder if you can help me bid for it?"
And Yuan Shao has never been a person who breaks his word, and even his uncle and second brother know about this matter, so Yuan Shao has nothing to worry about.
Just when Cao Cao was still worried that Yuan Shao would break the contract, Yuan Shao suddenly said: "Brother Meng De, just bid."
"My Yuan family can still afford this amount of money, and we won't ruin the reputation of our Yuan family for more than a hundred years for a mere amount of money."
After hearing Yuan Shao's promise, Cao Cao didn't show any pretense. After thanking Yuan Shao, he said loudly: "I, Cao Mengde, offer 100 million yuan!"
But then another voice came out: "Hedong Wei family, offer 150 million yuan."
After the man finished speaking, he glanced at Cao Cao provocatively. For the Wei family, a few hundred million dollars is nothing more than small change. They are the descendants of General Wei Qing.
Moreover, they are also family friends with the Li family, and the Wei family is even more powerful than the Li family.
If Zhang Rang is on top, it doesn't matter how they compete, as long as they don't threaten anyone. So naturally he didn't say anything, and the low price he mentioned was already doubled.
But after receiving Yuan Shao's guarantee, Cao Cao immediately followed suit and said, "I will pay 180 million, and I will definitely win this position."
Wei family: "Brother, please don't be too full of words. I can give 200 million yuan to the Wei family in Hedong to become a monk. I wonder if brother, you dare to continue?"
To the Wei family, the current Cao Cao is no different from a more powerful ant. After all, in their eyes, the Cao family was only a second-rate noble family at best and could not make any trouble.
