Chapter 37: Manipulating food prices? Encirclement and killing of the Xiliang Army!

"The Strange Sword Team!!!"

Liu Bian's eyes lit up, and there was a sharp gleam in his eyes.

The Modao Team is the strongest heavy infantry special forces unit in the Tang Dynasty, bar none.

The entire Modao team used Modao, a long-handled broadsword from the Tang Dynasty, with two blades, a total length of seven feet, a blade three feet long, a handle four feet long, and an iron drill underneath. It weighed fifteen catties (fifteen catties in the Tang Dynasty was about twenty catties today), and was a powerful weapon to restrain cavalry.

Because the blade is heavy, the people who hold it are all strong men. The Mo Dao has a strong ability to penetrate armor and is very easy to use, just like a machete, just pick it up and chop.

To describe the Mo Dao Team in one sentence, "When the Mo Dao comes out, the men and horses are divided." Kill gods if gods stand in your way, kill Buddhas if Buddhas stand in your way. It is called the most powerful magic weapon in the era of cold weapons!
The battle that made the Modao Team famous was the war against Goguryeo during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. Goguryeo was generally composed of armored cavalry, known for their superb defensive capabilities, but when faced with the Modao Team, they advanced like a wall, and the armored cavalry felled one after another.

The battle in which the Modao troops showed their prowess was the Battle of Talas between the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire. Thirty thousand Tang troops fought against two hundred thousand enemy troops. Among them, Li Siye commanded five thousand Modao troops, killing so many that the Arab army dared not to look to the east.

The battle that made the Modao troops famous was the Battle of Xiangji Temple during the Anshi Rebellion. Li Siye led 2,500 Modao troops, arranged them into a sword formation, like a sword and shield, rolling forward, and wherever the Modao blade pointed, there was no one to fight back!

It is recorded in history that "when the successor uses the sword, both the man and the horse will be shattered"!
In this battle, the Modao team achieved great success and became a god in one battle!
The entire battle lasted only four hours, during which 6 elite soldiers of the Anshi Army were killed in battle and 2 captured, setting a record for killing in battle in the era of cold weapons. The situation of the Anshi War was reversed from then on, and the Tang Dynasty successfully extended its life for 150 years.

"With the Mo Dao in hand, who can contend with me?!"

Liu Bian knew that his chance to be proud had come.

What if Yuan Shao and other traitors forged an imperial edict to purge the emperor? What if the five schools of the Northern Army were divided to guard the eight passes of Luoyang? What if the capital was short of soldiers and generals, and the Xiliang Army and Bingzhou Army were eyeing them covetously?
Now!!!

Liu Bian wanted to show them what the strongest "killing machine" in the era of cold weapons was!
"Somebody come!"

Liu Bian's voice had just sounded, and it was still echoing in the hall, but Cao Zhengchun had already stepped inside. As long as His Majesty needed it, even in the early morning, he would be the first to listen to the imperial edict:

"The slave is here!!!"

"This is the tiger talisman of the Modao Corps. Give it to Li Siye. The 3,000 heavy infantry stationed in Beimang Mountain will be under his command!"

Liu Bian said murderously: "I have only one request. From now on, there will be only one voice in the capital, and that is my voice!!!"

"I obey your command!!!"

Cao Zhengchun took the tiger talisman, and withdrew respectfully in confusion.

Liu Bian stood up and walked to the window. The warm summer and autumn breeze blew in from outside the palace, blowing away the boredom in his heart. He looked past the rows of palaces, and in the distance was the endless brilliant starry sky!

The former Liu Bian was like this Deyang Palace, seemingly magnificent and splendid, but he was "confined" in the Beigong Palace. It was just one of the many palaces in the Beigong Palace, like a bird in a cage.

But now, with repeated draws, his power grew little by little. Liu Bian, who was in the palace, could look at the world and focus on the people. When he stretched out his hand, it seemed that even the starry sky could be held in his hand.

At this moment, Liu Bian finally showed some spirit of being the "Lord of the Han Dynasty"!

……

Xiliang Army Camp.

Bai Hu, disguised as "Wang Fang", led a team of 100 cavalrymen to launch a night attack, with soldiers holding their tongues and horses wrapping their hooves, as they raided the grain storage area of ​​the Xiliang Army.

Jia Xu proposed the strategy of "burning food and forcing the Western Liang Army to plunder the capital". Qin Qiong, Zhuque and other Jinyiwei thought this plan was very good and decided to act according to the plan, forcing the Western Liang Army to arouse public anger so that they could take action against the Western Liang Army through public anger.

Along the way, Wang Fang had been cautious. If they rebelled against the Xiliang Army, Niu Fu and other generals would definitely send heavy troops to guard the grain storage areas. It would not be easy for them to attack at night and burn the grain.

only!

"Wang Fang" led the team, with men holding their tongues and horses wrapping their hooves, and they approached the grain storage area of ​​the Western Liang Army smoothly. This success made him feel suspicious!

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
Wang Fang approached cautiously, not daring to attack directly, and kept watching outside the grain storage area. But he saw a scene that shocked him!
In the Xiliang army, General Guo Si and other generals personally led the team to burn their own stored grain. They poured flammable oil on the grain, with pain and worry on their faces, but in the end they still decisively set it on fire.

"Wow--"

Grain and grass were already flammable, and with the help of oil, they burned even more fiercely, instantly turning the place where the grain was stored into a sea of ​​fire.

General Guo Si and other generals looked at the sea of ​​fire with a look of pain in their eyes, but in order to complete Xu You's chain of plans, they, the Xiliang Army, had no choice but to do as he was told.

The Xiliang army is in a dilemma and there is no turning back!

"Are Niu Fu and his men crazy?! They burned the grain and grass themselves?! Aren't they afraid of the army's morale being shaken?! Or have Guo Si and his men suddenly come to their senses and want to use the burning of grain and grass as a token of their surrender?!"

Wang Fang was a little bit unbelievable when he saw this.

What is the most important thing for an army? !

Food and grass!
Food and fodder must be sent before the army moves, which shows the importance of food and fodder!
The Xiliang army burned their own food and grass? What would they do with the food they eat and the horses eat?!

The daily rations for tens of thousands of troops is an astronomical figure!
Only generals worry about food shortages, how could any general take the initiative to burn food? !

'Wang Fang' was puzzled!
Just when Wang Fang was puzzled, this negligence caused him to be discovered by Li Jue and other soldiers who were patrolling outside.

"who is it?!"

Li Jue immediately led his troops to attack, and Wang Fang had to calm down and lead his troops to counterattack.

"It's you!!!"

Enemies often meet on a narrow road. Li Jue saw the burly 'Wang Fang'. Even though it was dark at night and the light of the torch was flickering, he could only see a rough outline.

But Li Jue knew that this was 'Wang Fang', the traitor of their Xiliang Army!

"Hahaha, it's me, your father!"

Wang Fang spat and fired the five-zhu coin in his mouth like a hidden weapon. Of course, due to the distance between the two sides, the copper coin did not pose a threat and was easily blocked by Li Jue's knife.

"Enemy attack!!!"

Li Jue immediately ordered his men to sound the alarm, and then surrounded Wang Fang, wanting to detain him.

However, Wang Fang was no pushover, he tore through Li Jue's encirclement and led his troops out.

After Li Jue lost the elite troops of the "Flying Bear Army", his generals, such as Yang Feng and others, were all affiliated with the Baibo Army bandits. They were not well-trained elites and could not pose a threat to the "Wang Fang".

Moreover, Xu Huang under Yang Feng, whether intentionally or unintentionally, deliberately let go of the scattered cavalry under Wang Fang.

Hundreds of cavalrymen attacked at night, but finally escaped unscathed!

A quarter of an hour later, Niu Fu hurried over with his troops. Wang Fang and his hundred cavalry had already withdrawn successfully. He first comforted Li Jue and asked about the number of casualties. After all, it was just an accidental close combat and there were not many casualties.

Niu Fu looked at the direction where Wang Fang left, feeling confused and uncertain, and immediately informed Xu You of the matter.

After hearing this, Xu You was also shocked and confused. Finally, after careful consideration, he came up with a plan and decided to take direct action!

It was already the first quarter of an hour at this time, around three in the morning. The Xiliang army looted the surrounding counties on the pretext of burning food and grass and tracking down the murderer, causing chaos and panic in the surrounding areas.

The poor people had just woken up and were preparing to start a new day's work when the Xiliang Army's butcher knives fell.

Suddenly, turmoil broke out in the Gyeonggi region!

The curfew in the imperial city had just been lifted when the counties surrounding the capital immediately reported the matter. The crimes of the Western Liang Army were reported up one level after another. All the officials who saw this were horrified and couldn't believe it!
Your Majesty just pardoned the Xiliang Army two days ago, but who knew they would immediately reveal their true colors! Revealing their brutal and cruel side!
Damn it!!!

The news reached the Secretariat. The person in charge of the Secretariat now is Si Tu Wang Yun. After Tai Fu Yuan Wei was imprisoned, he became the person in charge of recording the Secretariat. When the new Tai Fu Lu Zhi did not take office, he was the only person in charge of recording the Secretariat.

Wang Yun had just started work and was furious when he saw the news.

He thought of more things. Yesterday, Qiao Mao had just issued a forged edict to purge the emperor's entourage. His Majesty had divided the five northern army schools to guard the eight passes of Luoyang. And today, the Western Liang army was causing chaos in the capital? !
Isn't this just a deliberate response to those princes outside the pass? !
Wang Yun immediately wanted to report to His Majesty and order a cleanup operation against the Xiliang Army.

Now they have a legitimate reason to fight. It is not that Your Majesty is settling scores after the event or going back on his word, but that the Xiliang army has aroused public anger.

And Wang Yun used Diao Chan's beauty trap yesterday to make Lu Bu infatuated. It is said that men in love have zero IQ and think with their lower body. With Lu Bu's brave but unwise character, it is entirely possible to make him attack the Xiliang army.

The time has come!
But before Wang Yun set out to enter the palace for an audience, a large amount of news came!

"The reason why the Xiliang Army caused chaos in the counties around the capital was because the food and grass were burned yesterday. The soldiers were shocked and angry and were looking for the murderer, which caused some unnecessary impact!"

"General Niu Fu and others have already apologized to the court for not managing their soldiers properly, but the food and grass were burned and the morale of the army was shaken. There is nothing we can do about it. At the same time, we request the court to thoroughly investigate this matter and ask Your Majesty to allocate food and grass!"

"Niu Fu said that they found the trace of the murderer, who was none other than Wang Fang, the traitor of their Xiliang Army. They found a five-zhu coin with Wang Fang's teeth mark. Although I don't understand how they knew it was Wang Fang's teeth mark, they are sure of it!"

"..."

When this news came, Wang Yun looked gloomy!
Because there are many rumors pointing to Your Majesty in the news, saying that the food and grass of the Xiliang Army were burned. This is Your Majesty's move to settle the score after the event!
Under the guidance and incitement of these rumors, the rumors gradually turned into——

Because Your Majesty broke his promise and took revenge later, he sent "Wang Fang" to burn the food and grass of the Western Liang Army, which caused General Niu Fu and others to be furious and run away, affecting the people in the counties around the capital, which led to today's turmoil!
Your Majesty is the culprit!
Of course, these rumors did not specify who was to blame, but they all implicitly and indirectly said that Your Majesty was the culprit!

But soon!
As these rumors spread, the capital became even more turbulent!
"Dongjun Governor Qiao Mao issued a manifesto to purge the emperor's entourage and punish treacherous officials! Governors and princes from various states responded!!!"

Wow - the whole capital was boiling like boiling water. From officials to ordinary people, everyone felt a sense of crisis, and the oppressive atmosphere was suffocating.

The Xiliang army is causing chaos inside the capital, and the princes are trying to purge the emperor outside the capital!
This……

When Dong Zhuo took over the capital, the situation was not so precarious!

"Da da da--"

An official from the Secretariat came hurriedly:

"Situ, the Xiliang army has sent letters asking for food. The news of their food being burned has spread throughout the capital, and the news of the princes gathering to enter the capital to purge the emperor's side has spread. Now the grain merchants of major trading companies are raising the price, and the price of grain is skyrocketing!"

"I will immediately go to the palace to report to His Majesty!"

Wang Yun wanted to order this official to intervene in the grain price directly, but any grain merchant who dared to do so must have the shadow of an aristocratic family behind him, or even a disciple or former official of the Runan Yuan family, or an intricate allie of the aristocratic family.

The order from the Secretariat was of no use at all, and as a senior official in the court, Wang Yun also knew that the treasury was empty and there was not enough capital to stabilize the grain price. He simply stood up, had his carriages prepared, and headed towards the palace.

...

Liu Bian has already stood up!
The Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot passed the news to the palace first, and the tentacles of the guards could not reach anywhere for the time being, so Qiao Mao was one step late in sending out the false edict to purge the court, but his control over the capital was deepening little by little.

Liu Bian has more and more detailed information!

Bai Hu, disguised as "Wang Fang", led a hundred cavalrymen to attack in the early morning and burned the food and grass, but found out that it was the Xiliang army who deliberately set the fire to the food. He reported everything and stated that the three armies were ready to go!

These three armies include:

More than 10,000 soldiers from the five schools of the Northern Army and 3,000 Black Armor Army commanded by Qin Qiong, nearly 10,000 soldiers who rebelled against the Western Liang Army including Wang Fang and Xu Rong, Jinyiwei including Qinglong and Zhuque, and Li Siye who was on his way to take over the 3,000 Modao Team.

They planned to burn the grain and fodder, intending to force Niu Fu and other generals to run out of food and then plunder the capital. This would arouse public indignation and allow them to take action with justification and a legitimate reason!

Although he didn't know why Niu Fu and other generals took the initiative to burn the food and grass, all this was exactly what he wanted, so he could take action. As long as His Majesty gave the order, their three armies would immediately move out to strangle the rebel Xiliang Army!
The reason why Liu Bian did not give the order was because he saw an unexpected thing in the intelligence -

Food prices are soaring!

Liu Bian guessed what these aristocratic families wanted to do!

The Xiliang Army deliberately burned their own food supplies. It was definitely not something they wanted to do, but someone was behind it, or it was the Yuan family's forces that instructed them to do so!
The purpose was to cause panic in the capital so that grain merchants could justifiably raise prices, causing grain prices to soar!

They want to “manipulate food prices!!!”

"Manipulating food prices" and "land annexation" are the two major means used by the aristocratic families to seize land.

The wealthy and powerful families pushed out merchants, hoarded goods, and manipulated grain prices. The common people struggled to make a living under such exploitation, and correspondingly the court's fiscal and tax revenues were also difficult to improve.

This will inevitably lead to social unrest and chaos in local public security, and then affect the entire country.

At this time, the central government needs to step in to adjust food prices and provide relief for the famine!
The method the Han Dynasty used to suppress grain prices was the "Changping Granary" during the Western Han Dynasty.

Simply put—

The central court set up many granaries in the capital and in local areas.

When grain prices were low, the imperial court would purchase grain produced by farmers at nearly normal prices and then store it in the Changping Warehouse.

When a natural disaster occurs or the demand for food becomes tight, the food stored in the Changping warehouse will be sold at normal prices.

This maintained the stability of the country and consolidated the imperial power!

but!

Due to supervision issues, the central government delegated the main functions of the "Changping Warehouse" to local governments, which naturally gave many people the opportunity to embezzle and exploit. Although the Changping Warehouse was established to benefit the people, it has not played the role it should have after being implemented for a long time.

The Confucian officials in office used the excuse that there had been successive famines in Guandong and that the Changping Granary was competing with the people for profits, so they were abolished along with the Salt and Iron Officials, the Northern Fake Farm Officials, and others.

The Eastern Han Dynasty also promoted the "Changping Granary", but it had been in use for a long time and had long been abandoned. Even rats could escape from the Taicang where the capital stored grain!
Liu Bian suddenly realized that, let alone “stabilizing grain prices”, even he himself would be affected!
More than 10,000 soldiers from the five schools of the Northern Army and 3,000 Black Armored Army led by Qin Qiong... Nearly 10,000 soldiers who defected from the Western Liang Army, including Wang Fang and Xu Rong... Nearly 1,000 factory guards... 3,000 Mo Dao troops...

This man eats a lot of food, the daily amount is astronomical!

The treasury is empty, what should we do in the future? !
"Your Majesty, Situ requests to see you."

Cao Zhengchun's voice woke Liu Bian up from his "food crisis" and he immediately regained his composure: "Send it."

"promise."

After Wang Yun met with Liu Bian, he immediately reported the matter of the Xiliang Army and the soaring grain prices in the capital, and finally said:
"Your Majesty, I feel that we cannot allow the Xiliang bandits to continue to act recklessly. We must take drastic measures! If we suppress the Xiliang bandits, it will also serve as a warning to others and deter those grain merchants who are raising prices!"

"From what Situ said, I guess you have a good idea?" Liu Bian asked.

Wang Yun nodded, and then told the story of how Diao Chan seduced Lu Bu yesterday, and finally said:
"If your majesty allows, I will order Diao Chan to mobilize Lu Bu and lead the Bingzhou Army to join forces with the five schools of the Northern Army and the Black Armor Army to besiege the Xiliang Army!"

"That's right!"

Liu Bian nodded.

"I obey your command!!!"

Wang Yun immediately received the imperial edict and withdrew.

However, Liu Bian was no longer interested in the Xiliang rebels.

With his current strength - 3,000 Mo Dao troops, plus 3,000 Xuan Jia troops, as well as the lineup of the five schools of the Northern Army and the factory guards, he has a great chance of besieging the Xiliang Army. In addition, Wang Yun set up a beauty trap to lure Lu Bu to surrender, which is even more certain!
On the contrary, Liu Bian was somewhat worried about the fact that grain merchants were raising prices arbitrarily, causing grain prices to soar!

Can the encirclement and killing of the Xiliang Army this time serve as a warning to others and intimidate the wealthy families behind the grain merchants?

If behind them are Yuan's disciples and former officials, Yuan's allies, or even merchants supported by Yuan's family, then they probably will not stop there!

Because their purpose was to force Liu Bian to revoke his decision and not execute the entire family of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei!

But this is absolutely impossible!

In this case, Liu Bian also needed to consider the soaring food prices.

Even if we suppress it this time, as their power grows, the problem of food and grass will be imminent!
Liu Bian sighed!
"Your Majesty, why don't I lead the East Factory to confiscate the grain merchants' homes and give them a taste of their own medicine? Since we can't solve the problem, let's deal with the person who raised the problem."

When Cao Zhengchun heard the sigh, he understood how to share his king's worries.

But after hearing this, Liu Bian burst into laughter!
The grain merchants were just pawns pushed forward by the aristocratic families! It was those people who were fanning the flames and stirring up trouble behind the scenes!
What’s the point of solving the grain trader problem? !
After seeing this, Cao Zhengchun also smiled flatteringly:

"Your Majesty, I am stupid, but our Han Dynasty is full of talented people. Apart from those rebels like Yang Biao, is there no good minister in such a huge court? Why not call together civil and military officials to work together and share your worries!"

"Um?!"

Liu Bian suddenly woke up and thought, what’s the point of thinking about it alone?

Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang!

As the king of a country and the ruler of the Han Dynasty, what he needs to do is not to do everything himself, but to select talented people, put the right people in the right positions, and do the right things.

For example, Liu Bian was not good at food and fodder logistics, but was there no such talent in the Han Empire? ! Was there no loyal and patriotic ministers and capable generals except for Yang Biao and other rebellious people who shook the door and cried loudly? !

Liu Bian thought about it, and a person suddenly popped into his mind—Xun Yu, a talented person who could assist the king!
"Zhengchun, you really woke me up this time!"

"It is my duty to share your Majesty's worries!" Cao Zhengchun observed her expression and flattered her: "Compared to those traitors who only make your Majesty worried, my only mission is to make your Majesty happy!"

"Whether I can be happy or not depends on Xun Yu's performance."

Liu Bian said, "Summon the palace guard Xun Yu, and also have the cavalry captain Cao Cao and the imperial attendant Xun You and others come to the palace to meet the emperor."

These loyal officials of the Han Dynasty who attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo and were arrested by the Western Liang Army should also be summoned and praised by Liu Bian.

"I obey your command!!!"

Cao Zhengchun retreated with a smile on his face.

It seemed that he felt very satisfied when he could see Liu Bian's smile!
What if the capital is in turmoil? ! What if the Han Dynasty is in decline and the empire is about to collapse? ! The country has been prosperous for more than 400 years, and there are many loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty waiting to share the worries of the emperor.

Ever since Liu Bian made the clouds and rain with a wave of his hand, causing the Xiliang army to carry out the reckless dethronement and succession without any consequences, the situation of the Han Dynasty has long changed!

The loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty, inspired by the emergence of a wise ruler, are racking their brains and doing their best to fulfill their duties for the Han Dynasty!

Even Cao Cao, the future hero who would usurp the Han Dynasty, was concerned about the Han Dynasty at this time, thinking about how to share the emperor's worries!

In addition to the Gou Di system, these people are also a great help to Liu Bian!
(End of this chapter)