Chapter 210: Sky-high Debt
Although the Han scholars did not have any strict requirements for numerology, according to the fashion of the time, most of them needed to develop it in an all-round way.
Take Cai Yong as an example. He had great attainments in calligraphy and literature, and his strength in numerology and astronomy should not be underestimated.
Xu You also followed this rule.
Although he made friends with many famous people and was involved in the factional struggles of the Han Dynasty, he was by no means ignorant of the art of divination.
After seeing this rule of doubling the amount every day and calculating a few more numbers, he realized something terrible.
This number is not right.
At first glance, it seemed like just a matter of a few grains of food, but Xu You's mind was still very flexible.
If he had turned the page a few days later, he would not have been able to report the exact number. Even if it became one stone in a month, and then added to the time gate of a year, the final number was not something that could be made up by the 50,000 stones of grain he mentioned! 1
It's too far away!
This is most likely a debt that cannot be repaid even if all the treasuries of Jizhou and Qingzhou are emptied!
Xu You tried his best to relax his expression so as not to show his fear in front of Qiao Yan, but when he spoke again, his voice was a little erratic: "May I ask Lord Qiao, this rule..."
"Is there anything wrong with this rule?" Qiao Yan asked calmly, "During the battle against Dong Zhuo, were all parties short of food?"
This is an indisputable fact.
Most of the county governors who went on the expedition at that time had just taken office. The successive disasters in the Han Dynasty had meant that grain reserves in various places were not abundant, and the two men who had some reserves were just trying to show off.
In this way, the value represented by the 50,000 shi of grain given by Qiao Yan is far from comparable to the 50,000 shi of grain today.
When Yuan Shao proposed to borrow grain from her, his intention was to make sure that she would most likely disagree, so that they would have a reason to delay the decision to send troops.
Even if she really took it out, given the financial conditions of the states, this would weaken her power.
But since Qiao Yan brought it out, she was right.
Facing her frank gaze, Xu You could only reply "yes".
Qiao Yan asked again, "Did the rules I set for Yuan Benchu say that if he returns the money within a year, I can even not charge him interest?"
This is a really generous supplementary provision regarding debt repayment.
Even relatives don’t receive such generous treatment.
To be honest, with the accumulation of three officials in the four generations of the Yuan family, they could have provided such a large amount of grain even when they had just completed the relocation of the capital to Yecheng.
After Yuan Shao had been established in Yecheng for a year, he would be able to produce even more.
But Xu You had known Yuan Shao for many years, so how could he not guess what Yuan Shao was thinking at the time.
All he thought about was—
When a full year had passed, Qiao Yan happened to be in Liangzhou. If he sent the food there, he would not only support her march, but would also cause trouble for himself.
They are all important figures in one area, in charge of the military and political affairs of two states. Paying back the money would be a sign of weakness.
If these 50,000 shi of grain were in my hands, perhaps they could create even greater value.
These three reasons can be summed up in one sentence: no return.
This delay lasted for a year when there was originally no interest, until now, when it had become a sum that Xu You felt was ruined just by a casual calculation.
If Qiao Yan had not been in front of him at this moment, Xu You would have really wanted to express his feelings.
My Lord, if you can't figure out the accounts, you shouldn't agree to a loan that is not based on normal rules.
They should also inform their subordinates early on and let them make the decision!
For others, this might be a debt that they may or may not repay due to Yuan Shao's power and background.
But that is definitely not the case for Qiao Yan.
She has both the position and the capital to collect the debt.
What made Xu You feel even more embarrassed was that he came with the words "return double" as a gesture of goodwill.
If it was just the interest of 1,000 shi, then doubling it to 50,000 shi could indeed be considered a gesture of goodwill.
We can also continue with this line of speech and mention the cooperation in the past to defeat Dong Zhuo. It is not impossible to cooperate again now. At most, the content of this cooperation is slightly special.
But faced with this debt that has been magnified to a astronomical amount by the rules, what else can Xu You say except responding to the rules previously set by Qiao Yan with a "yes"?
At this time, after the autumn harvest, the 50,000 shi of grain available in Jizhou and Qingzhou was only a small amount that was not worth mentioning.
Then his previous words seemed to indicate that he wanted to use such a sum of money to offset Yuan Shao's huge debt that was overdue for one year.
These words were not a gesture of goodwill at all, they were clearly an act of overbearing!
What made the situation even more embarrassing was that Xu You only brought the words of willingness to repay the debt, but did not actually bring any food.
This means that once the conditions are not agreed upon, outsiders may not think that Yuan Shao wants to send the grain directly to Bingzhou, but that he has no sincerity to repay the debt at all!
Even if we know that there are loopholes and traps behind these rules, what does it matter?
If Yuan Shao had returned the grain last year, not only would he not suffer any losses, but he would have a chance to maintain an alliance.
Qiao Yan, who proposed this rule, was only sixteen years old at the time. It is completely understandable that he would come up with a harmless trick when the Allies suddenly asked for such a large amount of food.
What's more, Yuan Shao was an important minister who supported the emperor and also held the position of Governor of Qingzhou. With such a status, even if he could not show top level in the war like Qiao Yan did by first conquering Liangzhou and then advancing into Guanzhong, he must at least always maintain an image of wisdom and intelligence to the outside world.
Qiao Bingzhou dug a hole, and you, Yuan Qingzhou, didn't even think about whether there was any problem in it, and just jumped into it. Doesn't this mean that you, Yuan Shao, are not a smart person?
It doesn’t matter whether others can figure out this problem at the first time, but you, Yuan Shao, must figure it out.
Xu You was not surprised at all to see Qiao Yan's face darken at this moment. "Xu Ziyuan, Xu Ziyuan, I think Yuan Qingzhou has no sincere intention to cooperate. Why send you on this trip?"
Before Xu You could finish his words about both sides welcoming the emperor of Yecheng, Qiao Yan had already raised his hand and pointed, "Please get him out! Since he has no sincerity in repaying his debt, why did he come here for nothing? Are you here to investigate the military situation or to make fun of us? Why don't you just speak frankly? What's the point of beating around the bush!"
Xu You really felt that he was wronged!
After Ju Shou made this judgment, the most sensible choice for Jizhou would be to cooperate with her and seize this best opportunity. There was absolutely no way they were here to watch a joke.
But he said the wrong thing, and Qiao Yan had no intention of letting him make amends.
After Dong Zhuo's death and Li Jue's escape, Chang'an was almost entirely populated by Qiao Yan's subordinates. At her command, Xu You was dragged out as if he were something harmful.
These attendants even escorted him all the way out of Tongguan, and out of the Sanfu area currently controlled by Qiao Yan.
Xu You's face turned white, then green, and then green and then red.
Under such circumstances, there was no other way to go except to return to Jizhou.
He had also seen a signal from Qiao Yan's attitude. Even if he found a way to return to Chang'an, he would never be able to explain this rule clearly, and would only bring humiliation upon himself.
It was impossible for her to form an alliance with Yuan Shao and support the emperor of Yecheng, who she believed was neither capable nor legitimate, to achieve Yuan Shao's kind of court order.
This is the essence behind the difficulty of starting.
It was just that Yuan Shao happened to have a debt in her hand, which made the repatriation seem so smooth.
After that, she would either continue to try to find Liu Xie, or, as Ju Shou said, she would try to welcome another emperor!
The implication of this statement made Xu You feel deeply sad about the failure of his mission. He also decided to rush back to Yecheng as soon as possible to inform Yuan Shao of the news.
It's just... when he stood in Yuan Shao's meeting room in Yecheng, looking at the counselors around him who were waiting for his reply, and then turned his gaze back to Yuan Shao's face, his expression couldn't help but be dazed for a moment.
When hearing Yuan Shao's question about what Qiao Yan said, Xu You subconsciously asked, "Mingsir, the debt is to be repaid after one year. For every day of delay, one grain of wheat will be added. For every day of delay, two grains of wheat will be added. For every three days, four grains will be added. For every four days, eight grains will be added. And so on. Every day, the amount will be doubled. It has been more than a year since the arrears. How many grains of wheat are there?"
After hearing Xu You repeat what he said, Yuan Shao frowned, "Why are you asking this? Those 50,000 shi are not enough to cover the interest. Did Qiao Yesu insist that I go and count them myself?"
She is not qualified yet!
But it was hard to say whether Qiao Yan needed to be asked to count in person. After he said this, there was a moment of silence in the hall.
Those who were well versed in the daily affairs of the people knew that Xu You would not say such words for no reason, so they immediately calculated in their minds. When they couldn't figure it out, they simply used their fingers dipped in tea to gesture on the table.
"That's not right, my lord!" Ju Shou exclaimed, "This... is this the debt repayment agreement you promised Qiao Bingzhou back then?"
This is a debt from heaven!
Seeing that Yuan Shao did not refute, Ju Su guessed that this might be the case.
His expression immediately became the same as Xu You's.
He also suddenly understood why the other party behaved like this after returning from his mission to Chang'an.
No matter how preconceived or indifferent Yuan Shao was, he should have realized that something was wrong after his two subordinates behaved like this.
He immediately asked the grain officer to come and also asked someone to bring abacus for arithmetic.
After the grain officer reported the weight of a thousand grains of wheat in Yecheng, someone began to make accurate calculations.
After a while, Yuan Shao heard the person who was calculating the interest report: "Reporting to the Lord, after one month and four days since the first year of calculating the interest, the interest has exceeded 50,000 dan."
Yuan Shao’s eyes went dark.
In other words, in two days, the amount will no longer be something that can be covered by 100,000 stones!
What a weird way to owe debts!
Yuan Shao looked at the abacus chips scattered on the ground and the different looks his subordinates were giving him.
Even though these people would not speak directly, Yuan Shao could still feel that there was a subtext in their gazes -
What on earth was he thinking to agree to that rule? And what on earth was he thinking to let Xu You go to Chang'an with the promise of double repayment without even calculating the specific amount?
But having already lost face once, he absolutely cannot afford to lose face again.
He resisted the urge to kick the table in front of him, and also resisted the urge to yell, "Qiao Yan hurt me." In the end, he only managed to say, "What did she say?"
He couldn't afford to pay back this huge debt anyway. If Qiao Yan came to collect the debt, he would risk his own reputation and spread the words "Qiao Yan is aggressive" to the world!
Who says that debtors must pay back their debts? The worst that can happen is war.
Anyway, he had already asked Guo Tu and Xin Ping to start supervising the production of the Jue Zhang Crossbow, and was also preparing to let Tian Feng lead his men to Bingzhou tomorrow to learn from them.
Now there is only one important thing left, how are they going to deal with the follow-up impact of failing to win over Qiao Yan?
In this regard, his advisers reached a unanimous suggestion:
wait.
Wait for Qiao Yan to decide whether to find someone else or to give up Liu Xie and appoint someone else.
Of course, the responses they need to make in these two situations are different.
And during this wait, a piece of news came from Youzhou.
Qiao Yan sent Huang Wan as an envoy to Youzhou, asking Liu Yu to return to Chang'an and ascend the throne as emperor.
She actually chose Liu Yu!
This was an option that neither Yuan Shao himself nor his advisers had thought of.
Considering the power that Qiao Yan holds at this time and her own achievements, if she wants to maintain her power for a long time and guarantee her position in the court, the person she should choose should be a young descendant of the Han Dynasty.
During the 400 years of inheritance of the Yan and Han dynasties, there were certainly quite a few Han royal relatives to choose from. If you search around in Chang'an City, you'll probably be able to find quite a few.
But Qiao Yan not only did not do so, but instead went to find Liu Yu, who had both fame and ability.
Liu Yu was in his prime and had offspring to ensure succession. So, choosing him as the next emperor was not the best solution for anyone who aimed to become a powerful official.
"But in this way, there will be no room for doubt about her possible ulterior motives in choosing someone else." Brothers Xin Ping and Xin Pi exchanged glances, and the latter said this.
This is not good news for Yuan Shao.
Behind all of Qiao Yan's "reckless" actions, there is always a plan to put himself on a moral high ground.
This is the case with the 50,000 shi of military rations, and the same is true for the replacement of Liu Yu as the emperor!
But perhaps there is more bad news for him than just this, there are also some chain reactions regarding the debt.
The envoy Xu You was heading towards Chang'an. When the battle report had already reached Yanzhou and Yuzhou, there was no way he would be ignored.
What was naturally discovered was that not only did Xu You fail to achieve any friendly conversation, but he was also thrown out of Sanfu.
If we dig deeper into the cause, we will find that Yuan Shao's debt conditions, which he had not disclosed to others at that time, were spread along with the news leaked by unknown person in Chang'an City.
Cao Cao in Yanzhou could only sigh that Ye Shu was still as mischievous as before, but in Yuzhou...
Yuan Shu had been laughing for a long time because of this news.
Even though he already knew when he wanted to form an alliance with Qiao Yan that it was most likely Qiao Yan who could embarrass Yuan Shao, the situation today was still completely beyond Yuan Shu's expectations.
"Every day that passes will be double the amount of the previous day. What has gnawed at Yuan Benchu's head to make him think that this condition can be delayed?" The depression on Yuan Shu's face was swept away. Even though he received news yesterday that some people and their families had secretly crossed the river and left, it did not affect his good mood at the moment.
"I told you that Yuan Shao is not a descendant of our Runan Yuan family. How could our Yuan family have such a fool? He even brought a promise to return 100,000 shi to us and humiliated himself. He has become a laughing stock."
"Fortunately, I have already drawn a line between him and me. After all, he has no shame, but I still have some dignity."
Yuan Shu said this without blushing or beating his heart, so much so that Yuan Huan, who was present, rolled his eyes at an angle where no one could see.
He complained in his heart that if this problem was thrown to Yuan Shu, let alone Yuan Shao, he would definitely not be able to figure it out without any explanation or hint given to him.
Why is it necessary for a younger brother to laugh at his older brother?
They are just neck and neck.
However, Yuan Shu's words did not involve any improper decision-making. At most, he just said a few words without considering his own strength when mocking his opponent. This certainly did not fall within the scope of his advice.
Anyway, it is impossible for them to repair their relationship with Yuan Shao in a short time. Relying on Yuan Shu's strength, it is impossible for them to reach Yecheng in a short time. It is okay to let their boss vent his anger, which can be regarded as a positive psychological adjustment.
Seeing that Yuan Shu stopped mocking Yuan Shao, Yuan Huan took two steps forward and said calmly, "Huan thinks that now is not the time to continue making fun of Yuan Qingzhou, but it is time for the Lord to express his stance to Qiao Bingzhou."
Yuan Shu put away the smile on his face and asked, "Are you saying that we should agree with her decision to support Liu Bo'an as the emperor?"
Yuan Shu felt a little annoyed when he thought about Liu Yu's luck.
He originally thought that Liu Yu went to Liangzhou to dissuade Qiao Yan from advancing, but instead caused his Youzhou to be ambushed and seized by Gongsun Zan. It seemed like another joke no matter how you looked at it.
But it was obvious that it was this trip to Liangzhou that established a connection between him and Qiao Yan.
Anyone who reads this can’t help but say, Liu Yu…
What Liu Yu? It was because Yuan Shao did something stupid that he shot himself in the foot!
Yuan Shu's mind was working very quickly at this moment, and he had a stronger intuitive talent than anyone else when it came to changing positions.
Why did Liu Yu go to Liangzhou at that time?
It could only be the result of Yuan Shao fanning the flames behind the scenes!
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