Chapter 404: Dragon Festival
The atmosphere in Changshan County Headquarters was already tense.
According to the war situation, the best way is to quickly retreat from Chuanluo County to Panwa County, and then withdraw from Panwa County.
But if this is done, all the occupied areas in the northern and central mountains will have to be abandoned.
We had to give up a large stronghold like Dadunbao that we had captured with great difficulty.
Changshan County had to retreat all the way back to the vicinity of the mountain city.
With such a result, it is impossible for Shizhou to agree to the request to keep the farmers' association in existence during negotiations.
But Lin Wen was not panicked at all, because he asked the question to [Xianrenzhilu] again.
[The way to win with the least cost]
Consumption: 10%, still the lowest level.
The answer is still [participate in the battle personally].
The information revealed here is very interesting.
The logic behind the spell clearly states that Lin Wen doesn't need to do anything extra, as long as he directly participates in the battle like this, he can win and minimize the cost.
The spell consumes the least amount of energy, which means that this is a conclusion that Lin Wen can easily come to.
After careful logical reasoning, Lin Wen believed that even if Changshan County faced such a critical situation, it could still achieve victory under the leadership of the headquarters headed by Chief of Staff Qin Luoshuang.
So, when Qin Luoshuang called to ask for his opinion, Lin Wen only said one sentence:
"I trust you, everything."
Qin Luoshuang was infected by Lin Wen's calm demeanor and made up her mind.
She decided to concentrate all her troops and fight a decisive battle with the enemy at Dadunbao.
Send out members of the Dragon Team to attack the opponent's overly long logistics supply lines.
The First Army's all-giant weapons assembly division, led by Lin Wen, was sent to use special warfare against special warfare to eliminate the giant troops.
Lin Wen had no objection and obediently followed Qin Luoshuang's arrangements.
Qin Luoshuang was deeply moved by Lin Wen's support expressed through practical actions.
There are many people in the General Staff who do not accept her as the Chief of Staff.
They believe that everything now is a victory brought about by County Chief Lin, and the Chief of Staff is a despicable villain who uses nepotism to win easily. He often jumps out to oppose the correct opinions of the invincible County Chief Lin in order to highlight his existence.
If I were to take the stage, I would definitely do better.
But in their subconscious, they believe a better way to do things is to "listen to County Governor Lin. If County Governor Lin points east, we must never go west."
Qin Luoshuang has always been very reluctant to use the methods she used to attack political opponents or dissidents within Changshan County.
This gave others the impression that she was weak and could be replaced.
But Qin Luoshuang was not incapable of dealing with them, he was just unwilling to use drastic measures.
Therefore, Lin Wen’s support this time was really important, and it laid the foundation for her to peacefully unify the opinions of the headquarters.
——
Southwest District.
Most generals believed that they had won the battle. This war completely proved the bankruptcy of the theory of "individual weapons winning the battle". Some even asked to report the victory to the commander-in-chief in advance.
But the prince rejected it.
"Never give up until the very last moment of the battle. The same goes for the other way around."
The prince warned all the generals, especially Cao Daman and Li Xueyou on the front line.
Remind them to beware of Changshan County's tricks, but at the same time, advance quickly and not give Changshan County any chance to maneuver.
Be bold, but also cautious.
This is Wang Zijun’s request.
——
Council.
Priest De Luo and Wang Xinwei and others all believed that the situation had been settled and the general would be released soon.
They were focusing on discussing two things. One was to take advantage of the opportunity to plunder Changshan County's wealth after its defeat.
Second, after the Qin Group wins, the Giant Army will plan an attack to inflict heavy damage on the Qin Group in order to demonstrate the ability of the Council.
The balance between these two must be measured very precisely, so as to be able to defeat Changshan County and hit the Qin Group at the same time, without affecting the Qin Group's ability to defeat Changshan County.
Priest Dror personally controls the giant army.
The Grey Order was almost completely wiped out, and the Giant Army was their only strength.
The Council itself has only a total of more than 4,000 existing giants, scattered throughout the empire.
This 2,000-strong giant army was formed by mobilizing the giant squads from half of the region, and it must not be lost easily.
"We have performed a great deed this time, rescuing the Lord Commander. This will allow the cult to gain a lot of support."
Dro thought.
His greatest wish is to bring these lovely sects back to the light of day.
An empire should have freedom of speech and freedom of religion. People should be able to believe whatever they want without being forced to believe in anything else.
The Council will eventually prevail.
De Luo always believed in this.
Justice is invincible.
This free world will come one day.
Dro sat on the priest's throne, and his followers were cutting up the body of a lovely believer, soaking the most religiously valuable parts in blood and presenting them to him.
Ah, this is amazingly delicious.
——
Imperial capital.
The world's largest and most prestigious commodity exchange, the Mingguang Intercontinental Exchange, is located in the most prosperous commercial district along the Third Ring Road.
Even among the countless bustling skyscrapers, the exchange's building, made of an all-black metal shell, is extremely conspicuous.
The 20th floor of Mingguang Exchange.
A luxurious banquet is being held here. All the participants are well-dressed and look very stylish.
They sat around a large round table gleaming with gold, chatting and laughing.
"It seems Changshan County is doomed this time."
A fat man put out his cigarette on the tray above the servant's head.
"Qin Gang is still quite capable."
Another guy with a pointed face and monkey cheeks laughed and said, "That rubbish Gu Xuanli is so useless."
"Defeat after defeat, defeat after defeat!" a short man with a small mustache cursed. "The rebels can't win, Changshan County can't win, I gave them so much aid, but it's all gone to waste."
A filthy-looking man with a protruding chin and a thin face sneered, "So he fell. I arranged ten strong men for him in prison. I hope he likes it."
A tall, thin man in the uppermost position said coldly, "Bai Liuxi, you still have time to care about that loser? Changshan County caused us to lose over 30 million tons of grain. Do you have a way to recover it?"
Bai Liuxi, the governor of Xiyan Prefecture, smiled awkwardly, "Elder Lin, isn't Changshan Commandery about to fall?"
Elder Lin Yabo said coldly, "Not so quickly. As long as Changshan County surrenders quickly and doesn't raise his fantastical demands, he can hold on to his victory."
"What should we do?" asked the short man with a mustache. "This is a huge sum of money for us. Gu Xuanli's inheritance is not enough for us to divide."
The fat man lit another cigarette and said, "I'm afraid it's more than that. The Changshan County Grain Exchange has already been established."
He took a long drag on his cigarette and blew it into the face of the sharp-nosed, monkey-faced man beside him. The latter smirked and said, "Elder Mo, your taste has changed. You used to like light flavors."
Elder Mosili shook off the ash from his cigarette and said casually, "We're out of money. We don't have enough fresh, plump brains, so we have to use some old ones, but they taste much worse."
Lin Yabo glanced at Elder Mo with dissatisfaction and knocked on the table to attract his attention. "The problem now is that Changshan County has announced that they will drive down grain prices. Changshan County holds at least 20 million tons of grain, which poses a huge threat to us."
A middle-aged man, sitting upright at a table, said calmly, "The bottom of the imperial grain market is very deep. 20 million tons is not enough to break through it."
Bai Liuxi screamed, "But this will cost a lot more money. Isn't it free and cost-effective for us to raise the grain prices?"
The short man with a small mustache cursed, "Damn Changshan County! Lin Wen, cut into pieces!"
On the other side of Lin Yabo, the thin elder Cheng Wei said coldly, "There's no point in us cursing Changshan County here. I suggest we send more private soldiers and take advantage of Changshan County's defeat to pursue and annihilate them."
He turned his head and said to Lin Yabo, "Then, Elder Lin will order the Council's special forces to attack Changshan County and completely destroy it. Pull that brat out and I will personally grind him to dust."
Lin Yabo shook his head. "That's an overkill. Changshan Commandery is very clever. They've retained a strong force in their homeland to prevent a fire in the rear that could lead to the loss of their base. The Grey Order's previous surprise attack of 12,000 men was ineffective, and they lost a major force in vain."
Moshili asked, "Is this the Emperor's method?"
Lin Yabo shook his head: "Not sure."
This topic caused some trepidation in the conference hall.
But at the other end of the table, a middle-aged man with a mustache, a monocle, and a slight weight gain, smiled and said, "I don't think so."
Cheng Wei narrowed his eyes slightly, suppressed his hostility, and asked calmly, "Elder Luo, why do you think so?"
Elder Luo Nuo smiled faintly. "My business partners told me that the situation in Changshan County is not favorable, and no one among them has responded. His Majesty the Emperor is having dinner with the members of the Congress, and the First Princess is hosting a grand banquet on Taiming Lake, inviting all the young talents in the imperial capital. Sheng Huaixuan is discussing next year's spring plowing with the farmers. Li Yongsheng is visiting the old military officer to catch up again."
Cheng Wei said thoughtfully, "They are indifferent to the situation in Changshan County. Why?"
Lin Yabo thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps some of Changshan County's actions did not receive the support of the imperial faction, such as starting a war without authorization and suppressing grain prices."
Luo Nuo smiled and said, "That's what I meant. Many people in the Royal Faction have also participated in my project. There's no need for them to suppress themselves. Who would think that having too much money is too much to burn?"
Cheng Wei showed a cruel smile: "That means we still have a chance to kill that little beast?"
At this moment, a servant in gorgeous clothes trotted in from the side door and presented a new telegram.
"My Lords, the news is that the Nadao Grain Exchange has officially opened for business. Changshan County officials are directly listing and selling grain futures on the grain exchange."
Luo Nuo smiled and said, "Isn't this the opportunity?"
Lin Yabo also smiled: "Changshan County is really brave. They actually dare to play futures with us. I wonder if he doesn't know how deep the water is in this matter?"
Mo Xili finished the cigarette in one puff and blew out smoke rings with satisfaction: "Elder Luo, it's up to you now. You must destroy Changshan County and squeeze out the skin and bones that have swallowed him."
Cheng Wei interrupted their flattery of Luo Nuo and turned to the servant and asked, "What exactly is the futures contract like? How long does it last?"
The servant whispered, "One day."
"What do you mean by one day? I'm asking when futures contracts are delivered?"
The servant bowed his head deeply and replied softly, "It's a one-day futures contract. It will be sold tomorrow and delivered the day after tomorrow."
The entire conference room fell silent.
Everyone's eyes were focused on him, as if he was being stared at by countless evil dragons. The servant trembled all over and knelt down involuntarily.
Before Changshan County, there had never been futures contracts with one-day delivery in the world.
The smile on Luo Nuo's face disappeared. He stared at his pipe in silence for a while, then asked, "How do you deliver? Physical or non-physical?"
The servant replied in a trembling voice, "Physical delivery, no need to close the position."
The venue was silent, with only one or two small gasps.
Rono placed his hands on the edge of the table, staring at the servant and asking, "How many are there?"
The servant trembled even more violently. "They've announced that starting tomorrow, they'll sell 100,000 futures contracts every day. Each contract represents 10 tons of grain, for a total of one million tons."
Rono closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.
No one spoke.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, a smile on his face again, and asked casually, "How much?"
Seeing Elder Luo smile, the servant calmed down and replied, "The average grain price is 2,000 per ton."
Luo Nuo nodded: "It is indeed one third. Changshan County has kept its promise."
Lin Yabo glanced over and asked, "Elder Luo, do you have any ideas?"
Luo Nuo laughed and said, "Of course, it's ridiculous for a child to wave a wooden sword in front of a dragon. I will let them know what capital operation is."
"What should we do?" A greasy smile appeared on Mosili's fat face. "Do you need my children's help?"
"No, thank you." Luo Nuo bowed to Elder Mo in a gentlemanly manner, "I will complete the task myself."
Cheng Wei humphed softly, "Elder Luo, would you mind telling me?"
"Of course," Rono said politely. "We are allies, after all. What's there to keep secret between allies?"
He stood up and walked to the window. Outside, dark clouds gathered, the wind was howling, and heavy rain began to fall.
Lightning continued to fall from the sky, briefly illuminating this dark world, and thunder rolled in.
Against this backdrop, he turned around and gave everyone a strange smile.
"I will buy all his grain deeds and then sell them at the Mingguang Exchange for ten times the price."
(End of this chapter)
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