Chapter 113: Getting Fleeced
Returned from the banquet. Twelve hours later, the imperial decree arrived again. This time, the decree praised Wu Fei for his loyalty and courage in serving the state, appointing him Commander of the Golden Chariots. —After the eunuch finished proclaiming the decree, he invited Wu Fei to reside in the designated mansion, which was the system’s housing allocation for Wu Fei.
Just like Fan Jin passing the imperial exam, a crowd of colleagues from the imperial court came to visit. Xuan Chong disliked such social occasions very much, but still memorized everyone’s name.
And just as Xuan Chong was smiling on his face but cursing inwardly, the system: “Would you like to activate the information listing?”
Xuan Chong was stunned for a moment, then learned that the system could store recordings of people he met, and annotate their names and facial expressions.
Xuan Chong opened the operation interface: “Didn’t you say your storage was insufficient?” The petty Xuan Chong was still resentful about the system not helping him memorize the military treatise back then.
System: “Yes or no?”
Xuan Chong quickly pressed confirm on the option: “Yes, yes.”
Subsequently, the self-introductions and identity information of these colleagues were immediately constructed by the system into a contacts list with introductions, expanding on each person’s family relations and background. Moreover, the footage of conversations with Xuan Chong was also recorded. In the recorded footage, it would analyze various details such as the facial muscles and eye expressions of each person in the social interaction, and a popup explanation would appear in real time.
For example now, that person named Liu Xuanye, standing in front of him cupping hands and calling him “little brother”; the system directly popped up an analysis window on his mouth corners and eyes in the footage. The conclusion was that his fake smile concealed disdain, indifference, and competitive awareness.
Xuan Chong found it very amusing: “What’s this?”
System: “This is the ‘Social System’ developed in the 22nd century, created to save users time when the common cooperation direction with others is uncertain, yet necessary social ties must be maintained. This system is not allowed to be used in work mode or during important meetings with close friends or family.
Xuan Chong asked curiously like a baby: “Why?”
System: “When your anchored work group shares common work goals, this system helping you guess others’ minds will cause your work state to be unnecessarily influenced by emotions.”
Xuan Chong thought for a moment: “Hmm, that’s right.”
System: “Therefore, petty-minded people especially should not use this social tool; a broad mind brings happiness.”
Xuan Chong’s mouth twitched, concealing his tightly clenched molars. He always inadvertently sensed the system’s malice, but he was used to it—this was like a best friend.
Xuan Chong: “By the way, what are the side effects you mentioned?”
The system was silent for a moment: This system caused devastating damage to traditional marriages after the 22nd century. Then a short line of information popped up, but in tiny print, Xuan Chong couldn’t read it clearly.
“Anything that can’t be read clearly didn’t pass review.”
Xuan Chong fell into thought, roughly understanding the situation. Love is only born when one is interested in every smile and frown of the other; if an electronic system analyzes every micro-detail of all expressions thoroughly, there’s no feeling left.
Tolerating flaws allows long-term coexistence. Just like now, Wu Fei was used to the system’s malice, and also unreservedly showed himself to the system. This was the feeling of giving each other “natural freedom.”
This “social” intelligent system is not a good thing; it’s something that helps people become highly selfish and self-interested in social interactions, turning interpersonal relationships into an informational battlefield, constantly concealing one’s own information, probing others’ information, and waiting for opportunities to act!
In any human social relationship, when both parties introduce this “tactics analysis” mindset system, and invest mindset and effort with a “seek returns” mentality, it inevitably becomes a zero-sum game.
And now Xuan Chong is alone and friendless in Yao Capital, with values highly opposed to those here, so this place is a battlefield, tacitly permitted by the “history teacher” to use this system to cope.
…History teacher comment: This student is petty-minded, but grew a pure and kind temperament in peacetime…
After a day of interpersonal communication, Wu Fei sorted out the following information: “Commander of the Golden Chariots is a fourth-rank official, whose main functions are patrolling the capital, guarding against thieves; arresting criminals, interrogating prison cases; capital garrison defense, temporary conquests, weapons management, and so on. It seems to have great authority, but how much real power depends on the emperor’s trust. Because the responsibilities under this position are too broad, many functions are divided among captains, and the truly focusable ones are tasks assigned by the emperor.
As for what tasks the emperor would assign to the Commander of the Golden Chariots? Based on the backgrounds of those who can be appointed “Commander of the Golden Chariots,” Wu Fei learned from colleagues that they can generally be divided into three categories.
First category: Those with outstanding talent, unafraid of threats or inducements, unafraid of powerful harsh officials. —These mainly come from the Censorate on duty.
Second category: Those with outstanding military talents. Become Imperial Guard captains with military talents. —This is to enhance the Imperial Guard’s combat power.
Third category: Relying on special status as imperial relatives to guard key departments for the emperor—this is to balance the imperial court situation.
When the horse cart carried him into the mansion, Xuan Chong began analyzing his own situation.
First category, absolutely impossible for him. Being a harsh official is a job that cuts off one’s lineage; relying on one emperor’s favor to squeeze various factions. If there are descendants, they will surely face retaliation. Actually, maybe not even waiting for descendants—once the role for the emperor is exhausted, power is lost. Actually, this kind of job is very suitable for eunuchs: no factions, no descendants, completely unrestrained. The Wu Family has been marquises for generations, no need to do such dirty work.
Second category, Wu Fei himself doesn’t want to do it. The Imperial Guard’s combat power needs improvement, but right now it’s not about deploying talented people to boost combat power; instead, the least suitable people have been inserted into this armed force. Imperial relatives from various families have mixed their disciples into this staffing quota; these people can’t be executed for crimes, can’t be fined for violations. Without clearing them out, even the Lord of Heaven couldn’t rectify the Imperial Guard.
But if the Commander of the Golden Chariots gains the “personnel authority” to clear out idlers, that’s equivalent to holding great power over the Imperial Guard. If those in power don’t have sufficiently strong bonds and control over people in this position, they absolutely wouldn’t hand over this power. —Thus, historically, those appointed to this post are often mid-to-low level officers. Because they are deeply favored by the monarch. Loyal only to the monarch.
Wu Fei clearly isn’t this type, Xuan Chong began shamelessly: I got to this point today entirely due to my talents, absolutely not because I was born into a marquis family, trained toward “general” from birth. Of course, not because the emperor favors me.
As for the third, imperial relatives?
Just when Wu Fei thought this was impossible too, he saw court maidservants in the mansion. Wu Fei paused slightly, then received an inner court decree—the time had come to marry Princess Xiasheng of the court.
Previously, the gold and silk sent to him were temporarily lent by the court to prepare some initial ceremonial expenses. Of course, thinking the rewards alone weren’t enough, Wu Fei still needed to write home to ask for money.
After the inner court decree proclaimer left, Wu Fei exited the “interpersonal social” auxiliary mode and noticed that Gongshu Wang, Wu Juwang and others were looking at him differently, seemingly with trepidation.
Wu Fei curiously: “What’s wrong with you all?”
As Wu Fei showed a smiling expression, Gongshu Wang took a deep breath and said: “General, these past few days you’ve been like on the battlefield, inscrutable.”
Wu Fei: “Have I?”
Wu Fei quickly denied it, but knew in his heart that Gongshu Wang was telling the truth.
These past few days he was highly vigilant, with conditioned reflexes to various hostile interpersonal situations, plus killing intent being a physical existence in this world. He was like a lone star with heavenly killing aura!
So, this “interpersonal auxiliary” really should be used less.
Wu Fei patted Wu Juwang: “Dinner gathering for you all tonight.”
A smile appeared on Wu Juwang’s face, not just because of food, but because the normal master had returned.
The vast mansion lacked servants; to prevent theft, Wu Fei and Gongshu Wang led the boys to hang bells on the walls, scatter caltrops below the walls, lock the well cover, busying for a good while. That night the traps were triggered; something the size of a “wild boar” thudded down, then crawled back the way it came.
…Imperial family and common folk dividing line…
Five days later, Wu Fei learned from the mansion about the expenses for other princesses’ marriages this dynasty. His expression turned poor, because it cost tens of thousands in gold.
Xuan Chong cursed: “So much gold, enough to form an army (two thousand men per army); this old emperor is openly robbing, why doesn’t he have more daughters and get rich on betrothal gifts.”
Due to the long-standing Chou Jin Tax system, vassal lords everywhere are financially granted by the imperial court. The court has massive gold reserves, while localities lack gold. The court can easily produce sufficient gold, but for localities, over time, gathering full-weight, pure gold is life-draining.
And gold and silk are indispensable for Da Yao’s prominent families in preparing ritual systems.
Calculated by the standard of four taels of Chou Jin Tax per thousand households annually, the Wu Family now holds three Marquises of Ten Thousand Households, plus over thirty thousand households of various ranks, requiring 2,400 taels of Chou Jin Tax per year.
In years when Da Yao was not in chaos, if not for gaining heads in border defense and being allowed to substitute tribute elephant tusks and rhino horns for Chou Jin Tax, the Wu Family would have gone bankrupt long ago.
In recent years, Da Yao’s control over border military generals has weakened; Northern Region generals no longer pay Chou Jin Tax, and the Southern Route Wu Family Army also excuses road issues to temporarily suspend Chou Jin Tax tribute.
Correspondingly, after border generals stopped Chou Jin Tax, they massively expanded military preparations, holding soldiers for self-importance. The court instead spends massively on money to fiefdoms to resist foreign enemies.
No wonder Xuan Chong is so sensitive to money; he fundamentally doesn’t want to marry this princess now. Is trading money for an army’s training worth this political status?
Xuan Chong’s petty heart rose: “This is the old emperor’s open scheme, using one daughter to weaken my development progress in the Southern Region.”
…Sparrow unwilling to pluck a feather…
Fifteen days later, the goose arrived in Tianchi City; Wu Fei’s letter asking family for money also arrived.
Wu Hanluan looked at the letter, first frowning, then upon seeing Wu Fei’s plan to directly flee back, coldly snorted: “This child, so petty!”
Wu Hengyu beside him read the letter and clicked his tongue: “Asking for twenty thousand gold! Heh, no wonder he wants to flee back.”
After taking over Wu Fei’s account books, he saw that Wu Fei’s total annual expenses for the Southern Route Army were only sixty thousand gold.
Note: In wartime, for army activity areas without prior commercial preparation transporting related goods to sites, even with money the army might not buy supplies. Even if obtainable, at two or three times, even over ten times the price.
Wu Fei’s operations were excellent, planning material expenses in advance, designating merchants to prepare, generally getting supplies at no more than 1.5 times market price. So “sixty thousand gold” was under Wu Fei’s operation for expenses.
Note that Wu Fei prepared to speculate on grain prices in the northern line commercial ports of Yao Capital, encouraging grain merchants from all sides to transport grain there, laying groundwork for possible future events.
Relatively, the Northern Army’s military maintenance fee last year was one hundred fifty thousand gold. Long-distance transport and emergency supply purchases made money flow like water. —And correspondingly, prices in areas under Northern Army jurisdiction are generally much higher than in Southern Route Army areas now.
Wu Hanluan was initially shocked by Wu Fei “demanding twenty thousand gold,” but not because “can’t afford it,” rather pondering the court’s sincerity in this matter. After taking the money, might they suddenly not marry the princess, or find an excuse to accuse Wu Fei of rebellion and renege.
To Wu Hanluan, Wu Fei himself is far more important than tens of thousands in gold. Since Wu Hanluan returned to Tianchi City, he’s been plagued by the excess accounts.
Including seasonal salt and iron market investigations, official low-buy high-sell. Can stabilize market supplies, reduce ineffective transfers.
Wu Hanluan could see how stable and exquisite the system Wu Fei left behind was.
The entire Southern Border treasury had stable surpluses. And in army supplies, adding multiple suppliers prevented profiteers from hoarding and inflating prices causing losses.
Of course, this stable system, with the designer’s sudden departure and loss of oversight, was gradually developing loopholes.
Moreover, even without loopholes, Wu Hanluan now wouldn’t trust a “logistics system without Wu Family people at the helm.”
The managers trained by Wu Fei from Wu Family disciples hadn’t yet produced someone capable of taking the lead.
Wu Hanluan said to Hengyu: “Take out our share from the treasury.” Wu Hengyu accepted the order and left with personal soldiers.
…Rolling waters of the Great River flow east…
Six days later, Wu Hengyu arrived at the river, first offering enshrined master gifts to the River Earl in the river: one cow, one pig, one sheep, then boarded a boat to salvage in the river.
Due to wars often suddenly yielding massive funds, for military strategists, this massive fund can’t be fully distributed to soldiers immediately, or soldiers with enough money would think of “disbanding and going home.” (Historically, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s combat power plummeted after entering Jiangnan.) Mostly choose to hide silver somewhere and retrieve later. For example, Zhang Xianzhong’s river-stored silver in late Ming.
“In favorable times, officers and soldiers pay little blood labor, but generals allocate much goods; in adverse times, officers and soldiers pay much blood labor, but generals allocate little goods.” Can’t always give captures to court first, hoping court disburses in one’s adverse times.
Now all Wu Fei’s income goes through public accounts; excess war profit wealth is financially lent to small peddlers for goods circulation, re-production investment and storage.
Northern Army side, most seized treasury property has no financial deposit.
Wu Hanluan as a traditional military strategist also has a method to solve this.
Have a few personal soldiers carry goods to a concealed place for sealing. These personal soldiers, after doing this, leave the army to return home, have children, and live incognito.
This is why, when certain armies suddenly perish, “XX general’s” hidden treasures appear in the martial world.
For Wu Hanluan, now he has lots of goods, but lacks reasonable “conversion” channels; the imperial family willing to marry a daughter and promote Wu Family as imperial relatives is certainly worth spending money on.
This is utterly different from Wu Fei’s calculations. Wu Hanluan really treasures this princess marrying down.
Wu Hengyu arrived at the river. The river waters slowly parted; Wu Hengyu entered the cave and brought out box after box of goods sunk in the river.
