Chapter 29: Chen Commandery Xie Clan, Qiao Commandery Huan Clan

"Spices paired with minced meat."

"Seasoned with fat, salt, and sugar."

After finishing a can of luncheon meat, Shi Min wiped his mouth.

First he praised, "Indeed delicious."

Then his eyelid lifted, and he pointed out the crux.

"However, consuming so much meat, and spices worth their weight in gold."

"Such delicacies are only occasionally tasted by nobles for novelty; they serve no great purpose."

The thing is certainly a good thing.

But it has minced meat, spices, salt, and sugar.

Every single one is something only wealthy families can afford to enjoy.

When it comes down to it, it is merely a delicacy.

Lin Dao's expression was calm. "You are a general who leads troops to war."

"Tell me, if this thing were used as military rations during campaigns, how would it be?"

The corner of Shi Min's mouth hooked into a mocking smile. "The can is filled with much fat, spices, and salt; it can presumably be stored for a long time."

"If used as military rations, it is naturally a top-grade good thing."

"However."

"However the cost is too high." Lin Dao cut off his words. "Completely unaffordable, right."

Shi Min spread his hands and said nothing; it was very obviously that meaning.

Meat need not be mentioned further.

Under natural and man-made disasters, besides the military and large livestock, everything edible has been eaten clean.

Even, they have begun to turn to seeking two-legged sheep.

Spices transported via the Silk Road are even more equal in weight to gold.

Especially with Later Zhao and Former Liang at odds, commercial routes cut off by repeated great battles, spices are even more priceless.

Salt is still manageable, but fat and sugar are likewise extremely expensive materials.

Food made from these expensive things gathered together, no matter what, will not fall to military households to enjoy.

Lin Dao reached out, tapped the canned food tin, and his opening words were a bombshell.

"Five hundred cash per can, however many you want I will sell you that many."

Everyone was shocked!

Shi Min's gaze toward Lin Dao was like looking at a fool.

Ye City grain prices have now soared to the sky-high price where one gold cake can only buy two dou of millet.

Even at this price grain cannot be bought at all; one can only buy grain from the black market at prices several times more expensive.

Five hundred cash, a can of top-quality fine meat?

Where is this some remarkable person? He is clearly a fool~~~

"Great Commander, do not jest."

On this side, Li Nong, with a displeased expression, took up the words. "Why go so far as to toy with us."

Lin Dao suddenly laughed. "I am merely quoting a price; how does that become toying?"

"Do you know how much a Steamed Bun in Ye City costs?!"

Li Nong struck the table in anger. "Five hundred thousand cash!"

"So much money, a large cart cannot even hold it all!"

"Five hundred cash?"

"Can't even buy this iron tin!"

Lin Dao was surprised; he did not expect Li Nong to be so agitated.

Later Zhao's grain mainly supplies the Qianghu, Xiongnu, and various Hu.

As for the Han, they all have to find their own way.

Even in the capital Ye City, the matter of exchanging wives and children for food ingredients has become commonplace.

Along the way back and forth, what was seen on the roadside, those frozen and starved to death are countless, white bones exposed in the wild.

As a Han official, Li Nong naturally feels the sorrow of the fox when the rabbit dies.

If the Han all die out, what good ending can those of us Han officials who have surrendered to the Hu slaves have?

"Just discussing a business deal." Lin Dao calmed his breath. "Why so extreme."

"It was I who lost composure."

Li Nong collected his mind, subconsciously glancing at Shi Min.

"Minister Li need not overthink."

Shi Min understood his meaning.

Shi Hu cannot tolerate complaints; whoever dares clamor about people's livelihood before him usually gets waist-chopped to start.

Li Nong is asking Shi Min not to file a petty report.

Shi Min's gaze swept toward those not far away, wearing military green greatcoats, queuing to receive meals — the women.

"The Qihuo Army here eats full, dresses warm, lives well."

"My Great Zhao subjects, however, endure hunger and cold; imbalance is unavoidable."

The Qihuo Army are refugees; refugees are poor ghosts who cannot even afford rice, swarming like locusts to plunder everywhere.

But these poor ghosts, at this moment, are actually living an unbelievably beautiful life.

Thinking again of Ye City, Luoyang, and such places, that hell-on-earth misery inevitably made one sigh.

Lin Dao beckoned, and Jin Lian, waiting at the side, stepped forward and placed the several yellow peach cans in her hands on the table.

"This is~"

Looking at the yellow peach cans before him, Shi Min exclaimed in surprise, "Glass bottle?"

"This one costs more."

Lin Dao stepped forward, unscrewed the lid, "One thousand coins each."

Everyone's gaze toward Lin Dao was as if looking at a fool.

Jin Lian, anxious to protect her master, could not hold back and spoke, "My lord, this bottle is worth more than a thousand coins."

"Where is there any reason for a woman of the household to speak!" Feng Dun immediately spoke up, "How much do you have? I want them all!"

Not to mention anything else, taking those glass bottles out to sell would be enough to make a fortune.

Lin Dao paid him no mind.

He reached out, opened two yellow peach cans, and pushed them in front of Shi Min and Li Nong.

"Try them."

The two were not afraid of being poisoned; there was no need for such trouble.

If he truly wanted their lives, here in Shangbai of Guangzong County there were over one or two hundred thousand men and women of the Begging Army.

One mouthful of spit each would be enough to drown them.

Exchanging a glance, the two picked up chopsticks, pinched up yellow peaches, and stuffed them into their mouths.

Crisp and refreshing, sweet fragrance overflowing.

Li Nong nodded repeatedly, "Never imagined this golden peach (yellow peach) could be so delicious."

Yellow peaches are native to the Central Plains, widely distributed throughout the Northern Regions.

The yellow peaches of the Yonghe Spacetime, in texture, simply cannot compare with the carefully cultivated varieties of later generations.

Shi Min simply reached out and took the bottle, glanced at it, and directly gulped down a mouthful of juice.

He cried out in surprise, "Honey water?"

He came from the military ranks and had led troops in battle.

Naturally he knew that when exhausted in wartime, a few mouthfuls of honey water would quickly restore one's strength.

But honey water was extremely expensive, and it was absolutely impossible to distribute it on a large scale for the military households to enjoy.

Thinking of this, Shi Min could not help but feel dazed in his heart.

His gaze turned to Lin Dao, and for a moment he did not know what to say.

He truly wanted to ask, "Are you a fool?"

Just as that woman said, this bottle is worth more than a thousand coins!

Who does business like this? It's clearly giving them away for free~~~

"Dare to ask the Great Commander."

Li Nong no longer hesitated, "The luncheon meat and these yellow peach cans, how many are there?"

"Dozens~" Lin Dao wanted to say there were dozens of tons piled in the warehouse.

Changing his mind, the unit "ton," Shi Min and the others did not understand.

He immediately took out his phone and opened the calculator.

First doing a division, then following with a multiplication.

Putting away the phone, he replied, "Probably around one hundred and fifty thousand."

'Hiss~~~'

Gasps of breath rose all around, as if everyone collectively had a toothache.

Li Nong immediately made the decision, "I can make the call, I want them all!"

"Very well."

Under the stunned gaze of all, Lin Dao immediately agreed, "I only take gold, calculated at the official price."

The official price: one tael of gold exchanges for ten thousand coins.

One gold cake is sixteen taels, that is one hundred and sixty thousand coins.

Luncheon meat cans are five hundred coins each, yellow peach cans one thousand coins each.

The quantities on both sides are about the same; the compromise price is seven hundred and fifty coins each.

One gold cake can buy a little over two hundred and thirteen.

All told, that is over seven hundred gold cakes!

Lin Dao's gaze was kind, his words gentle.

"As for Shi Hu saying he wants to recruit me."

"Let's do a few deals first, get to know each other, and then talk."

There weren't a few deals to be done.

This is a one-time deal; only this single transaction can be made.

Jiangzuo, Kuaiji Commandery, Dongshan.

"Uncle, I'm here~~~"

A maiden with bright eyes and white teeth, lifting her skirt hem, laughing cheerfully as she walked into the mountain cave.

Called a mountain cave, yet it was artificially excavated and repaired.

Inside, candles were thick as pillars, bright as daylight.

All kinds of furniture were complete.

By the stone wall, several rows of bookshelves were filled with booklets and bamboo slips.

"It's Lingjiang."

Setting down the book in his hand, Xie An nodded with a smile, "How is it you have free time to visit me today?"

The girl's large, black eyes were bright and spirited.

The corners of her mouth curled slightly, revealing shallow dimples as she smiled, "Even if I have no time, I must come to pay my respects to Uncle."

"Hahaha~~~"

Xie An stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Enough, take whatever book you want."

"Every time you come to borrow my books, you first down a big bowl of love potion."

"If you keep drinking this love potion, you'll really get drunk."

The girl laughed cheerfully, her clear laughter like the first cry of an oriole.

Xie An picked up a book and continued flipping through it.

The girl went to the bookshelf and searched carefully.

In this era, books were wealth, a monopoly on knowledge.

Every book was expensive.

Xie An had many rare volumes, and only the girl could steal them from him.

"Patriarch~"

A house servant came to report, "Grand Governor Huan is visiting."

"Oh?"

Xie An nodded and stood up, "Please invite him in quickly."

In no time at all, General Who Pacifies the West, Colonel Who Protects the Southern Man, Grand Governor of Jingzhou Huan Wen entered the mountain cave laughing loudly.

"Anshi, forgive my unannounced visit."

Xie An stepped forward to salute, "I pay my respects to the Grand Commander."

The girl beside him also saluted, "I pay my respects to the Grand Commander."

"Oh, Lingjiang is here too. Is your esteemed father well in Jinling?"

The girl replied, "Father always mentions you and wishes to drink with the Grand Commander."

Huan Wen shook his head and smiled, "Certainly not. Drinking with your esteemed father always ends in drunkenness. Next time we meet, let's brew tea instead."

The girl's father Xie Yi had once served as a commandant in Huan Wen's General Who Pacifies the West Prefecture.

He spent all day dragging Huan Wen to drink until Huan Wen was afraid and hid in his wife Sima Xingnan's room, refusing to come out.

After chatting a few words, the perceptive girl took her leave and departed.

After they were seated separately, Huan Wen spoke plainly.

"Anshi, I have come to see you this time regarding the campaign against Shu."

Xie An nodded, "The Li bandit is unjust, and his subjects do not support him."

"He relies too heavily on natural barriers and neglects his arms and armor."

"The Grand Commander's campaign against the bandit will surely succeed in one stroke."

Huan Wen nodded with satisfaction, "Everyone says the campaign against Shu is not feasible, but only Anshi supports me."

Xie An smiled and remained silent.

Though others may live in seclusion and not at court, they still grasp the great trends of the world in their hearts.

This is called advancing by retreating, cultivating prestige while in seclusion.

The Xie and Huan clans were closely related.

Xie An had long known of Huan Wen's desire to campaign against Shu.

After careful deliberation for some time, he arrived at this conclusion.

"The Li bandit (Cheng Han) is dim-witted and incompetent, relying only on natural barriers; I have never taken him seriously."

Huan Wen glanced at Xie An, "What I worry about is the Stone bandit (Later Zhao)."

"The Stone bandit and the Li bandit have an alliance; if troops are sent, one must wait for the right moment."

Xie An had already seriously considered this matter, and now responded with full confidence, "It is said that Zhang Liang of Liangzhou (Zhang Jun) is gravely ill, and something untoward may happen."

"The Stone bandit has long eyed Liangzhou; if Zhang Liang of Liangzhou is gone, he will surely seize the opportunity to lead a great army in attack."

"By then, it will naturally be a fine opportunity to campaign against Shu."

End of Chapter