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Chapter 200: The Middle-Aged Scholar
Chapter 200: The Middle-Aged Scholar
September 25, 2017
Another historical general, Wang Hao, had joined the ranks, and this fellow couldn't help but cause trouble for Lu HaiKong.
Of course, this guy was well aware that he would likely struggle to achieve much on his own, so he rallied the middle-aged scholar who was busy developing the territory.
The scholar had long been prepared to help him eliminate Lu HaiKong, so Wang Hao's mobilization didn't waste much effort. The next day, the scholar set out with a few guards, and his first target was the Qiangyin Zhao Family.
The Zhao Family was an established old clan in Qiangyin County, holding a position similar to the Zhang Family in Shanwu County.
Not only did they control nearly three-tenths of the land in Qiangyin County, but members of the Zhao Family also held important positions within the county. Among them, the highest-ranking was undoubtedly Zhao She, the county magistrate of Qiangyin, who had been persuaded by Li Xiong to sign a fictitious agreement.
Initially, the Zhao Family held deep resentment towards Lu HaiKong, but surprisingly, Li Xiong possessed remarkable diplomatic talent. After more than half a month, the Zhao Family's animosity towards Lu HaiKong had significantly diminished, and they even showed signs of wanting to get closer.
The reason for this was simple—they had taken the bait Li Xiong had thrown.
During the iron and coal crisis, Li Xiong had mentioned finding a solution from Shanwu County, which Lu HaiKong initially didn't take seriously, thinking it was a challenging task. But to his surprise, Li Xiong had actually succeeded.
In just over half a month in Qiangyin County, Li Xiong had managed to strike deals with the Zhao Family and several other minor clans.
Of course, the deal with the Zhao Family was particularly significant. They sold nearly 200,000 gold worth of iron, coal, grains, and other supplies to Lu HaiKong, with grains and supplies being the primary items.
In this deal, the Zhao Family stood to gain at least 50,000 gold in profits. With such a lucrative partner, how could they not want to get closer? Through these means, Li Xiong not only gathered the much-needed resources for the mountain camp but also stabilized the external environment for the camp.
Given just half a year or even a few months, Li Xiong was confident he could transform these Qiangyin clans into a closely linked interest coalition with the mountain camp. By then, even if Lu HaiKong's camp continued its unchecked rampage in Qiangyin, there would be no cause for concern. Moreover, Lu HaiKong's border trade plan could also be smoothly executed.
However, this approach required substantial financial support. The deals Li Xiong had negotiated over the past half-month alone would cost the mountain camp around 300,000 gold. This amount was enough to make Wang Jun back at the camp nearly suffocate.
He had barely caught a breath due to Old Gongsun's intervention, and now Li Xiong was stirring up more trouble. Where would the camp find so much money? Even if they killed Wang Jun, his emaciated body wouldn't fetch that much.
But eventually, a solution was found. The mountain camp offered horses in exchange, valuing each horse from the grasslands at 500 gold in Bingzhou, but Lu HaiKong accepted a discounted price of 300 gold each, completing the deal with a thousand horses.
The clans, of course, were overjoyed. With these horses in their possession, they could easily resell them for 600 gold each through their connections, making a huge profit.
After this transaction, the clans' attitude towards the mountain camp changed dramatically. Before, they had been indifferent to Li Xiong, but now they couldn't wait to treat him like royalty.
In their eyes, Li Xiong was a golden goose, and don't think that the noble families, sitting high above, didn't need money. Without money, where would they get the land, and without land, how would they gain power?
Li Xiong had just begun to open up this situation, and the first batch of transactions, due to the lack of gold in the mountain camp, had offered a bait that was slightly too big. So, this was actually a critical period. If someone were to intervene at this moment, not only would the favorable situation Li Xiong had created be ruined, but it might also lead to even more severe consequences.
And just at this moment, a sharp-eyed individual was about to stir up trouble.
The Zhao family of Qiangyin County, where Zhao She, who had recently gained fortune amidst misfortune, was busy preparing the second batch of supplies for the mountain camp's handover, was suddenly interrupted by a subordinate with a message: "The head of the family requests your presence."
The head of the Zhao family was Zhao She's father, now in his fifties or sixties. In recent years, the old head of the family had largely withdrawn from managing family affairs, leaving the major decisions to a few trusted individuals.
What could the sudden summons from the head of the family mean? Zhao She's heart raced with anticipation, wondering if the position of the head of the family was about to be passed down to him.
This didn't seem impossible, as he had recently brought in tens of thousands of gold for the Zhao family, making him one of the most outstanding heirs. It seemed reasonable to pass the position to him at this time.
With this thought in mind, Zhao She arrived at the side hall where the old head of the family was. As soon as he entered, Zhao She sensed something amiss.
In the side hall were not only the old head of the family but also several brothers who were equally eligible to inherit the position, along with a middle-aged scholar whom Zhao She had never met before.
The old head of the family's face was stern, and his brothers, though they tried to maintain a straight face, couldn't hide their Schadenfreude.
Zhao She realized something was wrong, sensing that he might be in trouble.
(End of Chapter)
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