All the heroes of the world are now in my grasp.

Chapter 31 The Covenant

Outside the hall, amidst the Lantern Festival lights, Liu Yao stood in the main seat, his imposing figure resembling an iron tower. The veins on his hand holding the wine bowl bulged slightly. His earlier anger had long since dissipated, leaving only a mind filled with confusion and bewilderment.

He fought on the grasslands for over twenty years, and he always believed in one principle: if you win, you have everything.

Whether it was fighting with other tribes for pastures or raiding the Central Plains in the south, as long as the swords and horses were fast enough, and they won, the cattle, sheep, prisoners, wealth, and women all belonged to the tribe. They never had to calculate the details or think about whether they could afford to feed them. As long as the spoils were enough for the whole tribe to eat and drink and for the brothers to wear armor and go into battle, it was only natural.

But how come things have become so complicated after entering the Central Plains, occupying this city of Lüliang, and winning the battle?

He seized Xihe County, took control of the treasury, killed the disobedient soldiers, and kept the original officials, thinking he had secured this land. But Gao Zidan's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head—it turned out that this vast Xihe County might not be able to support his three thousand brothers and the entire Yongming tribe?

What made him even more uneasy was that every word Gao Zidan said was so sincere that there was not a single fault in it, and every account was calculated clearly. The more he listened, the more he felt that everything she said made sense.

The Xiongnu tribal leaders in the hall had also lost their earlier arrogance. They looked at each other, and finally all turned their gaze to Liu Yao, waiting for him to make a decision. They were all men of the grasslands, skilled in riding horses and archery, and knowledgeable in battle, but they were even more clueless than Liu Yao about the intricacies of money and accounts.

After a long silence, Liu Yao finally sat back heavily in the main seat, slamming his wine bowl down on the table with a dull thud. He frowned, looked at Gao Zidan, and spoke in a muffled voice, his earlier anger gone, replaced by genuine suspicion:

"What you're saying makes sense to me. But I still don't believe that such a large prefecture as Xihe can't even support the elderly, the weak, and our three thousand brothers in my tribe?"

He paused, then added with a hint of helplessness in his voice: "To be honest, when I entered the city, those bastards were in a frenzy. Despite military orders to stop them, quite a few still broke into homes and looted markets. The treasury, where money and grain were stored, was the hardest hit area, and coincidentally, they burned almost all of the county's account books and household registers."

"These days, the Han officials like the Prefectural Magistrate and the Registrar are holed up in their offices every day trying to salvage records and calculate accounts, but I still have no idea how much grain Xihe can collect in a year."

Upon hearing this, Gao Zidan immediately understood.

What was burned down?

Account books have always been the lifeblood of officials, so how could they be burned so easily? Even if the original was burned, each county would have a copy, and the Ministry of Revenue would have a base account. It is impossible for the accounts to be completely confused.

It was clearly these officials from Xihe Commandery who, taking advantage of Liu Yao and the Xiongnu people's lack of understanding of the officialdom and finances of the Central Plains, deliberately hid the account books, pretending that "the accounts were completely destroyed and could not be accounted for." From now on, whether the money and grain were collected more or less, and whether the expenses were more or less, wouldn't it all be a matter of a stroke of their pens? They would collect 100%, report 30%, and the rest would all go into their own pockets. Even if Liu Yao, a steppe Chanyu, was as fierce as he was, he wouldn't be able to find out about the trickery involved.

Gao Zidan knew everything perfectly well, but she showed no sign of it on her face, not even a hint of anything unusual.

Of course, he wouldn't point it out.

His core purpose in coming to Lüliang City was never to help Liu Yao clean up the bureaucracy or manage the finances, but to completely bind Liu Yao to the war chariot of Ji Guang, the governor of Bingzhou.

To make him obedient, he must be perpetually impoverished in terms of money and provisions, and forever dependent on the state's aid. If he were to discover the true state of Xihe County, and know that he could be self-sufficient and even have a surplus, he would turn his back on the imperial court and Ji Guang, and become a local tyrant in Xihe. Why would he be willing to guard the border for others?

As for the corruption and shady dealings of these officials, let Liu Yao deal with them himself.

The governance of the Central Plains has never been something that the "kill those who don't submit" approach used on the grasslands could solve. Even if he killed all the officials in the current prefecture and replaced them with a new batch, the taxes that couldn't be collected would still not be collected, and the money that could be embezzled would still be embezzled. This set of invisible and intangible rules was simply not something that a mere chieftain of a grassland tribe could handle.

Having made up her mind, Gao Zidan's face showed a sincere expression. She bowed deeply to Liu Yao, her tone earnest:

"Your Excellency is too kind. My life was saved by your own hand at the border river mouth. If it weren't for you, I would have died in the chaos of war long ago. I, Gao Zidan, will remember this kindness for the rest of my life. How could I possibly lie to you?"

He straightened up, his tone growing heavier, and said, word by word, "Xihe is located on the frontier, with seven or eight out of ten parts of its territory being the Lüliang Mountains. There is little flat land and much mountainous land, and the soil is barren. It is not a wealthy county that produces grain. The entire county has only about 100,000 people in total. In normal times, let alone a surplus, even the daily expenses of the government and the expenses of the county soldiers are barely covered by subsidies from the state in previous years."

"You see the treasury is full now, but that money was saved up by successive prefects as a lifeline for disaster relief and wartime supplies. Every day it's used up, it's gone. When the treasury is empty and the state's aid stops, your three thousand brothers can't go into battle on an empty stomach every day, and the old, weak, women and children in the tribes can't starve either. Do you really have to rely on robbing the people to survive? If it comes to that, you'll lose the people's hearts, and the entire county will hate you to the bone. If Lord Ji sends troops to attack you again, you'll be surrounded by enemies on all sides."

His words were sincere and heartfelt, completely bringing out the deepest fear in Liu Yao's heart.

Liu Yao's face paled instantly, and his hand gripping the wine bowl tightened suddenly.

During this time, he lived in the prefect's mansion, drank fine wines from the Central Plains, watched enchanting dances and music, and wore brocade robes. He was no longer living the life of sleeping in the open on the grasslands. It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. He did not want to return to the mountain valley for even a moment longer.

If it were really as Gao Zidan said, with the treasury empty, the money and grain gone, and the state cutting off supplies, he would either have to lead his entire clan back to the grasslands to starve, or he would be trapped in Lüliang City, surrounded and attacked by the Bingzhou army. Where would his current glory be?

He quickly leaned forward, his previous arrogance completely gone, replaced by a hint of eagerness, and asked Gao Zidan, "So, according to you, what benefits will he give me if I take the position of Prefect of Xihe?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zidan breathed a sigh of relief—Liu Yao had finally given up.

Before he arrived, he had already received confirmation from Ji Guang, the governor of Bingzhou, and had a bottom line in mind. So, without beating around the bush, he stated loudly:

"Lord Ji said that as long as you, Chanyu, are willing to submit to the court and be appointed as the Prefect of Xihe to defend Xihe for Bingzhou, the annual amount of money and grain allocated by the state to the Yongming tribe will amount to a total of 50,000 strings of cash. There will also be rewards if you send troops."

"Fifty thousand strings of cash?!"

One sentence instantly turned the once quiet lobby into an uproar!

The Xiongnu tribal leaders and military commanders present were all astonished, their eyes widening in surprise, and they couldn't help but whisper among themselves. Just a few days ago, they had accompanied the Chanyu to search the prefecture and knew clearly that the entire Xihe Prefecture's treasury, including both grain and cash, was only enough for a mere 50,000 strings of cash.

Fifty thousand strings of cash for a year?!

Doesn't that mean that every year from now on, we'll have another treasury filled with money and grain?!

Fighting a year's worth of battles on the grasslands, risking your life, might not yield this much money and provisions. Now, as long as you defend the northern border, you can steadily receive 50,000 strings of cash every year. Where else can you find such a windfall?

The leaders all wore expressions of ecstatic joy, looking at Liu Yao with eyes full of urging, wishing they could immediately agree on behalf of the Chanyu.

But Liu Yao remained somewhat clear-headed.

He had spent half his life trading and negotiating with other tribes on the grasslands, and he understood the principle of "asking for the moon, but settling for less." Gao Zidan's initial offer was definitely not Ji Guang's bottom line.

He snorted coldly, waved his hand at Gao Zidan, and said gruffly, "Fifty thousand strings of cash? Not enough!"

"My three thousand brothers, each with two horses, just the fodder and horseshoes for their warhorses alone consume countless cattle and sheep's worth of grain every year. Not to mention that their swords, bows, and armor need to be forged and replaced every year, the old, weak, women, and children in the tribe need to be fed, and I also have to support the wives, children, and elderly of the brothers who died fighting alongside me. Doesn't all of this require money and food? Fifty thousand strings of cash are barely enough to fill the gaps between the teeth of the entire tribe!"

He leaned forward, his tiger-like eyes fixed on Gao Zidan, and said decisively, "At least 150,000 strings of cash a year! Not a single coin less, and I'd rather not be the prefect!"

Gao Zidan immediately looked troubled and frowned, saying, "Lord Chanyu, this is too much. The state's annual grain and provisions are enough to support tens of thousands of troops in Bingzhou, and we also have to pay tribute to the court. 150,000 strings of cash is simply not something we can afford."

"Can't come up with the money?" Liu Yao raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll raise it myself in Xihe! At worst, we'll open a trade market and collect commercial taxes. Surely we can scrape together that much money?"

"Your Excellency, please reconsider!" Gao Zidan said immediately. "You have just occupied Xihe, and the people's hearts are not yet with you. The officials are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. Forget about collecting commercial taxes; even collecting land taxes is questionable. If you are pushed too far, the officials in each county will shut their gates and refuse to surrender, and the people will flee. You won't be able to collect taxes or grain, and you might not even be able to hold onto this city of Lüliang!"

The two went back and forth, haggling over the price.

Gao Zidan gradually increased the price from 50,000 guan to 60,000 and then 70,000, pretending to be in great difficulty with each increase, as if he had emptied Bingzhou's coffers. Liu Yao, on the other hand, gradually reduced the price from 150,000 guan to 130,000, 110,000, and then 90,000, pretending to have suffered a great loss with each concession.

The Xiongnu leaders in the hall held their breath, their eyes following the two men's bids, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Finally, the two stopped at the same time.

Gao Zidan seemed to have made a tremendous decision. She stamped her foot heavily, cupped her hands to Liu Yao, and said, "Fine! Lord Chanyu, I'll risk my life to vouch for you, Lord Ji! Eighty thousand strings of cash a year!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately added, his tone full of earnest concern for the other party: "There is one problem, however. The route from Bingzhou to Xihe is mostly through the deep mountains and treacherous roads of Lüliang, making it difficult for grain carts to travel. If the money and grain are split equally, transporting grain from Taiyuan will involve traversing mountains and valleys, and the laborers, mules, and horses will consume half a shi of grain along the way, resulting in a waste of resources. It would be better to simply convert it all into cash at market price and send it directly to Lüliang City every month. This would save on the trouble and losses during transportation, and the Chanyu and the other leaders could use the cash as they wish, whether it was for buying grain, brocade, treasures, or ironware, which would be much more convenient than carrying grain."

Upon hearing this, the Xiongnu leaders below erupted in uproar!

These tribal leaders, having followed the Chanyu south to plunder, had already seized enough grain; their tribes had cattle, sheep, and grain piled up like mountains, so they had no shortage of food. What they truly coveted were the copper coins, brocades, jade artifacts, and fine wines of the Central Plains—things that could only be bought with cash.

They originally thought the grain was useless, but they were too embarrassed to ask. Now that Gao Zidan had offered to give them all the money, it really struck a chord with them.

"Chanyu! Lord Gao is right!" A burly tribal chief immediately stood up and shouted, "Transporting grain is too much trouble! We want cash!"

"That's right! We don't lack food! We just want cash!"

"Young Master Gao's idea is brilliant! Let's just distribute all the money!"

The leaders all stood up and echoed, their faces full of excitement, and they repeatedly urged Liu Yao to agree to the proposal, afraid that he would not.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao was immediately tempted.

He also felt that transporting grain was a troublesome matter. On the grasslands, people always drove cattle and sheep, never caring about the losses from transporting grain over long distances. Having cash in hand meant he could buy whatever he wanted, which was indeed much more convenient than having a pile of grain. Besides, all the brothers under him agreed, so he had no reason to object.

He immediately waved his hand and said loudly to Gao Zidan, "Good! It's as you say! Eighty thousand strings of cash a year, all in cash, paid monthly!"

Gao Zidan immediately responded, setting the rules: "But I also have conditions: you must restrain your troops and never plunder the people again. The security and administration of the entire prefecture will remain in the hands of the original officials. You will only be in charge of military affairs; if there is a war that requires sending troops or stopping the enemy, you must go into battle and obey the orders of the Bingzhou Governor's Office!"

"That's easy!" Liu Yao patted his chest and agreed. "I, Liu Yao, keep my word! As long as the money and provisions arrive on time, I will defend Xihe County firmly for Lord Ji!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the lobby erupted in thunderous cheers!

The Xiongnu leaders raised their wine bowls and praised Liu Yao loudly, saying that the Chanyu was wise and had managed to get 80,000 strings of cash from the Han court every year. He was indeed the most powerful hero on the grassland.

Liu Yao laughed heartily, immediately ordered his men to refill the bowls with strong liquor, and personally carried the two large bowls to Gao Zidan. He strode over to Gao, shoved one of the bowls into his hands, and declared loudly, "Brother Gao! From now on, you are my sworn brother! This bowl of wine is for you! Today, our alliance is sealed, and I, Liu Yao, will keep my word. I will never betray you, nor will I fail the trust placed in me by Lord Ji!"

Gao Zidan smiled as she took the wine bowl and slammed it against the one in his hand, making a crisp sound.

Just as he raised his glass, a subtle, unnoticed meaning flashed in his eyes.

He knew better than anyone that war was breaking out on all sides of the land, and the signs of chaos were already emerging. In the coming years, with continuous warfare and fields lying fallow, grain would be the true hard currency, and its price would only skyrocket year after year. It was only a matter of time before a bushel of rice became more expensive than a string of coins. Meanwhile, these copper coins would only become increasingly worthless as the war spread.

These grassland leaders could only see the gleaming copper coins before their eyes, and the brocades and treasures of the Central Plains, but they could not see the preciousness of rice and grain, let alone the impending chaos.

He kept this scheme to himself, never revealing a trace of it on his face.

The lanterns outside the hall still swayed in the early spring chill, while the cheers and clinking of wine bowls inside had long since broken through the windows and filled the entire prefecture.