Chapter 928: Chapter 538: Zhao Douan’s Money-Saving Method (5k)
The guest elder under Prince Huaian found him, which was unexpected for Zhao Douan.
However, he was not nervous because Feng Xiaolian appeared in this manner while knowing his whereabouts, indicating that the other party had no malicious intent.
"Yongjia City is one of the two prefectures along the Huai River. Although the Prince doesn’t live here, he has been managing it for many years. In terms of intelligence and connections, he is far beyond the likes of Mu and Jing, who have taken over by force." Feng Xiaolian explained seriously, afraid of being misunderstood.
Zhao Douan nodded; this made sense.
After all, the Huai River is Prince Huaian’s domain. Even if this "Foodie Prince" has a martial shortcoming, his intelligence network likely permeates every corner.
"So? What does Prince Huaian want to say?" Zhao Douan smiled faintly, "Just the fact that the Royal Mansion is in contact with me, if exposed, might invite disaster, wouldn’t it?"
Feng Xiaolian smiled helplessly: "In today’s world situation, how can closing the door avoid disaster?"
Zhao Douan’s eyes flickered as he stroked the crystal-clear jade cup, saying:
"It seems that my previous conversation with Prince Huai has come true. After the rebels invaded the Huai River, the Royal Mansion’s days must be hard.
Well, the court needs military funds for the war, and the two Vassal Kings, Xu Wen and Xu Jingtang, certainly do as well. The wealth of the Huai River is well-known throughout the land, and Prince Huai is abundantly rich. Surely, he has been heavily extorted these days?
Ha, I hear that in Yongjia City, the commoners need to pay protection fees to gangs to live peacefully. Indeed, the interaction among the princes is no different from street thugs.
Prince Huai suffered from the rebels and thus sent you to contact me, wanting to establish a connection with the court?
No... The current situation is turbulent, and the victor is still uncertain, even though the court has won two consecutive battles, it’s still not enough to affect the outcome...
Hmm, so Prince Huai intends to bet on two, perhaps even three horses? Fearing that if he doesn’t establish connections in advance, should the court continue south and defeat the rebels, the Huai Prince Mansion would face reckoning?"
Feng Xiaolian was stunned, a look of surprise and amazement flitted through his eyes as he raised his cup with a bitter smile:
"The Governor is indeed as rumored, capable of piercing the heart with just a few words, having completely seen through it."
The situation was worse than Zhao Douan described.
After the "Six Road Vassal Kings into the Capital" was thwarted, the two Princes Jing and Mu, who had taken over part of the Huai River, realized they couldn’t win quickly and started consolidating their domain.
As a result, the originally unaffected Prince Huaian became the target of both sides at the same time.
The two rebel forces successively came to extort him, and the "Foodie Prince" painfully bled out money.
He thought that paying protection money would suffice, but the court’s two major victories made Prince Huaian uneasy.
It was then that he hastily sent Feng Xiaolian, this "Store Manager", to Yongjia, trying to connect with Zhao Douan.
"Prince Huai’s personality is like this, not to mention the situation right in front of us, it’s not hard to guess." Zhao Douan said flatly: "I’m not in the mood for idle talk. Prince Huai had helped me when Hu Ting opened its market, and he hasn’t directly participated in this rebellion. I am someone who remembers old favors; I can represent the court to negotiate with him, but I must first see sincerity."
He did not reject Prince Huaian’s gesture of goodwill.
From the perspective of the bigger picture, it’s better to have a friend than an additional enemy, even if Prince Huaian is a fair-weather ally. After establishing rule over the land, he might be accounted for, but until then, he didn’t mind reaping some benefits.
Feng Xiaolian said softly: "What does the Governor need?"
Zhao Douan asked for boldly: "Grain, materials, gold, silver — there must be enough to support the three major camps. As long as you can supply and send the stuff to Linfeng, I can promise on behalf of His Majesty that after reclaiming the Huai River, Prince Huai will not be violated."
Feng Xiaolian shook his head: "Governor, you jest. Not to mention how much more we can provide, even if we could, how would we transport such a large amount to Linfeng? Truth be told, with the two rebel forces blocking the path, supplies transport is strictly controlled, and we can’t even send it to Yongjia."
This store manager was neither humble nor arrogant, showing no signs of nervousness, humility, or awkwardness in front of Zhao Yan.
It indicates that he is not a simple guest elder, but a major player under Prince Huai.
Zhao Douan looked down slightly and said: "Then give me intelligence. I need all the information about Prince Jing and Prince Mu. This isn’t hard to convey."
Feng Xiaolian’s expression was grave: "Prince Huai meets with the Governor in good faith, why must you make things difficult?"
Two military intelligence? Ridiculous!
This is almost equivalent to making Prince Huaian choose a side and seek his own death.
Zhao Douan’s face also turned cold at this moment, his eyes detached and devoid of emotion: "It is Prince Huai who is making things difficult for me! For the sake of self-preservation, he bets on three sides at the same time, and it’s incredible that he expects not to be accounted for without clearly choosing a side. Such an absurd deal is unheard of! The calculations could be heard all the way to the Capital. If you’re unwilling to provide supplies or intelligence, you might as well go back right now and tell him that when I march south, the first to be wiped out will be the Huai Prince Mansion!"
These words were filled with a killing aura, startling Feng Xiaolian. His easy manner vanished, and he warily scanned the surroundings. Seeing the singing and dancing, guests and courtesans enjoying themselves, with no one paying them any mind, he sighed softly: "Governor, there’s no need to get angry. The Prince didn’t mean it that way..."
Zhao Douan couldn’t be bothered to continue the conversation and said indifferently: "Then show a bit of sincerity."
Feng Xiaolian thought for a moment and said: "The Governor comes to Yongjia, presumably for Zhao Shixiong. If you wish to deal with him, we can lend a hand."
Willing to help me deal with Zhao Shixiong? Ah, from Prince Huaian’s standpoint, he would be happy to see the Yunfu Rebel Army weakened... Only by introducing this third force, the court, into the Huai River, can he suppress the two Vassal Kings.