Chapter 2312 - 2052: It’s Not That We’ve Spent It All, It’s a Balanced Budget

Moreover, even Shixie knows that though people cannot go, their hearts must be present. No matter who persuaded him to do this thing, the other party did it, which at least proves that they are aware of this matter and are in harmony with the country. But Zhang Lu acts as if nothing happened.

No one would believe that everyone under Zhang Lu’s rule is unaware of what the Northern Huns signify, nor would anyone believe that Zhang Lu’s ministers are oblivious to what Zhang Lu should do at this time.

No one is foolish. Irrespective of how others calculate, at that time, they all shared a common interest with the country. In this situation, Zhang Lu’s inaction shows disregard for the state.

Naturally, all who participated in the Northern Frontier war silently blacklisted Zhang Lu.

After the Northern Frontier was pacified, the three houses of Liu, Cao, and Sunx, although they didn’t speak on the matter, it was certain that Zhang Lu was doomed. Moreover, the Celestial Master Dao that Zhang Lu represents was not likely to be seen as the right path anymore.

After all, we’re all adults, and words are of no use if there are no actions. At a time when almost all feudal lords among the aristocratic families across the world were contributing in terms of money and effort, Zhang Lu was sitting back and watching the show.

Simply put, the influence was too bad. If one does not contribute to national hatred, and if no punishment is dealt, people’s hearts might disperse, and the feudal lords and aristocratic families of the world would need an explanation.

Though, in truth, not many of these aristocratic families and feudal lords were genuinely wholehearted for the country, many things could be judged by results, while Zhang Lu’s performance was disgraceful.

The reason why Cao Cao has tolerated without taking action until now was to give Liu Zhang a chance. Liu Zhang, going to Chang’an to meet with Cao Cao, Sunx Ce, and Liu Bei.

Though essentially Liu Zhang seems more like a straw bag with gold and jade outside but rotten within, his demeanor shown in Chang’an was indeed noteworthy.

Adding on his merits, even Cao Cao did not belittle this man who was formerly known as a dog guarding his territory. Thus, neither Liu Bei, Cao Cao, nor Sunx Ce mentioned the matter of Hanzhong, leaving Hanzhong for Liu Zhang to resolve on his own.

Following that, Liu Zhang’s performance did not disappoint Cao Cao and others. He carried the prestigious momentum of pacifying Central South and bringing over a dozen states into submission, forcing Zhang Lu to close his doors and refuse to come out.

At this point, Cao Cao and others understand that Liu Zhang has already won, but to yield results, they fairly estimate that it would still require Liu Zhang to bring in a large army to truly resolve the Hanzhong situation.

Cao Cao knows well that Hanzhong is easy to defend yet hard to attack; for Liu Zhang to yield results, it will still take a long time.

Fortunately for Cao Cao, they do have this semblance of time, and naturally, the aristocratic families resettled from the Central Plains are also waiting for the results, the final outcome of Hanzhong.

However, soon Liu Zhang’s road plan for Sichuan and Shu into Hanzhong appeared on Cao Cao’s desk. From that moment, Cao Cao no longer viewed Liu Zhang merely as a guard dog.

Since pacifying the Southern Central States, Liu Zhang’s demeanor in front of Cao Cao and others had already qualified him to be placed on par with them.

Especially that astonishing road plan, even Cao Cao had to be impressed - leveling the mountains of Sichuan and Shu, carving out a broad thoroughfare, directly reaching Hanzhong, and mobilizing a hundred thousand troops to directly take Zhang Lu’s head. Such majestic vigor could even be felt by Cao Cao on paper.

However, what displeased Cao Cao was that Liu Zhang, who could articulate such grand and heroic words, forgot to recite an immortal poem on the spot.

Of course, that audaciousness that leapt off the paper was merely Cao Cao’s imagination. Liu Zhang, at the time, was a bit carried away crossing Hanzhong and found the mountain roads difficult to navigate, which caused him to say such things; merely, the setting provided some room for imaginative speculation.

"Indeed, the Imperial Clan of the Han Dynasty still has some talented and precious jade," Cao Cao said with an expression of sigh, as he looked at intelligence reports from various places and the invitation from Liu Bei’s side. Not even mentioning Liu Bei’s demeanor, just the realization and demeanor Liu Zhang displayed didn’t lack the elegance of Han dynasty.

"Miaocai, you will represent me to go to Ye City, and coincidentally, Juan’er is going to marry Zhang Yide, so you can stay there for a few more days." After reading Liu Bei’s invitation, Cao Cao, even without thinking, knew what Liu Bei wanted to do.

Though such matters cannot be halted, and since the other party intends to awe them a bit, Cao Cao doesn’t mind seizing the chance to peek into Liu Bei’s secrets.

"Understood," Xiahou Yuan said with a clean and cold expression. He had now reached the ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation stage, facing a point where there didn’t seem to be any more paths to forge ahead. Though every time he thought of his niece marrying Zhang Fei, Xiahou Yuan felt like stabbing Zhang Fei.

Though Zhang Fei’s ability and identity surpass those of Xiahou Juan, Xiahou Yuan just couldn’t stand Zhang Fei, and to be honest, perhaps there was a bit of a generational issue involved.

After all, for a long period, both Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun called Zhang Fei "Brother Yide." Although this "Brother" was an honorific title respecting those with ability.

But after such a long time of addressing, one must say there was sincerity in it. After all, among those who sought trouble with Lyu Bu and still lived until now, only Zhang Fei remains.

In this regard, Xiahou Yuan very much acknowledged Zhang Fei’s strength; the real stumbling block was simply that Zhang Fei had the audacity to set his eyes on his niece.

Not everyone is like Xun Yu or Zhuge Jin, who can marry off their daughters to their friends. In Xiahou Yuan’s view, he can accept such things, but it should be consensual on both sides.

However, Xiahou Yuan had a keen sense that Zhang Fei seemed to be using some coercive methods. Although Xiahou Juan had calmed down by now and found Zhang Fei more pleasing to the eye, Xiahou Yuan was still deeply conflicted, always feeling that the guy with a leopard’s head, ring eyes, and tiger whiskers wasn’t a good match.

Moreover, even Xiahou Dun, who initially supported him, felt it was a well-matched union after Xiahou Juan herself approved of the marriage.

As Xiahou Dun said, marrying into the family won’t mean suffering; she’ll be a Lady Marquis. Everyone knows Zhang Yide, which is much better than someone unknown, and Juan’er herself is willing, so Miaocai, don’t make a fuss.

Make a fuss? At that time, the veins on Xiahou Yuan’s forehead bulged.

It’s mainly because you have too many sons and only one daughter, which makes you overthink. Otherwise, these matters should be handled by the mother, Xiahou Dun remarked.

Xiahou Yuan, full of anger, didn’t know what to say, but rationally he found it quite reasonable. Yet, humans sometimes abandon reason for emotion when dealing with problems.

So, while cursing Zhang Fei inwardly, Xiahou Yuan suppressed his anger and prepared a dowry for his adopted daughter. He didn’t want people to look down on the daughters of the Xiahou family.

"Lord Cao, I want to go too!" Ma Chao raised his hand high and said.

Cao Cao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Meng Qi can go with Miaocai, but if that’s the case, Miaocai, prepare a gift for Zilong as well."

"Thank you, Lord Cao!" Ma Chao said excitedly, satisfied that his sister was marrying Zhao Yun, though Lyu Qiling’s antics were a headache for him.

However, if Ma Chao were tasked with dealing with Lyu Qiling, he wouldn’t be able to do much.

[Forget it, I won’t bother with this matter. After all, Lyu Qiling is Marquis Wenn’s daughter, so I’ll just give her a gift to honor the already ascended Marquis Wenn, since our family is going to support Yun Lu.] Ma Chao thought reluctantly, truly not wanting to give Lyu Qiling a gift.

Cao Cao was aware of Zhao Yun marrying Ma Yunlu, as he had considered having Cao Ang marry Ma Yunlu for a time, so he was well-informed about the situation.

"Lord, you mustn’t; if the Ma family departs and doesn’t return, with our power waning, our strength will be diminished," Cheng Yu decisively transmitted to Cao Cao, as he always distrusted human nature.

"Zhongde, rest assured. Ma Chao has an arrogant streak and lacks wisdom, but there are things he won’t do. He resembles the old Lyu Bu in some ways, and he has his own limits," Cao Cao slowly said.

Cheng Yu remained silent, knowing that Ma Chao had limits, but he was unwilling to gamble on such things, as there’s little to gain and much to lose.

"Zichu, how is the Money Exchange operating recently?" Cao Cao turned to Liu Ba and asked.

"Currently, the maximum available funds for the Money Exchange are around fifty billion. Twenty percent of these funds need to be reserved, so we have about forty billion left," Liu Ba said slowly, then explained the various expenditures and incomes in detail.

Although Cao Cao couldn’t fully understand, he could clearly feel from Liu Ba’s explanations that their economic situation had improved significantly.

"Why does the figure of forty billion sound so familiar?" Mao Jie frowned and wondered why he suddenly felt a chill, thinking maybe they’ve already spent all the money.

Once Mao Jie spoke, those with brains quickly realized that forty billion meant they’d spent the money.

"Yes, you’re right. If we don’t consider the loans from Marquis Chen, we’re basically maintaining a balance of payments," Liu Ba calmly said.

Spent it all? Ridiculous, this is called balancing receipts and payments. This is where Liu Ba’s skill shines; he reinvests most of the earnings into the welfare of the people, leaving little cash in the Money Exchange.

Because of this approach, Cao Cao’s governance could maintain stable forward development. However, this strategy’s downside is Xun Yu’s constant worry about a sudden financial chain rupture.

"Does that mean we actually have no money now?" Xiahou Dun asked, astonished. Such a large operation claims to have no money; what a joke. "Weren’t we supposed to expand the military? How can we do that now without any money?"

Liu Ba glanced at Xiahou Dun indifferently. Could he say that upon learning of such a loan, he rushed to spend the money immediately? Once he got the forty billion, he managed to patch up the financial chain, integrate the upstream and downstream industries, and achieve self-sufficiency. At that point, certain costs would just be numbers to him.

Ideally, Liu Ba would like to attach his chain to Chen Xi’s chain, making operations smoother, with more people involved in the upper and lower streams, creating more stability and extra funds. But every time Chen Xi caught him trying, he kicked him out.