Currency… could even wage war?
Mi Zhu felt something stir in his heart. It was as though a thin membrane had just been pierced, yet the view beyond remained hazy and indistinct.
He had never mistaken his own position.
Neither a battlefield general nor a court scholar, Mi Zhu had always known exactly who he was.
A merchant.
Wealth of a thousand gold could be scattered with a flick of the hand. Fortunes of ten thousand households could be invested with a turn of the wrist.
He had spent his life earning and spending money.
And only today did he truly feel that money… was money.
That was the most honest thought in his heart.
But then… how could money wage war?
[Lightscreen]
[With the sale of Shu Brocade, the Direct-One-Hundred coins began to circulate outside of Yi Province.
Seeing a single coin valued at a hundred made Sun 'Shinwan' itch with envy. Though he lacked a minister like Liu Ba who understood economics, Sun Quan did the next best thing: he copied it.
Over the ten years starting from 236 AD, Sun Wu issued the 'Daquan Five Hundred, Daquan One Thousand, Daquan Two Thousand, Daquan Five Thousand, and finally the extremely short-lived Daquan Ten Thousand.
The numbers got bigger while the physical weight got lighter. The people of Jiangdong weren't fools, who would dare use this junk?
The Daquan coins lost all monetary value and were naturally abandoned. Sun Shinwan promptly dumped the blame onto Xie Hong, who was in charge of minting.
He himself remained the benevolent King of Wu who loved his people like children. The only difference was that Jiangdong had quietly handed over its minting authority to others.]
Liu Bei frowned again in confusion.
"Zizhong, if the Direct Hundred Coin was workable, why were Sun Quan's Daquan coins discarded?"
Kongming glanced sideways at Pang Tong, then rose first and answered calmly.
"My lord, the Light Screen earlier spoke of monetary standards. Though we do not fully grasp its deeper meaning, it summarized that our Han relies upon grain, cloth, and copper."
"From this, one may infer that the quantity of money is tied to the quantity of these three."
"Sun Quan's method, from Five Hundred to Five Thousand, required only changing a single character on the mold. Yet grain, cloth, and copper do not appear out of thin air merely because a character changes."
"Moreover, the responsibility for these Daquan coins could be placed upon the minting office alone. This suggests there were no official markets to guarantee their value. Such reckless over-issuance is no different from Dong Zhuo's debased coins."
Mi Zhu nodded slowly, stunned.
"The Military Advisor's reasoning matches my own."
Pang Tong's fingers curled slightly.
A faint sense of urgency tightened in his chest.
This Kongming… since when did he also understand finance?
[Lightscreen]
[Cao Wei, meanwhile, inherited the Eastern Han currency system. Dong Zhuo had completely destroyed the Han monetary system, leaving Wei to suffer the consequences.
Later, Cao Cao's policy of plundering the population for state farms (Tuntian) destroyed small-to-medium handicrafts. Consequently, for a long time, Cao Wei existed in a state of barter. Shu Brocade became the preferred currency for the Wei upper class.
This was why Shu-Han could launch multiple Northern Expeditions without total economic collapse: a significant portion of the military budget was effectively paid for by 'Boss Cao' himself.
Essentially, Shu Han was using Shu Brocade to play the 'Price Scissors' game.
Later, Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions led to economic exhaustion partly because Cao Wei re-issued currency, closing the gap for that price manipulation.]
"I understand scissors," Zhang Fei muttered, frowning deeply. "Using scissors to cut silk, my wife understands that. But how does this relate to marching armies and fighting battles?"
Ever since the words "Direct Hundred Coin" had appeared, the Light Screen had become incomprehensible to him.
The characters were the same, the words unchanged, yet when combined, they might as well have been written in the heavens.
Guan Yu maintained his dignified expression, but the faint confusion in his eyes betrayed him.
Liu Bei once again turned toward Mi Zhu for help.
This time, Mi Zhu gathered his thoughts and explained more carefully.
"Shu brocade is exceedingly precious. A single bolt of the finest quality is priced at two hundred thousand coins."
"To produce one such bolt requires ten embroiderers working for three months. It is truly worth its weight in gold."
Huang Yueying added calmly, "At present, the papermaking workshop by the Hudu River produces enough in one month to purchase only a single bolt of Shu brocade. Yet the workshop employs over forty papermakers and more than sixty wood pounders."
One hundred people.
Even though they still did not fully understand what "Price Scissors" meant, the contrast between ten people and one hundred people began to form a vague understanding in their minds.
"Yi Province truly is a land of abundance," Liu Bei sighed.
[Lightscreen]
[In any case, at this time Shu Han enjoyed good governance and a stable economy. Having ascended the throne, Liu Bei waved his hand decisively.
He would avenge his second brother.
He would make Sun Wu pay for breaking their alliance.
The army would march east.
Historical evaluations of the Yiling campaign are numerous, but most are somewhat biased.
For example, among the battles of the Three Kingdoms where the few defeated the many, Yiling is often ranked after Guandu and Red Cliffs.
The most famous criticism, the 'seven hundred li of connected camps', came from Cao Pi, who wasn't even there. Since Cao Pi had no military leadership experience at that point, his evaluation is considered flippant.]
Back to Yiling again.
By now, they were almost accustomed to the Light Screen's habit of wandering.
Guan Yu glanced at Liu Bei.
"Elder brother, to raise arms in anger is a great taboo."
Liu Bei fell silent for a moment before replying quietly,
"Yunchang fell first, Yide after. How can one not be angered?"
The three brothers exchanged glances.
Decades of sworn brotherhood. How could there be no anger?
"At least… from the Light Screen's meaning, elder brother did not lose quite that badly," Zhang Fei said awkwardly, attempting to comfort him.
He received a sharp glare in return.
To lose the hope of Shu Han's revival in a single campaign… how could that not be disastrous?
[Lightscreen]
[In the year 221, after Liu Bei issued his order, opinions within Shu Han regarding the campaign against Wu were divided.
The Chancellor's Zhuge Kongming stance, leaned toward opposition. After the defeat at Yiling, he once lamented, "If Fa Xiaozhi were alive, he could have restrained His Majesty and prevented this eastern campaign."
However, before the war, the Chancellor's elder brother Zhuge Jin had written to mediate between the two sides. To avoid suspicion, he remained silent.
Zhao Yun openly opposed the campaign, arguing that Cao Pi was the true usurper and that Wei should be the primary target. Once war began, it would not be easily ended.
Huang Quan expressed a more moderate view. He also believed Wu should not be attacked, but if it must be done, he requested to serve as the vanguard.
In the final arrangement, the Chancellor governed Chengdu, Zhao Yun served as Grand Commander at Jiangzhou to guard the rear, Huang Quan commanded the northern river forces to resist Wei, while Liu Bei personally led the southern front.]
Zhang Fei looked left, then right, before nudging Zhao Yun with his shoulder.
"Zilong, should we campaign against Wu or not?"
Zhao Yun, ever straightforward, considered carefully before answering.
"My view aligns with that of the Light Screen. Cao Cao's faction is the true enemy. If Wei is destroyed, all other concerns will resolve themselves."
"I, however, believe Wu must be attacked."
The voice came from Pang Tong.
Seeing all eyes turn toward him, he continued calmly.
"The enemy is strong and the Han is weak. Sun Wu is fickle and treacherous, having only just betrayed Jing Province. If we attack Cao and ignore Jiangdong, Cao only needs to offer them enough profit for them to betray us again!"
And what did it mean, Fa Xiaozhi alone could restrain the lord? Was he, Pang Tong, not also a master strategist?
He cast a glance at Kongming before continuing. "If we campaign against Jiangdong while drawing Cao Cao into the conflict, then if I were present, I would certainly devise a strategy to seize chestnuts from the fire for my lord."
That… actually made sense.
At least Zhang Fei was convinced. "Zilong's words are not wrong either. But Cao Cao is hard to deal with. And even if we push him into desperation, what if Cao Pi turns shameless like that big-eyed brother-in-law and crowns himself King of Great Wu and Wei at once? If the two sides attack us together, would we not be in grave danger?"
Zhang Fei's bizarre title of "King of Great Wu and Wei" caught everyone off guard, yet the description of shamelessness… somehow felt uncomfortably accurate.
No one spoke.
Liu Bei pretended not to hear it, instead offering Pang Tong a mixture of praise and reassurance.
"Shiyuan's talent is already known throughout the world. The name Young Phoenix resounds across the four seas. The great enterprise of restoring the Han still relies upon you."
Pang Tong, for once, looked a little embarrassed.