Chapter 67: Liu "The Master Forger" Chen is Back Online

Zhong Hui in Chang'an waited in anxiety for several days, and finally welcomed Jiang Wei's reply.

He unfolded the letter impatiently. At first, seeing that Jiang Wei expressed understanding and support, his furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but the further he read, the gloomier his expression became.

When he saw the specific proposal put forward by Jiang Wei—"exchanging population for provisions"—Zhong Hui's face instantly turned livid!

"Clap!" He slammed his palm fiercely onto the desk, sending the brush and inkstone bouncing around.

"Jiang Boyue! How dare you treat me with such insolence!" Zhong Hui flew into a great rage, veins bulging on his forehead, and roared: "This is outright robbery! Taking advantage of someone in danger!"

How could he not know the importance of population? Especially artisans and farming folk; they were the foundation for restoring production and maintaining military potential! Jiang Wei's move was no different from draining his blood and digging up his roots! This was no ally; this was a wolf and jackal far more cunning than Sima Zhao!

Utter humiliation! Yet another utter humiliation!

What made it even more sickening was: whose provisions were those in Hanzhong? They belonged to Zhong Hui himself. Back when Sima Zhao raised troops to conquer the great Han, he mobilized a massive amount of provisions. After Zhong Hui's army swept through all obstacles and captured Hanzhong, he had stockpiled a vast quantity of provisions there.

Yet now, all these provisions had fallen into Liu Chen's hands.

Using his own provisions to redeem the population under his own command—what kind of humiliation was this?

First came the surrender of Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu, and now came Jiang Wei's extortion while taking advantage of his plight! He, Zhong Hui, scion of a noble lineage and a man of infallible strategies, was actually driven to such a plight today!

He paced back and forth angrily in the hall, his chest heaving violently, wishing he could immediately muster his troops and march south to settle accounts with Jiang Wei!

However, the cold reality quickly extinguished his anger.

Outside the window came the sound of military mobilization bugles, reminding him that Sima Zhao's three-pronged army was closing in step by step. The official reports piled high on his desk all spoke of the plight of provision shortages, and generals of various divisions were already tactfully urging for grain and pay.

Without food, military morale would inevitably fall into chaos! There was no need for Sima Zhao to attack; his own army would collapse and disintegrate from within!

Anger could not solve problems.

Zhong Hui's pace slowed down and finally stopped in front of the map. He looked at the arrows of the Wei army's advance marked on the map, and then looked at the area representing Hanzhong, his eyes shifting uncertainly, filled with struggle, reluctance, and humiliation.

For a long time, he let out a long, heavy sigh, as if it had exhausted all his strength.

He walked back to the desk and picked up his brush, his hand trembling slightly. He knew that once this brush touched the paper, it meant he had submitted to Jiang Wei, accepted this humiliating transaction, and that there would likely be endless future troubles.

However, he had no other choice.

Compared to Jiang Wei's extortion, it was still better than Sima Zhao taking his life.

The tip of the brush fell, the handwriting slightly stiff, yet still maintaining a final shred of dignity. In the letter, he agreed to Jiang Wei's proposal, deeming it a very good idea, and earnestly requested Jiang Wei to allocate a portion of provisions first to meet the urgent needs of the front line, while he would immediately arrange for the relocation of the common people.

Having finished writing, he threw down the brush, leaned against the back of the chair, and closed his eyes, his face covered with exhaustion and deep humiliation.

Chengdu, the Imperial Palace.

Liu Chan reclined sideways on the brocade couch, listening to the eunuch's low report, his brows gradually furrowing.

"Chen'er always runs to the Directorate for Palace Works these days?" He slowly straightened up, gently tapping the edge of the couch with his jade ruyi, and asked, "Do you know what he is doing there?"

The eunuch bowed even lower: "Replying to Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of Qin has summoned all the skilled artisans of Chengdu, working day and night as if crafting some ingenious device. The Directorate for Palace Works is heavily guarded inside and out, and this lowly servant and others truly find it difficult to ascertain the details."

Liu Chan pondered for a moment, a flash of complex emotion crossing his eyes. Ever since the great victory at Hanzhong, this fifth son had become increasingly incomprehensible to him. First, he succeeded in a surprise attack to recapture the provisions of Hanzhong, and now he was secretly crafting something...

"Forget it, let him be!" Liu Chan thought for a moment, then lay down again, saying lazily, "Bring on the song and dance!"

"Understood!"

The eunuch did not dare to delay and quickly ordered the musicians and dancers to perform. The sounds of drums and music drifted through the great hall once more.

In the Prince of Qin's residence, the study was brightly lit. Liu Chen stood with his hands behind his back by the window, the night like ink. Footsteps approached from afar, and Su Xing, the director of the Palace Secretariat, bowed as he entered, paying his respects respectfully: "Your Highness has summoned me, I wonder what your instructions are?"

Liu Chen turned around without saying much, placing a single object on the desk. It was a exquisitely minted Wuzhu coin, emitting a bronze luster in the candlelight.

"Director Su, take a careful look at this coin." Su Xing stepped forward and picked it up. The coin script was clear and the border regular, no different from the Wei currency circulating in the market. But when his fingertips stroked the coin body, weighed its lightness, and looked closely at the border against the light, his expression gradually changed.

"This..." He drew a sharp breath, suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock, and exclaimed: "Your Highness, this coin is slightly lighter in weight, the bronze quality seems to have impurities, and there are subtle sand holes on the border. This is privately minted counterfeit money! How could it be so exquisite that only a master could tell the difference?"

After hearing this, Liu Chen raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a trace of smugness.

With glowing eyes, Liu Chen lightly tapped that counterfeit Wuzhu coin—which could easily pass for real—with his fingertip, his voice deep and clear: "Director Su has seen correctly. This coin indeed comes from the hands of the artisans under this prince's command. The weight is a tiny bit lighter than official currency: two parts copper, three parts lead, and five parts tin, mixed with a small amount of impurities. The appearance is hard to distinguish, and it is quite enough for circulation."

Upon hearing this, Su Xing's pupils shrank sharply, and his hands holding the coin trembled slightly. He instantly understood Liu Chen's intention, and a chill mixed with indescribable admiration rushed straight to the top of his head.

"Your Highness... are you planning to use this currency to disrupt the markets of the State of Wei and siphon off their supplies?"

This strategy was too bold, and far too ruthless! If successful, the economic foundation of the State of Wei might be shaken without them even realizing it. More importantly, he had no idea how Liu Chen had managed to forge them.

"Precisely." Liu Chen turned around and looked out the window at the deep night, as if he could see the distant territory of the State of Wei.

"Sima Zhao will inevitably attack Zhong Hui, and Zhong Hui is a cornered beast fighting to the death—this is the prime time for us to act in secret. Rather than exhausting our efforts and sacrificing the lives of our soldiers to fight for territory, it is better to exchange these things for their genuine gold and silver, provisions, and iron implements."

"I want you to use the channels of the Palace Secretariat to form an elite caravan. Select the most reliable and shrewd traveling merchants, and through various channels—especially Luoyang, Yecheng, Xiapi, and other places, as well as those profit-driven wealthy merchants and tycoons—spend these coins in batches and scattered amounts. The primary targets are food, cloth, pig iron, leather, medicinal materials, and even warhorses! Collect as many as there are!"

Su Xing took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning waves in his heart. As a man of intelligence and covert operations, he knew very well that if this strategy succeeded, its power would be no less than an army of one hundred thousand, but the risks were also extremely high.

"Your Highness, though this strategy is brilliant, what if the people of Wei discover it..."

"That is why it must be meticulous!" Liu Chen interrupted him, his gaze as sharp as a knife, and said indifferently: "The place where the coins are minted must be strictly confidential; the participating artisans must be isolated and forbidden from contacting the outside world. Once the molds are completed, they must be immediately destroyed and remade to avoid leaving any traces. During the circulation process, the caravan's identity must be heavily disguised, the trading locations frequently changed, and they must never be used in large quantities concentrated in one place. It must be like spring rain seeping into the soil, silent and imperceptible. We have plenty of time, and you can start from Xuzhou."

"Understood!"

Su Xing instantly breathed a sigh of relief.