EBE Chapter 122 Demanding Unpaid Wages! Governor Liu Bei, give me back my hard-earned money!
Chapter 122 Demanding Unpaid Wages! Governor Liu Bei, give me back my hard-earned money!
Chen Gui's voice was like a thunderclap, leaving Liu Bei standing there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.
Would Chen Gui mistake the appearance of the governor's seal?
That's obviously not the case!
A flowing dynasty, an iron-clad family.
How many years has Tao Qiancai been in Xuzhou?
Chen Gui was born and raised in Xuzhou!
I don't even know how many top officials have come and gone in Xuzhou!
How could Chen Gui not know what the governor's seal looked like?
Liu Bei was completely dumbfounded.
Chen Gui, that old fox, wouldn't say something nonsensical without reason.
Since he said that, it proves that the governor's seal that Liu Bei is holding is fake!
Liu Bei panicked.
He didn't understand why Tao Qian would give him a fake.
Half an hour later, Mi Zhu also arrived at the governor's mansion.
Upon seeing the "Seal of Governor" in Liu Bei's hand, Mi Zhu rubbed his eyes repeatedly, eventually managing a bitter smile.
"My lord, the governor's seal that Lord Tao gave you is fake..."
Liu Bei comforted himself:
"Perhaps Tao Gong left in a hurry and gave it to the wrong person."
What the hell did they leave in such a hurry?!
Mi Zhu and Chen Gui exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
Having served under Tao Qian for so many years, Mi Zhu and Chen Gui certainly didn't think Tao Qian was the kind of person who was easy to get along with.
Such an important item as the governor's seal would not be given to the wrong person.
unless……
From the very beginning, Tao Qian had no intention of handing over the real seal of governor to Liu Bei!
This is the only answer.
So the question is, where did the governor's seal go?
Surely it can't be in Cao Bao's hands, right?
Mi Zhu and Chen Gui suddenly awoke.
Cao Bao was absent from Tao Qian's funeral a few days ago, as well as Liu Bei's inauguration ceremony as the new governor.
This is crazy...
Could they be secretly plotting something big?
Although Chen Gui and Mi Zhu helped Liu Bei ascend to the position of Governor of Xu Province, they had already gained the upper hand in their power struggle with Cao Bao.
But what if Cao Bao secretly sabotages things...?
This is not a good thing for Xuzhou right now.
Thinking of this, the two immediately pulled Liu Bei to Cao Bao's residence to pay their respects.
Unexpectedly, Cao Bao stayed obediently at the Cao residence. When he met Liu Bei, Mi Zhu, and Chen Gui, he even greeted them cheerfully.
Hell?
Mi Zhu and Chen Gui looked at each other in bewilderment.
Little did they know that after they left, the friendliness in Cao Bao's eyes completely disappeared.
Instead, a ruthless edge appeared!
Why not let him become the ruler of Xuzhou?
That depends on whether Liu Bei's life is tougher or the Danyang soldiers' swords are tougher!
……
Dongjun, Yanzhou
Prefectural Governor's Office
"These two must be Young Master Shang and Young Master Ying, right?"
Cao Cao greeted Tao Shang and Tao Ying with a smile.
Tao Yinggang, the merchant, had just lost his father and was clearly at a loss.
Only when they saw Man Chong, an old acquaintance standing next to Cao Cao, did the two feel at ease.
"You two gentlemen can rest assured. The specific details have already been explained by Master Tao in that letter."
"From now on, you two gentlemen can settle down in Yanzhou with peace of mind."
"If you encounter any problems that are difficult to solve, just come to me, Man Boning."
Man Chong patted his chest and said.
Tao Ying, the merchant, nodded repeatedly.
Led by Man Chong, they went to the mansion to settle their families.
After the three left, Su Yu said to Cao Cao:
"My lord, Liu Bei has been appointed as the governor of Xu Province!"
"What do you think he would think if he knew the real seal of authority was in our hands?"
Cao Cao laughed loudly:
"This Liu Xuande can't even act like a puppet governor, so he deserves to be unaware of the authenticity of the imperial seal!"
"However, could we let Tao Ji from Dongguan County join us?"
Su Yu waved his hand:
"My lord, do not be anxious. I'm sure Cao Bao is even more eager than we are for Liu Bei to become the ruler of Xu Province."
"Once he takes action, then let Tao Ji raise the banner of rebellion and storm Pengcheng in one fell swoop!"
Cao Cao nodded and said:
"So good."
"But I've heard that Mi Zhu's younger sister is a beautiful woman with a sweet face and a keen business sense. Should I send someone to kidnap her?"
Su Yu smiled and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, my lord, but we are not kidnappers. Kidnapping people is never a good thing. After we take Pengcheng, Mi Zhu will be begging us for help!"
Cao Cao smiled, but his expression held a different meaning.
You don't like tying people up, right?
Hmph, Ziyi, when you finally meet Diaochan, I hope you'll still be spouting nonsense like "kidnapping people is never a good thing!"
……
Still Pengcheng
Liu Bei, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, looked at the military report presented to him by Cao Bao.
"My lord, please give me the money."
"If we don't give them the money soon, I'm afraid we won't be able to keep the soldiers calm."
Cao Bao crossed his legs and looked calmly at Liu Bei.
"General Cao... General Cao, didn't the military funds already come when Lord Tao was still alive?"
"How come there are so many unpaid military salaries listed on this report?"
Liu Bei stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
The astronomical figures on that report wouldn't be enough to pay off his debts even if he were sold!
"My lord, what do you mean by this?"
"Didn't Tao Gong tell you when he was alive that I, Cao Bao, personally paid for the last expedition to Qingzhou?"
"Almost all of my Cao family's assets have been lost."
"Master Tao promised to repay the money after the autumn harvest, but it's already winter, where has the money gone?"
"You can't expect me to renege on my debt now that Master Tao is gone, can you?"
Cao Bao glared fiercely at Liu Bei.
Liu Bei was on the verge of tears!
What the hell is this?!
Why should Liu Bei pay the debts that Tao Qian owed?
Moreover, the debt is so large!
Sixty thousand soldiers, half a year's worth of military pay!
You should know that Liu Bei previously only had a small force of a few thousand men.
As for military expenses, almost all of them were covered by his senior brother Gongsun Zan.
Liu Bei himself was a penniless bastard, with no money and no life to give to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!
Making him repay half a year's worth of provisions for 60,000 troops all at once is enough to drive Liu Bei crazy!
In reality, Tao Qian certainly didn't owe Cao Bao that much money.
But this did not stop Cao Bao from embellishing the story and fabricating accounts.
Anyway, Liu Bei wasn't originally from Xuzhou.
As the general of Xuzhou, I, Cao Bao, firmly believe that Tao Qian owes me so much military expenditure. What can you, Liu Bei, do about it?
There's no way to prove it now that the dead are dead!
We can't exactly flip Tao Qian's coffin lid and make him come out to testify, can we?
Liu Bei certainly didn't have the money.
Cao Bao stayed at the governor's mansion for an hour, but did not force Liu Bei to do anything.
When the time came, he left on his own.
But the next morning, Liu Bei was awakened by a series of noises from the streets of Pengcheng!
"Liu Bei! Give me back my hard-earned money!"
"Liu Bei! Give me back my hard-earned money!"
"Liu Bei! Give me back my hard-earned money!"
Countless soldiers, brandishing their blades and shouting, charged toward the governor's mansion.
In a panic, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei quickly led the veteran soldiers of Youzhou to guard the area to the death.
But how many veterans are there in Youzhou?
How many soldiers from Danyang are demanding their unpaid wages?
All of a sudden.
Throughout Pengcheng, the sounds of Danyang soldiers resounded!
……