Chapter 1133: Defying Heaven

Cao Cao seemed to grasp something from Liu Ba’s explanation, but his mind wasn’t well-suited for financial matters. Even though Liu Ba had explained it to this extent, Cao Cao still hadn’t fully understood.

"Master, think of the deposit certificates Chen Zichuan issues as IOUs, and you’ll understand," Liu Ba said with a bitter smile. He had fully realized how Chen Xi operated, but even knowing it, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Cao Cao opened his mouth, surprised at how simple the truth was. It was just a different name for borrowing money—an interest-free loan. In the Han dynasty, infamous for its usurious loans, even powerful merchants backed by aristocratic families dared to lend to the state and managed to recover both principal and interest.

Now, Liu Ba was telling him that Chen Xi’s method was essentially borrowing money, issuing IOUs, but under a different guise. Not only that, the IOUs came with the ability to facilitate transactions, making it convenient for those borrowing the money while cleverly disguising the fact that it was, indeed, a loan, and an interest-free one at that...

"Master, do you understand now?" Liu Ba asked with a smile. "This is, at its core, a clever rebranding. The money is concentrated in the central bank, allowing him to easily move funds around as needed. The genius of Chen Xi’s method is that no one even notices the true nature of it."

"Thank you, sir, for enlightening me." Cao Cao immediately stood up and respectfully bowed to Liu Ba. Though Liu Ba had made it sound simple, Cao Cao understood that this was a specialized field. Even Xun Yu hadn’t seen through it, proving that Liu Ba truly had great talent.

Liu Ba quickly helped Cao Cao to his feet, his back soaked with cold sweat. On one hand, he was relieved that his strategy had been recognized, but on the other, he had gambled when he brought up the bank system. He was also astounded by Chen Xi’s audacity and brilliance.

In Liu Ba’s view, such a scheme could potentially undermine Liu Bei’s foundations. If the aristocratic families ever realized the truth, even those allied with Liu Bei would be forced to stand against him.

"Would you be willing to oversee the operations of my banking system?" Cao Cao asked sincerely, having been helped up by Liu Ba. In Cao Cao’s eyes, if Chen Xi could make such a system work so well, then he could certainly imitate it.

"It’s not impossible," Liu Ba hesitated, feeling unsure of himself.

Although Liu Ba had figured out how Chen Xi’s system worked, the potential dangers inherent in it made him uneasy. Still, seeing how earnest Cao Cao was, and realizing that since he understood the principles, it likely wouldn’t go disastrously wrong, Liu Ba cautiously agreed.

Before Cao Cao could express his delight, Liu Ba quickly added, "However, Master, you’ll need to make preparations, and you’ll also need to ease some of the regulations around commerce in your territories."

"That’s not difficult," Cao Cao smiled. If he could secure the economic support of the noble families through such subtle methods, loosening restrictions on commerce was a small price to pay.

"No, Master, what I mean is fully liberalizing commerce, while suppressing monopolistic merchants and dismantling corrupt and immoral wealthy traders. You’ll need to support small and medium-sized businesses." Liu Ba, an expert in economics, seized the opportunity to propose more ambitious reforms, knowing that once he joined Cao Cao’s government, it might be harder to push such radical ideas.

Cao Cao glanced at Liu Ba, understanding his intentions. But Liu Ba had already proven his brilliance. When it came to money, there were likely few in the world who could surpass Liu Ba, and that was something Cao Cao needed desperately.

"This plan is acceptable," Cao Cao said after pretending to ponder it for a while.

"Your servant, Liu Ba of Jingzhou, courtesy name Zichu, greets my lord." Liu Ba bowed deeply, addressing Cao Cao as his master. Although Cao Cao wasn’t physically attractive, Liu Ba was pleased with his new position. He believed that under Cao Cao, he could finally showcase his full potential.

Not long after, rumors began to circulate in the marketplaces of Chang’an, suggesting that Cao Cao was planning to lift restrictions on commerce and that a new central bank would be established in Yong and Liang provinces.

These rumors sent shockwaves through the noble families who had been planning to propose a central bank of their own. They were caught off guard and immediately abandoned their plans, unsure how this information had leaked.

The noble families of Yong and Liang had intended to establish a central bank under the emperor’s name, but with these rumors spreading, they decided to lay low and wait for the situation to become clearer.

"Investigate!" The two powerful Wei families almost simultaneously issued this command. While the creation of the central bank would limit their power more than that of other families, they had to admit that the flow of commerce would benefit greatly from the bank’s existence.

Cao Cao’s intelligence network, though weak at monitoring external affairs, was highly effective within his own territories. As soon as the aristocratic families began to move, Cao Cao’s agents gathered the relevant information.

After meeting with the elders of the Wei families, Cao Cao realized that their intentions aligned perfectly with his own. He feigned hesitation for a while before agreeing to give the Wei families some face, but insisted that his own men would oversee the central bank in Yong and Liang provinces.

The Wei families saw no reason to argue. After all, Chen Xi hadn’t specified who would run the central bank in those regions. Although it had been assumed that the Wei families would manage it, if Cao Cao wanted control, they would let him have it. If Chen Xi had any objections, they could claim it wasn’t their problem.

However, all of this was still a matter for the future. First, the central bank had to be established, commerce had to be liberalized, and corrupt monopolistic merchants had to be dealt with. For this, Chen Qun, Sima Lang, Fan Qin, and Liu Ba were all kept extremely busy.

At the same time, Liu Ba met the people he once thought were merely fame-seekers but turned out to be near-superhuman talents. After quietly observing for a while, he could only bitterly acknowledge that while he might surpass them in economics, in every other field, they utterly outclassed him.

Fortunately, Sima Lang and the less-involved Fan Qin were both very good-natured, and even Chen Qun, who had once been quite arrogant, had been humbled by both Chen Xi and Xun Yu. After being crushed by their brilliance repeatedly, he had become a modest and upright gentleman.

As for Xun Yu, he was an exceptionally capable man with a near-perfect personality, never overbearing or arrogant. His demeanor as a gentleman was flawless.

This put Liu Ba somewhat at ease. He had worried that he wouldn’t fit in, but it seemed things were going well. Although he hadn’t yet been privy to any top-secret matters and only held the position of Secretary under the Minister of Works, everyone clearly saw him as part of the team.

This feeling was reassuring, and Liu Ba felt he should dedicate himself fully to Cao Cao’s cause. But when he saw the data Xun Yu had compiled on Liu Bei’s faction, his heart skipped a beat.

Liu Ba now understood the vast gap in power between Liu Bei and the other warlords. Liu Bei truly had the strength to sweep across the land in one swift motion—it wasn’t just talk. And as he looked at Xun Yu and the others calmly preparing to face such a force, Liu Ba suddenly thought that maybe they really could defy the heavens.

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