Chapter 150: Taking Refuge in Jiyin

On the third day at noon during his stay in Dingtao, Cao Hong received a reply delivered by the shopkeeper from Dongwu County, Eastern Commandery. The letter stated that they had already set off upon receiving his previous message and had brought along the goods left in Dongwu County. It might take about half a month to reach Dingtao.

After reading the letter, Cao Hong immediately summoned Cao Ang to his study. He took out several dice made of wood over the past three days and placed them on the table. When Cao Ang arrived, Cao Hong said, “Zixiu, three days ago I asked you to stay here and find some business opportunities for me. You asked what kind of business it was. Now I shall tell you: my business is these little things.” He pointed to the dice on the desk.

Curious, Cao Ang picked up one, noticing it was a cube with six faces, each marked with a number of black dots ranging from one to six. “What are these?” he asked.

Cao Hong picked up three dice from the table and smiled. “These three dice can yield a maximum of eighteen points. A total from one to nine is considered ‘small,’ ten to eighteen is ‘big.’ We can place them inside a special container and shake them to let people bet on big or small. If they win, we pay them one to one; if they bet a hundred coins, we pay a hundred coins. It’s like betting on cockfights to win or lose.”

As he spoke, Cao Hong slapped the three dice with his palm, and all three showed six dots. Cao Ang stared in amazement. “This is really exciting,” he said, reaching to pick up the dice.

But Cao Hong pushed his hand away with a laugh. “If someone bets a hundred coins, we pay them a hundred, plus their principal—two hundred coins in total. If someone dares to bet on eighteen points exactly, we pay them three hundred coins. Do you understand?”

Cao Ang pondered before replying, “Uncle, you mean if someone guesses the exact total, they get three times their bet?”

“Exactly!” Cao Hong chuckled. “This is called dice gambling, and the place where it happens is called a gambling house.”

Hearing this, Cao Ang grew excited. “Everyone has a competitive spirit, especially the sons of noble families. Cockfighting has been played since the Warring States period but has become tiresome. This dice game will surely be embraced by wealthy young men! Even the poor will gamble, since everyone wants to get rich.”

Cao Hong smiled. “No one wins all the time, unless they reach my level. The more you gamble, the more you lose.”

“But,” Cao Ang objected, “some people bet big, others bet small. How much can we make just shaking dice in the middle? What if someone is lucky and keeps winning? Or if everyone bets big or small and no one bets on the other side, wouldn’t we have to pay all their losses?”

Cao Hong laughed softly. “First, they can’t keep winning forever. Second, we don’t allow them to bring cash into the gambling house; they must exchange money for chips here.”

“What are chips?” Cao Ang asked.

Cao Hong explained, “They are tokens representing money, marked with special signs, like wooden blocks or jade pieces, which only our gambling house can produce, so no one can forge them.”

Cao Ang smiled. “Like imperial seals?”

“Almost the same,” said Cao Hong. “For example, jade pieces engraved with values of one thousand coins, one hundred coins, ten thousand coins. People must exchange their money for chips at the gambling house. For every hundred coins exchanged, we charge one coin as a service fee—that’s our profit!”

“So,” Cao Ang grinned, “they bet with chips, and when they leave, they exchange chips back to money?”

“Exactly!” Cao Hong confirmed.

Cao Ang laughed heartily. “Brilliant! Even if someone brings a million gold horse-hoof coins, they can gamble!”

“This gambling house will be funded by me. Zixiu, you will manage it. You get two parts of the profit, I get three parts, and fifty percent will go to military expenses.”

Cao Ang nodded immediately. “Uncle, rest assured, I will handle it properly!”

“Good,” said Cao Hong. “Once the shopkeeper’s workers arrive, you can command them. I will leave a letter to notify them. But before that, I want you to have Wu Meng issue a proclamation stating that the gambling house is official and civilians are forbidden from establishing their own.”

Cao Ang suddenly understood. “Uncle, you are truly thorough. This way, no one will dare compete with us.”

Cao Hong smiled and handed the dice to Cao Ang to study, then sent for Shi A and Pan Zhang.

When the two arrived, Cao Hong said, “Qing Mang, expand the Shangmu camp to one thousand men. Have Wu Meng use tax revenues to manufacture weapons and store them in the armory. We will start recruiting troops again when we reach the Cheng clan state.”

Shi A responded, “Understood!”

Then Cao Hong turned to Pan Zhang. “Expand the halberdiers to ten thousand and the laborers to forty thousand. Begin recruiting here immediately.”

Pan Zhang replied, “Understood!” and asked, “What about weapons and armor?”

“Recruit first, then gather weapons and armor later,” Cao Hong said.

After receiving their agreement, Cao Hong had them proceed. A day later, he left Dingtao with his family, soldiers, and laborers, entrusting the letters for the workers and shopkeepers to Cao Ang. He also instructed Wu Meng to hasten the equipment production for the Shangmu camp and told Wu Zhi to accompany Cao Ang well before departing Dingtao.

After five days of marching, Cao Hong arrived at the Cheng clan state. Like Dingtao, its officials were incomplete and dominated by powerful clans. Upon arrival, Cao Hong immediately appointed sons of local prominent clans as officials and ordered them to hint at the timely submission of taxes. He also inquired whether there were bandits or mountain robbers causing trouble nearby.

The answer surprised him: there were no bandits near the Cheng clan state, and the people lived in relative peace and prosperity. Pleased, Cao Hong praised the local gentry and stationed troops in the city. He took residence in the prime minister’s mansion, which had been occupied by a major clan but was now surrendered upon his arrival.

After only a few days, Cao Hong set out to inspect the eleven counties under Jiyin Commandery. His purposes were to declare sovereignty, boost morale for Wu Meng as the new governor, ensure the timely delivery of taxes, and assist local gentry in dealing with bandits beyond their control.

Three months passed swiftly. By the tenth day of June, after recruiting troops and suppressing bandits, Cao Hong’s forces had grown to one thousand Shangmu soldiers, ten thousand halberdiers, and forty thousand laborers. Having received several rounds of congratulatory gifts along the way, he returned to the Cheng clan state richly rewarded.

The officials of all ranks came out to greet him at the city gates. Even the common people lined the roads to welcome him, creating a lively atmosphere. Once inside, a banquet was held in his honor. The prime minister presented the tax accounts for the final quarter of the year at the feast.

Cao Hong took the documents without looking at them and simply kept urging everyone to drink. After the banquet, everyone dispersed in high spirits.