103 The Challenge of the Wine Money (1/2)
What a sum three million goblets would come up to!
As a notable general of his time, it was socially unacceptable for Tie Zheng to provide wine that cost only a dozen copper coins per catty for his wedding. He would need the kind of liquor that came at a heftier price of ten silver taels and more per catty or even the more expensive ones.
However, even with the cheapest wine at ten taels per catty which could serve three goblets with each catty, the estimated consumption of wine was at least one million catties. In other words, even without including the other costs for his wedding, he would need at least ten million silver taels for the wine alone!
With Tie Zheng’s salary as it was, he could not afford this sum even if he paid for it for over ten lifetimes.
However, he was a man of his word, and he intended to go through with it, no matter the cost.
…
Tie Zheng charged along to his destination. This time, however, he found that his state of mind allowed him to experience a huge difference from the time when he was setting off to war. Each man he encountered in theEmpire of Yutang seemed so much more affable and friendly!
He had lost count of the number of people who had come forth to send him money on his way.
”Here you go! Mere gold and silver taels to spend forthe marshal’s wedding!”
”Marshal, please honor this wish and accept it!”
Tie Zheng refused them all. He knew his promise was rash, foolish even; his brothers were all probably worried for him now. He would rather die poor than to take these brothers’ money and be in debt forever!
It’s my own prerogative to invite all of you for a goblet of wine for my wedding! Can I still call myself Tie Zheng if I spent your money to hold the wedding and buy wine?
”When I get back, I will sell off the two manors His Majesty bestowed upon me; I can get about three million taels for those. I can also get another two million taels after selling whatever jade and gems we still have at home and all the rewards I've accumulated over all these years…”
”My savings and the smuggled goods from the war that I... ahem... didn’t report... should be worth about three hundred to four hundred thousand taels. Selling my land title could get me about two hundred and seventy thousand taels. I’d then have eight million taels.”
Tie Zheng added up all the sources of income in his head.
”I would still need about three million taels. I can borrow that sum from Old Marshal Qiu and Marshal Leng, gather some from the generals in the Board of War. That should be enough!”
”No matter what it takes, whether they are alive or have perished in the war, I must let my brothers share this goblet of wedding wine with me!
”This is the wine thatI, Tie Zheng, owe everyone! This is the wine all my brothers ought to drink!”
”I will not allow His Majesty to pay for the this. The treasury is already empty, the remaining fortune left should be given as pension to my brothers. I can’t take that money to drink.”
”I, Tie Zheng, can still afford wine for my own wedding!”
The thirty-six loyal guards by his side were also discussing among themselves.
”How much can you get your hands on?”
”Less than ten thousand. I’ll think of ways to make it ten thousand, there shouldn't be a problem toreach ten thousand.”
”My family’s rather well off. I can get a hundred thousand, a hundred and twenty thousand if I try hard enough. I shall endeavor to make it that number.”
”I am… ashamed. I’ve spent them all through these years. I only have a hundred taels on me. Let me think of something, borrow from people. I’ll gather five thousand taels, would that be alright?”
”F*cking hell, Wu Ol’second, you actually didn't save up for this critical period?”
”I’m actually poorer than Wu Ol’second…”
After a round of arithmetics, it was discovered that twenty-seven of the thirty-six guards were poor as paupers. They had the heart but not the capability. The brothers shared a look of exasperation.
The leader lamented loudly in frustration, ”You rascals, I see all of you spending lavishly like the f*cking rich folks… How can all of you be so pathetic when it comes to serious matters?”
The faces of all twenty-seven of them fell. It was true – a man without money is no man at all. It was a saying that would hold true always.
”It’s mainly because we’re always going to war. The twenty-seven of us don’t have spouses and children, our parents have passed on and we don’t have any family left. What’s the use of money to us? It's best if we spend them all in the afternoon right after we get the money in the morning. What a waste it would be if we died one day but our money’s not spent!”
”I didn’t simply spend them all though… Once I got them, I gave them all to the families of our fallen brothers. Who knew this would happen!”
The men exchanged looks with a deep sigh.
”Whatever it is, the marshal is getting married. This wedding must be perfect! Glamorous!” The team leader was slowly losing his mind. ”Can’t you fellows go rob the rich and help the poor?”