The negotiations were carried out in a leisurely manner, and the terms of deepening the alliance and mutual market exchanges on the surface were being debated item by item, but in fact the tone had already been set in the inner hall.
Horses were exchanged for food. Liu Muzhi proposed that each war horse be exchanged for 200 shi of grain. Ji Ba sneered and said, "Liu Pushe is too deceptive. One shi of corn in your country costs less than 200 shi. An ordinary plow horse costs about 40,000 shi." , How can a war horse be compared with a plow horse?"
Liu Muzhi took his time and said: "Transporting grain from the land of Sanwu to the north of the Yellow River consumes more than half, and consumes a lot of manpower, which affects farming."
"Liu Pu Shexiu deceived Yu", Ji Ba said: "Yu went south from Pingcheng, crossed the river and went south to Luoyang, Yingchuan and Runan. I know that your country is in short supply of war horses. I am afraid that it is difficult to buy them for twenty gold."
Ji Ba glanced at Liu Muzhi meaningfully and said, "Your country's four prefectures of Si, Yan, Beiji, and Beiqing are adjacent to Wei across the river. There is no need to travel thousands of miles to transport grain from the land of Sanwu."
Liu Muzhi stroked his beard lightly and said: "Why do Marquis Rencheng ask questions knowingly? If you want to exchange food from the land of Si and Yan, just go directly to Xiangyang to interview Duke Yong."
Ji Ba laughed and said: "Two hundred shi of grain for one horse is definitely not enough. At least 800 shi of grain will be exchanged. Our country can provide thousands of high-quality war horses every year."
Liu Muzhi's eyes flashed. Song Pingping destroyed the Yan Kingdom and captured more than 5,000 war horses. Moreover, there were pastures in Northern Jizhou, which could provide hundreds of war horses every year. There was no shortage of horses in the first place. However, Northern Jizhou was taken away by Duke Yong. These thousands of war horses every year were extremely important to Duke Song.
"Eight hundred shi is too high, at most 400 shi." Liu Muzhi said calmly: "Our country is short of horses, but the Marquis should know which is more serious than the shortage of food."
Annoyance flashed in Ji Ba's eyes. The southerners were really cunning. They figured out that their country was short of food and needed emergency help, so they drastically reduced the price of horses. The leader of the country, Tuoba Si, had confessed before he went out as an envoy that he wanted to borrow a million dan of grain from the Jin State to deal with the emergency, and even a horse of 400 dan was accepted.
"At least six hundred stones, and each war horse must be given a steel knife by your country, otherwise the negotiation will be impossible." Ji Ba said flatly.
During the battle with Yong's army, Wei found that the weapons in Yong's hands were sharp. Wei's monarchs and ministers believed that the inferior weapons were the main reason why it was difficult to win. Tuoba Si secretly sent spies to the Jin State to find out how the Jin army made iron, and recruited blacksmiths with high salaries to go to the Wei State, but with little success.
The last time the Wei State sent envoys to Jiankang to form an alliance, they proposed to exchange horses for troops and the secret of Danhuo, but Liu Yu flatly refused. However, the envoy found out that Jin's iron-making method came from Tangxi in Runan, and Liu Yu obtained the iron-making method from Yang Anxuan through the Ying family.
Tuoba Si sent many spies to Tangxi, but they were captured as soon as they arrived in Xiping County, let alone sneaking into the ironworks to find out. In desperation, Tuoba Si had no choice but to order people to secretly purchase the iron ingots and farm tools flowing out of Tangxi River at high prices, and transport them to Pingcheng for craftsmen to crack them.
Some craftsmen proposed that there was a method of pouring steel in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Based on the obtained ordnance analysis, the swords and guns of the Jin Dynasty should have adopted this method. The blade and back of the sword were made of fine steel and wrought iron respectively. It is just a matter of how to make it. And quenching will take time to study.
Tuoba Si knew that it was impossible for the Jin State to teach this technology to the Wei State, so he told Ji Ba to find a way to obtain more weapons and equipment for the Jin army. Ji Ba learned that Liu Yu had recently been frustrated by Yang Anxuan and knew that the time had come.
Liu Muzhi stroked his beard and smiled and said: "How can we give the country's sharp weapon to others lightly? Let's discuss this matter later."
After five days of discussions, a preliminary treaty was drawn up: first, the two countries Jin and Wei are brotherly countries, with Jin as the brother and Wei as the younger brother. This will still be the case in later generations; second, the two countries use the Yellow River as the boundary, and each will guard its territory. If there is any violation of the boundary, The thieves and fugitives assisted each other in capturing the fugitives; the third was to set up two foraging sites in the north and south of the Yellow River to carry out mutual trade.
Liu Muzhi read the treaty to Liu Yu. Liu Yu closed his eyes slightly, tapped his hands on the table and made calculations without making a sound.
After Liu Muzhi finished reading, Liu Yu asked: "Last time you said that Ji Ba was willing to exchange a war horse for four hundred stones of grain, but he had to give a steel knife as a gift. You can agree to this."
Liu Muzhi said: "Ji Ba hopes to send craftsmen to each other to exchange the secrets of elixir fire."
Liu Yu paused with his fingers, frowned, and asked: "To what extent have the Wei people developed the elixir fire?"
Liu Muzhi hesitated and said: "Ji Ba's words are often exaggerated, but his words reveal that Wei's research on elixir fire also has its own merits."
Liu Yu remembered that during the Zhangshan War, Yong's army used arrows that could spray flames. Yang Anxuan's research on gunpowder was far better than his own. If he kept working behind closed doors, he might not be able to compare with Yong's army as time went on.
Gritting his teeth, Liu Yu said in a low voice: "Forget it, Ji Ba will select a few reliable Taoist priests from Caizhou to accompany him when he returns to Wei State. The external world will only call it Tianshi Dao North-South Exchange. Remember, the people selected must have family members who can control them. Let them quickly report the situation of Wei's development of Danhuo after arriving in Pingcheng."
Liu Muzhi said: "Let Jingguang send someone secretly to respond."
Liu Yu asked: "Where is the negotiation ground between the two sides?"
"Preliminarily decided on Puyang and Dunqiu; Liaocheng and Luowo." Liu Muzhi reported.
Puyang is on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Yellow River and is the seat of Puyang County in Yanzhou, across the river from Dunqiu, the seat of Weidunqiu County; Liaocheng belongs to Le'an County in Northern Jizhou, and Luowo is in Wei Leling County, also across the river.
Liu Yu remained silent. The two settlement sites in Jin were under the control of Yang Anxuan. Even if the imperial court sent officials to manage them, they would probably still be under Yang Anxuan's control.
He exchanged grain for Wei's war horses, and Yang Anxuan could grab his neck and take the horses away at any time.
Liu Muzhi understood Liu Yu's worries and said softly: "This is the bargaining ground according to the covenant. Food is exchanged for war horses by sea ship, and we take the sea route from Jiyang, Piling County to Yangxin City, Wei State. Wei Guoguo will send people there to meet us."
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, shipwrights built two large sea vessels, the "艆zhou" and the "zhouhui", with a length of more than 20 feet and a height of three feet. They could carry six to seven hundred people. They could transport about 10,000 rocks of supplies at a time and could sail across the ocean.
When Soochow controlled the coastal areas along the river, the shipbuilding industry became more developed, and shipbuilding factories were spread all over. In addition to shipyards suitable for inland rivers such as the Yangtze River, there were also shipyards in Kuaiji, Yongning, Hengyang, Jian'an, Wuhang, Wenma and other places along the coast. A shipbuilding factory.
The Soochow regime attached great importance to shipbuilding affairs, and specially set up the post of "Dianshi Duwei" to manage and supervise shipbuilding affairs. When the Western Jin Dynasty destroyed Sun Wu, more than 5,000 warships were obtained from various shipyards, including Feiyun, Gaihai and other sea ships. It can carry more than 3,000 people.
After Yongjia crossed south, the shipbuilding industry continued to develop rapidly. Only when Sun En and Lu Xun were in rebellion, they would have thousands of warships, and the eight-stern ship was "four stories high and more than ten feet high", which fully illustrates the shipbuilding industry at that time. developed.
Liu Yu led his army to quell Lu Xun's rebellion and realized that he would have to fight Yang Anxuan. He discussed with his advisers and generals many times how to deal with Yang Anxuan.
Yang Anxuan mastered the method of iron smelting, and by wooing the Ying family, he could barely even the distance; Yongzhou Navy showed flexibility and speed, and everyone thought it could outnumber them; however, Yang Anxuan defeated Yao Qin and used gunpowder to make achievements, allowing Liu Yu to He was shocked. Although he quickly studied the correspondence between Dan and Fire, it was not as powerful after all, and Yang Anxuan had the foresight to control the saltpeter mine.
After pacifying Yao and Qin and destroying Qiao and Shu, Yang Anxuan gained all the wealth of both countries. He showed great strength during the battle at Jingling, and even forced Liu Yu to abandon Nanyizhou and let Tan Daoji return to Jiangling to ensure the safety of the river road to the west. .
While returning to Jiankang to recuperate, Liu Yu thought most about how he could compete with Yang Anxuan in the future, and the most advantageous weapon he thought of was a boat.
There are ships in the south and horses in the north. The water system in the south of the Yangtze River is complicated. Sun Quan chose Jiankang as his capital because the river here was wide and would be beneficial to the navy. The Soochow warships that set sail from Shitoujin sailed across the Yangtze River and traveled around the coastal islands, reaching Hainan and Southeast Asian countries in the south, and reaching Liaodong and the Korean Peninsula in the north.
If Liu Yu wants to compete with Yang Anxuan, he must make full use of the convenience of ships, use warships to cross the rivers internally, attack Beiqingzhou from the sea externally, or go up the Yellow River to attack Si, Yan, and Beiyong.
"There are more than 20 sea-going ships at Jingkou carrying more than 8,000 shi of cargo. Including Sanwu, Guangzhou and other places, more than 30 ships can be recruited. They can transport 400,000 shi of grain at a time. Even if the food on the ships is not considered, they can still be transported to Wei State. More than 300,000 dan of grain can be exchanged for 500 war horses." Liu Mu said.
Liu Yu nodded slightly, and Liu Muzhi continued: "There is still room on the ship. Yu plans to transport grain, cloth, linen, silk, tea, porcelain, lacquerware, paper and books, etc., and then ship horses, cattle from Wei on the return journey." Sheep and furs, as well as salt, copper, and gold, come and go twice a year.”
Glancing at the silent Liu Yu, Liu Muzhi said: "Foolish Ming Duzhi doctor did some calculations and found out that he can make a fortune of thousands of gold from one trip, which can be used to make up for the emptiness of the national treasury."
Liu Yu sighed: "When the Diao family was exterminated, countless properties were confiscated from their homes. Food, cloth and silk were piled on the ground for the people to take according to their ability. They could not use them up for several days. This shows how amazing the wealth accumulated by these powerful families is. The national treasury Empty, just find a wrong place in the family, and the proceeds from confiscating the house will be enough to support you for a while."
Liu Muzhi smiled bitterly and said: "These noble families are intertwined and can affect the whole body. My lord must not act rashly."
"How about sending troops?" Liu Yu asked. The reason why Liu Yu agreed to exchange grain for horses with Wei was mainly because he wanted Wei to send troops to contain Yang Anxuan and make Yang Anxuan unable to go south.
"Ji Ba agreed to launch an attack on Hedong County from Yewang City." Liu Muzhi said softly.
Liu Yu stood up and came to the map hanging on the left and said: "Hedong County is divided into two. Anyi and Wenxi to the east belong to the Wei State, while the cities such as Yishi, Jiexian and Puban to the west are in the hands of Yang Anxuan . With Yang Anxuan's personality, as long as he frees his hands, he will definitely drive the Wei army out of Anyi to ensure the safety of Hongnong and Puban. The battle between Yong and Wei will definitely start in Hedong County, and Jiba is just an empty talk."
Liu Muzhi smiled bitterly and said: "There is no need to cross the river to attack Puban, which is the safest for the Wei army. As long as the Wei army is willing to attack the Yong army, it doesn't matter where."
Liu Yu snorted coldly, returned to the table, sat down, and asked: "I ordered you to investigate the movements in the capital. Are there any results?"
Liu Muzhi's face darkened and he said: "Public opinion in the capital is not good for my lord, especially since General Zhenwei died in the battle, and the people thought that my lord was defeated in Jingling."
Hearing Liu Muzhi mention Xu Kuizhi, Liu Yu thought of his daughter who was crying, and his heart ached. He couldn't help coughing out, and anger showed on his brows. Liu Muzhi stopped and took a sip of tea.
Liu Yu calmed down and said, "What are the movements of the noble families in Beijing?"
Liu Muzhi said: "During the Chinese New Year, the family moves around frequently, but few people talk about the lord in public. Most of them talk about the King of Liang's plan to send his grandson to Xiangyang to study. Many people express this idea."
Liu Yu said angrily: "These people want to step on two boats. Idiots will cut off their feet one day."
"However," Liu Muzhi changed his tone and said, "There are quite a few people who praise Duke Yong."
Liu Yu sneered and said: "Every New Year's Eve, gifts from Xiangyang are sent to the capital. Even Yu's family got dozens of novel toys. Yi Fu and Yizhen like them very much. Yu wants to thank him." kindness."
Glancing at Liu Muzhi, Liu Yu asked, "What did he give you?"
"Camellia oil produced in Xiangyang, a few iron pots for cooking, and a recipe book." Liu Muzhi replied.
Liu Yu said in a deep voice: "Follow what he likes. Yang Anxuan is a man with deep scheming and many tricks."
"I heard what Chu Xiuzhi said. This year, the Langya Palace is extremely lively, and many aristocratic families came to pay New Year greetings." Liu Yu's voice became cold, and he said gloomily: "This is because they forgot that Huan Xuan put the knife on their necks. It's time, isn't it possible that Yu's sword is not sharp?"
Since Liu Yu fell ill, he has become more and more impatient with the wealthy family and often has murderous intentions. Liu Muzhi hurriedly advised: "Master, calm down. The more Lord Yong presses you, the more calmly you must deal with it. Don't let yourself get into trouble." Proportionate.”
Anxiety flashed through Liu Yu's eyes, and he said: "You are already fifty-two, how can you not be in a hurry? Please do more work for me in the affairs of the court. You must train your troops with all your strength and strive to annihilate Yang Anxuan as soon as possible."
Some people died, but not completely...
