While Zhao was attacking Yan and Qi, Wei was not idle either.
The Wei army invaded Bashu and destroyed Ba and Shu, causing Wei's strength to also skyrocket.
As a result, among the seven heroes of the Warring States Period, only three countries, Wei, Zhao and Chu, were left.
Among them, the State of Zhao was the strongest because of Zhang Beichen's vigorous development of agriculture, followed by the State of Chu, and finally the State of Wei.
Among the three heroes, no one has the ability to annex the other for the time being, so the three parties began to develop in their own territory in tacit understanding and wait for the opportunity.
…
Zhang Beichen returned to normal life and began to think about the subsequent struggle for hegemony.
If normal development continues, relying on the developed agriculture of Zhao State at this time, the national power will inevitably exceed that of Wei State and Chu State.
But the problem is that Wei and Chu also occupy a lot of territory and are developing rapidly. Zhao is getting bigger. If the two countries join forces, Zhang Beichen is really not sure that he can deal with both countries at the same time.
Because Wei Yao was too familiar with him and knew his routines and moves. And the King of Chu was too fierce. Unless he personally took charge, other generals would not be able to stop the King of Chu.
"War is certainly feasible, but it is faster and better to use strategies to defeat enemies." Zhang Beichen began to think about how to use the resources in his hands to wipe out two powerful countries!
"What is Zhao's biggest advantage at this time? It's population, it's economy, and in the final analysis, it's food!"
"In this agricultural society, food is everything! After so many years of agricultural development in Zhao State, food production has been able to supply the entire world!"
"With food, you can also defeat others without fighting." Zhang Beichen thought of food wars. In this era, although monarchs of various countries attached great importance to agriculture, few people thought that food could be used to fight wars.
As a result, Zhang Beichen began to further promote and reform agriculture, and extended advanced agricultural planting methods to the original Qin and Yan lands, further increasing Zhao's grain output.
Therefore, the population of Zhao State is also increasing rapidly.
[The strength of the State of Zhao grew rapidly. Upon seeing this, the kings of Wei and Chu formed an alliance to jointly resist the State of Zhao. 】
What Zhang Beichen expected has happened. When the world is divided into three parts, the weak will inevitably unite with the weak to resist the strong.
…
In the palace of King Zhao, Zhao Yun convened the ministers to discuss how to deal with the alliance between Wei and Chu.
Fei Jian suggested: "Your Majesty, I thought we could divide the two countries. In the Wei State, the imperial family is powerful. The imperial family members headed by Gongzi Jiu are greedy and profit-seeking. We can give them gifts and let them destroy Wei and Chu." In addition, the old nobles in Bashu and Shu are also dissatisfied with King Wei. We can secretly support their restoration and create unrest in Wei."
"As for Chu State, we can also use money and jewels to buy off the nobles of Chu State and support the forces that oppose the King of Chu. In this case, Wei and Chu will inevitably have internal chaos, and they will not be able to use all their energy to deal with us!"
"This is a very good statement!" Zhao Yun agreed very much.
Fei Jian continued: "When Wei and Chu are in trouble, we can lead our army to attack! Defeat both countries in one fell swoop!"
"Zhang Qing, what do you think?" Zhao Yun asked Zhang Beichen's opinion.
Zhang Beichen said: "I agree with the first half of what Feijian said, but I don't agree with the second half."
"Please give me some advice, Prime Minister." Feijian looked at him.
Zhang Beichen said: "It is necessary to drive a wedge between countries. In addition, we can use Zhao's food to directly collapse Wei and Chu!"
"Oh, can food have such an effect?" Zhao Yun said in surprise, "Zhang Qing, please elaborate!"
Zhang Beichen explained: "Now the grain of Zhao State is enough to feed the people of the world! Our grain is piled in barns to rot, so many merchants will travel to and from various countries to sell Zhao State's grain to other countries in exchange for cloth and livestock. , weapons and other things.”
"We can lower the price of grain and sell it in Wei and Chu in exchange for a large number of other materials. For example, elk and weapons from Chu; cloth, copper and iron ore from Wei, etc."
Hijian wondered: "Prime Minister, since we have so much food, why don't we control the price of food and let it be sold at a low price? Isn't this sending food to the two countries in vain?"
"Yes! I just want to send them food!" Zhang Beichen affirmed.
"Huh?" Everyone was even more puzzled.
Zhang Beichen continued to explain: "We sold a large amount of grain to Wei and Chu at low prices, which made the grain of Wei and Chu worthless. At the same time, we purchased other items from these two countries at high prices. "
"Do you think, if you were from the Wei or Chu people, would you rather grow food, or raise elk, raise silkworms and weave cloth?"
Xinnan said: "Of course I will do whichever one is more profitable!"
"Yes!" Zhang Beichen affirmed, "As long as a large number of farmers and nobles in these two countries give up farming, they will inevitably start to rely on our country's food!"
"As long as this dependence reaches a certain level, the lifeblood of these two countries will be in our hands. Will it not be left to our control by then?"
After Zhang Beichen explained, everyone's eyes brightened.
Hijian took a deep breath and sighed: "Killing without blood, destroying a country without soldiers, the Prime Minister's plan is really shocking!"
"The Prime Minister is really a genius!" All the ministers flattered him one after another.
This strategy has never been used by anyone in this time and space. Because no country has ever had such abundant food!
Even those powerful countries only have enough food to feed their people every year!
Zhang Beichen reached this situation because he improved planting techniques and crop varieties, and used hybrid technology to increase food production several times.
…
Zhao Yun was also very excited after listening to Zhang Beichen's story. She had never thought that such a method could be used to eliminate other countries!
She immediately started implementing it.
Zhao Yun first asked Fei Jian to bribe the nobles of Wei and Chu to cause trouble within the two countries and hinder the alliance between Chu and Wei.
Secondly, let Xinnan start training the army to prepare for future expeditions.
In the end, all the domestic agriculture and economy were handed over to Zhang Beichen, allowing him to operate them freely.
…
Zhang Beichen did not directly start selling grain at low prices to avoid being noticed by the smart people of the two countries.
He first created a personality for himself!
[You began to have sex with King Zhao and King Qin every night. You lived a luxurious life and lived a luxurious life. You repeatedly misappropriated money from the treasury to buy yourself fields, mansions, horses and other luxury items. You will appear to the spies of Wei and Chu for the first time, and everyone in the world will think that you are addicted to enjoyment, extravagant and corrupt. 】
After Zhang Beichen created a depraved persona for himself, he began the formal operation.
[You asked King Zhao for the power to manage the country's granaries. In order to satisfy your extravagant needs, you began to "secretly" sell Zhao's grain at low prices. 】
…
Wei Guo, in the grain store in Daliang.
It was the autumn harvest season again, and the landowners from Wei State came to sell grain.
"What? The price of grain this year is only half of last year? You are a black shop!" The landlord was furious and yelled.
The owner of the grain store said helplessly: "Sir, you have misunderstood. Not only my store, but all grain stores this year purchase grain at this price!"
"Absurd!" The landowner didn't believe it. "If the price were this, not only would I not sell the grain, I would also have to buy several carts of it to take back!"
The owner of the grain store quickly said: "If you want to buy grain, no matter how much you buy, I have it all!"
"Is it all at this price?"
"It's all at this price!" The grain store owner asked him to look at the warehouse. Sure enough, the warehouse was full of grain.
The landowner wondered: "Isn't there a good harvest this year? How come there is so much food, and why is the price of food so low?"
The owner of the grain store explained: "These are grains from the State of Zhao. Not only are they abundant in quantity and cheap, but they are also better than those from the State of Wei. Look, these grains are plump and in excellent quality! Now everyone is starting to buy them. Zhao Guo’s food is such a bargain!”
The landlord didn't quite believe it, so he visited several grain stores and found that this was indeed the case.
He asked his friend, who said: "Who still grows food now? You don't know, the king and the prime minister of Zhao State like a kind of clothing called cheongsam, which is made of silk, which attracts nobles to imitate it. Now the price of silk is extremely high , we don’t even grow food on our land, we plant mulberry trees instead, raise silkworms, screws, and sell silk!”
"So that's it, food is so cheap, why should we plant it? This year I will plant mulberry trees instead!"
…
Similar situations are still happening everywhere.
In Wei and Chu, there were people who planted mulberry trees and raised silkworms, and there were people who specialized in smelting weapons, armor, making pottery, breeding elk, felling trees, and logging... All kinds of businesses began to develop and grow.
Businessmen from Zhao Guolai will buy these things at high prices.
Of course, Zhao State does not have that much money, so if it is not enough, it will use food to make up for it. For the people of Wei and Chu, they can get more without having to grow food, so why not do it.
In just three years, the grain planting area of Wei and Chu was reduced by half!
…
In the Kingdom of Wei, in the court, Gongsun Yan came out and said to Wei Yao worriedly: "Your Majesty, I visited the people and found that a large amount of land in the Kingdom of Wei was deserted. The farmers did not cultivate, but instead raised silkworms, blacksmithed, and made various livelihoods. .”
"Now the people of the Wei State rely on buying grain from the State of Zhao. If one day the State of Zhao does not sell food to us, there will be a great famine in the State of Wei! By then, the State of Wei will be in danger of annihilation!"
Wei Yao immediately became vigilant and thought, could this be Zhang Beichen's trick? She asked: "Really?"
"Seriously!" Gongsun Yan said seriously, "I suggest that the king should order the farmers to return to the fields and plant food."
"Absurd!" Young Master Jiu refuted loudly, "You are alarmist! Our country, Wei, is vast and rich in resources. Have you ever heard of famine in the country in the past few years?"
"We have stored a large amount of food and can cope with it even if there is a famine. Those fields can produce food in just one year. What is there to be afraid of?"
"Don't you see that Wei's national power is strong and prosperous?"
Speaking of which, Gongzi Jiu, as Zhao's "key target", had made a lot of benefits from Zhao's trade, so he naturally disagreed with Gongsun Yan's proposition.
Although Wei Yao was vigilant, she was not vigilant enough. She said: "Gongsun Yan, I will order you to investigate this matter, organize manpower, let some barren land be cultivated again, and reserve food."
"Follow your orders." Gongsun Yan knew that his actions would be difficult.
Because the entire Wei court and the Wei nobles were his resistance. Prime Minister Zi Jiu, General Pang Ming, and Wei Yao's office are all part of this chain of interests!
Unknowingly, they had been "bought" by Zhang Beichen!
…
In Chu State, some people are also aware of this problem.
Fan Lue found the King of Chu and explained his concerns to her: "Your Majesty, the farmland in Chu is now deserted. Everyone is raising elk and smelting iron. These things are flowing into the State of Zhao continuously. If things go on like this, the State of Chu will Will be annexed by Zhao State!"
Xiong Zhitong is not only not very interested in politics, but also knows very little about economics.
She frowned and said: "Isn't our country very strong now? The national treasury is full!"
Because Zhao State took the initiative to give up profits, Chu State was naturally rich.
Fan Lue said: "Money is just some gold, silver, copper and iron. If it cannot be exchanged for food, even if it fills the treasury, it is worthless!"
"What the teacher said makes sense." Xiong Zhitong agreed, "Then let the teacher handle this matter."
"Your Majesty..." Fan Lue wanted to persuade her again, but Xiong Zhitong had already left. She still wanted to practice martial arts.
"Hey! How can I handle it?" Fan Lue sighed. He was powerless.
This involves the interests of too many nobles. How can he, an old man, go against all the nobles? The King of Chu must make up his mind and order the nobles and people to return to agricultural production.
But the King of Chu didn't care about this issue at all.
"The Kingdom of Chu is probably not far from being destroyed!" Fan Lue only felt physically and mentally exhausted. Rather than being destroyed like this, he would rather fight his opponents on the battlefield so that he can still display his military talents.
…
Zhao Kingdom, Zhao Palace.
Zhang Beichen was lying on Zhao Yun's bed, and Zhao Yun was lying in her arms.
Zhao Yun smelled Zhang Beichen's body and said, "You still have her body fragrance on you!"
"Don't you like it?"
"like!"
The two laughed for a moment, and Zhang Beichen said: "Your Majesty, we have been implementing the food war plan for several years now. Zhao's grain has monopolized the markets of Wei and Chu. Half of the fields in Wei and Chu have been laid waste. , once we stop selling food, these two countries will inevitably fall into famine and domestic turmoil!"
"Now both countries have realized this problem and have begun to deal with it. I think it is time to close the net and catch them off guard!"
"Yes." Zhao Yun whispered in Zhang Beichen's ear: "I will listen to you."
…
Zhang Beichen started a plan to close the net, but instead of cutting off the grain trade directly, he started from seeds.
Wei and Chu are now not only looking to Zhao to buy grain, they are also looking to Zhao to buy grain seeds! Because Zhao's grain seeds are much better than those of the two countries, with higher yields and more resistant to pests. Therefore, farmers in both countries now grow grain seeds from Zhao.
Gongsun Yan and Fan Lue only saw the problem of grain trading, but they were not aware of the problem of grain seeds.
And Zhang Beichen has already laid the groundwork for this!
He summoned the big grain merchants of Zhao State, all of whom were his people.
"Remember, all the grain seeds sold to Wei and Chu this year will be of inferior quality. When the grain seeds are sold out, you will collectively stop grain transactions and raise grain prices!"
"yes!"
The inferior grain seeds Zhang Beichen prepared were those with natural defects, such as being prone to disease or having extremely low yields. These seeds should have been eliminated, but Zhang Beichen kept them and specially cultivated a batch just to sell them to Wei and Chu at this time!
[Wei and Chu purchased Zhao’s inferior seeds and began this year’s spring plowing. 】
Zhang Beichen estimated the time and started operating again when the spring plowing was about to end.
…
Zhao Guo, in the court hall.
Feijian came out and reported to Zhao Yunhui: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"
"What's the matter with Aiqing?" Zhao Yun asked.
Fatty looked hesitant. He looked at Zhang Beichen and then at Zhao Yun, then he said bravely: "Your Majesty, I want to report someone!"
"Who are you reporting?" Zhao Yun's expression became serious.
"Report on me, the Prime Minister of the State of Zhao, Zhang Beichen!" Fei Jian said loudly.
After he finished speaking, all the officials were shocked!
Zhao Yun even asked: "Fei Jian, the prime minister is the pillar of our Zhao country. You'd better make it clear and you can't unjustly accuse a good person!"
Fei Jian said loudly: "I will never wrong a good person! According to my investigation, in the past few years, Zhang Beichen lived a luxurious life and was extravagant. For his own selfish desires, he sold the grain in our Zhao State's granary to Wei State and Chu State at a low price without permission. country!"
"Today, the granaries of our State of Zhao are almost empty! Your Majesty, Zhang Beichen has committed a heinous crime!"
After saying that, Himi presented the contents of his investigation.
After Zhao Yun finished reading, her face suddenly darkened, and she said angrily: "There is still such a thing, Zhang Beichen, Gu trusts you so much, is this how you repay Gu?"
"Your Majesty, these are all framed by villains. I have never done such a thing!" Zhang Beichen said quickly.
"Shut up!" Zhao Yun, who had always obeyed Zhang Beichen, actually scolded him at this time, saying: "From today onwards, Zhang Beichen will be suspended. Feijian, come and investigate this matter!"
"As you command!"
The ministers were silent and did not dare to speak.
…
Arriving at the palace, Zhao Yun said to Zhang Beichen with a proud look on her face: "How is it? Your performance was pretty good today, right?"
"Okay, it scared me!" Zhang Beichen laughed.
"You are so brave. You dare to attack even the king. How could I scare you?" Zhao Yun gave him a roll of her eyes.
Come and try it quickly. 】
Zhang Beichen continued: "After we have performed this play, the king can give an order to stop selling food to Wei and Chu because Zhao State is short of food. This way, their suspicion can be reduced to the greatest extent."
"The king will punish me to guard the border at this time. I will take the opportunity to train the army. When the time comes, I can defeat both countries in one fell swoop!"
Hearing his words, Zhao Yun said with emotion: "No wonder Gu always failed to win the world before. Zhang Qing, how can I lose this time with you here?"
…
[The Prime Minister of Zhao State stole and sold official grain and was sent to the border to guard the border. King Zhao ordered that grain merchants in Zhao State be prohibited from selling grain to foreigners. 】
The news about Zhao State soon spread to Wei and Chu, and the two countries were immediately panicked.
Because they discovered that, unknowingly, they had become dependent on Zhao State's food!
At least half of the domestic food comes from the State of Zhao. The State of Zhao suddenly ran out of food, causing both countries to run out of food and a food crisis occurred.
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