Rebirth of Wu Ba Spring and Autumn

Chapter 410

"I, the State of Wu, must make early plans to send troops to attack Chu."

Qing Ji said thoughtfully: "The state of Chu is no longer what it used to be, and it is not as good as before. My intention is to further weaken the state of Chu."

"I don't know what the king's plan is?"

Fan Li asked curiously.

"Sun Wu has a saying in his book Art of War: "If you don't fight, you can defeat the enemy's soldiers. I think so deeply."

Qingji laughed lightly and said, "You don't need soldiers to destroy a country, and you don't need swords to kill people. Isn't that the best way?"

"Now my country of Wu is rich, the people are strong, and the treasury is full. It is a time when there is a lot to do. Shaobo has read poetry and books, so he should know the allusion of "the nobles buy their deer" in Qi and Chu in the past?"

Hearing this, Fan Li couldn't help his eyes light up, and said, "Your Majesty wants to imitate the example of a nobleman buying his deer, so as to weaken Chu?"

"Of course."

As the saying goes, the lesson from the past is the teacher of the past.

Qingji is very familiar with ancient allusions and can apply what he has learned.

The so-called "Gonggui buys his deer" happened in the period of Duke Huan of Qi.

This is the earliest trade war in the world, which took place in the Spring and Autumn Period. The famous historical allusion "buying deer to control Chu" is the origin of this trade war.

Duke Huan of Qi appointed people on their merits, and took Guan Zhong as his prime minister.

But on the road to hegemony, although the state of Chu is not an insurmountable moat, it is also a mountain that must be crossed by the state of Qi in its struggle for hegemony.

At this time, the state of Chu is in full swing, its strength is rising rapidly, and it is about to compete with the state of Qi for the supremacy.

The ambitious Duke Huan of Qi, though courageous, was not without strategy. Duke Huan of Qi knew well that in order to become the overlord, the state of Chu had to face it.

But in the battle with Chu, the winning rate was less than half.

Even if the power of the whole country is used to win the battle, it will be a tragic victory.

Qi State and Chu State were fighting with snipe and clam, and the fisherman who made a profit would jump up immediately. Therefore, Duke Huan of Qi could not determine the consequences of fighting or not, so he dared not fight.

At that time, Guan Zhong proposed that "the nobles should buy their deer", and Guan Zhong believed that this strategy could win Chu without a fight.

Under Guan Zhong's strategy, Duke Huan of Qi sent a large number of "envoys" to the state of Chu.

The "Shichen" this time was not a messenger in the traditional sense. After coming to Chu, he did not discuss the war with the king of Chu, but bought animals at high prices, mainly deer and birds.

Everyone in the state of Chu thought that the people of Qi were stupid, and they would spend a lot of money to buy these wild animals that can be seen everywhere.

So Chu State launched the "hunting deer" operation, because it is much more beneficial than growing food.

In order to get money, the Chu people abandoned their land and all went to the mountains to hunt deer.

Because of the enfeoffment system of the Zhou Dynasty, all the highest officials in the territory, except for paying annual tribute to their superiors, can freely distribute all other property.

Under such circumstances, the practical significance of property is far less than food.

However, in Chu State, the entire population hunted deer for three months, and the land was completely abandoned, and the whole country had no crops.

In addition, the wild animals were captured again, and the people had a lot of copper coins, but no food.

In order to obtain food, Chu State had no choice but to bow to Qi State.This trade war allowed Qi to defeat Chu without a fight, and became the overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period in one fell swoop.

In addition to launching a trade war against Chu, Qi also launched a trade war against Liang, Lu, Hengshan and other countries, winning without exception.

This kind of trade war can be said to be a conspiracy to "drink poison to quench thirst".

What is "Yangmou"?
That is, you know that this is the enemy's scheme, but you have nothing to do.

The ancestors of China have been able to use such a strategy as early as two thousand years ago.

The trade war launched by a certain superpower in the later generations was nothing but Guan Zhong's leftovers!

"Your Majesty, if you follow the example of Duke Huan of Qi in the past when he bought deer to control Chu, there is a lot to do. It's just that you don't have to follow suit one by one!"

Fan Li said in a slow voice: "The land of Chu is vast and abundant, but the land is full of emperors, and they often obey the orders of the king of Chu."

"Just like our Wu and Qi countries, there is a system of salt and iron official camps, but Chu has no such system, and it is difficult to implement such a system."

"Since that's the case, why doesn't your majesty take the opportunity to buy a large amount of copper, iron, grain and rice from Chu, and drive up the prices so that the Chu people will see the wealth and make a profit, without regard for the righteousness of the country?"

"good!"

Seeing Fan Li draw inferences like this, Qingji nodded slightly.

The ideas of the two coincided with each other.

"Uncle Shao, in your opinion, can the country of Wu launch this kind of trade war together with the country of Qi?"

Qingji is a relatively greedy person.

Not only does he want to take the opportunity to weaken Chu State, but he also wants to exploit Qi State!
The last battle against Qi by the allied forces of the princes had already made Qingji realize that Qi was unable to compete with Jin for hegemony, and it was difficult to form a check and balance against Jin in the Central Plains.

That being the case, what is the use of such a state of Qi?
"This……"

Fan Li pondered for a moment, and then said: "Your Majesty, the Qi State is rich, the people are rich, and the wealth is the highest in the world. If you want to start a trade war with the Qi State at this time, you may not be able to do it..."

The situation in Qi State is completely different from that in Chu State.

Qi State is richer, but the gap between the rich and the poor is large. The people who really devote themselves to farming are the Li Shu at the bottom.

It is natural for Wu State to launch a trade war against Qi State, but it is really unsustainable for Wu State to launch a trade war against Chu State and Qi State at the same time.

"Never mind."

Qingji figured it out, let Qi go first, and started a trade war against Chu with all his energy.

"Uncle Shao, you immediately call together the big merchants from all walks of life in Wu, and ask them to send people into Chu to buy smelted copper and iron weapons, or grain, rice, deer, and birds at high prices. All reimbursed."

"promise!"

As the internal history of governing millet in the state of Wu, the well-known "sage of merchants" in history, the originator of merchants, Fan Li naturally knew how to operate in this.

……

Chu State, Wandi.

In a relatively remote village, a caravan from Wu State was shouting loudly.

"All the folks and elders who pass by, come and take a look, take a look!"

"Buy copper and iron weapons, deer, birds, and rice at a high price! Whoever has these items, buy them one by one!"

The people who had just returned from farming saw this posture and couldn't help but stepped forward to watch.

One of the honest men asked cautiously: "Sir, what is the premium for this grain?"

Hearing this, the leading merchant stretched out three fingers, and said arrogantly: "300 yuan a stone! No bargaining!"

"Hey! 300 renminbi a stone of rice? Is it true or false?"

"According to the market in the past, in normal times, grain and rice can be sold for 150 renminbi a stone, and in harvest years, they are sold cheaply, but only 100 renminbi."

"This premium is high enough!"

"Last year was a bumper harvest. Why are grain prices so high?"

The farmers present expressed their doubts.

The merchant just shook his head and said: "Everyone, the price of grain is beyond your comprehension. Perhaps it is because of the bumper harvest in this place that the price of grain is low, but you don't know that in other places where the harvest is poor, grain and rice can be sold at a high price. yeah?"

"good!"

All farmers agree.

(End of this chapter)