I seek economic hegemony in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 178 The trade war escalates

Liu Chan nodded and said, "Then do nothing?"

"Just do what you have to do now."

"What's going on now?"

"New salt, coinage, papermaking, blue and white porcelain, textiles, as well as the redistribution of fertile land and the reorganization of household registration."

"What do you mean, sir, no matter how the outside world changes, we should first deal with our own problems?"

"Yes, this is what I mean." Li Heng said, "We must make it clear that to revive the Han Dynasty, we do not need to wait for the other party to make mistakes, but to have a strong army, sufficient material guarantees, and harmony in the court. Only when these are met can we deliver a fatal blow to the enemy when the opportunity comes."

Liu Chan couldn't help but nod.

"Emperor Taizu Gao was originally a very weak branch of the princes, and Xiang Yu was indeed recognized as the overlord of the world, but in the end it was Taizu who conquered the world. Why is this?"

"why?"

"Because Taizu can clearly understand his own shortcomings. Only when people can accept their own shortcomings calmly can they be willing to truly face the difficulties we face and then find solutions to them."

"If we fail to clearly recognize our shortcomings, we will make many wrong decisions rashly, indulge in a false sense of pride, and be unable to detect the coming crisis."

Liu Chan couldn't help but continue to nod.

Even Jiang Wan couldn't help but nod. He just heard that Li Heng kept giving Liu Chan the same answers as he asked, and he broke into a cold sweat for Li Heng.

But now it sounds like everything Li Heng said was concise and concise.

Not only the literal meaning is conveyed, but also the attitude we should use to deal with these things now is also conveyed.

What I mean is, don't be nervous, and don't get confused because of some changes in the outside world.

We sent people to congratulate Sun Quan. This was not only a mockery of Sun Quan, but we also had to show our calm attitude.

This attitude was meant for Sun Quan, Cao Wei, and those in Yizhou who were so nervous that they wanted to crush their eggs.

Only if we don't mess up can everything continue.

Jiang Wan felt the prime minister's demeanor from Li Heng.

The late emperor passed away that year, and he had just experienced the defeat at Yiling. The situation in the south was unstable, and Cao Wei was eyeing it.

Zhuge Liang was ordered to do so at the critical moment. At that time, he first calmed the internal panic, then persuaded everyone to restore relations with Sun Quan externally, and then formulated a series of agricultural measures, official system, and laws to reconcile the conflicts between the Yizhou faction and the Jingzhou faction.

These are very simple to say, but there must be one condition first: it has a stable core.

The stable core comes from objective and comprehensive cognition.

"Then let me ask one last question. If Sun Quan takes the opportunity to send troops, what should we do?"

"When the soldiers come, we will cover up the water and the earth." Li Heng said, "Our next goal has been determined, to capture Jingzhou. In order to capture Jingzhou, the imperial court paid a huge price, and your Majesty knows it well."

Liu Chan pursed his lips and began to think deeply.

The past year or so has been really uneventful.

In the past, ministers like Tan Cheng would never be touched, let alone veteran ministers like Qiao Zhou and Yin Mo.

They were veterans who had welcomed Liu Bei.

"I know." Liu Chan sighed, "Is there anything else Jiang Qing wants to say?"

"Ji'an has finished speaking. I have nothing to say."

"What is the current situation of the Jiangzhou Navy?"

"There are already thirty-five thousand people." Li Heng replied.

"Are military rations guaranteed?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Over the past year or so, we have made some money from Sun Wu from the paper business. It is enough for now."

"But Sun Wu now has his own papermaking skills."

"New salt."    "I'm still worried that Sun Wu will block our coins."

Li Heng added: "I am preparing to go to Jiangzhou Free Trade City in person."

"That's very good. Please go ahead with peace of mind. I'll take care of these rumors in the capital for you!"

Li Heng saluted and said: "Your Majesty's trust in me is deeply felt by me."

"Who should I send to Jiankang?"

Jiang Wan said: "Send Deng Bomiao."

Deng Bomiao is Deng Zhi.

After the Battle of Yiling, Ji Han faced the danger of national subjugation. Deng Zhi followed Zhuge Liang's order and went to Wu as an envoy, which greatly eased the tense relationship between Han and Wu.

This is a qualified diplomat.

Moreover, Deng Zhi was of relatively noble origin. He was a descendant of Deng Yu, the founding hero of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

"Okay, just send him."

After leaving the palace, Li Heng breathed a sigh of relief.

When he returned, Zhao Xiang suddenly told Li Heng something: "Lang Jun, Cao Shuang has promised us."

"As expected."

"Are we really not planning to take action against Hexi now?"

"Last year we transferred a lot of people from Longyou to Guanzhong. Longyou is not enough to serve as a logistics area for heading north to Hexi. The confrontation between Guanzhong and the Wei army is tense. Longyou cannot go to war again. It is very dangerous to fight on two fronts."

"It's a pity to earn money for Cao Shuang."

"That's better than making money for Sima Yi." Li Heng said lightly, "Let's make arrangements. I'm going to Jiangzhou."

"Why did Lang Jun go to Jiangzhou?" Zhao Xiang said with a bitter smile, "Don't blame the official for not reminding Lang Jun. There are some people in Yizhou now who hope that Lang Jun will die."

"I know, just go ahead and make arrangements."

On August 20th, Jiangzhou was still unbearably hot.

Dong Hong and his men were waiting under the big tree at the gate of the city. Not long after, they saw a carriage arriving surrounded by a group of sergeants, and hurried forward to greet it.

When Li Heng saw Dong Hong again, he was so excited that he greeted him.

Dong Hong is still the same Dong Hong. He stands upright, his hair is meticulously combed, and he is wearing a robe.

Although he was sweating profusely, he didn't seem to be in any discomfort.

Instead, Li Heng took off his coat and walked up to Dong Hong: "Ziling, we haven't seen each other for a year! Why are you so tan?"

"Mr. Li has also lost a lot of weight. He must have been busy with government affairs."

"We can't worry about it." Li Heng sighed, "There is a lot of opposition in the imperial court to all the new policies. Let's go and talk as we go."

"I heard." Dong Hong said, "You shouldn't have sent me here. I can help you a lot in Chengdu."

"No, you are helping me more here. Now that the new salt trade has begun, the money-casting supervisor is working day and night to mint new money. Sun Quan has mastered the art of papermaking, and our paper trade with Sun Wu will fall rapidly. If you want to support Jiangzhou Navy, you must promote new trade."

After Li Heng walked into the Free Trade City, he suddenly couldn't help but exclaimed: "Great! I didn't expect that there have been such big changes here in one year."

The roads are straight and wide, and many houses have been built.

Most importantly, the roads are busy with people and traffic.

Various goods were piled on the cart and pushed forward.

At this time, a young man hurried over: "Dong Gong, the people from Wu are here and they want to see you about the new money. They are very confrontational."

(End of this chapter)