The boss of a foreign organization called the police, claiming that he was defrauded by me

"But we haven't achieved our goal in coming to the Great Zhou Dynasty yet. How are we going to explain this to the people of the Red Cake Kingdom when we return?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhixiu sighed helplessly and glanced back at the accompanying officials.

He disembarked again. With the food problem looming, he no longer cared about saving face.

On the Great Zhou Dynasty side, after several twists and turns, Yang Xia finally agreed to meet with Liu Zhixiu.

When Liu Zhixiu saw Yang Xia finally appear, she was very humble and stepped forward with a smile, saying:

"Yang Xia... has come to visit the Great Zhou Dynasty this time in the hope of exchanging resources with your country. I humbly request that the lord grant my request."

"Please rest assured, whatever the lord's request may be, as long as it is within the capabilities of my Red Cake Kingdom, we will not shirk our responsibilities."

Looking at Liu Zhixiu's appearance, Yang Xia couldn't help but recall his previous arrogance, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

"My lord... are you joking? I remember you once told me that the Red Cake Kingdom is rich in resources and will never have a food shortage problem."

"Or does the lord have other plans? That makes me quite curious. But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint the lord this time."

"The Great Zhou Dynasty no longer needs these resources, so it cannot grant the lord's request, nor can it complete the resource exchange."

Yang Xia rejected Liu Zhixiu's request without any hesitation, showing her no respect whatsoever.

Yang Xia's sudden rejection left Liu Zhixiu stunned and at a loss for what to do.

He was filled with doubt. Why did Yang Xia refuse the cooperation he had offered? Was it because of his attitude last time?

Liu Zhixiu secretly guessed, but felt that he shouldn't have acted this way. Although he spoke arrogantly and spoke recklessly in front of Yang Xia, he was different when it came to the resources Yang Xia needed.

Liu Zhixiu originally thought that Yang Xia would not refuse him. Could there be another reason behind this?

Thinking of this, Liu Zhixiu looked at Yang Xia with a puzzled expression, pondering to herself:

“Strange… The Great Zhou Emperor clearly has a huge demand for copper and iron ore, which is why Yang Xia took the initiative to seek cooperation with the Red Cake Kingdom.”

“At the time, I rejected Yang Xia’s offer of cooperation and even turned him down with a smug look on my face. Now that I’m taking the initiative to seek cooperation, I never expected that Yang Xia would refuse without hesitation.”

Liu Zhixiu looked bewildered, pondering the question repeatedly in his mind. He had originally thought that as long as they were willing to exchange copper and iron ore resources for food.

Yang Xia would have accepted it readily, but this result is hard for him to accept and came too suddenly.

Liu Zhixiu couldn't figure out Yang Xia's thoughts at all, and didn't know what he was thinking. For a moment, she was a little flustered.

You should know that his purpose in coming to the Great Zhou Dynasty was to exchange iron and copper mines for grain and solve the food shortage problem in the Red Cake Kingdom as soon as possible.

He wanted to free the people from their impoverished lives. If this agreement could not be reached, he would be unable to explain himself to the ministers and people of the Red Cake Kingdom.

As the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom, this was his inherent responsibility.

The atmosphere between Yang Xia and Liu Zhixiu was somewhat awkward. Yang Xia calmly stared at Liu Zhixiu, making her feel extremely embarrassed.

After a moment of silence, Liu Zhixiu forced a smile and looked at Yang Xia, tentatively saying, "Lord... we are just getting what we need. The Great Zhou Dynasty needs copper and iron ore resources."

"The Red Cake Kingdom is in dire need of food to cope with the current drought and food shortage. We hope that the lord can give us an opportunity to cooperate."

"I wonder why the lord refuses to cooperate with us. What is the reason? Could you please explain? Is it because of my previous poor attitude?"

Yang Xia found Liu Zhixiu's words extremely ironic.

When Liu Zhixiu brought up the past, Yang Xia was indeed somewhat angry, but he did not want to show it.

"Humph……"

Yang Xia gave Liu Zhixiu a cold laugh and said calmly, "Chief, you're exaggerating... Let bygones be bygones, there's no point in bringing it up again."

"However, that's not the reason at all. There are other reasons why I refuse to cooperate with your country."

Upon hearing Yang Xia's words, Liu Zhixiu frowned and looked at him curiously.

"Then why is that? We can provide the Great Zhou Dynasty with ample iron and copper resources, in exchange for your country's grain."

Yang Xia smiled slightly, looked up at Liu Zhixiu and said, "I'm really sorry... it's not that the Great Zhou Dynasty doesn't need your country's iron and copper resources."

"The real issue is that the Great Zhou Dynasty's grain reserves are indeed running low, and we also have people to feed. Moreover, the Great Zhou Dynasty has already signed grain exchange agreements with India and the Atlan Empire."

“I must be prepared for them at all times, otherwise how can we fulfill the agreements we have signed? My Great Zhou Dynasty cannot afford to bear this responsibility.”

Yang Xia deliberately raised his voice so that Liu Zhixiu could hear him clearly. The situation in Red Cake Kingdom was indeed quite dire.

Their previous arrogance had vanished without a trace, which made Yang Xia feel very relieved.

Seeing that Liu Zhixiu still wanted to say something, Yang Xia quickly stepped forward and persuaded her, "I say, Chief... please don't make things difficult for me anymore. Our landlord family really has no surplus grain."

"Even if you bring copper and iron ore resources, there's nothing I can do to help you now. In order not to disrupt the livelihoods of the people, you might as well take my advice and look elsewhere."

"Perhaps other countries have food reserves, or they need copper and iron ore more, which could solve your current predicament."

Yang Xia deliberately put on a kind and patient act, trying to persuade Liu Zhixiu.

This was an outcome that Yoo Ji-soo had never anticipated. Looking back on her stubbornness, she now deeply regrets it.

If we hadn't rejected Yang Xia's cooperation proposal, and if we had sought help from the Great Zhou Dynasty earlier, perhaps the situation wouldn't have deteriorated to this extent.

Liu Zhixiu was filled with resentment, knowing full well that Yang Xia's words were merely excuses...

This was merely an excuse to appease him; they were unwilling to maintain relations with the Red Cake Country, let alone engage in trade cooperation.

Now he deeply regrets not seizing the opportunity earlier, and now he humbly begs for cooperation, only to be met with a firm rejection.

Liu Zhixiu was both anxious and angry, but he was helpless against Yang Xia. This feeling almost drove him to the brink of collapse.

He knew perfectly well that Yang Xia was trying to teach him a lesson, and although he said he didn't mind what had happened before, he didn't really think that way.

Liu Zhixiu couldn't help but sigh, thinking to herself, "Yang Xia, Yang Xia... this time you really seized the opportunity, leaving me no room to maneuver at all."

"However, it's alright. I can endure these grievances as long as you agree to cooperate with us and help Red Cake Country solve its food crisis. I don't care how much I suffer."

Liu Zhixiu pondered these problems helplessly, after all, among the surrounding waters, only these three countries were relatively close.

Besides the Yan Kingdom, India and the Atlantean Empire are also experiencing drought.

This led to a severe food shortage for them, a situation similar to that of the Red Cake Kingdom, but Yang Xia advised him to find another solution.

Liu Zhixiu felt utterly helpless. India and the Atlantean Empire were struggling to survive, and they had already signed a grain exchange agreement with Yan.

We should ask them for help, but that's simply impossible.

Liu Zhixiu looked up at Yang Xia and said helplessly, "Lord... you're joking. In this area, apart from Yan Kingdom, all other countries are affected by drought to varying degrees." "Their food supplies are also scarce. They are already struggling to take care of themselves, so how could they possibly have any surplus to support Red Cake Kingdom?"

Yang Xia found Liu Zhixiu's anxious appearance quite amusing.

He wanted to see how long the Red Cake Kingdom could hold out, and why their previous arrogance had vanished without a trace.

Yang Xia didn't want to make things too tense, but the previous attitude of the Red Cake Kingdom was indeed intolerable to him.

This was the day he had been waiting for. Seeing Liu Zhixiu plead repeatedly, Yang Xia wanted to make him understand that he should not attempt to bully Yan Kingdom.

Yang Xia quietly observed Liu Zhixiu, having long anticipated this day would come.

However, he did not expect it to happen so quickly. From Liu Zhixiu's performance, Yang Xia could tell that the current situation of Red Cake Country might really be quite serious.

Since Liu Zhixiu arrived in Yan Kingdom, Yang Xia has maintained a lukewarm attitude.

He never invited Yoo Ji-soo on his own initiative, nor did he ever speak with her. All matters were initiated by Yoo Ji-soo.

The atmosphere was indeed quite awkward, but Yang Xia remained completely unconcerned.

Seeing this, Liu Zhixiu finally understood that there was absolutely no problem with the food supply in Yan Kingdom.

Yang Xia is clearly making things difficult for him and obviously doesn't want to establish trade relations with Red Cake Country.

Liu Zhixiu was burning with anger, but dared not show it, fearing that it would offend Yang Xia and make the problem unsolvable.

Then his trip to Yan Kingdom would have been in vain, and who knows what the court officials would say about it.

Taking these factors into account, Liu Zhixiu disregarded everything else and was determined to get Yang Xia to sign the agreement no matter what.

After careful consideration, persuade him to agree to the trade.

Liu Zhixiu braced herself and asked Yang Xia, "Lord... let's be frank. Now that I've come to Yan Kingdom, you know why I'm here."

"You might as well tell me directly, what exactly do you want for us to sign a grain exchange agreement with the Red Cake Kingdom? I know that the Yan Kingdom has no problem with its grain supply."

"Please feel free to make any requests you may have. We cannot stand by and watch the people of Red Cake Kingdom suffer. As the leader of Red Cake Kingdom, it is my duty to think of them."

Yang Xia listened carefully to Liu Zhixiu's words, secretly delighted.

Unexpectedly, Yoo Ji-soo couldn't hold on any longer. If this problem isn't solved, it will bring a huge disaster to the Red Cake Kingdom.

He couldn't explain this to the court officials and the people, which is why he repeatedly begged Yang Xia for help.

He hopes to finalize the grain exchange agreement as soon as possible so that he can feel at ease.

Yang Xia looked at Liu Zhixiu with a meaningful gaze, noticing the anxiety in his eyes.

Yang Xia could understand his feelings, after all, this matter was indeed quite serious.

……

After hearing Liu Zhixiu's words, Yang Xia felt that the time was ripe and there was no need to make things difficult for him any longer...

Moreover, he didn't have much time to waste here; he was waiting for Yoo Ji-soo's attitude.

Once he agrees, things will be much easier, and everything will be within Yang Xia's plan.

He didn't want to waste any more words with Yoo Ji-soo; he had many important matters to attend to.

Yang Xia suddenly stood up and slowly walked towards Liu Zhixiu. When he came to her,

Yang Xia smiled slightly and said to Liu Zhixiu, "If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? It seems that it's better to be more composed in handling matters."

"Now I understand the needs of the Red Cake Kingdom. Since you are so eager to establish trade relations with the Yan Kingdom, it would be unreasonable for me to refuse again."

"Don't worry... I will meet your requirements, but before that, I have some conditions. If the Red Cake Country can agree to these conditions or recognize my requirements, we will establish trade relations."

Yang Xia spoke with absolute certainty, but his meaningful gaze made Liu Zhixiu feel uneasy.

Seeing Yang Xia's expression, Liu Zhixiu immediately had a bad feeling, perhaps she was about to encounter big trouble.

Yang Xia pretended to think for a moment, then looked up and spoke directly to Liu Zhixiu.

“Well then… the situation in Red Cake Country is different from that of other countries, so its food exchange agreement naturally cannot be exactly the same as that of India and the Atlan Empire.”

"I have my own considerations on this matter, but I will communicate with you as soon as possible. I hope you can think carefully about whether we should establish this kind of cooperative relationship."

Yang Xia deliberately spoke in a mysterious and unpredictable manner, actually wanting to make Liu Zhixiu anxious and make her understand that these grains were hard-won.

We must make him rein in his arrogant attitude, otherwise the large influx of grain reserves into the Red Cake Kingdom will be a bad thing for the Yan Kingdom.

Yang Xia had already seen through all of this. Although the Red Cake Kingdom possessed abundant iron and copper resources, which Yang Xia needed, he was unwilling to let the Red Cake Kingdom gain any advantage.

After careful consideration, Yang Xia increased the grain exchange agreement by 30% from the original amount.

After everything was ready, Yang Xia placed the exchange agreement in front of Liu Zhixiu.

"Your Excellency, please take a close look. It seems that obtaining grain this time will require you to spend some money."

"After all, Yan Kingdom doesn't have much grain reserves. Please take a good look at this agreement. If you can accept it, we can make further plans. If not, then let's stop here."

Yang Xia stared at Liu Zhixiu with a sly smile. Liu Zhixiu's heart tightened, and she hurriedly picked up the grain exchange agreement in front of her and read it carefully.

When Yoo Ji-soo saw the food exchange agreement, she could hardly believe it.

"This...this number seems wrong. Could you please give me an explanation, Lord? I find this utterly absurd."

"Why raise the grain exchange benchmark by 30%? Isn't that going too far?"

"You're clearly asking for an exorbitant amount. To put it bluntly, Yan Kingdom is taking advantage of our misfortune. I never expected you to resort to such tactics."

Liu Zhixiu angrily shouted, the numbers in front of him were indeed hard for him to accept.

Even so, he was helpless. Yang Xia looked at the furious Liu Zhixiu and remained seated.

His expression remained calm, unchanged.

After Liu Zhixiu finished venting, Yang Xia slowly said, "Chief... are you finished?"

"If you have come here today to criticize the Yan Kingdom, or for some other purpose, I'm afraid you will be disappointed."

"I just want to tell you one thing: in business, it's all about mutual consent; there's no such thing as coercion." (End of Chapter)