"Your Highness, please give me some time. I will write a letter to ask the king how much grain our Yan Kingdom will order this time! We will definitely order it!"
This matter is too big for him, a mere minister of the Ministry of Rites, to make any guarantees.
But based on his understanding of the King of Yan, the king would definitely take this opportunity to purchase all the grain needed by the people of the country!
But in this case, how many kinds of grain are needed, how much grain is in stock in the national treasury, and how much grain the people can use to exchange for the grain all need to be counted, and it cannot be calculated in a day or two.
Chu Tiankuo nodded: "Okay."
He naturally knew that Fang Zheng could not make the decision, and he also knew that such a large amount of grain exchange could not be supported by the national treasury alone, and the people would need to pay for it out of their own pockets, which would take a lot of time.
After the two reached a consensus, Fang Zheng left happily.
After Chu Tiankuo and the others left, he said to Songbai, "You can release that pigeon now. The rest of the pigeons will be released half a day later."
The State of Yan had always maintained a neutral stance and had not made enemies with any country, because the four countries had always been in a state of mutual checks and balances.
But now, because of his relationship with Xingnong, the Chu and Jin states must unite together.
The original relationship of checks and balances was broken, and Yan State would probably be worried. Today he wanted Yan State to reassure itself, and at the same time let Yan State see how shameless and untrustworthy Zhao State was, and that it was not worthy of an alliance!
"yes!"
~
Fang Zheng walked hurriedly towards his own courtyard. He planned to send a pigeon to send a letter back to his country first, and return home as quickly as possible!
Regarding the grain exchange, he wanted to immediately sort out the exchange quantity and then sign a document with the State of Chu to avoid any complications.
"Lord Fang!" A voice sounded from behind, stopping his hurried footsteps.
Fang Zheng paused, looked back, and said with a smile, "Master Tan, is there anything?"
Tan Pan walked up to him and whispered, "You've heard about the high-yield grain seeds in Chu, right? Did you just go to discuss the exchange of grain seeds with the Crown Prince of Chu?"
Fang Zheng changed his mind and nodded.
"What is the exchange price Chu State gave you?"
Fang Zheng sighed: "Three times."
Tan Pan's eyes widened: "Three times? Isn't the State of Chu going to rob it?"
Fang Zheng didn't want to talk to him any more, so he just said, "I still have to report this to the king. Excuse me!"
After saying that, he left in a hurry!
After getting the answer he wanted, Tan Pan hurried to see Zhao Luran.
On the other side, Zhao Luran waited until noon but still hadn't received any news from the Chu State spies.
Instead, he received news that the Minister of Honglu Temple of Yan State had come out from the courtyard of the Crown Prince of Chu State.
Zhao Luran asked sharply: "Three times?"
Yang Xie: "The Crown Prince of Chu is not going to rob?"
Zhao Luran was even more certain of her guess: "He did rob, and he did it blatantly!"
Zhao Luran looked at Tan Pan and said, "Go and tell Yan that our high-yield grain varieties are worth five catties for one catty this year! What you said about Chu's high-yield grain varieties producing 1,150 catties per mu may not be true, as we have not received any news. Then you said that Chu is clearly trying to take the opportunity to cheat Yan of its grain, which is bullying Yan. Now that Chu and Jin have made peace, the two countries are united. If Yan and our Zhao don't unite, they will sooner or later be swallowed up by Jin and Zhao! If our two countries unite, our Zhao can provide Yan with unlimited high-yield grain varieties! Explain these reasons to him carefully and take the opportunity to pull Yan into our Zhao camp."
Jin will not want Zhao's high-yield grain this year, and neither will Chu. Only Yan is left, so it can naturally provide unlimited grain! And this is also an opportunity to take advantage of the opportunity to unite with Yan.
Before the diplomatic mission, the King of Zhao told Zhao Luran that he would look for an opportunity to form an alliance with the State of Yan.
However, the people who came from Yan State this time were only officials, not royal members, so they could not make the decision.
Although I cannot make the decision, if the King of Yan has instructed to form an alliance with Zhao, then it may not be the case!
So you can give it a try.
"I will do it right away!" Naturally, Pan Tan also received the task from the King of Zhao to establish good relations with the State of Yan, and to lure them with high-yield grain varieties when necessary. Now is a good time!
Tan Pan also knew that Zhao State was in a somewhat dangerous situation now. He nodded, turned around and walked out!
At this time, a carrier pigeon landed on the window.
Zhao Luran immediately stopped him: "Wait!"
Zhao Luran personally untied the bamboo tube from the pigeon, took out the letter inside, and burned it on the fire for a while to reveal the words on the paper. She glanced at the contents of the paper and sneered: "Chu State is really a liar! The highest yield per mu is only a little over 700 kilograms! It's even less than the highest yield per mu in our Zhao State!
This letter is a secret letter, sent by someone she had planted in Zhao State. The information is absolutely reliable!
Because this method of hiding the words in the letter is only known to her and her people, she is not afraid of others impersonating her.
Zhao Luran said to Tan Pan, "Go and tell the people of Yan State that the price of five catties of grain for one catty of high-yield grain is only available now. Once you leave his door, the price will become ten catties for one catty of high-yield grain! If you wait any longer, the exchange price will be even more uncertain!"
Yan would certainly not accept Chu's betrayal. Now that Jin and Chu have united, Yan can only seek an alliance with Zhao.
Although it is an alliance, there are also differences in levels. Their Zhao State can rely on high-yield grain varieties to occupy a dominant position in the alliance.
"Yes!" Tan Pan also thought so in his heart, and knew that only by doing so could he gain the approval of the Emperor of Zhao.
This is the ancient times, when the will of the emperor was the supreme will. Therefore, the thoughts of the emperor determined the thoughts of the ministers below, and the way the emperor handled things affected the way the ministers handled things below.
The king of Zhao had always treated the weaker State of Chu in this way, with an inconsistent attitude and a fear of the weak and bullying attitude.
Among the four countries, only Yan State does not have high-yield grain varieties. In this competition among young formation masters, Yan State’s results were similar to those of Zhao State. Now, Yan State has become a weak country in their eyes and can be bullied.
Therefore, the two of them subconsciously began to change the way they interacted with the State of Yan, and regarded the State of Yan as another Chu State!
Tan Pan went to find Fang Zheng, and first explained the reasons to him, then appealed to his emotions, and repeated all of Zhao Luran's reasons. However, seeing that Fang Zheng was unmoved, he avoided the question and refused to agree to form an alliance with the State of Zhao.
Seeing that he was unmoved, Tan Pan said, "Master Fang, today our princess came to discuss the exchange of grain seeds with your country with great sincerity. As long as Yan and Zhao form an alliance, five catties of grain will be exchanged for one catty of grain seeds! This is a very sincere price! Today, when I leave this door, the price will not be this price! Think about it, this will benefit Yan State in every way and will not cause any harm!"
Fang Zheng smiled and said, "Mr. Tan is right. However, whether it is grain exchange or alliance, it is a big deal. It is not something that a small official like me can decide. I need to report this to the monarch and wait for the monarch to make a decision! I hope Mr. Tan can give me some time!"
"In this case, Lord Fang, please get the consent of the King of Yan first! However, five catties of grain for one catty of high-yield grain is only the current price. Once I leave this door, it will be ten catties for one catty! If it is delayed a little, I don't know what the exchange price will be. As for the price, we will discuss it after Lord Fang gets the instructions from the King of Yan."
Tan Pan issued a threat and then left.
Humph, wait for him to get the real news and cry and beg me!