Chapter 699
699 Explosive increase in strength
father Zhong, those merchants who returned from the Lu and Liang countries said that the fields of the two countries are now filled with mulberry trees. On the road from Qufu to Linzi, merchants and carriages selling the robes of the Lu tribe are everywhere. In these three years, almost every household in the entire Lu country has been knitting banners and making banners. Mulberry trees are growing everywhere and everything is as you expected. as Duke Heng of Qi said this, his face could not help but be filled with joy. He was completely impressed by Xia Pingan’s judgment.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. It’s time to take over the Lu and Liang kingdoms!” Xia Pingan looked at the teacup in front of her quietly. Her tone was calm and she was neither happy nor angry because everything had been planned and history was following its original course.
In this realm Pearl, Xia Pingan once again became the ” first Prime Minister of Huaxia “, Guan Zhong. He directed the first food war in human history and conquered the state of Lu and the state of Liang without sacrificing a single soldier.
ah, back then, father Zhong made me wear the woven rush raincoat made by Lu Xi to court. He even allowed all the officials and the people of Qi state to imitate Lu Xi. He also encouraged merchants to smuggle Lu Xi from Lu State to Qi state, but forbade the people of Qi state to plant mulberry trees to make woven rush raincoat. Over the years, the price of Lu Xi has risen by several times. The entire Qi state has spent countless money on Lu Xi. I have also heard some ministers complaining in private, but those people did not have father Zhong’s vision and strategy. The whole world is in father Zhong’s mind, and today’s situation has already been anticipated by father Zhong several years ago. Since father Zhong says that the time has come, what should our Qi state do?” Duke Heng of Qi humbly asked.
“Your Majesty, from tomorrow on, you will no longer be wearing a straw Cape. You will be wearing silk. At the same time, I would like to request your Majesty to seal off the border between the two kingdoms. Do not allow the straw Cape and Lu Xi from the two kingdoms to enter the kingdom of Qi. However, if any citizens of the two kingdoms come to seek refuge, you can let them in. We will make the two kingdoms return all the money that we have spent to buy Lu Xi back to Your Majesty.”
alright, everything will be as father Zhong said. However, can the grain prices in these two countries really rise to more than 1000 dollars per stone? you should know that the grain prices in Linzi are only 10 dollars per stone. Duke Heng of Qi was still a little confused because Xia ping ‘an had previously said that he could raise the grain prices in the Lu and Liang countries to more than 1000 dollars per stone. This was too crazy because it was equivalent to the price of grain increasing by 100 times. In the past two years, the Qi country did not have much other than grain. Guan Zhong did not allow the Qi people to plant Sable and raise silkworms. They could only grow grains. Many granaries had been built in various places of Qi state, and the official granaries had been filled with grains. If the grain price could really rise by one hundred times, Qi state would make a big profit.
“No one will die if they don’t wear a straw raincoat. Even if people are hungry, they can’t eat mulberry leaves. Your Majesty, you can wait and see. This time, Your Majesty will definitely make the Lu and Liang countries submit obediently!”
“Alright!” Duke Heng of Qi nodded happily.
……
Xia ping ‘an then left the palace and returned to her own residence on a horse carriage.
Sitting in the carriage, Xia Pingan looked at the bustling Linzi city. His respect for Guan Zhong was still the same. He had been in the realm Pearl for three years. Guan Zhong single-handedly created the supremacy of Qi state in the Spring and Autumn period. The main means of creating supremacy was the war of food and capital. China was the first country in human history to engage in war of food and economic war. Guan Zhong was the ancestor of the war of food and economic war.
This time, Guan Zhong used the Leviathan of Lu State and Liang State to subdue the two states. When the two states turned Leviathan into the pillar industry of their country and abandoned grain production, it was Qi state’s turn to harvest the losses of Lu State and Liang State. After the grain price of Qi state rose by 100 times, the two states had only one choice: starvation or surrender.
After Lu and Liang, it was the Heng Shan country.
The state of Heng Shan was a big military arms nation in the Spring and Autumn period. Because of the metals produced in Heng Shan, they were good at smelting weapons. They sold military arms and weapons among the vassals and made a lot of money. Guan Zhong also conquered the state of Heng Shan through the grain war, which was the same as the war with the state of Lu and the state of Liang. First, the state of Qi bought the military arms and weapons of the state of Heng Shan at a high price. At the same time, it also led the surrounding vassals to buy the military arms and weapons of the state of Heng Shan at a high price. He directly increased the price of the weapons produced by the Heng Mountain country by 20 times, making the Heng Mountain country completely turn weapon smelting into the pillar industry of the country and abandon farming.
After that, Qi state went to other countries to buy food, and forcibly increased the price of food by three times, almost buying all the food available on the market. When everything was ready, the Qi state cut off all contact with the Heng Mountain State and stopped buying weapons. The entire Heng Mountain State guarded a pile of weapons, countless workshops and iron mines that were expanding their production, but they couldn’t buy any food. The Heng Mountain State wanted to cry but had no tears. Therefore, the whole country was in chaos and the Qi state took over the Heng Mountain State again.
The same tactic was used in the war of grains. When it was used in Chu State, it was to buy the deer of Chu State. When it was used to deal with Cai state, it was to buy firewood from Cai state. When it was used in Dai state, it was to buy the white fox, which was the White fur under the Fox’s armpit.
One by one, these countries were settled by the Qi state with a food war, and the supremacy of the Qi state was thus established.
The Qi state had blown up the property bubbles of these countries, then popped them and harvested them with grain. Guan Zhong had been very familiar with this method thousands of years ago.
As the carriage swayed on the street, Xia Pingan’s thoughts were flying. He thought about what would happen thousands of years later. If the real estate in Lu and Liang countries were turned into real estate in the future, then he could already foresee what would happen next.
It was a tragedy for a nation and country that had produced Guan Zhong thousands of years ago to be dealt with by someone in the same way as Guan Zhong.
There was nothing new under the sun. History would repeat itself, but it would not repeat simply. The rules would not change, but the appearance could be different.
Perhaps this was the true meaning of learning history.
……
As Xia ping ‘an had said, the next day, Duke Heng of Qi went to court. All the ministers in the court found that Duke Heng of Qi, who had been wearing a straw Cape for three years in a row, was not wearing a straw Cape today. Instead, he was wearing the silk cape of Qi.
I’m tired of the straw Cape. I’ve found that the quality of our silk cape is better and more comfortable. under the gaze of all the courtiers in the straw Cape, Duke Heng of Qi said expressionlessly from his throne, ” pass down my order. From today on, no more Xuanji from the state of Lu and the state of Liang are allowed to enter the checkpoints of the state of Qi. The people of these two countries can join our Qi Kingdom, but the clothes of the Xuanji from the state of Lu are not allowed to enter the Xuanji Kingdom.
“Yes!”
……
The situation in Linzi city changed. When they went to court the next day, not a single Minister was still wearing a woven rush raincoat. The order was sent to the border. Once Qi country went into closed door cultivation, those merchants with full kasayas waiting to enter Qi country were all dumbfounded.
The silk products of the Lu and Liang countries started to pile up like mountains in various places. The price of 300 gold for 1000 bolts of silk became cheaper and cheaper.
At the same time, there was no income from the export of silk products. The country’s cultivated land was also heavily planted with Mulberry, causing a serious reduction in grain production. It would take time to replant crops, but the people in the country of Lu and the country of Liang needed to eat. In a short time, the grain prices in both countries changed three times a day and soared. There was a price but no market. The little money that ordinary people earned from weaving Kasaya in the past three years was used to buy rice in the blink of an eye, and it was still not enough.
In just a month, many people died of starvation in Lu and Liang. The people of the two countries couldn’t stand it anymore. Between starving to death, rebelling, or fleeing, most of them chose the third option because they heard that as long as they could escape to Qi country, they would have food to eat.
In the end, 50 to 60 percent of the people from the two countries came to Qi and became citizens of Qi. The weak Lu and Liang had no choice but to submit to Qi.
When the emissaries from the two countries arrived at Lin Ye, the world of the realm Pearl finally shattered.
……
In the secret room, Xia Pingan opened his eyes.
This was the divine power realm Pearl that Guan Zhong had subdued Qi and Lu without a single soldier. It was the last realm Pearl that he had fused with from the divine tomb sect. Before this, Xia ping ‘an had already fused with more than ten other realm pearls.
This realm Pearl had increased the upper limit of Xia ping ‘an’s divine power by 36 points. At this moment, the upper limit of Xia ping’ an’s divine power in his secret mandala had reached 10511 points, which was another big step forward from the 10920 points of the eight Suns realm. He was only 409 points away from the upper limit of his divine power. Xia ping ‘an’s overall strength had also unknowingly advanced to the advanced level of the seven Suns realm.
To Xia ping ‘an, it had only been a day since he had fused with the realm beads that he had just obtained.
In fact, in the past two days, the news that Xia ping ‘an had received a reward from divine tomb sect had already spread throughout the entire hehe city, causing a huge sensation.
After Xia Pingan rested in Xuanji Manor for two days, on the third day, Deputy sect master Lou of divine tomb sect brought the two disciples to Xuanji Manor and asked Xia Pingan to go to the myriad treasures Hall to redeem the divine tomb sect’s eight sun realm divine spring.
They soon arrived at the treasure Hall in Xuanji city.
Just as Deputy sect master Lou was about to bring Xia Pingan into the myriad Treasure Hall, a hoarse and gloomy voice suddenly rang out in the sky, ” is this young master Mei, who Qianqian avenged my son? ”
Hearing this voice, the expressions of Deputy sect master Lou and the other two divine tomb sect members changed. They quickly stopped and bowed to the sky. greetings, sect master!