mesbooks Chapter 93 Qi Luan Deceives the Heavens and Transports Grain Back to Hao
Chapter 93 Qi Luan Deceives the Heavens and Transports Grain Back to Hao
Emperor Dahao's move was intended to divert the attention of the Great Liang Kingdom from the common people.
The people sent by the Emperor of Hao Kingdom had only one purpose—to buy time!
The meeting began with the exchange of gifts and a brief greeting.
The following day, during the formal meeting, he immediately asked to buy 800,000 dan of grain.
The young emperor of the Great Liang has come of age.
He gradually revealed his own ideas.
After discussing the matter with the regent and ministers for a long time, they ultimately decided that they could not sell so many.
Seeing no movement, the envoy from Hao Kingdom sighed in despair:
The domestic harvest has failed completely, and people are waiting for this grain to save their lives.
That image almost brought him to tears.
The important thing is that a portion of the debt will be owed and repaid when the country's strength recovers.
The Liang Kingdom is caught in a dilemma:
It's not very benevolent of the Great Liang Kingdom not to give it.
In the face of natural disasters, the two countries, being on friendly terms, will certainly help each other.
We've given them the money, but they haven't given us the full amount over there. How can that be acceptable?
Who knows what will happen in the future?
The final decision was reached after discussion:
Just keep dragging it out!
Let the sons of the royal family and nobles, along with the envoys of the Hao Kingdom, have some fun in the capital first.
Those sons of nobles and dukes were indeed skilled in this art.
He spent a few days playing with the envoys from Hao Kingdom.
The envoys almost forgot about their homeland while enjoying themselves, but they kept their mission firmly in mind.
Within two days, they were all filled with worry.
Having found an opportunity, he earnestly advised the emperor of the Great Liang Kingdom:
"Your Majesty, the people of the country are suffering terribly."
Thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune, we have been able to appreciate the beauty of the South today.
Wherever he went, he saw the people of the southern land, living in peace, prosperity, and abundance.
The more I looked, the more distressed I became; I had no heart to appreciate the beauty of the southern landscape.
After saying this, she covered her face with her sleeve and wept.
The young emperor, the regent, and the ministers in charge of governing:
Pah! Shameless! What a good actress!
When you were holding the beauties from Jiangnan, you laughed so hard you almost forgot your own surnames.
You don't care about ordinary people at all!
You're afraid that if you go back, you won't be able to explain yourself to your emperor, which will affect your wealth and prosperity!
Even if we know the truth, there's nothing we can do.
We still need to consider the face of both countries.
After a month of delay, the envoys from the Hao Kingdom began to break down in tears.
Not a penny more.
The grain, not a single grain of rice, is to be short.
The two countries are at an impasse, and the cabinet of the Great Liang Kingdom is holding daily meetings to discuss countermeasures.
The Grand Secretary proposed:
They brought with them a certain amount of silver, and that amount of rice was taken from the national treasury.
Even if you get more, you won't get a single penny.
Unified statement:
After the envoys arrived, they have been making preparations, and if they cannot wait, they can go back first.
Daliang will then raise funds from the people, and once the funds are raised, they will be given to them.
"Let's deal with those envoys first," the Regent thought for a long time.
Suddenly, a loud shout rang out:
"Oh no! We've fallen for their trap!"
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
Soon, the two top cabinet officials also realized what was happening.
The group then analyzed the situation and shared it with the others:
It's very likely that Hao Kingdom's grain purchase was half-hearted, and they've already sent people to Daliang to buy up grain on a large scale.
Daliang immediately issued orders to all prefectures and counties:
In private transactions of rice, each household is not allowed to buy more than one kilogram at a time.
When Pingbo and his men heard the news, a batch of supplies from Suzhou had already been sent back.
Ning'an is a coastal city, and there is very little grain available.
The group had arrived in Xijiang and were ready to make their mark when Daliang began selling grain in fixed quantities.
Upon hearing this news, everyone was at a loss for what to do for several days.
On this day, Mu Huaisheng was providing free medical consultations at the market when he saw a gambler selling his daughter.
The girl stuck a blade of grass in her hair, and before long she was bought to be a maid.
Suddenly, Mu Huaisheng had a flash of inspiration. He immediately packed his things and said that there was an emergency at home, so he went back to find Uncle Ping and the others.
"Uncle Ping! I'm thinking of my childhood in a remote mountain village."
They would gather for one day each month, travel half a day, to go to the town's market to sell their surplus items and food.
Most of those small towns didn't even have a proper government office.
We can try this approach.
Xijiang is far from Beijing. If there is any hope, we can split up and visit the surrounding towns.
After we buy it, we'll ship it back!
The amount of food available at these markets is, after all, limited.
We can simply buy and sell goods and transport them back the same way we came, without attracting attention.
If we really can't buy it, then we'll turn back.
"I think it's feasible!"
Just do it!
"Shishu, tell everyone which towns are in the area, and we'll split up!"
The servant, now a living map, began to analyze the text for everyone.
Xijiang Prefecture has a large territory, and Changzhou County, where it is currently located, is the largest.
There are five or six counties below, and each county has seven or eight towns.
We first ruled out several towns with lower yields.
Although there were dozens of people, they definitely had to be in pairs, and only bring an oxcart or donkey cart to avoid attracting attention.
There aren't many people in the town to begin with, so we have to be careful with the quantity. Once the car is full, we'll head back to Changju County to meet up.
When everyone returned to Changzhou County, they all had smiles on their faces, after all, there were dozens of carts.
Unexpectedly, when it was being transported back, Ning'an Prefecture conducted a very strict inspection.
The stalemate lasted for several days, with no sign of any compromise.
Pingbo then decided to go to Pianzhou and travel through the counties next to Pianzhou to see if he could come up with a way to reach it by water.
When they arrived at a small county near the sea, they met Qi Luan, who had also hidden his grain in a deserted place and came to the county to find a solution.
Two or three high-ranking officials from the imperial court, along with the merchant caravan, were also thinking about it.
After discussing it for a while, it started to get cold in the south.
It's estimated that Dahao has already had two snowfalls, and everyone is very anxious.
On this day, several high-ranking officials and Qi Luan were in a private room at a teahouse, brainstorming solutions.
Qi Luan was watching the children playing house on the street when a sudden inspiration struck him.
"Deceive the heavens and cross the sea!"
"Gentlemen, I have a solution."
Qi Luan instructed families with canal transport businesses to gather their cargo ships together.
They loaded each ship that came in and dressed them all in the uniforms of the Daliang soldiers' commanders.
The loaded boat sailed into the sea to wait for everyone to meet.
Each family used their connections to prepare various documents and certificates.
Under the pretext of transporting military supplies to Pengcheng, they swaggered forward at full speed.
Upon reaching the Pengcheng sea area, we took a longer route and sailed at full speed towards Luzhou.
Just make sure you bring your weapons, in case you encounter pirates when you go to more distant waters, which would be another tough battle.
Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if they had seen the dawn in the dark night, and they all thought it was feasible.
Qi Luan then analyzed the plan in detail, explaining each key point in detail, and assigned it to each adult.
Pingbo and Mu Huaisheng also went to prepare seasickness medicine.
After they boarded the ship and returned, Mu Huaisheng and Wu Shishuai did not go back together.
I explained the reason to Pingbo:
"Speaking of that child, let's not even mention that we grew up together."
When he came out this time, his sister cried her heart out.
After much thought, I realized I needed to find out where his uncle lived so I could see the child for myself and make sure he was safe.
If I really can't find it, I will definitely go back home for the Lunar New Year.
Please go back and tell Miss Wanxing about Qianyan's matter.
Please apologize on my behalf.
Pingbo did not insist after hearing this, gave some instructions, and then boarded the boat and left.
Qi Luan was the last to board the ship, and seeing that Mu Huaisheng was still not on board, he urged him to hurry up.
The child I remembered was dressed in men's clothing, with his face partially concealed.
Standing there, her figure was already undeniable.
The girl waved and smiled generously:
"Take care, Third Master. I have some personal matters to attend to. See you in Yedu!"
Farewell, and have a safe journey!
Upon hearing this, Qi Luan knew that she had other matters to attend to.
"Have you kept your travel documents safe?"
Do you have enough silver on you?
Do you want me to save two more people for you?
Mu Huaisheng admired in his heart:
As expected, he was the man I had my eye on years ago; he immediately grasped the key point when faced with a problem.
He's truly a male god!
He then replied with a smile:
"I've brought everything. Uncle Wu and I will travel lightly on horseback. Having too many people would be inconvenient."
"Thank you, Third Master. Please give my regards to all the masters of the Duke's Mansion."
"Alright! Then farewell, take care and stay safe!"
After saying that, he turned around and boarded the boat.