mtlumby2d Chapter 491 Relying on Favor (36)
Chapter 491 Relying on Favor (36)
Yan Zhen did not refuse the other party's request this time.
Potatoes are not valuable, and the market in Tingzhou is already saturated.
Moreover, due to the special nature of potato seeds, and the fact that potatoes were planted everywhere inside and outside Tingzhou City, it would be impossible for Gaochang merchants to prevent them from smuggling seeds back to their country for planting.
Since that's the case, she might as well do the other party a favor.
After Yan Zhen accepted the two boxes of gems, he not only gave them 500 catties of potatoes, but also gave them a copy of his planting manual and agreed to let them go to the potato planting training center to learn how to plant potatoes from the agricultural officials.
The Gaochang merchants who obtained the potato seeds and planting manual immediately sent a group of people to escort the 500 catties of potatoes back to Gaochang first, so that the potato seeds would not be frozen to death in the winter when they returned.
After that, six or seven more groups of foreign merchants came to Tingzhou, all of them interested in cotton.
Yan Zhen accepted all who came, bartering with them and exchanging many things that were only available in foreign lands.
In addition to medicinal herbs, wool, spices, borneol, rhinoceros horn, ivory, coral, pearls, amber, hawksbill turtle shell, agate, giant clam shell, and some high-end and exquisite handicrafts, foreign merchants also brought horses of superior breeds, dairy goats with high milk production, and beautiful and talented female slaves in exchange.
By September, the cotton harvest was bountiful, with over 10,000 jin of cotton harvested from 40 mu of cotton seedlings.
Some of the cotton was sold directly to merchants from various countries after the seeds were removed, while the rest was processed day and night in the city's workshops to make cotton quilts and clothing.
Yan Zhen only sold half of the cotton quilts and cotton-padded clothes, which were then divided equally among caravans from various countries.
She kept the other half and distributed it as a reward to her meritorious generals and agricultural officials.
Busy as November approached, merchants from various countries began to leave Tingzhou with cotton quilts, cotton-padded clothes, and potatoes.
With some free time, Yan Zhen reviewed the situation of receiving refugees and recruiting soldiers over the past year.
Since the imperial edict was issued at the end of June last year to receive refugees from all over the country, a year and a half has passed, and Tingzhou has received more than 37,000 refugees.
Fleeing is an extremely dangerous and cruel thing. On the way, the old, weak, sick and disabled are basically eliminated by hunger and disease. Most of those who can hold on until Tingzhou are young and strong.
In the past year, Tingzhou issued a conscription order. Those who enlisted not only received money, food, and land, but if they died in battle, the Prince of Zhao's mansion would also support their families.
Attracted by the generous benefits, nearly half of the refugees chose to enlist.
With the addition of many local farmers from Tingzhou who were conscripted into the army, this move successfully expanded the army in Tingzhou from more than 60,000 to 80,000.
With money and supplies in hand, it's time to talk about "cooperation" with Jingzhou.
In mid-November, Tingzhou was hit by a heavy snowfall.
Zhao Yuan sent an envoy to Jingzhou to extend an invitation for cooperation to Yang Jun, the vassal king of Jingzhou.
About ten days later, news came from Jingzhou that Yang Jun expressed his willingness to have a detailed discussion with Zhao Yuan in person.
The two sides agreed to use the middle area as the meeting place.
On the eve of Zhao Yuan's departure, Yan Zhen, unusually "virtuous," personally packed Zhao Yuan's luggage.
Having acquired many fine goods from foreign merchants during the summer and autumn seasons, Yan Zhen had a set of understated yet luxurious attire made for Zhao Yuan.
She wore a crown inlaid with jade and gemstones, a brocade robe made of Nanjing Yunjin, a piece of gold-plated brocade, a pure white fox fur cloak, and black boots embroidered with cloud patterns in gold and silver thread. Even her belt and wrist guards were inlaid with large cat's-eye stones.
With a sword that could cut through iron like mud and a priceless Ferghana horse, Zhao Yuan, dressed like this, exuded an indescribable air of grandeur and radiance.
It was a world apart from the arrogant little mongrel that Yan Zhen had first seen when he arrived in Tingzhou two years ago.
"If you can reach an agreement with Yang Jun on your trip to Jingzhou, that would be best. If you can't, don't worry."
"You're not good at talking, so leave these things to your civil officials. You just need to hold the line and make the final decision."
Yan Zhen gave Zhao Yuan many instructions, which he remembered one by one: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Finally, Yan Zhen gave him a bag of dried meat as a snack for the journey: "Go early and come back early."
Zhao Yuan led two thousand men and traveled for six days before arriving at the negotiation site.
In the past few years, the territory of Daliang has been plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities, and the state of division has continued to this day, leaving the local vassal kings exhausted.
The people were all busy fleeing for their lives, and no one was farming or producing crops. The feudal lords spared no effort in plundering the people's wealth to fund their armies in battle.
After the oppression of the people continued for a long time, this land soaked in blood became like a sponge that had been squeezed dry; not to mention oil, even water could not be scraped out.
Therefore, when Zhao Yuan, adorned with gold and jade and exuding an air of wealth, appeared before Yang Jun, he and his generals were all taken aback.
While fine clothes, fox furs, and fine horses can be borrowed or stolen to make a show of wealth, the confident composure and relaxed demeanor of Zhao Yuan and his generals, as well as the good food and drink they had cultivated and their vigorous spirit, cannot be faked.
In contrast, the people of Jingzhou, exhausted and listless from the ravages of war, looked like dehydrated loofah sponges just plucked from their vines.
Yang Jun had heard a lot about what was happening in Tingzhou over the past two years.
They were farming and also making announcements to the outside world about accepting refugees.
But he knew how impoverished Tingzhou was.
That godforsaken place is frozen and covered in snow for half the year. Even when it doesn't snow, the wind feels like a knife scraping your face. The sandy soil makes it very difficult to grow any crops in Tingzhou.
In other words, in peacetime, not many people would want to stay in Tingzhou.
too poor.
But now, this godforsaken place has become the only pure land in the entire Great Liang, and it has even nurtured Zhao Yuan, whom he looked down upon, into such a noble and refined man.
How is this done?
Meeting Yang Jun's envious yet puzzled gaze, Zhao Yuan sat down at the table, playing with two copper coins in his hand, and the two began to discuss the details of the cooperation.
The negotiations went more smoothly than Zhao Yuan had anticipated.
Jingzhou had been besieging Yunzhou for a long time without success. At this critical juncture, Zhao Yuan came to their door and the two sides reached a cooperation agreement. As long as half of their troops were sent, they could eliminate Yunzhou, a formidable enemy. Why wouldn't Yang Jun agree?
After finalizing the cooperation agreement, Yang Jun hosted a banquet to entertain Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan did not refuse.
During the meal, after three cups of wine, Yang Jun and Zhao Yuan became sworn brothers, and Yang Jun inquired about Tingzhou, seemingly casually.
Two and a half of Zhao Yuan's three sentences were false, only vaguely revealing that Tingzhou had been farming for the past two years.
Thanks to the absence of any natural disasters in the past two years, Tingzhou is currently not short of food.
Upon hearing this, Yang Jun slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Brother Zhao, isn't this just like delivering a pillow to my head when I'm sleepy? You know what's most important in war: first, provisions; second, weapons! Jingzhou is currently short of provisions. Could you lend me some from Tingzhou? I'll definitely repay you after we win the battle!"
Zhao Yuan glanced at him sideways: "Give it back to me? What are you going to use to give it back?"
Yang Jun said matter-of-factly, "Once we capture Yunzhou, we'll have money, right? You don't need to worry about me not being able to pay it back."