Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

"Your Majesty, didn't I just say that I can't wait for these blind Western devils to attack the Tiandi Federation? If the Western devils want to attack me, let them come. I guarantee that they will not be able to return home and find their mother." Wei Xiaobao said, his eyes flashing with determination and confidence, as if showing Kangxi his determination and courage.

"You are not afraid of Westerners attacking you, but if they want to attack the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty does not have a navy that can defeat the Western warships, so it needs the support of your ironclad ships!" Kangxi said, his voice revealing his worry and uneasiness about the future of the Qing Dynasty.

"Yes, so we have to ask what benefits the emperor can give to the Tiandi Army!" Wei Xiaobao said, with a hint of ridicule and cunning in his tone, as if he was having an interesting negotiation with Kangxi.

When Tang Xi heard this, he suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Suo Etu was unwilling to negotiate with Wei Raobao. He had been fooled by all the twists and turns. A look of helplessness and regret appeared on his face, as if he was blaming himself for his negligence and carelessness.

"Alas," Kangxi sighed, "Tell me, what benefit do you want?" His voice revealed his helplessness and compromise towards Wei Xiaobao.

Wei Xiaobao thought about it and said, "Trade and exchange what we have!" His eyes were shining with anticipation and excitement, as if he was showing Kangxi his business acumen and wisdom.

Kangxi asked in confusion: "Trade? Exchange of what we have? Our Qing Dynasty is self-sufficient. We only sell things out and rarely buy things back?" His voice revealed his doubts and confusion about Wei Xiaobao's proposal.

"Your Majesty, is the Qing Dynasty short of food?" Wei Xiaobao raised his eyebrows, glanced at Kangxi, and asked with a smile, his mouth corners slightly raised.

There was a hint of provocation and questioning in his tone, as if he was challenging Kangxi's authority and judgment.

"Yes." Kangxi was caught off guard by Wei Xiaobao's question, but he still answered truthfully.

"Is the Qing Dynasty short of cotton cloth?" Wei Xiaobao continued to ask, with a hint of cunning in his eyes.

"No." Kangxi frowned, feeling somewhat unhappy. What on earth did Wei Xiaobao want to do?

"Look, we are short of food and clothing! And we are still self-sufficient." Wei Xiaobao smiled, showing a mouthful of white teeth, and then asked: "Does your Qing Dynasty lack refined iron?"

"Hundred-refined fine iron?" Kangxi was puzzled when he heard this. Of course, he knew what hundred-refined fine iron was. It was the best raw material for cold weapons and could also reduce the chance of a musket exploding. However, in that era, hundred-refined fine iron was very rare, mainly because the temperature for smelting iron was not high enough, and the iron contained more carbon and impurities, so the quality of the iron was not high.

"Are you willing to provide us with fine iron?" Kangxi stared at Wei Xiaobao and asked suspiciously.

"It's just fine iron, not a good thing. Why can't you provide it?" Wei Xiaobao shrugged and said nonchalantly.

"Then what do you want?" Kangxi looked at Wei Xiaobao warily, thinking that this guy would definitely not make such a request for no reason.

"I want flint (coal), kerosene (crude oil), iron ore, wood, and so on." Wei Xiaobao said everything he needed in one breath, then looked at Kangxi triumphantly, as if waiting for his reply.

No one wants flint and kerosene because it not only smells bad but is also poisonous. Even ordinary people would not use it to make fire or cook.

As for iron ore, it was a government monopoly in the Qing Dynasty and private mining was absolutely not allowed, so as long as there were people to mine it, they could get as much as they wanted.

Finally, there is timber. The Qing Dynasty was a vast country with mountains everywhere, and where there are mountains there are naturally forests.

"Okay, trade will allow the Qing Dynasty and the Tiandi Federation to share what they have. I will immediately send someone to discuss the specific details with you." Kangxi said with a smile.

"You are very welcome. We will also set up a special agency in the Ministry of Commerce to coordinate trade matters with your country." Wei Xiaobao replied seriously.

"So when will we sign that mutual defense treaty?" Kangxi asked impatiently.

"Don't be anxious, Your Majesty. We can just negotiate and sign the mutual defense treaty and the trade treaty together." Wei Xiaobao said slowly.

Kangxi frowned slightly and sighed inwardly: "This Wei Xiaobao is so shrewd!" But he still said: "Okay, I will organize a negotiation delegation to go to Ryukyu as soon as possible, and you should also make preparations as soon as possible. Let's try to finalize the two treaties before the Qingming Festival." Kangxi said in a firm tone.

"Okay, let's do as the emperor says." Wei Xiaobao responded.

After finishing the business, Kangxi stretched and said, "Okay, I'm going to meet my sister Jianning and my niece Shuangshuang. Also, I want to have dinner at your place tonight."

Wei Xiaobao quickly stood up, bowed strangely and said with a smile: "Welcome to our home for dinner, brother-in-law."

Jianning was born to the fake empress dowager, and whether she was Shunzhi's child remains to be investigated. For the sake of the royal family's reputation, Kangxi kept the secret tacitly, and Xiaobao kept the secret for Jianning's feelings.

Wei Xiaobao nodded immediately and continued, "Today is the Lantern Festival. My brother-in-law is visiting us, so we should treat him well."

Wei Xiaobao asked with a smile: "Do you have any special dishes that I haven't tasted?"

Wei Xiaobao said hurriedly, "The chefs in the Wei Mansion are all from the capital. The dishes they can cook are definitely available in the imperial kitchen. If you want to try something new, how about eating with the soldiers in the barracks?"

Kangxi's eyes lit up: "Okay, this is a good idea. I haven't eaten in the army yet."

Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "Usually we have simple meals. Today is the Lantern Festival, so the kitchen staff will prepare some extra dishes."

Kangxi added: "By the way, you can invite the ministers in the front hall to come as well."

Wei Xiaobao nodded repeatedly: "No problem, I'll have someone arrange it right away."

In the hall in the backyard, Princess Jianning had already heard the butler serving in the front hall report that Emperor Kangxi had arrived. She saw her brother the emperor talking to Xiaobao next to the military camp, so she had been waiting in the hall.

At this moment, the two of them finished talking and walked over together. Jianning went up to greet him and said, "Brother Emperor, you came without even saying hello so that Jianning could go and greet you."

"Jianning, your royal brother is here to visit relatives and get to know them. Today is the Lantern Festival, and I brought some candies for Shuangshuang." Kangxi said.

"Shuangshuang is still sleeping. Jianning would like to thank the emperor brother on behalf of Shuangshuang." Princess Jianning said.

Kangxi looked at Princess Lingzhao standing beside him and said, "This lady looks unfamiliar. She must be the Empress Lingzhao of Japan."

Ling Zhao smiled and said, "You must be Emperor Kangxi, right? We have a connection. If the Tokugawa Shogunate hadn't forced me to marry the Qing Dynasty two years ago, I wouldn't have met Brother Xiaobao on the way. Without his help, I wouldn't have been able to overthrow the Shogunate. So we have a connection."