Cross the Sea in the Red Chamber

The effect of the Yongdingmen military parade was exceptionally good. It not only shocked the envoys of the Northern Barbarian Kingdom, but also surprised all the civil and military officials.

Losing the benchmark of the fifth prince, Situ Yi, civil servants who were born in the imperial examination had no choice but to honestly fall into Situ Sheng's arms.Xungui, who also lost the eldest prince Situ Xu, was scared for a few days at first, but when he saw that the old emperor had no intention of severely punishing them, he became arrogant again, but after seeing such a majestic Gyeonggi camp this time , They immediately frightened and became more honest.

And what about the power of the aristocratic family and the Shun Wang Situ Hui?Hehe, just by looking at their ugly faces, you can tell how shocked they were. Situ Sheng specially named Shun Wang Situhui to participate in the military parade. ?

Situ Sheng was very satisfied, and after returning to the palace, he specially summoned Jiang Yuan and the advisers to discuss the next step.Deterrence is only the first step, what needs to be done next is to obtain greater benefits.Before being able to swallow the entire Northern Barbarian Kingdom, Dajing needs a period of stable development. Although the new equipment and weapons are very useful, it takes more time for craftsmen to build weapons, and more time for soldiers to adapt to equipment. The army also needs to find some suitable targets for actual combat drills. All things cannot be done with lip service, and all of these require a running-in period.Not only the soldiers of the army need to adjust, but the entire official group also needs to adjust. Only when all these adjustments are completed can a fundamental qualitative change take place.Both Jiang Yuan and Situ Sheng needed Beiman to stay there honestly during this important time, instead of making trouble for Dajing.

How can one stabilize an enemy?In addition to the deterrence of force, what is needed is economic connection. When the northern barbarians realize that they and Yasukuni cannot win in a short time, and only peaceful coexistence can get more benefits, this group of barbarians will choose to calm down. Don't make trouble.

It was the first time for Lin Jun to participate in such a meeting, so he was inevitably a little uncomfortable, but he was very clear that he needed more opportunities to show his talent, so he was the first to speak up, "Your Highness, since they are at odds internally, how can we separate?" Talking with these two northern barbarian envoys may have a better effect."

Situ Sheng and Jiang Yuan looked at each other with a smile, and discussed separately that this was an argument that the two of them had settled on long ago.They had decided to do this since they knew the origins of the two messengers and the conflicts between them.After all, Lin Jun received little news, so he woke up a bit late, but he could think of this as soon as he got the news, and he was much better than the rest of the advisers.It is indeed a good seedling!

Situ Sheng was satisfied with Lin Jun's performance, especially the plan he proposed later was indeed feasible.He thought for a while, and finally said: "Then Qingyuan will be responsible for talking with that Dingling King Xue Jin, and that Abernajiang... I will leave it to Lin Qing."

Lin Jun did not expect that His Royal Highness would entrust such an important task of dialogue with the envoy to himself who had just joined him. He was very excited and grateful. Your Highness wishes."

Jiang Yuan was startled, and then saluted in the same way.He didn't expect Situ Sheng to give Lin Jun the opportunity to show his talent so soon, but thinking about Lin Jun's talent, it's not impossible to give Lin Jun a try.It seems that his courage in employing people is still not as good as his lord. His childhood experience in the previous life made him always have reservations about the people he first met. Of course, it is natural to have appropriate temptations, but there are too many precautions It seemed too distant.

It seems that he also has to change this habit...

Honghe Temple.This was originally the office of Da Honglu, the official in charge of foreign guests in the Yan Dynasty, but the Jing Dynasty not only set up Da Honghe, but also handed over the management of receiving foreign guests to the Ministry of Rites, and the Honghe Temple in the Yan Dynasty was lost. It lost its original function and was changed into a place for foreign envoys to stay.

The rooms in Honglu Temple are bright and spacious, and the tables and chairs are decorated with deep elegance. There is no such blatant display of all the gold and gemstones in the house as in the Northern Man and Western Regions. This kind of low-key luxury can show a A restrained nobility.The furniture and furnishings in the room are all made by the Beijing Manufacturing Office. In terms of exquisiteness, they are certainly not as dexterous as those in the south, but they are simple but full of grandeur, simple but elegant, small but big, revealing the imperial majesty of the imperial capital.

Xue Jin was sitting by the desk, playing with the blue and white teacups on the table, feeling dazed for a while.His mind was so confused that he didn't know what he wanted to do.

This mission to Dajing was the first time in his life to set foot in the Central Plains, but it completely overturned his impression of the Central Plains in the past few decades.Think about what the northern barbarians around him have said since he was a child?There is gold everywhere in the Central Plains, and wealth is everywhere, but the people are timid and weak, and the emperor and officials are all stupid and incompetent waste. The generals there are like grass. , In any case, it is far worse than Beiman.Central Plains is like a piece of prime beef, waiting for Beiman to pounce on it, bite and swallow it.

But what if he really came to Yasukuni?Everything he heard and seen here subverted his arrogant thoughts in the past.

The officials of the Jing Dynasty all wore silk clothes, spoke elegantly, and were gentle and courteous.The city here is majestic and tall, with exquisite architecture. Even an ordinary state capital city is stronger and more beautiful than the palaces of those small countries in the Western Regions.He was shocked to see the flow of people in the city!It's just a county seat, and there are more than 2 people living in it. This number can catch up with the population of a medium-sized tribe in Beiman!

And there are more than 1000 cities of this size in Yasukuni, and such a number can be drawn casually.This is not a big deal, after all, there are only a small number of people living in the city, and there are more people living outside the city wall. How many people does that county have?What about the whole country of Jingchao?Tens of millions or more? !This number is frightening to hear. He couldn't imagine such a large population. The population of Beiman is only a few million. This number is not even a fraction of Jingchao's!

He passed a wide river and wanted to ask what kind of river it was and where it led to.The interpreter who received him told him that it was not a river but a canal, dug by hand to transport river water to the farmland.

Artificial can actually open the river?He had never even heard of such a thing.And there are some large discs more than one foot high installed on the river. The interpreter said that this kind of thing is actually used to guide the water in the river into the channels between the fields, so that there is no need to manually lift the water.There is such a thing? !Xue Jin's eyes were about to go round.The interpreter also told him that these wheels/discs called water wheels can also grind mills and pound rice, which are more powerful than animals and people.For the northern barbarians with backward technology, seeing these latest technologies is like the reaction of the closed-door Qing Dynasty people when they saw a steam engine for the first time, they were completely surprised and overwhelmed.

When he arrived in the capital, he first saw the extraordinary bow and arrow skills of Yasukuni soldiers, then saw the two-stone strong bow that could change the situation of the battle, and finally was frightened by Jiang Yuan's divine power.If this is still within his acceptable range, then what happened to the things that the army saw during the inspection of the Gyeonggi Daying Army?Who told him that the Yasukuni people were cowardly and vulnerable?Who told him that Yasukuni's generals surrendered like grass?Such a torrent of steel, such a powerful army and generals, can the Beiman, whom he has always admired, really be able to resist?

Impulsive, he immediately ran to write a letter of divorce, asking the Great Khan of the North Man to gather all the troops in the country to attack the Jing Dynasty, and destroy this country with unlimited potential before the Jing Dynasty was fully strengthened.But when he thought of the Gyeonggi camp with 10,000+ people, he shook his head again.With such a powerful army, the Yasukuni at this moment cannot be wiped out by the Northern Man.This is no longer the germ of power. Yasukuni has become so strong that it is difficult to destroy without the Beiman not paying attention.As Yasukuni continues to develop, they will only get stronger and stronger until the northern barbarians can no longer be suppressed, and then...

Although he didn't say it out of his mouth, Xue Jin knew very well in his heart that at that time, Beiman Kingdom would become a piece of high-quality beef in the mouth of Dajing Kingdom!Beef for the troops of the Jing Dynasty to bite and swallow!In order to obtain the wealth of the Western Regions, Yasukuni will never let the Beiman go. They will definitely eliminate the Beiman and open up the passage to the Western Region.

Xue Jin also managed a tribe of tens of thousands of people in Beiman. He thought he was very powerful, but that population was only the number of people in a county in the Jing Dynasty.Thinking about the rough workmanship and overly simple decorations on his body, and then thinking about the luxurious jade belts and accessories of the officials of the Jing Dynasty, and the soft, smooth and shiny silk clothing, they are simply incomparable.Just the room where the envoys were received was many times better than his tent in Beiman. Can Beiman and Jingguo really be compared together?

A few days ago, he boasted that his ancestors saw thousands of miles, but now he started to resent his ancestors.Why did you leave the Central Plains and go to such a backward country as the Northern Man?Now that the Central Plains has become stronger, they have become stupid people who discarded treasures and chose stones. When Yasukuni came to fight, wouldn't they become a laughing stock in the history books?

Xue Jin was still hesitating in the room, but an attendant announced at the door that an official from the Jing Dynasty was visiting.It was very common for officials of the Jing Dynasty to talk to visiting envoys. Although Xue Jin was still upset, he could not see him. This was his responsibility as an envoy, so he could only let his attendants invite visitors in.But when he really saw who the visitor was, he couldn't help but feel terrified. It turned out to be the Guanying Hou Jiangyuan who came to the Gyeonggi Camp!

Jiang Yuan acted as if he hadn't seen the other party's expression of seeing a ghost, and said with a smile: "Your envoy has had a good rest these days, is there anything you are not used to? If there is anything you want to change, you can change it. Tell the waiters at Honglu Temple that they will do it themselves. You can tell them anything you want to eat or play, and these people will do it well. If there are things they can't do, please envoy You can talk to me, if it can be done, I will never shirk it."

Xue Jin suppressed the surprise in his heart, silently swallowed his saliva, signaled the attendant standing outside to close the door and leave with his eyes, and then said dryly: "Of course I'm used to it, I don't know what happened to Marquis Guanying today?" Instead of speaking Beiman dialect, he spoke Chinese honestly. How can he still see the arrogant and domineering appearance when he first came to the capital, with his nose on top of his forehead?

Jiang Yuan, a guy who was born as a traitor like him, knows a little bit if not very well. Needless to say, haven't you seen so many traitor translators and puppet soldiers in anti-Japanese dramas?Those who worship foreigners are talking about them.

The character of this kind of person is that if he betrays, he will die and never turn back. There is absolutely nothing wrong with self-hypnosis.Otherwise, the grass on the wall will fall left and right, whichever side is strong, he will kneel weakly towards whichever side, there is no position at all, rebellion is easier than drinking cold water.It seems that this Xue Jin is the latter kind of person, hmph, this kind of person is easier to deal with than imagined.

Jiang Yuan smiled and said: "There is nothing special. It's just that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a little curious about the Northern Man and the Western Regions, and so are the officials in the court. I heard that the Northern Man has a vast territory and rich products. The plants grown are so different, I wonder if your envoy’s mission has brought some special products, so that we can experience the novelty.”

What I said was not polite, but it was also very tactful. I said it was just to experience it. After the meeting, I would probably talk about the trade between the two countries. This was the practice of talking between countries and diplomatic missions at that time. Xue Jin naturally knew .

Beiman and Dajing have been doing business all these years. Whether it is silk, medicine, porcelain, tea or some exquisite luxury items, they are all favorites of Beiman nobles. Even ordinary herdsmen want to buy some cheap tea to drink, so Trade has always been good.What's more, due to the rise of the North Man Kingdom, the Silk Road has been cut off from it. If merchants from the Western Regions and Europe want to buy goods from the East, they must buy from the North Man Kingdom. For their emphasis on trade with the Central Plains.Listening to the tone of this Lord Jiang Yuanjiang, this time the trade will be led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Jing Dynasty, and the goods traded are definitely not comparable to those of the merchants below. What a huge benefit this will be, Xue Jin's eyes lit up immediately!

Seeing that Xue Jin was interested, Jiang Yuan picked it up instead. Facing the questioning from the envoy of the Northern Barbarians, he kept his words hidden, without revealing the truth of his words, and raised Xue Jin's interest to a high level. , but just wouldn't let him land.It seems that he has said everything, but if you take a closer look, you will know that Jiang Yuan has not said anything. You think what he said is just some content after his own imagination, and he has not mentioned a single word of the actual thing. Watertight.After "discussing" for an hour, Jiang Yuan said goodbye and left.

That's all for the talking points, strong medicine at the beginning may not be effective.Take your time, don't worry, Jiang Yuan evoked a smile.

Lin Jun also scolded the deputy envoy, Abonajiang, without telling the truth from the beginning to the end, and led Abonajiang by the nose several times.The Beiman deputy envoy did not appear to have been overthrown in his beliefs, but he was also quite shocked. He was even more excited than Xue Jin when he heard about the trade, and Lin Jun successfully set out a lot of words.

Regarding Lin Jun's performance, both Situ Sheng and Jiang Yuan are quite appreciative, but he still needs to continue training in the household department.Unlike Jiang Yuan, who was instantly promoted to a second-rank official with the help of the war, Lin Jun's experience is not enough, and it is not a good thing to take an important position rashly.Even if he is as strong as Jiang Yuan, he was in a hurry when he first became the Minister of the Ministry of War. He has never been in charge of political affairs, so how can he bear it when he suddenly takes over?The experience of the past few years has also been fruitful for Jiang Yuan.

When the battle of San Francisco was about meritorious deeds, Situ Sheng needed to seize a favorable position and obtain the greatest benefits, so Jiang Yuan had to be pushed to the most important position to seize the most delicious fruits, even if the seedlings were encouraged to grow, he had to stand there. Never fall off.But the situation is different now. Lin Jun can get a longer training time, grow steadily, and be promoted smoothly. Although it is a bit slower, it is still a good thing.

After a few days of stimulating Xue Jin's appetite, Jiang Yuan was finally willing to say something practical, which almost shocked the envoy of the Northern Barbarians to the ground.In the trade between the two countries led by His Royal Highness, one of the most important commodities is - salt!Not one catty or two catties, but thousands of catties of salt!

Personally know how important salt is. Compared with other items, no commodity is more important than salt.Spices can be dispensed with, silk and satin can be omitted, medicines can be replaced by other methods, and if you are sick, you can bear it at worst.There is only salt, which is a necessity among necessities and is irreplaceable!

There are three sources of salt at this time, well salt, sea salt and pool salt.The common rock salt in later generations can be encountered but not sought. Although there are many minerals, it is not easy to find. At least Jing Dynasty has not been widely used by human beings at this time, and the remaining three sources of table salt were obtained by the principle of boiling dry water in this era.

There are no salt wells and seas in the area under the control of the Beiman. They can only rely on the salt water in the dry salt lake to produce their own salt.Boiling salt is nothing, but Beiman does not have iron pots with better heat conduction and enough salt-boiling craftsmen, and the output of salt is appallingly low, so Beiman has always needed salt.In the past, the Beiman obtained salt either through trade or plunder, but there were still some shortages. If enough salt could be traded from Jingchao, it would undoubtedly be quite beneficial to the Beiman.

Xue Jin thought he was getting a bargain, but he didn't know that Situ Sheng was the biggest winner.

Ever since he knew that the gunpowder that Jiang Yuan knew was the inheritance of the Mohists, Situ Sheng never underestimated the "extraordinary obscenity skills" shouted by the Confucians. The Ministry of Industry even recruited many Mohist scholars under the leadership of Fang Yue. The arrival brought various innovative technologies.

A new method of steelmaking, stronger siege and defense equipment... These Mohist scholars from the Ministry of Industry have created an unprecedented salt drying method after research and development!Although the salt produced is not as fine as that produced by the boiled salt method, the manpower and cost required have been greatly reduced, and the output of the sun-dried salt method is far better than that of the boiled salt method when the weather is good.At present, these workers from the Ministry of Industry are studying how to use the sun-dried salt method to make fine table salt. Once successful, the benefits created will definitely be astronomical.

What Beiman got was the salt that could be obtained through plundering, but what Jingchao got was real money and various products needed. Although Beiman was determined not to sell horses, was Beiman the only one in the world? Are there horses in the place?With cheap table salt as a commodity, are you afraid that you will not be able to buy it?Situ Sheng smiled coldly.