Chapter 825:  Cooperation

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

At this point, Huang Wenxian sighed awkwardly.

Xie Xun’s eyes flickered, and he continued tactfully, “Your Highness, it’s already very difficult for you to guard the North and deter the foreign races. Now that the Imperial Court has issued a national policy and the North has taken in a large number of refugees, the safety of the entire North depends on you alone. Only when the North is stable can you be at ease and resist the foreign races. This is righteousness.”

Huang Wenxian’s first sentence was to test the Xie Residence.

How much Xie Xun said and what he meant determined how much Huang Wenxian would say in the subsequent conversation. How much sincerity would he show? How much clarity would he speak with?

If the Xie Residence expressed their respect and support for King Yue Fei, and sincerely handed the topic back to Huang Wenxian, it would mean that they had accepted Huang Wenxian’s test.

In the subsequent negotiations, Huang Wenxian would also repay the same sincerity.

If the Xie Residence was vague, Huang Wenxian would also hold back in the subsequent negotiations, and his attitude towards the Xie Residence would change a little.

If the Xie Residence did not accept the test, Huang Wenxian would understand the Xie Residence’s refusal.

Next, Huang Wenxian only spoke a little, such as the situation in the North, King Yue Fei’s difficulties, and the hardships of the commoners. It was to comfort the Xie Residence and make them think twice.

At the negotiation table, the more important the plan was, the less easy it was to reveal it. The first step of confrontation was to test the other party’s sincerity and attitude.

Indeed!

Huang Wenxian was very satisfied with the Xie Residence’s straightforwardness. He immediately revealed a worried expression. “This concerns the livelihood of tens of thousands of people. Your Highness doesn’t dare to be negligent at all, so it’s inevitable that you’ll be more concerned about this matter. However, how can we, the soldiers, understand business?”

After expressing his sincerity, Huang Wenxian handed the topic back to the Xie Residence. Only by exchanging words could they continue talking.

Xie Xun’s heart was as clear as a mirror, and he was in no hurry to talk.

Yu Youyao had learned a lot about business, so she knew everything.

In contrast, it was a little funny to hear this. She wondered who had been calculating the accounts just now. He was even smarter than her, a businessman.

However, she was happy to see that Huang Wenxian wanted to praise the Xie Residence.

“I’ve long heard that the Xie Residence of Quanzhou is famous for being benevolent merchants. In the early years, they helped the Imperial Court lift the sea ban. Not long ago, they donated to the Imperial Court to help the refugees. Furthermore, back then, the Northern Barbarians invaded on a large scale. As the war was tense, the Xie Residence also donated a batch of food and medicine to the You army. Now that the Xie Residence can come to the North, it’s also a blessing for the North. The Xie Residence is an expert in doing business, so I want to consult Master Xie and ask for his opinion.”

During the war, the rations were doubled. Just relying on King Yue Fei, who was still the heir at that time, to gather rations in Youzhou City could only temporarily resolve the urgent situation.

Not long after the heir escorted the rations to the battlefield, the Xie Residence sent a batch of food and medicine over by sea, laying the foundation for the subsequent recovery of the city.

However, not long after, King Li of Zhou was summoned into the capital and handed over the war in the North to the Marquis of Weining. Later, when King Li of Zhou was accused of rebellion, no one mentioned this matter anymore.

In the past, as the military advisor under King Li of Zhou, Huang Wenxian had always remembered this. His seriousness towards the Xie Residence was not entirely because of the Little Princess Consort.

Xie Xun hurriedly said, “Military Advisor Huang, you’re being too serious. The Xie Residence is ashamed. As long as it’s related to business, the Xie Residence will definitely tell you everything we know.”

At this point, the situation had been resolved. Yu Youyao stood up. “In that case, you guys chat first. I won’t disturb you anymore.”

She was in no hurry to leave just now because she was worried that it would be difficult to start a conversation since it was the first time her Eldest Uncle and Huang Wenxian had met, so she planned to matchmake them.

However, since Huang Wenxian could swallow his pride, there was nothing to worry about.

As for the content of their conversation, it wasn’t difficult to guess.

Firstly, the Xie Residence was a “royal family” in Minyue. Since ancient times, the royal family had held many unknown secrets. This was also a kind of inheritance.

The Yue people were the first to occupy the Shaoxing area of Zhejiang. Later, they moved to Langya, which was located in Shandong. These two places were both coastal areas, so the Yue people were good at water, boat control, and shipbuilding. This was one of the foundations of the Xie Residence.

Zhejiang and Shandong had a tradition of raising silkworms since ancient times, and they were also good at reeling silk. Therefore, the Xie Residence was also good at making silk armor.

The cooperation between the Xie Residence and the You army was nothing different.

First, the nobles of the North had control of the Ancient Tea Horse Road, the Silk Road in the north-west, and the land and trade routes in various areas of Shanxi. The You army was guarding the Liaodong area, and the merchant guild’s power had limited development in Liaodong.

Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Ningxia were not by the sea, and maritime trade was restricted. This was the shortcoming of the nobles. It also divided the interests of the nobles, suppressed them, and reduced the breakthrough point of their power.

The You army would trade at sea and provide support to the Xie Residence. At that time, the salt, tea, silk, porcelain, spices, and so on produced in the North could all be sold overseas through the Xie Residence’s merchant ships.

Second, there was the matter of making silk armor.

The military supplies of the You army were all handled by the Imperial Court. It was like restraining the hands and feet of the You army, causing them to be controlled by the Imperial Court. This was also the case for the local government and even the nobles. They became wild beasts locked in cages and waiting to be fed.

When going into battle to kill the enemy, armor was the most important. The production of armor was too technical, and almost all of it was in the hands of the Imperial Court.

It wasn’t impossible to refine ironware in private.

However, one’s craftsmanship was definitely not as good as the craftsmanship of the Imperial Court. They had gathered all the capable craftsmen in the world. After generations of continuous research and innovation, they had summarized their experience.

On the battlefield, if there was a slight difference, one would accumulate great losses.

For example, the Di people were good at riding. The armory had made a saber that could effectively restrain the enemy and allow them to charge while riding a horse.

It was very difficult to fight on horseback, so they had invented the Tang saber and the zhanmadao. They were used in battle on horses. The Tang saber was longer and was used in a head-on battle. The zhanmadao was a short weapon and was used to catch the enemy off guard. The sabers were of different lengths and completed each other.

The Japanese pirates had caused trouble along the southeast coast. As most Japanese people were short, they used miaodaos to fight. The miaodaos were as slender as rice seedlings and had the characteristics of knives and spears.

The types of weapons did not change much, but the craftsmanship had improved over the generations.

Now, weapons were no longer just forged from iron ore. Not only did they have more powerful steel making techniques, but they could also use other ores to increase the lethality of the weapons.

These craftsmanship skills were all in the hands of the Imperial Court.

It was the same for making silk armor.

…

As soon as Yu Youyao returned to her room, she smelled a faint fragrance.

Her eyes lit up and she quickly walked to the windowsill. The entrance of the small courtyard was facing the north, and the light was excellent. Over the past few days, the spring light in Liancheng had been bright and beautiful, and the cinnabar orchids that had been transplanted into the flower pot had already bloomed.

After Yin Huaixi modified the wild orchids growing in the mountains, they were carefully raised in a flower pot for a while, revealing an elegant aura.

They looked strong, hard, and upright. The leaves were elegant, soft, and beautiful. The small plant was intertwined and beautiful.

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