northernbook Chapter 148 Economic Warfare?
Chapter 148 Economic Warfare?
Li Si traveled tirelessly, enduring a long and arduous journey, until finally he saw the familiar yet magnificent city of Xianyang in the distance.
Li Si's excitement grew, but without a moment's hesitation, he sped straight towards Zhangtai Palace. Upon arriving, he discovered that the ministers Chunyu Yue and Yao Jia had already returned to Qin before him and were currently inside Zhangtai Palace!
As it turned out, Chunyu Yue and Yao Jia ultimately lived up to expectations and successfully reached economic zone cooperation agreements with the states of Wei and Chu, respectively.
When the King of Qin saw the three men, a look of joy involuntarily appeared on his majestic face. He gently swept his gaze over the three ministers before him and said slowly, "Thank you for your hard work, my dear ministers."
Upon hearing the King of Qin's words, Li Si, Chunyu Yue, and Yao Jia immediately bowed respectfully and replied in unison, "Your Majesty, we are not troubled. These are all our duties. It is our honor to serve Your Majesty."
The King of Qin nodded slightly, then asked, "During your mission to several countries, did you encounter any thorny obstacles or difficulties?"
Yao Jia took a small step forward, cupped his hands, and replied, "Your Majesty, when I was on my mission to the State of Chu, the King of Chu had initially been persuaded by Xiang Yan and resolutely refused to cooperate with our Great Qin. However, I was not discouraged. Instead, I privately and actively lobbied several key ministers in the Chu court, explaining to them in detail the many benefits that cooperation could bring. In the end, through my tireless efforts, the State of Chu changed its mind and agreed to sign this economic zone cooperation agreement."
Upon hearing this, the King of Qin nodded slightly and said slowly, "Hmm, you did well."
Standing to the side, Yao Jia quickly bowed and humbly replied, "Serving Your Majesty is my duty and a responsibility I must fulfill!"
At this moment, Li Si stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and then spoke to the King of Qin, saying, "Your Majesty, the State of Qi currently has many questions regarding taxation and currency conversion. I wonder how we should properly handle these matters?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yao Jia chimed in, "The Chu state also has its doubts about this, and the King of Chu has even suggested that the four states of Qi, Chu, Wei, and Qin should gather together to discuss this matter."
Chunyu Yue also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the State of Wei also wishes to discuss these issues in detail again."
The King of Qin listened to the reports and fell into deep thought. After a moment, he raised his head, glanced at everyone present, and then slowly said, "Regarding the idea proposed by the King of Chu, I think it is quite feasible. I wonder what you gentlemen think?"
Li Si bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I also think this plan is excellent! Since we have decided to discuss important matters with those three kingdoms, why not directly invite the kings of Qi, Chu, and Wei to personally visit our Great Qin? In this way, face-to-face discussions would better demonstrate our country's sincerity."
Upon hearing this, Chunyu Yue, who was standing to the side, frowned slightly and quickly said, "What Lord Li said makes sense, but directly inviting the kings of the three kingdoms may cause them to have unnecessary misunderstandings about our Great Qin. After all, the relations between the countries are complicated, and this move may be seen as a threat or an attempt to plot something else."
At this moment, Yao Jia stepped forward and said loudly, "In my opinion, the kings of Qi, Chu, and Wei may not agree to come. It would be better to invite their envoys only, which can convey our intentions just as well and avoid a lot of trouble."
After listening to the three men express their opinions, the King of Qin nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Yao Jia's viewpoint. He said in a deep voice, "Hmm, all of you ministers have made sense. We can invite the kings of the three kingdoms, but we must make our intentions clear. As for whether they come in person or send envoys, that's fine too. I'll leave this matter to you three."
Li Si, Chunyu Yue, and Yao Jia quickly bowed again and replied in unison, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. We will do our utmost to fulfill our mission and handle this matter properly."
The King of Qin nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, if there's nothing else important, you may all go and rest."
The three replied in unison, "We take our leave." Then, they slowly turned around and left the palace one by one, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance.
The King of Qin stared intently at the three figures as they walked away until they disappeared from sight. He slowly turned his head and instructed the respectful eunuch standing beside him, "Go, summon Jia Yang to see me."
The young eunuch quickly bowed and replied, "Yes!" Then he ran off.
Not long after, a woman in a long purple dress, with a light and graceful gait, arrived outside the Zhangtai Palace. This woman was none other than Ying Wuyou. As she stepped into the palace, she was about to bow when the King of Qin, with a smile on his face, waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Come and sit down to talk."
However, Ying Wuyou still obediently performed a standard courtesy before moving to a spot not far from the King of Qin and sitting down comfortably.
The King of Qin gazed at Ying Wuyou before him and asked softly, "Li Si and the other two have returned and have successfully signed cooperation agreements with Qi, Chu, and Wei. Under these circumstances, is it still possible for Qin to successfully reclaim the six states?"
Ying Wuyou pondered for a moment, then calmly replied, "Father, since ancient times, the world has always been a place of unity after a long period of division. I firmly believe that our Great Qin will surely be able to unify the six kingdoms. However, this time, we will not rely on military conquest to achieve unification, but rather let nature take its course and the people's hearts be won over."
Upon hearing this, the King of Qin sighed softly, his face filled with worry as he murmured to himself, "How could I not know this principle? But the question is, if we truly let nature take its course, how long must we wait? And will I be able to witness that day arrive?"
Ying Wuyou's lips curled into a confident smile as he said slowly, "Father, think about it. Unification is indeed of paramount importance, but after years of continuous warfare, the people are exhausted, and the country needs time to recover and rebuild its strength. Therefore, allowing everyone to rest and recuperate in these few years will make it easier to advance the unification process. Moreover, if all else fails, we can always wage an economic war!"
Upon hearing this, the King of Qin frowned and asked with a look of suspicion, "Economic war? How can the economy be regarded as a war? This is the first time I have heard such a thing."