The Three Kingdoms began with island farming

Chapter 688 Exorbitant Prices
None of the Seven Kings should be underestimated.

Even the seemingly insignificant Liu Fan displayed extraordinary combat prowess in previous battles.

Given equal troop strength and Liu Fan's fighting style, the other six kings had absolutely no chance of winning; at best, they would suffer heavy losses on both sides.

Liu Fan's population had reached a certain level, creating a significant gap compared to Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

As time goes on, this gap will not narrow; instead, it will widen further.

Daqi's homework is right here. As long as the Seven Kings copy the homework to a passing grade, it's not difficult to achieve this.

When the power imbalance among the seven kings becomes unbalanced, it becomes very difficult for the Great Qi to maintain control.

The Seven Kings are currently in Kushan, which is relatively close to the Great Qi. The Great Qi still has a certain degree of control over them and even has the power to influence the distribution of their war spoils to a great extent.

If they were to conquer Parthia and Rome in the future, with the emperor far away, it would be difficult for the Great Qi to do so again.

As long as the Seven Kings do not openly rebel or target the Great Qi, the Great Qi cannot suppress them too much and can only maintain a balance in secret.

This situation is bound to collapse.

Just like the seven warring states, the strong become strong, and the weak perish.

Tian Ze considered various factors when assigning the seven kings to different factions in the north and south.

First, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, the two strongest brothers, were placed in the north. Next were Lü Bu and Gongsun Zan, who were skilled in cavalry warfare. There were various other factors behind this decision.

The rise of the three southern kings was inevitable, so the power was handed over to Liu Bei and Sun Ce, who were relatively easy to talk to, while the majority of the power was given to Liu Fan, who was the weakest.

Now is the time to restore this balance.

The three kings in the south were too powerful, so retreat was inevitable, and it was also what Tian Ze and Zhang Liao wanted to see.

The four kings of the north were naturally pleased to see Zhang Liao taking sides.

Yuan Shao spoke first, saying, "Xuande, Bofu, Boyu, you have already gained too much advantage in the Southeast and India. You should not participate in the distribution of the Kushan territory."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao nodded slightly.

Lu Bu and Gongsun Zan stared wide-eyed at Yuan Shao.

Although you're supposed to be bargaining, this is not how you bargain!
The original price was 1,000, but they immediately offered to give it away for free. The other party isn't stupid.

As expected, the faces of the three kings in the south immediately darkened upon hearing Yuan Shao's words.

Sun Ce, the most hot-tempered of them all, slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Yuan Shao, you've gone too far! We conquered southern Kushan, and our territory is less than a quarter of Kushan's. Don't we even deserve such a small piece of land?"

Liu Fan followed up angrily, saying, "Brother Bofu is absolutely right. Which of us seven kings didn't contribute to this battle? We captured the troops in the southern and western borders, so they should all be handed over to us for distribution. That would be just right and fair."

The western border was relatively small, and together with the southern border, the territory only occupied about three-sevenths of the Kushan territory, just as Liu Fan said, which was fair.

Liu Bei nodded in deep agreement: "Benchu, what Bofu and Boyu said is not without reason. It was already a great act of virtue for us to give up the western border. Otherwise, with our strength at that time, we could have taken not only the western border, but even the eastern border."

Strength is like a snowball; the more people you have, the stronger you become, and the more territory and people you occupy—it's a cycle.

Of the three kings in the south, two were tough and one was soft; Sun Ce and Liu Fan played the bad cop, while Liu Bei played the good cop.

The Four Kings of the North were no pushovers either.

Ask for a high price and pay back the low price.

Yuan Shao's initial excessive remarks were merely a means to gain the upper hand and test the attitudes of the three southern kings.

After all, the Kushan Empire is completely different from India and the Southeast, and the three kings of the South would never make such a concession. "That being said, most of the Kushan Empire's most valuable lands are in the South. You have already gained an advantage by occupying India and the Southeast, so it is not appropriate for you to occupy this place as well."

At this time, Cao Cao, the strategist among the four kings of the north, began to exert his influence.

Because this situation was dominated by the seven kings, although each of them brought two advisors, they were only assistants. Under the imposing presence of the seven kings, they had no chance to speak and could only offer suggestions to their respective monarchs.

In this situation, don't expect anything from Lü Bu and Gongsun Zan, those two reckless brutes; they'll definitely play the bad cop to the end and stick to their principles. Cao Cao has to take on the role of the good cop.

"How about this: the western and northern territories will be given to you three kings. In addition, the entire population of the southern Kushan territory will be handed over to us, while you can keep half of the population of the western and northern territories. What do you say?"

Cao Cao offered a "reasonable" price.

At this opportune moment, Yuan Shao said, "Mengde, your demands are too lenient on them."

Lü Bu and Gongsun Zan had dark expressions.

Liu Bei's lips twitched slightly; he wasn't buying it at all.

"The western and northern borders are mostly mountainous, making development difficult, and they can't compare to the southern border. How about this: we want the central border where Fulousha is located, the eastern border, and the local population, while you can have 20% of the southern border's population. What do you say?"

They were all seasoned foxes; how could Liu Bei not see the implications? He retorted with a barbed tongue.

Sun Ce and Liu Fan also joined forces: "No, we must at least add the northern border."

“Impossible! If that’s the case, what difference would it make if we had the southern territory?” Yuan Shao objected.

Yuan Shao completely ignored the nonsense spouted by Sun Ce and Liu Fan; these guys were saying things that were more and more outrageous than the last.

He also made his stance clear regarding Liu Bei's conditions.

Zhang Liao stood aside, watching the two sides engage in a heated exchange, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Have someone arrange the meal."

In matters involving disputes of interest, both sides inevitably engage in continuous negotiations, making concessions, and testing each other's bottom lines.

Whoever shows fear or panic first will be at a disadvantage.

This has been the case for thousands of years.

Both sides are shrewd individuals, and this negotiation is unlikely to end anytime soon.

As long as it doesn't drag on for too long, then let's wait.

"I'll give you three days to decide on this matter. If there's still no result after three days, the Eastern Territory and the eastern part of the Southern Territory will be handed over to my Great Qi, and the rest will be directly allocated by me," Zhang Liao said.

Although he knew that this matter would take a long time to reach a conclusion, Zhang Liao still set a time limit.

Otherwise, this matter will drag on endlessly and cause a lot of delays.

As the arbitrator authorized by Tianze, he still has this power.

The Seven Kings felt a complex mix of emotions upon hearing Zhang Liao's threat.

Although somewhat displeased, it must be admitted that Zhang Liao's decision was indeed a good choice for both sides.

Otherwise, this matter may drag on for a long time without being resolved, and subsequent population migration and local operations will be delayed.

Although three days is a bit tight, we can still manage to reach a result even without eating or sleeping.

(End of this chapter)