Honghuang: Eat a Hunyuan Daluo

After Bixiao and Nezha were forcibly taken back to Yingzhou Immortal Island by Bai Jing, they were immediately placed in confinement. They would be dealt with naturally after Yunxiao came out of seclusion.

Bai Jing had other things to do and didn't have time to pay attention to the two of them.

Bai Jing stepped out and arrived in the Netherworld. As the Lord of the Hungry Ghost Path, one of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Bai Jing was not subject to any restrictions when traveling to the Netherworld.

"Greetings, Sage Bai Jing!"

When Bai Jing arrived, he happened to run into Feng Bo, the great shaman of the Wu tribe who had once helped Chi You.

Feng Bo naturally recognized Bai Jing and bowed to him very respectfully.

Bai Jing waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Feng Bo, could you run an errand for me and invite Styx to come over for a chat in the Blood Sea?"

"He is a saint."

Feng Bo responded and flew towards the sea of ​​blood.

Bai Jing went directly to the palace next to the Three Lives Stone. As soon as he entered the palace, he saw Houtu and Consort Pingxin playing chess.

This surprised Bai Jing, who couldn't help but tease him, "Pingxin, when did you start liking chess?"

When Lady Pingxin, who was already on the verge of defeat, saw Bai Jing arrive, she immediately overturned the chessboard. Just as she was about to speak, Houtu waved her hand, and time reversed, restoring the chessboard to its original state.

Bai Jing laughed heartily, while Consort Pingxin looked furious.

"Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, is there something you need to do in my Underworld?" Houtu asked.

Bai Jing nodded and said, "After so many years of nurturing, the underground passage has reached its peak of prosperity. It's time to try to condense a wisp of primordial purple energy using the underground passage's energy."

"Fellow Daoist is a master of the Earthly Dao, and with your cultivation at the Heavenly Dao Realm, it should be natural for you to condense a wisp of Primordial Purple Qi."

"The Primordial Purple Qi is not as easy to condense as you say, fellow Daoist. Since this thing is known as the foundation of the Great Dao, it must have something extraordinary about it. To be honest, I tried to condense the Primordial Purple Qi when I first broke through to the Heavenly Dao Realm, but I failed," Houtu said.

“I know this, which is why I brought this to you, fellow Daoist.” With that, Bai Jing flipped his right hand and a jade slip appeared in his hand.

"This is my disciple's understanding of the Primordial Purple Qi after he became a saint. I even personally took action to extract his understanding of the Primordial Purple Qi from his sea of ​​consciousness. With this, you should be able to condense the authentic Primordial Purple Qi more easily."

Houtu took the jade slip and scanned it with her divine sense. She then said, "If it is as this jade slip says, condensing authentic Primordial Purple Qi is not a problem. But why do you want me to condense Primordial Purple Qi?"

"Naturally, it's to compete with the Heavenly Dao. The Underworld still has many divine positions that haven't been filled, such as the Fengdu Emperor, the Taishan Prefecture Lord, and the Ten Kings of Hell. We can take advantage of the Investiture of the Gods to fill these positions. As for the Primordial Purple Qi, it will naturally be given to the Fengdu Emperor."

After Bai Jing finished speaking, he turned to look at the Styx River that was flying in.

Styx heard Bai Jing's words from afar and trembled with excitement.

Styx can be said to be the closest to sainthood among all the peak quasi-saints in the primordial world. In addition, Styx is also the Dao Lord of the Asura Path, one of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. If he could obtain the Primordial Purple Qi, he could almost instantly become a saint.

Now that he has learned of his opportunity to obtain the Primordial Purple Qi, Styx expressed his determination without hesitation: "Empress Houtu, Sage Baijing, if Styx can obtain this wisp of Primordial Purple Qi, Styx is willing to go through fire and water for the Underworld without hesitation."

Bai Jing smiled and patted Minghe on the shoulder, saying, "Remember what you said today. In five years at most, Xiqi will rise up in rebellion. At that time, the Great Tribulation of the Gods will reap the lives of cultivators, and it will also be your time to prove yourself."

After saying this, Bai Jing nodded to Houtu and then disappeared into the underworld.

Our gaze then turns to Xiqi.

With the favor of Heaven, after Jiang Ziya entered Xiqi, Xiqi's fortunes rose steadily, the weather was favorable, and grain production reached new highs.

At this time, Xiqi's self-produced grain was enough to feed 30% of its people, but this was the limit of Xiqi's grain production.

The reason for this is that the price of grain in Chaoge is much lower, especially millet. Chaoge has the best millet seeds in the world. The millet grown there has large grains, and the porridge made from it is especially sweet. More importantly, the price is extremely cheap. Two copper coins can buy a pound of millet. Therefore, most people at this time mainly eat millet as their staple food.

With grain prices so low in the Shang Dynasty, buying grain was more profitable than farming, leading many people in Xiqi to prefer buying grain rather than growing it themselves.

Although Jiang Ziya obtained many excellent grain varieties through Song Yiren, millet was not among them. This is the fundamental reason why Xiqi's food supply is barely enough to meet the needs of the people, but there is no food to feed the army.

Ji Fa was also at a loss and could only seek help from Jiang Ziya.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ziya said, "To break the current situation, firstly, Xiqi must control the amount of grain that its people buy from the Shang Dynasty. Secondly, it must increase subsidies for farmers so that they can earn money from farming. In this way, the people of Xiqi will be motivated to farm, and we will have more grain to feed our soldiers."

Upon hearing this, Ji Fa suddenly understood, and then asked, "In your opinion, Prime Minister, how much subsidy would be appropriate for farmers?"

Jiang Ziya pondered for a moment and said, "The amount of subsidies should be tailored to local conditions, but at the very least, it must be ensured that farmers do not lose money from farming."

Ji Fa nodded, then turned to the eunuch beside him and asked, "How many cowrie shells and bronze cowrie shells are left in the national treasury?"

The eunuch immediately replied, "Your Majesty, our Xiqi treasury still has 2 million cowrie shells and 1 million bronze cowrie shells."

"Only this much? What about my personal stash?"

"Your private collection of seashells and copper shells totals approximately 1 million."

Ji Fa gritted his teeth and said, "Immediately announce to Xiqi that all those who cultivate the land will receive a subsidy of 10 shells for every mu of land they cultivate, and their taxes will be reduced by half for two years. The more they cultivate, the more they will receive. I want the people of Xiqi to be able to eat the grain that Xiqi grows itself. If they don't have enough shells and copper shells, they can take the subsidies from my private treasury."

"My lord, isn't a subsidy of 10 seashells too much?" the eunuch asked cautiously.

"Just go ahead and make the arrangements; don't ask any more questions."

The eunuch nodded and went to do it.

Soon, the entire Xiqi region received the subsidy order from Ji Fa.

The moment this subsidy order was issued, the entire population of Xiqi went wild.

For every acre of land planted, you receive a subsidy of 10 seashells; for every 20 acres planted, you receive 200 seashells.

Two seashells can buy a pound of millet, so 200 seashells would be 100 pounds of millet. If we eat them sparingly and dig up some wild vegetables, it would be enough for a family of four to eat for a year.

Not to mention, you only need to pay half the tax on the grain you grow yourself, isn't that wonderful?

After this calculation, the people of Xiqi realized that farming could make them rich, and so Xiqi ushered in a farming frenzy. The people's eyes lit up, and they worked on the land day and night.

Time flew by, and several months passed. All the barren land in Xiqi had been reclaimed, amounting to ten million mu. However, as a price, the Xiqi treasury lost 1 million cowrie shells and bronze cowrie shells, making the already impoverished Xiqi even worse off.

On the outskirts of Xiqi, looking at the boundless fields, Ji Fa couldn't stop smiling. He thought to himself, "Our Xiqi has grown its own grain. As long as the grain is not controlled by the Shang Dynasty, Xiqi can train its own troops and completely break free from the Shang Dynasty's constraints. With the help of the immortals of the Chan Sect, Xiqi will surely rise to prominence!"

Ji Fa made up his mind that this year was just the beginning, and that Xiqi would never buy grain from the Shang Dynasty again. The people of Xiqi would have to eat grain produced by Xiqi itself.

News of everything Xiqi had done had already reached Chaoge. When Di Xin saw Xiqi's actions, he couldn't help but frown: "Xiqi actually wants to be self-sufficient in food? Allowing land to be cultivated at will, this won't do. If this continues, won't they break away from the control of the Great Shang?"

Food is the foundation of human life; whoever controls food controls everything. As long as the price of exported grain is low enough and there is enough grain, one controls the lifeline of a nation.

But now, Xiqi's actions made Di Xin realize that something was amiss.

"There must be a master guiding Xiqi."

Upon realizing this, Emperor Xin's first thought was to secretly summon Bigan and Shang Rong to the palace.

At this time, Bi Gan was nominally dismissed from his post as prime minister and was living at home, which is why he was secretly summoned to the palace.

When Bi Gan heard that Emperor Xin had summoned him, he silently dressed and went to the palace to meet Emperor Xin.

When Di Xin saw Bigan arrive, he went straight to the point and expressed his concerns.

Upon hearing this, Bi Gan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a light smile. "Your Majesty, do you know how much grain our Great Shang Dynasty currently has stored?"

Di Xin shook his head; he really didn't know. So Di Xin turned his gaze to Shang Rong.

After considering for a moment, Shang Rong slowly replied, "Your Majesty, the Great Shang has built over a hundred granaries in various regions. Preliminary estimates suggest that this will be sufficient to meet the needs of the Great Shang people for at least five years."

Bi Gan smiled slightly and said, "With so much grain, the price we can sell it to other feudal lords should be able to be lowered further, right?"

Shang Rong suddenly raised her head and asked incredulously, "Are we still going to lower the price?"

"The price will be lowered again, but the price for Xiqi will be raised to a level that Xiqi cannot afford."

Upon hearing this, Di Xin suddenly realized the ruthlessness of Bi Gan's plan.

Emperor Xin laughed heartily and said, "Your uncle and the prime minister are too busy with state affairs to handle this matter. Let Fei Zhong and You Hun take care of it!"

Fei Zhong and You Hun are the great talents of the Shang Dynasty. They are capable of doing good deeds that neither of them can do, but they are sure to handle such despicable things perfectly.

Emperor Xin then summoned Fei Zhong and You Hun and told them about the matter.

The following day, in the Longde Hall, Emperor Xin personally issued another edict in front of all his ministers, appointing Fei Zhong and You Hun to be in full charge of the export of grain from Xiqi.

Fei Zhong and You Hun naturally agreed without hesitation.

Spring goes and autumn comes, and it's harvest season again. After a year of hard work, tens of millions of acres of land in Xiqi have yielded 2 billion catties of grain.

Xiqi now has a population of over 2000 million, and there is enough food to feed the people, so Ji Fa immediately ordered an expansion of the army without hesitation.

According to Ji Fa, in previous years, the Shang Dynasty would have already started negotiating grain matters with other vassal states by this time.

Since the grain supply was already sufficient for the people to be self-sufficient, Xiqi only needed to purchase the grain required by the army. The grain price of the Shang Dynasty was always low, which meant that the Shang Dynasty would use preferential grain prices to support Xiqi's army.

Thinking of this, Ji Fa even began to look forward to the arrival of people from Chaoge.

Every year, the feudal lords would inquire about the grain prices in Chaoge from various sources.

This year will be no exception.

Ji Fa sent out many spies to inquire in the nearby vassal states. Soon, Ji Fa confirmed a piece of news: this year, Chaoge would reduce the amount of grain it sold to the vassal states by 25%, which was great news for Xiqi.

Upon hearing this news, Ji Fa was so excited that he couldn't sleep. He felt that even God was helping him!
A month later, Fei Zhong and You Hun traveled a great distance to Xiqi.

Ji Fa and Jiang Ziya hosted a grand banquet to receive Fei Zhong and You Hun.

After a few rounds of drinks, Fei Zhong asked with a smile, "Lord Xibo, how much grain does Xiqi plan to import this year?"

Ji Fa had already discussed with Jiang Ziya how much grain to purchase, so he said without hesitation, "We in Xiqi are prepared to purchase two billion catties of grain this year."

Upon hearing this, You Hun frowned and asked, "Two billion catties? In previous years it was three billion catties, why did you ask for one billion catties less this year?"

Ji Fa smiled and said, "Thanks to the King's grace, our Xiqi has enjoyed favorable weather this year, and our grain harvest has increased considerably, so we don't need to buy so much."

Fei Zhong and You Hun exchanged a glance, and then Fei Zhong said meaningfully, "Before the king left, he said that the lords could get a discount if they bought more grain, and the price would be higher if they bought less."

"I wonder how much grain costs per pound this year?" Jiang Ziya asked tentatively.

You Hun raised three fingers and said, "Three seashells per jin, you want two billion jin, which is 150 million seashells in total."

Ji Fa and Jiang Ziya's expressions changed drastically upon hearing this. The price of grain that the Shang Dynasty paid to other lords was clearly one and a half shells per pound, so how come it doubled when it came to Xiqi?
Jiang Ziya quickly said, "Lord Fei, Lord You, last year the price of grain was two shells per pound, how come it has doubled this year?"

You Hun said nonchalantly, "Last year the weather was favorable, but this year natural disasters have occurred frequently, so grain prices are naturally higher. Marquis of Xibo, do you still want to buy grain?"

"My lords, could the price be lowered a bit?" Jiang Ziya tried to bargain.

"This is already the lowest price. If it's any cheaper, we two brothers won't be able to explain ourselves." Fei Zhong and You Hun looked indifferent. Whether Xiqi bought it or not was completely irrelevant. Anyway, their Shang Dynasty's grain was of high quality and low price, and they weren't worried about finding buyers.

Jiang Ziya remained calm, but Ji Fa's face darkened, and he said in a gloomy tone, "You're raising prices on the spot, increasing them by 50%. Who can stand that?"

Fei Zhong said nonchalantly, "The harvest varies from year to year, so the price will naturally be different. Whether the Marquis of Xibo buys it or not, we will not keep you company."

Upon hearing this, Ji Fa's face darkened. Only now did he truly understand what Jiang Ziya meant by "with food in hand, there is no worry in one's heart."

We have to buy this grain, otherwise the soldiers that Xiqi just recruited will probably have to be disbanded.

Left with no other choice, Ji Fa could only suppress his anger and, after organizing his thoughts, say, "Three seashells per pound is too expensive. Could you lower the price?"

(End of this chapter)