I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Lu Yuan placed the wine glass on the table and uttered only one word.

"money!"

Lu Cangqiong's eye twitched. "I asked you what you'd feed the wolves, and you told me money?"

"To be precise, it's about letting them know that as long as they live in harmony with Dayong, they can make money."

Lu Yuan walked to the front of the map and lightly traced the border areas of Beiliang, Ningguo, and Xiqiang with his finger.

"Those cities that were handed over have been written into the official documents, but the cities we have are just more territory. What's truly valuable is turning these cities into border markets."

Lu Cangqiong frowned.

"Go on."

"Refined salt, spirits, cement, and iron farm implements that we can mass-produce can all be exported."

"The Northern Liang traded warhorses, cattle, sheep, and furs; the Western Qiang traded copper and iron; Ningguo traded grain if it had grain, and silver if it didn't."

"Those who do honest business will be given more goods. Anyone who dares to bring troops will have their border market sealed off, and not a single pound of salt will be given to them."

Lu Cangqiong understood half of it, but his expression was still somewhat uneasy.

"If you sell them the good stuff, aren't you just enriching the enemy nation?"

"Father, cement can be used to build walls, salt can be used to cure meat, and strong liquor can knock them out, but these things can't just magically grow muskets, can they?"

Lu Yuan grinned, "The armory guards are even more strict about things that can't be sold than my wife."

"Besides, they spend ten taels of silver to buy things from us, and we make at least three or four taels profit. When war really breaks out, I will use the silver they have sent over the years to make muskets, and the copper and iron they have sent to cast weapons."

"What's this called?"

Lu Cangqiong glared at him.

Stop keeping me in suspense.

"This is what they call paying us to fight themselves."

Zhou Fu couldn't help but smile slightly.

After Lu Cangqiong realized what was happening, he pointed at Lu Yuan and then cursed after a long while.

"You're really cunning, aren't you?"

"I'm doing this to save the country's money."

"Get lost."

Lu Cangqiong cursed under his breath, but the smile in his eyes was no longer concealed.

Lu Yuan casually tapped the map a few more times.

"And there's one more crucial point."

"Now all countries want to buy things from Dayong, and no one wants to buy less."

"The amount of goods to be delivered in the future will depend on who has a good relationship with Dayong."

"If a country wants to turn against us, the neighboring countries will not only not help it, but may even be happy to see it get its share of the spoils."

After looking at the map for a while, Lu Cangqiong finally felt relieved.

What he fears most is that several countries will attack at the same time.

However, Lu Yuan's move was not about giving money to anyone at all.

It means making the benefits public.

Whoever attacks Dayong will be the first to lose their source of wealth.

Those nearby, seeing the vacant business, will only scramble to grab it even faster.

A wolf is a wolf.

As long as the meat is flavorful enough, they won't huddle together.

"The handover of the thirteen cities needs to be expedited."

Lu Cangqiong immediately grasped the main problem.

"Without the city in our hands, the border market is just empty talk."

"right."

Lu Yuan nodded and said, "Once my uncle finishes training the musket team, he can take the official letter to take over the city. If anyone dares to refuse to hand over the city, we will start a war."

Lu Cangqiong sneered.

"Both countries' credentials are stamped with their national seals; how dare they renege?"

"People always forget their own worth when they have something in their hands."

Lu Yuan sat back down.

"Perfect timing. After the border issue is resolved, I'll go there myself. We'll take over the cities that needed to be taken over, and open the border towns that needed to be opened."

"When we throw this piece of meat away, we need to eat our fill first."

Lu Cangqiong nodded in satisfaction.

He increasingly felt that making the ninth prince the crown prince was the wisest thing he had done in recent years.

Besides being sarcastic.

Besides being lecherous.

Except sometimes he gets so angry that he wants to grab a stick and hit him.

Other places do indeed resemble myself.

Thinking of this, Lu Cangqiong felt much better.

"Zhou Fu".

"This old servant is here."

"Summon the officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Court of State Ceremonial to draft a plan according to the Crown Prince's wishes."

Lu Yuan quickly waved his hand, "Don't make it too complicated."

"There are only three roads in the border town."

"First, goods will be clearly priced. Second, the imperial court will only collect taxes once; anyone who dares to set up a checkpoint will be arrested on the spot. Third, if any country causes trouble, its trade routes will be immediately suspended."

"The more words you write, the more loopholes you can exploit below."

Lu Cangqiong then asked, "What if they resell the goods privately? If Beiliang buys salt and then sells it to countries that have turned against us, wouldn't that be the same thing?"

"Then let them sell it."

Lu Yuan didn't care at all.

"With each price increase, the price goes up. After changing hands two or three times, ordinary people can't afford it, and the military can't rely on this kind of product for long."

"And whoever fails the most, their share will be reduced in the second batch."

"Businessmen are the best at calculating. They've discovered that following the rules leads to long-term profits, so naturally, someone will keep an eye on those who secretly break the rules for us."

Lu Cangqiong finally understood completely.

In the past, the Dayong dynasty relied on its army to keep an eye on others to defend the border.

Lu Yuan's move was to make other people's businessmen keep an eye on others.

Because if someone ruins the deal, everyone will earn less money.

Lu Cangqiong was taken aback, then nodded.

Do as he says.

As soon as Zhou Fugang agreed, a young eunuch hurriedly entered from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from Northern Liang has arrived in the capital and is awaiting your orders outside the palace gates."

Lu Cangqiong and Lu Yuan looked over at the same time.

They arrived quickly.

Lu Yuan asked, "Who's leading the team?"

The young eunuch bowed and replied, "He Zhanghuai is the only son of He Cang, the Grand General of Northern Liang."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

He knew that name all too well.

When Liang San Niang negotiated terms with him, she specifically mentioned this person.

He joined the army at the age of sixteen and fought alongside his father for three years, earning a great reputation among the younger generation in Northern Liang.

Most importantly, this guy has always wanted to marry Liang San Niang.

Lu Yuan once said that if he dared to bring troops to seize people, he would keep him to raise horses.

I didn't expect it to actually come.

Lu Cangqiong was clearly unaware of this connection.

"The son of a great general dares to represent Northern Liang to see me?"

"Father, this person is quite something."

陆渊笑得有些欠揍，「算半个情敌。」

Lu Cangqiong was stunned for a moment.

"What the hell?"

Zhou Fu turned his face away.

The Crown Prince's popularity with women is beyond description.

With 100,000 troops from the Northern Liang pressing in, a love rival still manages to emerge from the crowd.

Just as Lu Cangqiong was about to ask further questions, another announcement came from outside the hall.

Liang San Niang was summoned to the palace.

After she entered, she first greeted Lu Cangqiong. Upon learning that she was to write a letter home to Bei Liang, she did not hesitate.

"I can write it."

"But if my uncle really brought 100,000 men, he might not retreat with just a letter from home."

Lu Yuan glanced at her.

"How about adding He Zhanghuai as well?"

Liang San Niang's expression paused for a moment.

very short.

But it did not escape Lu Yuan's eyes.

"He's here?"

"It's right outside the palace."

Liang San Niang remained silent for a moment.

She didn't dislike He Zhanghuai.

When they were young, their families had a history of interaction, and the other family had indeed protected her on several occasions.

Just because I don't dislike someone doesn't mean I want to marry them.

Especially now, she has chosen her own path.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Lu Yuan felt a strange pang of sadness.

"What's wrong? You can't bear to see me?"

Liang San Niang glared at him.

"If you keep being sarcastic, I'll use you as a test subject for my knife."

Lu Yuan immediately felt relieved.

It still tastes the same.

Just then, a message came from the direction of the palace gate.

The Northern Liang envoy refused to go to the post station first.

He Zhanghuai had only one request.

The young eunuch who delivered the message knelt at the palace gate.

He said…

"By order of the Southern King, I request an audience with the Third Princess."

"To bring the Third Princess back to the country."