Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

"Third, the Yuezhi funded the construction of trade routes to the Central Plains to facilitate the transportation of goods, reduce the transportation costs between the two countries, and facilitate large-scale trade."

"As long as they sign these three agreements, it won't be long before the Yuezhi will become His Majesty's possession."

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials in the hall exchanged bewildered glances.

They couldn't understand how these mere three agreements could affect the fate of a country.

Zheng Jie raised her delicate eyebrows, unable to understand the logic behind it.

After a moment of silence, she couldn't help but ask, "I can understand your request for supplies, but why can opening up a small free trade area affect the rise and fall of a country?"

Bai Su said with a smile, "Your Majesty may not know this, but the reality of free trade is that the strong get stronger and the weak get weaker."

"The only goods that Yuezhi can sell to my Central Plains are wine, exotic melons, and foreign goods. For the vast and resource-rich Central Plains, they are just something to try."

"Even without these, it wouldn't be a big deal for us. After all, we have the clear Chu wine, the spicy Zhao wine, and the mellow and delicious Qi wine to substitute for them. We also have apricots, peaches, oranges, dates, and other fruits to substitute for them."

"But the silk and cloth of my Central Plains are unique commodities in the world. In this day and age, what is the most profitable business? Of course, it is... monopolized things are the most profitable, because we can set the price."

"Once the Yuezhi nobles experience the smooth and delicate beauty of Central Plains silk, they will no longer want to wear the rough hemp clothes they used to wear. They will take pride in wearing silk. At that time, the wealth accumulated by the Yuezhi over the decades will flow into our Central Plains through trade."

"Our national treasury will become increasingly full, while they will become increasingly poor and weak. Whether in terms of economy, culture, or military, they will become increasingly dependent on the Central Plains and will have no chance of rising again."

"Your Majesty can use the money earned from trade with the Yuezhi to govern the Central Plains, allow the people to recuperate, and strengthen the nation."

"When the Yuezhi have completely taken on Your Majesty's form, it will be as easy as Your Majesty to send troops along the trade routes they built themselves to bring this weakened Yuezhi into the territory of the Central Plains."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Zhengjie's phoenix eyes.

Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she said, "But the Yuezhi people aren't fools. Once they realize that their wealth is flowing out of the country, wouldn't they try to ban the wearing of silk?"

Bai Su smiled mysteriously: "Even if they knew, they would be powerless to stop it."

Zheng Jie was taken aback: "Why?"

Bai Su smiled slightly and said, "If someone who eats coarse food and drinks porridge every day suddenly eats tender stewed meat for a whole month, can you expect him to completely forget the taste of meat and continue drinking porridge?"

The ministers in the hall exchanged glances and nodded approvingly.

Wang Jian's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clap and cheer for Bai Su.

Since ancient times, it has been easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Throughout history, countless powerful nations have declined due to the extravagant and unrestrained enjoyment of everyone from top to bottom. Once the trend of hedonism spreads and takes hold, it cannot be stopped by the will of just one or two people.

Moreover, the Great Xia could also send troops to use forceful means to compel the Yuezhi Kingdom to continue opening up free trade.

Even without the Empress Dowager taking any action, the Yuezhi Kingdom itself would be thrown into chaos due to a lack of funds for disaster relief, leading to widespread refugee uprisings and constant rebellions.

When the time comes, the Empress Dowager can raise the royal flag and, under the pretext of helping the Yuezhi royal family quell the rebellion, send troops to the Yuezhi Kingdom. As for why the Central Plains army doesn't leave after the rebellion is quelled.

Ahem, of course it's to protect our friendly nations, don't overthink it.

Bai Su cupped his hands and continued, "If Your Majesty can bring the Yuezhi into the territory of the Central Plains, it will be equivalent to opening the door to the Western Regions. We can use the Yuezhi Kingdom as a starting point to prepare for future advances into the Western Regions."

A hint of a smile flickered in Zheng Jie's phoenix eyes as she looked directly at Bai Su below, finding her pleasing to the eye no matter how she looked at her.

She smiled and said, "You always manage to surprise me. I originally wanted to fight the Xiongnu, but you took advantage of the Xiongnu threat to scheme against the Yuezhi as well."

Bai Su smiled slightly: "As Your Majesty's subject, it is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens. After all... I am thinking of fulfilling my promise to Your Majesty one day."

"promise?"

Zhengjie was stunned for a moment, then remembered the promise she made to Bai Su in the bedchamber that if he could be on par with her, she would grant his wish.

Looking down at Bai Su's unwavering gaze, her heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that Bai Su will one day achieve the same level of merit as me?

Impossible. Even if they destroy the Yuezhi Kingdom in the future, their reputation will never catch up with mine.

But if one day I really do it, then I'll... I'll cut off his crotch and see if he still has any improper thoughts about me, his mother-in-law, after he has his own daughter.

A blush rose on Zhengjie's elegant and noble face. She clenched her teeth and looked down at Bai Su with a somewhat embarrassed and annoyed expression.

Because she was wearing a jade crown and the hanging beaded curtain obscured her face, her expression was not clearly visible.

Bai Su looked puzzled. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt a strange chill in her groin and couldn't help but shiver.

Is it just an illusion?

Chapter Seventy-One: The Sacrificial Princess

The meeting dispersed.

Bai Su stood in front of the main hall, looking at the scroll in her hand, and scratched her head in distress: "What a blunder."

He originally just wanted to clock in and slack off before leaving get off work, but he was unexpectedly tripped up by someone and, under everyone's watchful eyes, had no choice but to bite the bullet and offer some advice to Sister Zheng.

Unexpectedly, Zhengjie was very satisfied with his plan, so she entrusted him with the task of negotiating with the Yuezhi princess and asked him to negotiate those three conditions.

"I did a great job, but I'm forced to work overtime. Is there no justice in this world?" Bai Su looked up at the distant sky and couldn't help but complain.

"Young Master Bai, don't pretend to be innocent after getting the benefit."

Wang Jian walked out of the main hall and couldn't help but laugh, "This is a great opportunity to make a name for yourself. If it were anyone else, they would be overjoyed. But you, you've got a great job with a title and honors, yet you still have such a long face."

Bai Su sighed helplessly: "Compared to a high-ranking official position, I would rather have a leisurely job where I can drink tea and slack off every day."

Wang Jian chuckled and said, "Listen to this, is this how you speak? Have you forgotten how much His Majesty valued you just now?"

"Do you value him/her..."

Bai Su recalled that when he had just left court, Zheng Jie praised him by saying, "A thousand sheepskins are not as valuable as a fox's armpit."

This saying comes from the Biography of Lord Shang, meaning that a thousand sheepskins are not as valuable as a single fox fur coat.

This phrase describes how one talented person is far superior to a thousand mediocre ones, expressing the speaker's high regard for such a person.

But when Bai Su looked at Zheng Jie, she saw a hint of embarrassment and annoyance in her eyes.

I feel like she was just trying to say, "If you keep being so provocative, I'll skin you alive."

Looking at Bai Su's strange expression, Bai Su asked with some doubt, "Young Master Bai, how do you plan to negotiate with that Yuezhi princess?"

Bai Su pondered for a moment and said, "No rush, let's go back and get some sleep first."

Wang Jian was stunned for a moment: "Sleep...sleep, are you serious, young master?"

In the past, which minister who received an order didn't rush to carry out the government affairs? How could anyone be like him, going back to sleep first and not taking the government orders seriously?

Bai Su smiled mysteriously and said, "Negotiation is different from military campaigns. On the battlefield, speed is of the essence, the faster the better."

"And the key to this negotiation is that whoever can figure out the other party's bottom line first and make the other party anxious and flustered will gain greater benefits."

Wang Jian understood Bai Su's meaning and tentatively asked, "Has the young master figured out the bottom line of the Yuezhi princess?"

Bai Su nodded and said with a smile, "That's right. I've already figured out her strength, so I don't need to do anything. I just need to go back and sleep peacefully, pretending that I don't want to form an alliance. The longer I can hold out, the more I can earn."

Wang Jian asked with a puzzled expression, "Why are you so sure, young master, that they won't leave?"

Bai Su gazed into the distance with a deep look in her eyes and said in a low voice, "Because they had no choice."

After all, Wang Jian, being from the Central Plains, was unfamiliar with the situation of the Yuezhi beyond the Great Wall. But how could someone well-versed in history not know?

The Yuezhi occupied the Hexi Corridor and had an army of 70,000 to 80,000, which was a considerable force. However, compared with the Xiongnu, they were still far inferior.

In addition, given the long-standing blood feud between the two sides, if they did not want to be retaliated against by the Xiongnu, or abandon the land they had lived on for generations and wander around, they had no other choice but to seek help from the Central Plains.

Now that we know the Yuezhi's bottom line from the beginning, we just need to wait for them to come to us and beg for our help.

When the time comes, we'll double the conditions we have, make exorbitant demands, and ask for as much as we can.

After all, those few words in the treaty represent tax revenue for the next six months or several years.

.......

......

Meanwhile, at a post station in Xianyang City.

The environment here is beautiful. The maple trees in the courtyard have fiery red leaves that fall with the wind, creating ripples on the surface of the pond.

A young girl dressed in exotic clothing sat on the edge of the corridor, her slender white feet swaying gently in the water. The unique silver ornaments on her head jingled softly, making a melodious and charming sound as they clattered together.

The girl's delicate face possessed a wild beauty. She looked at Yu'er in the water, so carefree, but her slender eyebrows were furrowed, as if she were deep in thought.

It was Princess Xiao Li of the Yuezhi.

"Princess, I'm back."

At this moment, a Yitian guard ran in, covered in sweat.

"How is it? Has His Majesty the First Emperor agreed to send troops?" Xiao Li snapped out of her daze, hurriedly stood up, and asked anxiously.

When she arrived in the Central Plains, the Xiongnu had already begun to mobilize troops on a large scale, showing signs of taking action against the Yuezhi Kingdom.

The plan was to appeal to the First Emperor's emotions and reason, explaining the pros and cons, so that the First Emperor would send troops to aid the Yuezhi and jointly launch a northern expedition against the Xiongnu.

But she had been staying in Xianyang for almost half a month, yet the First Emperor still showed no sign of sending troops, which made her increasingly anxious.

After all, the longer it drags on, the more dangerous the situation will become for the Yuezhi Kingdom.

The guard shook his head with a wry smile: "No, the First Emperor still hasn't sent troops."

Xiao Li looked blank and said, "How could this be?"

The guard sighed and said, "Through my connections, I learned that the First Emperor was preparing to send troops, but at the crucial moment, he was dissuaded by a man named Bai Su."

Xiao Li was stunned, and asked incredulously, "Who is this Bai Su, and how can he influence the First Emperor's decisions?"

The guard frowned and said, "I don't know the specifics, but I've heard that he is a great talent from the common people. The First Emperor specially dispatched the Imperial Guard to welcome him from Handan City, and he has won the First Emperor's deep trust."

"Although this person does not hold a high official position, he has the ability to influence the national policy of the Great Xia Dynasty. If we want the First Emperor to send troops, we must start with this person."

Xiao Li frowned and said, "How can we get him to advise the First Emperor to send troops to rescue our Yuezhi? How about bribing him with money?"

The guard shook his head with a wry smile: "I'm afraid that won't work. We've spent almost all our travel expenses bribing officials in the Great Xia and gathering information along the way. Besides, this person enjoys the First Emperor's deep trust, so how could he be short of money?"

Xiao Li then thought, "Does our delegation have any other gifts that we could use to bribe officials?"

The guard sighed softly, "We have already presented the First Emperor with all the fine wine, treasures, and Ferghana horses we brought. We have nothing else of value to offer."

"How...how could this be? Are we Yuezhi destined to perish at the hands of the Xiongnu?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she staggered and slumped down on it.