LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 337
“Ministers, although Minister Li has atoned with his death, the problem with the grain remains unsolved! If we cannot resolve the grain issue, our Great Wu’s situation will be threatened. What solutions do you have?” Great Wu Emperor asked.
The officials looked at each other, none daring to speak first.
Great Wu Emperor called out: “Prime Minister, as the head of all officials, you speak first!”
The Prime Minister, his face dripping with sweat, stood up: “Your Majesty, if Great Wu has no grain, we can only seek it from other countries! However, other countries have also planted Great Xia’s high-yield crops this year, and their situation is the same as ours. I fear they don’t have much grain to spare either.”
Great Wu Emperor was deeply worried: “This is also my concern!”
Their Great Wu Empire occupied one of the most fertile lands in the world, and even their grain production had decreased by eighty percent, so the situation in other countries was likely worse.
Even if they resorted to plundering, they would not be able to recover much grain.
Moreover, with the large population of Great Wu, how much grain would they need to seize to satisfy the needs of their people?
Other countries also lacked sufficient grain, so why would they give it to them?
By that time, a fierce war would inevitably break out, once again weakening their national power and shaking the foundation of their realm.“Alas!” Great Wu Emperor sighed, truly caught in a dilemma.
If they could not overcome this calamity, Great Wu would decline once again.
He could not understand why, since last year, Great Wu had faced one hardship after another?
First, his son died under mysterious circumstances, and now the murderer could not be found.
Then they suffered a demon incident, with the entire country ravaged by that demon.
And now, they faced this crisis of grain.
Each challenge seems harder than the last, sigh!
At that moment, Great Wu Emperor had a sudden inspiration: “That’s right, how was Great Xia’s grain harvest this year?”
The Prime Minister glanced at the Emperor before hesitantly speaking: “Your Majesty, Great Xia has had another bumper harvest this year, reaching XX catties, enough to feed 800 million people!”
Great Wu Emperor’s face turned green in an instant: “How is that possible? How can there be so much?”
The Prime Minister, trembling with fear, said: “Your Majesty, this is the information officially announced by their court, it should be accurate! Their territory has already exceeded 30 million square li, all planted with high-yield rice. Since the beginning of spring, the weather has been favorable, so it’s entirely possible for the harvest to double!”
“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!” Great Wu Emperor roared with rage.
In this world, people don’t fear scarcity but resent inequality!
Planting the same rice, yet others have increased yields while his own decrease!
Their grain is so plentiful it could feed the entire nation for two years, while his own is barely enough for three months!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became!
Great Wu Emperor, green with envy, had bloodshot eyes!
“Damn it! They really should be damned!”
“Great Xia should be damned!”
After venting his anger, Great Wu Emperor finally calmed down, realizing that now was not the time for rash actions.
He addressed his ministers: “Since Great Xia has an abundance of grain, we should ask them for some to solve our food problem!”
“But, we have little to no diplomatic relations with Great Xia; they might not agree!” said the Prime Minister.
“If they don’t agree, can’t we just take it by force?” Great Wu Emperor said.
“But Your Majesty, we cannot afford to offend Great Xia!” the Prime Minister replied anxiously.
“Great Xia, indeed we cannot afford to offend!”
Great Wu Emperor said with dissatisfaction: “Therefore, I plan to use diplomacy first, then military action if necessary. If they are willing to provide us with grain, we can pay a certain price! If they disagree, Great Xia may be strong, but they are not invincible!”
Great Wu Emperor said with a meaningful smile: “The Han and Yuan are also short on grain!”
The ministers nodded thoughtfully.
Subsequently, the Great Wu Empire immediately dispatched envoys to Great Xia, hoping to persuade them to provide some grain.
Although Lin Beifan received the envoys, no matter what they said, he did not agree.
In the end, with no other choice, the envoy from Great Wu threatened: “Your Majesty of Great Xia, I hope you will seriously consider and not act impulsively! When two tigers fight, one is bound to get hurt. If our two nations start a conflict, it would not be good for the world! Since you have an abundance of grain, why not share a little with Great Wu, especially since we are willing to pay a price?”
“You make it sound so light!”
Lin Beifan said with a cold laugh: “No matter how great the price, can it compare to the value of grain? As far as I know, the whole world is short on grain, demand exceeds supply, and the price of grain naturally skyrockets. Can your so-called price make up for that? Moreover, due to the food issue, a great war is bound to break out in the future, so I must protect my own grain.”
“If you are willing to provide grain to Great Wu, we are willing to become allies to face future uncertainties!” said the envoy from Great Wu.
“I am not interested!”
Lin Beifan waved his hand dismissively: “Go back and tell your Emperor, whether you approach with soft words or threats, I am not swayed! Since ascending the throne, I have never felt threatened by anyone!”
Meanwhile, other empires also sent representatives, hoping to get some grain.
But Lin Beifan still refused, standing firm.
“No matter who comes, it’s useless! I am in charge of my grain, and you shouldn’t expect to take even a grain from my pocket!” And so, the envoys from various nations returned in a huff.
Lin Beifan also returned to the harem ‘angrily’, seeking solace with his beloved consorts.
Yaoyao, while eating fruit, said thoughtfully: “I feel like you are deliberately intensifying the conflict!”
Lin Beifan innocently replied: “It was an accident!”
Yaoyao nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes, ‘accidentally on purpose’!”
Lin Beifan: “…”
Yaoyao leaned in closer, excitedly and softly asked: “Tell me honestly, are you up to some mischief? Don’t worry, I can keep a secret, I won’t tell anyone!”
Lin Beifan looked at the delicate face before him and said: “What mischief could I possibly be up to? The most I could do is have designs on you!”
As she spoke, she scooped Yaoyao up in a princess carry.
Yaoyo was in a panic: “Hey, what are you trying to do? Put me down quickly!”
“Let’s talk about it after an hour!”
The two rushed into the palace, causing a big commotion and turning the world upside down.
……
Meanwhile, about a week later, inside the Great Wu imperial palace.
The Great Wu Emperor was shocked: “Did he really say that? No matter what, he refuses to let even a little grain out?”
The envoy replied with a wry smile: “Yes, Your Majesty, this humble servant has exhausted all arguments, even promising 1.5 times the market price, but he still won’t agree! Moreover, representatives from other countries have come with the same result!”
“Not agreeing to anyone, is he not afraid of making enemies with the whole world?” The Great Wu Emperor was even more astonished.
If it were him, he would have let some grain out no matter what.
He could ignore other countries but not the other top-tier Empires.
By doing so, although some grain would be lost, it would be worth it for the peace gained.
Otherwise, if they all joined forces against him, even if he were powerful, he could not withstand them.
Yet, Great Xia had refused them all!
What on earth was the Great Xia Emperor thinking, acting so irrationally?
Could there be some tricks involved?
The Great Wu Emperor thought carefully. Even if there were tricks and deceit, it would be useless.
By acting this way, he had offended all the countries in the world.
How could he possibly stand against the entire world?
Was he not afraid that all the people of the world would unite against him?
The Great Wu Emperor thought for a long time but could not fathom why Lin Beifan was doing this, so he decided not to think about it any longer.
“Since Great Xia is unkind, do not blame me for being unrighteous!”
He sent envoys out once again, but this time not to Great Xia, but to the Great Han, Great Qing, and Great Yuan, the three top-tier Empires, calling for a united front to force Great Xia to yield.
These three Empires had the same intention, so they shamelessly colluded and sent their experts.
At the same time, the military forces of Great Xia’s neighboring kingdom were restless.
***
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