The troop of cavalry that exited Liyang City was none other than Sun Jian and his troops who had come to welcome Yang Rui into the city. He still held Yang Rui in high regard.
Yang Rui had revealed his identity as soon as he arrived, not only because the Shapeshifting Mask was still on cooldown, but also because Yang Rui felt that there was no need to hide his identity in front of Sun Jian.
After all, back when the warlords had sought Dong Zhuo out, only Yang Rui and Sun Jian had some comradeship. The two of them were also the ones who had caused Dong Zhuo the most trouble, and they had even taken down Luoyang together.
Of course, even if something unexpected were to happen, Yang Rui had a way to escape in an instant.
Yang Rui could use the Thousand Escape Talisman at any time, allowing him to teleport a thousand li away at will. This was enough to ensure his own safety.
As Yang Rui had expected, Sun Jian had indeed personally come to welcome Yang Rui. Moreover, his attitude was extremely courteous, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.
This was Sun Jian's personality. Even though he had been attached to Yuan Shu during the Xuzhou Battle and had overlapping demands with Yang Rui, Sun Jian had long since taken the opportunity to leave the battlefield and had never clashed with Yang Rui.
"Lord Blazing Sun, please!"
Sun Jian welcomed Yang Rui grandly into the inner city of the three prefectures of Liyang City and even offered Yang Rui the seat of honor. It could be said that he held Yang Rui in high regard.
"Brother Man Tai, there's no need for this. The two of us can meet as brothers. Think about it, once Brother Man Tai is firmly seated in the Gangdong, how many warlords in the world can compare to you?"
Of course, Yang Rui wouldn't take the seat of honor. He wasn't Yuan Shu. At most, his official position and power were temporarily greater than Sun Jian's. Moreover, Yang Rui wasn't interested in empty titles.
Originally, Yang Rui had only been courteous. However, when Sun Jian heard Yang Rui's words, he couldn't remain calm. He glanced at Yang Rui with a meaningful look.
At this time, the warlords were focused on the provinces of the Central Plains. Gangdong's land didn't enter the warlords' eyes. Sun Jian hadn't expected Yang Rui to see through his plans so clearly.
Sun Jian's uneasiness only lasted for a moment. At this time, Yang Rui occupied most of Qing Province, Yan Province, and nearly half of Xu Province. The size of the land under his jurisdiction was also one of the few warlords. Naturally, he wouldn't fight with him over Gangdong's land.
At the same time, Yuan Shu didn't have this kind of awareness. His attention was focused on Yu Province of the Central Plains. He also had no small interest in Xu Province and Yan Province. Sun Jian was very clear on this point. He knew that Yuan Shu wouldn't fight over Gangdong's land.
Moreover, the Sun family's power had already opened up in Gangdong. Even if someone came to fight, they might not necessarily be able to gain any advantage.
"Thus, this elder brother will boldly address you as Younger Brother Blazing Sun. I hope you can forgive me for any inadequacies. I don't know why Younger Brother has the time to come to Gangdong's remote land. If there's anything you need, I will do my best to help Younger Brother. "
Sun Jian avoided talking about some topics. He focused on the purpose of Yang Rui's visit and inquired about it.
"Brother Man Tai should have some understanding. Right now, the six provinces in the north are in a state of military prohibition. Therefore, I was able to steal a moment of leisure. I just so happened to hear that Brother Man Tai is mobilizing troops in Gangdong. As a result, I came alone to visit Brother Man Tai.
This time, I came to visit an old friend. The second reason is to tour Gangdong's great scenery. Therefore, I don't need Brother Man Tai to manage. On the contrary, when Brother Man Tai mobilizes troops, if there's anything you need, my several provinces might be able to help you out a bit.
Recently, I heard that Brother Man Tai's horses, pig iron, and the like are somewhat lacking. I wonder if this news is true? "
Of course, Yang Rui didn't come here just to reminisce about the old days. After meeting with Sun Jian, Yang Rui gradually brought the topic into the main topic.
"Younger Brother Blazing Sun is righteous. I really need horses and pig iron at this time. If Younger Brother can provide some, I will be very grateful. The amount of goods can also be discussed …"
When Yang Rui mentioned horses, pig iron, and other strategic materials, Sun Jian's eyes lit up. At the same time, Sun Jian seemed to have guessed the purpose of Yang Rui's visit.
Yang Rui was able to propose the supply of horses and pig iron. Naturally, he had some confidence. Yang Rui had some excess stock of pig iron in his hands for the time being. The horses were obtained because he had just subdued the Wuhuan and Xianbei tribes not long ago.
The Wuhuan and Xianbei Clans raised a lot of horses. After the two clans submitted, these horses naturally belonged to Yang Rui. Yang Rui then moved all these horses to Shrimp Island, where they were raised and bred by the two clans.
After a rough calculation, the number of horses raised by the two tribes was more than 400,000. Almost every Wuhuan and Xianbei family could keep more than one horse! This was also one of the biggest gains of Yang Rui's conquest of the Wuhuan and Xianbei tribes.
After these horses were moved to Shrimp Island to be raised, their group might continue to expand.
From then on, even if Yang Rui no longer captured horses from the small city of Liangzhou or bought horses from the northern merchants, the number of horses for his own use should be enough.
"I wonder how many horses and pig iron Brother Man Tai needs. If it doesn't exceed the limit that I can bear, I will not disappoint Brother Man Tai …"
"Then I will thank Brother in advance. Horses and pig iron will be useful at any time. Naturally, the more the better. I wonder how many can Brother Man Tai take out?"
"…"
Yang Rui and Sun Jian quickly entered the atmosphere of discussing business. Although the two of them were not crafty people, in the business world, naturally asking for sky-high prices and paying the price at the bottom would not be inappropriate. Therefore, the two of them had been testing each other's background from the beginning.
"10000 horses, 1000000 jin of pig iron, 1000000 jin of grain. How about we add 20% to the current price?"
"There isn't much of a problem with pig iron and grain. As for horses, I'm afraid it's a bit too much …"
After the time it took to eat a meal, facing Sun Jian's conditions, Yang Rui immediately muttered to himself.
The number of horses and pig iron that Sun Jian mentioned was indeed not a small number. If these two strategic resources could be kept up, it was believed that the Sun family's plan to unify the Gangdong would be much faster.
As for grain, it was added during the process of Yang Rui and Sun Jian's discussion. Although the Gangdong Land would not be too lacking in grain under normal circumstances, with the continuous natural disasters in the region of the three civilizations, Sun Jian did not have much left.
"If you have the strength to spare, I hope that Brother Man Tai can help me. I will definitely not forget Brother Man Tai's kindness. If Brother Man Tai needs anything, I will do my best to help."
Seeing that Yang Rui was silent for a long time but did not give a definite answer, nor did he immediately deny it, Sun Jian could already tell that Yang Rui might have left behind some conditions, so he took the initiative to ask.
For Sun Jian, if he could successfully obtain this batch of resources, the situation in the Gangdong Land would be almost certain. Naturally, he would not easily miss this opportunity.
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