After pondering for a while, he asked, "All the countries seem to be purchasing warhorses from the State of Qi, right? How did they manage to buy them? "
Lan Ruoting slightly waved his hand. "Daoye, that's different. First of all, each country has their own horse farms. Second, there are checks and balances between countries. If the State of Qi keeps all the warhorses to itself, it will bring about the destruction of the country and the other countries will join forces to besiege it. In addition, warhorses are the biggest source of income for the State of Qi and are also the foundation of the State of Qi's national strength. Therefore, the State of Qi will sell a certain amount of warhorses to the other countries every year to ensure that the old and weak warhorses are eliminated. Apart from this, the State of Qi has strict control. As for the quotas that fall into Yan's hands, the court will naturally distribute them to their own people. Why would they give them to us? "
"Oh," Niu Youdao understood. He had wanted to think about how the other countries purchased their warhorses, but now it seemed like he could forget about it.
He looked up at the hanging map. "Is there anything going on around us?"
Lan Ruoting said, "We and Jinzhou rely on each other and maintain a delicate balance. There is nothing going on for the time being. However, our development has caused some uneasiness in the surrounding areas. "
"Why do you say so?" Niu Youdao asked.
Lan Ruoting pointed to the map and explained, "The two counties have implemented the new policies and developed quickly. However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that they are attracting the financial and manpower of the surrounding areas. Once the financial and manpower of the surrounding areas are absorbed, the surrounding areas will naturally be emptied. Jinzhou is already very dissatisfied with us. In order to maintain the balance, we have taken the initiative to block the inflow of resources from Jinzhou to alleviate their dissatisfaction. "
"Jinzhou is still fine. After all, the two counties are located in the hinterland of Nanzhou. Currently, they are absorbing the resources of Nanzhou. This has caused many places in Nanzhou to be empty, causing Zhou Shouxian to panic and the court to be vigilant. I received news from the capital that Zhou Shouxian has already submitted a memorial to the court, asking for funds to imitate our model to compete. "
Niu Youdao frowned. "Isn't this troublesome? How can the two counties compete with the entire Nanzhou? "
"Otherwise!" Lan Ruoting waved his hand and smiled. "Zhou Shouxian has no other choice. He's just doing this to protect himself so that he can answer to the Imperial Court in the future. In fact, Zhou Shouxian himself knows that Nanzhou has no way of replicating our model, and the Imperial Court will not allocate funds to him. "
Niu Youdao was puzzled. "Why?"
"The reason is very simple. Once the Imperial Court allocates money, the cultivation sects behind Nanzhou will certainly extend their hands. How much of it can really be used on Nanzhou? The other thing is that once Southern State repeats our model, they will be absorbing the resources of the other states. Will the other states agree? The siege of the Imperial Court would probably make Zhou Shouxian unable to bear the consequences. In addition, the other prefectures were also reaching out to the Imperial Court. If that was the case, how could they be so biased if they gave the Southern Province and not the other prefectures? There are too many constraints within the Imperial Court, so it is impossible for the Imperial Court to allocate funds to Nanzhou. "
"If the Imperial Court doesn't allocate funds, it is impossible for Nanzhou to implement our tax reduction model. Without taxes, the cultivation sects behind them will lose their source of income. Those sects will not agree, and Zhou Shouxian will not be able to withstand the pressure. If he insists, I'm afraid he will step down from his position as Prefecture Overseer in a few days. He might even lose his life."
"To repeat our model, certain conditions must be met. Let's not talk about anything else, but the environment must allow it. The location of our two counties is mutually dependent with the State of Zhao and the Jinzhou. The Imperial Court will not dare to touch us lightly, for a single move could blow things up. That's why we have room for development. There aren't many feudal vassals that can meet these conditions. Northern State occupied by Shao Dengyun is one of them. Northern State borrowed the power of Han and Yan to balance each other and offset the threat. That's how they were able to breathe in the middle. "
"Nowadays, Northern State's development model is similar to ours. This Shao Dengyun is not simple. I couldn't tell when he was by King Ning's side in the early years."
At the mention of Northern State, Niu Youdao couldn't help but glance at him. It seemed that they had also noticed Northern State. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. What Shao Dengyun was not simple? It was Shao Dengyun's son, Shao Pingbo!
Shang Chaozong stared at the map with bright eyes. "There must be a bottom line. Once the bottom line that the Imperial Court can tolerate is crossed, the Imperial Court will inevitably sacrifice their interests and let the other countries restrain the State of Zhao and then launch an attack on us. Therefore, military force must catch up as soon as possible. Only when the Imperial Court is strong enough to make the Imperial Court unable to bear the losses it will bring will the Imperial Court not dare to act rashly. Cavalry is very important. Otherwise, once the Imperial Court attacks, the army won't be able to outrun four legs. When they are done fighting, our reinforcements are still on the way. We can't fight this war. "
Niu Youdao frowned. After going one round, the problem returned to the warhorses.
He finally understood why the Heavenly Jade Society was willing to pay for the warhorses. Firstly, they had money on hand. Secondly, the Heavenly Jade Society must have felt the imminent threat. When the Imperial Court asked the Heavenly Jade Society to procure the warhorses, they must have mentioned this problem.
Similarly, this imminent problem also made Niu Youdao feel threatened. Once Shang Chaozong was defeated, he would lose the environment to cultivate in peace.
He would no longer be able to cultivate in peace. Niu Youdao silently returned with a bellyful of thoughts …
Northern State, Provincial Governor's Mansion.
Shao Pingbo had already moved out of Lingbo Manor. After Lady Ruan and her son died, he moved back to the Provincial Governor's Mansion.
Firstly, it was more convenient to handle military and political affairs. Secondly, it was safer to gather the guards from both sides.
Ever since Niu Youdao caused a ruckus here, the defense had been strengthened.
And after Shao Pingbo, who was free to handle military and political affairs, the situation in Northern State changed dramatically. This made the Great Zen Mountain feel refreshed.
The Great Zen Mountain saw Shao Pingbo's ability and understood what Shao Pingbo meant to the Great Zen Mountain. They had already increased the protection measures for Shao Pingbo to the same level as Shao Dengyun.
"Eldest Young Master, Lady Su is here."
Shao Sansheng entered the study and reported.
Shao Pingbo put down his brush. "Invite her in!"
Not long after, Su Zhao, who was wearing a black cloak, entered. She lifted her hood, revealing a radiant and charming face.
"I made you run around again. Thank you for your hard work. Cough, cough … "Shao Pingbo stood up and laughed. Then, he clenched his fist and coughed.
Su Zhao looked at him and saw that this handsome Eldest Young Master looked a little haggard. There were a few strands of silver hair on his temples. Then, she saw him coughing as if he was sick. It made her heart ache. She couldn't help but frown. "Why are you still coughing? I told you long ago that your heart and lungs are injured. It's not good for you to work. I told you not to waste your energy and rest for a while. It's not too late to talk about other things when your body is better. If you continue like this, no matter how good the elixir is, it won't be able to withstand your self-harm! "
Then, she suddenly turned to look at Shao Sansheng and scolded him angrily, "What are you doing as a butler? Don't you know how to take care of people?"
Shao Sansheng lowered his head and muttered in his heart, "What can I do? Eldest Young Master is so busy that he doesn't even have time to sleep."
"It's none of his business." Shao Pingbo waved his hand. "With the current situation in Northern State, time waits for no man. It's really hard to get rid of him."
Su Zhao glared at him. "Will Northern State not be able to function without you? It's not that I want to criticize you, but no matter how capable a person is, how much can he do? When it's time to let go, you have to learn how to use people. Otherwise, if you continue like this, you will die of exhaustion sooner or later! You can't always compare yourself with others. Who doesn't have flaws? Make use of people's strengths. Don't always think that this can't be done or that can't be done … "
Shao Pingbo sighed and said, "I know what you're saying, but it's not like you don't know the situation in Northern State. Yan is regarded as a traitor, Han is regarded as a conspiracy, and my reputation has been ruined by that Niu Youdao. In addition, I'm sandwiched between two strong countries, and no one thinks highly of me. How can there be any capable people who will come to invest in me? There are too few people who can be used in government affairs. I can only recruit some knowledgeable people to train in the hope that I can pick out some of them who can take up a role.
Su Zhao really didn't know what to say to him. She just felt sorry for him when she saw him like this.
"Let's not talk about this. I know what I'm doing. Let's get down to business. " Shao Pingbo waved his hand and invited him to sit. After tea was served, he said, "The current situation in Northern State has already made Han and Yan uneasy. We must increase our deterrent force so that the two countries don't dare to act rashly. Otherwise, the two countries will join forces to deal with us sooner or later, and my efforts will be ruined. Northern State is in urgent need of warhorses. How are things on your side? "
Su Zhao said, "There are gains, but there are also troubles. The gains are that I should be able to gather fifty thousand warhorses for you through the connections I've made over the years …"
"Good!" Shao Pingbo's spirit was lifted. He slapped the armrest of the chair hard. "Fifty thousand will be enough!"
Su Zhao shook his head. "Don't be too happy too early. Sending fifty thousand warhorses out of Qi shouldn't be a problem. The problem is that it's a long journey and passing through other countries. Which country can let such a large amount of strategic military supplies pass by without envious? I've considered using the method of ants moving, but it's such a long distance from Qi to Northern State. You can't let the horses run non-stop. It'll take at least a few months to get there. It's not a few hundred, but tens of thousands of warhorses. They can't even move in groups to avoid attracting attention. How much manpower, material, and financial resources will it take? This is a huge problem. "
"I've already prepared for this. Take a look." Shao Pingbo stood up and walked in front of a map. When Su Zhao came closer, he pointed at the map and said, "It's not practical to send tens of thousands of warhorses at once, but it can be sent in batches. You see, instead of going by land, they'll go by sea. They'll use boats to transport them by sea. They'll go from the north of Qi to the north of Han, then go down this river and reach the border between Northern State and Han. Naturally, they'll be sent to me. "
Su Zhao frowned. "Han isn't blind. How can they let so many boats cross the river without searching?"
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