Qi Guo is now paying tribute to both the Wei State and the Jin State every year, and the pressure on the treasury is huge. Due to the low latitude of Qiguo, it belongs to the tropics and sub-hot season, so the rice is harvested twice a year, and before the battle of the West Sea, it is okay to have a good weather, but no one can stand such a tribute year after year.

Now that the Central Plains is in drought, if the Qi State borrows grain from the Liang State for disaster relief, it is difficult to guarantee that the Jin State will not blackmail.

And it is completely possible to blackmail the country first, and use the grain and grass of the country to lend the country of Liang, and the country of Liang, as the country of the Son of Heaven, will do some bad things that pay lip service but are not beneficial.

If the country borrows grain, at most it will give some gold and silver, and canonize a false name. If this false name falls on the head of a small country, it is a disaster, and if it falls on the head of a big country, it is a title of justifiable emperor, and there are great political benefits.

So it's not that Bailiyan doesn't want to borrow, but she can't borrow, not to mention that she can't be the master. Liang Guo is close to Qiguo, what Ximen Hua can think of, Liang Guo should have thought of it a long time ago, I am afraid that the envoy has already gone to Qiguo, and it is difficult to say if he can't borrow it.

Thinking of this, Bai Liyan can't say anything, if she breaks Ximen Yunfang, she may not be able to know the stakes, she is just a fifteen-year-old girl. Although it is already possible to talk about marriage at the age of fifteen, politics is too deeply involved and will kill people.

"Miss Yunfang, since Bo Yuanjun has come to borrow grain, he must be about to arrive in Pingtang Capital, as for the matter of borrowing grain from Qiguo, can this matter be discussed in detail with the Ximen Academy."

"Then why don't you go with me to the library now?"

"Can you wait until tomorrow?"

"That being the case, well. Yan Gongzi must go to the appointment tomorrow, and this girl will leave today. ”

Bailiyan sent Ximen Yunfang back, and He Kuan followed on the way back to the backyard:

"Childe, you still need to think twice about borrowing grain from the country."

"This matter is known to the prince, He Bo quickly went to ask Zhang Qi to come over, borrowing grain is a matter of great importance, and I don't know if this drought will be delayed until this winter and early Ming Dynasty, if it continues until next year, I am afraid that it will be a war."

In the agrarian era, natural disasters are always the main cause of wars and civil strife, especially in the era of low productivity, and food is everything.

At present, there is a large-scale drought in the entire Central Plains, only the five countries of the West Sea west of the Central Plains are in good weather, if the Jin State rises an army, or the Zhi State starts a war for the land, the Wei State located in the West Sea may also attack the East to fight the Xu State and the Sun State, and the result is a chaotic war.

Therefore, food is no longer just a matter of starvation, but is likely to determine the strategic direction of the entire nation in the next five years.

Not long after sending He Kuan to invite Zhang Qi, Zhang Qi decided to go to Proton Mansion at night, so as not to make mistakes during the day.

So that night, in the library of Proton Mansion, Zhang Qi was sitting in front of Bailiyan, and said about borrowing grain:

"Your Highness thinks this grain can be borrowed."

"My son thinks that it can't be borrowed, and now I have to pay tribute to the Wei State and the Jin State every year, which is unprecedented in the Central Plains, and the national strength is very small. Moreover, my father was quite secretive because his son was plundered and pledged in the Jin Kingdom, and he was angry with my uncle. It can be seen that my father no longer likes me, so if my son cultivates a book with his father, he will be scolded by his father, and this is only one of them.

Second, Liang Guokou is not beneficial, except for rewarding some false names, it is not beneficial to my country, why should the country be struggling to live and lend grain to Liang State, second. ”

Third, the Central Plains was affected by the disaster, but the eldest grandson country was alone, and the Liang country was next to the eldest grandson, so it should borrow grain from the eldest grandson, but it was not strange to seek the near and far.

Bai Liyan analyzed thoroughly, Zhang Qi was deeply concerned, he said:

"I never thought that His Highness's insight is so clear, and the minister is very pleased." Zhang Qi sighed with emotion, and then said: "What His Royal Highness said can be said to be subtle, this time the Central Plains is the only eldest grandson who has not suffered from the drought, but the Liang State has borrowed grain from the Jin State, presumably the eldest grandson does not want to borrow it." If this is the case, I am afraid that the ambition of the eldest grandson country is not small. ”

Bai Liyan agreed:

"Indeed, when the queen is a nobleman of the eldest grandson country today, it should be very easy to borrow grain, and there must be an inside story that we do not know. Secondly, the Changsun Kingdom is surrounded by the sea on three sides, the Sun Kingdom in the south, the Xian Kingdom in the east, and the Liang Kingdom in the west. If the four kingdoms of Jin, Xian, Zhi, and Sun set off sword soldiers, and the eldest grandson hit any prince in the back, it would be very dangerous. Liang Guodu does not borrow grain from his eldest grandson, which is intriguing. ”

Although Zhang Qi is only a foreign envoy, he is over sixty years old, and he is indeed a loyal person.

This time I asked him to discuss the matter of borrowing grain, and it was Zhang Qi's diplomatic experience that was valued. As soon as he said this, Baili Yan was really worried, it was very possible for Changsun Guo to fall into the well one day in the future.

So the next day, Bailiyan fulfilled the promise and went to Tongwen Yuan, and at the same time he was not ready to borrow food, but he took a package in his hand.

Follow the bookmaker to the backyard, the sound of Lang Lang book lingers in the ear, look at the eyes to see Ximen Yunfang's father, Ximen Xun is teaching, see Baili Yan coming, Ximen Xun put down the book and came to the face:

"When the prince came, Simon missed the welcome, and hoped that the prince would forgive his sins."

"Mr. Simon is polite, but he is bothering." Bai Liyan raised her hand to return the salute, looked around and didn't see Ximen Yunfang, and then asked, "I don't know if Miss Yunfang is here." ”

"Uh...... Yun Fang was invited to go to the outside of the city with Gongzi Chang to worship the sky, so his father was not there. ”

Due to the severity of the drought, so serious that the king of Jin had to brave the scorching sun and go outside the city to worship heaven and earth and pray for rain. However, it was too undeserved for Ji Chang to pull Ximen Yunfang away.

That is, three years ago, Ji Chang finished his training in the army, was ordered to return to the court, and served as an idle post in the forbidden army in the palace. He is twenty-two years old this year, and he married a doctor's daughter as the original wife, but he just can't forget Ximen Yunfang.

Especially Ximen Yunfang is also out of place, although she is only fifteen, but the majority of the girls who came out of the cabinet in the first fifteen years of this year.

Hearing Ximen Xun say this, Bailiyan remained silent:

"I see, at the invitation of Miss Simon, my son came to discuss with Mr. Simon about borrowing grain."

"That's the case, Childe, please."

Ximen Xun invited Bailiyan into the inner house, and then poured a cup of cold water for Bailiyan:

"Yesterday, the little girl went to the prince's mansion to talk about borrowing grain, and Simon felt ashamed. If it weren't for the fear that Uncle Xiangguo wanted to be unfavorable to the prince, it would have been rude for Simon to visit in person. ”

"Mr. Simon is serious, if Mr. Simon came in person yesterday, I am afraid that it will not be borrowed food."

"Oh, what does Your Highness mean?"

"Since my son became a hostage, he has fallen out of favor with his father and belittled my uncle. If I mention borrowing grain, I am afraid that my father will spurn it, and some villains will slander and denounce my son for not being sympathetic to the national strength. Moreover, the sea route of Liang State is very close to Qi State, and Liang State should send envoys as soon as possible, if he has already borrowed grain and grass, how can he send Bo Yuanjun to come to Jin State to borrow grain. If I study with my father again, I am afraid that the situation of my son will not be good. ”

"This ...... What Gongzi said is very reasonable, but the rice harvest of Liang State is poor, and the grain and grass of Jin State are difficult to arrive in a short time, and it is not even known whether to borrow or not. ”

"This is exactly what this son is here for today."

As the words fell, Bailiyan took out the package, which contained the rhizome of the plant.

"Mr. Simon, this is a fern root, and Liang is rich in fern roots, but the fern roots are bitter and cold, so the people of all countries rarely eat them. Mr. Simon is a native of Liang and knows about this thing. ”

"Shhh...... So what? ”

Ximen Xun was puzzled, and Bai Liyan continued:

"The fern root is edible and full of food, and it is all over the Liang country, but no one eats it, because of its bitter taste is very heavy and cold defeats the fire, so it can be used in medicine."

"Indeed, what does Your Highness mean?"

"This fern root can be chopped and ground finely first, and then brewed with water to precipitate, the precipitated brown powder can be used for food, and the bitterness is low, suitable for eating. Or it can be steamed directly, but it has a strong bitter taste. Just ask the people to gather fern roots, and they can cook them in this way to satisfy their hunger. ”

Fern root contains starch and is not eaten by many people because of its bitter taste. However, if it is minced and diluted with water, a very considerable amount of starch can be extracted, and then dried or fished out is fern root powder, which can satisfy hunger.

Liang Guo, Changsun, Xianguo is located in the tropics, subtropics, is the production of fern root plants, theoretically in the case of ecological integrity, the wild fern roots should still be very much, and fern roots relative to rice, the water requirements are not high, can be planted appropriately, to avoid the impact of drought.

Despite the low yield, it is not a big problem to survive this year's famine.

In order to dispel Ximen Xun's concerns, Bailiyan personally demonstrated, chopped and ground two catties of fern roots on the spot, grinded them with a small stone and brewed them with water, and soon the starch sank to the bottom of the water, and then drained the water, and the rest was white and brown starch, and then pinched into gnocchi and dried, steamed or boiled in a pot, and the gnocchi or noodle soup made of fern root powder was made, sprinkled with a little salt, and you could satisfy your hunger.

"Mr. Simon, look, this is fern root powder, sprinkle a little salt to satisfy your hunger."

Bailiyan handed over the dough to Ximen Xun to taste, and the taste was very unique.

"Well, this method is very good, how did Your Highness find this method."

This method is simple to say, not worth mentioning. In addition to this, wild crops can also be used to satisfy hunger, as long as they follow this law. ”

Bailiyan took out a white cloth, and there was a list on the white cloth, about a dozen kinds of starch-rich wild crops, all of which could satisfy hunger. Although it has not yet developed to the point of eating Guanyin soil and gnawing tree bark, once a war breaks out, it is difficult to say that it will not become a man-made disaster under a natural disaster.

Most of these natural disasters are man-made disasters, and it is always right to prevent them before they happen.

After explaining the matter of borrowing grain to Ximen Xun, Bailiyan left quietly. Ximen Xun was sent outside the gate, watching Baili Yan's back disappear into the market, and when he was young, he was thoughtful in his heart, and said secretly:

"This son has now become a great talent, and he has such insight at a young age, I am afraid that he will become a climate in the future!"

Although Bailiyan did not lend food to Ximen Xun, it was far more convenient to get food other than food other than cash food, and more importantly, it was politically safe.

As the saying goes, "the husband is not guilty, but he is guilty", which is like a poor man with a golden job in his hand, walking on the street and swaggering through the market, waiting to be blackmailed, no matter how good the thing is, it will not be yours in the end.

If the Liang State gets grain, put a high hat on you, and then the other princes come to ask for grain, whether to give it or not to give it when the time comes.

If you don't give it, you just give you face, you don't want it. If it is given, the country is small, not only is it not enough for other countries to stuff their teeth, but they also have to tighten their belts. Rather than taking chestnuts from the fire, Bailiyan's method is a good strategy.

So not long after Bailiyan left, Ximen Xun sent people out of the city and visited the city and the surrounding mountains and forests to investigate whether the list provided by Bailiyan had edible value.

At the same time, the Jin King ended his worship outside the city, and he was not in a hurry to return to the palace, but set up the Xiangguo Mansion.