When night fell, the lights in the vertical arch hall were bright, and Zhao Laoer, who had solved the problem of military power, did not pursue Wen Qihang's belated arrival. But he didn't pay attention to the meaning of Wen Qihang, just sat behind the case, kept looking through the chapters, and sketched them with a red pen from time to time.

"I don't know what is important for Your Majesty to summon Weichen here?" After receiving Wang Jien's signal, Wen Qihang had no choice but to speak first to ask.

Zhao Lao Er said in a light tone: "I have just seen the performance of the household department, and now the price of folk cattle is still high. Didn't Wen Qing promise me in his bag last time that as long as the cattle and horses were transported back from the Uighurs, the price of cattle would fall? ”

"This matter is a mistake on the part of Wechen." Hearing Qihang's accusation, he explained: "It's just that Weichen really didn't expect that even if the world has been in turmoil for decades, the people's wealth is still so abundant. Cattle and horses worth millions of dollars can be sold out in a day.

Your Majesty, please condemn you. ”

Zhao Lao Er put down the music in his hand and couldn't help but sigh lightly: "Not only Wen Qing never thought that even I would never expect that the people's wealth would be so abundant. It's just that it's still the winter solstice, and it's time for spring plowing in the coming year, and if the price of cattle is still the same, it will inevitably affect the cultivation of the fields in the coming year.

Now is not the time to hold the whole body accountable.

I don't know if Wen Qing has a good plan to completely solve the cattle price matter. ”

Wen Qihang suggested: "Back to Your Majesty, Wechen has reached an agreement with the Four Seas Dart Company to ask him to return to the Uighurs again. This winter is bitterly cold, and the Uighurs must have been ill-prepared, and the mass killing of cattle and horses was foreseeable. If His Majesty allows a small amount of iron to be exchanged for cattle and horses, a large number of cattle and horses will certainly be exchanged.

Solving the problem of ploughing cattle is not a problem. ”

Zhao Lao Er said in a deep voice: "No matter what dynasty it is, iron has always been a forbidden item. Wen Qing's move is no different from the enemy! ”

"Your Majesty." Wen Qihang hugged his fists and said: "In Weichen's view, iron tools and weapons are two different concepts. We can exchange the barbarians for the cattle and horses that our dynasty urgently needs with iron pots, shovels, iron kettles, and other civilian necessities.

For our dynasty, cattle and horses are the most urgently needed military supplies, and this is the greatest reliance we can rely on to maintain our superiority over the barbarian cavalry. And the iron tools we bought for the barbarians, even if they want to make weapons, they must go through the process of recasting, and the barbarians' technical means in this regard are very backward, even if they melt and recast the iron tools into weapons, their lethality will be far inferior to the weapons cast by our dynasty.

Wechen thinks that we will far surpass the barbarians in military strength. ”

Zhao Lao Er closed his eyes and pondered, his fingers tapped a few times on the case, and then said: "What Wen Qing said is not unreasonable, but if you can exchange other things for cattle and horses, of course, it is best not to use iron weapons, wouldn't this not only increase the strength of our dynasty, but also greatly weaken the strength of the barbarians." ”

"........" is speechless when he hears Qihang, the best of both worlds, who doesn't want to. But the barbarians are really not that stupid. Ping Sihai, the guy who traveled south and north was considered to have seen the world, but in the end, he still fell into the way of the barbarians.

Wen Qihang said helplessly in his heart: "Weichen dares to ask Your Majesty whether you want to do a one-shot deal or a long-term deal in exchange for cattle and horses with the Uighurs." ”

"If this matter can form a national policy, it will naturally be excellent." Cavalry can be said to be the most powerful type of troops in the era of cold weapons, and Zhao Lao Er naturally hopes that this matter can be done for a long time.

"Your Majesty, this deal is a win-win situation, if only one party will always benefit. No matter what kind of business it is, it can't be done. This time we can take advantage of the Uighurs' lack of preparation and make a fortune, but next time they will never do business with us again.

However, iron is a necessity of life anyway, and since it cannot be obtained from legal channels, the only way is through robbery.

In fact, this is not an inter-market, and it is also an important reason for the endless troubles in the past dynasties. Although we call the Uighurs and the Liao barbarians, they are also flesh-and-blood people like us.

Since it is human, there will be people's inferior nature, greedy for life and afraid of death, this is the normal condition of human beings.

If you can get what you need, who would be willing to put your life on the line for an iron kettle. ”

Zhao Lao Er pondered: "Although it is possible to reduce border troubles in this way, it also invisibly increases the strength of the barbarians. ”

"Your Majesty's words are very true. But in Wechen's view, the key to the strength of a country lies in those in power. There are many such precedents in history, in the pre-Qin period, the Qin people lived in the border wilderness, but after several generations of struggle, they finally unified Kyushu. And even the Zhou Dynasty period, which even the saints missed, was finally disintegrated because the royal family was unpopular.

Therefore, Your Majesty, no matter what we do, as long as the superior of the barbarians is a promising monarch, their prosperity can be expected. On the other hand, if their superior is just a mediocre person, even if they increase some strength because of this, maybe it will become a precursor to their demise. ”

"Oh, what do you mean?" Zhao Lao Er wondered.

"Li Shimin, the first emperor of the former Tang Dynasty, once said: The king is the boat, the people are the water, the people can carry the boat, and they can also overturn the boat. It can be seen that the power of the people should not be underestimated. If we only trade iron weapons with the barbarian people, those barbarian rulers may strengthen themselves and forcibly take these iron weapons from their people.

In the long run, the people's hearts will turn against each other, and even if they are strong for a while, they will eventually have only one way to perish. ”

"........" Those who win the hearts of the people win the world, even if Zhao Lao Er doesn't understand this sentence, he also knows what kind of fate those unpopular dynasties in history are. Dynasties such as the Qin and Sui dynasties died in a short period of time because they lost everyone's support.

Seeing that Zhao Lao Er was pondering, Wen Qihang continued to increase: "Your Majesty, if we still use tea, pottery and other items to trade with the Uighurs this time, I am afraid that this will be the last transaction. Leaving aside whether the Uighur people will continue to trade with us, I am afraid that their superiors will strictly order us to continue trading, for this will only increase the strength of our dynasty and will not benefit them in any way. ”

"........" Wen Qihang said that the sky was falling, but Zhao Lao Er was still hesitant. Because he always felt that these words were a reflection of him.

"Your Majesty, the art of war is cloudy: if you want to take it, you must give it first!"

Zhao Lao Er clenched his fists and said, "Since Wen Qing has this confidence, I will agree to this matter." It's just that the cattle and horse transactions after that must be handed over to the imperial court for processing. What does Wen Qing think? ”

"Your Majesty."

Such a profitable business is a one-time transaction, but anyway, it has already earned millions of yuan, and it is already very content to smell the sail.

Zhao Lao Er was relieved: "This is not my intention to take away your business, after all, this matter has already involved weapons. If it remains in private hands. Wen Qing is afraid that he will be impeached by the officials! ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." This damn Zhao Lao Er is obviously red-eyed, taking away his own business, and he has to come out to be a good person.

Zhao Lao Er got up and walked down from above, patted Wen Qihang's shoulder and said, "It's good that Wen Qing can understand my difficulties." ”

"Your Majesty is serious. If His Majesty is fine, Weichen will retire first. Now that it's getting late, Your Majesty should take care of the dragon's body and rest early, so Weichen won't bother. "Intuition told Wen Qihang that Zhao Lao Er was looking for him, definitely not because of the cow, now that the topic has been diverted, it is better to stop it as soon as possible.

"Actually, this time I summoned Wenqing to come, it wasn't for the sake of cultivating cattle, but I didn't expect it, but on the contrary, it made me gain a lot of money." Zhao Lao Er said with a smile.

"I don't know what else Your Majesty wants to find Weichen?" Even if Zhao Lao Er mentioned it, he was helpless when he heard Qihang, so he had to ask.

Zhao Lao Er said sadly: "Don't hide it from Wenqing, since the beginning of winter, the body of the Queen Mother has been sick. The imperial doctor in the palace has been diagnosed and treated several times, but he has never improved. Some imperial doctors even asserted that the Queen Mother only had a limit of half a year at most........

But in the past few days, the Queen Mother has eaten the meal sent by Wen Qing, but her complexion has improved slightly. In addition, Wen Qing recuperated Zhao'er's body before, which was also quite effective.

I don't know what Wen Qing's plan is for the Queen Mother's condition? ”

"........" himself is just a fake doctor at all, and the only thing he knows is some popular medical knowledge in later generations, although he is much more clever than the current doctors, but it is definitely not to the extent of life and death. In half a year, this old lady Du will travel westward by crane, what else can she do.

"Wen Qing has any difficulties, but it doesn't matter, as long as I can do it, I can agree to Wen Qing." Zhao Lao Er also knows that so many doctors can't cure stubborn diseases, even if they smell Qihang, they may not be cured, but now Wen Qihang is the only lifeline. After all, the guy who can give a cure for sores and malaria is always better than others.

"Your Majesty's words are serious, if Weichen can help the Queen Mother's condition, it is naturally his duty. But Weichen is just a half-baked doctor. The queen mother's condition, now even the imperial doctors are helpless, and Weichen is afraid that he is powerless. Wen Qihang smiled bitterly.

Zhao Lao Er frowned and said unhappily: "Wen Qing, you are too prevaricated, right?" You haven't treated the Queen Mother now, so you say you can't do anything. Let's not talk about the queen mother's sake, dragging the sick body for your family, and busy for you. Even if you don't appreciate it, you don't have to say no, right? ”

"........" is serious, and he is hated by the emperor, can he still have a good life in the future! Wen Qihang said helplessly: "Since Your Majesty can trust Weichen, although Weichen's medical skills are shallow, Weichen will definitely do his best." ”

"That's great!" Zhao Lao Er Long Yan said with great joy.

(End of chapter)