Half an hour later, Lu Yuan finished bathing and changing clothes, and rested for a while, and then set off to Qianyang Palace.

By the time they arrived, Sun Siwen and the envoys of Chu had been waiting for a long time.

"I've seen the king."

"Foreign minister Su Xun, meet the king of Chu."

When the two saw Lu Yuan coming, they hurriedly saluted.

Lu Yuan walked to the throne and sat down, then looked down, swept over the two of them, focused on the envoy of the Chu State for a while, and then asked, "The envoy of Zhou came to the Chu State, I don't know what it is?" ”

Su Xun looks like a weak Confucian student, handsome and elegant, giving people a feeling of spring breeze.

At this time, after listening to Lu Yuan's questioning, Su Xun replied calmly: "In recent years, our country has been unfortunate and has been robbed by soldiers repeatedly.

Today, food in the country is becoming more and more expensive.

In recent days, the prestige of the state of Chu has been growing, and the country is rich, and it is even more heard from far and near.

My lord heard that Chu has a lot of grain, and in recent years, it has continued to sell grain to neighboring countries and provided a lot of relief.

It was to send foreign ministers to Baling to ask the king of Chu for grain and grass, which has alleviated the grain shortage in the country. ”

"Buying food?"

After hearing Su Xun's intentions, Lu Yuan's eyes flashed slightly, and his eyes couldn't help but look at Sun Siwen, and he glanced at the other party, and his heart suddenly understood.

No wonder this friend said that he couldn't decide the matter, and he had to let himself make up his mind.

In fact, buying grain from the Chu State is also an important military event.

However, in recent years, the state of Chu has continued to sell grain to the outside world, and Lu Yuan has already let go of the affairs of the imperial cabinet and handed it over to Sun Siwen and other ministers.

He himself only paid attention to the results and did not interfere personally.

However, the state of Chu can sell grain to the state of Su and Song, to the three feudal states in the southwest, and even to the two states of Yi in Dali and Nanzhao.

But it can't be sold to Zhou Guo alone.

The reason is also very simple.

Because Lu Yuan had already told Sun Siwen and other ministers' henchmen that the next strategic target of the Chu State would be mainly Hanzhong County of the Zhou State.

It's just that he hasn't found an opportunity now, and the Chu State also needs time to cultivate, so he hasn't done anything to Hanzhong.

Just ask Sun Siwen, who knows the next strategic purpose of the Chu State, how could he sell the grain of the Chu State to the future enemies of the Chu State and help strengthen them?

Therefore, when Zhou came to buy grain, Sun Siwen and other cabinet ministers did not dare to make decisions at all, so they could only ask Lu Yuan, the king of Chu, to make a decision.

Thinking about these things in his heart, Lu Yuan flashed countless thoughts, all kinds of calculations surged through, and finally his eyes flashed, he looked at Su Xun below, and said with a smile: "Since a few years ago, I, Da Chu, have started to sell grain to all countries in the world, and I am doing business for people in the world.

Since Zhou Guo was willing to do business with Chu State, Gu was naturally happy.

I don't know how much food the envoy wants to buy, so I should prepare for it, so as not to disappoint Zhou Guo. ”

Su Xun was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly bowed and said, "The foreign ministers thank the King of Chu for his generosity. King of Chu, this time my Zhou Kingdom is not buying much grain, only 10 million stones. I heard that Da Chu had accumulated 40 million stones of grain, and taking out this amount of grain was more than enough, and it would not embarrass the king. ”

After the hegemony of the Chu State, some countries in the world were surprised by the large population of the Chu State, some were surprised by the strength of the soldiers and horses of the Chu State, some were surprised by the breadth of the territory of the Chu State, and naturally some people were surprised by the prosperity of the money and grain of the Chu State.

Among them, Zhou Guo paid the most attention to the last.

As the war has gradually become more expensive in the country, they urgently need to buy grain and grass from outside to make up for the shortage in the country.

But to the north of the Zhou State, is the enemy of the Wei State.

To the east, it is the Liang State that wants to go west at any time and annex the two counties of Henan and Nanyang of the Zhou State.

To the west is the Xiliang country, which is small and barren, and is also short of food.

None of the above three can be sold to Zhou Guo's grain.

So looking around, there is only the state of Chu that has grain and is willing to sell it to the outside world.

Therefore, when the news spread that there were 40 million stone of grain stored in the state of Chu, the monarchs and ministers of the Zhou State who heard the news quickly made a decision after deliberation.

Send envoys to the state of Chu to buy grain.

In addition, he also took this opportunity to buy grain to take the opportunity to test the Chu State and see if this newly rising southern power had any disagreement with the Zhou State?

At this time, the Zhou State was already surrounded by enemies on three sides, and if the Chu State joined in again and plotted against the Zhou State, it would definitely be disastrous news.

Especially in the southern border of the Zhou State, most of the garrison of Hanzhong County has been withdrawn, leaving only 50,000 soldiers to garrison, and the defense can be described as extremely empty.

At this time, if the Chu State sent troops north, with the strength of the Zhou State, it would definitely be impossible to resist.

The entire Hanzhong County is afraid that it will be thrown away.

Therefore, in order to avoid this from happening, it is necessary to test the state of Chu at this time in the name of buying grain.

If the State of Chu really plotted against the State of Zhou, then taking advantage of this opportunity, it would never sell grain to the State of Zhou to finance the enemy.

If this is the case, then this time the envoy will go back, Su Xun must play the Son of Heaven and let the country strengthen the defense of Hanzhong in preparation for the attack of Chu.

And it would be better if the state of Chu had no ill will towards the state of Zhou.

With this 10 million stone of grain, if you save a little, it can be enough to supply the millions of troops on the front line, which can greatly relieve the pressure on grain and grass in the country.

The people in the southwest, after several years of continuous invasion, have long been exhausted, suffering heavy casualties, and greatly reduced in strength.

According to the estimation of many virtuous ministers in the court of the Zhou State, in two years at most, those people will not be able to support it and will be completely defeated.

At that time, the Zhou state will be able to defeat those people in one fell swoop, and then sweep southward and attack the snowfield.

Although Zhou Guo was not very interested in the barren land of the snow field.

But just as in the past few years, the State of Chu has also sent troops to attack the snow field and set up a river valley county.

In some places with dense rivers and lakes on the snow field, it is still more suitable for reclamation and cultivation, and if it can be occupied, there is no problem in setting up three or five counties.

Moreover, there are a lot of fertile pastures in the snow field, and after occupying it, Zhou Guo can also have countless good horse breeding land, which is also a great benefit.

With these two major benefits, it is enough to make Zhou Guo's heart move.

Therefore, even though the war with the Snow Plains was extremely difficult, over the years, Zhou Guo had gritted his teeth and held on, without the slightest idea of backing down and seeking peace.

Even not long ago, those people from the Snow Plains sent people to sue for peace, but Zhou Guo directly refused and did not agree to the other party's conditions at all.

There are so many hardships ahead, and they have all survived.

At this time, seeing that he was about to obtain the fruits of victory, how could Zhou Guo just give up and not fight?

As long as you can grab the above two major benefits as you wish, then in the past few years, the losses suffered by the Zhou State due to the war will be able to make up for it in an instant.

It's not even just to make up for it, if you can really expand the three or five counties, obtain countless excellent horse farms, and subdue millions of people for your own use, the national strength of the Zhou State can skyrocket by half, and instantly approach the Liang State that has unified Qingzhou.

Such a big benefit is in front of you, victory is coming, and even if Zhou Guo smashes the pot and sells iron, he will fight this war.

However, the shortage of food in Zhou is also a reality.

For this war, in order to cope with the pressure from three sides, including the people, the Zhou State has mobilized more than two million soldiers and horses all year round, and it has long been exhausted.

Close to the country's savings and production, it is no longer able to sustain such a large army.

Therefore, in order to sustain the war, we can only turn to the outside world.

This is Su Xun's mission to come to Chu this time.

It is a matter of the rise and fall of the country, and no matter what the cost, he will do his best to promote it.

Fortunately, looking at the meaning of the King of Chu, it seems that he is not hostile to the Zhou State, which is a great thing. It seems that this mission can be fully accomplished. ’

Su Xun thought about many things in his heart, and couldn't help but be slightly excited.

However, the major affairs of the country must not be careless.

Although he saw that the attitude of the King of Chu seemed to be very friendly, he was not careless, but still observed and tested cautiously, and did not really take it lightly.

After this trial, after confrontation, the two sides finally reached a consensus.

Lu Yuan looked at Su Xun, who had negotiated with him below, and said with a smile: "I, Da Chu, sold a thousand stone of grain to Zhou Guo at a price of six wen per catty of rice. The delivery date is set in March, and the location is on the border between the two countries, and the transaction is completed after you and I exchange money and grain. What did the messenger think? ”

Su Xun saluted respectfully and said: "The foreign minister has no objection, so he will act according to what the king of Chu said." ”

Lu Yuan laughed: "Then it will be decided in the end." ”

At this point, a preliminary consensus has been reached on this grain transaction, which amounted to 10 million stones.

There are some specific details left, and the ministers of the DPRK and the central government and the Zhou delegation are further contacted, and there is no need to worry about Lu Yuan, the king of Chu.

The goal was achieved, and Su Xun also took advantage of the situation to retire.

However, Sun Siwen continued to stay.

After the others left, the friend looked at Lu Yuan and said with a little worry: "King, I have decided to plan Hanzhong in the next step. Now the king sold tens of millions of stone grain to the Zhou State, and the Zhou people got this grain, and immediately solved the food shortage, so they did not have to be trapped by military needs.

At that time, the Zhou people will have enough food and clothing, and we will want to attack them, but it will not be so easy. ”

Lu Yuan glanced at Sun Siwen, sighed and said, "Lonely, I don't know that this move is an enemy." But the people of Zhou are here, and the purchase of grain is bright, and the temptation is dark.

After my Great Chu claimed to dominate the countries, who in the surrounding countries was not afraid of me?

Now the Zhou State is the enemy on three sides, and the beacons are everywhere, only the south bordering our Chu State, which is good at security and tranquility.

Under such circumstances, how could the Zhou people not be afraid of me.

I am worried that I will make peace with him on the surface, but secretly I will accumulate armor and prepare to attack him.

Therefore, if you don't sell grain today, I am afraid that the news of the Zhou envoy will be sent back to the Zhou State overnight, so that the country can take precautions.

At that time, the people of Zhou will be vigilant, and then send strong troops into Hanzhong, and if our Chu State wants to attack it, it will be ten or a hundred times more difficult than now.

The situation is like this, but what a problem! How! ”

Over the years since Lu Yuan's debut, he has experienced many battles and calculations, and now the martial arts and immortals are all great achievements, and under the transformation of his body and mind several times, he is not much sharper than ordinary people.

Before, Su Xun thought that he was hiding it well, but he could talk to him several times, and when he observed his expression, Lu Yuan had already seen through the details.

It is precisely because of this that Lu Yuan also agreed to sell grain.

After listening to his analysis, Sun Siwen sighed, and said with a little unwillingness: "Is there no other way to do things in Hanzhong?" ”

The seizure of Hanzhong, the expansion of territory, and the improvement of the northwestern defense of Chu State at the same time were major events related to the fortunes of the country.

If Hanzhong is not taken, then the two counties of Xichuan and Xiangyang in Chu will always be threatened by Hanzhong at all times.

At that time, a large number of troops and horses will be dragged in the two counties, and it will be difficult for the Chu State to draw more strength to use it in other directions.

This is related to the national fortune of the Chu State, and Sun Siwen is naturally unwilling, so he falls short.

However, Lu Yuan was not so pessimistic about this.

Looking at his friend's expression, he couldn't help but smile and said, "The matter in Hanzhong is not in a hurry. At this time, even if he sold grain to Zhou Guo, he still had a lot to do. I can't say that I can't take this opportunity to sell grain, but I can get a lot of chances of winning for the attack on Hanzhong......"

Attacking Hanzhong was a strategy that Lu Yuan had already set, and naturally it was impossible to give up easily.

Especially now, he has refined Qingyunzi, and with a replacement character who succeeded Huang Xuan and invaded the southwest, he is even more determined.

At present, selling grain to the Zhou State is certainly a move by the enemy.

But then the opportunity to sell grain, in fact, the Chu State could also take the opportunity to transfer troops from all over the country, and mix the soldiers and horses of the conquest of China in the team transporting grain, and unconsciously conceal the ears and eyes of the Zhou people, and transport the soldiers and horses to the border of Zhou and Chu.

At that time, it is not impossible to take advantage of the grain and grass trade to directly launch a large army and capture Hanzhong in one fell swoop.

And if this battle can be completed, not only will the grain originally sold to the Zhou people return to the hands of the Chu State, and the silver that the Zhou people originally used to buy grain will also become the spoils of the Chu State, further enriching the treasury of the Chu State.

This so-called best of both worlds, killing two birds with one stone, is a great good thing.

Of course, if you want to do this, how to mix the soldiers and horses with the grain transporters during the period, how to hide from the eyes and ears of the Zhou people, and how to make the Zhou people relax their vigilance and not temporarily station a large number of soldiers and horses in Hanzhong during the grain trade......

All of the above are things that need to be considered and resolved.

Lu Yuan only thought of this trick temporarily, whether this plan could be implemented or not, and what the effect would be after using it, he was not very sure.

Any strategy has the right time, place and people to assist it, and it takes time.

He hasn't seen this opportunity yet.

"However, even if the Zhou people have been prepared in Hanzhong in the end, the last grain, and the silver used by the Zhou people to buy food, will not escape from the hands of my Chu State in the end, this is certain."

Lu Yuan told Sun Siwen about his plan, and then said with a smile: "As for whether Hanzhong can be defeated in the end, it is just a matter of relying on their strength, setting up a battle, and winning or winning." ”

In the words, a sense of confidence and heroism came to his face.

The state of Chu is now a hegemonic country, and it can mobilize millions of soldiers, which is enough to compete with any country in the world.

In this attack on Zhou Guohanzhong, the use of stratagem is just to make the loss of war smaller.

This is not to say that the state of Chu cannot defeat the state of Zhou except for stratagem.

Even if this plan was discovered by Zhou Guo, it was a big deal that Lu Yuan personally raised 300,000 male soldiers and went north to Hanzhong to compete with them.

Since his debut, he has fought more than 100 battles, cut four of his ancestors, destroyed one country, served three countries, broke more than one million enemies, and expanded tens of thousands of miles.

Even the Zhou State who was planning at this time was just a defeated subordinate in the past.

In the face of such an enemy, even though the other party is powerful, it would be an exaggeration to say that Lu Yuan is afraid.

Really.

Hearing Lu Yuan say this, infected by this arrogance, some of Sun Siwen's original worries also dissipated a lot.

Finally, he smiled and said, "What the king said is very true. For the way of the country, although the strange soldier is possible, the right way is also indispensable. If the final plan really can't be effective, it's just a dignified battle, and the battlefield is just a victory.

The hegemony of our Chu State has been newly established, and the countries have a lot of doubts, and they really need a frontal battle to promote force to all countries in the world and clarify the hegemony. ”

The rise of a new overlord is always accompanied by the fall or defeat of the old one.

Chu State is now the newly rising overlord, but this is just a hegemon, whether there is this overlord strength or not, the people of the world still have a lot of doubts.

After all, the state of Chu has made great achievements, but the ones it has dealt with before are also some small countries such as Hanzhong and Xichuan.

Even if it is the Southwest Zhuyi Kingdom, it is just a barbarian.

Defeating these countries can only prove that Chu has some strength, but it can't prove that Chu can really compete with other hegemons.

Therefore, in order to prove this, it is necessary to find a country of overlords, fight with the other party, and then defeat it.

Looking around, those who meet this requirement are actually only the three kingdoms of Zhou, Liang and Ning.

However, among the three kingdoms, Liang and Ning did not have much war at this time, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses could be mobilized at any time to fight.

The state of Chu was against them, and there was not much chance of victory.

But Zhou Guo is different.

Now that the Zhou State is at war on three sides, most of the domestic soldiers and horses have been pinned. At this time, the state of Chu was against it, and the soldiers and horses that the other party could draw out would not exceed 300,000 at most, and the soldiers would not exceed 100,000.

On the contrary, on the side of the Chu State, Lu Yuan could mobilize 300,000 standing soldiers, and counting the people, the army of 500,000 or 600,000 was just waiting for leisure.

In terms of troops, Lu Yuan has an absolute advantage.

And in terms of congenital masters, with him and Huang Xuanzai, even if all the innate talents of Zhou Guo are together, they are by no means the opponents of the two of them.

Not to mention the rest of the worries about money and food.

The treasury of the State of Chu is full, and the State of Zhou is already facing a food shortage, and if this battle really starts, the other party will definitely not be able to consume him.

Troops, masters, money and food, the three major advantages of the conquest are in hand, if this can't win against the Zhou State, Lu Yuan will be in vain for these decades of conquest, and directly find a piece of tofu and kill him.

The only thing worrying about this battle is how much losses there will be and how much will be gained.

But regardless of the losses and gains, stepping on the face of the Zhou State and helping the Chu State to sit in the position of the overlord is already a national policy that is beyond doubt.

Lu Yuan and Sun Siwen are clear about this.

When the strategy of attacking Hanzhong was decided, he had already figured this out, and he would not have any doubts.

At this time, a heart-to-heart talk between the monarch and the minister is just to clarify this point.

After relieving the confusion in his heart, Sun Siwen no longer had any doubts, and with Lu Yuan's approval, he led the ministers of the DPRK and China to further discuss the transaction with the envoys of Zhou.

Meanwhile.

The dispatch and transportation of grain and grass in various places, and the mixing of soldiers, horses and civilians in various departments, also moved with the times.

A war about the conquest of the Zhou State was quietly going on under the cover of the grain trade on the surface......