Sheng Chi ignored Zhang Tinghan’s words and instead looked at Kong Yi, saying, “The combined number of boats from our families isn’t large. These are reserved for our survival—how can we trade them away?”
Kong Yi sighed. “What if Ge Feng is willing to exchange them for grain or other useful goods?”
Sheng He chimed in, “That’s right, that’s right. Ge Feng’s weapons are formidable. They have a type of repeating crossbow that can shoot multiple arrows in succession, with tremendous power.”
“They’ve been invincible in battle. Such weapons must have played a huge role. I think it’s worth negotiating.”
Huo Chun’s eyes lit up. “If they’re willing to trade those repeating crossbows, then it’s worth considering. Besides, the docks are under our control. In the future, things will be decided on our terms anyway.”
His implication was that even if they gave the boats to Ge Feng, Ge Feng had no dock or place to moor them—they’d have to use Zé’ā Commandery’s docks. Then, they could easily find an excuse to break the contract.
Kong Yi glanced at him, inwardly scoffing. After dealing with Princess Jinyang so many times, Huo Chun still hadn’t learned his lesson.
He couldn’t help but remind them, “I suggest that if we truly cooperate, we should prioritize good faith. Princess Jinyang is no ordinary figure.”
He wasn’t speaking up for Jiang Jin, but genuinely believed it was unwise to offend such a formidable neighbor.. With foreign tribes eyeing them covetously, the best course for Zé’ā Commandery and Ge Feng was cooperation against mutual enemies.
Huo Chun looked at Kong Yi but said nothing.
Sheng Chi lowered his gaze and finally decided, “Let Ge Feng come negotiate. We’ll see what they can offer. If they truly bring the repeating crossbows, giving them one or two boats isn’t out of the question.”
On another front, Lu You of Daqing Commandery also received a letter from Jiang Jin.
He was full of doubt. “Ge Feng’s Jinyang Army?”
His strategist, Li Zan, furrowed his brows in confusion. “Jinyang Army? Why have I never heard of it?”
Over the past year or so, Daqing had been besieged by the Jiao tribe, struggling to cope and having lost three counties in succession. Naturally, they had little attention to spare for the shifting situation in other prefectures and commanderies.
The military officer Jin Feng frowned deeply. “Isn’t Feng Province reduced to just the noble families of Zé’ā Commandery? When did a second Han Chinese power emerge?”
Lu You turned to the reporting soldier. “Is the messenger still here?”
The soldier quickly replied, “Yes.”
Qingming was soon brought in. Looking at the assembly in the hall, he bowed without arrogance or humility. “Greetings, General of the Left.”
Lu You sized him up. “You come from Ge Feng?”
Qingming smiled. “Where I come from isn’t important. What matters is whether you’re willing to sell your military vessels.”
Wutou Mountain was a liaison point for Lin County and several surrounding counties. It had carrier pigeons, making communication with Ge Feng quite convenient.
Without knowing whether Daqing Commandery had any interest in a deal, Jiang Jin naturally wouldn’t send someone from Ge Feng all the way to Daqing. After all, in times of war, it wasn’t just a matter of distance—there were countless unpredictable dangers.
So she had Qingming, being closer, first test the waters. If they showed interest, she would send someone to negotiate details later.
Lu You didn’t want to waste time either and got straight to the point. “We do have ships. But what do you have to trade with us?”
Qingming smiled and said, “Something more important than grain.”
Lu You was genuinely curious. “More important than grain? For example?”
“For example, high-yield crop seeds,” Qingming said clearly.
Lu You was startled. “High-yield crop seeds?”
Jin Feng’s eyes lit up slightly. “How high-yield?”
This year, there had been a severe drought—a great drought—that had reduced grain harvests to suffocating levels.
What they needed most now was grain. If there were truly high-yield seeds, that would be a huge temptation.
Qingming held up one finger.
Lu You and the others were puzzled. What did one finger mean?
A hundred catties wouldn’t be considered high-yield, and a thousand catties were impossible, so they couldn’t immediately grasp Qingming’s meaning.
Just as they were thinking this, Qingming’s voice struck like thunder: “Ten thousand catties per mu!”
Everyone in the hall stared at Qingming in shock, as if looking at a madman.
Jin Feng cupped his ear. “What did you say?”
Another military officer, Zeng Tong, exclaimed, “How could there be crop seeds yielding ten thousand catties per mu?”
Qingming didn’t feel like a madman at all. He straightened his chest. “Cabbage and radishes yielding ten thousand catties per mu. Not only are they high-yield, but their growth cycle is just over a month.”
“While they can’t be stored for years like rice or wheat, if dried into preserved vegetables, their storage time becomes considerable.”
“Besides, with such high yields and short growth times, these vegetables can easily solve everyday hunger issues.”
But Lu You and the others were now somewhat disappointed.
Jin Feng sneered. “We won’t even mention your so-called radishes—we’ve never heard of them. But as for cabbages, it’s not as if we don’t have them. What’s the point of telling such lies?”
Qingming shook his head. “Ours are optimised elite seeds. As for whether they can reach this yield?”
He looked at the group and smiled. “If you’re interested in this deal, Ge Feng will send someone to negotiate with you. At that time, we will prove the yield ourselves.”
“However,” he shifted his tone, “of your twelve large military vessels, how many are still intact?”
Lu You was startled. “How do you know we have twelve large military vessels?”
Qingming smiled but said nothing.
Zhou Sui, as the Grand General of the Yan Kingdom, was well aware of the number of ships stationed at Daqing Commandery, one of the Yan Kingdom’s only three naval bases.
Lu You was unsettled and exchanged a glance with Li Zan before his expression turned serious. “May I ask to whom Ge Feng’s Jinyang Army owes its allegiance?”
Qingming shook his head. “You’ll know in time.”
Lu You frowned, realizing that pressing further wouldn’t yield answers.
He then said to Qingming, “How about we discuss this first?”
Qingming nodded and followed a servant to the guest quarters.
Li Zan stared at Qingming’s retreating back for a long while before suggesting, “I think it’s worth negotiating.”
Jin Feng frowned. “The military vessels are our lifeline, reserved for retreating to Sizhou. How can we just—”
He shared the same mindset as Zé’ā Commandery: the ships were for escape, a last resort to sail to Sizhou.
Li Zan shook his head. “You don’t understand my point. If we can hold out fighting in Daqing, high-yield crop seeds would mean a lot to us, greatly easing our grain problem.”
“If we can’t hold out and retreat to Sizhou, these seeds could serve as a tribute to the Great Prince, earning his favor—far better than going empty-handed.”
Who would willingly depend on others if they could hold their own territory?
But if it came to that, they would have no choice but to retreat.
When Dingyang fell, they hadn’t gone to its aid, showing they had no intention of dying for the kingdom. Similarly, they had no plans to hold their ground to the death.
Likewise, by not rescuing Dingyang during its fall, their reputation had undoubtedly soured. The Great Prince in Sizhou would likely view them unfavorably.
If they couldn’t offer Sizhou any support, who knows whether the Great Prince would even accept them.
Lu You’s expression was unreadable. “I recall that the Northeastern Army was wiped out by Qu Zhao. How exactly did the Jinyang Army retake Ge Feng from Qu Zhao?”
