Jiang Jin smiled. "Not bad, but not much."
She crouched down and began drawing in the sand. "Use iron pillars at these key load-bearing points, reinforce them with large wooden piles here and here, and expand this triangular area to dock more ships."
Wang Liang and the others listened intently, nodding occasionally. For the first time, they realized that their Lord seemed to know a great deal.
While they were building the island, Dong Si finally arrived at Denggao County, the capital county of Daqing Prefecture, some distance from the New Song Dock.
Lu You looked at the fair-skinned, youthful Dong Si, then glanced at Shuangjiang, who was like a child, his heart feeling complicated.
Both of them were so young and inexperienced it seemed almost absurd, but being sent to negotiate proved they were far from ordinary.
With a gentle expression, he said, "So you must be Ambassador Dong. I've long admired your reputation."
Dong Si waved a hand dismissively. "Those are just empty titles, hardly worth mentioning."
He smiled and continued, "Everyone has seen our high-yield seeds. We planted a lot this year, and the actual yield can reach ten thousand catties per acre. If you follow our methods, you can achieve the same."
Lu You looked troubled. "But as you can see, we don't have many ships. Could we trade salt for your seeds instead?"
Li Zan stroked his beard. "Exactly. People can't survive without salt. Salt is as important as grain. Trading salt for your seeds is perfectly reasonable."
Dong Si glanced at him, neither confirming nor denying the subtle shift in argument. "Of course, salt is indeed important. However, I'm sorry to say, we have plenty of salt."
He looked around the room. "We came here in good faith. If you're not interested, we don't have to discuss this deal."
"As you can see, we have our own ships. We don't necessarily need yours. But tell me—do you have such high-yield seeds?"
Seeing the tension in the room, Jin Feng stepped in with a smile. "Of course, we also come in good faith. But we need to negotiate properly, don't we?"
Dong Si nodded. "We only want ships—because we don't lack anything else."
He placed three bags of seeds on the table and fixed his gaze on Lu You. "These are not ordinary seeds. These are seeds that yield a thousand or even ten thousand catties per acre."
"With them, you can save countless lives. I don't need to explain that to you. So these aren't just seeds—they're human lives."
"Ships are merely inanimate objects. Trading your lifeless things for lives—frankly, we're at a disadvantage."
Li Zan pressed his lips together. He'd always thought himself eloquent, but now he realized that Dong Si was a true master of persuasion.
He knew Dong Si was twisting the logic, yet somehow, he found it hard to argue against.
Lu You studied Dong Si, his eyes flickering. He smiled. "So, how exactly do you want to trade?"
Dong Si shook his head with a laugh. "That depends on how many ships you're willing to offer."
Jin Feng interjected curiously, "But aren't you based in Gefeng? I recall Gefeng has no dock. Why do you need ships?"
Dong Si replied earnestly, "We've already reached a level of cooperation with the aristocratic families of Ze'a Prefecture. They allow our ships to dock at their wharves and are even training our crew."
"If you have extra crew members, you can also sell them to us directly. Along with their families, Gefeng will buy them all."
The room fell silent.
They had heard of buying and selling slaves, but never of buying and selling sailors. Their sailors were soldiers.
Jin Feng laughed awkwardly. "That's a joke. How can soldiers be bought and sold?"
Dong Si didn't mind and continued explaining the advantages of the high-yield seeds. "In times of war, these short-season crops are actually more practical than planting rice and wheat."
He was speaking the truth. Rice and wheat take months to mature, and cities can often fall before the grain is ready.
"Besides," Dong Si's voice went on, "these are vegetables. Unlike rice and wheat, which yield nearly nothing before their time."
"Even if these vegetables aren't fully mature, if time is tight, you can still harvest them and go. The yield might be lower, but they're even more tender to eat."
Jin Feng nodded deeply, recalling the small white radishes he had eaten earlier. Even so small, they were edible—and even their leaves were good to eat.
Everyone in the hall was tempted.
This year, they had lost two more counties. On their retreat, they burned all the grain planted there. It hadn't even sprouted ears.
Even now, the thought pained them deeply.
This year had been a drought. They had used enormous effort and manpower to dig irrigation channels almost a hundred li away—only to end up with nothing.
They had burned it all just to keep it from falling into the hands of the Dragon Army.
Watching their expressions, Dong Si felt more confident and continued. "You've already seen our crops: Chinese cabbage, white radish, and a kind of small greens called 'chicken feather greens.' They can be ready in about twenty days."
"The weather is getting cold now. Snow could come any day. But if you act quickly, you might harvest a round before the snow falls."
Jin Feng nodded. "So, how many of these—what did you call it?—'chicken feather greens' are you prepared to give us?"
An odd name for a vegetable, but he let it pass.
Dong Si smiled. "That's negotiable. As long as we cooperate, we can work everything out."
He looked around the room. "Our vegetable seeds can be saved and replanted. That means after this one trade, you'll have these crops for years to come."
"This is a blessing that can benefit your descendants. It only requires paying with ships you have no use for..."
Li Zan thought for a moment. "What you've said is certainly compelling, and we are sincerely interested in cooperation. But these are all vegetables—they don't keep long."
Seeing his earnestness, Dong Si reconsidered. "There is another crop we have—potatoes. They yield about five thousand catties per acre. Stored properly, they last about half a year. They can be used both as a staple food and as a vegetable."
Li Zan's eyes lit up, and even Lu You straightened in his seat. "Do you have any with you?"
Dong Si nodded. Not long after, soldiers of the Jinyang Army entered, carrying a basket of potatoes.
The potatoes were one of the bargaining chips Jiang Jin had provided. He hadn't offered them during negotiations with Ze'a Prefecture because their attitude had been too infuriating.
Thanks to Dong Si's silver tongue, after much back-and-forth haggling, a deal was finally struck: one giant military ship, two large military ships, five medium-sized ships, and ten small military ships.
Lu You proved far more cooperative than the aristocratic families of Ze'a Prefecture. He allowed Dong Si to leave behind personnel and seeds to teach the locals how to cultivate the crop, and permitted the ships to be sailed away partway.
As for naval sailors—that was out of the question.
Dong Si was satisfied with Lu You's straightforwardness. He glanced at him. "My Lord has a few words for General of the Left. May I speak privately?"
Lu You's expression turned serious. After only a short hesitation, he signaled to the others.
Soon, only Lu You and Li Zan remained in the hall.
Those who had been present earlier were all trusted men of Lu You, but Li Zan was his most loyal advisor.
Once the others had left, Dong Si said gravely, "Gefeng is interested in forming a partnership with General of the Left. What do you think?"
