Chapter 148

"In this way, the Zhao Kingdom will have a large number of commoners engaged in work related to Zhao Gao, and the farmland will be abandoned."

"After all, in their eyes, as long as I have earned money, why would I be afraid of not being able to buy grain when the time comes?"

"How much could grain cost per dou?"

"When a large amount of farmland in the Zhao Kingdom is abandoned, and Your Majesty has people verify it, the final step of this setup—the harvest—will follow!"

Gao Yang was clearly smiling, but in Wu Zhao's eyes, this smile was like a devil's!

Shangguan Wan'er also couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

Gao Yang continued to talk eloquently, like a ruthless and indifferent god of death.

"Once the timing is ripe, Your Majesty can issue an order that no one in Da Qian is allowed to wear Zhao Gao, and simultaneously announce the severance of diplomatic relations with the Zhao Kingdom!"

"In this way, the price of Zhao Gao will instantly plummet. And the most tragic part is that their farmland has been abandoned, grain is in short supply, and grain prices will rise accordingly. Our Da Qian can take the opportunity to strike, raising grain prices ten or even a hundred times to harvest the wealth of the Zhao Kingdom!"

"At that time, countless merchants in the Zhao Kingdom will go bankrupt, and countless Zhao Kingdom commoners will starve to death because they cannot afford grain!"

"Even the merchants who made a huge profit earlier due to the price hike of Zhao Gao will quickly go bankrupt because Zhao Gao will be worthless and grain prices will skyrocket, forcing them to pay the money back!"

"Our Da Qian will not only make a huge profit, but without spending a single soldier or a single blade, we will cause the Zhao Kingdom's economy to collapse and its people to live in misery!"

Hum!

As Gao Yang's voice fell.

Outside the Imperial Study, a breeze blew in.

Rustle.

An ancient book on the dragon desk was blown, making a rustling sound.

Wu Zhao and Shangguan Wan'er both looked at Gao Yang with fear.

First, issue a decree to raise the price of Zhao Gao, causing its price to rise, then use the profit-seeking nature of merchants to drive a large number of Zhao Kingdom commoners to plant mulberry, rear silkworms, and go weave silk!

In this way, farmland is abandoned, and Da Qian then does the opposite, popping the bubble of Zhao Gao and raising grain prices to make a huge profit.

Da Qian, without spending a single soldier or blade, bloodlessly causes the Zhao Kingdom's economy to collapse and its people to live in misery.

Wu Zhao's body swayed subconsciously, a stormy sea rising in her heart.

This setup was too ruthless, even ten times more so than the 'Monkey-Playing' setup in the Jin Luan Hall!

Shangguan Wan'er was also shocked; Gao Yang's face looked like a devil's in her eyes.

Is this really the eldest son of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, a family of generals for a hundred years?

Is this definitely a descendant of a military family?

Ruthless!

Too ruthless!

Just from Gao Yang's description, she felt as if she saw all the commoners of the Zhao Kingdom swarming to engage in Zhao Gao work.

They thought they could get rich, but in reality, it was a nightmare, an abyss!

The skyrocketing grain prices would be a heaven-sized disaster!

Taking advantage of Wu Zhao's shock, Gao Yang, having no time to attend to him, couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Not bad!

Just looking at her is very nourishing.

Tsk tsk.

Of course, looking is one thing, but Gao Yang still had very high moral standards, and he continued.

"Your Majesty, that's not all. Once grain prices in the Zhao Kingdom skyrocket, we can not only use this setup to harvest the Zhao Kingdom's wealth, but we can also arrange for insiders to enter the Zhao Kingdom."

"I happened to have a flash of inspiration and thought of a few more brilliant plans."

Wu Zhao couldn't help but look at Gao Yang. "What brilliant plans?"

"When our Da Qian insiders enter the Zhao Kingdom, they can spread rumors everywhere. Bury slips of paper saying 'Da Qian rises, Zhao Kingdom falls' in the bellies of fish, and have white foxes speak human words in the deep mountains at midnight, saying 'Heaven is no longer with Zhao'!"

"In the Yellow River region, we can also dig up a one-eyed giant..."

"Three people make a tiger; rumors will rise!"

"When the commoners are not full, facing the grain prices sent by Heaven, it is the perfect time to bewitch them. At that time, the Zhao Kingdom will surely fall into chaos, and our Da Qian can sit back and reap the fisherman's profit!"

The words fell.

Wu Zhao and Shangguan Wan'er both looked at Gao Yang in disbelief.

They widened their eyes, their hearts trembling wildly.

For the commoners, as long as they can eat their fill, they will not rebel, but if they cannot eat their fill, and they are already ignorant and believe in gods...

If they are provoked like this, what will happen?

The commoners will surely be displaced, and corpses will be strewn across the fields!

And what kind of tricks are these? Hiding paper in fish bellies, white foxes speaking human words at midnight, and digging up a one-eyed giant...

Wu Zhao took a deep breath, trying her best to suppress the surging emotions in her heart.

Vicious is vicious, but she had to say, this plan is simply too brilliant!

Manipulating human nature, granting small gains, causing the entire Zhao Kingdom to enter the setup, and then completing the harvest!

By using economic warfare to sanction the Zhao Kingdom, Da Qian could even annex the Zhao Kingdom without spending a single soldier or blade.

Gao Yang is truly Da Qian's number one poisonous scholar!

She couldn't help but praise: "This 'Smooth-Picking Grain-Crowning' setup is truly the world's number one poisonous plan!"

"Using the greed that everyone has to manipulate human hearts. Gao Yang, I did not misjudge you."

Although Gao Yang's plans were ruthless, for Da Qian, this was a heaven-sized good thing.

As the Emperor of Da Qian, although she felt some pity for the commoners of the Zhao Kingdom, it was only pity.

Gao Yang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, if you think the 'Smooth-Picking Grain-Crowning' setup only uses the greed of human nature, you are underestimating it."

"Oh? It doesn't use the greed of human nature?" Wu Zhao was a bit surprised.

Shangguan Wan'er also looked at Gao Yang.

Gao Yang slowly began, "People have seven emotions and six desires, plus greed, anger, and ignorance. These are weaknesses of human nature that many merchants can realize."

"But there is another weakness of human nature that the vast majority of people do not realize, and that is cognitive inertia!"

"The 'Smooth-Picking Grain-Crowning' setup uses people's cognitive inertia. When the price of Zhao Gao becomes sky-high, the commoners of the Zhao Kingdom will not think that Zhao Gao will plummet, but will think that it will continue to be in short supply."

"Or, although they know there is a risk of a huge loss, they firmly believe that they won't be the unlucky ones."

"By the same token, once a plummet begins, cognitive inertia will also make people afraid to act, thinking that it will continue to plummet."

Gao Yang's expression was calm. In the later generations, there were too many such examples.

In the stock market, how many retail investors chase the rise and kill the fall, being played around by the market makers.

Even market makers, in order to play with the weaknesses of human nature, will raise stock prices during a decline to attract popularity, and when the time comes, they will suffocate everyone.

All of this uses human nature!

Once this plan is launched, the commoners of the Zhao Kingdom will only think that Zhao Gao will become even more in short supply.

Of course, there will definitely be clear-headed people who remain suspicious, but this group of people, under the skyrocketing price of Zhao Gao, will also deceive themselves and get lost in it.

"Cognitive inertia..." Wu Zhao muttered to herself, a wave of realization in her mind.

Gao Yang's words brought her great shock.

It even made her understand that war is not just about frontal fighting, but also about economic warfare where you kill without seeing blood!

Economic warfare is more covert, more difficult to deal with, and once successful, its power is no less than a war of the entire nation!