Chapter 1154

Wen Chenghuan said: "Emperor, sage and bright, the Da Yong side indeed wants to stir up conflict between Emperor and Hu Xiaotian and his ministers; they would be pleased to see Dakang fall into internal strife. However, Hu Xiaotian's current development is extremely rapid; he is a tiger out of its cage, endangering not only Emperor but also Da Yong's defensive line."

Please note the glossary: Wen Chenghuan, Emperor, Da Yong, Hu Xiaotian, Dakang.

We'll translate: "Wen Chenghuan said: 'Your Majesty, the Da Yong side indeed wants to stir up conflict between Your Majesty and Minister Hu Xiaotian; they would be pleased to see Dakang fall into internal strife. However, Hu Xiaotian's current development is extremely rapid; he is a tiger out of its cage, endangering not only Your Majesty but also Da Yong's defensive line.'"

Wen Chenghuan said: "Emperor, sage and bright, the Da Yong side indeed wants to stir up conflict between Emperor and Hu Xiaotian and his ministers; they would be pleased to see Dakang fall into internal strife. However, Hu Xiaotian's current development is extremely rapid; he is a tiger out of its cage, endangering not only Emperor but also Da Yong's defensive line."

When translating, render the term for Hu Xiaotian and his retinue as 'Hu Xiaotian and his ministers', so that the phrase 'Emperor and Hu Xiaotian and his ministers' becomes 'between Emperor and Hu Xiaotian and his ministers'.

Long Xuan'en said, "If Da Yong wants to get rid of him, I have no objection." He thought that although Hu Xiaotian is hateful, he nevertheless serves to check Da Yong in the North; to him that is a good thing, not a bad thing.

When translating, use Long Xuan'en, I, Da Yong, he (referring to Hu Xiaotian), Hu Xiaotian, North, and Da Yong.

Translate: "Long Xuan'en said: 'If Da Yong wants to eliminate him, I have no objection.' He harbored a thought: although Hu Xiaotian is hateful, after all he can serve to restrain Da Yong in the north, which for him is a good thing, not a bad one."

The phrase translates to 'I also have no objection', with the imperial pronoun rendered as 'I'.

Long Xuan'en said: "If Da Yong wants to wipe him out, I have no objection." He harbored a thought: although Hu Xiaotian is hateful, after all he can play a role in checking Da Yong in the north, which for him is a good thing, not a bad one.

Wen Chenghuan said, "Da Yong's situation is also far from optimistic; the Black Hu are mobilizing troops on their Bei Jiang, indicating a possible southern invasion; a major war could erupt next spring; otherwise Da Yong would not be suppressing its anger and quietly negotiating a ceasefire with Hu Xiaotian."

Please note the glossary: Wen Chenghuan, Da Yong, Black Hu, Bei Jiang, Hu Xiaotian.

Translate: "Wen Chenghuan said: 'Da Yong's situation is also not optimistic; the Black Hu are training troops in Da Yong's Bei Jiang, showing a strong momentum for a southern invasion. Perhaps a major war will break out next spring; otherwise Da Yong would not be swallowing its anger and silently discussing a ceasefire agreement with Hu Xiaotian.'"

Note that the correct translation is 'otherwise Da Yong would not be suppressing its anger and silently discussing a ceasefire agreement with Hu Xiaotian'.

Long Xuan'en said, "Does their agreement have anything to do with me?"

Please note the glossary: Long Xuan'en, I.

Translate: "Long Xuan'en said: 'Does their agreement concern me?'"

Wen Chenghuan said, "Emperor, Hu Xiaotian's offer to return the East Luo Granary in five years is clearly a delaying tactic; he seeks to buy time to rest and recuperate, while Da Yong cannot presently attend to southern matters; otherwise they would not have taken the initiative to send envoys separately to negotiate peace. I believe their real motive in dispatching two sets of envoys is to extract the maximum benefit from us."

Please note the glossary: Wen Chenghuan, Emperor, Hu Xiaotian, East Luo Granary, Da Yong, envoy, I, we, two groups of envoys.

Now translate: "Wen Chenghuan said: 'Your Majesty, Hu Xiaotian's proposal to return the East Luo Granary in five years is clearly a delaying tactic; he wants to buy time to rest and recuperate, while Da Yong cannot at the moment attend to southern affairs either, otherwise they would not have taken the initiative to send envoys for separate peace talks. I believe their true intention in sending two groups of envoys is to squeeze as much benefit as possible from us.'"

Note that the correct translation is 'I believe'.

Long Xuan'en nodded, saying, "They fear that if they go to war with the Black Hu, we might strike them from behind."

Please note the glossary: Long Xuan'en, Black Hu, we.

Translate: "Long Xuan'en nodded and said: 'They are worried that if they go to war with the Black Hu, we will attack them from behind.'"

Wen Chenghuan said: "Regardless of their motives, Dakang this time can actually reap tangible benefits. These days, this old minister, following Your Majesty's orders, has negotiated with the Da Yong envoy Li Chenghzhou, and through the old minister's unremitting efforts, finally achieved some gratifying progress."

Long Xuan'en said: "What progress?"

Wen Chenghuan said: "Your Majesty rejected their initial proposal; the Da Yong envoy, after careful consideration, offered concessions, and now they no longer discuss demanding cities but agree to restore normal trade between the two countries."

Long Xuan'en blinked his eyes. For a moment he still did not understand what Wen Chenghuan meant by normal trade.

Wen Chenghuan said: "It is to lift the grain embargo on us; from now on, merchants of both countries can resume the free trade they once had."

Long Xuan'en's face showed surprise and delight upon hearing this; the news was even more gratifying than Da Yong's unconditional loan of five hundred thousand shi of grain to them. Dakang currently lacks not money but grain; if money can buy grain, then their famine can be fundamentally alleviated. He then immediately thought of Da Yong's motive. There is no free lunch in the world; Da Yong would not give them this benefit for no reason. One reason should be the pressure from the northern Black Hu; another is Hu Xiaotian's sudden rise, and the true motive behind restoring trade is still to hope that he himself can check Hu Xiaotian. Moreover, a more important reason is that Da Yong's merchants will make a huge profit after trade resumes, and it is foreseeable that they will not receive a fair grain price. Thinking of this, the smile on Long Xuan'en's face vanished again. He whispered: "Now lifting the grain ban actually amounts to a covert plundering of us; the new ruler of Da Yong is ruthless enough."

Wen Chenghuan sighed and said: "Choosing the lesser of two evils, although we must pay a high price to buy grain from Da Yong, at least it can ease the famine. For present-day Dakang, nothing is more precious than grain; as long as Dakang gets through this immediate crisis, the Emperor will surely lead the officials and people out of the lowlands. A revival is imminent."

A hint of bitterness appeared at the corner of Long Xuan'en's mouth; before him there was no other choice. He nodded and said: "Go negotiate with them, strive for a reasonable price, knowing they want to profiteer from the fire, but this cut cannot be too harsh."

Wen Chenghuan secretly rejoiced: "Yes!" Lifting the grain embargo on Dakang was the proposal of his son Li Chenghzhou. Before coming to Dakang, he had already obtained the new ruler's assent; originally proposing grain for land was merely to gain greater benefits from Dakang, but he did not expect this old emperor to be so obstinate, so he had no choice but to retreat. Although Dakang is in decline, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse; an empire that has operated for hundreds of years possesses vast wealth. Da Yong has a bumper harvest this autumn, its treasury is full; they intend to use surplus grain to exchange for wealth from Dakang, then use that wealth to buy horses and weapons, preparing to resist the northern Black Hu invasion and also to prepare for a future attack on Dakang.

Long Xuan'en is not foolish; he sees Da Yong's motive clearly, knowing they want to profiteer from the fire and thus plunder his wealth through this means, but he also has no alternative; he only hopes the grain purchase price will not be exorbitant.

Wen Chenghuan added: "Your Majesty, although Jiang Zhengyang lost ten thousand shi of grain, Hu Xiaotian still promised another twenty thousand shi; whom do you intend to send this time to escort the grain?"

Long Xuan'en coldly said: "Let him send it himself; I want to see whether he dares to defy the imperial edict and show disrespect."

Wen Chenghuan said: "Jiang Zhengyang's whereabouts are now unknown; Yunyang has become a city without an owner; whom does Your Majesty intend to send to garrison Yunyang?"

Long Xuan'en said: "I am also considering this; Minister Wen, do you have any suitable candidate in mind?"

Wen Chenghuan said: "I actually have someone to recommend; Your Majesty, what do you think of Su Yuchi?"

Long Xuan'en said: "Su Yuchi? Wasn't he previously defeated by the rebel Guo Guangbi of Prosperous Prefecture?"

Wen Chenghuan said: "Although General Su suffered defeat, it was solely due to insufficient supplies; the troops under his command are all brave warriors skilled in battle. Your Majesty could send him to Yunyang; on one hand, this would cut off the eastward advance of the rebels from Prosperous Prefecture, and on the other hand, it would also check Hu Xiaotian's development."

Long Xuan'en nodded.

Wen Chenghuan added: "As for those twenty thousand shi of grain, I also have an idea; Your Majesty can allocate ten thousand shi to Su Yuchi, and with these military rations Su Yuchi will be able to establish a firm foothold in Yunyang." After Da Yong agreed to lift the grain embargo, the grain in Hu Xiaotian's hands is no longer so precious.

Long Xuan'en said: "Su Yuchi is loyal to me, good! Approved!"

Wen Chenghuan bowed deeply to Long Xuan'en and said: "Your Majesty is sagacious!"

Long Xuan'en said: "The matter of purchasing grain from Da Yong is entirely your responsibility; remember, you must press the price as low as possible."

Da Yong's agreement to lift the grain embargo on Dakang was like a spring thunderclap resounding across Dakang's land; for a moment, both inside and outside the court were overjoyed by the news, everyone spreading the word, and compared with the thirty thousand shi of grain Hu Xiaotian promised to support, this is truly the way to fundamentally alleviate Dakang's grain shortage.

Within the Yongyang Prince's mansion, Yongyang Princess Qiqi also learned of this news immediately; she summoned Yang Lingqi and Huo Shengnan to discuss it. Since Hu Xiaotian left the capital, the estrangement between Qiqi and Laohuangdi has deepened further, but Long Xuan'en has not withdrawn the authority he once granted her, still entrusting her with most of state affairs; only on major decisions does he need to personally make the final call, and Qiqi has also lost her former enthusiasm, for she understands that no matter how hard she tries, the person who ultimately makes the decision will never be her.

The development of the Divine Strategy Bureau also stalled; during this period Qiqi finally learned to conceal her abilities and bide her time, and if anything could make her happy, it would be the continual good news coming from Hu Xiaotian's side.

At first Qiqi did not understand why Hu Xiaotian sent thirty thousand shi of grain to the capital, but Yang Lingqi had long seen through Hu Xiaotian's true intention; now Da Yong unexpectedly chose to concede and lift the grain ban, which on the surface seems a great boon for Dakang, yet upon careful consideration it conceals a great conspiracy.

Qiqi said: "The Emperor has already decided to send Su Yuchi to garrison Yunyang, letting Hu Xiaotian allocate ten thousand shi of grain for Su Yuchi's use, and another ten thousand shi of grain to be sent to the capital by Hu Xiaotian's personnel."

Huo Shengnan said: "Su Yuchi is a renowned general of his generation; why did the Emperor send him to Yunyang—is it to defend against the rebels of Prosperous Prefecture, or does he have other intentions?"

Yang Lingqi said: "It is likely a combination of both considerations; the Emperor is obviously guarding against Sir Hu."

Qiqi nodded; after Hu Xiaotian went to Dongliang Jun, his development proceeded too rapidly—he twice defeated the Da Yong armies, and capturing Dongluo Storehouse made his brilliance evident, so it is no wonder the Emperor has grown wary of him.

Huo Shengnan said: "Da Yong's lifting of the grain ban is a good thing for Dakang; at least it can ease the famine somewhat and save many—uh—commoners."

Qiqi let out a cold snort and said: "Will Da Yong be so kind-hearted? I think they, when one scheme fails, come up with another; they intend to profiteer from the fire and seize the opportunity to raise grain prices."

Yang Lingqi said: "That is probably the case; although Da Yong unilaterally lifted the grain embargo on Dakang, it has not fully opened up, nor does it permit other countries to trade grain with Dakang; I estimate that even private trade between Da Yong and Dakang merchants will not be allowed, meaning Dakang has no other option."

Qiqi said: "Whatever price they say, Dakang must accept it!"

Yang Lingqi nodded, his expression rather helpless: "Even though we know they are trying to profit from Dakang's national crisis, we still have to accept it; otherwise, where would Dakang find grain now?"

Huo Shengnan said: "Regardless, it can at least alleviate the present grain shortage."

Qiqi said: "For the short term it is like this, but if this continues long-term, Dakang will inevitably face an empty treasury; Da Yong's practice is no different from plunder—they sell us grain at high prices, then use our money to buy weapons to use against us!" Her mind is exceptionally clear, seeing all this plainly and distinctly.

Yang Lingqi and Huo Shengnan actually also understood this principle; Huo Shengnan felt a myriad of emotions, she was originally a Da Yong general, if she stood from Da Yong's standpoint, Da Yong's such conduct, although no different from banditry, but in the matter of contending for the world there is no need to be particular about means; actually deep down she only hoped the world would be peaceful at best, fighting and struggling, ultimately the unfortunate ones are still the common folk, whether Da Yong or Dakang wins has nothing to do with her, she only cares about Hu Xiaotian's interests. (To be continued~^~)