Chapter 368: Economic Covert Struggle

The crown prince's investiture was like a huge stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples to spread throughout the court, and eventually it would gradually calm down.

The empire's daily affairs would not halt because of the birth of a heir.

The wounds of war need to be healed, the aftermath of disasters needs to be dealt with, and an even more concealed yet equally vital contest over the nation's fate is also proceeding silently.

The Revenue Ministry office, located southeast of the Imperial City, is not far from the Works Ministry's bustling workshop area.

Here there is no deafening roar of machinery, only the clack of abacus beads, the low murmurs of clerks, and the rustle of turning paper, weaving together another form of busyness.

Zhang Cheng, who holds the posts of Vice Premier of the Secretariat-Chancellery and Minister of Revenue, is now sitting in his duty room.

On his large desk lay not ordinary tax and grain ledgers, but a detailed map of Zhongyuan and its surroundings, plus several trade intelligence reports from various channels.

His brow furrowed slightly, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the desk, producing a soft knocking sound.

At the Battle of Heroic Prefecture, the False Song indeed lost troops and generals, its strength weakened, but Great Chen likewise paid a heavy price.

Enormous military expenses, death benefits, and relief for droughts in several southern provinces nearly emptied the already not-so-abundant treasury.

War is fought over troops and supplies.

Now, the open-blade fighting has temporarily ceased; another war without smoke—a contest of economy and resources—has already begun.

The False Song controls the most prosperous Jianghuai region and parts of Shandong within the 'Mirror Zhongyuan,' and its foundations remain intact.

If allowed to recover at leisure, given time it will surely become a grave internal threat.

We must take advantage of its recent defeat, while its interior is unstable (Jing'an Office reports that Zhao Guangyi and the old ministerial faction are increasingly at odds), continuously apply pressure to weaken its strength.

"Chief Officer Linghu." Zhang Cheng raised his head and looked at the Revenue Ministry Chief Officer standing solemnly to the side.

"Regarding our earlier discussion on silk, porcelain, and tea—using the Vortex Workshop to increase output and lower costs to dump into False Song-controlled areas—how is that plan progressing?"

The Chief Officer surnamed Linghu promptly stepped forward, bowed, and replied:

"Reporting to Minister Zhang, progress has been quite smooth."

"The First Model Weaving Workshop in Bianjing has completely replaced its looms with three hundred new machines driven by the Vortex Machine, boosting efficiency more than fivefold, while fabric density and uniformity surpass previous levels, and cost has dropped by over thirty percent."

"At the Imperial Kiln, the water-powered clay-crushing and blasting techniques improved by the Vortex have also been put into use, greatly reducing the defect rate and shortening the firing cycle."

"For tea frying and sorting, the Works Ministry has also provided several small tools, noticeably raising efficiency."

"Now, our silk, fine porcelain, and refined tea cakes are flowing in large quantities into their territory through several clean-background firms that have old contracts with the False Song."

Zhang Cheng nodded slightly, but his face showed no joy.

"What about the price?"

"Following your instructions, we priced it fifteen percent below the False Song's local comparable premium goods, slightly above ordinary merchandise, but the quality far surpasses them." replied Chief Officer Linghu.

"The False Song's wealthy merchants and even many official households are vying to purchase them; its local silk shops, porcelain kilns, and tea houses have already been considerably impacted, and complaints are growing."

"Not enough."

Zhang Cheng shook his head, his eyes sharp.

"The quality advantage needs time to settle. A price war, while effective quickly, easily harms our own vitality and is not a long-term plan."

"What we want is not a temporary gain, but control over the lifeline of their essential livelihood goods."

He paused, then pointed his finger at the False Song-controlled Jianghuai region on the map.

"Salt and iron—that is the top priority."

Chief Officer Linghu's face showed difficulty:

"Minister Zhang, you see clearly. Salt and iron are state monopolies, strictly controlled."

"In the False Song, they regard these two as vital as life itself, with checkpoints everywhere and tight inspections; wanting to infiltrate them in large measure is as hard as climbing to heaven."

"Moreover, our own salt production is not abundant, and although iron output has increased thanks to the Vortex Workshop's forging efficiency, the primary need remains to guarantee military supplies and farming tools……"

"Precisely because the controls are strict, there is all the more room to exploit."

A hint of a cold smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Cheng's mouth.

"The False Song has just been defeated; Zhao Guangyi, newly in power, seeking to consolidate his position, must vigorously expand the army and military preparedness, requiring an enormous amount of iron. What is the output capacity of their state-run ironworks?"

"And the local strongmen within its borders, who annex land, conceal populations, and hoard private forces—surely they also need iron implements?"

"Furthermore, the waterway transport network crisscrossing the region requires how many iron nails and planks for repairing and building vessels of all sizes?"

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked toward the Works Ministry.

"The farming tools and knives produced by the Works Ministry's Vortex Forging are of excellent quality, yet their price is far lower than that of the False Song's state-run ironworks."

"We need not sell raw iron directly, but we can channel these high-quality iron implements into the False Song through covert channels."

"Especially……those local magnates whose ties to the False Song government are ambiguous, as well as……the big and small bosses on the waterway transport."

"Let them use our iron tools and become accustomed to our standards."

"Then, if the False Song court tries to tighten control, the first to object will likely be these local tyrants."

Chief Officer Linghu's eyes lit up, but then he immediately worried:

"This plan is clever, but if the False Song detects it, it could provoke a fierce backlash, even cutting off all trade……"

"Detect?"

Zhang Cheng turned around, his tone calm yet carrying undeniable confidence.

"Merchants pursue profit—as natural as heaven and earth. They have countless ways to smuggle goods in, as long as the profit is sufficiently ample."

"What we must do is control the source, manage quality and price, and let profit go to those merchants daring enough to take risks."

"As for the False Song court……"

He gave a cold snort.

"If they truly had the resolve to completely sever trade with us, the first to be unable to bear it would be themselves."

"The Jianghuai region already has a trend of extravagance; our silk and porcelain have been enjoyed by their nobles, and if the supply were suddenly cut off, would those people accept it?"

"Moreover, we are not merely exporters."

He walked back to the desk and tapped a few points on the map.

The lacquerware, bamboo paper, and some medicinal herbs abundantly produced within False Song's territory are also what our dynasty needs. Trade has always been mutual.

What we must do is make this 'mutual' relationship more advantageous to us, gradually causing False Song to become economically dependent on us.

He looked at Linghu Clerk and said in a deep voice:

This matter, you will personally oversee it. Select reliable people and establish a secret line, specifically to liaise with the 'special' merchants within False Song's territory.

Remember, at the outset we do not seek huge profits, but stability; we will open the joints and build trust.

The required funds, I will allocate from the special appropriation.

"I understand, sir!" Linghu Clerk's spirits lifted, and he bowed to accept the order.

After Linghu Clerk withdrew, Zhang Cheng paced alone in the duty room.

The economic war, silently nurturing, is enough to cut to the bone and marrow.

He intends for False Song, in seemingly normal trade, to unknowingly have its foundations drained and internal conflicts intensified.

When their nobles become obsessed with Great Chen's luxury goods, when their local powers rely on Great Chen's high-quality ironware, when their finances grow increasingly strained due to the impact on domestic industry……

How long can False Song's so-called 'orthodoxy' last?

This is destined to be a protracted contest requiring immense patience.

But Zhang Cheng believes, relying on Great Chen's gradual lead in the 'Investigation of Things' technique and a more flexible, pragmatic strategy, the balance of victory will ultimately tip in his favor.

He walked to the wall, and his gaze fell once more on the region marked 'False Song' on the map.

Zhao Guangyi, you are busy consolidating your position and rectifying the court.

But they do not realize that the true lethal threat may not come from northern weapons, but from the money and goods circulating among the common folk.

This economic covert war has only just begun.