Chapter 817: First Volume, Chapter 817: All Things Begin with Money

First Volume, Chapter 817: All Things Begin with Money

Qin Feng tapped the table; the door opened and Ning Hu placed the pre-prepared map before Qin Feng.

Seeing this setup, everyone immediately realized Qin Feng had come prepared.

Though he appeared resolute, his mind was already turning—he had long planned a backup strategy for the war reparations.

Qin Feng ignored the suspicious glances and pointed to a region in the northeastern frontier of the Di territory called Luofeng Mountain.

"Your nation is extremely rich in mineral deposits; just this one Luofeng Mountain can easily supply iron ore for a force of tens of thousands."

"And there are at least fifty to sixty more iron mines like Luofeng Mountain within your borders."

"But since all these mineral-rich areas lie in your northern territories, even territorial cession cannot reach so far."

"If you attempt to repay solely with raw iron ore, the ore itself is cheap and extremely heavy, making transportation exceedingly difficult—completely offsetting fifty million taels of silver could take decades."

"Therefore, I propose your nation designate a mineral-rich region, and I will send craftsmen to build smelting gongfang on-site, ship the refined pig iron back to Shedynasty, and offset the debt at standard ironware prices."

The men in the room had never imagined Qin Feng would set his sights on Di's iron mines.

These mines are state strategic reserves; selling them abroad is unthinkable, and even domestic merchants trading them privately face the death penalty.

The three most critical resources in war are grain, manpower, and iron ore.

Yet Qin Feng intends to reach into war resources—this is nearly impossible!

Zhang Bingguo was about to refuse, but Qin Feng waved his hand first and added: "I fully understand how vital these mines are to your nation; sealing this deal will be exceedingly difficult."

"But it doesn't matter."

"I've laid out three clear options for you: either cede territory, pay the full reparations at once, or sell the mineral rights—choose one."

"If your nation still refuses to pay under these terms, I have reason to doubt your sincerity."

"War will inevitably reignite."

Qin Feng was not bluffing; this was not political calculation—it was pure retaliation. If Di dares default, he will immediately return home, mobilize troops, and resume his offensive.

Sometimes, nations and individuals operate with no essential difference in style.

Debt must be repaid—that is natural law. If you default, break your legs.

Zhang Bingguo glanced at Chen Si; seeing Chen Si shake his head, Zhang Bingguo understood: Di must accept one of these three conditions, or Qin Feng would surely launch an invasion.

Choose the lesser of three evils.

Ceding territory is out of the question; paying reparations causes the least harm but is currently the most difficult option.

After all, Di is utterly broke—where would they find extra money?

Would they truly have to sell their mines?

Zhang Bingguo found himself in a dilemma; after much thought, for safety's sake, he temporarily declined: "This matter is of great consequence. I must report it to His Majesty and let the court deliberate."

Such a major decision cannot be made by a single official.

Qin Feng was not in a hurry; he spoke earnestly: "Setting aside national sentiment, I personally advise you to accept the option of selling mineral rights."

"There are many advantages—I'll list just a few."

"First, mining and pig iron smelting are entirely my responsibility—you need not lift a finger. Why not take such an effortless opportunity?"

"Second, Shedynasty understands your nation's hardship, which is why we are willing to purchase these minerals."

"Though Shedynasty's own iron output is less than yours, it is still substantial, and combined with purchases from southern states, we can fully meet domestic demand."

"Buying your iron ore is merely for strategic reserves—not urgent need."

"Third, your nation alone cannot possibly consume these deposits."

"Your land is vast but sparsely populated; though your army is formidable, its size is limited—how much iron ore can you consume annually? Letting these mines sit idle is wasteful. Better to turn waste into wealth: repay your debt and stimulate local economy."

Zhang Bingguo quickly raised his hand: "Stimulate local economy? What do you mean?"

Qin Feng shrugged and explained bluntly: "Besides the craftsmen for pig iron smelting, all laborers involved in mining will be hired locally. My labor cost will be higher, never lower, than yours. Doesn't that enrich the people?"

"Moreover, transporting these iron ingots to the border requires a massive convoy—that's another expense."

"In truth, Shedynasty is losing money on this deal."

Hearing this, Zhang Bingguo and the other three men all sneered.

Losing money? Anyone might lose money—but Qin Feng never does.

This man would not buy mines unless there was massive hidden profit; others might profit, but Qin Feng always gains.

Zhang Bingguo pondered: "You speak only of benefits, but selling ore directly strengthens Shedynasty's military power—how then do we ensure Di's security?"

Qin Feng sighed, thinking Zhang Bingguo's mind was rigid and incapable of flexibility.

"Minister Zhang, frankly, you're worrying about nothing."

"Which matters more for strengthening the army: ore or money?"

"Without ore, you can buy it. Without money, you can do nothing."

In Qin Feng's era, nations traded not just raw materials but even weapons themselves.

For buyers, it's better to buy than make, better to rent than buy—it saves immense cost and enables rapid upgrades. Why not?

For sellers, as long as they control production lines and source control, even if they later fight the buyer, they can simply outlast them through endless production.

The buyer's weapons wear down and vanish; the seller's keep flowing.

But ultimately, everything rests on money.

Qin Feng won this great war through money.

And Di lost so badly because of money.

Zhang Bingguo was beginning to waver: Di had too many mines, as Qin Feng said—its own forces could never consume them. Letting them sit was waste; turning them into white silver to forge elite troops and armor was indeed a wise deal.

If it were merely selling raw ore or resources, Zhang Bingguo would never agree.

But combined with the trade agreement already nearly finalized, this deal was not entirely unacceptable.