"Guo Kai is truly a highly valued minister of mine."

King Zhao Yan's face was full of approval, and he did not hold back his praise, showering him with compliments in front of all the ministers.

Since he came to power, many officials and civil servants have expressed their dissatisfaction. He continued to promote his confidant Guo Kai to a high position to avoid a situation where there was no one else to rely on.

Now that Guo Kai has shown his talent, he doesn't mind giving him some publicity.

Guo Kai naturally understood his intention and quickly told him about the message the spy had given him.

"Your Majesty, I have received news that the Xiongnu, Yuezhi, and Donghu tribes have joined forces to destroy the Quanrong, cut off trade with Qin, and put pressure on Qin to continue trade at low prices."

At this point, Guo Kai's face showed a hint of mockery and confusion, and he hesitated, saying, "The three races united are not to be underestimated. I wonder if the Qin Kingdom is under pressure or what."

"They actually demanded that the three races use wolf pelts as the capital for their trade..."

King Yan of Zhao was unaware of this matter. Upon hearing this, a look of doubt appeared on his face, followed by a burst of laughter.

"Everyone says that the people of Qin have integrity and cannot be deceived?" King Yan of Zhao looked disdainful. "But they still have to compromise and submit. I suppose this wolf skin is just a fig leaf they found to save face."

"Your Majesty is right. Wolf pelts are worth some money, but they're not worth such a high price."

Guo Kai grinned, revealing a mouthful of teeth, making no attempt to hide his contempt for the Qin state, and continued, "My spies have sent word that the three tribes are pressuring the Qin state, wanting to continue trade at a price that is one-tenth of that of the Quanrong."

"The Qin state responded by trading wolf and fox furs, which really made them look good."

At this point, Guo Kai turned to look at Bin Ning and sneered, "Such an opponent has actually made you exaggerate so much. What you said is absolutely true."

Bin Ning had no idea about these things, and he had never been in charge of the spies of Zhao and the other six states. At this moment, even if he had a thousand doubts, they could only turn into a sigh of unwillingness.

The officials present were not fools. Guo Kai had received this news but never revealed it. He was probably waiting for someone to come to him so that he could use the person who offered the advice to his advantage to build his own reputation!

Countless regretful gazes fell upon Bin Ning, and many loyal ministers felt even more sorry for him, secretly cursing Guo Kai for being cunning and treacherous.

"Binning, do you have anything else to say? Are you convinced?" Guo Kai didn't know what restraint was, and he was unforgiving.

Bin Ning was speechless with anger, his expression constantly changing. After a few breaths, he knelt heavily on the ground and cried out, "Your Majesty, there is definitely something fishy about this matter. The Qin state is not stupid. How could they make such a crazy decision?"

There must be some purpose behind it.

"I implore Your Majesty to take this matter seriously!"

Damn it, you're still not convinced?

Guo Kai's face suddenly darkened, a flash of murderous intent crossing his eyes. He asked in a sinister tone, "Then tell me, Your Majesty, what is your purpose?"

Binning was speechless; how could he possibly give a coherent answer?

Guo Kai suddenly roared, "Bin Ning, you have repeatedly spread alarmist rumors. I asked you to speak, but you still can't. Are you trying to make a fool of the king?"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you punish Zhi Binning for his great disrespect in mocking the monarch!"

Upon hearing this, Bin Ning was filled with resentment. Seeing the anger rising on King Zhao's face, he felt despair and shouted, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of playing tricks on you. Since Your Majesty does not believe me, please allow me to resign and return to my hometown to farm."

this....

Things have developed to this point, catching everyone completely off guard.

King Zhao Yan was utterly astonished. He had only intended to create momentum for Guo Kai. He did dislike Bin Ning, but he hadn't really thought of punishing him, after all, Bin Ning was a veteran of two dynasties, and his seniority was undeniable.

He has just taken office; how could he possibly punish or dismiss veteran officials at will?

"Your Majesty, Bin Ning is confused. Please do not blame him."

"Why are you suddenly talking about resigning from your post?"

"....."

Some veteran officials, unable to bear seeing their former colleagues in such a state, hurriedly came out to plead and persuade them, feeling a sense of sorrow in their hearts.

King Zhao Yan nodded repeatedly and quickly reassured him, "Why do you have to do this? This is just a discussion, why do you have to make such a fuss? I'll pretend I didn't hear anything."

Bin Ning didn't really want to resign and return to his hometown. Seeing that King Zhao Yan had given him a way out, his anger subsided considerably, and he readily accepted the offer.

"Your Majesty, this old minister only wishes to advise you to take the Qin state seriously and not to be careless."

King Yan of Zhao nodded and looked at Guo Kai, saying, "Guo Kai, since you know them so well, you shall be in charge of opening up trade between Zhao and the three tribes."

"If we add another 30% to the base of his Qin state, I don't believe those three clans won't be tempted."

Guo Kai revealed a hint of joy and flattered, "Your Majesty is wise. You first lured them with a high price, and then, after snatching away the business of the three clans, you slowly lowered the price... Your Majesty is indeed a man of great talent and strategy..."

A barrage of flattering praise overwhelmed King Zhao Yan, and an air of arrogance involuntarily crept onto his face.

Seeing the two of them amusing themselves, Bin Ning sighed and said, "Your Majesty, this is feasible, but you should also send someone to inform General Li Mu that you must demonstrate your military might against the three tribes at a crucial moment."

"Only by thwarting their schemes can we be on the safe side."

This time, Guo Kai did not refute. He believed that while offering great benefits, one must also be prepared with swift and decisive measures, otherwise it would all be empty talk. The barbarians in the north were not good people.

King Yan of Zhao nodded and immediately ordered, "Someone, send a message to Li Mu to strengthen military training. If necessary, we can use military exercises as a pretext to demonstrate the strength of the Zhao army."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Seeing that he had already spoken, no one in the room dared to raise any objections. King Zhao Yan was so enthusiastic; they dared not dampen his spirits.

After everything had settled down, King Yan of Zhao rose to announce the end of the court session.

Just then, shouts rang out from outside the hall.

"Report to the King!"

"The Qin state has launched an attack on the Han state and has already captured the Han city of Yewang two days ago!"

The guards rushed in, startling the atmosphere in the court into suddenly becoming serious.

The silence lasted for a long time.

"Qin State, Ying Zheng... what exactly do you want to do?" King Yan of Zhao was agitated and kept rubbing his temples.

He looked at Bin Ning with a deep gaze, secretly regretting that he and Guo Kai had just been mocking him, only to find that Bin Ning was right.

"Your Majesty, please do not trouble yourself!"

Seeing that things were not going well, Guo Kai quickly said, "The state of Han is the weakest of the seven states. It is normal for the state of Qin to bully Han when it has nothing to do. If the state of Qin really has the guts, why doesn't it come and challenge the state of Chu?"

King Zhao Yan thought about it and agreed. His furrowed brows relaxed considerably, and he smiled, "I think the Qin state is probably struggling to withstand the wolf and fox skins of the three tribes and wants to extract some benefits from the Han state to support the trade."

"Since that's the case, I can't let him have his way."

As he spoke, he looked at Guo Kai and instructed him, "You must quickly set about this matter and make sure to obtain the trading rights from the three clans."

"At that time, I think the three clans will be very happy to do some risk-free and highly profitable business with the Qin state!"