113 Chapter 113

◎The Change of Qiguo◎

Dada Royal Court.

Bataan leaned on the tiger-skin throne, holding a wine cup in his hand, listening to his subordinates report the victory news.

Hearing that Wuliangha had retreated dozens of miles, he laughed heartily and drank heavily. When he heard that the Wala resisted fiercely and suffered countless casualties, he put down his wine cup again with an inexplicable expression.

"Let's take down Wuliangha in one fell swoop. As for Wala, hmph, we'll deal with it later."

The left general under the tent: "King Khan, there is Qi State behind Wuliangha. If they ask Qi State for help, will we..." Will we end up losing the rice while trying to steal the chicken?

"So, are you afraid of a country ruled by a woman?" Badan sneered. "The men of Qi Country have all lost their courage. What's there to be afraid of?"

Nag: "King Khan, have you forgotten the incident where Princess Rong'an shot a tiger in the palace?"

Bataan certainly didn't forget.

The incident happened suddenly that year, and he did feel the oppression and intimidation brought by Princess Rong'an, but later he thought that she was just relying on the power of the hand cannon.

Anyone can shoot a tiger with a gun; she is nothing special.

After realizing this, he became more interested in Qi's firearms. Later, when he heard that the princess was acting as regent, he felt that the Qi court was just playing house.

Rather than letting the people of Qi Kingdom waste our vast territory, it is better to let the warriors of Heda Dada take over.

"As long as we have firearms, we can shoot tigers without any problem. Don't encourage others to become more ambitious and destroy your own prestige."

Nag: “…”

This young Khan had been blinded by his lust for power and had no idea how powerful the Qi Kingdom was today. He only saw that Princess Rong'an, who was only one step away from the throne, was a woman.

Will Princess Rong'an allow Dada to unify the grassland?

Of course not.

Xie Mingzhuo spent three years, and not only did the country become rich and powerful, but at least the treasury's deposits increased by more than ten times compared to when she first came here.

The investment in military expenditure is an astonishing amount. Daqi is now strong in military and military, with new firearms emerging in an endless stream. It is not afraid of war at all, but the trauma caused by war will directly reverse several years of development.

She didn't want to fight now.

If we sit back and watch Badan unify the grassland, the grassland cavalry will soon move south and wreak havoc, and the border town will be plunged into a long war.

Only by supporting Wuliangha and continuing to maintain the balance among the three major tribes on the grassland can we provide a stable environment for the development of Daqi.

Wuliangha is the weakest tribe on the grassland. If it does not get external assistance, it will probably be defeated by Dada soon. By then, Dada will make a concerted effort to defeat Wa La and unify the grassland, and will soon invade the south.

The current plan is to ensure that Wuliangha is not defeated by Dada, but at the same time, we cannot allow Wuliangha to grow rapidly.

Instructions were passed to the border, and Yebushou began a secret operation.

They are special forces at the border, often operating deep into the grasslands, and have spies in the three major tribes.

Dada Royal Court.

When the news of Wuliangha's imminent defeat came, Badan was overjoyed. He immediately summoned all his ministers for a grand banquet and revealed his ambition to unify the grassland during the banquet. All the ministers were excited and toasted him to congratulate him.

Only Nag sighed silently.

To give advice at this juncture would be like pouring cold water on everyone, and he didn't have the courage to do so.

I just hope Qiguo’s reaction isn’t so quick.

But Qiguo's reaction disappointed him.

Badan was happy for less than two days when news came that Wuliangha had successfully counterattacked. They borrowed firearms from Qi State and forced back Dada's cavalry. Dada suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw from Wuliangha's territory.

"Bang!"

Badan slapped the table with all his strength, but the table was not damaged, and his hand was painful from the shock.

He was so angry that he kicked it over and said, "Drag it away and burn it!"

The attendant obeyed the order and carried the table to the brazier outside. Just as he was about to chop it into pieces and burn it, he heard someone next to him say, "This is a fine table bought from Qiguo. It would be a shame to burn it like this."

Attendant: It was because she was bought from Qi State that the Khan disliked her.

After Wuliangha regained his territory, he rekindled his morale with the support of Qiguo and resisted Dada's attacks one after another.

The Wa La tribe in the west also took advantage of the situation to fight back.

Under the pincer attack from the east and the west, Dada gradually became overwhelmed, suffered a crushing defeat, and finally retreated to its base camp.

Bataan’s dream of unifying the grassland was completely shattered.

The Qi State did not mobilize a single soldier, but only "traded" some advanced weapons, and Dada was defeated. This incident spread widely on the grassland, and the other nomadic peoples who were originally ready to move temporarily gave up the idea of ​​moving south.

They didn't know when Qiguo had become an existence that they could never catch up with. She was like an unclimbable mountain, standing before them, awe-inspiring.

It's only been a few years?

Badan couldn't understand it.

"King Khan, you might as well take a look at the newspapers of Qi State. Perhaps the "Heavenly Book" in it is the reason." Nag reminded.

"The Book of Heaven?" Badan knew that Qi State had a newspaper, but he was not interested in it. He always believed that only tyrannical military force could conquer the world, and Qi State's weak and gentle style could not withstand a blow.

Therefore, he has been concentrating on training troops and has no time to read Qiguo's sarcastic writings.

Nag held up a booklet and said, "This is a selection I have made. Please have a look, Your Majesty."

He had always longed for the Central Plains culture and devoted himself to studying it. The great changes that led to the founding of the country aroused his strong interest.

Badan took it suspiciously.

After reading a few pages, his originally dismissive expression gradually became solemn, his breathing became rapid, and veins on the back of his hands bulged.

"Nangge, is what's said above true? Has Qiguo become like this?"

Na Ge shook his head: "This is just Mr. Shi's imagination."

Before Badan could relax, he added, "But Qiguo's Tiangong Academy has continuously developed various devices such as steam engines. It is said that grain varieties are also being cultivated and optimized. All walks of life are rapidly developing. Even the war horses that originally relied on us have gradually decreased in recent years."

"What?!"

The tea-horse trade on the border has always been prosperous. The grassland tribes need tea, and the Qi State needs war horses and cattle and sheep. If the Qi State can breed excellent war horses by itself and no longer provide them with tea, wouldn’t that be strangling their lifeline?

Badan's palm trembled slightly, and the words in front of him were like death notes, making his head buzz.

"King Khan, if we give Qi a few more years, they will become even more terrifying."

"So what do you say we should do?"

Nag: "Either unite with Wala and Wuliangha, explain the pros and cons to them, and march south together to stop the further development of Qi State, or give up, make friends with Qi State, and learn from its advanced culture."

Bataan was silent.

No matter which one it is, he doesn't want it.

Nag saw what he was thinking and compromised, "Khan, why don't you send your trusted confidants, disguised as a merchant caravan, to the Central Plains for a secret investigation? It won't be too late to make a decision later."

For unknown reasons, the Emperor of Qi cancelled the tribute during the Wanshou Festival in recent years, making it impossible for the high-ranking officials of the grassland tribes to witness the current prosperity of Qi.

Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

Nag is very clear about this, but he just has no chance. This time the Khan was defeated by Uliangha, who was supported by Qi State. He made this suggestion, and there is a high possibility that the Khan will agree.

Sure enough, Bataan agreed without much thought.

"Who do you think would be a good fit?"

Nag did not hesitate: "Your Majesty, I would like to recommend myself."

Over the years, he has carefully studied the Central Plains culture and speaks the Central Plains dialect well, so it is indeed appropriate for him to lead the caravan.

Badan nodded.

A few days later, a caravan of dozens of people set out from the Dada Royal Court, headed south, and arrived at the border of Qi State.

Qi State and the grassland opened up trade, but the trade also had restrictions, and not every day there were caravans coming in and out.

Caravans that do not enter the country can trade with merchants from Qi State at the designated market in the middle of each month.

If you want to enter the country, you must go through strict inspection procedures and obtain relevant certificates. You can only carry out activities in designated states and counties and are not allowed to go deep into the heart of Qi State.

Nag didn't care. As long as they could enter the country, caravans from all over the country could become his information channels.

He led the caravan to apply for customs clearance certificates, and was still thinking about how to obtain information about Qi State after entering the country. He did not notice the strange look of the clerk who was processing the certificates.

The men behind him couldn't help but poke him.

Na Ge came back to his senses and asked the clerk, "What's the problem?"

The clerk glanced at him and raised a hand to signal the door. Immediately, guards came in and surrounded them.

"What's the meaning?!"

The yamen of □□ was small, and it was impossible for dozens of caravan members to come in. He was the leader of the "caravan", so he only brought two personal followers with him, and the rest of the people were waiting outside the yamen.

The clerk said coldly, "Qiguo does not welcome you. Please go back."

"Why?" Nag was very depressed. "Please give me a reason."

The clerk remained calm and continued to instruct the guards to "invite" them out and not allow them to enter the customs.

Na Ge was extremely angry, but he would not cause trouble on someone else's territory, so he had to walk out of the yamen under the strong control of the guards.

He really couldn't figure out what the problem was.

The attendant asked, "Could it be that we didn't send the money privately?"

"It's possible." Na Ge suddenly realized that usually people gave him money, and he had never done such a thing. "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Little did they know that all the clerks in the yamen were gathered around the desk, staring at a portrait on the table, which was actually Na Ge himself!

"It's really General Dadazuo, report it immediately!"

After Dada's unusual behavior, the imperial court ordered that the border guards be kept open at night and sent out secret agents to collect all information. At least all of Badan's close associates were on the list.

As the left general, Nag's physical features had long been recorded. The skilled painter restored his appearance on paper based on these records and the "identification" of the spies.

It is said that this painter had studied in the capital. Now this kind of realistic portrait is popular in the Ministry of Justice and other government offices, and the success rate of catching criminals is soaring year by year.

Every government office at the border had a printed portrait of that person, so the clerk recognized it at a glance.

Colleagues congratulated him: "You have made a great contribution this time."

"It's just luck. If you meet me, I'll definitely recognize you at a glance. I'll treat you to a drink after I leave the yamen."

"Let's skip it today. Maybe the higher-ups will find out and tell us to be more vigilant."

"Yes, then I can wait."

This matter was beyond Na Ge's expectation. He waited outside the yamen for several days and asked people to send gifts secretly, but the clerks in the yamen were ambiguous and did not reveal anything.

Just when he was puzzled, the news spread like wildfire to the imperial palace in the capital.

Xie Mingzhuo read the intelligence without changing his expression.

The grassland tribe had always been unwilling to give up, so she never forgot to be on guard. Unexpectedly, she actually caught a big fish.

"Send the order, let him in, and monitor his intentions."

After a few days, Na Ge, who was always patient, had reached his limit and was about to go back home. Fortunately, good news finally came that the government approved their entry permit.

Na Ge was still a little unsure and asked, "Why didn't you allow it before?"

The clerk said indifferently, "None of your business."

“…”

Because of this indifferent attitude, Na Ge's uneasiness was relieved a lot. Perhaps the clerks of Qi State were just so slow in doing things and wanted more bribes.

After successfully entering the country, according to the provisions of the permit document, he could only operate in a few fixed states and counties.

He first went to Pingliang Prefecture.

But as soon as he entered Pingliang Prefecture, he felt that the scenery of Qi State was very different from what was written in the books and described by the grassland caravans.

On this trip, he brought many close followers, including merchants who had been to Qi State.

After checking into the inn, these merchants also showed strange expressions.

"Boss, when we came to Qiguo a few years ago, Qiguo was not like this."

"What was that thing piled in the yard just now? It looked like coal, but it has a lot of holes in it."

Nag: "Ask a fellow."

They called the servants to ask.

The waiter said perfunctorily, "It's for burning fire."

Someone handed over a string of copper coins, and the waiter smiled and replied enthusiastically: "That's what you're talking about. It's called honeycomb coal. It was developed by the Tiangong Institute and brought here two years ago. It's cheap and burns well."

"Why is coal stone so cheap?" Nag was puzzled.

The clerk was proud of it: "Now coal mining is much easier than before. The government has also controlled the price so that ordinary people can afford it."

Nag finally discovered what was different.

This is the expression of the people of Qi State.

Walking on the street, whether they are peddlers or men and women, most people have relaxed and peaceful expressions on their faces, which is indeed different from the people in the border town in the past.

They asked the waiter some more questions. The waiter was smart and didn't say a word that he shouldn't say. He boasted so much that he could boast to the sky, which left them stunned.

The man was feeling proud, so he decided to scare these northern barbarians so that they wouldn't dare to invade again.

At the end, the accompanying merchants, as usual, asked vaguely about the location of the kiln.

After the grassland caravans came to the Central Plains, they would almost always visit brothels. This was the style of the grassland caravans. If they didn't do this, it would probably arouse suspicion.

The clerk gave a look of "as expected," but shook his head and said, "There's no kiln house now."

"Huh? Why?"

"The imperial court issued a ban a year ago, banning all kilns across the country. Anyone found operating a kiln privately will be severely punished."

Nag and the others showed disappointment at the right time, but their hearts were like turbulent waves.

Qi State actually dared to ban this matter directly. Isn’t it afraid that the reckless people will be dissatisfied and cause trouble?

Is this ban because the Princess Regent is in power?

The man coughed lightly and said, "But money talks, don't you think?"

Every policy has its own countermeasure.

The imperial court's ban is one thing, but there are also people who rely on the powerful and continue to operate in secret.

There is no end to the bans.

Nag and the others understood and sent the waiter away.

"Boss, a border town has changed so much. How can we imagine what the heartland of Qi State has become like?"

Nag thought so too.

Is there really any chance that the Khan’s great ambitions will be realized?