Cao Song also began to carefully consider the specific price of coal.

Cao Song pondered for a moment and then said, "The people are living in poverty now, so the price of coal should not be too high. It would be more appropriate to set the price at sixty coins per shi for the time being! That is, one jin of grain can be exchanged for twenty jin of coal."

"As for the purchase price, let's set it at six qian per dan. According to the grain exchange rate, one jin of grain can be exchanged for two hundred jin of coal. What do you think, Brother Zhou Yang?"

"Yes, Brother Ju Gao is right! Let's set the price accordingly!"

Upon hearing the price proposed by Cao Song, Yuan Feng carefully considered it and, finding no problem with it, agreed to Cao Song's suggestion.

After all, unlike later generations, this era did not require heating stoves to drive the heating system. The consumption of coal was enormous, often requiring a household to consume about three to five tons.

According to Yuan Feng's estimate, from the perspective of ordinary people, based on the consumption of a small coal stove, ordinary people only need to spend more than 30 catties of grain to buy coal to get through the coldest months of winter.

Compared to the expenses of keeping warm in previous winters, buying coal is undoubtedly the most economical and convenient option, and most importantly, most people can afford it.

The only slightly higher-priced item is a coal stove, but it's something that can be used for a long time, so the average cost isn't that high.

From the perspective of the Wuhuan people and the steppe people, based on a price five times higher than the normal trade price, they would need to exchange three adult sheep for one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain.

However, to raise three adult sheep, one needs to take meticulous care of them year-round, and also face various natural disasters and exploitation by tribal leaders. In a flock of dozens of sheep, after deducting all expenses, no more than three sheep can remain in the hands of an ordinary herder.

But now they only need to mine a thousand catties of coal every day to exchange for five catties of grain. The grain they get in a month can be exchanged for a year's income in the past. Why wouldn't they do it?

Yuan Feng then continued, "As for the procurement qualifications, what should be done?"

Upon hearing Yuan Feng's words, Cao Song couldn't help but frown; this was indeed a thorny issue.

Based on Cao Song's pricing, if coal is purchased from Liaoxi and transported back to the Han territory for sale, after deducting all costs, a profit of at least 600% can be obtained.

Furthermore, the future demand for coal in the entire Han Dynasty will undoubtedly be enormous, representing a continuous source of wealth that could drive people mad.

This was an incredibly tempting cake, and everyone was staring intently at it, wanting a slice. But the cake was only so big, and sharing it with everyone was obviously unrealistic.

Nowadays, there are no fewer than a hundred powerful families who want to obtain this qualification, but there are only so many spots. Giving it to ten people would completely offend the remaining ninety.

Even if the Yuan and Cao families joined forces, they would probably find it difficult to withstand the dissatisfaction and anger of those people.

The question of how to allocate procurement qualifications caused the two to fall silent for a moment.

"His Majesty has presented us with a difficult problem!"

After pondering for a long time, Yuan Feng still couldn't come up with a solution. Then he thought of the previous blueprints and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"problem?"

At this moment, Cao Song was also racking his brains to think of a feasible solution. Suddenly, he heard Yuan Feng mention the word "difficult problem," and his eyes lit up. He quickly came up with a brilliant idea.

Then Cao Song looked at Yuan Feng with a smile and said with a laugh, "Haha~ This is indeed a difficult problem, but we can just throw this problem out to them!"

"Hmm? What do you mean by that, Brother Ju Gao?"

Seeing Cao Song's expression, it was clear that he had come up with a good idea, and Yuan Feng quickly asked him.

Cao Song's eyes darted around, and he looked at Yuan Feng with a grin, "Needless to say, our two families will each get one spot. As for the rest, we might as well sell them to them and let them bid against each other. Whoever offers the most money, we'll sell to them!"

"Great idea!!"

Yuan Feng suddenly realized that Cao Song's idea was too perfect. Not only did it successfully shift the conflict to their own point of view, but it also allowed them to take advantage of the situation and reap the benefits.

While Yuan Feng was pleased, a thought also stirred within him. He looked up at Cao Song and felt that Cao Song's methods were so similar to those of the current emperor.

No matter what happens, they always manage to extricate themselves perfectly while simultaneously being the biggest beneficiary.

Yuan Feng had vaguely sensed this before, but he could never think of a way to deal with it. Now that he and Cao Song were on the same level, Yuan Feng seemed to have discovered a whole new world.

Trying to make others fight like the snipe and the clam while you reap the benefits, and then having them praise you afterwards—gaining both fame and fortune—this kind of approach is truly exhilarating.

If you can't beat them, join them—that's Yuan Feng's mindset right now.

The two then discussed other issues in detail. After the memorial was drafted and they both signed their names, Cao Song left the Yuan residence with Yuan Feng's personal escort.

......

The next day, Cao Song and Yuan Feng's joint memorial was delivered to Liu Hong's desk.

"Those who achieved such high positions in ancient times were certainly not simple people. If we can break through the limitations of their perspectives and thinking, and look at problems from a different angle, the future will surely hold infinite possibilities!"

After Liu Hong carefully read through the contents of the memorial, he couldn't help but admire it.

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