A crisis sometimes doesn't give you time to prepare!
Shortly after the warships were being built at the Dongning Shipyard, bad news came from Liaodong.
Upon succeeding to the throne, King Li Tong of Liaodong ordered a ban on the transport of all grain out of Liaodong. The reason given was that the severe drought of the previous summer had resulted in a poor harvest, and the floods in the Huai River basin had reduced the amount of grain transported out, leaving Liaodong with a deficit.
In addition to the grain embargo, there was another piece of bad news: a fivefold tax would be levied on goods in transit, especially those entering and leaving Dongning.
This indirectly hinders the sale of goods from Dongning.
However, this is not the only way!
As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly, and a broken boat is hit by a headwind.
At the same time that such an order was issued in Liaodong, the same order was also issued in other high-grain-yield areas such as Jiangnan, Qiantang, and Huguang.
Furthermore, it also increased the tax burden on Dongning Trading Company.
The biggest difference between these provinces and Liaodong is that they are indirectly encouraging local migrants and the poor to move to Dongning.
These areas were also the main sources of grain that Dongning used to purchase from outside the region.
It is also currently the region with the most booming sales of new goods in Dongning.
However, to Li Xin's surprise, these provinces were still encouraging migrants and the poor to move to Dongning.
Li Xin thought about it for a moment and was able to understand the key points behind this approach.
The imperial court's intention was probably to cut off Dongning's access to imported grain and increase Dongning's population.
As a result, with one side gaining and the other losing, Dongning's grain supply will inevitably decrease.
When Dongning runs out of food, these refugees will rise up and cause trouble.
Li Xin could see through such a blatant scheme at a glance!
However, this kind of open conspiracy is also the most unsolvable!
After all, Dongning Province cannot be self-sufficient in its own grain.
Moreover, some regions have cut off food purchases.
Li Xin's biggest concern was that since the provinces of Daqian Kingdom had chosen to do this, there must be some secret encouragement from the imperial court behind the scenes.
Since Li Ming has done this, the merchant caravans transporting grain at sea will surely be attacked as well.
After all, if the trade channels in Southeast Asia could not be severed, Dongning could still purchase grain from abroad.
The Ministry of Works of the imperial court controlled a large fleet, and with the harassment from the naval forces in Jiangnan, Qiantang, and Lingnan, this situation was inevitable!
What you wish for comes true!
At the same time as these bad news arrived, bad news also came from Qingyu Trading Company and Sunji Trading Company.
Fleets that were purchasing grain from Southeast Asia encountered pirate attacks in the waters near Lingnan and Qiantang.
The two trading companies had a total of six grain transport ships, which were sunk, resulting in a loss of tens of thousands of bushels of grain.
Upon hearing this news, Li Xin's expression changed drastically!
While they may be called pirates, it's highly likely that the imperial court did it on purpose!
They just haven't openly broken ties yet.
"Your Highness,"
Zhao Bingzhang sighed and said, "It seems that Li Ming is really going to make a move against us."
"yes!"
Li Xin leaned back on the bed and slowly nodded, saying, "Possessing a treasure is a crime!"
Who told Dongning to be so flamboyant and rise so quickly in the past two years!
Anyone would feel panicked!
As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind."
We should have anticipated this situation!
Zhao Bingzhang was somewhat gratified that Li Xin thought this way.
Based on Zhao Bingzhang's understanding of His Highness, since His Highness had considered the consequences, he must have also thought of a way to deal with them.
This is enough to show that Your Highness, though seemingly young, has actually matured considerably!
He was a rare and wise ruler!
"Your Highness,"
Zhao Bingzhang looked at Li Xin with a smile and asked, "Given the current situation, how should we deal with it?"
"response?"
Li Xin stroked his chin and said, "Mr. Zhao, the court's targeting of us is mostly justified."
Whether it's a food embargo or increased taxes.
We really can't refute that.
After all, we don't have the proper legal standing.
If we openly rebel, the court will use this as an excuse to accuse us of treason, and the entire Daqian Kingdom will mobilize to punish us.
We have no allies in the country.
Therefore, we cannot openly retaliate in this regard.
So what if there's a grain embargo? There's not much grain available domestically these past two years anyway.
Increased taxes mean higher taxes.
However, our Dongning goods can still be sold in Dagang Kingdom, after all, the Qingyu Trading Company in the capital is a product of our cooperation with Li Ming.
Profits still need to be shared!
As for the goods produced in Dongning now, we can simply not sell them there. We can sell them first in Silla, Ezo (Hokkaido), and Southeast Asia, and even secretly sell them to some domestic merchants.
These are all insignificant matters, nothing that will cause any serious harm!
Li Xin sat up straight, took a sip of tea, and continued, "Things vary in urgency and importance."
We don't need to retaliate much against these things.
However, there are some things we must retaliate against.
For example, if pirates attack grain transport ships, we must retaliate!
And we must also make the imperial court suffer a hidden loss!
"Did the imperial court suffer a loss in secret?"
Zhao Bingzhang paused for a moment, stared at Li Xin, and asked, "Your Highness, what do you plan to do?"
"hey-hey."
Li Xin smiled maliciously and said, "Regarding the loss of grain transport ships in the waters near Lingnan and Qiantang, we should immediately draft a memorial to urge the court and the local governments of Qiantang and Lingnan to respond."
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