Chapter 73: The two envoys "come with ill intentions." ...
"He comes with bad intentions."
As soon as Ji Meng opened his mouth, he set the tone for the matter.
The Jinjiang tribe had just fought with the Wu tribe. Although they were resisting an invasion, and the Wu tribe was the invader, when faced with tangible interests, who the Fengsui and Langyi tribes would side with depended on the attitude of the Jinjiang tribe.
If the Jinjiang tribe was willing to sell them salt, they would naturally help condemn the Wu tribe, saying that the Wu tribe was too arrogant and reckless and should not go to war against a friendly country that was helping each other.
If the Jinjiang tribe insisted on not selling salt to them, the two tribes would probably change their attitude immediately: the Wu tribe exchanged supplies for salt in a nice way, and the Jinjiang tribe clearly stockpiled a lot but refused to help their allies. They really deserved it.
Ge said angrily, "They are taking advantage of the situation! Do you think we are afraid of them?"
But no matter how angry she was, she had led the tribe for many years and knew that at times like this, she should not act on impulse.
"Chief, what do you say we should do?"
Fu Li smiled soothingly and said slowly, "Even if they didn't come, I would still go find them. Now that they've come on their own, it saves us the trouble."
Since we need to control the water, it is impossible to only control the water within the territory of the Jinjiang tribe, otherwise it will be useless.
This is a huge project that requires collective efforts. Only by uniting more tribes and working together can the flood be completely quelled.
In his previous life, when Fu Li was studying history, he was deeply impressed by the Dujiangyan Irrigation System built by Li Bing of the Qin State during the Warring States Period.
Before Li Bing built the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, floods ravaged Shu, forcing local people to flee famine frequently, often with nowhere to escape.
After the construction of Dujiangyan, Shu was transformed from a place prone to frequent disasters into a world-famous land of abundance.
It can be said that the rich Shu region played a significant role in Qin's unification of the world.
Moreover, since the Qin Dynasty, Shuzhong has been the place with the most rebellions. Rebellions in other places are because the people are forced to live, but the people in Shuzhong rebel simply because the rulers have too much money and are floating around.
Seeing that Ge had calmed down, Fu Li said, "Okay, please invite the two envoys in."
"only."
Xiao Shi, who had come to report, responded loudly, walked out with his head held high, and shouted, "Please invite the envoys from the Feng Sui and Lang Yi tribes in."
Because Xiaoshi was brave and eloquent, Fuli learned about her family situation and knew that in addition to her sisters, she also had an old mother and an older brother. So she asked her if she would like to stay by his side and be his attendant.
Xiaoshi already had great respect for her and longed to be closer to her, so why wouldn't he? After informing his mother, he took up his post the next day.
Fu Li did not intend to erase her nature, but only taught her to be more humble and let her learn some etiquette from Ji Meng.
She was young and smart, and loved to learn. In just half a month, she had learned quite well.
The envoy of the Fengsui tribe was a middle-aged man with a popular beard. He wore a pair of original-colored hemp cloth trousers and a piece of animal skin wrapped around his upper body. The exposed skin was mainly painted with red and green pigments and had mysterious patterns on it.
The envoy of the Langyi tribe was a young woman, tall and plump, with a green scarf wrapped around her head, a black short coat with a green edge on her upper body, brown pants on her lower body, and a pair of old straw sandals.
She also had patterns painted on her face, not on her body.
Before the two men came, they received similar orders, which was to test the attitude of the newly renamed Jinjiang Department, to see if the Jinjiang Department had gotten close to someone powerful and would no longer be willing to bother with them, their poor relatives, after becoming rich.
If the Jinjiang tribe is still willing to make friends with them, then everyone will live in peace, and they will also help suppress the Wu tribe as a token of their allegiance to the Jinjiang tribe.
If others look down on them, they should not quarrel with them. It would be better to take the opportunity to investigate and see how capable the expert from the Jinjiang tribe is.
The results of the investigation will determine their attitude towards the Jinjiang tribe.
Because Jin Jiangbu was placed in a strong position from the beginning, the two envoys appeared calm on the surface, but were more or less nervous in their hearts.
Now, seeing that the attendants of the new leader of the Jinjiang tribe had an extraordinary demeanor, they felt even more unsure and did not dare to act in a domineering manner. They followed Xiaoshi in obediently.
"Hong from Fengsui tribe, meeting with the leader of Jinjiang."
"Zhou Shan of the Wolf Yi tribe pays homage to the leader of Jin Jiang."
Fu Li said calmly, "Your Excellency, please stand up."
"Thank you, Chief Jinjiang."
After bowing again, the two men stood up and Fu Li allowed them to sit down. Xiao Shi then led them to sit on the two four-legged bamboo stools at the bottom.
This four-legged stool was also a new gadget that Fu Li brought from Mount Emei this time. It was the first time for the two envoys to use it and they found it much more comfortable than kneeling on their heels.
At that time, the etiquette of the Central Plains had not yet developed to an unattainable level. The two envoys did not think that changing from kneeling to sitting was cheap. Instead, they felt that the Jinjiang tribe was indeed advanced. This seat alone was much more comfortable than their popular kneeling.
Fu Li said, "I already know the purpose of your visit. Although refined salt is expensive, it cannot compare to the years of friendship between our tribes.
This is our first time meeting, so you probably don't know me well. I don't like beating around the bush; I just say what I want to say.
Upon hearing this, the two messengers subconsciously sat up straight and pretended to listen attentively.
Fu Li said, "I agree to the salt exchange. When your envoy returns, please report to your leader. From now on, there will be an exchange quota of 500 kilograms per year."
Hearing this, the two messengers felt relieved and stood up, saying, "Thank you, Chief Jinjiang."
Five hundred kilograms of salt per year is enough for their tribe's daily use.
"No need to be so polite, both of you." Fu Li smiled and said slowly, "Salt is actually nothing. As long as you have enough food, even if you want a thousand kilograms of salt, we can afford it."
The two messengers didn't know that her words were just an introduction, they just thought that she really wanted to exchange salt for food.
Hong of the Fengsui tribe smiled bitterly and said, "Who wouldn't want to exchange this fine salt for more? But your Excellency should also know that our Fengsui tribe only moved to our current territory seven years ago. The arable land is not fertile, and the tribe can barely make ends meet. We simply can't afford to give away any more food."
Zhou Shan of the Langyi tribe also said, "Our Langyi tribe's land is more fertile, but our territory is mountainous and has little land. Every year, our leader has to lead the tribe to hunt wild animals and collect mountain products to supplement our income."
All in all, the two tribes each have their own difficulties.
This may not be entirely true, but it is not far from the truth.
Although Fu Li had never been to their tribe, he was very familiar with the former Ge tribe.
Only tribes of similar strength could play together. If one tribe became particularly powerful, how would its former allies react? First look at the Wu tribe, then the Fengsui and Langyi tribes to see how they would react.
Fu Li nodded sympathetically and said, "I know your difficulties. Wasn't the Jinjiang tribe the same in the past?"
The two of them were instantly worried, thinking: You were like this before, how did you change later? We've already mentioned the past, so why don't you continue?
But Fu Li suddenly smiled and shook her head, as if to say, "The past cannot be retrieved." She composed herself and said with a cheerful smile, "Let's not talk about the past. Our Jinjiang tribe has a new leader, and we're holding a bonfire party in five days. Your arrival at this time is perfect, so why don't you attend the bonfire party before leaving?"
This evening party was naturally added at the last minute. Its purpose was to keep these two people and let them experience the changes in the Jinjiang Department.
People go to high places and water flows to low places. This is true in any era.
Once they see the current life of the Jinjiang tribe, I believe they will not be tempted.
Once they have the idea, they will either think about coming over to learn or want to seize it by force.
Both the former and the latter gave Fuli the opportunity to integrate their tribe's resources. However, the former's methods were gentler, while the latter was much simpler and more brutal.
After all, if I don’t respond to the invaders with an iron fist, how will the world know that I love peace?
The two men completed their task of exchanging salt successfully, and they were filled with joy. How could they not want to join in the fun when encountering such a happy event?
Fu Li then had someone take them down to rest, and ordered Ge to personally accommodate the delegation they brought.
“Since they are guests from friendly countries, we must make them feel at home.”
"Yes." Ge smiled knowingly.
After Ge retreated, Ji Meng asked, "Should I go survey the terrain again after a while?"
In fact, she was already impatient, but she also knew that if the three tribes could work together, it would naturally be more effective than just Jinjiang alone.
Fu Li smiled and said, "No, you should go immediately. Take your men with you today. It would be best if they saw you. If they ask, don't tell them what you are doing."
Ji Meng couldn't figure out what she was planning for a moment, but if he could set off immediately, it would be what she wanted, so he naturally agreed.
She then stepped out and gathered the ten people she had selected earlier.
The ten people had already packed their bags. Each of them brought a set of clothes and a bamboo water bottle, and the largest amount of food was dry food.
Originally they thought that since the envoys from the two tribes had arrived, the matter of leaving would have to be postponed, so some were happy and some were worried.
After all, this time away from home, there was no telling how long it would take for them to return. Ji Meng had chosen young men in their twenties who had never left the tribe alone, so he was inevitably nervous.
After receiving Ji Meng's call, the ten people said goodbye to their relatives again and followed Ji Meng out from the main road.
The buildings housing the embassy were located on both sides of the main road. When they left, the embassy was unloading its belongings. Seeing a group of young and strong men leaving, each carrying a bag, they inevitably became suspicious and quickly reported it to their own envoys.
Both envoys had seen a lot, and their minds were deeper and their thoughts were more thorough. For smart people like them, the biggest fear was overthinking.
Just at such a sensitive moment, the Jinjiang tribe sent a team of young and strong men on a long journey. Could it be that they were trying to gather information and prepare to go to war with which tribe?
"Why didn't you stop them to ask?" Hong asked.
The person who reported the incident said, "The Langyi tribe was just across the road at the time, and no one tried to stop them. How could we stop them? Wouldn't that offend them?"
The situation is different now. The Jinjiang tribe is obviously stronger than them. As the weaker party, they naturally have to act more cautiously.
Before reaching the Jinjiang tribe, Hong repeatedly reminded the tribesmen who followed him that if the Jinjiang tribe wanted to continue the previous friendship, they should control their mouths and legs, watch more, ask less, and walk less.
Now it seems that Zhou Shan of the Langyi tribe also made the same explanation.
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