However, the State of Wu was not a weak State of Ji!
It is rich in natural resources, has a developed fishing industry, and especially a thriving sericulture industry, which is equivalent to a southern version of the State of Qi!
More importantly, the State of Wu possessed abundant iron and copper mines, and its sword-making industry was unparalleled in the world!
Furthermore, it possesses towering mountains and the formidable Yangtze River, features that the State of Qi lacks!
It was precisely because of these advantages that the Wu Kingdom dared to challenge Jiang Ming directly and stand on equal footing with him without any fear of Jiang Ming!
Therefore, the strategy for destroying the Wu state was much more complex than that for dealing with the Ji state!
Jiang Ming and his younger brother Ying Zhuang conducted a detailed analysis and decided to use a two-pronged approach to lull the Wu Kingdom into a trap step by step!
No matter how developed or prosperous a civilization may be, it should never neglect agriculture.
Once agriculture is neglected, it may not seem like a big deal at first!
But once you accumulate enough to reach a critical point, they can kill you with a single move!
Therefore, Jiang Ming decided to take a comprehensive approach, focusing on several aspects including coinage, silk production, and the coal-coal exchange program.
First, regarding coinage, Jiang Ming decided to introduce the 'gold standard'!
This means unifying the currencies of all countries, using a fixed gold content as the benchmark for anchoring the value of the currency!
This can prevent inflation, stabilize prices, and accelerate the flow of logistics nationwide.
More importantly, at that time, the largest gold mines were all in the hands of the states of Jin, Qin, Qi, and Chu; the state of Wu had no gold mines!
Once the currency is linked to gold, the wealth of the Wu Kingdom can be plundered!
Let them exchange other products unrelated to food for gold!
If they can mobilize their domestic labor force to do things unrelated to agriculture, they can sow the seeds of their food shortage!
As for silk, it is an excellent weapon!
Various countries are praising how amazing Wu silk is!
Then they purchased a large quantity of silk from the Kingdom of Wu!
As a result, the people of Wu all started planting mulberry trees instead of farming, which laid the groundwork for a decisive blow to Wu a year or two later!
The gold mines in the states of Chu, Qin, and Qi can support Jiang Ming in winning this trade war.
In the beginning, we will definitely let the State of Wu take all the advantages, with only one goal... to get them to focus on commerce, industry, and handicrafts, and not on agriculture.
As for exchanging coal for copper, that's an even more ingenious and novel idea!
In the era that Jiang Ming transmigrated to, whether it was forging swords or refining bronze, everything involved burning wood into charcoal and then forging it. Even the daily heating of ordinary people was done with wood!
In any case, the one thing that's never lacking in this era is wood!
They haven't realized the value of coal yet!
In the State of Jin... coal covered the mountains and plains!
The utilization value of coal can be directly developed, and then the coal can be used to exchange for copper and iron mines in the Wu Kingdom.
The Wu Kingdom had no coal, so this novel heating method was definitely attractive to them!
This could serve as a benchmark to discourage more people from Wu from engaging in proper work and instead of farming and harvesting grain!
In short, the reason for adopting the gold standard was that the gold mines of this era were in their own hands... This ensured the basic foundation of wealth and the right to speak, guaranteeing victory in this game.
They aggressively purchased Wu's economic specialties and mineral products, undermining their agricultural base and making them dependent on agriculture in the Central Plains!
Even in the modern society before Jiang Ming's time travel... the main food supply of the Wu-Yue region was inseparable from the Central Plains.
The Central Plains were dedicated to farming, the land of Qi and Lu was dedicated to growing vegetables, and the State of Yan... was dedicated to blacksmithing!
By consolidating the power of the entire world, we can shift Wu's economy from agriculture to handicrafts, creating a heavy dependence on it. Then, we can "wean" it off the supply and apply the brakes abruptly, causing Wu to collapse without a fight!
The entire process can be completed without any fighting; victory can be secured quietly!
After hearing Jiang Ming's plan, Ying Zhuang suddenly realized and exclaimed in astonishment, "Brother, this kind of strategy is truly... an unprecedented and ingenious plan!"
"hehe......"
Jiang Ming smiled faintly: "Coal or silk, these are just examples! In fact... there are many ways. For example, we can make Wu's clothing, utensils, building materials, or luxury goods such as jade popular throughout the world. In short... in every aspect, we can make the people of Wu make money and gain something from everything. Farming is not profitable and is a thankless task. We can gradually numb them and make them lose sight of the bigger picture in the process of accumulating wealth!"
He paused for a moment and continued, "Gold is the foundation, guaranteeing victory in this financial war! From now on, as the King of Chu, you will outwardly submit to Wu, increase trade with it, and firmly establish a trade bond with it. Rest assured, I will mobilize the entire world to support you!"
"Thank you, Brother Wang!"
Ying Zhuang was overwhelmed with gratitude and asked, "I heard that you, my brother, are planning to move the capital of Daqian from Luoyi to Yan?"
"Indeed!"
Jiang Ming let out a long breath and laughed, "Brother! I won't say anything hypocritical in front of you. Our emperor is nothing more than a 'mascot' in my hands. I use him to command the world, just like the imperial seal in our father's hands!"
He paused and continued, "I will entrust all 36 cities in Luoyi to your administration... Combined with the original 40% of Chu's territory, the Chu you possess will still be a great power!"
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