It was already noon.
Fu Xiaoguan and Fan Tianning returned to Guanyun City. After having lunch together, Fu Xiaoguan brought Fan Tianning to Guanyun Terrace.
"If I tell you that this is my first time at Guanyuntai after returning to Wu Dynasty for so long, you will definitely not believe it."
"No, I believe it!"
Liu Jin knelt aside and brewed tea, thinking that this master rarely had such free time as today.
"Hey, Brother Fan, I'm actually a lazy guy. Now I have no choice but to vent my frustrations to you. I really just want to be a small landlord!"
Fan Tianning laughed, and Fu Xiaoguan said again: "See, now even you don't believe it. When I was in Linjiang..." Fu Xiaoguan suddenly looked like a ruffian. He crossed his legs, hugged his knees with his hands, and shook like a fat man.
"Back then, the "Linjiang Bully" was referring to me! Life was so comfortable. I could sleep until I woke up naturally, take my servants out for breakfast, watch the couple on East Street beating their child, watch the scoundrel on West Street teasing the young woman, watch the man performing tricks on South Street, and watch the young woman selling tofu on North Street..."
Fu Xiaoguan wiped his mouth and said, "When I have nothing to do, I copy books or go to Linjiang Tower for a drink. If I'm bored again, I go to Xishan... That place is very good. Oh, by the way, last year my wives came back from Xishan and brought back some good wine that I had stored for three years."
Fu Xiaoguan turned to look at Liu Jin and said, "Please remember to go to Concubine Lan and get a jar of Laojiao for Brother Fan later."
"I obey your order." Liu Jin responded quickly.
"Then I'd be remiss to refuse."
"Don't be so polite with me... By the way, I heard that the southern part of Fan State is a major cotton producing area. We can include that in our trade agreement. Wu Chao is cold, and he needs cotton clothes to keep warm. How about it?"
This is of course good. Yunzhou is located in the south of Fan State. Yunzhou got its name from the thousands of acres of cotton that look like clouds when they are in full bloom.
"Yes, but you have to sell me the redcoat cannon and flintlock rifle."
"What do you Fan Kingdom need those guns and cannons for?"
"What if the Yu Dynasty takes out its anger on my Fan State? Yu Wendao has trained another 100,000 Tiance troops, a total of 200,000! And they are all equipped with flintlock rifles."
"What if he gets bullied by you and turns his gun on Fan Guo? What do you do?"
"Hahahaha..." Fu Xiaoguan laughed, shook his head a few times, and nodded, "Okay, that's a happy decision... Actually, you can have another solution."
"What's the solution?"
"Let's sign a military alliance agreement. If my brother-in-law dares to bully you, I will help you punish him."
"What are the conditions?"
"Allow the troops of our Wu Dynasty to enter a city in your Fan State."
Fan Tianning glared at Fu Xiaoguan and said, "Don't even think about it. Father will definitely not agree to it."
"That's fine. I can sell you the red cannons and flintlock rifles, as many as you want! Next, I plan to establish a free trade city in Hexi Province and conduct free trade with your Fan State. This is mutually beneficial. Is that okay?"
"I fully support this! It will save us from having to ship goods so far in the future."
"How about building a bridge across the Lan River to make it easier for merchants from both countries to travel?"
Fu Xiaoguan looked at Fan Tianning with a sly look. He thought Fan Tianning would definitely refuse, since it was a huge project after all. However, he did not expect that Fan Tianning actually nodded after thinking for a moment.
"I will build this bridge in the Yunzhou River section, connecting it to Beijun City in Hexi Prefecture of your Wu Dynasty. You must establish the free trade zone in Beijun City."
"Okay, Liu Jin, write these things down."
The two drank tea in a pleasant atmosphere and discussed several issues concerning the Free Trade City and reached many trade agreements.
This included the Wu Dynasty providing the Yu Dynasty with sufficient firearms, ammunition and white salt, as well as the Yu Dynasty providing the Wu Dynasty with minerals, timber, cotton, etc.
This is bulk trade between countries. As for the Free Trade City, it is a platform for merchants to communicate. Except for special items such as firearms, merchants from both countries can trade freely.
The world's only bilateral trade agreement between two countries was finalized right here at Guanyuntai while the two of them drank tea and chatted.
No one realized how much impact such a trade agreement would have on the future. It would be called a milestone in the history of world trade in the future, known as the Guanyuntai Agreement!
The next day, Fan Tianning left Guanyun City and returned to Fan State with the agreement. Fu Xiaoguan formally proposed the concept of international trade at the court meeting and instructed the Ministry of Commerce to implement and negotiate all matters in the agreement.
Another free trade city was established. Now the small town called Beijun was very desolate, but just one year later, it became the largest distribution center for trade between the Wu Dynasty and the Fan State, and promoted the prosperity of the five states in the Western Regions.
This is a later matter.
At this moment, Fu Xiaoguan was in the imperial study, looking at two pieces of intelligence sent by the Censorate:
"The Chen, Zhou, and Lu families have all left the Wu Dynasty. Your Majesty's plan has been implemented, and everything is proceeding according to plan."
"Han Yuqing, the patriarch of the Han family in Jinghua Prefecture, hosted a banquet for Sima Hui, the father-in-law of the emperor, on the fifth day of the tenth month of the first year of Tiande. He intended to sell all of the Han family's weaving workshops. Sima Hui thought the price was appropriate. Please, Your Majesty, make your decision.
In addition, Han Yuqing intends to marry her granddaughter, Han Yan'er, to Sima Tao, and would like to ask Your Majesty to make the final decision."
Fu Xiaoguan put down the intelligence, thought for a moment, and wrote a single word on it: "Good!"
Then he picked up another piece of information, which came from the Chi Lechuan Autonomous Region.
"Your Majesty:
The Ziqizhou perfume workshop was completed on the third day of the ninth month of the first year of Tiande. Supervisor Zhang Xiaomei has created perfume using lavender, but the glass workshop's trial production has yet to be completed. Shopkeeper Yu Zhongtan says he's found the problem, and success seems imminent.
Fu Xiaoguan frowned slightly. When he was investigating in Ziqi Prefecture, he found that there were a lot of quartz sand and limestone there, so he sent people to Linjiang to invite Yu Zhongtan, the shopkeeper who produced glass bottles for his Xishan Tianchun.
He told Yu Zhongtan the glass manufacturing process, but he didn't expect that it had not been figured out yet.
It's hard work for Zhang Xiaomei. Her husband Wang Qiang is now in Mozhou, managing the rice seeds of the imperial farm. It would be unfair to both of them if the two places are separated and something happens.
"The Muyang Salt Fields produced 100,000 jin of white salt today, but demand still outstrips supply. However, the prices of cattle and sheep in Xinzhou and Lanqi Commercial City have risen, with sheep selling for 2,300 wen each and cattle for 20,000 wen each. Now, one sheep can be exchanged for five jin of salt. The Governor-General has already sent a written document to His Majesty, and it should arrive today..."
Fu Xiaoguan put down the intelligence. The Chi Lechuan Autonomous Region was developing stably, which saved him a lot of worries. It was very good.
"Liu Jin."
"The servant is here."
"I'm thinking of sending you on an errand... Copy this nautical chart. Then, gather a crew and follow this chart to explore the route for me."
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