Chief Secretary Xie stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Your Highness, I have a plan."
Gu Yuzhi's eyes lit up: "What method?"
He knew that Chief Secretary Xie was so clever that he would definitely come up with a good solution.
Chief Secretary Xie smiled slightly: "Since Your Highness has decided to accomplish this, let's postpone our departure by a few days and go to meet the owner of Tianquan Manor to discuss the swords and knives that Guard Zhang and the others need."
Based on his understanding of the young prince, the swords and knives he purchased for Guard Zhang and his men would definitely not be the same as those for ordinary soldiers, and the prices would naturally be higher.
However, these problems are not significant. After all, His Highness has appeased the people of Jiangnan and solved such a big problem for Tianquan Manor. If Tianquan Manor is sensible, it will naturally not ask for a high price.
Guard Zhang had clearly thought of this as well, and whispered, "What does this have to do with what Your Highness said?"
Gu Yuzhi nodded his head and said, "Yes, yes! And I plan to purchase a large quantity of weapons for the soldiers in Mobei. If I were to say that the people of Tianquan Manor would not charge for the swords of Guard Zhang and his men, then it would be difficult for me to negotiate the business later."
He frowned slightly, glanced at Manager Wen, and saw Manager Wen fanning himself with a smile as he looked at him. He could only pout and think to himself.
As Manager Wen mentioned before, when negotiating, you should first raise your own demands and gradually test the other party's bottom line in order to achieve your own goal.
But now they want to buy more...
Gu Yuzhi's big eyes darted around, then he suddenly raised his hand, his voice becoming louder: "I understand!"
Chief Secretary Xie raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes encouraging: "Your Highness, please begin."
Gu Yuzhi scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "Chief Secretary Xie said that we should first talk about buying weapons for Guard Zhang and the others. The owner of Tianquan Manor thought that the quantity was not large, so he might give them to us..."
When it came to giving gifts, Gu Yuzhi became a little embarrassed and waved his hands repeatedly: "But I don't mean to take them for free."
He raised his right hand, pinched his thumb and forefinger together, then slightly loosened them, revealing a tiny gap: "What I was thinking before was to ask them to give up some profit and earn less."
With 100,000 soldiers in the northern desert, if each weapon is discounted slightly, the total amount of money saved from selling 100,000 weapons would be considerable.
He has a purpose with his money, so of course he'll save every penny he can!
Gu Yuzhi scratched his head and said, "Since we want more discounts on weapons, we can't skimp on the price when purchasing weapons from Guard Zhang and his men. We can buy them at the original price."
He looked up at Chief Secretary Xie, smiling, "Chief Secretary Xie, am I right?"
First, let the people of Tianquan Manor see their sincerity, and then discuss the large-scale purchase. Considering their success in pacifying Jiangnan, the owner of Tianquan Manor would be too embarrassed to refuse again.
Chief Secretary Xie smiled slightly and nodded in praise, "Your Highness is truly the most intelligent person I have ever met."
Gu Yuzhi pursed his lips, looking somewhat embarrassed: "But, Chief Secretary Xie, didn't you say that possessing a treasure is a crime?"
Since everyone knows this is impossible, why buy Zhang Shiwei and his men's weapons at full price?
Chief Secretary Xie's smile deepened: "Your Highness may not purchase weapons from Tianquan Manor, but you can purchase recipes for crafting fine iron weapons from them..."
As soon as Xie Changshi finished speaking, Gu Yuzhi heard the people around him gasp.
Especially Manager Wen, who slammed his fan shut: "Isn't this ridiculous!"
Tianquan Manor is run by people from the martial arts world, and people from the martial arts world generally maintain a relationship of keeping to themselves and not interfering with the imperial court.
In recent years, the King of Chu has gone too far. These martial arts figures do not want to invite disaster, so they avoid his sharp edge. But even so, the King of Chu never thought of the method of making fine iron swords by Tianquan Manor!
If this angers the people of Tianquan Manor and they lead the entire martial arts world in a counterattack, then the Jiangnan region, which has been so painstakingly pacified, will likely descend into chaos again.
How could Chief Clerk Xie say such a foolish thing?
Gu Yuzhi was clearly puzzled as well: "But Chief Secretary Xie, why are they willing to teach the method?"
After failing to make Xu Mama the head chef, they said they could teach her how to be a head chef. Manager Wen had said that these recipes were very valuable and could not be shown off casually.
If a recipe for food is this valuable, wouldn't the method for making refined iron weapons be even more valuable?
Chief Secretary Xie nodded and said, "Yes, these methods are the foundation of Tianquan Manor's existence, so they naturally don't want others to know about them. But Your Highness is not just anyone; you represent the imperial court."
Gu Yuzhi was even more puzzled: "But, but aren't the imperial court and the martial arts world supposed to keep to themselves? What if I ask them for it and they get angry and start a war?"
They've all left. If these江湖人士 (jianghu figures) collude with the prisoners of the Jiangnan navy, wouldn't the people of Jiangnan suffer?
His little face was full of struggle, when Xie Changshi chuckled and said, "Your Highness need not worry. The master of Tianquan Manor will not only not rebel, but will also obediently hand over these methods."
It was only when the young prince mentioned wanting to buy a sword that Xie Changshi remembered that when the emperor was still the crown prince, he had proposed to manage martial arts practitioners, but the late emperor had refused.
People in the martial arts world hate evil and it's common for them to kill my whole family today and then wipe out my entire sect a few days later. This is quite detrimental to the management of the local government.
The method of purchasing the fine iron sword from Tianquan Manor was a good opportunity to test the waters.
Once the people of Tianquan Manor accept it, the subsequent appeasement will be much easier.
As for not accepting it?
Xie Changshi said, "That's impossible!"
Of course, there's another point: Tianquan Manor's unique method of crafting fine iron swords has kept its position in the martial arts world unshaken. Once they are recruited by the emperor, it will be much easier for him to take over other martial arts sects.
Whether Gu Yu knew this or not, seeing how confident Xie Changshi seemed, he felt relieved and looked up at them, saying, "Okay, okay, then you can tell them later, Xie Changshi."
Chief Secretary Xie stroked his beard and nodded, looking at the little prince's adorable appearance, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Your Highness is such a lucky little prince!
He crouched down, looking the young prince straight in the eye: "The method of making fine iron swords is different from purchasing them in bulk. Not only will the Emperor reward you, but the Ministry of Works will also thank you."
First the Ministry of Revenue, then the Ministry of Works—the young prince's popularity is about to skyrocket.
Gu Yuzhi grabbed Xie Changshi with one hand and Zhang Shiwei with the other, and said impatiently, "Hurry up, hurry up, let's go to Yunzhou quickly."
Xie Changshi is right; the manufacturing method is much better than buying it directly.
After all, once the Ministry of Works has the method, the weapons they produce will not only benefit the Northern Desert Army, but also all the soldiers of the Great Sang Dynasty!
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