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King Yan was uncertain why they were able to obtain the grain seeds given by the Emperor. He felt uneasy about saying such things.
“I was discussing this matter with the Emperor, and it has nothing to do with you,” King Yan said.
“Is this a discussion? It sounds more like an interrogation, doesn’t it?”
…
Xuan Feiran and Su Yu watched the two argue calmly. When the argument subsided, Su Yu spoke up, “I won’t give it.”
King Yan turned to look at Prince Yu, “What do you mean by this, Your Highness?”
“Why is the King willing to provide thirty thousand catties of grain seeds to King Chen and King Huainan, but King Yan has no idea? We don’t even have enough grain seeds for ourselves. Is King Yan trying to get something for nothing?” Su Yu looked sharply at King Yan.
King Yan smiled gently, “We are all people of Xuan Empire. Your Highness, are you showing favoritism?”
“It’s not a matter of favoritism, but if King Chen and King Huainan are willing to offer ten thousand troops in exchange, what does King Yan intend to offer in return? If King Yan is willing to hand over his ten thousand troops to His Majesty, I can then decide to provide you with thirty thousand catties of grain seeds. How does that sound?” Su Yu caught the soft spot that King Yan had given him and pushed it back to King Yan.
King Yan’s expression was very unpleasant. Su Yu’s words were quite straightforward. It was as if he was saying, “I want your troops. Will you give them to me or not?”
It’s easy to say yes when the grain seeds are given, but don’t even think about it if they’re not.
King Chen remained silent, standing by cheerfully, ready to watch the show. This Prince Yu was quite interesting.
Glancing at Xuan Feiran sitting on the dragon throne, King Chen’s eyes flickered slightly.
It seemed that the Emperor trusted Prince Yu enough to leave these matters to him to handle directly.
The Prime Minister and the others kept their heads down, not saying a word.
They knew Prince Yu’s character very well. At this moment, they should just stay quiet and not interfere.
“Su Yu, you have quite the audacity to dare to covet military power.”
“Yes, I do covet it. If I wanted to, I could have forty thousand troops under my command right now.”
“King Yan, think carefully before you seek the grain seeds. If you voluntarily exchange military power, you’ll be treated like King Chen and King Huainan. If you passively exchange military power, your fate will be the same as that of the King Zhenbei.” Su Yu dared to speak up. Not only did he covet military power, but he also dared to threaten this vassal king.
King Chen and King Huainan’s mouths twitched. Should they be grateful that they handed over the military power themselves, rather than letting Su Yu personally handle it?
King Yan was trembling with anger, realizing that he had no way to deal with Su Yu. He was starting to feel wary of Su Yu, concerned that Su Yu might have something on him. Who knew when Su Yu might take direct action?
“Does the Emperor just stand by and watch Prince Yu act this way?” Unable to argue with Su Yu and worried that Su Yu might suddenly take action, King Yan could only divert the conversation to Xuan Feiran.
But more importantly, he wanted to sow discord between the two.
“The matter of the grain seeds has always been the responsibility of the Yu couple. It’s useless to come to me looking for him,” Xuan Feiran pretended not to understand King Yan’s attempt to sow discord and said with a smile.
Seeing that King Yan fell silent, Xuan Feiran did not continue speaking. After discussing some other matters, he left the court.
Su Yu didn’t rush back but instead went to the study. “Elder Brother, both Qi Empire and Ling Empire came to see me yesterday. I didn’t agree and made it clear that we knew they were considering attacking Xuan Empire.”
“Aren’t you worried about them causing trouble for you?” Xuan Feiran frowned.
“It’s okay.”
“The generals have been training for some time. I think I should go and take a look,” Su Yu said after giving it some thought.
“I think you can go anytime.”
“Before you leave, go see Hong Yi and his sister. They’ve been asking to go to the Royal’s Mansion every day recently.”
“Then, should I take them to stay for a couple of days?” Su Yu considered and asked Xuan Feiran.
“Okay.”
After discussing matters with Xuan Feiran, Su Yu took Hong Yi and his sister back to the mansion. Xiao Bao and Xiao Zhi were very happy to see them. The four children played together in the room.
Su Yu then went to find Wang Jinhe, who was sewing clothes on the side.
“Jinhe, we’ll be leaving at the end of the month,” Su Yu said. If they didn’t return soon, things could become quite troublesome.
“Okay.”
“I’ll go to the military camp in a few days to check on their training. We might be going to war at any time. After that, I need to start instructing them to prepare food and medicinal herbs.” As he spoke, Su Yu realized how many responsibilities he had.
He rubbed his forehead. Why did he have to be a prince? Being a prince meant he didn’t even have time for himself.
“We can have Huang qi and the others make some special medicines. It shouldn’t be a problem with more people working together,” Wang Jinhe suggested.
“After we return, we should plant some medicinal herbs for external injuries,” Wang Jinhe suggested after giving it some thought.
The medicinal herbs watered with diluted spirit spring water should have better medicinal effects than other herbs, and they would be more suitable for use on the battlefield. Since Su Yu was preparing for war, having medicinal herbs was essential.
“After we visit Xie Family Village, we should go see the Luo family and ask them to keep all the grains they harvest this year, just in case,” Wang Jinhe continued. “They should agree to this request, and it’s not like they’re receiving the grains for free. They will be compensated.”
Su Yu nodded with a smile. “Good, you’re more suitable to handle this matter than I am.”
Wang Jinhe had more dealings with those families.
“Alright.”
“Since that’s the case, after we return, we should also start setting up some workshops,” Wang Jinhe said with narrowed eyes.
“Workshops? What are they for?” Su Yu asked.
“We’ll produce some convenient foods, such as noodles, instant noodles, sausages, and biscuits. I’ll also design some military backpacks for you. You can have them made in advance, and each team going to the battlefield should have at least one. They can carry supplies, so even if they are forced to separate, they won’t go hungry. We can also pack some finished medicines in them,” Wang Jinhe explained. She also planned to create a medical kit containing various medicines.
“Good.”
“Any other ideas?” Su Yu asked.
“In my era, we mainly used firearms, which wouldn’t be very suitable for this era. However, I had a friend who studied weapon design, and she was particularly interested in cold weapons. I once saw her research on crossbows and catapults. I remember the details, and I can draw them for you. You can then ask the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War to work together to produce them. But it’s crucial to keep this information confidential and not let it leak out,” Wang Jinhe said.
“Okay.”
Wang Jinhe fetched some paper and charcoal and began sketching.
It took about two hours for her to finish drawing the crossbows and catapults.
Seeing Su Yu lost in thought, seemingly contemplating something, She didn’t disturb him. After washing her hands, Wang Jinhe went back to making clothes.