The most arrogant in history

Chapter 386 Two bets.

Hou Qi also sent a mining team of hundreds of people from Chongqing to participate in the survey and demonstration.

Ye Kun asked everyone to select two locations, mine samples, check the quality of the coal, and then make an overall plan, build roads, and open mines.

Small samples are easy to mine and can be obtained in two or three days.

After confirming that the coal was of good quality, Ye Kun ordered the conscription of laborers from Chongqing and Changsha to build this place into a large coal mine and develop it with all his strength.

If the large coal mine is put into stable production, it can radiate to half of Jiangnan, which will be of great benefit in the future.

Because of this coal mine, Ye Kun took Jiang Youde and stayed in Lingshan County for more than ten days.

Ding Ding accepted Ye Kun's commission and was fully responsible for the construction supervision of the coal mine.

Ye Kun took Jiang Youde to Changsha.

Because the Jiangdong delegation was still waiting for Ye Kun in Changsha.

On the third day after arriving in Changsha, Ye Kun met with the Jiangdong delegation.

Unexpectedly, the delegation sent by Jiangdong this time was so powerful.

In addition to Yan Ju, there was also Yu Guinong, a famous scholar from Jiangdong who visited last time.

These two guys are both big gentry in Jiangdong and have huge influence, equivalent to Xie Tong, Han Chun and Wu Qiong in Chengdu.

Ye Kun smiled and said, "You two gentlemen have come with a group. I wonder if you have any advice for me?"

"My lord Xiao Dequan ordered us to come here to show our goodwill and buy your guns and cannons." Yu Guinong told the truth.

"Buying guns and preparing to attack me?" Ye Kun smiled.

"I dare not." Yan Ju clasped his fists and saluted: "We bought guns and cannons to conquer Jiaozhi."

"What's the situation in Jiaozhi now?" Ye Kun asked.

The site of the Da Ding Kingdom refers to the northern region of "South of Yue", which was originally within the territory of China and was conquered hundreds of years ago.

But it was too far away, so the Jiaozhi area was generally governed in the form of a feudal state by sending people there.

Yan Ju said: "Shi Kui, the governor of Jiaozhi, was originally a Chinese and inherited his father's legacy. But now, he has declared himself king, calling himself the Southern Emperor, and does not obey the Dading court. Therefore, my lord has been sending troops to the south to attack Shi Kui."

Ye Kun smiled and ordered someone to bring a globe.

Yan Ju and Yu Guinong, who had never seen this thing before, stared at it.

"The earth beneath our feet is a sphere. This is a model of the earth."

Ye Kun turned the globe, pointed and said:

"The area where Jiaozhi is located can be called the Indochina Peninsula. To its east, there is a very long mountain range that runs from north to south, called the Changshan Mountains. Beyond the Changshan Mountains, there are large rivers and a large alluvial plain, which is larger than the Chengdu Plain. The climate is hot, the rainfall is abundant, and it is rich in rice and various fruits, which can feed 100 million people."

Yan Ju and Yu Guinong were both surprised: "King of Hanzhong, is this earth model real? And why are you so familiar with the situation in Jiaozhi?"

"A scholar can know everything about the world without leaving home." Ye Kun laughed and continued:

"You can also go by water. It's more convenient to sail a large ship along the coast. If necessary, I can help you design a large sailing ship, and also provide you with a geodetic model and a high-precision compass.

I can also provide guns and cannons, but there are conditions."

Yu Guinong was overjoyed and asked, "As long as the King of Hanzhong is willing to provide guns and cannons, we can agree to any conditions."

Ye Kun thought for a moment and said, "I will send someone to act with you. It will be a joint action. I will design a large sailing ship for you and explore sailing experience with you. I will also give you an artillery battalion, a musket battalion, and a staff battalion, each with 100 people, to participate in the water attack on Jiaozhi."

The maritime industry also requires a lot of manpower and material resources.

Why not let Jiangdong do it first, and then reap the benefits yourself by taking over their technology, talents and equipment!

If Xiao Dequan was really awesome and reached Australia with the inaccurate globe he made, that would be great as it would mean that the Chinese nation was expanding its territory.

Yu Guinong and Yan Ju were even happier and bargained with Ye Kun, hoping that the artillery battalion and the musket battalion would be bigger.

Ye Kun was also easy to talk to. He smiled and said, "One hundred cannons, three people for each cannon; two hundred muskets, two operators for each musket. There are also ammunition custodians, plus the staff, so I can get you a thousand people in total."

Ye Kun is not afraid even if he sells a batch of cannons and muskets.

Because Jiangdong cannot produce gunpowder independently!

The supply of gunpowder is limited, so they dare not act recklessly.

Yan Ju was impatient and asked, "King of Hanzhong, when will these guns and personnel be in place?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? The price hasn't been negotiated yet." Ye Kun smiled.

"This is a big cooperation. The premise of cooperation is that both sides will be friendly and stop fighting. I have many more suggestions to make. First, I hope you will release the old people of Jingxiang and let them go home. Second, open the border and allow the people and vendors to travel freely..."

Ye Kun made seven or eight suggestions in one breath. They seemed equal, but in fact, they were all beneficial to him.

Yan Ju and Yu Guinong did not dare to make a decision, so they sent someone back to ask Xiao Dequan for his opinion.

The two sides continued to negotiate, finalizing the scope of cooperation while waiting for news from Xiao Dequan.

These days, the Jiangdong envoy team has been trying their best to please Ye Kun and giving him generous gifts.

Ye Kun realized that these guys were betting on both sides!

They knew that they would annex Jiangdong sooner or later, so they established connections in advance.

In this case, we might as well speak frankly.

Ye Kun assigned Gongsun Erniang to contact the Jiangdong delegation one by one in private, test their bottom line and inquire about their demands.

Sure enough, once the words were spoken, the cards were revealed.

Yan Ju, Yu Guinong and others all vaguely expressed their intentions - it doesn't matter who becomes the emperor, as long as their status and interests in Jiangdong are guaranteed!

Yu Guinong was more difficult to deal with and directly questioned Gongsun Erniang:

"The King of Hanzhong killed the loan shark Ge Yougen in Gejia Village, Lingshan County. If the King of Hanzhong occupied Jiangdong, wouldn't we all die? Because we also loan sharks.

The King of Hanzhong has vigorously developed the Hundred Household Villages to weaken the power of the noble families. If we surrender to the King of Hanzhong, wouldn’t we be digging our own graves? "

Gongsun Erniang didn't dare to make the decision, so she came to Ye Kun to discuss it.

Ye Kun sighed and said, "There are the most aristocratic families in Jiangdong, and it is completely an alliance regime controlled by the aristocrats. We have implemented the 100-household village, the militia system, and the government lending system, which is like digging up the ancestral graves of the aristocrats. It is normal for them to be afraid."

Gongsun Erniang nodded and said, "If we promise the Jiangdong nobles that their interests will not be harmed, I think we can take Jiangdong without bloodshed. But after taking it, you are only the boss in name only, and the grassroots of Jiangdong are still controlled by the gentry."

Ye Kun thought for a moment and said, "Junior sister, continue to negotiate with them. We must ensure that the mountain and water resources and mineral resources belong to the state and the nobles are not allowed to interfere. There is no need to worry about land resources. We can open up wasteland and cultivate land. In other aspects, we can make appropriate concessions."

Gongsun Erniang understood Ye Kun's meaning and continued to argue with the representatives of the Jiangdong gentry.