Fei Ji’s hand trembled slightly as he held the “Haigucheng Treaty.”
After the morning court session today, he and Pang Yukun were summoned by Xiao Ming to the imperial study. Xiao Ming then produced this treaty, bearing the royal seal of the King of Goryeo.
“How many years has it been? The Great Yu Empire has finally held its head high,” Fei Ji said, tears streaming down his face.
Throughout his life assisting Xiao Wenxuan, he had endured the suffering of being bullied by the barbarians, Goryeo, and Japan. Whenever a battle occurred at the border, he and all the civil and military officials in the court would be terrified, swallowing their anger.
Sometimes it wasn’t that they lacked backbone, but that the national strength was insufficient.
But now, under Xiao Ming’s rule, the Great Yu Empire was different from the past. The Golden Tent Khanate was no longer so formidable. Although it still posed a threat to the Great Yu Empire, it was not enough to make all the civil and military officials blanch.
Pang Yukun’s expression was excited. His lifelong ambition was to serve the nation and leave his name in history. Now that such an opportunity was before him, how could he give it up?
Fei Ji’s gaze was deep. When Xiao Ming first ascended the throne, he had once looked down on this monarch, thinking that he was young and incapable of leading the ministers, and that state affairs would still have to rely on experienced officials like them.
But now, Xiao Ming had proven with one achievement after another that under his rule, the Great Yu Empire would only grow stronger.
“Senior Grand Secretary Pang’s words are truly in line with my heart, Your Majesty. As the saying goes, ‘learn literary and martial arts, sell your wares to the imperial family.’ I, your old servant, will henceforth be at Your Majesty’s disposal,” Fei Ji said with emotion.
Seeing this, Xiao Ming smiled slightly. This “Haigucheng Treaty” was a victory outwardly, and also a victory inwardly.
During his reign, there had been resistance within the Great Yu Empire. At such a moment, one way to enhance his imperial prestige was through conquest.
Now he had achieved it. This would surely be a slap in the face to those who secretly opposed the reforms. Following the old system, the Great Yu Empire suffered all sorts of humiliations. Removing the old and embracing the new, the Great Yu Empire now commanded awe within the seas.
“With your words, I am relieved. You are my trusted ministers. Only when you and I are of one heart will the Great Yu Empire prosper, and these reforms can continue to deepen,” Xiao Ming said calmly.
The two nodded simultaneously.
At this point, Xiao Ming retrieved the treaty from Fei Ji. He said, “When you return, focus on publicizing this matter in the newspapers. It’s time for the common people to vent their frustrations.”
Pang Yukun understood. Now, every major breakthrough achieved by the Great Yu Empire was published in the newspapers for merchants and common people to know.
For him, this was also a way to strengthen the common people’s sense of identity.
The two agreed to the task and turned to leave.
The next day, the “Qingzhou Daily” was published with “The Haigucheng Treaty” as its headline, creating a ripple effect.
“Bisa Castle and Haigucheng ceded to our Great Yu Empire! This can be called expanding our territory! Our Great Yu Empire’s army is mighty!”
Inside a restaurant, four students from different academies sat around a table. They were all descendants of Chang’an nobles, now studying in various academies in Qingzhou Province.
The student who spoke wore a green robe, clearly a student from the military academy. As his words fell, the student beside him, wearing a silver robe, said, “You blockhead only understands fighting! The most important part of this Haigucheng Treaty is the trade clauses below. With this, Great Yu Empire goods can circulate freely in Goryeo, and the merchants must be overjoyed now.”
The other two students nodded. The student from the political affairs academy said, “Now that Bisa Castle and Haigucheng have become our Great Yu Empire’s territory, it’s time to assign officials, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, officials must be dispatched. Look, doesn’t it say ‘consul’ here? But the two cities are isolated overseas; wouldn’t going there be a hardship?” The remaining student shook his head.
“Suffering hardships is much better than doing nothing in Qingzhou City. Now, we, the descendants of former Chang’an officials, have no reliance. We can only seek jobs alongside commoner students. If you don’t go, they will take those positions. You shouldn’t live in the past anymore.”
The student from the political affairs academy reminded him.
His words made the atmosphere a bit heavy. Since they came to Qingzhou Province, everything had changed. Overnight, the privileges they enjoyed seemed to have slipped away.
Now, all he had left were memories of looking down on poor scholars.
As they sighed, a table of newly seated guests next to them suddenly burst into laughter.
A young man sitting facing west, holding a newspaper, said, “Our Emperor is truly brilliant and mighty! Goryeo has lost two cities in one go!”
“Brother Wuliu, that’s not all! Now we should be thinking about how to sell our cloth to Goryeo. So many textile workshops have sprung up in Qingzhou Province, and the price of cloth keeps dropping. If this continues, we’ll lose money,” Shangguan Yong complained.
The young man was Zhu Wuliu. His business had been good since the textile workshop started production, and his silver reserves were once again abundant.
Being wealthy, he often brought Shangguan Yong and others to restaurants for drinks. Of course, he couldn’t afford the Wei Family Restaurant, but the small taverns in the commoner districts were quite casual.
Zhu Wuliu sighed. Shangguan Yong was speaking the truth. With more textile workshops, the price of cloth was falling, but cotton was rising due to high demand. He was now even thinking of planting cotton.
However, Shangguan Yong’s words still reminded him. The current Zhu Wuliu had the keen insight of a merchant. Goryeo was a market that Great Yu Empire merchants had never entered before. The Great Yu Empire’s high-quality and inexpensive cloth would surely sell well there.
And most importantly, it seemed from this “Haigucheng Treaty” that Great Yu Empire merchants would enjoy various preferential treatments in Goryeo.