Chapter Sixty-Five: Two Hundred Thousand Catties of Refined Salt

Qin Xuan’s question sent a jolt through Gulna’s heart.

Naturally, he had long known the contents of the Jurchen Emperor’s letter; it was the result of a joint discussion between the two of them.

Yet, feigning ignorance in response to Qin Xuan’s remark, he replied, "I do not understand what Your Highness means."

"Your Emperor mentioned a form of cooperation in his letter, hoping that my city of Beining can supply a massive quantity of refined salt to your esteemed country within the next month."

Hearing this, Gulna’s expression shifted slightly. "The refined salt of Beining is of superior quality. It is only natural for my dynasty to purchase it from Your Highness."

"Besides, which dynasty or nation does not lack salt? Why must Your Highness attempt to frighten me?"

"I am not trying to intimidate you; I am merely speaking strictly according to the facts."

Knowing that Gulna would not tell the truth, Qin Xuan cut straight to the point. "To my knowledge, the Jurchen nation already possesses two salt fields. While your salt-harvesting technology may indeed lack efficiency, surely it is not so poor that you would need to purchase two hundred thousand catties of refined salt in a single go?"

The two salt fields of the Jurchen nation—one producing sea salt and the other rock salt—were entirely sufficient to meet daily demands.

Yet now, the Jurchen Emperor’s sudden demand for two hundred thousand catties of refined salt was undoubtedly not meant for civilian livelihood, but most likely prepared for war.

In ancient military campaigns, aside from grain, salt was an equally indispensable necessity.

Typically, the provisions equipped for each marching soldier included three sheng of salt per man.

Naturally, this salt was not meant for direct consumption; rather, it was used to cure salted fish, salted meat, and various pickled vegetables.

After all, soldiers of this era generally suffered from nutritional deficiencies, and without a timely replenishment of salt, their limbs would easily grow weak and powerless.

Knowing that Qin Xuan was practically a military god, and seeing how bluntly he had laid the matter out, Gulna abandoned all further concealment. "Your Highness’s insight is indeed as piercing as a torch. As for the specific reasons, please forgive me, Your Highness; I am merely responsible for the procurement. Should Your Highness refuse, I shall simply be forced to buy from other nations."

"I never said I wouldn't sell!"

Qin Xuan chuckled.

If a war were truly to break out in the Jurchen nation, the most likely scenario was internal rebellion.

Unlike the Great Qi, where military power was concentrated almost entirely within the central imperial court, the Jurchen nation had its power dispersed among the Eight Banners.

Simply put, these Eight Banners were akin to feudal princes who had always maintained their own armies and relied on their strength.

"Does Your Highness truly consent to selling the refined salt?"

Gulna was pleasantly surprised.

Qin Xuan nodded. "Five taels of silver per catty of refined salt, to be delivered to the Jurchen nation on schedule within one month."

"What?"

Gulna’s expression changed instantly.

Ordinary coarse salt cost no more than fifty to one hundred wen, while refined salt, according to current market prices, was priced at merely one tael of silver per catty.

Qin Xuan’s asking price represented a full fivefold increase.

"Your Highness is taking advantage of our plight and robbing us while our house is on fire!" Gulna’s face darkened, his tone laced with displeasure.

Qin Xuan remained unbothered. "You are demanding two hundred thousand catties of refined salt within a single month. Even at Beining’s current salt-production speed, that target is utterly unattainable."

"Therefore, I must dispatch additional labor to produce salt day and night. The expenses incurred in doing so are by no means small."

"Furthermore, five taels per catty may seem expensive, but do not forget, National Preceptor, you are using money to buy time."

"As the saying goes, an inch of time is worth an inch of gold. My price is already quite generous."

With just a few words, Gulna was left utterly speechless.

Though he knew full well that Qin Xuan was exploiting their predicament, just as Qin Xuan had pointed out, the Jurchen nation was currently in desperate need of refined salt, and time was of the essence.

"I shall immediately send word back to the Jurchen nation to report this to His Majesty."

Feeling helpless, Gulna could only give a gruff and reluctant reply.

However, having apparently sized up the situation and decided that the Jurchen nation had no alternative, Qin Xuan offered a further proposal. "If the Jurchen nation is reluctant to part with silver, you may also trade with warhorses. Twenty catties of refined salt for a single warhorse—that is quite a favorable deal for you."

Upon hearing this, Gulna could not help feeling somewhat tempted.

While the Jurchen nation possessed countless warhorses, it lacked domestic silver mines, making silver far more precious by comparison.

Yet, the mere mention of warhorses brought the Divine Strategy Army to Gulna’s mind. If the Divine Strategy Army were to be equipped with Jurchen warhorses, their combat prowess would likely double.

"Please grant me three days to consider this, Your Highness. After three days, I shall give Your Highness a satisfactory reply."

After much hesitation, unable to make a final decision on the spot, Gulna could only offer this compromise.

Qin Xuan nodded. "Then for these three days, the National Preceptor may rest comfortably here in Beining."

"Military Advisor, should the National Preceptor wish to tour the city, accompany him."

"This subordinate obeys," Zhuge Xuan said with a smiling nod, turning to Gulna. "Please follow me, National Preceptor. I have already had quarters arranged for you."

"I am indebted to Mr. Zhuge."

Gulna nodded, and the group departed the prince's residence.

That very evening, Gulna dispatched men back to the Jurchen nation to report the news, while simultaneously detailing in writing all the prosperity he had witnessed in Beining.

He believed that the Jurchen Emperor, Fucha Haer, would surely make the correct decision.

The following morning, Gulna requested once more to tour the city of Beining.

Zhuge Xuan harbored no suspicions and, following Qin Xuan’s orders, escorted Gulna on a leisurely stroll through various districts until they reached the Northern Wasteland District, where Gulna finally came to a halt.

"Mr. Zhuge, if I recall correctly, this area used to be mostly barren wasteland. How is it that it has changed so drastically before my very eyes?"

Having ridden into the city on multiple occasions alongside Tulan Jun, Gulna was intimately familiar with every blade of grass and tree in Beining’s past.

He and Tulan had even passed through this very place before, though merely in transit. Tulan had once remarked, "Though Beining is vast, it has far too much wasteland of this sort; even if someone were to gift it to me, I wouldn't want it."

Yet now, the wasteland he had deemed utterly useless was currently bustling with tens of thousands of people fervently reclaiming the earth.

"His Highness issued an order allowing the refugees to reclaim the land for farming and build their own dwellings, which is how this magnificent sight came to be."

Zhuge Xuan smiled with considerable pride.

"Your Highness possesses truly extraordinary talent and grand strategic ambitions. I am filled with utmost admiration," Gulna remarked with heartfelt emotion, yet his gaze remained fixed intently on the novel style of buildings currently under construction.

Noticing his fixed stare, Zhuge Xuan took the initiative to explain. "Those are the newly designed dwellings commissioned by His Highness, known as apartment buildings. Each building is twenty meters high and houses a total of five households distributed across upper and lower floors, designed to conserve land usage."

"Twenty meters?!"

Gulna was somewhat astonished.

This height was not impossible to construct, but it demanded an exorbitant cost—for instance, the raw timber alone had to be thick enough for two men to embrace.

Yet such giant timber could only be found deep within secluded mountains and forests. From the initial logging and transportation to processing and final utilization, the accumulated expenses were immeasurable.

This was precisely why, in ancient architecture, tall structures were almost exclusively the domain of the imperial family, while ordinary households, and even wealthy merchants, lacked the means to afford them.

"A building of such height is erected merely by piling up these stones and stone pillars?" Gulna asked with curiosity.

"Did the National Preceptor notice the black mortar in the wooden buckets beside the masons? That is Beining’s newly developed cement, specifically used for masonry work in construction."

"This substance possesses extraordinary binding strength and is capable of solidifying and taking full effect in the shortest possible time."

"As for the so-called stone pillars you see, they are not actually stone at all, but rather cement mixed with other composite materials. They are more than a dozen times sturdier than pillars and beams hewn from ordinary logs."

As he spoke, fearing that Gulna might fail to grasp the concept, Zhuge Xuan led him directly to the side of the masons.

At that moment, Gulna’s heart thudded like a war drum, filled with a mixture of intense excitement and nervousness.