Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 224: Negotiation
Yan Ze’an’s response surprised Gao Bin. In this era, no ambition for conquest? No seizing of territory? Just conducting honest business?
Is it your brain that has a problem, or is it my ears?
Even a child wouldn’t believe it!
Even a fool wouldn’t believe that your Anyang Society could truly conduct honest business!
Yan Ze’an pondered slightly. Sometimes, there are moments when one cannot lie, nor evade the question. One can only provide a definitive and correct answer—or at least a partially correct one.
So, facing Gao Bin’s doubts, Yan Ze’an had no choice but to reveal the truth:
“Lord Gao, let me ask you, what is the purpose of conquering the world and establishing an empire?”
Gao Bin’s eyes flashed. “For the people of the world, to ensure peace and happiness, for the people to live and work in stability, to eliminate the evils of the world, and to eradicate injustice.”
Yan Ze’an’s expression remained unchanged, and his tone did not waver. “Lord Gao, let me ask you again, what is the purpose of conquering the world and establishing an empire?”
He had repeated the exact same words!
Gao Bin was momentarily stunned, finally realizing that this was not about political slogans. However, he couldn’t quite grasp what Yan Ze’an truly meant. After a brief hesitation, he finally responded, “To achieve ascension in broad daylight!”
Yan Ze’an finally smiled. “Indeed, no matter what, we are all cultivators. So, regardless of what we do, our ultimate pursuit is still ascension.
Lords wage wars to build empires, using the nation’s fortune to enhance themselves, allowing them to break through obstacles in a short time. Even if they cannot achieve ascension, they can still become Nascent Soul or even Divine Transformation cultivators, enjoying extended lifespans. Furthermore, they can revel in wealth and power, overlooking the world from above.
But now, my lord has discovered that there is no need to conquer the world. As long as we can gather the wealth of the world—using gold, silver, copper, and currency as mediums—we can still accumulate the world’s fortune. Of course, this kind of fortune is far less than that gained through conquest, but commerce has a far greater reach.
The scope of an empire is always limited. The Great Xia Kingdom spans three thousand li in every direction. The strongest neighboring Jin Kingdom is merely five thousand li. Even the two most powerful nations in the central region of Yingzhou, Wei and Zhao, reportedly cover only about twenty thousand li.
But commerce is different. Through trade, we can gather fortune spanning tens of thousands of li, even hundreds of thousands, or even across different continents.
That is why we choose commerce over conquest.
Thus, to ensure our future growth and longevity, we will strictly adhere to all standards of credibility and will never harm the interests of the regions we operate in.
As long as we cooperate, it will be a mutually beneficial relationship. You, Lord Gao, will have easy access to all of Anyang’s products. In fact, because we cut out the middlemen in some cases, we can even offer wholesale prices.
And by eliminating the middlemen, you can communicate with us directly.”
“What are the benefits of direct communication?”
“Customization. For example, the aircraft we publicly sell are twin-engine models with a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. But we can customize aircraft for you—perhaps with four engines, or even six, allowing them to fly faster, higher, and carry more cargo.
Based on our calculations, a four-engine aircraft can transport a hundred soldiers in one trip. If you have ten of these planes, you could deploy a thousand elite troops behind enemy lines overnight—even directly to the enemy’s capital!”
Gao Bin was instantly stunned, breaking out in a cold sweat!
Yan Ze’an’s words carried an implicit message—”We can sell to you, but we can also sell to others!”
So, you’d better cooperate with us. Try refusing, I dare you…
On the surface, this was a negotiation for cooperation. But in reality, it was a blatant, naked threat!
All of Li Xian’s previous planning, development, and patience had finally reached the moment of fruition. No, this wasn’t just harvesting—this was reaping!
Thus, after much deliberation, Gao Bin finally had no choice but to yield. “I can sell you a city, but only one that is near the border.”
Yan Ze’an shook his head. “If it’s just the border cities, then it’s completely meaningless. We might as well continue with the previous agent system.”
Gao Bin immediately frowned. As a governor, his heart was already trembling—although Anyang had not participated in the struggle for dominance, it had already revealed its fangs! And these fangs came with sugar, making them impossible to refuse!
Looking at the map, Gao Bin finally made a decision. “How about I sell you ‘Baisang Town’? Baisang Town is located in the central part of Ningzhou County, covering an area of three square kilometers.”
Yan Ze’an took a glance and saw that Baisang Town was almost at the very center of Ningzhou County, slightly to the south, about 20 kilometers from Ningzhou Prefecture. However, from the map, it appeared that Baisang Town was situated on a plain, with no natural defenses around it. It seemed that Gao Bin was no fool—he understood well what kind of land to sell.
But there was one issue: “The location is great. For commerce, a plain is ideal, but can we expand the area a bit? At the very least, we need space to build an airport and so on. How about a radius of 10 kilometers? We’ll offer 200 taels of gold per square kilometer. A 10-kilometer radius would be 15,000 taels of gold.”
Gao Bin immediately jumped up. “200 taels of gold per square kilometer? Impossible! 500 taels would be more reasonable!”
“Governor, I am well aware of the surroundings of Baisang Town. It’s nothing but rocky grasslands, with no military or agricultural value. A piece of useless land can bring you 15,000 taels of gold—this is already a great deal.”
Gao Bin chuckled. “I didn’t expect Mr. Yan to be so well-informed about our area.”
“When making a land purchase, of course, we must do our research in advance. For commerce, all we need is flat and spacious land. That’s why I had my eye on Baisang Town even before coming here.”
“Alright then. The rocky grasslands around Baisang Town cover roughly a radius of 25 li, which is about 12.5 kilometers. Based on your calculations, that would be 12.5 square kilometers. Give me… 25,000 taels of gold.”
“12.5 square kilometers, 25,000 taels of gold… Alright. Deal. But this is only one location in Ningzhou County. What about Songzhou County, Governor? A piece of useless land can bring in tens of thousands of taels of gold.”
Since one piece of useless land had already been sold, Gao Bin became more open to the idea. “There’s a place called Qinglan Town, a low hilly area with a lot of rocks. I’ll sell you 11 square kilometers for 18,000 taels of gold.”
The total for both locations came to 43,000 taels of gold.
“Alright, deal!”
The agreement was reached, and the two confirmed the conditions and made their vows.
The purchased land would forever belong to Anyang, but Anyang promised not to send troops or take any military action. Additionally, Gao Bin would not interfere in Anyang’s development of the two locations, and Anyang guaranteed it would not take the opportunity to create disorder.
These were the general conditions and direction of the agreement. As for the details, further negotiations would take place later.
Future discussions would include railway construction and other infrastructure projects.