Sounding each other out

"Is this the steel you forged?"

Princess Liu Yun looked at the forged steel blocks in front of her, which were now stacked up one by one.

Although she hadn't reached out yet, she could already feel the hard texture contained within it.

This was completely different in quality from the ones forged in her own dynasty; she could sense the difference between the two in an instant.

"Yes, this is our latest forged steel. Princess, you can take a look. Please feel free to tell us if you have any requests."

Upon hearing this, the guard immediately responded and then briefly introduced the steel in front of him to the other party.

He even tested some weapons that had been forged before.

The weapons from previous dynasties were roughly of similar quality, so they can be used for comparison.

With just a slight collision, the weapons were instantly ripped open with a huge gash.

Upon seeing this scene, Princess Liu Yun's lips twitched involuntarily.

Although she had roughly guessed the outcome, she was still taken aback when she saw it.

If the iron forged by the Jiang Kingdom is already this hard, then the armor worn by the enemy soldiers must also be indestructible and invincible, right?

The thought of it sent chills down her spine.

Once equipped with this type of steel, soldiers would be absolutely invincible.

She was fully aware of this, but then, inevitably, a sense of fear welled up within her.

She was becoming increasingly worried. The Jiang Kingdom was already so powerful; what if they really set their sights on the Zhou Kingdom?

The more she thought about it, the more worried she became.

"You really want to sell us these things?"

Princess Liu Yun took a deep breath and then asked.

At that moment, she couldn't care less about anything else.

At this point, what she wanted to confirm most was whether the other party would sell this item to her.

If possible, why not buy some and take them back? We could use them to arm our soldiers later.

In this way, it seems that we still have a fighting chance.

The guards standing nearby had no idea what Princess Liu Yun was thinking, and immediately nodded upon hearing this.

This is also the Emperor's intention; these steel materials can be sold.

As for the materials the other party used to serve as weapons, Fang Weiyan wasn't worried at all.

What, are you worried that they'll use it to make armor and swords, and then attack you?

Isn't that like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?

After the guard nodded, confirming that the item was worth selling, Princess Liu Yun immediately took a sample with her.

This is a very important matter, and she cannot make a decision right now. She needs to go back and discuss it thoroughly with the other ministers.

In addition, we must take this sample with us and let the ministers experience the hardness of this steel when we get back.

Soon, Princess Liu Yun returned to the courtyard where the Ministry of Rites had arranged for her.

After the ministers returned one by one, Princess Liu Yun immediately summoned them.

Soon, the Zhou Kingdom princess and her ministers gathered together.

Princess Liu Yun didn't waste any words and directly placed the samples she had brought back in front of the ministers.

"Princess, what is this?"

Several ministers looked at the princess with some confusion as she took out a piece of something that emitted a faint glow.

The Jiang Kingdom has many fine things, so they were all a bit confused when they suddenly saw what the princess was handing out, wondering what it was.

Princess Liu Yun that these people didn't seem to recognize her.

Have these guys been here so long that they've already been brainwashed by all these novelties?

How could you not recognize something so basic?

"These are steel ingots. I got them from a steel production workshop in the Jiang Kingdom. Oh, I think they call it a factory here."

Upon hearing this, Princess Liu Yun glanced indifferently at these fellows and then spoke.

The tone of his voice sounded somewhat unpleasant at this moment.

The main reason was after seeing this thing, plus the other side's grain production.

Each and every one of these things still leaves her feeling somewhat unsettled.

To be honest, these things were incredibly shocking to her.

So much so that she's still filled with terror.

If the Jiang Kingdom were to send troops now, Jiang Kingdom soldiers were all clad in armor and wielding broadswords forged from such steel, could the Zhou Kingdom withstand them?

I'm afraid that won't work.

In particular, the other side's grain production is so high.

Wars are fought over food and money.

Given the situation in the Jiang Kingdom, there is absolutely no need to worry about a lack of food, as for money...

The other party probably doesn't lack that either.

After all, with so many treasures in hand, how could they possibly lack money?

Another thing is something she discovered while wandering around Yanhuai City.

The people here have absolute faith in the emperor of the Jiang Kingdom.

She had personally overheard the people of Yanhuai City discussing the current imperial court.

When it comes to the current imperial court, people speak very boldly about the actions and conduct of certain officials.

Moreover, their comments were very insightful and well-reasoned.

For example, which official was personally selected by the emperor, who personally went to the fields to help with farming, or went to the workshops, or went to the breeding farms, etc.

To use this to comment on their abilities, etc.

When she heard it, she was completely stunned.

Because the people of Yanhuai City know far too much.

For example, what aspects need to be considered when farming, how to operate greenhouse cultivation, and how to carry out ecological cycle breeding.

The knowledge is extremely systematic, and everyone can say something about it.

This was something that utterly shocked her.

After that, when the emperor was mentioned, the people's attitude changed dramatically.

When people spoke of the Emperor, their expressions instantly became extremely respectful, and they displayed a blind faith in him.

It was as if if the emperor himself ordered them to die, they would immediately and without hesitation do so.

This level of conviction was almost unbelievable to her.

In the Zhou Kingdom, or even in the other dynasties of the Zhou Kingdom, as far as she knew, there had never been such a situation.

The common people may have been extremely respectful to the emperor, but they were mostly afraid of him.

To say that one reveres someone to that extent is simply impossible.

Therefore, once the emperor of the Jiang Kingdom decides to go to war, she believes that these people will give their full support.

They probably wouldn't even ask the reason.

If this were in their territory, starting a war so casually would surely cause widespread resentment among the people.

Thinking about this, she felt increasingly afraid of the Jiang Kingdom.

With such a ruler and such subservient people, how could such a dynasty not prosper?

"Steel ingots?"

Upon hearing this, the minister standing nearby took a closer look and then suddenly understood.

"What is the princess's intention in holding this?"

Another minister asked, puzzled.

It's just a piece of steel; is it really necessary to go through all this trouble to call them all over here?

Princess Liu Yun frowned as she looked at these fellows, who still showed no sign of realizing what was happening.

These guys are used to living a life of luxury.

The Great Zhou had been free of war for a long time, which made them somewhat complacent.

They felt no threat from the outside world whatsoever.

Or perhaps they would smell it but wouldn't care.

Anyway, all they have to do is surrender when the time comes.

"Have your guards try their skills with this steel ingot."

Princess Liu Yun shook her head; these guys greatly disappointed her.

However, she couldn't scold the other person right now, so she could only let them see how things went in a little while.

At Princess Liu Yun's request, a guard soon entered.

Upon receiving the order, the guard glanced at the steel ingot before him and hesitated. "Princess," he said, "My weapon is forged from refined steel; I fear it might damage this treasure."

The guard felt that what was in front of him should be a treasure.

Therefore, he was worried about damaging the treasure in front of him.

Princess Liu Yun simply waved her hand, indicating that the other party could proceed directly.

She already knew just how hard this thing was.

As for what they said about what to do if it gets damaged?

If it were really damaged, she would be overjoyed and might even reward the guard's daughter with a fortune.

After all, this would mean that their country's steel is in no way inferior to Fang Weiyan's.

Presumably, the Zhou Kingdom would not be in such danger.

The question is, is this even possible?

Thinking about this, she felt too ashamed to look at the outcome.

At that moment, the guards also received clear orders.

Seeing that the ministers had given such instructions, he immediately drew his precious sword, forged from tempered steel, and then fiercely slashed at the steel ingot in front of him.

The next moment, a "ding" sound was heard.

The knife in the guard's hand snapped in two with a snap.

The steel ingot in front of them remained intact, without even a scratch.

Seeing this, the group was stunned, staring in astonishment at what was happening before them.

This was something they hadn't anticipated.

No one expected it to turn out this way.

Even so, it's impossible for this steel ingot to be completely free of scratches, right?

What exactly happened?

Everyone looked at each other with expressions of disbelief.

Princess Liu Yun watched this scene indifferently from the side.

She already knew what was going to happen, so she wasn't affected at all.

After a long while, seeing that the ministers had finally come to their senses, Princess Liu Yun spoke calmly.

What do you all think?

Princess Liu Yun spoke while glancing at the people present.

She wanted to see what these people were thinking right now.

The ministers swallowed hard, realizing the gravity of the situation.

He immediately asked, "Princess, where did this come from? What is the production volume?"

"Naturally, it's from the Jiang Kingdom. As for production? I imagine a workshop could produce at least several hundred tons a day."

Princess Liu Yun recalled the scalding molten iron she had briefly seen flowing from the steel mill earlier, and felt a tightness in her chest.

She didn't know how much steel this steel mill could produce in a day.

But she knew the number would definitely not be small.

It's just a steel mill, yet it's already so astonishing to her. Couldn't they just build several steel mills?

Therefore, it is completely meaningless to try to guess how much steel the other party can produce each day.

What they needed to know was that the steel on the other side was of extremely high quality, completely overwhelming Zhou Kingdom.

If war breaks out, and the enemy has such steel as weapons, the Zhou Kingdom will have no chance of winning.

Although they hadn't expected to go to war with the Jiang Kingdom.

But that's just what they think. Who can guarantee what the Jiang Kingdom thinks?

Hearing this, the ministers' faces grew increasingly grim.

They eventually discovered that things were more complicated than they had imagined.

I originally thought I was here to make money.

Just buy a few things and take them home; you'll make a fortune in the future.

But who would have thought that the Jiang Kingdom could produce such hard steel, especially since this steel looked so formidable, which made people even more uneasy.

"The Emperor of the Jiang Kingdom has said that we can purchase this steel, and that's why I summoned you here."

Upon seeing these fellows, Princess Liu Yun roughly understood what was going on and immediately explained the situation they were facing.

Should we purchase this steel?

If we don't purchase this, what if other countries buy it later?

This would leave them far behind.

This concerns the national strength of the Zhou Kingdom, and the matter must not be taken lightly.

Jiang Kingdom was unsure whether they would turn around and attack them, but if the other countries acquired such steel, they would become powerful.

If the Zhou Kingdom remains stagnant, then other states will definitely send troops to attack Zhou Kingdom.

This is something that almost doesn't require much thought.

They were absolutely certain that this would happen.

After all, they had fought countless times before, but it had never escalated to a large scale.

These small-scale skirmishes were merely a result of uncertainty on both sides about whether they could defeat each other, hence the restraint.

However, if any country shows weakness, the other countries will definitely invade without hesitation.

So if they don't have enough steel to sell, and other countries buy it and use it to arm their soldiers, then...

With a quick thought, the group realized that things were suddenly getting complicated.

This matter concerns the safety of the nation.

At this moment, the ministers also became extremely solemn.