Daqin Engineering Corps

"The Huns will still get the raw materials."

"However... they have to pay more cattle, sheep and wealth."

Shen Bing asked again:

"The Xiongnu newly destroyed Donghu and took away a large number of Donghu territory and people."

"Will paying more cattle and sheep affect the Xiongnu?"

Fusu shook his head again, and replied:

"Has little effect."

"However, the general's move..."

Shen Bing cupped his hands and replied:

"My lord doesn't know, Shen Bing did this to control the 'thunderbolt fireball' in the hands of the Huns."

Fusu still didn't understand:

"Control? Could it be that the raw materials given by the general to the Xiongnu were fake?"

Shen Bing shook his head and said:

"How can the Xiongnu be so easy to deceive? If the raw materials are fake, how can they buy them for a long time?"

When Shen Bing said this, Fu Su was even more confused:

"Since the raw material is real, how can there be any theory of control?"

Shen Bing explained calmly:

"If the Huns usually buy raw materials from us, and we suddenly stop supplying them during the war..."

Fusu couldn't help saying "oh" when he heard the words, and suddenly realized:

"The general is right."

"How can the 'thunderbolt fireball' needed in wartime be satisfied by these raw materials?"

"If the Xiongnu army is used to having the 'thunderbolt fireball' to help them out, they can be severely injured if they suddenly cut off their confession during the war."

"The general's plan is very clever!"

This may have been called a "smart trick" in ancient times, but it has long been a common practice in modern times, especially in the arms market.

In short, if you want to control a country's economy or military equipment, you must first let the other party take advantage of it.

For example, sell weapons and equipment to the other party at a low price.

When the other party saw it, was there such a good thing?

If you do your own research and development, at least you will have to invest several times, ten times or even dozens of times of funds, and you may not be able to develop it.

But now it only needs to use this little money to equip this warship and this aircraft...

What else is there to think about, buy it!

Who ever thought that this purchase would not be able to stop, because there will be upgraded versions, new warships, fighter jets, and a series of problems such as maintenance and maintenance, and the price will also rise.

What's more serious is to buy a beginning, which means that most of the funds flow to foreign arms companies, but domestic arms companies cannot survive due to lack of funds, so there is no technical reserve from the beginning, and there is a gap in technology and talents.

It was not until the development of the fourth-generation and fifth-generation aircraft that we realized: "We should have our own military enterprises."

So I immediately hoped to produce fourth-generation and fifth-generation aircraft and put it on the agenda...

It may be too late to wake up at this time, and it will take time for talent reserves, technical reserves, and industrial building.

If you force the horse, the result will only be that a lot of money is invested and the result is garbage that even the army of the country refuses to accept, and the price of this garbage is astonishingly expensive.

So it enters a vicious circle.

Equipment can still only be purchased, and domestic arms companies can only dawdle, so they still can't make good things...

More serious still.

If one day a war breaks out and these weapons and equipment are suddenly cut off, what will happen?

Or the price of these weapons and equipment has increased tenfold, to buy or not to buy?

What Shen Bing is doing now is to control the "thunderbolt fireball" in the hands of the Huns through trade.

If you want to control, you must first establish a relationship with the Xiongnu so that the Xiongnu will "depend" on the raw materials they provide.

Otherwise, if the Xiongnu had been conducting non-governmental transactions with the people of the Central Plains for a long time, where would Shen Bing go to find these sources during the war?

If you can't even find the source, how can you cut it off?

If it can't be cut off, what about control?

What Shen Bing did at this time was to buy raw materials from the border people at a higher price and sell them to the Xiongnu at a lower price. In fact, it formed a watershed between the border people and the Xiongnu.

The Xiongnu could get raw materials from Shen Bing at a lower price, so naturally they would not go to the border people to buy them.

People on the border can sell raw materials to Shen Bing at a higher price, and then sell them to the Xiongnu at a lower price.

As a result, Shen Bing lost the price difference in the middle, and successfully controlled the source of raw materials firmly in his own hands.

Anyway, the Xiongnu can get the raw materials, so why don't they let themselves have one more card instead of being unable to control it?

On the other hand, at this time, the North Land was no longer short of money, and the difference in the price of the loss was not worth mentioning to Shen Bing.

But Shen Bing was a little worried, he thought for a while and said to Fu Su:

"My son must explain this matter to the emperor."

"otherwise……"

Fusu nodded to express his understanding.

This is indeed no small matter.

Because if you don't explain it clearly, then it is definitely "collaborating with the enemy".

At that time, not only Shen Bing will be responsible, but even Fu Su may be implicated.

Things are really as Shen Bing guessed.

In less than half a month, Zhao Gao, who had been staring at Shen Bing all day long, went to Ying Zheng to file a complaint.

The news was actually told by Li Si to Zhao Gao. Li Si had his eyes and ears all over the place, and he was very well informed, so he soon learned about Shen Bing's business with the Xiongnu by buying high and selling low.

Li Si also felt that it was not good for him to pick on the General of the Northland as the prime minister... This was a matter of disagreement between the general and the prime minister, which Ying Zheng did not like.

Zhao Gao's status is different, so it is much more convenient to tell Ying Zheng through his mouth.

So Zhao Gao pretended to Ying Zheng one day and said:

"Have you heard, Your Majesty...Recently, the Xiongnu have also learned how to make 'thunderbolt fireball'."

Ying Zheng casually replied while reviewing the memorial:

"Oh, really?"

"It's not a big deal if you learn it. What role can the 'Thunderbolt Fireball' play in their hands?"

This is true, and this is actually one of the reasons why Shen Bing dared to provide raw materials to the Xiongnu.

"Thunderbolt Fireball" can only be effective when used with chariots and crossbows.

Even if the Xiongnu had "thunderbolt fireballs" but no chariots, they did not often use crossbows.

Unless...they used the Central Plains slaves to produce chariots and crossbows, and then used the Central Plains slaves to control them, but the combat effectiveness of doing so was obviously much worse.

Zhao Gao said again:

"The subordinates don't know this."

"This subordinate is just a little strange... Only Shen Bing and the emperor know the formula of this 'thunderbolt fireball'."

"Why did the Huns control it?"

Ying Zheng just said "hmm".

Zhao Gaojian still couldn't arouse Yingzheng's interest, and added another fire:

"Your Majesty, it is said that the Great General of the North...he bought raw materials for gunpowder at the border and sold them to the Xiongnu at a low price."

"This……"

Chapter 373

At this moment, Ying Zheng was relieved of the memorial in his hand, and asked Zhao Gao:

"Where did you get this news from?"

When Zhao Gao heard that there was a joke, he quickly replied:

"Your Majesty, it's a business traveler from the Kingdom of Yan."

"Several of them are getting acquainted with their subordinates, and they recognize the Northland merchants who purchased the raw materials."

"At the same time, these business travelers have contacts with the Huns."

"That's how I learned about the sale of raw materials."

Without even thinking about it, Ying Zheng ordered:

"Take these business trips immediately and ask if you have informed other people."

"Then I took the question cut together!"

This sudden change made Zhao Gao so surprised that he opened his mouth wide and couldn't close it for a long time:

"Your Majesty, this..."

Ying Zheng interrupted Zhao Gao with a gloomy face:

"How can such a person talk about military affairs?"

"What can ordinary people like them know?!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Gao, then turned his attention to the memorial.

Zhao Gao was stunned for a while, and could only say yes.

Don't look at Zhao Gao's calm surface, in fact, he was really frightened at this moment.

Because if this is defined by Ying Zheng as a "major family and country matter" that cannot be discussed by those business travelers, then can Zhao Gao also not be able to discuss it?

If Shanglv is an "ordinary person" who doesn't understand anything, is Zhao Gao also one of the "ordinary people"?

If the business traveler "takes the question and cut", then he Zhao Gao...

So Zhao Gao didn't dare to say anything more, so he hurried out of the palace.

After thinking about it, he felt that it was inappropriate. If he did it like this, and Ying Zheng found out that he didn't arrest anyone or kill him, wouldn't he be showing off?

So I hurriedly recalled the suitable "back-up" candidates...

With his means and contacts, Zhao Gao got things done quickly and seamlessly.

It's just that Zhao Gao has never understood why this matter has become a "major family and country matter" that "ordinary people" can't talk about? !

Zhao Gao didn't know that this time he was really not wronged.

Yingzheng understood Shen Bing's intentions from Fusu early in the morning.

Of course he would not be suspicious of Shen Bing, especially on this point...

If Shen Bing was collaborating with the enemy, would it take several defeats to make the Huns frightened?

And although this plan seems unreasonable on the surface, it can indeed control the raw materials needed by the Huns in the long run.

On the other hand, this "thunderbolt fireball" was made by Shen Bing.

If Shen Bing colluded with the enemy, he could give it to the Xiongnu before Qin knew the formula. At that time, because no one knew that there was gunpowder, no one would suspect that he was collaborating with the enemy.

From the analysis of these aspects, Yingzheng believed in Fusu's report and supported Beidi's control of gunpowder raw materials.

In the end, Zhao Gao still came out like this...

Originally, Ying Zheng didn't want to pay attention to it, but after thinking about it: