Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 877: Guiyang City
Xie Jin was puzzled, not understanding what this matter had to do with Ai Cui and Song Qin's wife. However, he did not know that the reason why Song Qin was willing to offer the land today was closely related to his wife.

Just like Ai Cui had a virtuous wife, Song Qin also had a virtuous wife named Liu Shuzhen. Just like Mrs. Shezi, Mrs. Liu Shuzhen was also a remarkable woman with a long-term vision. After learning the whole story from Song Qin after the banquet that day, she urged Song Qin to take the initiative to offer land to Zhu Su.

The reason why Mrs. Shetz advised Ai Cui was the same as Liu Shuzhen's. She believed that if the Ming Dynasty wanted it, the Song family would certainly not be able to stop it. Instead of being ignorant and letting the Ming Dynasty use courtesy first and then force, it would be better to offer the land on her own initiative to win the favor of the Ming Dynasty.

Madam Liu Shuzhen also offered a plan. Since Shuixi had already won the first place, they should just take the initiative to declare that they did not want any compensation. This way of retreating to advance would surely win the favor of the court. As expected, His Royal Highness the King of Zhou was greatly moved and took the initiative to promise many benefits. It was a pity that Shuixi Aicui interfered...

"Madam, Madam." As soon as Song Qin returned to the tent, he started shouting angrily.

Mrs. Liu Shuzhen was reading a book at that time. She was a unique woman in the Buyi tribe who was different from other tribesmen. She not only liked to learn Han culture, but was also proficient in Chinese studies. She had the demeanor of a Han lady and the generosity of a matriarch of a large clan. When she heard Song Qin yelling, she was not panicked, but calmly put down the book in her hand, and then stood up to greet her husband: "Husband, what's wrong, what happened?"

"It was almost there, almost there! Madam, you don't know, that damn Aicui..." Song Qin beat his chest and stamped his feet, and told the story of what happened today with exaggeration.

Madam Liu Shuzhen separated the dross and retained the truth. She figured out what had happened from her husband's incoherent narration. After a little thought, she said, "My husband, please don't be angry... In my opinion, His Royal Highness the King of Zhou would not easily grant such a great benefit to anyone."

"How could that be?" Song Qin's eyes widened. "His Royal Highness Prince Zhou said so himself..."

"His Royal Highness Prince Zhou never said that he would give all these powers to our Shuidong family." Madam Liu Shuzhen said. "From what I think, His Royal Highness should have planned to divide these powers between Shuixi and Shuidong, with each family holding half... How can such great power be given to one family alone? Is the court trying to praise and kill our Shuidong Song family?"

"Your Highness said that because he wanted to stir up the resentment in Shuixi Aicui's heart. In order to please Your Highness, Aicui will definitely do her best to help Your Highness build the new city. Then we certainly don't want to fall behind. If the two families compete with each other, the court will benefit."

"Is that so?" Song Qin glared at him with his eyes as bright as copper bells, slammed the table and stood up: "His Royal Highness Prince Zhou looks so kind, how could he have such a cunning mind?"

"I'll go and tell him that I, Shuidong, will not give him this piece of land..."

"No!" Madam Liu Shuzhen quickly grabbed her husband and stamped her feet anxiously. "Why are you so reckless? Do you really think that the army of Duke Liang behind His Royal Highness Prince Zhou is just a decoration?"

"You...how can you be the clan leader like this? Do you want Shuidong to face a catastrophe?"

Song Qintian was not afraid of anything, but he was most afraid of his wife crying. Seeing her like this, his face, which had just turned red with anger, instantly became timid. He quickly leaned over to comfort his wife: "This, this... Madam, I didn't mean that..."

"Then... this... oh! Can we only teach the court how to scheme?"

"Your Highness Prince Zhou is also considering official business, how can it be called calculating?" Madam Liu Shuzhen said. "Whoever contributes more will be given more benefits by the court... This is a matter of course, and Your Highness Prince Zhou is not calculating anything."

"Moreover, building a city and opening up trade is a great thing for us... The court is willing to hand over the taxation authority, which is a great thing. It is far better than the old Yuan Dynasty."

"I originally thought that the Ming Dynasty wanted to build a city here and levy heavy taxes like the Yuan Dynasty did. If other chieftains knew that the Ming Dynasty was so lenient, they would surely flock to it and beg the Ming Dynasty to build a new city on their own land... You, you actually want to drive away such an opportunity... You, you are really..." Madam Liu Shuzhen stomped her feet in anger.

Song Qin quickly admitted his mistake and tried to persuade his wife, who was so angry at his recklessness and stubbornness, to calm her down.

"The benefits of this city cannot be given to one family alone. This is obvious." Madam Liu Shuzhen persuaded them step by step. "Your Highness deliberately chose Shuixi Aicui. Isn't it also a reminder to us that the court wants us to compete with each other. The first step is to allocate more benefits to us. It depends on how much effort we put into building the city this time."

"Aicui may not understand this, but his wife Shezi is a smart person. She must persuade Aicui to help Ming Dynasty with all her strength to gain the biggest bargaining chip... Husband, we can't fall behind them. After all, this is also to build a city for ourselves, why not do our best to fight for a future for Shuidong?"

"Yes, yes, I'll listen to you, madam." Song Qin was confused, but he understood one thing clearly: this matter would be of great benefit to Shuidong, so he nodded.

A similar conversation also took place in Shuixi Aicui's tent. Under the advice of the two virtuous ladies, on the second day, Aicui and Song Qin expressed their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and took the initiative to undertake the task of building a new city for the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, other chieftains also learned about the various promises made by the Ming Dynasty to the two chieftains. They took the initiative to invite Zhu Su to build a city in their territory and volunteered to bear all expenses.
But it was too late. Zhu Su had already summoned the master craftsman of the Ministry of Works to confirm the approximate scope and regulations of the new city with great efficiency. Then the Shuixi and Shuidong families each contributed their efforts to build half of the city, and the court was responsible for providing cement and other building materials. Naturally, the name Shunyuan City could not be used, so Zhu Su named the new city "Guiyang".

The two families of Shuixi and Shuidong competed with each other, but with the mediation of the court, no substantial conflict occurred. However, due to the competition between the two families, the construction of Guiyang City progressed rapidly, and before long, the prototype of this city appeared on the land of Guizhou.

Zhu Su sent a letter to Zhu Lao on horseback. Upon hearing the news, Zhu Lao issued an imperial decree and transferred several generals to assist Zhu Su. He began to set up two garrisons, Guiyang Guard and Guiyang Vanguard, in Guiyang City.

At the same time, the Shuixi and Shuidong tribes also began to build relevant post roads around Guiyang. With the deliberate promotion of Zhu Su and the two chieftains, Guiyang City began to prosper gradually.

(End of this chapter)