Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Inside the Huibin Hall of Weiyang Palace, Shen Lang and Murong Ke took their seats and began to discuss the issue of grain.

"Regent, I may speak the truth to you, but the Great Yan is currently facing a severe food shortage. In order to fight against the Heavenly Wolf Kingdom..."

My Great Yan has used almost all available resources, both material and human, and now the Great Yan treasury is empty, with not much money left to buy grain.

I only want to know if the State of Chu is willing to temporarily extend credit for grain payments to help my Great Yan overcome its current difficulties?

Faced with Murong Ke's frankness, Shen Lang didn't waste any words: "Then I'll also be frank with the Second Prince: no matter how much grain your Yan Kingdom needs, my Great Chu can afford it."

But this grain was all painstakingly cultivated by the farmers of my Great Chu, and it is absolutely impossible for it to be given to your country for nothing.

"Of course, if your country is willing to offer something else in exchange, my Great Chu is willing to help your country overcome its current difficulties."

Murong Ke: "I wonder what the Regent desires from my Great Yan Kingdom?"

Shen Lang beckoned behind him with his finger.

Soon, a clerk came up with a map.

Once unfolded, what came into view was the desolate wilderness north of Bingzhou.

Shen Lang took out a vermilion pen, drew a circle on the map, and then showed it to Murong Ke.

"As long as your country is willing to cede this Gobi Desert within our territory to the rule of our Great Chu, then the food problem your country faces will naturally be solved."

Murong Ke glanced at it and frowned: "Regent, are you planning to take advantage of the chaos? Not an inch of land in my Great Yan is superfluous."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang simply shrugged and said, "If that's the case, then it's really going to be difficult."

Murong Ke: "Is there really no room for negotiation? Apart from the land transfer, I can agree to anything else."

Shen Lang: "Aside from land, what else does your country have that could excite the people of the Great Chu? Animal hides, herbs, pearls, or horses?"

Murong Ke immediately fell into deep thought, realizing that he didn't have many bargaining chips at hand.

Shen Lang: "Second Prince, you'd better look carefully. The land I'm asking for has long been abandoned by your Great Yan."

"That place is unsuitable for grazing or settling down; for thousands of miles you won't see a single living person. Trading it for the food you need to survive right now is a perfectly good deal."

Murong Ke replied with a smile, "Would the Regent do such a losing deal? Although this land is barren, it is still the territory of my Great Yan."

"In that case, it seems this negotiation can't proceed." Shen Lang closed the document and looked at Murong Ke with a smile.

The clerks on both sides wrote furiously, recording the current state of the negotiations between the two sides.

"Ugh."

Murong Ke sighed: "Regent, is it really impossible to make an exception?"

Shen Lang shook his head and asked in return, "Second Prince, put yourself in my shoes. If my Great Chu were to come to your Yan Kingdom for help today, would your Yan Kingdom hand over all its grain for no reason?"

Murong Ke remained silent, which was tantamount to giving an answer.

If it were the State of Chu, they would not only refuse to provide grain, but would likely take the opportunity to advance south and gradually erode Chu's entire northern territory. If possible, it would be even better to annihilate Chu in one fell swoop.

In comparison, Shen Lang's proposal to exchange abandoned land for food to solve the current famine was a very rational move.

Seeing that Murong Ke did not answer, Shen Lang was not in a hurry and waited patiently with his teacup in hand.

An eerie silence fell over the Huibin Hall.

Time passed slowly, and it wasn't until nearly noon that Murong Ke finally relented.

"Then, Regent, can you tell me what you need this barren, uncultivable land for?"

“Naturally, it’s about creating wealth,” Shen Lang answered decisively. “In your hands, this land will always be a wasteland, but in my hands, it will become a Jiangnan-like landscape beyond the Great Wall in less than ten years.”

"what."

Murong Ke smiled.

"The Regent is truly audacious; he is truly admirable."

"You flatter me. So, the Second Prince's reply is..."

Murong Ke's expression immediately turned serious: "Fine, the land can be given to you, but the Regent must agree to a few conditions."

"Tell me."

"First, we need at least six million shi of grain to help our Great Yan survive this famine."

"Of course, Your Highness need not worry about that."

"Secondly, no military action shall be taken against my Great Yan."

"As long as your Great Yan does not invade the territory of my Great Chu, Great Chu will naturally not start a war."

"The last one..."

Murong Ke stood up, took out a sheepskin scroll from his pocket, and spread it out in front of Shen Lang.

"Our Great Yan faces three unsettling forces simultaneously in the Far East: the Tianlang Kingdom, Goguryeo, and the Jin Kingdom."

Now that the Heavenly Wolf Kingdom has suffered a recent defeat, it will not be able to invade southward for several years. The Jurchens are currently locked in a fierce battle with the Song Dynasty, and our Great Yan has no spare capacity to stop them.

Only Goguryeo, originally a vassal state of my Great Yan, has begun to stir again, seeing the dire situation facing my Great Yan.

Shen Lang frowned: "You mean you want my Great Chu to send troops to attack Goguryeo? But my Great Chu territory does not border Goguryeo. Are you willing to give way?"

Murong Ke shook his head: "Your Highness the Regent has misunderstood. The reason why Goguryeo dares to be so arrogant is entirely because of its recent invasion of the Goryeo region."

This forced the King of Taegi to surrender and promise to provide all the necessary provisions and troops, thus making Goguryeo believe that it had the strength to fight against Great Yan.

I would like to request that the Regent utilize your nation's navy to reach Taegeuk Kingdom by sea and persuade its king to relinquish his support for Goguryeo.

Shen Lang immediately put on a troubled expression, but inside he was ecstatic.

Having just formed an independent brigade, he plans to use Yue Pengju to annex the Song territory to the Chu state after the fall of the Song state.

Unexpectedly, Murong Ke once again offered Chu another colony as a benefit, which naturally excited him.

However, he still put on a very troubled look: "My Great Chu has little interaction with the Taiji Kingdom, only some business dealings, and we don't know any specific information about them."

Murong Ke handed over another booklet: "This is a list of members of the Taiji Kingdom's royal family. Regent, please keep it safe."

"If the Regent is willing to help and agree to these three conditions, then the land that Chu wants will be handed over to us by Great Yan."

Shen Lang: "I have another question. If our Great Chu persuades the Taiji Kingdom, then whose vassal state is it?"

Murong Ke laughed; in his opinion, the question was utterly foolish.

The State of Yan was the hegemon of the Far East. Did the State of Taiji have any other way out but to surrender to Yan?

Moreover, the State of Chu and the State of Taiji are separated by the Great Song Dynasty. Even if you make it your suzerain state, it is only in name. In the end, the State of Taiji will still have to pay tribute to the State of Yan.

"If the State of Chu can persuade the State of Taiji, then the State of Taiji will naturally become a vassal state of the State of Chu."

"Very well, I understand."

Having received a satisfactory reply, Shen Lang slowly stood up and said.

"I will now take you to see the granary, so that your men and women can rest assured."

"Then thank you very much, Regent. Please."