Liu Wu raised his eyebrows when he heard Zhuge Liang’s words, but he still said:
“Logically speaking, we are well prepared, so there shouldn’t be any problems. However, this is Gan Ning’s first time out to sea, so there may be a lot of things to do, which will take up a lot of time. Don’t worry, they should be back soon!”

Liu Wu was not simply comforting Zhuge Liang. In fact, it was true that to explore the New World, Gan Ning and his men also had to find a landing point, then see if there was any danger around, set up strongholds, and so on.

It’s not going to be possible to come back so soon.

In fact, it was just as Liu Wu expected.

Ever since Gan Ning led the naval warships across the Yangtze River and into the East China Sea, he went out to sea for the first time and challenged the unknown territory of mankind, and encountered many difficulties.

However, Liu Wu did not talk too much about this, but looked at Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Cai Mao and others and said:
“I came back from the south of the desert this time to expand the territory for the Han Dynasty. However, if I cannot completely digest this vast grassland, it will seem that I have not done my best.”

“However, it is not easy to develop this vast grassland. It requires mobilizing a large number of manpower and resources to the grassland.”

Liu Wu turned the topic to the development of the grasslands south of the desert, which stunned Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Pang Tong, Cai Mao, Huang Zu, Mi Zhu, Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang and others.

However, the eyes of aristocratic families such as Mi Zhu, Cai Mao, Huang Zu, and Kuai Yue all lit up.

In fact, even if Liu Wu did not mention the matter of the grasslands south of the desert, they would have wanted to mention it.

Indeed, that is the vast grassland south of the desert.

The vastness is endless.

At its peak, it was even able to support the Huns with hundreds of thousands of cavalry and over one million war horses.

Such a fertile land was taken by Liu Wu, and they were not only happy that Liu Wu’s power had been further expanded.

Another thing is that I feel salivating over this big piece of cake.

You know, cattle, sheep, horses and various furs on the grassland are expensive in the Han Dynasty, especially in the Central Plains.

Horses are important strategic materials and means of transportation, and their prices are affected by many factors. In border counties, the price is usually relatively low due to the relatively large number of horses. However, in the Central Plains, due to the scarcity of horses and the high demand, the price is often as high as tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of coins per horse.

That’s a price of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of coins per horse.

You know, in the past, thirty coins could buy one stone of grain, and one stone of grain was enough for ordinary people to eat for a month. Even though there is war now, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of coins are still a huge amount of money.

Another example is cattle. They were an important labor force in the Han Dynasty, especially in farming areas. Although the number of cattle was relatively large compared to horses, in the Central Plains, due to the high demand for cattle in farming, the price of cattle was relatively high. The market price of a cow could reach hundreds of thousands of coins.

The prices of sheep and fur are also not cheap. In the Central Plains, due to the cold climate, the demand for fur is high, so the price is relatively high.

The cattle, sheep, horses and various furs of the grassland are expensive in the Central Plains. They are all high-profit items, and they are the most common items on the grassland.

Develop grasslands.

In the eyes of aristocratic families such as Mi Zhu, Cai Mao, Huang Zu, and Kuai Yue, it immediately became profitable.

Sitting in the main seat, Liu Wu glanced at the excited expressions of Mi Zhu, Cai Mao and others, but a faint sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Zhuge Liang didn’t think much about it. When Liu Wu changed the topic to the grassland, he bowed to Liu Wu and said:
“Your Majesty is right. The grassland is vast. If we want to develop it, we really need to transport a lot of manpower and material resources. We should make a careful decision at this time. I wonder if your Majesty has any decision?”

Zhuge Liang asked Liu Wu for instructions. If it was an ordinary mediocre ruler, Zhuge Liang would not ask too many questions, but it was different for Liu Wu.

Liu Wu was a man of great talent and decisiveness, so Zhuge Liang often asked Liu Wu for his decision first.

Zhuge Liang asked Liu Wu the first question. Liu Wu listened without hesitation and said:
“It would be too slow to develop the vast grasslands in the south of the desert or even the grasslands in the north of the desert, which we can capture at any time, relying solely on my own strength.”

“My intention is to get all the noble families and clans under my command to develop the grasslands in the south and north of the desert together!”

“I want to sell the vast grasslands of the southern and northern grasslands to the major noble families and pass on the profits to them!”

Liu Wu’s words were shocking. As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the hall opened their eyes wide and looked at Liu Wu with eyes full of disbelief.

What did they hear?
Liu Wu wants to bring together the major families and powerful clans under his command to develop the grasslands south of the desert and even the grasslands north of the desert?
Sell ​​the vast grasslands in the southern and northern parts of the desert to the major aristocratic families and pass on the profits to the aristocratic families?

“This…this, my king, are you telling the truth?”

Cai Mao jumped up and stood up first, saying to Liu Wu with great surprise.

Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Mi Zhu, Huang Zu and others also looked at Liu Wu with surprise and doubt.

Liu Wu smiled and said:

“What I said is true. With my power, if I have to deal with Cao Cao and the Sun family on the one hand, and develop the grasslands in the south and north of the desert on the other hand, I will inevitably be powerless, or even fail to develop them. However, if the noble families in various places lend a helping hand to me, then even if the grasslands in the south and north of the desert are tens of thousands of miles long, they can be developed in just a few years. By then, I will get hundreds of thousands of war horses, and the noble families will get pastures, and a large number of cattle, sheep, furs, etc. Isn’t it a win-win situation?”

Liu Wu said with a smile.

After hearing what Liu Wu said, everyone felt that what Liu Wu said made a lot of sense.

Why does it make sense?
Because it really is a win-win situation!

If the noble families in various places all contribute, then even if the grasslands in the south and north of the desert are tens of thousands of miles long, it will take less than ten years to develop them. By then, Liu Wu will get hundreds of thousands of war horses, and the noble families will also get pastures, and they will get a large number of cattle, sheep, furs, and other things! It is absolutely true!

Cai Mao couldn’t help but get excited, and asked Liu Wu:
“I wonder how the king wants to get us, the noble families, to buy the pasture?”

Liu Wu did not hesitate and smiled and said, “I also respect the noble families. I intend to exchange thirty acres of grassland for one acre of land in the hands of the noble families. This price should be righteous enough, right?”

“What? Exchange with land! Thirty acres of grassland for one acre of land!” Inside the hall, everyone was shocked by Liu Wu’s words, and they all looked at Liu Wu in shock.

They were shocked because one thing: Liu Wu actually wanted their land!

Of course, they were also shocked by the generous conditions offered by Liu Wu.

Thirty acres of grassland in exchange for one acre of land is definitely a very good deal and a very advantageous condition.

However, even so, they were still hesitant about Liu Wu’s desire to take their land. After all, land was a family heirloom.

Seeing that everyone was shocked for a moment, Liu Wu continued to increase the stakes and said:
“I want to work with the noble families to develop the grasslands in the south and north of the desert. Naturally, I will not just give them the grasslands and leave them alone. I will station a large army on the grasslands to protect their safety. I will even mobilize slaves from the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes to repair the official roads, eliminate bandits and robbers along the way, and remove all obstacles between the grasslands and the Han Dynasty.”

Liu Wu looked at the representatives of the largest aristocratic families under his command, including Mi Zhu, Cai Mao, Huang Zu, Kuai Yue and others, and offered them generous conditions.

Yes, Liu Wu was eyeing the lands in the hands of the aristocratic families under his command.

Or to be more precise, Liu Wu wanted to solve the problem of land annexation by aristocratic families within the Han Dynasty.

It would be satisfying to directly resolve the land annexation situation of the aristocratic families under his command with iron-blooded means, but that would be courting death, as Cao Cao and the Sun family were eyeing them covetously.

If he treated the noble families under his command with iron-blooded means and seized land from them, then all the places under his command would inevitably be in turmoil.

Next, he would produce grain to serve as military rations, and even wait for Gan Ning to return from the American continent with high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes, etc. Liu Wu did not want to make wedding dresses for the aristocratic families at all.

However, since the Eastern Han Dynasty until now, the annexation of land by aristocratic families has been too serious.

This is not Liu Wu’s nonsense.

The phenomenon of land annexation in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, like a heavy and complex historical picture scroll, vividly depicts the root causes of social contradictions and turmoil in this era.

In fact, during this period, the aristocratic families were like greedy beasts, constantly devouring the land in the hands of the farmers.

They used various means, such as oppressing poor farmers, bribing government officials, and encroaching on the land of vulnerable groups, to carry out large-scale land annexation.

These aristocratic landlords not only owned a lot of land and wealth, but also controlled private armed forces and became the actual rulers of the local area. Their sphere of influence continued to expand, and they could even compete with the Eastern Han court, making the politics of the late Eastern Han Dynasty even more corrupt and dark.

The peasants at the bottom of society became the most innocent victims in this land annexation frenzy. They lost the land they depended on for survival and were forced to leave their homes and become refugees or dependents. Their lives fell into extreme hardship. Not only did they have to bear heavy taxes and labor service, but they also faced the risk of being exploited and oppressed by landlords at all times. Many peasants therefore took the path of resistance, but were often brutally suppressed because they were outnumbered and weak.

The intensification of land annexation also led to an extreme widening of the gap between the rich and the poor in society. On the one hand, the aristocratic families lived a life of extravagance, with magnificent mansions, vast fields, and mountains of wealth. On the other hand, the vast majority of farmers lived in dire straits, with ragged clothes, hunger, and no fixed place to live. This extreme social differentiation led to increasingly intensified social contradictions and laid the groundwork for the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

In the flames of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the ruling foundation of the Eastern Han Dynasty was completely shaken. This war caused by the peasant uprising plunged the Eastern Han Dynasty into a long period of turmoil and division. The noble families in various places also took the opportunity to split off and form many local regimes. These regimes attacked each other and competed for territory and sphere of influence.

For example, the big families of this period, the Xun, Zhong, and Han families of Yingchuan, and even the Cao and Xiahou families behind Cao Cao, the lands they had annexed, if measured by the land area in later generations, would probably not be more than the size of a county or a city.

It’s not an exaggeration.

It is conceivable that after so much land was annexed, how many lower-class people would suffer unfair treatment?

However, Liu Wu had to admit that this was the ancient times, this was the feudal era, and that was it.

In order to consolidate his power, Liu Wu had to pretend to be friendly with the aristocratic families.

He also wanted to take down the aristocratic families, but the foundation of his rule was these aristocratic families, which were not so easy to deal with.

However, as he conquered the grasslands south of the desert and the territory of Wuhuan, he was able to compete with the aristocratic families.

He could use the fertile pastures in the south and north of the desert to exchange for land from these wealthy families.

Yes, Liu Wu didn’t care. It might be that these aristocratic families took advantage of him because the grasslands in the south and north of the desert belonged to outside the Han Dynasty. They were foreign territories that he had conquered. These aristocratic families developed the land and raised a large number of cattle, sheep and horses, and he also benefited greatly. The key was that he was able to take back a large amount of land from the aristocratic families.

To be honest, Liu Wu didn’t care. The land outside the Han Dynasty was awarded to aristocratic families or meritorious officials. If these aristocratic families had the ability to develop the land, he could directly use the land of eight Han Dynasties in the American continent to exchange for the land of the Han Dynasty from the aristocratic families, even if he had to use three acres of fertile land in the American continent to exchange for one acre of land in the Han Dynasty.

The world is so big. The European continent, Central Asia and Africa are all there. Liu Wu has no objection to developing them all if he has the ability.

Inside the hall, Mi Zhu, Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others became excited when they heard that Liu Wu would station a large army on the grassland to protect the safety of the grassland pastures, and even mobilize slaves from the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes to repair the official roads, eliminate bandits and robbers along the way, and remove all obstacles between the grassland and the Han Dynasty.

They had already understood at this time that Liu Wu seemed to really want to make concessions to their aristocratic families and really wanted them to develop the southern desert grassland together.

“Your Majesty, if this is true, it is a blessing for our aristocratic family. Mao Ding will actively respond to Your Majesty first!” Cai Mao couldn’t help but say to Liu Wu.

“Your Majesty, my Huang family also supports your request to develop the grasslands south of the desert. We will give you as much land as you want!” Huang Zu was also unwilling to be outdone, so he said excitedly.

Next, more than a dozen officials from wealthy families in the hall stood up and responded to Liu Wu.

It can be said that all those present are representatives of the aristocratic families of the Chu State, and can even represent the opinions of all the aristocratic families.

Seeing this scene, Liu Wu couldn’t help but stroke his beard and smile.

At this time, Zhuge Liang’s eyes flickered, and he saw a smile on Liu Wu’s face. He suddenly understood Liu Wu’s intention.
As one of the top wise men of the time, how could Zhuge Liang not know that it would be bad for the king if the aristocratic families took over the land.

When Liu Wu mentioned exchanging land for pasture, Zhuge Liang keenly thought of the sweet potatoes, a high-yield crop on the Golden Continent that Liu Wu had mentioned.

Liu Wu’s intention is to acquire land and plant sweet potatoes on a large scale, which is not cheap for the noble families. (End of this chapter)