In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 834 Necessary

"Mrs. Tian's cooking is really good, much better than my mother's!"

As Yang Zheng ate, he praised Meng Yu's cooking skills, which made Meng Yu's smile even brighter.

The others ate silently, and in no time at all, they had almost finished off all the food on the table.

After the meal, Tian Yu instinctively reached to clear the table, but Meng Yu stopped him, saying, "I'll do it! Husband, you go and talk to the guests!"

Seeing this, Tian Yu sat back down. After Meng Yu finished clearing away the dishes and left the dining hall, he looked at Chen Dao and said, "Mr. Chen, the wealth of the villagers of Chenjia Village is unparalleled in the world. I wonder how you managed to make all the villagers of Chenjia Village so wealthy?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Dao fell into deep thought.

How did he enable the villagers of Chenjia Village to live a prosperous life?

The most fundamental reason is, of course, that Chen Dao has a golden touch. Through this golden touch, he can raise various chickens and ducks and obtain high profits. Then, he distributes these profits so that all the villagers of Chenjia Village can benefit from them!

But the "golden finger" is Chen Dao's biggest secret, so naturally he can't tell outsiders.

Therefore, Chen Dao really didn't know how to answer this question.

Seeing that Chen Dao remained silent, Tian Yu asked again, "I wonder if Mr. Chen thinks that the people of Shaman Town can live a life as prosperous as the villagers of Chenjia Village?"

This was clearly the question Tian Yu really wanted to ask. He had no interest in delving into the secrets of Chenjia Village; he only wanted to know if the people in Shaman Town and the military towns behind the Great Wall could live a life of plenty like the villagers of Chenjia Village.

"can!"

Upon hearing this question, Chen Dao nodded without hesitation.

Upon seeing this, Tian Yu's eyes lit up instantly, and he asked, "How can you do that?"

"The first priority is naturally to cooperate with Yang Shuai."

Chen Dao thought for a moment and said, "By cooperating with Commander Yang, General Tian can obtain high-yield grain seeds. After cultivating them for at most a year, the high-yield grain seeds will be available everywhere, and Shaman Town will no longer have to worry about food shortages!"

Tian Yu nodded in agreement. High-yield grain varieties were the fundamental reason why he agreed to Yang Zheng's request. With high-yield grain varieties, both the soldiers of the Great Wall Army and the people in various military towns could be free from the troubles of hunger.

"After solving the food problem, the most important thing next is to promote trade!"

Chen Dao continued, "Without agriculture, there is no stability; without commerce, there is no wealth. If General Tian only wants to ensure that the people in the town do not go hungry, high-yield grain seeds will suffice. However, if he wants the people in the town to be prosperous, high-yield grain seeds alone are far from enough."

Trade?

Tian Yu frowned. Although he did not think merchants were inferior like those scholar-officials, he also did not think that merchants were so important.

Merchants are driven by profit, and for profit, they may even collude with enemies and betray their country. The Lu family is the best example of this. Therefore, Tian Yu does not have a good impression of merchants.

"Please provide more details, Mr. Chen!"

Although he didn't have a good impression of merchants, Tian Yu didn't refute Chen Dao's words, but instead humbly sought his advice.

Chen Dao did not refuse, saying, "As far as I know, the military town under General Tian's jurisdiction is not rich in supplies. Many supplies need to be transported by merchants. Without merchants, does General Tian think the Great Wall Army could have survived to this day?"

"cannot!"

Tian Yu shook his head. Just as Chen Dao had said, the military towns under his jurisdiction were not well-supplied with resources. They couldn't even be self-sufficient in food, let alone other necessities.

If it weren't for the large number of merchants transporting large quantities of supplies to the Great Wall for profit, the Great Wall army would probably have collapsed long ago.

"The importance of merchants is something the general must be well aware of."

Chen Dao said, "Merchants can not only transport a large amount of supplies needed by the Great Wall Army, but also sell the various supplies captured by the Great Wall Army through merchants. The existence of merchants has played an indispensable role in the Great Wall Army's ability to sustain itself for so long!"

"indeed so!"

Tian Yu did not deny the importance of merchants and nodded in agreement.

The fact that the Great Wall Army was able to barely survive was largely due to the profit-driven merchants; without them, the Great Wall Army's situation would likely be even more dire.

"If the general can strongly support commerce, a large number of speculative merchants will surely flock to the various military towns!"

Chen Dao continued, "The goods brought by these merchants will greatly enrich the markets of various military towns, making the resources in the towns more abundant. After these merchants arrive, they will also recruit a large number of people, allowing the people in the towns to earn higher incomes through labor. All the people in the military towns behind the Great Wall will benefit from this!"

"In addition, the various supplies captured by the Great Wall Army from the grasslands can also be sold to various parts of Kyushu through these merchants, bringing sufficient profits to the Great Wall Army."

"In this way, both the Great Wall Army led by the general and the people living in each town will benefit, and each military town will become more and more prosperous."

"General, do you think this trade is necessary?"

Chen Dao looked at Tian Yu and asked this question.

"It is absolutely necessary!"

Tian Yu nodded emphatically. This trade was indeed very beneficial, and he had no reason to refuse.

"However, all of this will probably have to wait until the Lu family falls!"

Chen Dao continued, "General Tian should know that the entire Youzhou is now owned by the Lu family. Most merchants who want to trade with the Great Wall Army cannot bypass the Lu family's existence. Only by eliminating the Lu family can trade become a reality!"

"Ah."

Tian Yu was naturally aware of this.

In order to contain the Great Wall Army, the Lu family went to great lengths, not only preventing merchants within Youzhou from trading with the Great Wall Army, but also forbidding merchants from other states from doing business with them.

This made the vast majority of merchants afraid to do business with the Great Wall Army. Only a few daring merchants, willing to take the huge risks, dared to trade with the Great Wall Army. The consequence of this was...

The various supplies captured by the Great Wall Army could not be sold at high prices and could only be given to a small number of merchants who traded with the Great Wall Army at low prices, resulting in a huge loss of profits.

It seems the Lu family is doomed to be destroyed!

With this in mind, Tian Yu immediately resolved to help Yang Zheng take Youzhou and destroy the Lu family!

As long as the Lu family is not destroyed, the predicament of the Great Wall Army will never be resolved. Only by destroying the Lu family can the Great Wall Army and the people living behind the Great Wall have a chance to become prosperous!

So, Tian Yu turned to Yang Zheng and discussed specific strategies for dealing with the Lu family. Of course, the first priority was how to deal with the Lu family's impending offensive.