Chapter 256: The Crack in the Heavenly Order 2

Chapter 256: The Crack in the Heavenly Order 2

< 256. The Crack in the Heavenly Order 2>

The fact that Rome no longer needed silk was a huge shock.

Rome had been the biggest market for Hans silk for the past few years.

The amount they paid for tea and silk was like a goose that laid golden eggs.

It was already hard enough to manage the finances, but if Rome cut off the import of silk, it could cause a serious crisis.

And that was not the only problem.

The report came up so hastily that it was not properly delivered, but Rome did not stop at silk.

They also reduced the import of tea by more than half.

Liu Shi, who was already troubled by the budget, turned his eyes to Dai Nong, who was in charge of taxes and grains.

His face, which corresponded to the modern finance minister, was already pale and dead.

How much damage will it do to the royal treasury if those Romans reduce their imports?

Your Majesty, that is.

Its okay, just tell me the truth.

The other officials also waited anxiously for Dai Nongs mouth to open.

Soon he finished roughly calculating in his head and bit his lips several times before barely spitting out his words.

Verybad. Since the time of Emperor Xiaoxuan, Rome has been giving us a lot of gold and silver in exchange for silk and tea. Sometimes they also gave us sugar equivalent to that. Naturally, as our income increased, our spending also increased steadily over the years. If they cut this off now.

He did not need to finish his sentence. Everyone could guess what he meant.

Naturally, Liu Shis sharp gaze shot at Eunuchs, who led the officials.

What have you been doing until Rome showed such a movement?

There was nothing they could say to defend themselves against this accusation.

Hong Gong and Shi Xian almost simultaneously knelt on the floor.

We apologize for not paying enough attention to what we should have while we were focused on the outcome of the war!

We will send an envoy immediately to find out the truth!Rêạd new chapters on no/v/e/lbin(.)com

They were not the only ones who shrank their bodies.

The military leaders who had predicted the outcome of the war completely wrong also trembled in case they would be blamed.

Liu Shi looked around his subordinates and frowned.

What he wanted was not to punish his subordinates for trivial matters.

If it had not been a serious matter, he might have taken it as an opportunity to do so.

But the unexpected end of the war and Romes subsequent actions were not something that Liu Shi could easily overlook.

Instead of thinking about how to avoid responsibility, tell me how we can overcome this situation. I told you I wont hold you accountable for what has happened so far. But if you just try to save yourselves and dont come up with a proper solution, you will have to pay for the loss.

As Liu Shis roar fell, Dai Nong was the first to propose an opinion.

First of all, we need to figure out Romes intention. There are two possible scenarios. Whether the import suspension is temporary or permanent.

Is there any reason why they would temporarily stop importing?

Silk and tea are clearly luxury goods. Rome is in a post-war period right now, so they might want to reduce their consumption of luxury goods and focus on reconstruction. It seems a bit unrealistic that they succeeded in producing and mass-producing both silk and tea.

I see. That could be the case.

Communication between Han and Rome was not smooth because they were so far apart.

If this import suspension was just a temporary measure, it would be a big blow but not something to worry about too much.

Of course, we should also consider the possibility that they succeeded in developing and mass-producing them. Then it means that this situation will continue from now on, so we need to revert our budget back to its previous state.

What if we cut off our imports as well if they cut off theirs? The Roman merchants must be making a lot of money from our side too?

One of the officials cautiously raised his head.

Your Majesty, Im sorry to say this but that is not an easy thing to do.

Why not?

The sugar we import from Rome is given as a tribute gift. We already have some places like Buyeo asking us to increase the amount of sugar because they pay more tribute goods.

I see.

Shi Xian had investigated beforehand that Publius had visited Han Dynasty as an envoy before.

No matter how he thought about it, considering the time it took to develop and produce silk, if it was leaked, it could only have been when Publius visited.

Of course, he didnt do anything stupid like mentioning his inference out loud.

It would only make him look bad and politically disadvantageous if he accused him without evidence.

I heard you came here for something related to trade, but I also have something to tell you from this side. You saved me some trouble by coming here.

Do you mean you are resuming silk imports?

Ah, no, Im sorry but thats not it. Rather, I think we will reduce the amount of imports gradually. We also found silkworms suitable for making silk by chance a few years ago. Now we have secured enough quality to be self-sufficient.

He mentioned silkworms openly to show that silk was no longer a secret.

Shi Xians eyes twitched.

You found silkworms? Thats quitean amazing coincidence.

Yes. They were living in southern Africa. You may not know much about southern Africa, but its roughly here.

Publius brought a map and pointed vaguely to the savanna area of South Africa.

It was a surprisingly detailed world map made under Marcuss guidance.

Shi Xians eyes widened as he saw the elaborate world map for the first time.

He thought it was exaggerated at first, but he noticed that even the countries corresponding to the east and north of Han Dynasty were marked on it.

This map is

Ah, you may not have seen it before. This is a world map that Romans commonly see.

With a good-natured lie, Shi Xians head was filled with confusion.

Usually, a detailed map would be a military secret and never shown to another country.

But Publius casually let Shi Xian see the map too naturally.

He felt a pang of anxiety that Rome and Han Dynastys technology might be on different levels.

Maybe silk was not leaked, but they really found silkworms by chance and made it.

If Romes technology was much more advanced than Hans, it might be possible.

Even the countless papers on the table were enough to catch Shi Xians attention.

Middle Empire still didnt have paper, so they wrote on bamboo or silk when they recorded characters.

Even if he tried not to be conscious of it, he naturally noticed the gap between the two countries everywhere.

It was a hard humiliation to accept for Shi Xian, who was full of pride in Han Dynasty.

His ears were pierced by Publiuss apologetic voice as he tried to find something better about them.

I have some bad news to tell you, who came all this way.

Yes? What is

Its about the contract that Rome supplies sugar exclusively to Han. It will end soon, right? The Senate decided not to extend it after careful discussion.

Shi Xian opened his mouth wide, forgetting why he came here for a moment.

He swallowed his dry saliva and barely asked with his voice.

Do you mean you will cut off the supply of sugar?

Of course not. There are so many eastern countries that ask us to supply sugar directly these days. We decided to give them a chance too. Of course, we will still sell sugar to you as before, so there will be no shortage.

It was like he came to get rid of one boil and got another one.

Shi Xian shouted without controlling his emotions.

Thats ridiculous! I cant accept this!

Publius tilted his head with an expression of genuine doubt.

If you dont accept itwhat are you going to do?

Shi Xians mouth shut tight.

He was right.

What could they do to Rome whether they sold their goods or not?

They had nothing to do with Rome in terms of military, political, or economic power.

< 256. The Crack in the Heavenly Order 2 > End