Long, long ago, the states of Qi, Lu, and Liang were neighbors. Guan Zhong, the prime minister of Qi, was a very clever man. One day, he said to Duke Huan of Qi, "Your Majesty, we can subjugate Lu and Liang without using a single soldier. We only need to use a thick silk called 'tī'." Duke Huan was very curious and decided to adopt Guan Zhong's plan.
Guan Zhong issued a decree: all officials and commoners of Qi must wear clothes made of tī. In an instant, a fashion craze for tī swept through Qi. Guan Zhong also told merchants from Lu and Liang, "As long as you bring us tī, we will pay you large sums of gold and grain!"
A girl named Sang'er from Lu noticed that her father had stopped planting wheat in the fields. The father excitedly told Sang'er, "The people of Qi have gone mad! They're buying our silk cloth at three times the price. Farming only earns a few coins a year, but weaving cloth for a month can earn a year's worth!"
在鄰近的梁國，男孩苗苗也發現村子變了。他的奶奶把家裡的菜園全剷平了，種上了密密麻麻的桑樹。苗苗問：「奶奶，如果我們不種菜，以後吃什麼？」奶奶笑著說：「傻孩子，有了錢，我們隨時可以跟齊國買糧食呀！」
In the neighboring state of Liang, a boy named Miaomiao also noticed the change in his village. His grandmother had completely leveled their vegetable garden and planted dense mulberry trees. Miaomiao asked, "Grandma, if we don't grow vegetables, what will we eat in the future?" His grandmother smiled and said, "Silly child, with money, we can buy grain from Qi anytime!"
整整一年的時間，魯國和梁國的農田都荒廢了。到處都能聽到織布機「吱呀吱呀」的聲音。大家都在忙著織綈布，換取齊國人的黃金。桑兒和苗苗每天都在絲織品中玩耍，以為這樣的好日子會一直持續下去。
For a whole year, the farmland of Lu and Liang lay fallow. The creaking of looms could be heard everywhere. Everyone was busy weaving silk cloth to exchange for gold from the people of Qi. Sang'er and Miaomiao played among the silk fabrics every day, thinking that such good days would last forever.
However, Guan Zhong looked at the barren farmland of Lu and Liang and smiled. He suddenly decreed: "From this day forward, the people of Qi are forbidden from wearing silk garments; they must now wear ordinary cloth. At the same time, close the borders and prohibit the export of grain to Lu and Liang!"
When the news reached Lu, Sang'er's father was dumbfounded. His house was piled high with exquisite silk, yet he couldn't exchange it for a single grain of rice. He rushed to the market, only to find that the price of grain had increased a hundredfold, and it was impossible to buy any. Sang'er looked at the empty rice jar, her stomach growling with hunger.
梁國的情況更糟。苗苗看著滿園的桑樹，卻沒有一根青菜可以吃。全村的人都拿著精美的絲綢去換糧食，但邊境被齊國封鎖了，誰也進不去。大家這才發現，手裡的黃金和絲綢在飢餓面前，竟然一點用處也沒有。
The situation in Liang was even worse. Miao Miao looked at the mulberry trees in her garden, but there wasn't a single green vegetable to eat. The entire village tried to exchange their finest silk for grain, but the borders were blocked by Qi, and no one could enter. They then realized that their gold and silk were utterly useless in the face of hunger.
僅僅過了十個月，魯國和梁國的國王就不得不向齊國投降。他們跪在齊桓公面前，請求齊國提供糧食救濟。管仲用一場「貿易戰」，在沒有戰爭的情況下，輕易地征服了兩個國家。
Just ten months later, the kings of Lu and Liang were forced to surrender to Qi. They knelt before Duke Huan of Qi, begging for grain relief. Guan Zhong conquered two countries easily without actual war through a "trade war."
After the disaster, Sang'er and Miao Miao returned to the fields. They replanted the seeds of grains. Sang'er's father taught her, "Child, never forget that food is the foundation of survival. Don't be blinded by immediate gains; be wise enough to see through traps."
Long, long ago, the states of Qi, Lu, and Liang were neighbors. Guan Zhong, the prime minister of Qi, was a very clever man. One day, he said to Duke Huan of Qi, "Your Majesty, we can subjugate Lu and Liang without using a single soldier. We only need to use a thick silk called 'tī'." Duke Huan was very curious and decided to adopt Guan Zhong's plan.
Guan Zhong issued a decree: all officials and commoners of Qi must wear clothes made of tī. In an instant, a fashion craze for tī swept through Qi. Guan Zhong also told merchants from Lu and Liang, "As long as you bring us tī, we will pay you large sums of gold and grain!"
A girl named Sang'er from Lu noticed that her father had stopped planting wheat in the fields. The father excitedly told Sang'er, "The people of Qi have gone mad! They're buying our silk cloth at three times the price. Farming only earns a few coins a year, but weaving cloth for a month can earn a year's worth!"
In the neighboring state of Liang, a boy named Miaomiao also noticed the change in his village. His grandmother had completely leveled their vegetable garden and planted dense mulberry trees. Miaomiao asked, "Grandma, if we don't grow vegetables, what will we eat in the future?" His grandmother smiled and said, "Silly child, with money, we can buy grain from Qi anytime!"
For a whole year, the farmland of Lu and Liang lay fallow. The creaking of looms could be heard everywhere. Everyone was busy weaving silk cloth to exchange for gold from the people of Qi. Sang'er and Miaomiao played among the silk fabrics every day, thinking that such good days would last forever.
However, Guan Zhong looked at the barren farmland of Lu and Liang and smiled. He suddenly decreed: "From this day forward, the people of Qi are forbidden from wearing silk garments; they must now wear ordinary cloth. At the same time, close the borders and prohibit the export of grain to Lu and Liang!"
When the news reached Lu, Sang'er's father was dumbfounded. His house was piled high with exquisite silk, yet he couldn't exchange it for a single grain of rice. He rushed to the market, only to find that the price of grain had increased a hundredfold, and it was impossible to buy any. Sang'er looked at the empty rice jar, her stomach growling with hunger.
The situation in Liang was even worse. Miao Miao looked at the mulberry trees in her garden, but there wasn't a single green vegetable to eat. The entire village tried to exchange their finest silk for grain, but the borders were blocked by Qi, and no one could enter. They then realized that their gold and silk were utterly useless in the face of hunger.
Just ten months later, the kings of Lu and Liang were forced to surrender to Qi. They knelt before Duke Huan of Qi, begging for grain relief. Guan Zhong conquered two countries easily without actual war through a "trade war."
After the disaster, Sang'er and Miao Miao returned to the fields. They replanted the seeds of grains. Sang'er's father taught her, "Child, never forget that food is the foundation of survival. Don't be blinded by immediate gains; be wise enough to see through traps."
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