I, Am a Living Yama; Empress Advises Me to Stay Calm

The hall fell deathly silent. So quiet, in fact, that a pin drop would have echoed through the chamber.
All eyes turned toward Yang Yi, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
A single edict could collapse the Turks?
The officials exchanged uncertain glances. If anyone else had made such a claim, they would have dismissed it outright—or laughed in their face. But this was Yang Yi.
Still, could he possibly be serious?
Xu Jingzong, stroking his beard, broke the silence first.
“Minister Yang, what exactly do you mean?”
He paused, his tone skeptical but measured. “The Turks are not our subjects. How could an edict from Great Zhou cause their downfall?”
Wei Yuanzhong and several others nodded, sharing the same doubt. The logic eluded them.
Yang Yi’s sharp gaze swept over the room, his eyes gleaming with calm confidence.
“Gentlemen,” he began, his voice steady, “have you forgotten the trade agreement our Great Zhou established with the Turks two years ago—specifically, the sheepskin trade?”
The mention of the agreement caused a stir among the officials, many of whom nodded in acknowledgment.
Of course, they remembered the policy. But wasn’t it just a routine trade arrangement? How could that possibly bring down an army of one million Turks?
Xu Jingzong frowned thoughtfully. “We’re well aware of the trade, Minister Yang. But what does that have to do with countering the Turks?”
The others murmured in agreement, their confusion deepening.
Yang Yi allowed a faint smile to touch his lips before turning to Yao Chong, the Minister of Finance.
“Minister Yao,” Yang Yi said, “how much is the average monthly trade volume between the Turks and our Great Zhou?”
Yao Chong thought for a moment, then replied, “Our Great Zhou is the primary market for Turkish sheepskins. On average, there are no fewer than three thousand transactions per day, amounting to at least eight hundred thousand pounds of sheepskin traded monthly. And this is just the government’s official estimate. Including private transactions, the actual figure is undoubtedly higher.”
He paused, his expression grave. “As I understand it, eight out of ten Turkic households now raise sheep solely for trade with Great Zhou. The sheepskin exported to us is later sold to other countries, allowing us to earn significant profits in the process.”
Yang Yi nodded, his expression unwavering.
“Precisely,” he said. “The Turkic economy has become highly specialized, with the majority of their population relying on sheep husbandry to sustain themselves.”
He glanced around the room. “For the past two years, this arrangement has allowed the Turks to live peacefully and contentedly. After all, no one prefers war over the security of earning a livelihood.
“But now, gentlemen, I ask you—what would happen if Great Zhou issued an imperial decree banning the purchase of Turkish sheepskins?”
The room froze.
Xu Jingzong, Wei Yuanzhong, Zhang Jianzhi, and the other officials stared at Yang Yi, their eyes wide with shock.
A cold chill crept down their spines.
This… This was a scheme two years in the making?
At the time, they had thought the trade agreement was merely a clever way to stabilize relations along the border. But now they saw it for what it truly was—a trap. A poison hidden beneath the guise of prosperity.
If Great Zhou banned the sheepskin trade, the Turkic economy would collapse overnight. Millions of Turks, whose livelihoods depended entirely on sheep, would be left destitute. Starvation would follow. Chaos would be inevitable.
The hall remained deathly still. Yang Yi’s colleagues stared at him as though he were a demon.
This man had baited the Turks with a “delicious” opportunity—one they had consumed for two years, completely unaware of the venomous thorns concealed beneath.
Now, those thorns were ready to pierce their very existence.
A faint gulp broke the silence as one official swallowed audibly, his fear impossible to mask. It was a chilling realization: this wasn’t just a strategy—it was annihilation.
Even those who knew Yang Yi well couldn’t suppress their unease. His cunning was terrifying.
After a long pause, Zhang Jianzhi frowned and broke the silence.
“They may suffer initially, but the Turks are resourceful. If they can no longer sell their sheep, wouldn’t they simply return to their traditional herding lifestyle? After all, animal husbandry is their forte.”
Yang Yi chuckled softly, his tone almost patronizing.
“Minister Zhang,” he said, “your perspective suggests you’ve never known hardship.”
Zhang Jianzhi blinked, momentarily taken aback. “What do you mean, Prime Minister Yang?”
Yang Yi looked around the room, his faint smile unwavering.
“The problem isn’t just the inability to sell sheep,” he explained. “Sheep are unlike cattle or horses—they eat grass down to the roots. Over the past two years, under the incentives provided by Great Zhou, ninety percent of the Turkic population abandoned cattle and horses in favor of sheep.”
His voice grew colder.
“With vast herds grazing continuously, their pastures have been overgrazed and exhausted. Even if they wanted to return to their former way of life, they couldn’t.”
The hall fell into another deadly silence.
The weight of Yang Yi’s plan was suffocating.
Two years ago, he had not only enticed the Turks into a one-dimensional economy but also ensured their very land would be rendered barren.
Now, with a single decree, he could bring them to their knees.
Xu Jingzong took a deep breath, his face pale. He rose from his seat and bowed deeply to Yang Yi.
“Prime Minister Yang’s strategy is nothing short of genius. It is beyond anything we could conceive.”
The other officials nodded, their relief palpable. Thank the heavens Yang Yi was on their side. If he had been an enemy…
Wu Zhao, seated at the head of the chamber, watched Yang Yi with a faint smile. With him by her side, she felt an unshakable sense of security.
Lifting her head slightly, she said, “This matter will be entrusted to Minister Yang.”
Yang Yi bowed deeply.
“I accept the decree,” he replied, his voice firm. “And I will ensure the Turks pay the price!”
…
The following day, Yang Yi immediately issued the Empress’s decree, instructing the Ministry of Finance to begin restricting the sheepskin trade.
In the border city of Yicheng, a caravan of Turkic herdsmen arrived. Their leader, Gada, was a chief from a small tribe that straddled the border between the Turks and Great Zhou.
This time, he had come with his people to sell tens of thousands of pounds of sheepskins. As soon as Gada entered the city, however, he sensed something was wrong.
The townsfolk eyed him with thinly veiled hostility.
Gada frowned, puzzled.
For the past two years, trade at the border had been peaceful. What had changed?