Compared with other vassal kings, King Yong and King Cao had the hardest time. They could not take a comfortable boat or train, so they had to cross the Qingzang Plateau.
The Cao State was in the Ladakh region, and the Yong State was in the former Nepal. The two countries looked close, but in fact they were far apart.
The border between the two countries is mostly covered with mountains and hills, and there is no suitable road connecting them.
"Brother Seventeen, your Cao Kingdom is making a lot of noise in India!"
The two teams merged together and got along well.
In the spacious carriage, King Yong lay leisurely on the soft pillow and complimented with a smile.
"Forget it!" King Cao sighed: "Among all the kings, Cao is the poorest. He has nothing, so he can only fight for it on his own!"
As he spoke, he showed a proud smile: "After several years of war, I even borrowed 100,000 stones of barley from the Xizang Zhi. Ten years ago, I finally captured the Kingdom of Kashmir."
He leaned back tactically, revealing the general's belly: "I won't hide it from you. In the past, our Cao country only had 200,000 people. Now, including Kashmir, our Cao country has exceeded one million."
"Among the vassals, we are considered to be in the middle, no longer at the bottom!"
"That's right, they believe in the Peace Sect. It's so annoying and difficult to deal with. I don't even care about us when I promote Buddhism!"
King Yong was shocked and said: "Brother Seventeen, you have doubled it four or five times. Why didn't you tell me in Beijing? I'm afraid my brothers won't be able to close their jaws!"
"What do you mean?" King Cao waved his hand: "It is wise to keep silent and make a fortune. Look at Qin and Liao. They are fat sheep at first sight."
"Two years ago, there was a famine in Guangxi. The imperial court asked Qin to borrow hundreds of thousands of stones. Did he dare to refute it?"
"The imperial court knows about our affairs. Whenever something happens to Xizang, they will either send troops or provide money and food..."
King Yong nodded.
It may not matter to other vassal states, but for the two plateau countries who are accustomed to poverty, no matter how little money and food they have, it is heart-wrenching and uncomfortable.
Next, it was King Cao’s moment to show off.
It seemed that he was holding back his words in the capital, and he could be said to be talking non-stop at this time.
For example, Cao State had seven prefectures and twenty-seven counties. The capital even moved down the mountain from the plateau to the valley, making Taoqiu worthy of its name.
Although the new capital is only two or three years old, its settled population has exceeded 200,000, making it a big city.
In order to conquer Kashmir, Cao State formed a firearms army of 3,000 people and a cavalry of 5,000 people, crisscrossing the valley.
Even the Mughal Empire did not dare to look down upon it and acquiesced in its occupation of the Kashmir Valley.
Hearing such words, King Yong couldn't help but feel sour in his heart.
His Yong Kingdom looks like it has about three million people, but in fact it is mostly mountains and forests, with only the Xianyang Valley being the most livable.
But even so, Xianyang is still in the plateau area, and the products are far less than those in the plains.
The key is that it is far away from the sea, and the salt has to be transported from Xizang, relying on a steady stream of yak caravans to cross the mountains.
"No matter how good the plateau and valley are, they are still inferior to the plains!"
King Cao sighed: "My new pottery hill can be harvested twice a year, with an output of two to three hundred catties per mu. It can grow rice, wheat, grapes, and even tea trees..."
"Tea -" King Yong sighed.
When they arrived in Lhasa, the two kings separated.
One goes northwest and the other goes southwest.
King Yong climbed over the mountains and returned to the Xianyang Valley.
He couldn't bear to look past the prosperous Xianyang City in the past.
The Crown Prince looked at the old King Yong pacing back and forth with hesitation on his face, and couldn't help but ask: "Is there something difficult about your father?"
"Nothing!" King Yong shook his head, and then asked: "Has the expedition team been decided on this year?"
"As usual, this year is the sixth regiment of the Royal Forest Army..." the prince said matter-of-factly.
The Yong Kingdom used the military system of the Beijing Camp, with three thousand regiments and five regiments forming one town.
There are nearly four million people in the Yong Kingdom, and there are four towns with 60,000 soldiers and horses.
Two of the towns protect Xianyang, one is stationed in the Xianyang Valley, and the other is stationed in the local counties.
In order to make up for the shortcomings of the Yong Kingdom, the Yong Kingdom, like migratory birds, has been going down the mountains for many years, plundering people and materials to make up for the shortcomings.
After all, the salt of Yong Kingdom was also imported from Xizang.
Such continuous plundering gave the Yong Kingdom hundreds of thousands more slaves, and the nobles owned serfs, thereby easing conflicts and stabilizing the rule of the vassal court.
"Lao San, don't you think this Xianyang Valley is too crowded and too small?"
The prince is a direct descendant and ranks third.
"Father, what do you mean?"
The prince was puzzled.
"The Xianyang Valley is actually more barren!"
King Yong said seriously: "I heard that in Bengal, there are three crops a year, the land is fertile, and there are cattle and sheep everywhere. Is this true?"
"That's right!" The prince nodded and said, "I heard everyone said this, so Bengal is extremely wealthy. Every family grows rice and weaves cloth, and you can catch fish in the river. No one will starve to death..."
"This is far better than our country of Yong!" King Yong sighed, and then said excitedly: "I intend to completely take over Bengal and no longer carry out the robbery."
"But, what should the Mughals do?" the prince asked worriedly.
Bengal was not ownerless at this time, but was ruled by the Mughal Empire and had a governor-general to manage it.
This is also the reason why the Yong Kingdom has been looting rather than occupying territory.
"Aurangzeb is dead!" King Yong said solemnly: "This hero caused great anger and resentment in his later years. Now is our opportunity!"
"First occupy the Ganges River and find a foothold. Then you can do whatever I want!"
Xianyang Prefecture governs ten counties and has over a million people, making it a first-class prosperous place.
Prasad polished his machete at the door, meticulously.
"Amitabha!" At this time, a monk passed by and asked for a meal.
Without hesitation, he gave away a pound of rice and added a silver dollar: "May the Buddha bless me for my safe return!"
The monk recited the sutra and left like this.
He continued to sharpen the knife.
"Abba, I want new clothes!" The ten-year-old daughter tugged at her sarong and said, "These clothes are too small!"
"Okay!" Prasad agreed and sharpened his knife.
"Sade, the family needs two more slaves!"
The woman with a wooden basin on her waist came over, put down a pile of clothes and said, "You need one for farm work, and one for washing and cooking at home."
"By the way, there's not enough salt. Grab some more salt!"
"Yeah!" Prasad agreed.
As a Shudra who was born at the bottom, he had been at the bottom all his life, even being alone all his life.
But Shiva blessed him and allowed him to join the army and become a soldier. Not only did he own his own land, he also stole his wife.
In addition to the blessing of Shiva and the kindness of King Yong, the most important thing is that he went south to plunder, which gradually enriched the impoverished family.
"Hey, Prasad, your group is going south this year!"
"That's great, Sade, please bring back some more salt. Sell me some!"
After a while, the villagers came enthusiastically and talked about the price of goods they lacked.
The market price is too expensive, you might as well buy the looted ones!
Prasad agreed and agreed to whatever he could do.
At this time, the bell rang at the entrance of the village.
This is to gather soldiers.
Leading the donkey, carrying a bow and arrows and a scimitar, Prasad headed towards the entrance of the village.
The soldiers continued to gather in the military camp like a trickle. Within three days, three thousand people were organized into a group again.
They were carrying donkeys or horses, and they were all very happy.
It's as if we are not going to fight, but to make a fortune.
In fact, the regimental commanders and other officers were even more exaggerated. They had as few as three or five donkeys, as many as dozens, and hired special personnel to guard them. No one could stop them if they wanted to make a fortune!