"Privy Councilor, you are so powerful. You can scare those people into being stunned with just your words. Even my boss, Xiao Niu, is tempted."
As soon as he came out of the lobby, Niu Gao looked excited and flattered Li Qi.
"The only use of my greatness is to show how incompetent you are."
Li Qi responded lightly.
Niu Gao couldn't tell that Li Qi was still angry that he had deliberately provoked him to deal with these chieftains, but this guy didn't care at all and laughed and said: "Compared to you, Privy Councilor, we are indeed extremely incompetent.
I have never denied it."
This guy is getting more and more shameless. Li Qi was too lazy to argue with him: "Where are Yue Fei and Han Shizhong?"
"Already on the way."
"Can we make it in three days?"
"it should be OK."
"should?"
"We can definitely make it there."
"Where's the military advisor?"
"It's in the back hall."
"You should disappear for half an hour immediately."
"I will finally retire."
Li Qi quickly came to the back hall and knocked on the door several times.
"The door is unlocked."
Zhao Jingyan's voice soon came from inside.
Li Qi opened the door and saw Zhao Jingyan sitting alone inside with her eyes closed and concentrating. She laughed and said, "I really admire myself more and more. When I went through all the trouble to ask you to be my military advisor, I'm afraid you are the best person in my life."
The wisest decision I ever made.”
Zhao Jingyan slowly opened her eyes and said: "I did this voluntarily, you don't need to flatter me."
"You can be proud, but you can't stop me from worshiping you."
"Based on courtesy, should I also praise you a few words?"
"This is totally possible."
Zhao Jingyan smiled and said, "Have they already agreed?"
"Not yet!" Li Qi shook his head and said, "But I really can't find a reason for their refusal. If it were you, would you refuse?"
"Of course not. Anyone with a brain would want to live a life where he has to pray to see the sunrise tomorrow before going to bed every day. Just like Luo Hu, he could command the heroes the day before, but today he has
They have become souls killed by the sword. I think this has left a lingering fear in their hearts. You used this trick to scare the monkeys, which is really a good trick."
"I feel relieved when you say that." Li Qi chuckled, "I think they should all be smart people."
Zhao Jingyan smiled softly and said: "At first, the imperial court was worried about these Southern Barbarians, but as soon as you came, everything was settled. I really want to flatter you."
Li Qi said very seriously: "I would like to hear the details."
Zhao Jingyan smiled bitterly, thought for a while, and then said: "I really admire my own vision more and more. I spared no effort to help you rise to the top. I'm afraid it was the wisest choice I made in my life."
Li Qi rolled his eyes and said, "These words sound so familiar to me."
Zhao Jingyan smiled and said: "This is called Xiao Gui Cao Sui. Flattery is really not my strong point. But you are a master. There is a ready-made partner here. If I don't learn, then I will be a fool."
"Are you praising or derogating?"
"Of course it's a boast. Throughout the ages, there has only been one Li Linfu."
"Thank you very much for comparing me to Li Linfu. I really want to compare you to Wu Zetian. Unfortunately, you are still far behind."
"But I'm already grateful for your thinking."
"No thanks."
Li Qi's neck turned red with anger.
Zhao Jingyan chuckled, waved her hands and said: "Okay, okay, there is no one else here, there is no point in us complimenting each other here, let's talk about business."
Is this mutual flattery? They are obviously dragging me down to show off you! Li Qi snorted lightly and asked, "How did you convince Luo Long?"
"It only took you more than an hour to convince seventeen chiefs. Although I am not as good as you, I still have to convince one person. I think this should be reasonable." Zhao Jingyan smiled. She seemed not to care about such trivial matters.
Wanting to waste more time, he said: "I just listened outside the door, and you seem to have already thought about what will happen after the war. I think I, as a military advisor, should be qualified to know."
"You mean dividing the spoils?"
"If you must describe it as dividing the spoils, you can say it that way." Zhao Jingyan asked frankly: "What exactly are you planning?"
Li Qi put away his playful smile and said seriously: "First of all, I want to explain that this war is by no means as simple as recapturing Cochin. Victory is a starting point, and there is a deeper meaning behind it."
"A deeper meaning?"
"Yes, that's the benefit."
Li Qi nodded and continued: "The Tang Dynasty's expedition to Tibet achieved many victories and achieved its strategic goals, but the powerful Tang Dynasty also declined. Going further, the Han Dynasty's expedition to the Xiongnu
, how majestic it is to say it, but it is inevitable that the Han Dynasty has declined since the Han Dynasty.
This is very contradictory. If you don't fight, countries like the Huns and Tubo often cause chaos on the border and take advantage of you. How can you swallow this tone? If you fight, even if you win now, you will lose the future. If the Han
If Wu does not attack the Xiongnu, he may only be robbed of some money and lose some dignity, but he may lead the Han Dynasty to continue the rule of Wenjing. Whether to fight or not to fight is a difficult problem. "
Zhao Jingyan pondered for a long time, nodded and said: "What you said makes sense, we have to consider this."
"Now the same situation is before us again. Do you think this poor place can cause any big troubles? I think it is difficult. No tribe here has the innate conditions to become a Jurchen tribe, but you can just let it go.
Jiaozhi has been causing trouble on this border all year round, and it also affects our policy towards Dali, and even affects our interests in Tubo."
After a pause, Li Qi continued: "If we regard this war as a business, then we must first consider how much money we will invest and what kind of return we will get. This is the hidden meaning behind it. How?
How can we profit from war? In fact, the Kingdom of Jin is a good learning object, but they have always used poverty to defeat the rich. No matter how they fight, they will always make money, while we use blessings to defeat the poor.
This situation is completely different. Our soldiers are very expensive, and Cochin's soldiers are very cheap, so no matter how you calculate it, we will lose. We must calculate carefully. We will calculate every step carefully. Otherwise, I will not fight easily.
Once we take this step successfully in this war, we will lay a very good foundation for the expansion of the Song Dynasty. On the contrary, if we are dragged here, no matter whether we win or lose, we will pay a heavy price.
"
Zhao Jingyan's face gradually became serious as she listened. Maybe many people only look at the winning and losing on paper, but in fact, what is behind the winning and losing is the key. If the court ignores the significance of this aspect, then it may be a small gain.
This little piece of mouse droppings might spoil the whole pot of porridge. He asked, "Then what exactly are you planning?"
Li Qidao: "I have never thought about failure. All my considerations are based on victory. Once we win, eliminate the Li Dynasty and control the Duan family, my expansion path will really begin. Before that, we
We are all on the side of giving. It is impossible to fight a war without killing people and without spending money. After the capital is invested, the next thing we have to do is how to maximize the benefits obtained.
Cochin is very poor, and the most attractive thing in the country is undoubtedly their treasury. Everyone is eyeing this money, including the emperor. Of course, the first thing is to make up for the military expenditure, that is, to get the capital back. As for the remaining money?
, we must let it play its maximum role, if it is given directly to the court. Then for me, the Song Dynasty, that is, changing the mantissa on the account book may not have any effect, because the court now needs to use money.
Too much is like throwing a stone into the sea, and all you get is a ripple. But if you concentrate this money and use it in a certain place, the effect will be infinitely magnified, and it is still possible to fill a small ditch."
Zhao Jingyan said: "So you plan to use this money in Guangxi."
Li Qi nodded and said: "Yes, I said when I came here that this place in the south is the future of my Song Dynasty. Of course, if I throw this money directly in Guangxi, there will be nothing in the next one or two years.
The effect is too obvious, because growth requires a process. Maybe at this time, some people will think where the money has gone, and this battle must be a loss.
In fact, it is not the case. Think about it, if we use this money to invest in this area, make this generation of people rich, and let the court successfully take over this place, and let the people here accept my identity as a citizen of the Song Dynasty,
Then once they get rich, the court will have an immeasurable amount of wealth. I won’t say much else. Even if Guangxi reaches half of Hangzhou, the money will be back within three years, and it will still have
The sustainability is very impressive. I predict that within five years, the Song Dynasty will become more powerful due to the rise of Guangxi. Good business has good sustainability."
Zhao Jingyan thought about it carefully, frowned and said: "But don't forget, our purpose in this battle is to regain Jiaozhi, which means that by then, Jiaozhi will also belong to me, the Song Dynasty. You spent all the money in Jiaozhi in Guangxi,
What should the people of Cochin do?"
Li Qi smiled and said: "That's a good question. That's what I'm going to say next. I plan to move all the people in Jiaozhi to various parts of the Song Dynasty."
"What?"
Zhao Jingyan's eyes suddenly opened and she said, "Why did you do this?"
Li Qi explained: "Now our Song Dynasty's economy, military, and technology are all growing rapidly, which indicates the need for more cheap labor. A few years ago, because our Song Dynasty was in war everywhere, people were in dire straits, resulting in
There are a lot of cheap labor, which is also the basis for the success of our economic construction. However, with the growth of the economy, the labor force in our Song Dynasty is no longer cheap. This is not good news for businessmen, because it indicates that they must
Pay more cost.
But businessmen will not give up. They will definitely take this cost into account, and then prices will definitely rise, and as prices rise, labor force will also rise accordingly. It is like two people are arguing, and the final result is that both sides will lose.
There is another economic crisis.
Therefore, we must take precautions, add new blood, stabilize prices, and maintain a very considerable sustainability of economic growth. Maybe you will think that I am cruel to do this, which will destroy the people of Jiaozhi - and the people of the Song Dynasty in the future.
It is just used as a cheap labor force or a tool to balance prices. In fact, once the people of Jiaozhi are assimilated by our Song Dynasty, as time goes by, their descendants will truly enjoy the treatment of our people of the Song Dynasty, which is equivalent to them.
The happiness of future generations was exchanged at the expense of one generation. Having said that, even if they went to the Song Dynasty, their lives would not be worse than the lives they lived in Jiaozhi. The cheap labor force in our Song Dynasty was better than the lives of their ordinary people.
It’s much better. If they make money, we will make money too. It’s a win-win situation.”
Although people who are not of my race will have different thoughts, I believe that the merchants of the Song Dynasty would not object to having another cheap labor force under their hands.
Zhao Jingyan nodded thoughtfully and said: "One more thing, if you can assimilate the people of Jiaozhi, then the possibility of Jiaozhi's resurgence will be completely solved. But if you empty out all the people of Jiaozhi, then what will happen to Jiaozhi?"
What should I do if I don’t have enough space?”
Li Qi smiled and said: "With land, are you still afraid that there will be no one? With such a large piece of land here, there are endless opportunities! The wealthy businessmen in the Yangtze River Basin and Yellow River Basin have become saturated, and those small businessmen are suppressed by the big wealthy businessmen.
It is difficult to find a living space in the world. They need fresh air. We can transfer these people to Guangxi and Jiaozhi and provide them with sufficiently favorable conditions. They would rather be the heads of chickens than the queens of cows. Compared with them
In Hangzhou, Bianliang is half-dead, so why not try this place? The other is Dali. We can extradite labor from Dali to jointly develop this place. This will disperse the Duan family's strength and help us, the Song Dynasty, rule Dali.
There are also many small countries in the south. They are all very poor. We can spend money to buy cheap labor from there. I believe that in time, Jiaozhi will become the trade gateway in the south of the Song Dynasty. It is only a matter of time before it prospers.
Already."
Zhao Jingyan's eyes were a little dazed after hearing this. She never thought that Li Qi had such a big plan hidden in his heart. After a long time, she woke up and couldn't help asking: "Does the Emperor know?"
"What do you think? Do you think the emperor will let the leader go on an expedition without knowing anything?"
That's true. Zhao Jingyan nodded slightly and asked: "Then when did you start planning this step?"
Li Qi thought for a while and sighed: "It's been a long time, I think it was not long after I became the economic envoy."
Zhao Jingyan said in surprise: "Isn't that before the Jin Kingdom invaded?"
"Much earlier."
"Isn't it too early for you to consider today? Are you so sure of repelling the golden soldiers?"
"You can't say that. In fact, what I'm thinking about is very simple, it's my life."
"Your whole life?"
Zhao Jingyan raised her eyebrows, then nodded and said: "Yes, everyone is actually thinking about their own lives, but some people's lives are only about money and wealth, while some people's lives include everything!"
Speaking of this, she suddenly glanced at Li Qi strangely, smiled and said: "Your life shouldn't end here."
"This is my privacy, no comment." Li Qi smiled and shook his head.