Xiaoyao Chutang Chapter 374 I congratulate you for the sword and you for the fish and meat, and congratulate the old poems of the dust year for being promoted to the leader!
Chapter 374 I congratulate you for the sword and you for the fish and meat, and congratulate the old poems of the dust year for being promoted to the leader!
The atmosphere was very awkward for a time.
This can't be blamed on Ju Zhisheng. Anyone who has his or her thoughts revealed in person would react in the same way. At the same time, he also understood that things had eased since Li Mu didn't drive him away. But for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Li Mu was not in a hurry, he knew that Ju Zhisheng would eventually compromise.
"Master Hou..." After a long time, Ju Zhisheng finally spoke, looking a little depressed, and sighed: "Although this incident was caused by the sudden attack of the bandits, it also exposed the national power of Gaochang. A small country with few people can
Even a mere two thousand horse bandits can run rampant in Gaochang. Xiao Wang dare not make any more detours with the Marquis, any more cover-ups would be the work of a fool."
"The geographical location of Gaochang, the Marquis should be clear about it. There are Western Turks in the west, Tuyuhun in the south, Jinshan, Jiegu, Xue Yantuo in the north, and the Tang Dynasty in the east. When the East Turks were there, they involved various forces. Gaochang Tour
Walking in the cracks, we can still breathe. But since His Majesty the Tang Dynasty ascended the throne, he has worked hard to govern and destroyed the Eastern Turks in just four years. In the east, northeast, and southeast, the Tang Dynasty is the only one!"
"His Majesty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, was a heroic figure with great ambitions, and his father knew it well. In the past dynasties, when the Central Plains dynasty was strong, they all managed the Western Regions. Gaochang was located at the gateway of the Western Regions, and was the first to bear the brunt. Perhaps in the eyes of the Tang Dynasty monarchs and ministers,
The small country of Gaochang is a land of scabies, which is not a concern. But my Ju family has been running the land of Gaochang for hundreds of years since the Han Dynasty. How can we bear to abandon the inheritance of our ancestors? When I meet the emperor this time, I just want to do my best.
Just do what you can to preserve it."
"It seems now..." Ju Zhisheng sighed and said: "The descendants are incompetent, and I may not be able to do it. Even if the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty does not conquer Gaochang, the Western Turks will not let go of Gaochang when they advance eastward. Even if the Western Turks have no intention of advancing eastward,
Even Gaochang can't deal with the horse bandits in Longyou... The inheritance of our ancestors is no longer difficult to maintain in my father and son's generation. God's will is to do nothing. I can only die for my country and die for my country, and repay my ancestors by dying for my country!"
After that, he started crying again. Li Mu looked on and wanted to laugh.
This Crown Prince of Gaochang is really a talented performer. If his plan fails, he will try another one. Just now he was cheating, but now he is trying to win sympathy. But this is what Li Mu wants. Seeing him crying, Li Mu quickly comforted him and said:
"Your Majesty, there is no need to be so sad. The situation is not that bad yet. Just now I heard the Crown Prince talk about the situation in Gaochang, and I am puzzled by one thing. Crown Prince, who did you listen to who said that the Tang Dynasty wants to conquer Gaochang? I am here to serve you.
Why have you never heard of this before Your Majesty?"
Ju Zhisheng was already frustrated and said: "Master Hou, please stop playing tricks on Xiao Wang. Isn't it obvious... Gaochang is on the way to the west of the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang Dynasty wanted to restore the ancient Silk Road, how could it let Gaochang go?
?”
Li Mu was puzzled and asked: "Could it be that Gao Chang's heart was drawn to the Turks and he wanted to be the enemy of the Tang Dynasty?"
Ju Zhisheng hurriedly defended and said: "How is this possible! The people of Gaochang are of Han descent, how can they be confused with the Yi and Di! If Gaochang's heart is towards the Turks, how could my father and son come to see the emperor! In a small place like Gaochang, it is too late to serve carefully, how dare you
Disobey your superior?"
"That's it!" Li Mu said strangely: "Since Gaochang's heart is towards the Tang Dynasty, why is it still so trembling? It is true that the Tang Dynasty wants to restore the ancient Silk Road. How does this have anything to do with the expedition against Gaochang? The Holy Emperor is not famous if he is not prosperous.
If Gao Chang surrenders his troops sincerely, the Tang Dynasty is a country of etiquette in the Central Plains and will treat him kindly. There is no need for you to worry!"
Ju Zhisheng looked at Li Mu blankly. He was a little confused. He didn't know whether Li Mu was insulting his IQ or if it was true. But now, even if it was a lie, he could only take it seriously and murmured
He murmured: "Master Hou, please don't joke. The Tang Dynasty really has no intention of conquering Gaochang?"
Li Mu waved his hand and said: "I am considered an idle person in the court. As you know, I am in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and have nothing to do with the court. I don't know what the ministers and ministers in the court think, but
I didn't hear the intention of conquering Gaochang from your Majesty's words. A few days ago, I heard from the envoy that you and your father were coming to Chang'an for an audience.
He was so worried that he never came together as a father and son, but the Lord of Gaochang did this, which shows the sincerity of the Lord of Gaochang. Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Of course it's a good thing!" Ju Zhisheng became excited, stood up and bowed deeply in the direction of Tai Chi Palace, sighing: "His Majesty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, really has a mind as big as the sea. It's pity that my father and son judge the heart of a gentleman with a villain's heart. It's really a shame.
A big sin, a big sin!"
Li Mu smiled and said: "It's the same thing again. I don't count. It's just some hearsay. It's up to the prince himself to control it. But in my opinion, if Gaochang sincerely joins the Tang Dynasty and helps the Tang Dynasty trade with the Western Regions, then I will be your Majesty's.
A few nice words in front of you should not be a big problem."
Ju Zhisheng has dealt with Li Mu a lot, and he can already hear some meaning. There are several important points in Li Mu's words. The first is the word "sincerity", what is sincerity, and how can it be regarded as sincerity. The second is to help Datang in the
The third thing to trade in the Western Regions is money.
Ju Zhisheng is not worried about the second and third points. Trade matters are the lifeblood of Gaochang, and they can be done with or without the participation of Datang. And asking for money is even more trivial. Gaochang has plenty of money, except for a few hundred
In addition to years of accumulation, it is also related to the currencies of the countries in the Western Regions. From Gaochang to the west, people such as the Great Eaters and the Persians all used gold and silver coins. Gold and silver were precious metals in the Tang Dynasty, and they were sold at several times the price.
Under the interest rate differential, as long as the problem can be solved with money, it is not a problem.
Ju Zhisheng asked cautiously: "The Marquis is serving the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, so he must be able to guess a thing or two about His Majesty's thoughts. I don't know what the Marquis thinks of 'sincere submission', and please give me some advice. Xiao Wang will never
I will ask Marquis Yebai to help me. My father has some local specialties from Gaochang. The Marquis will definitely like them and will deliver them early tomorrow."
"That's so foreign." Li Mu laughed, seemingly unintentionally, and said: "I am not very interested in local specialties. But I heard that there are many strange things in Gaochang's trade with the countries in the Western Regions.
Weird stuff. I am a person who is very curious. If there are any seeds or treasured objects that are not found in the Central Plains, give me some so that I can stand out, I will be very grateful."
"It's easy!" Ju Zhisheng agreed, saying: "Xiao Wang will collect it for the Marquis when he returns. The Marquis wants seeds, right? No matter what kind of seeds, as long as Gao Chang can see them, Xiao Wang will send a copy to the Marquis.
As long as we collect all the strange and weird things, we will also send them to the Marquis. Local specialties are also indispensable. Gaochang has two local specialties, one yellow and one white. The Marquis will definitely like it, and everything will be rejected."
"Oh? One yellow and one white?" Li Mu raised his eyebrows and said: "To be honest, I like these two colors, so I would be disrespectful. One thousand eight hundred kilograms is enough for the same, ten million
Don’t have too many, otherwise there will be no place to put them!”
Ju Zhisheng secretly scolded him for being shameless. He was afraid of the wind flashing his tongue even if he weighed 1,800 kilograms. How much is a thousand kilograms of silver? One kilogram is ten taels, and one thousand kilograms is ten thousand taels. That’s fine. You want one gold too.
Wanliang, why don't you go and grab it!
Ju Zhisheng gritted his molar teeth and said, "As long as Mr. Hou likes it, don't you know the word 'sincerity'?"
"Oh, such sincerity, haha." Li Mu looked at Ju Zhisheng with a smile and said, "I also guessed it. If Gao Chang is willing to become a vassal of the Tang Dynasty and regard the Tang Dynasty as the suzerain, that should be enough to show his sincerity, right?"
"The vassal..." Ju Zhisheng's heart sank.
Gaochang has been an independent country since the Han Dynasty, and there has never been a precedent of serving the suzerain. This is different from paying tribute, which means that I admit that you are stronger than me and are willing to pay protection fees. On the other hand, vassalship is a bit humiliating.
Inside, as a vassal state, it retains sovereignty in name, but is actually subordinate and controlled by the suzerain state to a certain extent in terms of internal affairs, diplomacy, and economy. Even if you want to inherit the throne, you must ask the suzerain state for canonization.
For a small and weak country like Gaochang, once the vassal relationship was confirmed, it immediately became a piece of cake on the chopping block. The Tang Dynasty could use any excuse to point fingers at Gaochang. If the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty were unkind, the situation Gaochang would face would be no worse than
How much better now.
Li Mu's words are tantamount to asking the Ju family and his son to make a huge gamble. Do you choose to die immediately, or take a gamble on the character of the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty?
If they don't agree, Datang is likely to send troops. If they agree, Gaochang will be Datang's pawn in managing the Western Regions, and Datang will save the need for weapons. No matter which choice is made, Datang will not suffer. As for Gaochang, it will be a gamble.
Betting on the character of the Tang Dynasty. When the Silk Road becomes unimpeded, Gaochang will have no use value. It is not impossible for Gaochang to be annexed into a state of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Mu could see Ju Zhisheng's struggle and understood that such a big matter was beyond his control, so he said: "This matter is not urgent. The prince can go back and give me an answer after careful consideration. I have been quite calm these past two days."
I'm busy, by the way, I just happened to tell the prince that I'm going to open a brothel in Pingkangfang. If there is a chance, the prince will support me a lot."
"Qing, brothel?"
"Yes," Li Mu gave Ju Zhisheng a look that every man could understand. Ju Zhisheng was stunned and returned the same smile. But he was thinking in his heart, he didn't expect Zhulu Hou to be so lustful, but it's okay, he has this weakness.
, the gift prepared by his father is very suitable for him.
Thinking about this, Ju Zhisheng said again: "If you have the opportunity, I will support you. Thank you very much for the advice today. Xiao Wang will go back to discuss with his father. When he comes again, in addition to local specialties, there will be surprises for Hou.
"Master."
Li Mu just thought it was some kind of rare treasure, and he was not polite. He had just lost his horse farm, salt industry, and mining industry. It was just when he needed to "replenish his blood". The more valuable treasures, the better.
He didn't say anything. He just smiled, stood up and said, "I'm sending the crown prince off."