After sending Mo Lun away, Xiao Tang fell into deep thought again. Master Li had already led the army to march eastward. There was no battle report on the specific battle yet. He hoped that there would be good news. To be honest, Xiao Tang is not very in favor of this expedition to Jieluoke. Although Jieluoke has offered such generous conditions, he is still not optimistic about this expedition due to his calm nature.
Let's not talk about how long it will take for these seemingly illusory promises of the heir to the Jerok throne to be realized. Just using such a huge force and spending nine is enough to put the northwest finance, which was not too wealthy, into crisis again, but as a As the Director of Administration and Director of Finance, he must obey the overall situation. When Wu Feng is determined, he can only obey unconditionally, and he must do everything possible to create conditions to serve the current war.
The consumption of hundreds of thousands of troops is not a small amount. It seems that fighting is a matter of the army, but in fact, only the logistics department knows the bitterness of it. Although the War Readiness Department had made quite adequate preparations before the war, the preparation of these materials required money to purchase. Rao was already considered a capable person who planned carefully and rationally, but it was difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw. Funding, everything is still pure talk.
Every war always made Xiao Tang exhaust his efforts to prepare funds. Originally, the finances of Northwest China had gradually improved, but they could not withstand such troubles anyway. The huge cost of each war was enough to make any director of finance vomit blood and die. Death, this was Xiao Tang’s conclusion since he took charge of northwest finance. Thinking about how much money this expedition to Jerok might cost, Xiao Tang couldn't help but feel a headache. The pensions for the fallen soldiers alone were an astronomical figure. Xiao Tang once asked Wu Feng to make suggestions on how to determine the amount of pensions for the fallen soldiers, hoping that they could be appropriately Lowering the standards to reduce financial pressure was flatly rejected by Wu Feng without hesitation, so we could only hope that this expedition could bring back some income to make up for the huge deficit.
Is Mr. Li a little eager for success? Xiao Tang didn't quite understand why his boss was so eager to expand outward, regardless of the actual situation in the northwest. In the past few years, the northwest has been experiencing good weather, industry and commerce are booming, and agriculture has had bumper harvests year after year, but even so, it cannot withstand the continuous consumption of war. Such a reluctant attack on all sides would easily put the northwest into trouble if any natural disaster occurred, and the northwest local government had almost no strategic reserves.
Thinking of this, Xiao Tang also sighed lightly. Maybe as his boss, his perspective is different from his own. He can only make suggestions to his boss from the perspective of the government. As for whether his boss can accept it or not, that is his decision. thing.
A gentle knock on the door woke Xiao Tang out of his deep thoughts. He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"
"Sir, the two elders Ka Mian and Shiliu are waiting for you in the reception room." The guard replied respectfully outside the door.
"Oh?" Xiao Tang was startled for a moment. Two big men from the Gaoyue clan came together. They didn't know what was going on. After calming themselves down, they said, "Then please invite the two of them to the study."
When Ka Mian and Shi Liu came outside the study, Xiao Tang was already waiting outside the door.
"Haha, two elders, we haven't seen each other for a long time. Are you two more energetic?" Xiao Tang stepped forward with a smile on his face, held their hands tightly, and entered the study room.
"Mr. Xiao, it's been three months since we were separated. I think you seem to have lost some weight. You have to pay attention to your body. Now that Mr. Li is gone, the Northwest depends entirely on you. But it seems that you I'm in good spirits. Is there any happy event?" It was Kapok who answered him cheerfully. He and Xiao Tang were old friends. They were quite familiar with each other and they spoke quite casually.
"Hey, Elder Kapok, you know me well, what good news can you get? Well, it would be nice to have two less troubles." Xiao Tang smiled bitterly at this answer, while warmly greeting the two of them to sit down, "Elder Shiliu, don't worry. How about coming? You look much younger."
"Master Xiao is really good at joking. Shi Liu comes to Master Xiao for help only when he is in trouble." Shi Liu is also a very astute person, and he follows the advice.
"Oh?" Xiao Tang's heart sank, but he knew that the Gaoyue people's support for the northwest military was very important at the moment. No matter how difficult it was, they had to find ways to guarantee the other side. Xiao Tang was still very clear-headed regarding these major matters. Wu Feng also particularly admires this aspect of him and thinks that he is a person who can be entrusted with big things and can clearly distinguish priorities.
"The two elders came to Xiao Tang together. There must be something important. If you have anything, just bring it up. Mr. Li has long said that the Gaoyue people are the most loyal people in our northwest. If there are any difficulties, they must not hesitate. Settle it, two elders, there is no need to be polite, just say whatever you have to say." Xiao Tang responded readily.
Seeing that the other party was so cheerful, the two of them stopped being polite and explained their purpose of visit in detail.
It turns out that the living conditions of the Gaoyue people in Jinzhou have continued to improve in the past few years, and rumors have gradually spread in the Greater Hengduan Mountains, which runs thousands of miles north and south of the mainland. In the past few years, many Gaoyue people from other areas have traveled through the mountains. In Jinzhou, especially after the Gaoyue people in Luzon surrendered to Northern Luzon under the control of Li Wufeng last year, their living conditions have also been greatly improved. This once again aroused the Gaoyue people living in the central and southern part of the Greater Hengduan Mountains to pursue a better life. **. It turned out that only sporadic individual families moved in secretly, but in the first half of this year, many Gaoyue tribes living in the central and southern parts of the Hengduan Mountains simply sent representatives directly to contact the Gaoyue people living in Jinzhou and Luzon, hoping to accept their migration to these two areas. settle down.
At first, Kapok and Shiliu didn't pay much attention after learning about their intentions, but more and more large tribes came to contact them, especially after several large tribes in the central and southern parts of the Greater Hengduan Mountains also sent people to contact them. people's attention, because the total number of these tribes exceeds 300,000, and they are distributed in several countries on both sides of the Hengduan Mountains. Not only are they unable to make the decision on such a large-scale migration, but Jinzhou and Northern Luzon also The existing conditions and facilities in the two places simply cannot bear such a large-scale migration. It is also unknown whether the large-scale migration of these tribes will be allowed by the governments of the places of relocation and the regions they pass through. However, although these tribes do not belong to the same area as the Gaoyue people of North Luzon in Jinzhou, they are of the same clan after all. Faced with each other's request, the two of them could not shirk the issue, so they had to come to Qingyang together to hear the opinions of the northwest.
After listening to the introduction of the two, Xiao Tang also felt a headache. This was not a small number, hundreds of thousands of people. Once they moved here, it would be enough to crush the entire northwest government and the local government of Northern Luzon. It was even possible Stimulate conflicts and conflicts between residents of other races and residents of Gaoyue.
After thinking for a while, Xiao Tang's face gradually became serious, and after a while he said: "I wonder what the two elders think of this matter?"
After exchanging glances, Kapok and Shiliu found it difficult to answer. There were many issues involved. Originally, under the constraints of the northwest government, local residents of other ethnic groups had gradually become friendly with the Gaoyue people, but with the arrival of such a large-scale influx of people, , no one knows exactly how the situation will change. Moreover, once these people arrive and see the conditions enjoyed by Gaoyue residents in these places, they will make the same demands compared with themselves. With the current financial and material resources of the northwest, they simply cannot afford it, which will inevitably lead to many conflicts. But if they refuse, it will lead to discord or even division among the Gaoyue tribes. This is something the two of them, especially Kapok, who has always been responsible for reviving Gaoyue, never want to see.
"Mr. Xiao, to tell you the truth, the two of us discussed it for a long time on the way here, but we still couldn't come up with a way to get the best of both worlds. Therefore, the purpose of our coming to Qingyang is to ask Mr. Li to discuss it with you. Let's see if there is any workaround to properly deal with this matter." Jiang was very old, and Kapok calmly pushed the ball to Xiao Tang.
"Haha, my opinion? If Jinzhou and Vito Mansion can bear it, I don't think Mr. Li has any objections. Of course, even if you want to move here, you must have a proper and comprehensive plan, otherwise it will inevitably cause many troubles. "Xiao Tang smiled slightly and agreed generously.
Kapok shook his head solemnly, "Mr. Xiao, I'm afraid the local governments in Jinzhou and Weituo can't support it. We have consulted Mr. James and Mr. Mu Haoran for their opinions, and they both said they are unable to solve this matter. That’s why we came to Qingyang.”
Nodding slightly, Xiao Tang was also thinking about it. Such a straightforward refusal was of course inappropriate. Not only would it leave a shadow on the hearts of the two people in front of him, but Mr. Li had far-reaching ideas and far-sightedness. He would definitely lose the support of the Gaoyue tribe in the central and southern part of the Hengduan Mountains. It's not in line with his style, but it requires careful consideration on how to win the other party's favor while also being realistic.
"Well, two elders, these relatively large tribes mainly live in that area now. Which country do they belong to?" Xiao Tang asked softly.
"Most of them are distributed in the hilly areas on both sides of the central and southern foothills of the Hengduan Mountains. A few also live in the plain valleys near the foothills. The living areas belong to the Pasha Kingdom, Myanmar, and several small countries and city-states near the southern end of the Hengduan Mountains." Kapok replied in one breath.
"Oh? Myanmar?" Xiao Tang's heart moved slightly, "And the Pasha Kingdom? Are those small countries and city-states the ones adjacent to the southern passage of the mainland?"
Hearing Xiao Tang's detailed question, Kapok and Shiliu were stunned for a moment. Shiliu quickly added: "Yes, as for whether they are the countries and city-states adjacent to the southern passage you mentioned, we don't know yet. But it is indeed at the southernmost tip of the Hengduan Mountains."
"How many Gaoyue people are there currently living in Myanmar?" Xiao Tang was obviously interested in the Gaoyue people in Myanmar and asked more carefully. His keen sense of smell has always been his strength.
"This one is probably around 100,000 people. It is composed of a larger tribe and several smaller tribes." Kapok's thick eyebrows wrinkled unnoticed, and he obviously felt something vaguely, but he didn't It’s easy to say, if you want to get something, you must be prepared to pay. This rule applies at all times, not to mention that sometimes even if you are willing to pay, the other party may not be willing to accept the transaction.