"Hasn't the empire already set up a governor's palace in Myanmar? Have their lives changed?" Xiao Tang asked slowly, pondering.
With a wry smile and shaking their heads repeatedly, Kapok and Shiliu couldn't help but sigh, "Master Xiao, if life could be easier, who would be willing to leave their hometown and travel thousands of miles to survive in other places? We are also living in the Tiannan area under Lang Yongquan's original rule. The Gaoyue people's environment is not much different from that of Jinzhou before Mr. Li took control of the northwest. The Burmese land is now also under the control of Lang Yongquan. Although the Burmese land is vast and sparsely populated, they still discriminate against the Gaoyue people living there. , Gaoyue people are strictly prohibited from moving out of the mountainous area, and security forces are stationed near the foothills to prevent us Gaoyue people from secretly moving into the plains."
Nodding silently, Xiao Tang also knew that except for the northwest and northern Luzon, there seemed to be no place in the entire continent that even recognized the equal rights of Gaoyue people in name, let alone actually granted equal status. Tiannan under the rule of Lang Yongquan Myanmar is no exception.
"Two elders, I would like to take the liberty to ask again. I wonder how many Gaoyue people live in the eastern foothills of the Great Hengduan Mountains, which is the territory of the empire, such as Xikang Prefecture and Bashan Prefecture in Kansai?" Xiao Tang said slowly. asked again.
"Well, there are not many Gaoyue people in these two prefectures. There are about 20,000 to 30,000 people in Xikang Prefecture, and there are about 30,000 to 40,000 people in Bashan Prefecture." Kapok's heart tightened even more when he heard Xiao Tang's question. But at this point, he couldn't care much.
"Well, do the Gaoyue people living in these two prefectures have any thoughts of moving to the northwest?" Xiao Tang asked immediately.
Nodding slowly, Kapok and Shiliu exchanged glances before replying briefly: "Yes."
"Well, two elders, this is not a small matter. The number of people who want to come is really difficult to arrange. However, Mr. Li has always been very concerned about the Gaoyue people. Although they do not belong to our jurisdiction, since they can trust us in the northwest , I trust Mr. Li, I don’t think we can let them down, but you two also know the current financial situation of several prefectures in our northwest including Northern Luzon. It is easy to come here, but if you want to achieve the same level as the Gaoyue people who now live in this area, It's impossible to meet the standard, but we can't turn people away and ignore them, so we have to come up with a way to get the best of both worlds." Xiao Tang looked at the two of them with a smile and said sincerely: "Do you think this is a good idea? Okay, Mr. Li is leading the troops away now. I'm afraid he won't be able to come back for a while. Anyway, this matter is not urgent. I think I will discuss it with several other departments under Jiedushi's government first, and then wait for Mr. Li to come back. We will report to him again, what do you think?"
"Haha, that's natural. Let's wait for Mr. Li to come back and discuss it carefully." Kapok and Shiliu also knew that no matter what method they adopted, Li Wufeng would ultimately need to make a decision on this matter. They wanted to report it to Xiao Tang first. It is better to be mentally prepared earlier and come up with a proper plan earlier.
After instructing his servants to take the two of them to the post house to rest, and then delivering them to the gate in person, Xiao Tang returned to the study thoughtfully, "Come here, please invite Mr. Su to come to my place."
As a burst of hearty laughter sounded outside the door, Xiao Tang knew that Su Qin had arrived, and his assistant and friend Wang Liao came with Su Qin.
"Haha, Brother Su, Brother Wang, please come in quickly. Would you like coffee or tea?" Xiao Tang was already quite familiar with the two of them and spoke quite casually.
"Hehe, let's have some coffee. I heard that the coffee you have here is of the highest quality and is not available to ordinary people, right?" Su Qin was not polite. He sat down carelessly and shook his folding fan slightly, looking leisurely and contented.
Shaking his head with a smile, Xiao Tang signaled the attendants to leave, while briefly introducing the purpose of Ka Mian and Shiliu's coming and the situation he had grasped, and finally said: "My original intention is to adopt a laissez-faire attitude. Let's In the past few years, we have accepted countless immigrants from various places, and the number far exceeds the number of Gaoyue people who want to come this time. It would definitely not be appropriate to reject them outright, but Kapok and Shiliu definitely want to fight for these people. There are some preferential conditions, such as advance subsidies or loans for house construction, living, work, etc., but now our finances are already stretched thin and we don’t have much funds to bear it, so there is really nothing we can do to help.”
"Brother Xiao, it's not just this. You seem to have other ideas?" Su Qin unfolded the folding fan with a twist of his fingers and stared at the other party.
"Well, I can't hide it from you. You and I are not outsiders. Everyone knows that Mr. Li has a great ambition, and these Gaoyue people live scattered at the foothills of the Hengduan Mountains and are distributed in several countries and regions. According to Xiao Tang's opinion , if we can win over their hearts, allowing them to stay in their original place in the future may have a far greater impact than moving them to the northwest. For example, those living in Burma, Guanxi, and even the southern tip of the Hepasha people." When he said these words, Xiao Tang's voice unconsciously lowered a bit.
Su Qin secretly sighed in his heart. The other party's foresight really made him feel pressured. Just by relying on such a thing, the other party could contact his boss's possible future actions and make such a judgment. People can't help but admire his keen sense in this regard. Unique.
"Well, this is indeed debatable. Hundreds of thousands of Gaoyue people can produce such huge energy. If used well, it can turn the world upside down." Wang Liao also nodded fiercely, with a hint of excitement on his face with high cheekbones. "Especially in Xikang Prefecture and Bashan Prefecture in Guanxi County, which are adjacent to the northwest, their value is both realistic and huge. Perhaps it is what Mr. Li dreams of."
Seeing that both Xiao and Su were listening to his opinions carefully, Wang Liao became even more interested, "This time Mr. Li marches eastward to Jierok. Once the situation in Merington is stabilized, he will definitely return. Lu Long and Partridge The pass is already in our hands, forming a pincer attack on Longdong. Even if the enemy forces from the direction of Anyuan are restrained, it is enough to suppress the enemies in Longdong from making rash moves. On the other hand, if Mr. Li wants to march into the Central Plains, he must start from Starting from Partridge Pass, look east of Partridge Pass. The city of Longdong is very strong and difficult to conquer. If you want to capture this city, you will have to spend a lot of money. Then the other way is to go southeast and march towards Xikang!"
"Brother Wang, that's well said. Please continue." Xiao Tang and Su Qin were also very interested.
"Then let's take a look at the geography of Xikang Prefecture. Xikang Prefecture is located in the northwest corner of Guanxi County, with Bashan Prefecture to the south, Hanzhong, the capital of Guanxi County, to the east, the vast Hengduan Mountains to the west, and Longdong to the north. Connected. In terms of geographical location, the location of Xikang is not too important. It is neither a transportation hub nor a must-pass road. However, the terrain here is higher in the west and lower in the east. Especially the east and middle parts are very flat. Most of them are grasslands and mountains. It is easy to It's difficult to attack and defend." Wang Liao analyzed carefully while twirling the few beards under his chin.
"If Mr. Li wants to go south and invade Xikang, then the Gaoyue people living at the foothills of Hengduan Mountain will really become a hidden enemy, and they may be able to exert unexpected miraculous effects." The excitement on Wang Liao's face was palpable.
"Well, Brother Wang's analysis is indeed thorough, but the number of Gaoyue people living in Xikang Prefecture is not large, and without any organizational training, it may not be able to play a big role." Xiao Tang did not agree with the other party's point of view.
"Brother Xiao, if this step is to be taken immediately, it will indeed not have much effect, but if there is a little time buffer, then we can use this time to make a fuss, but we don't know what Mr. Li's strategic intention is. Yes, this has to be decided by Mr. Li himself." Wang Liao was confident in his opinion.
"Well, I hope I can have more time to buffer. It's not that I'm thinking about Xikang Mansion, but our finances really can't support such frequent wars. I saw Rao lose two laps in the past two days. , no wonder for him, he has limited funds, but he has to prepare all the supplies and transport them to the designated location within the specified time, which is really difficult for him." Xiao Tang also seemed to remember something, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Brother Xiao, isn't he discussing with Mo Lun about raising the tax standard for the slave trade? If the standard is raised, it may be better." Wang Liao also smiled and comforted Xiao Tang.
"It's a drop in the bucket, it's better than nothing." Xiao Tang shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Haha, I see that those slave merchants are also moving around. Even Her Royal Highness the Seventeenth Princess is bustling with people. Maybe the slave merchants want to take this route to deal with the upcoming consultation meeting." Su Qin glanced at his colleagues, He said calmly.
"Oh? Your Highness the Seventeenth Princess?" Xiao Tang was startled. This was a new thing. Even the slave traders had the idea of the Seventeenth Princess. Or did the Seventeenth Princess come to them intentionally? A question immediately appeared in Xiao Tang's mind.
While the three of them were talking, the protagonist in the conversation was busy receiving visitors coming and going. Although he was a little tired, Situ Yutang felt very relieved. At least someone had noticed his existence. Knowing your own influence, you have to eat one bite at a time. As long as you slowly accumulate it, there will always be forces willing to rely on the empire to join in. Although this is the first group to know the slave traders, Situ Yutang is still not ashamed to receive him warmly. .
After sending away the last group of slave traders, Situ Yutang sat back in the chair slightly tiredly, and the maid gently massaged her shoulders.
"Your Highness, these are slave traders. Why is Your Highness so polite to these people?" Looking at his master with some confusion, the captain of the Guards couldn't help but ask after all the outsiders had left.
"Don't worry so much. Li Wufeng's prestige in the northwest is as stable as Mount Tai at the moment. It's harder than climbing a mountain to open a gap. Now that I finally have such an opportunity, I will seize it no matter what. As long as there is a conflict, we will have a chance. What's more, the empire does not explicitly prohibit or discriminate against the slave trade. The slave trade tax rate in the northwest is already much higher than that in the interior of the empire. If it is to be increased now, it would not be in line with the empire's policy. If we can take this opportunity to win the respect of these people, then what will happen next? Once more people come to us, then we will have more opportunities." Situ Yutanghui's eyes flashed with intelligence, her lips parted slightly, she smiled slightly, and took a mouthful of fine white silver The teeth are extremely beautiful.