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Flock after flock of carrier pigeons flew off in every direction while countless cavalry galloped off in different directions, each with a different mission. Undercurrents were surging in both the Tang Dynasty and the various foreign lands. The disarmament of the foreign lands had attracted the attention of countless people. At this moment, when the entire world's attention was focused on the disarmament of the Wastelands, not many people noticed that the imperial court had silently passed two resolutions.
The first resolution was for the Tang Dynasty's armies to retreat two hundred li in response to the actions of the foreign lands. The second resolution was to open two or three trade ports. At these ports, the people of the various foreign lands of the Tang Dynasty were encouraged to trade and interact with each other, facilitating the flow of manpower. According to the Imperial Court, since the Tang Dynasty and the foreign lands were allies, there could be no war. Deepening the understanding between the people of the other countries was necessary to avoid war.
All of this had been approved after Li Junxian had joined the Secretariat as Secretariat Advisor. This was the result of He Qingrong's departure from the Secretariat and his replacement by Li Junxian. Without a good reason, not even The King of Song could stop this' minor 'matter.
Besides the Imperial Court, the Confucian proclamations were constantly posted in the capital. Eventually, even the common people and children of the capital knew that Ouzan, the Eastern and Western Turks, Goguryeo, and the common people of the foreign lands were learning the language of the Great Tang. The number of schools established by the Confucians was increasing by the day. Each day, more and more Hu, admiring the culture of the Tang dynasty, entered these schools to learn the language of the Great Tang.
Because the people paid so much attention to this, gambling houses even set up bets on the number of new schools and the number of Hu willing to learn the language of the Great Tang.
These special bets unexpectedly attracted the attention of many people.
At the same time, the idea of using benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust to influence the Hu so that they could mend their evil ways and become friendly with the Tang dynasty and enjoy eternal peace began to spread through the capital.
Without anyone realizing it, the minds of the people were slowly and silently changing.
"Your Highness, it's bad!"
Several days later, when Wang Chong was sitting in his study, reading through the various documents, Su Shixuan suddenly rushed in. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, and he looked very uneasy, even a little anxious.
"I don't know where this news is coming from in the capital, but some people are comparing the economic and trade situation of the Tang dynasty with the foreign countries before and after the war. The situation is very unfavorable for Wangye! "
Su Shixuan's face was red and he was gasping for breath. Su Shixuan had followed Wang Chong for some time, from the war of the southwest to the battles of Talas and Khorasan. All these battles had been fraught with danger, but even in the most perilous situations, Su Shixuan had never panicked.
"Don't rush, speak slowly."
Wang Chong glanced at Su Shixuan and waved his brush, writing a line of characters on the document on the table. Then, he put the brush to the side and hung it on the brush stand.
Dazed, Su Shixuan took in a deep breath, his expression calming, but he still appeared rather uneasy.
"Your Highness, some busybody in the capital has come to compare the situation between the wars of the Tang dynasty and the wars of the foreign countries. They say that before each war, all the people on the border lived in peace and the people of the two countries interacted with each other. But when the militarists went to war, corpses would be strewn across the land, the villages and towns obliterated. The lives of the people on the border would plummet, their standard of living plunging. "
Su Shixuan anxiously said.
"What does this matter have to do with us?"
Wang Chong raised his head and indifferently said.
"Your Highness was personally conferred the title of King of Foreign Lands by His Majesty, the leader of the militarists. These people are targeting Your Highness and the militarists. And Your Highness is bearing the brunt of this! "
Su Shixuan sternly said.
"Buzz!"
Wang Chong slightly frowned at these words.
"It's not just that. Milord, it's very popular in the capital to promote this theory. Even many storytellers have begun to stop talking about the Three Kingdoms, the Wei, and the Jin, and the martial arts world, and instead talk about this matter. Their actions have attracted the attention of many people in the capital, and even the children have run over to watch. This is a notice I picked up on my way here that restaurants are soliciting customers. Your Highness, please take a look. "
As Su Shixuan spoke, he placed the paper in front of Wang Chong, his expression fraught with worry.
Wang Chong took the paper and glanced at it. He said nothing, but his brow furrowed even deeper.
This notice did not contain much content, only that today, at the Xu Period (seven to nine in the evening), there would be a 'Discussion of the Four Wastelands', and that the people of the capital were invited to come and listen.
"Milord, this matter is extremely disadvantageous to Milord. I suspect that it's another masterpiece of the Confucian Sect! "
Su Shixuan said.
Wang Chong said nothing, only closed his eyes in his sandalwood chair, a pensive look on his face. After some time, Wang Chong finally opened his eyes.
"I will personally take care of this matter. Tonight, at the Xu Period, I want to hear it for myself!"
… …
The Restaurant in the Clouds!
This was one of the most famous restaurants in the capital. Although not many high-ranking officials and nobles came to this place, it was very popular among the traveling merchants. Eighty percent of the wealthy merchants who came to the capital would stay here. At the Xu Period, after eating dinner, the food in the stomach hadn't been digesting for long.
By the time Wang Chong arrived, dressed in casual clothes, the Restaurant in the Clouds was brightly lit and packed with people. Low chairs had been set up outside the restaurant, and many of the people of the capital had come to listen to the discussion.
"Come, come, come! Sit and listen as you please! There's even tea and snacks here! "
"Welcome! Welcome! There's no charge! "
"If you don't believe me, of course there's no charge. Don't you see that there are so many people here? Haha, I'm not afraid to tell Milord that your money has already been paid! "
… …
Outside the restaurant, there were five or six attendants with white towels on their shoulders, and they came and went diligently. They served water and tea and arranged seats, and they were extremely attentive.
"Milord!"
Su Shixuan worriedly turned to Wang Chong. Both he and Wang Chong had heard the servant's last words loud and clear. Merchants did not get up early without profit, and the Restaurant in the Clouds was famed for its ability to do business. In the past, when so many people gathered here without paying a single cent, affecting his business, he would have already sent people to drive them away.
There would be no one like this, serving tea and asking after one's well-being.
No one would believe that there wasn't someone manipulating and adding fuel to the fire in the background.
Wang Chong said nothing. How could he not know what Su Shixuan was thinking? Far too many things had happened in the capital in this period of time. If there was an abnormality, there had to be a demon behind it. His heart was as clear as a mirror as anyone as to who was pulling the strings behind Su Shixuan's words.
"Take me to the room you reserved for me!"
Wang Chong calmly said.
After entering the restaurant and ascending the carved wooden stairs, Wang Chong quickly entered the room of the Restaurant in the Clouds. This room was the closest to the stands, and while a screen blocked the view of others, Wang Chong could clearly see the stands.
Clack!
After some time, the clack of a clapperboard caused the entire restaurant to fall silent.
As Wang Chong sat in his room, he saw a storyteller of around fifty, dressed in an azure robe, suddenly step onto the stands. In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on the storyteller.
"Everyone! Everyone says that the Tang Dynasty is powerful across the seas, that the King of Foreign Lands made a name for himself through his achievements in war, becoming the first King of the Tang Dynasty of a different surname that the Holy Emperor personally conferred upon him. The Central Plains truly flourished for a time, but how many people know of the hardships and price paid? "
Wang Chong couldn't help but frown at the storyteller's first words.
"My Tang Dynasty pacified the Eight Desolates, expanded the Western Regions, pacified the Turks, subdued the southern barbarians, and repelled the foreigners of the west. Everyone in the world knows of these achievements, but do you know of the relationship the Tang Dynasty had with the foreigners before these wars? In the southwest, the Erhai, the Tang Dynasty and Mengshe Zhao enjoyed peace for several decades, and the two sides interacted and traded with each other. In the twenty-seventh year of the Holy Emperor's reign, countless people entered the Six Zhao Dynasties of the Erhai to buy and sell all kinds of goods, fresh food, fruits, and rice. Standing on the plains of the Erhai, on the ruined Lion City, one would be stunned by the prosperity and affluence one would see. Women wearing bamboo hats and carrying children in bamboo baskets, the elderly, and the able-bodied men carrying tea bricks for the tea merchants were innumerable. They were like a jade belt that ran through the Tang Dynasty and Mengshe Zhao.
"And on the majestic Erhai Lake, there are countless scholars who are sailing on boats. The scholars of the Tang Dynasty and Mengshe Zhao all gathered there. And in the small boat was a square table, and on the square table was a small charcoal stove, warming wine, eating wine, and composing poems. How comfortable was that? Every day, the excellent poems spread to the Six Zhao Dynasties of the Erhai and the southwest of the Tang Dynasty, becoming a legend.
"And in private, the people of the two countries were even more harmonious, intermarrying countless times. Some people's fathers were Tang people, their mothers were Mengshe Zhao, and their grandmothers were also Mengshe Zhao. Intermarrying like this was innumerable, and some villages were even full of mixed-bloods. And according to the statistics of the Ministry of Revenue, in the twenty-seventh year alone, the number of intermarriages reached more than twenty-eight thousand, and it is unknown how many there were among the people who did not have statistics!
"And with the help of the harmonious relationship between the two countries, every family on the western border could earn more than ten taels of silver every year. True families had surplus grain. It far exceeded the average of seven taels in the Tang Dynasty!! "
The storyteller slapped the clappers, and a trace of fascination appeared in his eyes.
Wang Chong did not speak, but his eyes revealed contemplation. He had never understood these things. In the twenty-seventh year of the Holy Emperor's reign, he still hadn't joined the army.
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