"Uncle, Zhao is good, but I've already thought it through."
Wang Chong suddenly spoke up, interrupting Wang Gen's words. Sitting on the chair, Wang Gen's face froze in shock.
"… As for the issue of fiefdom, I've thought about it for a long time. Although Zhao's land isn't bad, to me, it's not a good place. There is another place that is more suitable for me. "
Wang Chong lightly blew at the foam on the surface of the tea and took a sip of the tea. His expression was calm as he spoke.
"You already have an idea?"
Wang Gen's eyes were wide open, and his mind was unable to process the situation. He had to admit that Wang Chong's words completely exceeded his expectations.
"Where do you want your fief? Which place is better than Zhao?"
"Wushang!"
Stretching out a finger, Wang Chong tapped on an inconspicuous location to the west of Longxi on Wang Gen's map. Seeing the location pointed out by Wang Chong, the smile on Wang Gen's face immediately vanished, and he found it hard to maintain his composure.
"Chong-er, are you joking?"
His first reaction was to think that Wang Chong was joking, that he had misheard, or that Wang Chong had pointed at the wrong place on the map. However, seeing the serious expression on Wang Chong's face, it was clear that he was not joking at all. His expression immediately turned grim.
"Chong-er, the matter of the fief is no small matter. Do you know how many aristocratic families and nobles are envious of us? The Holy Emperor had opened his golden mouth. This was a major event that had not happened in decades. In the entire Tang dynasty, except for the capital, as long as you wanted, you could choose anywhere you wanted. This is a great favor from the heavens. "
Wang Gen had always placed great importance on this nephew of his, and he had great trust in him. To some extent, he even valued him more than his own son. If others said that Wang Chong was the Wang Clan's Qilin son, the number one expert of the younger generation, and not his own son, Wang Li, not only would Wang Gen not be unhappy, he would even feel honored and proud of it.
But this time was completely different.
"Wushang, do you know what that place is? As the saying goes, 'The world is rich and populous, but nowhere is Longyou'. There was no better fief than Longxi. Moreover … even though you had some conflict with Geshu Han during the regional commanders incident, the fief was His Majesty's decree, and not even Geshu Han dared to interfere in the slightest. If this matter is done well, it will be of great benefit to both you and our Wang Clan. But you want to establish a fief on this barren and barren land near Qixi. Just what are you thinking? "
Wang Gen's words were heavy. He straightened his back and looked at his nephew sternly.
Wushang was a place that Wang Gen had no impression of. However, Wang Gen knew the location Wang Chong had chosen on the map. If Wang Chong had chosen a slightly better location, he would not have ended up in such a state. But Wang Chong had chosen a barren land on the road to the west. This was a complete waste of the Imperial Court's intention in bestowing a fief to Wang Chong.
"Haha, Big Uncle, I know that you find this hard to accept. But I have my reasons for doing this. "
Wang Chong smiled at these words. He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, his expression calm and composed, not the slightest bit nervous.
"Then why?"
Perhaps influenced by Wang Gen's attitude, Wang Gen took in a deep breath and relaxed a little.
"Haha, Big Uncle, Wushang truly is a barren land. But Big Uncle, take a closer look. What is this place? "
As Wang Chong spoke, his finger lightly traced a line on the map. At first glance, Wang Gen did not notice anything, but on second glance, his eyes widened as he realized something.
"You mean the Silk Road?"
"That's right! Yes, the Silk Road! "
Wang Chong chuckled. Not too far from the 'Wushang' he had chosen was a winding road. It was the famous Silk Road to the west that all the foreign kingdoms, including the Tang dynasty, were familiar with.
"Are you intending to make a fuss on this road?"
Wang Gen glanced at Wang Chong with a contemplative look on his face, and his expression gradually became less stern. The 'Silk Road' to the west was also a famous golden road. Innumerable merchants from both the east and the west traversed this road. Silk, spices, jewels, jade, porcelain, camels, tea leaves … Almost all the Hu merchants and merchants from the Western Regions who came to the Tang dynasty to do business would pass through this road.
The massive disparity in prices between the east and the west resulted in massive profits. As a result, this road gave birth to many wealthy merchants.
Those Hu merchants who came to the Tang dynasty to do business were all filthy rich. Pearls, agate, jade … all of these were like clay tiles to them.
The goods they bought and sold were all of great value, and the wealth they earned was something that many people would never be able to imagine in their entire lives. Even the great clans would have to lament their inadequacies. And in terms of importance, the Silk Road to the west was indisputably the number one road in the world, far more important than the famous' Tea Horse Road 'in the southwest.
From a certain perspective, the Silk Road, which maintained trade relations with the various kingdoms, played a significant role in the Tang dynasty's current prosperity.
"Big Uncle, the land of Zhao isn't bad, but it's still stagnant water. At the very most, it's only two hundred thousand, but the Silk Road to the west is different. Whether it's the Great Han Dynasty, the previous dynasty, or the current dynasty, the first thing they did after the world was stabilized was to open up the Silk Road. From this, one can easily imagine how much importance the empire places on this road. "
Wang Chong confidently said.
"Big Uncle, you know just how wealthy the Hu merchants of the capital are. The Hu merchants of the Western Regions, the spice merchants of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the jewelry merchants of Charax Spasinu travel tens of thousands of li to the Tang dynasty every year, and they all carry enormous amounts of wealth with them. Has Eldest Uncle ever thought about it? With so many merchants coming and going, how much wealth must be flowing through this trade route every day? "
"This …"
Wang Gen fell silent. Wang Gen understood even better than Wang Chong just how much importance the Tang dynasty placed on this road to the west. It was for no other reason than that this was the Sage Emperor's will.
In the Tang dynasty of the Central Plains, no one inside or outside the court dared to question the decisions of the Holy Emperor.
This was also the reason why this road had always been able to move without any obstruction.
Moreover, there was one thing that Wang Chong had said correctly. This road to the west truly was extremely wealthy. Even the Bureau of Revenue, which was responsible for the finances of the court, found it difficult to calculate the amount of wealth that flowed through it every day, much less other people.
"So Chong-er, you mean that you want to seize profits from this road?"
"Mm!"
Wang Chong gave a firm nod, his eyes deep and his expression one of deep contemplation.
"But this is useless. The Hu merchants are unique in their trade, and no one else can get involved in it. In the past, when the Silk Road was opened, there were many great clans and nobles who coveted this road, and even the princes of the imperial household wanted to get involved. But later on, we quickly realized that we couldn't understand the languages of the Western Regions, Abbasid Caliphate, and Charax Spasinu, and the Tang people disdained learning the languages of the barbarians. Moreover, Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu were separated by tens of thousands of li, and the journey was arduous. Moreover, we weren't familiar with the environment there, so no one could get involved. The great clans and nobles of the capital only gave up after several failed attempts. "
"Chong-er, it's not that I want to deny you. Your idea is quite good. But it's not very feasible in practice. "
He shook his head, a hint of concern in his eyes as he looked at Wang Chong. Wang Chong's ambition to use the Silk Road to the west and covet it was worthy of recognition.
However, it was obvious that he had underestimated all of this.
If one could casually take a slice of the pie, the Great Tang would have long ago been established, and all the nobles and nobles in the capital would have already taken their share of the profits. How could the Wang Clan have gotten their turn? How could it have waited until now?
In the war of the southwest, Wang Chong had truly displayed an extraordinary talent for the art of war. But the art of war and the art of trade were different. Not even Wang Chong could be skilled in both.
"Haha, Big Uncle, you've misunderstood."
Wang Chong laughed at these words.
"I'm not planning on getting involved in the silk, spices, and jewels business and selling them in Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu. The Silk Road to the west is ten-thousand-some li, and I can only make one or two trips a year. It takes far too long to turn the money around. "
"Turn the money around?"
A hint of surprise flitted through Wang Gen's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He was already used to his nephew's' astonishing words'. Everyone in the capital knew of the phrase 'who laughs in the end laughs best'.
"If you don't want to get involved in these businesses, what do you want to do?"
Wang Gen was truly rather confused this time. The most profitable businesses on the Silk Road to the west were silk, jewels, and spices … If he didn't get involved in these businesses, how could he make money?
Wang Gen found it impossible to see through his nephew's thoughts.
"Haha, of course it's to build a city there and earn the profits of those merchants!"
As Wang Chong chuckled, the teacup in his hand splashed tea onto the map of the Tang Dynasty, the place representing the Silk Road. This move was completely unexpected. Wang Gen stared in a daze at the cup that had appeared on the map of the Tang Dynasty, speechless.
"Big Uncle!"
Wang Chong pushed back his chair and stood up.
"The Silk Road to the west is rich in profits, but it is a long journey, and as the saying goes, a long night is fraught with dreams. For this reason, the road to the west is rife with bandits, and coupled with the complex terrain, the Imperial Court has repeatedly tried to ban it, but to no avail.
"And for the sake of the Hyderabad ore, I ordered Li Siye to exterminate the largest bandit group on the Silk Road, the Black Dragon Bandit. But the Black Dragon Bandit is only one of them. Before that, there was the Pei Long Bandit, the Black Flame Bandit … and in the future, there will be other gangs. As long as there is profit, this situation will continue despite repeated bans.
"Think about it. If there was a city on the Silk Road to the west where all the merchants could obtain protection and supplies, would they be willing to come? Would they be willing to come? And each of the merchants traveling to the west is a massive caravan, with several hundred or even more than a thousand people. For so many people to stay here for a single day, it would be no small expense. If they could buy and sell things here for free, would there be people willing to come here to do business? In this aspect, the merchants traveling to the west are extremely generous.
"And once more people gather here, they will be able to collect taxes. What do you think will happen to such a city, Big Uncle? After all, this is a unique business! "
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