Now that he had the authority to establish a fief, Wang Chong would never let go of this chance. The fifty thousand valiant warriors of Wushang were Wang Chong's goal.
According to the rules of the Tang Dynasty, once Wang Chong established a city there and became a fief, the villages of Wushang would be under Wang Chong's jurisdiction, and no one would be able to compete with him.
This would be the greatest bargaining chip he could use to change his fate and reshape the Tang Dynasty!
It's time to put some other matters on the agenda.
As this thought flitted through Wang Chong's mind, he picked up the map of the Tang Dynasty and left the room.
… …
"What? The Young Marquis actually chose a barren and desolate land like Wushang as his fief! "
"Is he crazy? How could he give up on such a good chance? "
"What a waste! The Wang Clan actually wasted such a good chance! The Son of Heaven's favor is something countless people can only dream of. It's fine if Wang Chong is young and doesn't understand, but as an old official of the court, why didn't he try to persuade him? Just what was he thinking? "
… …
When the news that Wang Chong had chosen the distant land of Wushang as his fief spread, it caused massive waves in the capital. Everyone was dumbfounded by this' rash 'decision.
Choosing a piece of blessed land to benefit their descendants was something that none of the great clans would even think about. However, the Wang Clan had actually chosen the most barren and desolate piece of land. This was something that no one could have imagined even if they cracked their heads.
"Hmph, it seems like we overestimated them too much. Since the Wang Clan has chosen Wushang, let's notify the Bureau of Revenue and have this matter be settled as quickly as possible. We don't want to give the Wang Clan a chance to back out."
When the news reached King Qi, he was at first stunned, and then he sneered. It was rare for the Wang Clan to make such a low-level mistake, so he would not let it go so easily. Settling this matter as quickly as possible was the best response to the Wang Clan.
However, Prince Qi's complacency did not last long. Once the Ministry of Revenue's approval was granted, the situation quickly reversed. News quickly spread through the capital that the Young Marquis had chosen Wushang as his fief because he had his eye on the Silk Road to the west.
In addition, the Young Marquis had decided to build a massive city on the Silk Road to the west as a resting place for merchants. He wanted to build inns, restaurants, and teahouses there, as well as store a large amount of supplies for the merchants. At the same time, he would provide them with assistance and necessary protection.
As the news spread, it caused a huge sensation in the capital. The first to react to this news were the vast number of Hu merchants in the capital. All the merchants from the Western Regions, the Abbasid Caliphate, and Charax Spasinu swarmed to the Wang Family Residence, asking for information on that city, when it would be built, how big it was, where it was located, what supplies it could provide …
These were all things that they were concerned about.
The 'Silk Road' was an important route for communication between the East and the West. There was an enormous amount of wealth flowing through it that was difficult to estimate. The degree of its richness was known to all the countries, and there was no one who didn't know about it.
But the endless trade routes and the bandits and brigands that could never be eliminated were always a pain in the hearts of all the merchants. Thus, the news that Wang Chong was planning to build a city on the Silk Road immediately attracted the attention of all the Hu merchants in the capital.
They were also the ones who were most concerned about this matter.
If there was a city that could provide supplies and also provide protection against bandits and brigands, all the Hu merchants would be happy to see it happen and would be willing to give it their full support.
More news began to spread. On the same day that the Bureau of Revenue approved the proposal, one of the wastrel scions of the capital said that Li Yi had already given the three million taels of gold that the Holy Emperor had bestowed upon him to the master architect of the Bureau of Works, Zhang Shouzhi, who had once constructed the Imperial Palace, and had him put in charge of this matter.
And Zhang Shouzhi had already ordered his trusted disciples to begin recruiting manpower throughout the city.
That wastrel scion had only learned of this news because he had a good relationship with one of Zhang Shouzhi's trusted disciples. As for the Wang Clan and Zhang Shouzhi, they were still in a state of lockdown.
More news quickly spread. The Young Marquis had already issued an order to the great clans of the capital. The Wang Clan was not prepared to monopolize the fief on the western road. The Wang Clan was willing to open the construction of all the cities, inns, and restaurants in the city to all the great clans of the capital so that everyone could share in the enormous profits of the Silk Road.
This news was like a stone thrown into a lake, and all the great clans of the capital went into a frenzy. No one dared to imagine just how rich the profits of the Silk Road to the west were, especially since the city that Wang Chong was about to build was the only fief on the Silk Road. No one could compete with him.
This was truly a unique business!
If Wang Chong was willing to open this business to everyone, the great clans would reap unimaginable profits. Moreover, unlike ordinary business, this was not a business that could be cut off. If they could participate, all the great clans would be able to obtain an endless stream of profits.
No great clan could refuse this proposal. Once Wang Chong opened the door, all the great clans would wrack their brains and fight over it until their heads bled.
And Wang Gen's stance was quickly made clear. Wang Chong had given his fief to Wushang, obtaining his full support. Moreover, Wang Gen had also announced that Wang Chong's decision was the decision of the entire Wang Clan.
And the entire Wang Clan would give its full support to Wushang's construction of a city.
This final statement was the final word, instantly making the matter of Wushang's construction of a city the center of attention of the entire capital. Many clan heads even personally came to visit the Wang Clan with treasures.
With this, the greatest obstacle to Wang Chong's construction of a city was resolved.
"Siye, I'll leave this matter to you. No matter what, I need you to do your utmost to recruit, persuade, and subdue the people of Wushang."
In the study, Wang Chong and Li Siye stood across from each other. Wang Chong took out a token from his waist and handed it to Li Siye.
"This is my marquis token. Take it. When necessary, you can transfer soldiers from the Qixi Protectorate, Beiting Protectorate, or any of the surrounding armies to cooperate with you. The people of Wushang revere strength, but it's very difficult to subdue them with brute force alone. Thus, you need not only strength, but also wisdom and etiquette to obtain victory. "
"Yes, this general will go!"
A hint of confusion flickered through Li Siye's eyes, but he quickly clasped his fist and bowed.
Li Siye had no idea what Wushang was, nor had he ever been there, nor did he know why Wang Chong placed so much importance on that place. However, a soldier's duty was to obey orders, and Li Siye was confident that no matter what Wang Chong wanted him to do, he would have a reason.
Li Siye took Wang Chong's token and quickly left, leaving only Wang Chong in the room.
All was quiet, and Wang Chong's eyes flickered with a pensive light. The people of Wushang revered strength and would not easily submit to others. Otherwise, no one would have been able to subdue them after so many years, and so many people wouldn't have died in the struggle against the otherworldly invaders.
However, Wang Chong was not too worried about Li Siye. After all, Li Siye was the future Invincible General. He could rely on his bravery to change the course of a war, and he could also rely on his charisma to win over a large number of people.
For a person who wasn't very proficient in the art of war and battle formations to be able to single-handedly raise the morale of his troops and turn the tides of a large-scale battle, there was only one person in the entire Central Plains who could do this.
If even Li Siye could not subdue the people of Wushang, then it was even more impossible for others to do so.
"Next, I should think of a way to build that city."
This thought flashed through Wang Chong's mind, and he quickly returned to his senses. He pushed open the door and walked out of the study.
In the main hall of the Wang Clan, there was a familiar figure with a ruddy complexion and high spirits. He was currently sitting on an armchair in the Wang Clan, leisurely drinking tea.
"Young master!"
When he saw Wang Chong walk out, Zhang Shouzhi almost scalded his tongue. He hurriedly put down his teacup and stood up.
"You've been waiting for a long time."
As Wang Chong spoke, he walked over and gestured for Zhang Shouzhi to sit down, and then he sat down across from him.
"Haha, I heard that Young Master was receiving guests, so I told them not to disturb you. I didn't think that Young Master would come before I could even notify him."
Zhang Shouzhi smiled as he sat back down.
"Quite a few great clans have come to seek you out recently, right?"
Wang Chong picked up another teacup and took a sip.
"Haha, thanks to Young Master, everyone has their eyes on that fief on the Silk Road, wanting to get a piece of the pie. I've counted them, and almost eighty percent of the great clans in the capital have come to seek me out. All sorts of treasures, pearls, agate, corals, and jadeite have made my hands go soft.
"As for the remaining twenty percent, most of them don't have enough strength and know that they can't compete with the other clans, so they've backed off, so they haven't come."
At Wang Chong's words, Zhang Shouzhi couldn't stop smiling. In his recent time with Wang Chong, the matter of the Silk Road fief had made him an influential figure in the capital. The number of people begging him with gifts could form a line from the east to the west of the city. When he thought about how he had been ignored, he didn't even dare to imagine this.
"But, Young Master, I'm a little afraid of taking in so many people! Young Master, please tell me who I should take in and who I shouldn't, and who I should choose. "
"Choose? Why should I choose? Can't I just take them all? "
Wang Chong chuckled. Taking a pastry from the plate on the table, he put it in his mouth and began to chew as he looked at Zhang Shouzhi in amusement.
"Ah?"
Wang Chong's words made Zhang Shouzhi's eyes widen. For Wang Chong to say that he was going to take everyone's things was something that Zhang Shouzhi had never even dared to imagine.
There were so many great clans in the capital that it was impossible to count. How could the Wang Clan repay this favor?
"Heh, if they're willing to give it to us, why shouldn't we take it? And don't worry about us not being able to fulfill our promise. We'll just build the city as big as we take in the money. When the time comes, we'll build many restaurants, inns, and tea houses. Will we still have to worry about not being able to fulfill our promise? "
Wang Chong chuckled, unconcerned.
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