This small family that produced precious gems was a native of the Piao Country. Their surname was Angi, which was a very strange surname in Li An's eyes. But in the local area, such strange surnames were everywhere. After all, this was not the Tang Empire, and there were very few Han surnames. Most of them were native surnames.
The Angi family didn't have a large population. They only had five to six thousand people. Even if all of them were soldiers, they would only have a thousand soldiers. They could be considered a typical small force. The neighboring Sayer and Deqin families had more than ten thousand people. They were much stronger than the Angi family, not to mention the Pyu Empire which had a population of several hundred thousand.
Previously, due to the need to resist the Piao Country's imperial court together, the three families were still able to cooperate sincerely. However, this situation quickly changed. As the Angi family discovered this precious gem mine and began to mine it alone, the surrounding Sayer and Deqin families became very envious. They had begun to contact each other in private. If Xiao Chen guessed correctly, they were likely to be discussing how to divide the Angi family's gem mine. If the two families were to join forces and launch a sudden attack, the Angi family would definitely not be able to resist with their strength alone.
The Deqin Family and the Sayer Family also had their own gemstone mines. However, the quality of their gemstones couldn't be compared to the gemstone mine discovered by the Angi Family. The gemstones produced here were all top quality gemstones, and there were many types of gemstones. Although the size of the mine wasn't big, its value was frighteningly high. Moreover, the quality of the gemstones here couldn't be hidden. With so many miners in charge of mining, the news would definitely be leaked. No one could stop this from happening.
It would be abnormal if the neighboring Sayer and Deqin families weren't tempted by the Angi family's sudden acquisition of such a treasure. However, the three families were previously in an alliance. They had cooperated in resisting the Pyu Empire. If they rashly fell out with each other, it wouldn't be good for everyone. Therefore, the other two families contacted each other in private to discuss how to divide the loot. If they didn't go too far with the Angi family's mine, the Angi family's strength would surpass theirs in a few years. At that time, the other two families would become the Angi family's vassals.
In any alliance, benefits came first. The distribution of benefits was very particular. The stronger one was, the more benefits they could get. On the other hand, if they were weak, they wouldn't get much of the benefits. In fact, the weaker one might even be assimilated and swallowed up by the stronger one. This was the thing that worried the weaker allies the most.
Any power would want to be the strongest. Even in an alliance, they didn't want their allies to be stronger than them, so as not to threaten their own benefits. The Angi family had always been the weakest of the three families. Now, this weakest family had discovered a precious gem mine. This made the other two stronger allies feel very uncomfortable. Everyone understood that owning a precious gem mine meant having a lot of wealth. With a lot of wealth, one could definitely increase one's strength. It could even increase one's strength in a short period of time, allowing one to quickly become stronger.
As allies, the Deqin family and the Sayer family felt very uncomfortable when they saw that the Angi family had discovered such a treasure. How good would it be if such a valuable treasure was in their territory? Due to their relationship as allies, they couldn't fall out with the Angi family in the short term. However, seeing the Angi family gaining a lot of wealth day by day, they became very anxious. It was impossible to say that they weren't tempted by such a large amount of wealth. The two families contacted each other in private to find a solution that the Angi family could accept. This way, they could openly obtain part of the mining rights of the mine. Everyone could earn money together. This was a true ally.
The patriarch of the Deqin family and the patriarch of the Sayer family met in the secret chamber of the Deqin family. When the two old men met, they first exchanged pleasantries. Then, they began to discuss how to get a share of the profits from the Angi family's mine.
"Brother Sayer, you're finally here! Come, try our Deqin family's Longjing tea. This is a top-grade tea obtained from the Tang dynasty thousands of miles away. "
The patriarch of the Deqin family was all smiles as he spoke politely.
The patriarch of the Sayer family wasn't as good-tempered as the patriarch of the Deqin family. He seemed a little anxious as he looked at the patriarch of the Deqin family and said, "Brother Deqin, I didn't come here to drink tea. Isn't it just Longjing tea? I have some at home too. Let's get down to business! Let's get down to business. "
The patriarch of the Sayer family didn't seem to be interested in drinking tea. What he cared about was the Angi family's mine. If he didn't get a share of the profits as soon as possible, he wouldn't feel at ease. With so many gems, if the Angi family mined all of them, he wouldn't be able to get his hands on them.
"Alright, since Brother Sayer is so impatient, let's get down to business. The Angi family has been mining the mine for a month now. I heard that they have produced a lot of gems. Our family only learned of this news three days ago. It seems that the Angi family has done a good job of keeping it a secret from us for so long."
The patriarch of the Deqin family took a sip of tea and said slowly.
The patriarch of the Sayer family said angrily, "Brother, you're still alright. Our family only learned of this news yesterday. If it wasn't for a distant relative of our family working as a miner in the Angi family, I wouldn't have known about this. Their family is very strict with their miner management. They only allow them to go out once a month. If it wasn't for the fact that they can't hide the sale of gems from us, they might have imprisoned all the miners in the mine."
Digging for gems could be done very secretly as long as all the miners were controlled. However, the gems that were dug out had to be sold. Only the gems that were sold were valuable. Only by selling the gems could they raise funds to develop themselves. Once they started to sell the gems, the gem mine at home would definitely not be able to be hidden. Therefore, there was no need to hide it.
The patriarch of the Deqin family was an old fox. He looked at the patriarch of the Sayer family and said, "Brother Sayer, what do you plan to do? This mine belongs to the Angi family after all. It's their territory. It's reasonable for them to mine the gems themselves. No one can say anything about it! "
It was clear that the old fox wanted the patriarch to speak first and make the other party be the bad guy.
How could the Saier Clan Leader not know what Deqin was thinking? He didn't care and said, "Brother Deqin, let's not beat around the bush. How can I not know what you're thinking? Although the mine is in the Angi Clan's territory and should be their property, if the Imperial Court were to know that there are a large number of precious gems here, wouldn't the Imperial Court be tempted? Once they send an army to seize the gems, how can the Anji Clan defend the mine? As the Anji Clan's allies, we naturally have to protect the mine. Of course, we can't do it for nothing. Since we can protect the mine together, we should naturally have a share. What do you think, brother?"
These words seemed reasonable, but in fact, it was just the logic of bandits. They just wanted a piece of the pie and didn't want the benefits to go to the Angu family. This kind of behavior of forcibly asking for benefits was really disgusting. However, since ancient times, this kind of thing was extremely common. After seeing it many times, it was not strange anymore. The law of the jungle applied at all times. This was an eternal truth.
They could now use this reason to go to the gem vein of the Angi family. They felt that this was the best excuse. The three forces would work together to fight against the erosion of the imperial court. Without the protection of the alliance between the two families, the Angi family's mine would definitely be lost. It was not too much for them to ask for some benefits. Even the patriarch of the Angi family had this plan in his heart. Of course, he was not willing to do it, but he felt that it was not impossible to lose some benefits in a helpless situation. After all, if they really annoyed the two allies, it would not be a good thing for the Angi family.
However, when Ang Lee and his group entered the territory of the Angi family, the patriarch of the Angi family had a new idea. He felt that he could completely rely on the big tree of the Tang Empire. Once the Tang Dynasty was willing to protect their family, their family would not have to share the mine with the two allies. The Pyu imperial court would not dare to come and snatch it. Of course, cooperating with the Tang Dynasty would also cause them to lose benefits. However, the patriarch of the Angi family felt that the Tang Dynasty was strong enough to cooperate with the Tang Dynasty. If they cooperated with the two allies, they would have to give two benefits. Too little might not satisfy the appetite of the two allies, but the patriarch of the Angi family was not willing to pay too much. Moreover, even if they shared the benefits with the two allies, their family might not be safe. After all, even if the three small forces joined forces, their strength was not as strong as the Pyu imperial court. In addition, there were many small forces around, and these small forces would also be envious. If more than a dozen small forces were to divide the mine, then the Angi family would not get much. The gem vein was in their territory, and if they could not get much, then they would suffer a great loss.
The patriarch of the Angi family felt that if he cooperated with the Tang Dynasty, he could at least get half of the benefits. However, if he cooperated with the two allies around him, it would be good if he could get 30%. He knew the allies around him very well. These allies were very greedy. The Deqin family and the Sayer family were difficult enough to deal with. They were the closest allies of the Angi family, and there were other allies around them. If they knew about the gem vein, they would definitely come and get a share of the benefits. If the three families did not agree, the next time the Pyu imperial court attacked, these small forces would not help and would just sit and watch the three families, especially the Angi family, be destroyed.
In short, a small family like the Angi family was very insecure. They were too weak and could be destroyed by powerful enemies or allies at any time. In order to maintain their family, every step they took was like walking on thin ice.
But now, the Angi family knew that the Tang Dynasty was going to build a road in the Pyu territory. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty had just destroyed Nanzhao. So, would the Pyu be destroyed? At least, this was very likely. The Tang Dynasty was too powerful and far beyond the Pyu. In this case, the patriarch of the Angi family naturally had to choose a side. They were naturally willing to choose the Tang Dynasty. In this way, when the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Pyu, they could smoothly become the vassals of the Tang Dynasty. Anyway, they did not plan to establish themselves as kings. They were very satisfied with being the tribal chiefs. Since the Pyu would fall into the hands of the Tang Dynasty sooner or later, why not surrender earlier? If they took the initiative to cooperate, they might be able to get half of the benefits. If the Tang Dynasty attacked the Pyu, they were likely to lose all of their benefits. The loss would be more than that.
It could be seen that the patriarch of the Angi family was very sensible. However, the patriarchs of the Deqin and Saye families were not so smart. They were still thinking about the mines and did not seem to care about the Tang Dynasty at all. They might think that the Tang Dynasty was only here to build a road and would not interfere with local affairs. However, they did not think that as long as there were enough benefits, how could the Tang Dynasty not interfere? With so many gems, any force would be tempted.
"Brother Saye, how do you think we should divide the shares? How much can the patriarch of the Angi family promise us? "
The patriarch of the Deqin family said.
The patriarch of the Saye family thought for a while and said, "The share will naturally be decided by strength. Both of our families are twice as strong as the Angi family. We will each take 40% and give the Angi family 20%. After all, during the war, we sent twice as many troops as the Angi family. Naturally, we should get twice as many benefits."
This was the truth. When the Pyu imperial court attacked, the three small forces would be the first to bear the brunt. They would quickly gather their forces to resist. According to the population size of the three families, the Angi family would only gather half of the troops of the other two families every time. It did not seem reasonable to divide the benefits according to strength. However, they should have thought that this mine was in the Angi family's territory and not the intersection of the three families. It was not reasonable to divide the benefits according to the number of troops sent. The two old men would certainly not think so much. They clearly wanted to get more benefits. Why would they care about the Angi family's life and death?
The patriarch of the Deqin family heard this and showed a smile. This was exactly what he was thinking. If they could really get 40% of the gems, it would be very good. However, they were allies after all. He could not make things too awkward.
"Brother Saye, this mine is in the Angi family's territory. I'm afraid they won't agree to give them 20%. I think we should give them 30%! Our two families will each take thirty-five percent, so they can accept it. However, we can't say it like that. Let's say we'll give them twenty percent and let them bargain. Thirty percent is our bottom line. What do you think, brother? "
The patriarch of the Deqin family said shrewdly.
The patriarch of the Saye family looked at the patriarch of the Deqin family with dissatisfaction. After thinking about it, it made sense. He nodded and said, "Since Brother has said so, let's do it. Let's go find the Angi family's old man."
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