The five hundred soldiers of the Tang Dynasty gathered with the three hundred people of the Angi family. Altogether, there were more than eight hundred people and three hundred carriages. Among them, the Angi family occupied more than two hundred carriages. They trafficked more goods, while the Tang Dynasty soldiers mainly carried top-grade gems. The rest were necessary materials such as tents, weapons, and food.
Because the Angi family paid for it, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty did not have any complaints even though they carried a lot of goods, which might slow down the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. The more goods the Angi family carried, the higher the protection fee they could get. And a considerable part of the protection fee belonged to the five hundred soldiers. Naturally, they were very happy. This trip back and forth, not only would their pay not be reduced, but they would also get a lot of extra goods. Naturally, they were very happy. According to Ang Lee's estimation, the extra income that the five hundred soldiers could get was at least three to five times the normal pay, which was caused by deliberate suppression. If all the protection fee was given to the five hundred soldiers, it would not be a problem for them to get dozens of times more.
Of course, Ang Lee would not give too much to the five hundred soldiers. Otherwise, all the soldiers would want to join the escort team of five hundred people, which would be a mess. There could be a gap, but it could not be too big. Otherwise, it would definitely arouse the unfairness in the hearts of the other soldiers, which would lead to a decline in the unity of the army, which would cause very serious consequences.
The 800 people set off from the Angi Family's Stone City and headed north along the difficult road. The most difficult part of the road was the one from the departure point to the center of Chuan Province. It would take at least one or two months to finish the journey. Once they entered the center of Chuan Province and got on the train, the speed would be much faster and they could reach Chang 'an in a few days. It would also take them one or two months to return to the Angi Family's Stone City. Therefore, it would take three months for them to go back. According to the discussion between Li An and the Angi Family, they would have to go there once a month. Therefore, the three families would have to take turns to set off. However, the actual rotation of the three families would definitely be more than the three families. Otherwise, it would be very tiring and unfair for the three groups to take turns.
According to Ang Lee's plan, all the soldiers stationed in the Angi family would be divided into groups of five hundred. All the groups would have the opportunity to escort the gem mine to Chang 'an, which would ensure the best fairness and allow all the soldiers to earn extra money. At the same time, they would take turns to return to Chang' an so that it would be convenient for them to go home and visit their relatives. One group per month, there were about ten groups of soldiers stationed in the Angi family. In this way, every soldier would have a chance to return to Chang 'an within a year and see their relatives. At least, they would be closer to their relatives and be able to see their hometown and dream of Chang' an.
With eight hundred soldiers marching north, it was easy to notice them, so there was no chance of hiding their tracks. However, the Great Tang soldiers were proud of everything and were not worried that their tracks would be exposed. The strength of five hundred soldiers was enough to intimidate ordinary bandits, unless the bandits didn't want to live anymore. As for the smaller factions along the way, they had already been subdued by the Great Tang and didn't have the courage to compete with the Great Tang Empire. If there really were some daring fellows who wanted to rob the caravan, it wouldn't be a big deal.
As long as the caravan was robbed and the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty suffered losses, Ang Lee would naturally have an excuse to send troops to wipe out the force. Then, this area would become an ordinary county of the Tang Dynasty. Losing some soldiers and money but gaining a large piece of land was quite a good deal. After all, after the railway was built in the future, the Tang Empire would be fully capable of controlling this area in the south. Naturally, there was no need to worry about the problem of not being able to control the new territory.
In the secret chamber of the Deqin Clan, the Deqin Clan Master looked worried. The news that the Tang Dynasty and the Angji Clan's soldiers and horses were marching north with three hundred wagons soon reached his ears. He was very worried about the Angji Clan binding the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty and transporting their top-grade gems to the Tang Dynasty for sale and opening up a trade route with the Tang Dynasty. He knew very well that the Angji Clan could easily gain huge benefits by using this trade route. With enough money, it was impossible for them not to be powerful. With enough money, they could recruit soldiers and horses. With enough people, they would naturally be powerful.
"Patriarch, the Angi Clan's move is truly brilliant. They're traveling with the Tang army, so it's far too difficult for us to rob them on the way. A Tang soldier can fight against ten soldiers, so if we want to succeed in this ambush, we'll need at least five thousand people. With so many people, we'll need to spend a great deal of money, and keeping the secret will be a major problem. Five thousand people means five thousand mouths. As long as one person leaks out the secret, we're finished. If the Great Tang Imperial Court learns that the Deqin Clan is leading nearby Tang soldiers, we'll have no chance of survival."
If we survive, we will have no chance of surviving, "an elder of the Deqin Clan said nervously.
"Alas! I didn't expect that the weak Angji Clan would rise so quickly. Unfortunately, we have offended them so much. It's my fault for being greedy and wanting to get some benefits. Now, not only did I not get any benefits, but I also turned my ally into an enemy. It's like shooting myself in the foot. I regret it very much! But if I were given another choice, I would still do the same. After all, the Angji Clan has always been weak. They can only exist under the protection of the Deqin Clan and the Sayer Clan. If their clan suddenly surpasses ours, I will be very uncomfortable. This feeling is really uncomfortable. "
The Clan Master of the Deqin Clan said.
The reason why he went against the Angji Clan was because he didn't get the benefits he wanted. The reason why he asked for the benefits that didn't belong to them was because the benefits were big enough to move him. The second reason was that if the Angji Clan became stronger through the gem mine and surpassed their clan, it would make him very uncomfortable. In the future, the position of the elder brother in his clan would become the younger brother, and the Angji Clan would become the elder brother. The sudden reversal of status would make the Deqin Clan very uncomfortable. Similarly, the Sayer Clan also had the same thought. On one hand, they wanted to obtain the benefits of the gem mine. On the other hand, they couldn't let their former younger brother surpass them. If their younger brother did, they would naturally feel uncomfortable.
However, this younger brother wasn't so easy to control. The younger brother didn't necessarily want to be a younger brother for the rest of his life. The younger brother also wanted to be the elder brother. When he was weak, he could only be a younger brother. But when he was strong, he could naturally be the elder brother. The Angji Clan's Clan Master naturally didn't want to be the younger brother of the alliance of the three clans. If they didn't find the best gem mine, it would be fine. But now that they had found the gem mine, they naturally had the opportunity to be the elder brother. Since the two elder brothers didn't give them any face, the Angji Clan's Clan Master naturally wouldn't be polite to them. The clan had encountered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become powerful, so they naturally couldn't miss it. Even if they had to pay the price in blood, they couldn't always be suppressed by the surrounding clans. If they chose to compromise, the Angji Clan would never be able to rise again in the future. Only by bravely resisting could the clan have a chance to soar.
"Clan Master, now that things have come to this, what should we do? Should we contact the other five clans and rob the Angji Clan's caravan? "
An elder asked cautiously.
I heard that many soldiers in Nanzhao have become bandits. There should be more bandits there. If we tell the news of the best gem mine to those bandits, I believe they will be tempted. Although the Tang Dynasty has 500 soldiers, these bandits may not be really afraid. As long as we contact a few more groups of bandits, gather thousands of soldiers, and launch a sneak attack when the Tang Dynasty's army is unprepared, we have a certain chance of winning. Our people will be the oriole. When they are both wounded, we will rush out and rob them. If we can get some best gems, our efforts will not be in vain. "
"Clan Master, should we rule the other five clans and ask them to send some men?"
The elder asked.
The Clan Master of the Deqin Clan shook his head and said, "No, we don't need to inform them. How can they hide their thoughts from me? They all have their own calculations and are unreliable. If we want to do something, we can only rely on ourselves. If we tell them, the chances of the news leaking will be higher."
"Yes, Clan Master. I'll arrange it right away."
The elder said and left.
Similar things happened in the secret chambers of the other clans. They also learned the news that the Angji Clan was transporting gems to Chang 'an City at the first time. Their attitudes toward this matter were not the same, but they were all worried. They were very worried that the Angji Clan would take this opportunity to suddenly become powerful. Once this happened, the clans who had a grudge against the Angji Clan would face a disaster.
It was obviously not the style of their clans to watch the Angji Clan rise without doing anything. No matter what, they had to do everything they could to stop the rise of the Angji Clan. Even if they became enemies with the Angji Clan, they would not hesitate. They just could not let the Angji Clan rise smoothly. They had to keep stumbling.
Since ancient times, no matter if it was an individual, a family, or a country, when you were preparing to rise, you would definitely encounter all kinds of obstacles. These obstacles might not be your enemies, but your friends and family. No matter who they were, they would always like to obstruct an ambitious person, a progressive family, or a country. As for why they would have such an idea, it was probably because no one wanted others to surpass them. At the same time, no country would want another country to climb over their head. It was precisely this mentality of not allowing others to surpass them that caused the rising to be besieged from all sides. Any rising individual or country would definitely face huge obstacles and hardships. Only by enduring this process would they be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Whether the Angji Clan could rise smoothly and become a clan second only to the Pyu Dynasty depended on whether the leader of the Angji Clan was smart enough and whether he was lucky enough. Based on the current situation, the Angji Clan had a good start. As long as the head of the Angji Clan did not make any big mistakes, the Angji Clan could rise smoothly in at most ten years and become the number one clan in the northern part of the Pyu Dynasty, above all other clans.
In the depths of a large mountain within the borders of Nanzhao, a man of the Deqin family was currently conversing with several people who appeared to be bandit leaders. He took out some jewels and gave them to the bandit leaders, appearing especially sincere.
"Brothers, these gems are not bad, right? However, compared to the gems of the Angji Clan, these gems are far inferior. They are not on the same level at all. The gems of the Angji Clan are all top-grade gems, much more expensive than these. Their caravan transporting the gems will pass by here soon. As long as we intercept this batch of goods, we won't have to worry for the rest of our lives. "
The man from the Deqin Clan said.
"Oh, if there's such a good thing, why are you telling us? Can't you keep it for yourself?"
A bandit leader said warily.
"If there were only caravans without guards, of course I wouldn't tell you brothers. Those are all top-grade gems! Unfortunately, there are guards accompanying them. There are a lot of soldiers and horses, about 500 of them. Including the coolies who are escorting the goods, there are a total of 800 people. Those guards are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. They are not weak. Without a few thousand men and horses, we can't do this. I'm afraid that you don't have enough men under your command, so we need to contact more people to do this. "
The bandit leader from the Angji Clan said.
The bandit leaders suddenly understood. It turned out that the electronics were too hard to handle, so they asked their brothers for help. However, when they heard that there were 500 soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, these bandit leaders were frightened. They were very clear about the combat strength of the Tang Dynasty's soldiers. Even if they were to ambush them, they would not dare to do it without five to ten times the number of soldiers. The total number of men under their command was less than 1,000. Obviously, they did not have enough men. They needed to contact at least three to five bandits of the same size.
"There are 500 soldiers of the Tang Dynasty accompanying the caravan. This is not going to be easy!"
A bandit leader furrowed his brows.
"Let's do it! What are you afraid of? The enemy is in the light, and we are in the dark. We have a good chance of winning if we launch a sneak attack at night. Let's contact more brothers and do it together. We'll divide the treasures equally. After this, we'll leave this damn place immediately and never come back. "
Another bandit leader was a little tempted. They used to be soldiers of Nanzhao. Because Nanzhao was destroyed and they were too close to Gelofeng, they had to become bandits. Although there was a gap in strength between them and the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, if they launched a sneak attack at night with several times the number of soldiers, they still had a high chance of success. As long as most of the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty fell asleep, they could wipe out all the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty in one fell swoop, vent their anger, and avenge their lord.
"That's right. The enemy is in the light, and we are in the dark. If we gather more soldiers to launch a sneak attack at night, we will have a high chance of success. If we can wipe out all the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, we will have avenged our lord."
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