Ang Lee was waiting for Nan Jiyun and the officials sent by the imperial court. He took out the topographic map of Xi Cuan that his subordinates had just drawn and studied it carefully.
Ang Lee had manually changed many parts of the topographic map of Xi Cuan, and the places that he had changed were the places that needed to be built.
Although he was about to leave Xi Cuan and the development of this place seemed to have nothing to do with him, Ang Lee was a very responsible person. Since he had a plan for the development of Xi Cuan in mind, he had to say it so that the officials who stayed here could carry it out seriously.
In Ang Lee's plan, the most important first step was, of course, to build roads. Xi Cuan was located in a rugged mountainous area. There were many mountains and rivers, and the rugged roads were a feature of the terrain. On the road from Luzhou to Nanning Province, there were many roads that could only be traveled on foot and horses. Carriages could not travel normally at all. They could only temporarily unload goods and use manpower to push the carriages over. Then, they would carry the goods over and reload the carriages for transportation. This would inevitably greatly reduce the efficiency of transportation and increase the cost of transportation.
If an area wanted to develop, it was essential to have a smooth road. Only with a smooth road could all kinds of goods and people flow frequently, thus promoting economic development and making the area more prosperous.
To put it simply, transportation was the foundation of prosperity. If a place harvested a lot of fruits but the roads were blocked, the fruits could only rot in the ground because it could not be transported effectively. Moreover, even if it was transported effectively, the transportation process was too difficult and the cost would inevitably increase greatly. Therefore, the originally cheap fruits would become sky-high in the place where they were needed. If the price was too high, how could ordinary people afford to eat it?
In short, if transportation was not smooth, all parties would suffer losses. The farmers were not enthusiastic and only wanted to plant enough to eat. This was because if they planted too much, it would only rot in the ground or be sold to hawkers at a very low price. Hawkers were also very miserable. Although they could earn a profit from the difference in price, the transportation process was too difficult. If the roads were washed away by heavy rain, the goods they bought might rot because of the delay. In that case, they would lose money. The goods finally reached the buyer after untold hardships, but because of the difficult transportation process, the price was extremely high. The buyer also had to spend a lot of money to obtain these goods.
Once the road became a flat road, it could be effectively opened to traffic. All these problems could be easily solved.
The road was fully open to traffic, which meant more transportation volume and shorter transportation time. This way, the transportation cost of the hawkers would be greatly reduced, and the freshness of the goods would be more guaranteed. The people who bought the goods would also be able to buy cheaper goods, and the demand for goods would definitely increase.
In this way, merchants would be more eager to purchase goods, and farmers would no longer have to worry about their products rotting in the fields when they saw that someone was willing to buy their products at their doorstep. They would be more eager to plant and expand their production capacity to earn more wealth.
Although all wealth was created by the working people, the way to stimulate the working people to create wealth was through commerce and trade. Only when commerce and trade flourished could the people be stimulated to create more actively.
The prerequisite for business to flourish was transportation. The better the transportation, the more convenient the circulation, and the lower the cost of transportation. Therefore, road repairs were crucial to the prosperity of Xiguan.
Road repairs were the prerequisite for everything. Only when the roads were repaired could the goods circulate more conveniently and quickly could the next step be taken, which was to develop the specialty industries of Xiguan.
Due to the special climate and soil conditions in Xiguan, many cash crops could only be produced here. In this way, these products had great competitiveness. After the transportation problem was solved, large-scale planting could be carried out to expand the production capacity.
Ang Lee believed that as long as the people here could expand the scale of planting the specialty products and use the newly repaired roads to transport them, it would definitely bring a lot of wealth to the people here. Once the people in Xiguan had money, they would also be able to buy the products transported from other places using the newly repaired roads.
In this way, Xiguan would become a new commercial center and connect with the commercial centers of Yizhou, Jiaozhou, Jiangnan, and Zhongyuan. They would promote and prosper each other, providing new economic growth points for the Tang dynasty and making the Tang Empire more prosperous and powerful.
Of course, with the smooth roads, the vigorous development of specialty agriculture, and the gradual rise of mining, Xiguan would inevitably stimulate a large number of tertiary industries. At that time, high-end restaurants, inns, and high-class brothels would appear in the primitive land of Xiguan to improve the quality of life of the people here, promote employment, and make Xiguan a more prosperous place and completely get rid of the label of a barbarian land.
And one day, if Xiguan really became as prosperous as Ang Lee planned, it would inevitably make the barbarians in the south hate the people of the Tang dynasty and try to sneak into Xiguan to provide a steady stream of productivity and further promote prosperity. Moreover, because of the exchanges between the barbarians in the south and the Tang dynasty, the barbarians in the south admired the culture and prosperity of the Tang dynasty and consciously joined the big family of the Tang dynasty. Thus, the land of the Tang dynasty would unknowingly expand and the Chinese civilization would spread to more distant lands.
Ang Lee's highest goal was to have the world belong to the Tang dynasty, and he would continue to work hard for this goal.
"General, you called for us?"
Just as Ang Lee was immersed in the scene of prosperity in Xiguan, Nan Jiyun walked in quietly with a few officials sent by the imperial court.
These officials sent by the imperial court were all powerless and had been demoted to Xi Cuan. There were also some who were doing well in the vicinity of the capital when they suddenly received an imperial edict to immediately go to Xi Cuan. Their original positions were taken over by officials who had taken over, and most of these officials had close ties with Li Linfu.
It was precisely because they were not used by the imperial court that these officials were more or less disheartened and disappointed. They did not come with the intention of building Xiguan, but with the intention of being demoted, how could they do their jobs well with such an attitude?
What Li An needed to do now was to encourage these officials and make them understand that they were not demoted when they came to Xi Cuan. This was because Xi Cuan was about to undergo a large-scale construction, and with the construction, Xi Cuan would definitely become more and more prosperous and prosperous. Thus, wouldn't this be the best political achievement? With political achievements, these officials would definitely be promoted.
These officials who did not have any backing all lowered their heads and bowed respectfully to Ang Lee without the slightest arrogance. After all, they admired and respected this young man very much.
Ang Lee was not in a hurry to reveal his grand plan. He first looked at these officials who were not in good spirits and said directly, "Everyone, I know that you do not have a good impression of Xiguan. You feel that you have been demoted by the imperial court and have no future in Xiguan. Am I right?"
These officials lowered their heads, which was a tacit agreement.
Ang Lee smiled and said seriously, "I know that you think so. Of course, all the officials sent by the imperial court to Xiguan may feel that they have been demoted and have resentment in their hearts. However, I want to tell you that you are not demoted to Xiguan, but a very good opportunity because the imperial court already knows the importance of this place and has agreed to my large-scale construction plan. That is to say, in a few years, the environment here will change dramatically. In the future, Xiguan may not be worse than the Central Plains, and it may even be better than the Central Plains. As long as you work hard, you will be able to do it."
"May I ask General Li how to build Xiguan? Does the imperial court have a specific plan?"
An official asked carefully.
Ang Lee pointed at the map in front of him and said seriously, "The imperial court does not know Xiguan as well as I do. This plan is made by me, not the imperial court. However, I have obtained enough financial resources for Xiguan. Within three years, all the output of a large gold mine in Luzhou will be transported to Xiguan. As long as you are the pillars of the Tang dynasty and are willing to go all out to carry out this plan, it will be foolproof."
"We are willing to listen to the general's plan. Please tell us."
The officials began to believe Ang Lee and could not wait to know Ang Lee's specific plan.
Ang Lee pointed at the map and said seriously, "After Nanning, here is Kun Province, Yi Province, Jiao Province, and Luzhou. The roads between these cities are a big problem. Without good roads, it is difficult for outsiders to come in and go out, and business cannot develop. This is the fundamental reason why Xiguan is poor and backward. Therefore, the first step of my plan is to build roads. Starting from South Ning Province, we will build five roads. The first one will lead to Kun Province in the west, which is the shortest and easiest to build. The second one will lead to Luzhou in the northeast, the third one will lead to Yi Province in the northwest, the fourth one will lead to Jiao Province in the southeast, and the fifth one will lead to Dongcuan in the east. Of course, these five roads originally existed, but they were too rugged and difficult to pass. Some of the roads with good conditions need not be repaired, but those with very dangerous roads need to be repaired and expanded. To ensure that these dangerous roads can be built into good roads for carriages, this is the minimum requirement. Otherwise, the prosperity of Xiguan will be impossible."
"General, of these five roads, the one we know best is the one from Yi Province to South Ning Province. This road alone has dozens of sections that cannot be passed by carriages and horses, and the journey is not short. If we want to repair it until it can pass by carriages, we will need a lot of labor. The situation of the other four roads is not much better. The demand for labor is huge. If we rely only on the people of Xiguan, I'm afraid it will take many years to complete. Moreover, road repair is not done with only manual labor, but also talents who are proficient in road repair. Xiguan does not have these roads, so road repair is not as easy as we think."
An official cautiously said.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Of course it's not easy. If it could be done easily, Xiguan would not be like it is today. Don't worry about the lack of labor. I have already written to the imperial court, requesting that all the exiled criminals be sent to Xiguan in the next few years to increase the labor force. In addition, people who can repair the roads can be recruited with high salaries. No matter how difficult it is, these five main roads must be repaired with all our efforts. Without these roads, Xiguan will always be poor and backward, and you will always be here with no possibility of promotion."
"Since the general has thought it through so thoroughly, we are willing to follow the general's plan. However, after the roads are repaired, what should we do next?"
After all, road repair could only improve transportation, and improving transportation could not generate any wealth. There must be a physical industry to generate wealth, and only then could Xiguan become richer and more prosperous.
Ang Lee pointed at the map in front of him and introduced the characteristics of each place in Xiguan. He also told these officials which places were suitable for planting, which places were suitable for breeding, and which places had mineral resources and were suitable for mining. Of course, there were also some places that had more precious wood and were suitable for developing the furniture industry. In any case, as long as the roads were smooth, they could be transported out and make a lot of money, gradually promoting prosperity.
After listening to Ang Lee's far-sighted plan, the officials all approved. They had originally thought that they had come to Xiguan to dawdle, but after listening to Ang Lee's plan, they were all filled with enthusiasm. They felt that they still had value, that they still had a future, and that they were not abandoned by the imperial court.
Seeing the officials filled with enthusiasm, Ang Lee smiled with satisfaction. If he wanted to realize his plan, it was very important to convince the officials in Xiguan. Ang Lee's plan did not harm these frustrated officials, but instead filled them with pride. So how could these officials not support Ang Lee? How could they not do their best to realize this huge plan that could allow them to be promoted?
"Nan Jiyun, although this matter has nothing to do with you on the surface and you don't need to do anything, the premise of this huge plan is that Xiguan must be safe and stable. There must not be internal turmoil, and we must not let outsiders invade and destroy the construction here. Safety is your greatest responsibility. You must do your best to maintain the safety of Xiguan so that they can focus on the construction of Xiguan. Do you understand?"
Ang Lee looked at Nan Jiyun and said.
Nan Jiyun patted his chest and said, "With me, Nan Jiyun, there will not be any trouble in Xiguan. General, you can rest assured."
"Well, I am very relieved to have you, the elites of the Tang Empire, in charge of Xiguan. Well, go back as soon as possible and think about the plan I have put forward. If there is anything you don't understand or feel is unreasonable, get in touch with me as soon as possible. I will solve your doubts."
Ang Lee said.
"Yes, General."
Nan Jiyun left with the officials one by one.
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