Ang Lee planned to build a statue of Zhu Lingqian in Nanning Province not only out of respect for this pioneer, but also to let the Tang people who came to Cuandi remember that their ancestors had sacrificed their lives for the development of Cuandi. As the descendants, they should work harder to make Cuandi a part of the Tang dynasty.
Of course, this statue also wanted to tell the people of Cuandi that the Tang dynasty had paid a huge price to bring prosperity to Cuandi. In the future, when they lived a prosperous life, they would also be grateful for everything that the pioneers of the Tang dynasty had done.
In this way, Zhu Lingqian's statue would become the official symbol of the integration of the Tang dynasty and Cuandi. It would be remembered by the Tang people and the people of Cuandi, and let them remember the time when Cuandi entered the embrace of the Tang dynasty.
The gold mine in the Gourd Valley's East Cove Gold Mine's production was increasing step by step. The amount of gold that had been found was astonishing, and it was still increasing. This surprised Tong Sanpang, who was in charge of mining the gold mines. According to the previous agreement, he would receive 30% of the profits. As long as he continued mining, he would be rich.
Of course, with Tong Sanpang's intelligence, he would never know that he had become a fat pig. If the imperial court was not short of money in the future, it would be fine. If the imperial court was short of money in the future, they could find a reason to confiscate his assets and obtain a huge amount of gold reserves, but he would lose his life.
Of course, Ang Lee would not tell Tong Sanpang about this possibility, in case Tong Sanpang slacked off and stopped mining. The development of Cuandi required a huge amount of money, so Tong Sanpang and his miners had to work day and night to provide enough financial support for Cuandi.
The New Year was approaching, and the weather was getting colder. The situation in Cuandi and Gourd Cave had been stabilized, so Ang Lee did not need to stay here any longer.
Li An had already made up his mind. After resting in Gourd Cave for a few days, he would take his six hundred Dragonmight Army soldiers and go to Yi Province for a stroll. He would also see Zhangchou Jianqiong and have him support Cuan Di.
Early the next morning, Ang Lee sent out two groups of soldiers. The first group of 200 soldiers escorted 10 boxes of gold and 30 boxes of copper coins to South Peace Region, preparing to provide financial support to the poor South Peace Region. The second team of 100 people escorted the bandit leaders, including Cuan Wudi, as well as the injured and useless bandits to Luzhou City. These evil-doers would be handed over to the people of Luzhou City to be dealt with.
After arranging all this, Ang Lee began to prepare to leave the Gourd Cave. The six hundred Dragon Warrior Army soldiers were all northerners, so they had to return to the capital. Before they left, they had to take some things with them. They couldn't return to the capital empty-handed.
The most useful things in Gourd Cave were weapons and gold. There wasn't much else, and the Dragon Warrior Army wanted to take these two things with them.
Ang Lee used the Dragon Warrior Army's contributions to the defense of Gourd Cave and the training of the army as a reward to each soldier. Each soldier was given at least one stick of gold, and those who performed well were given ten sticks of gold. In order to strengthen themselves, the soldiers chose some of the best weapons from the armory. Zhuge crossbows and eight-inch crossbows were the favorite weapons of the Dragon Warrior Army. There were also curved blades and daggers that had been modified by the blacksmiths.
Ang Lee had already expressed his stance on the soldiers' requests. He told them to take whatever weapons they liked. After all, the Gourd Cave had so many coolies, and they had already produced a lot of weapons. Even if they ran out, they could continue to produce more. There was no need to be afraid.
Cuan Wudi and the others who were being escorted to Luzhou City were beaten to a pulp by the commoners. They were like stray dogs that had lost their homes. They were miserable beyond compare, and they no longer had the arrogance and arrogance of the past.
Being humiliated by the commoners was only the beginning. Next, they would be subjected to cruel punishment. The commoners of Luzhou City wouldn't be merciful to these White Barbarian bandits who had killed and robbed for many years. They definitely wouldn't let them off so easily.
Of course, Ang Lee was about to leave Luzhou City, so he didn't care too much about this. To be able to exterminate the bandits of Luzhou and control Xi Cuan, Ang Lee was already very satisfied. This achievement was enough to go down in the annals of history and earn the respect of future generations.
Three days later, Ang Lee led six hundred Dragon Warriors out of the Gourd Cave. They traveled along the difficult path to Yizhou City, which was thousands of miles away.
Yizhou City was the largest city in the southwest region of the Tang Dynasty. It was also the largest commercial center in the southwest region. The prosperity of Xi Cuan naturally couldn't be separated from Yizhou City. This was especially true for the local products of Xi Cuan. They would definitely be able to sell them for a good price in Yizhou City. Many of Yizhou's specialties and handicrafts could also be sold in Xi Cuan. This would promote the prosperity of the southwest region of the Tang Dynasty, forming a stable and prosperous rear for the Tang Dynasty. It would become a strong backing for the Tang Empire's foreign invasion.
Li An led the 600 soldiers of the Dragon Martial Army to Yi Zhou City in just five or six days, and they set up camp in the city.
When he heard that Ang Lee had arrived, Jiannan Jiedushi Zhangchou Jianqiong immediately sent out an invitation, inviting Ang Lee to meet him.
Ang Lee naturally wouldn't refuse. He brought a few guards with him and went straight to Zhangchou's residence.
Ang Lee had already visited Zhangchou Jianqiong's residence many times. He was already familiar with the location and internal structure of the residence. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he knew it by heart.
"General Li, you've once again made a great contribution to the Tang Dynasty. Congratulations, congratulations, hahaha!"
Zhangchou Jianqiong chose to personally welcome Ang Lee. They walked all the way to the entrance.
Ang Lee hurriedly acted humble and exchanged some pleasantries with Zhangchou Jianqiong as they walked into the residence.
"General Li is truly brilliant. First, you trained your troops in Luzhou, then ignored the chaos in Cuandi, allowing the various factions to fight each other while secretly increasing your own strength. Then, when the Cuandi clan suffered heavy casualties, you suddenly charged out and snatched the fruits of victory, forcing Nanzhao out of Cuandi. This move is truly brilliant. Our Tang Dynasty obtained Xicuan without any losses. This contribution is enough to be recorded in the annals of history, haha!"
Zhangchou Jianqiong was full of praise for Ang Lee. He truly admired Ang Lee.
Ang Lee grinned and said seriously, "You flatter me, Commander Zhangchou. However, it's easy to conquer the world, but difficult to defend it. Now, Xicuan belongs to the Tang Dynasty. However, if we can't integrate it well into the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty will lose this land sooner or later. In that case, all our efforts will be in vain."
Zhangchou Jianqiong nodded seriously and said with a frown, "The imperial court has already decreed that Xicuan belongs to our Jiannan Circuit. In the future, Xicuan will be under my jurisdiction. If Cuandi can't integrate into the Tang Dynasty, it will be my fault. If General Li has any good ideas, you may as well tell me."
Ang Lee didn't hold back and directly reported his large-scale development plan to Zhangchou Jianqiong in detail. Zhangchou Jianqiong would ask about many details, and Ang Lee would explain in detail. He also told Zhangchou Jianqiong that Cuandi had already begun to carry out the plan according to his request. He asked Zhangchou Jianqiong to forgive him for not informing him in advance.
After listening to Ang Lee's long-term plan, Zhangchou Jianqiong was greatly excited and supported Ang Lee's plan very much. Of course, he wouldn't blame Ang Lee for acting on his own.
"If General Li's plan can be carried out smoothly, the entire southwest of the Tang Dynasty will be connected in the future. It's good to build roads. Without roads, not only will merchants be unable to pass through, once something happens somewhere, the Tang Dynasty's army won't be able to arrive in time. Especially the roads in Jiannan Circuit are the most difficult to travel. In the future, not only will roads be built in Xicuan, but all the cities in Jiannan Circuit will be connected with good roads.
Zhangchou Jianqiong was looking forward to it.
As a local official, there was no one who didn't want to develop their region. Even the corrupt ones were like this. Only when a region was developed and prosperous could there be profits to be made. In a remote and desolate place, the common people were so poor that it was impossible for them to embezzle money even if they wanted to.
Ang Lee was very happy to receive Zhangchou Jianqiong's full approval. This meant that his huge plan could be carried out without any hindrance.
In order to let Zhangchou Jianqiong understand his development plan better, Ang Lee took out a map and explained his plan in detail. He didn't miss a single detail. He also explained all of Zhangchou Jianqiong's suggestions and questions seriously so that Zhangchou Jianqiong could understand.
However, Ang Lee also noticed that Zhangchou Jianqiong's eyes couldn't be focused on Xicuan. He was looking at the overall situation of Jiannan Circuit.
Whenever Ang Lee explained the importance of building roads in Xicuan, Zhangchou Jianqiong would always interrupt and point out that there were many bad roads in Yizhou, Luzhou, and other prefectures of Jiannan Circuit that needed to be repaired and expanded.
When Ang Lee mentioned that there were several very important specialties in Xicuan that needed to be supported, Zhangchou Jianqiong would always mention that there were also specialties in other parts of Jiannan Circuit that needed to be encouraged and supported to promote economic development.
In other words, while Ang Lee was talking about how to develop Xicuan, Zhangchou Jianqiong was always thinking about how to develop the entire Jiannan Circuit.
After all, Zhangchou Jianqiong was the Provincial Governor of Jiannan Circuit. The development of the entire Jiannan Circuit was his responsibility. He wouldn't just follow Ang Lee's instructions and only consider Xicuan. This was determined by his position.
If Li Longji were to hear Ang Lee's analysis, he would probably consider how to develop the entire Tang dynasty. People in different positions would see things from different angles. The scenery seen by people at the foot of a mountain was completely different from the scenery seen by people standing at the top of a mountain.
However, Ang Lee felt that it was a good thing that Zhangchou Jianqiong could consider the overall situation. Xicuan couldn't develop quickly by itself. Only by improving the transportation of the entire Jiannan Circuit, and even improving the roads to the capital and Jiangnan, could the speed of development be accelerated.
Of course, this wasn't a problem that Zhangchou Jianqiong could solve alone. Especially the road from Jiannan Circuit to the capital. Under the obstruction of the Qinling Mountains, it was very rugged and difficult to travel. If he wanted to repair it, the amount of funds needed would be astronomical. Even the imperial court of the Tang dynasty would have to first consider whether the national treasury had that much money.
To be able to obtain Zhangchou Jianqiong's support for the plan that he worked so hard to come up with was something that Ang Lee was very happy about. After discussing in detail for a few hours, Ang Lee returned to his residence and had a comfortable sleep.
As the end of the year approached, the weather became colder and colder. Ang Lee stayed in Yizhou for three days. Every day, he would punctually go to Zhangchou Jianqiong's residence to discuss the development of Xicuan, or rather, the entire Jiannan Circuit.
Three days later, Ang Lee was idle and bored. Accompanied by several bodyguards, he strolled around Yizhou City.
Were the people of Dongnu Province purchasing goods in large quantities? Was there any activity?
Ang Lee suddenly discovered that a group of dozens of people from Dongnu Province were purchasing goods in the busiest street of Yizhou City.
"You, go and ask them why they're buying so many things."
Ang Lee ordered a bodyguard to go and ask.
After asking for a while, the bodyguard ran back with large strides and reported, "General, Guichang King of Dongnu Province gave birth to a daughter half a month ago. He specially ordered his palace servants to go to Yizhou to purchase goods to celebrate the birth of his daughter."
Ang Lee was stunned when he heard this. He immediately stretched out his hands and counted. The last time he was with Zhao Yefu in Dongnu Province, more than ten months had passed. Could this baby be his child?
Once he thought that this baby could be his child, Ang Lee couldn't suppress his excitement. His child would definitely be very beautiful, just like her mother. But would she be like him, the father?
After looking forward to it for a long time, Ang Lee felt that before he returned to the capital, he had to make a trip to Dongnu Province. Moreover, he had to see Zhao Yefu and this baby. Otherwise, how could Ang Lee be at ease?
After returning to his residence, Ang Lee immediately told the news to Kun Xiong, Fei Yu, and the others. He also told them that he had to make a trip to Dongnu Province. If he couldn't return in time, the Dragon Martial Army didn't have to wait. They could directly return to the capital.
"Big Brother, the road is dangerous. Bring more guards. Bring all of us brothers."
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Kun Xiong, Fei Yu, pick twenty soldiers to follow me. As for the others, leave them to Shouyu, Guangcheng, and Erniu."
"Yes, Big Brother."
Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "Big Brother, you can't go empty-handed. Come, accompany me to buy some things on the street."
"Big Brother, are you buying toys for the baby?"
"Big Brother, what toys should we buy for the baby girl?"
Kun Xiong and Fei Yu were happy, but they didn't know what to buy.
Of course, Ang Lee himself didn't know what to buy. Toys from the later generations might not be sold in this era. Moreover, he wasn't sure what the baby girl liked.
However, there were many vendors selling goods on the street. They might know some things. As long as they strolled around the street, they would naturally know what to buy.
Ang Lee brought Kun Xiong, Fei Yu, and the others to the busiest street. He asked the vendors what to buy for the baby girl and followed the vendor's instructions to buy many expensive items.
Ang Lee took a lot of gold when he left the Gourd Cave. He wasn't short of money. To be continued.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
