Ang Lee looked at the official who ran over and asked, "What's going on? Who is so bold that they dare to destroy the railway built by the Tang dynasty?"
The official took a few deep breaths and replied, "Assistant Minister Li, it's the camel caravan of the Shi Kingdom who colluded with the Arabian Empire. The Yamen of the Shi Kingdom has found out the truth. However, they don't dare to offend the Arabian Empire, so they only imprisoned the caravan of the Shi Kingdom while keeping the Arabian caravan in the courier station for the time being."
"So the caravan of the Shi Kingdom colluded with the Arabian Empire. I really didn't expect this. People say that birds die in pursuit of food and men die in pursuit of wealth. It seems that this saying is true! As long as the railway is built, the camel caravan will be completely useless and the caravan of the camel caravan will lose their livelihood. Therefore, they will definitely take action. However, how did they collude with the Arabian Empire? Who contacted whom first? "
As Ang Lee spoke, he was also puzzled. However, after thinking about it, he understood. Once the railway was built, the camel caravan would be useless. Moreover, when the railway was connected to the middle of the river, the troops of the Tang dynasty would follow in, and the Arabian Empire would no longer be able to bully the countries in the middle of the river. Therefore, the camel caravan of the Arabian Empire and the Shi Kingdom didn't want the railway of the Tang dynasty to be connected to the middle of the river. This was their common interest, so it was natural for them to work together.
Of course, they were a little short-sighted. Yes, once the railway of the Tang dynasty was connected to the Shi Kingdom, their immediate interests would indeed be greatly damaged. However, in the long run, they would definitely benefit from the railway in the future. As long as they changed their minds and learned how to cooperate with the Tang Empire for a win-win situation, they would definitely be able to reap greater benefits.
It was true that the camel caravans would lose their usefulness due to the construction of the railway, but these caravans were very clear about the road conditions along the way. It was completely feasible for them to join the Railway Bureau of the Tang dynasty. This was a formal job, and the salary was guaranteed. As long as they did not make any big mistakes, they would not be fired.
As for the camels, they could sell them directly. Fresh camel meat could definitely fetch a good price in the capital of the Tang dynasty. Moreover, the camel caravan was very hard work and did not earn much money. If they changed careers, they might be able to develop better and have a better life. However, it was very risky to fight against the Tang dynasty and destroy the policies that had been established by the imperial court of the Stone Kingdom. In the end, the result would be tragic and the loss would outweigh the gain.
Ever since the rise of Dashi, it had always been a big country in the west. Among the countries in the west, it had great authority and could bully whoever it wanted. If anyone was not convinced, it would use its fists to speak. The elite camel cavalry of Dashi was specialized in dealing with all kinds of disobedience. It scared the countries in the west into obediently paying protection fees in exchange for a moment of peace.
Those who were used to taking advantage of others would not be willing to lose those who were being bullied, and this was the case for countries as well. Dashi could receive tributes from the small and wealthy countries in the west, so it was certain to have a good life. But once it lost the tributes of these small countries, it would not be so well-off. Everyone liked to live a wealthy life, and so did countries. Without sufficient financial support, whether it was the salary of the Imperial Court, the expenditure of the various departments, or the construction of the country, they would all be greatly restricted. In short, life would be very difficult. But with sufficient financial support, the ruler would be able to do things much more easily.
In short, the imperial court of Dashi was extremely unwilling to lose the tributes from the countries in the west. If this source of income was cut off, it would be very difficult for them. In order to prevent this from happening, Dashi had to find allies to stop and destroy the railroad that the Tang dynasty had built to the middle of the river. This was to prevent the Tang dynasty's influence from penetrating too deeply into the west and threatening Dashi's interests.
Of course, not everyone in the imperial court of Dashi supported this approach. This was related to interests. After all, the railroad that the Tang dynasty had built to the west had both advantages and disadvantages for Dashi.
The advantages were that the merchants of Dashi could use this railroad to develop the economy and promote the prosperity and strength of the country. The disadvantages were that Dashi would lose control of the river and the Tocharian countries, and would gradually lose the tributes from these small countries. Another point was the loss of strategic interests. Once the powerful forces of the Tang dynasty entered the western countries, Dashi would not only lose the tributes from these small countries, but also national security. After all, as long as the Tang dynasty stationed a modern army in the small countries in the middle of the river, they could launch a surprise attack on Dashi at any time. This would make Dashi feel as if there was a thorn in its back, and it would be in a constant state of panic.
For the rulers of Dashi, the entry of the Tang dynasty into the middle of the river had more disadvantages than advantages. Therefore, the main force was still opposed to the entry of the Tang dynasty in order to maintain their effective rule and national security.
As for the interests of the common people and merchants, the ruling class would not consider too much. They would only consider their own interests first and maintain their rule and safety. After all, the interests of the imperial court were above everything else. If the imperial court was gone, the ruling class would be finished. So, even if the merchants were rich, it did not matter to the ruling class. As long as the ruling class had enough to eat and drink, what did it matter if some of the common people went hungry?
Wine and meat went to waste at the door of a rich family, while bones froze to death on the road. Such a problem existed in any era. The rich would not casually give their wine and meat to the poor. Even if the poor starved to death, they would not give them any charity.
What the Dashi Imperial Court wanted was to protect its own interests, and it did not care if its people could obtain more benefits through the railway. No matter how poor a country was, the ruling class could still eat and drink well, and that was enough. What did it matter if the commoners were a little poorer? If the imperial court were to fall, the ruling class would either be decapitated or be imprisoned for the rest of their lives. That would be a fate worse than death, unless someone like Liu Shan was able to enjoy himself so much that he could die a good death.
Therefore, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, the imperial court of Dashi would do its best to prevent the Tang Dynasty from building the railway to the river. For this reason, they did not hesitate to fall out with the Tang Dynasty. However, they knew a thing or two about the strength of the Tang Dynasty, so they did not have enough confidence. Therefore, they had to find a pawn to do it for them. The camel caravan of the Stone Kingdom was undoubtedly the best pawn. If these people tried their best to stop the construction of the railway, it would certainly delay the construction of the railway to the river by the Tang Empire.
Dashi sent envoys to the Stone Kingdom under the guise of a friendly visit. They gathered the people of the camel caravan, who were anxious and fearful of the future, and asked them to stand up and express their opposition to the construction of the railway by the Tang Dynasty. They even killed some people to express their anger.
These envoys lived up to the high expectations of the imperial court of Dashi. They successfully persuaded the camel caravan of the Stone Kingdom and made these fools launch an attack on the road-building craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty. They also created several shocking tragedies and seriously damaged the plan of the Tang Dynasty to build the railway in the Stone Kingdom, making people panic.
However, it was impossible to stop the railway construction plan of the Tang Dynasty. Extending the railway to the western countries and promoting the prosperity of both sides was an established policy of the Tang Dynasty and could not be changed. If there were any obstacles, the Tang Dynasty could mobilize a large number of forces to enter the western countries along the railway and take over all the western countries. Only fools would not seek benefits when they had strength. It was the same for a country. Once it became strong, it would naturally think of ways to continue to maintain its strength and seek greater benefits. There were many benefits in the western region, so the Tang Dynasty naturally wanted to enter the western region. This was unchangeable.
Now, the imperial court of the Stone Kingdom had arrested all the perpetrators. Among them, the camel caravan of the Stone Kingdom was thrown into prison. A small number of those who escaped were hunted down. As for the organizers of the Dashi Dynasty, they were put under house arrest with good wine and food. They also reported this matter to the imperial court of the Tang Dynasty and asked for the opinion of the Tang Dynasty before making the next step.
"Assistant Minister Li, the imperial court of the Stone Kingdom has put the Dashi Dynasty's envoy under house arrest. It seems that they are holding back and don't want to fall out with the Dashi Dynasty! We should let them kill the Dashi Dynasty's envoy to show their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty. "
One of the ministers suggested.
"That's right, Assistant Minister Li. The Dashi Dynasty dares to stir up trouble. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The imperial court of the Tang Dynasty must show a tough stance. With the current strength of the Tang Dynasty, defeating the Dashi Dynasty should not be a problem."
"Yes! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Tang Dynasty can use this reason to attack the Dashi Dynasty and further expand our influence to the west. "
Many ministers chimed in.
Ang Lee also understood that this was an excuse. However, it was not worth it to fight over such a trivial matter. Unity and cooperation should be the theme of the era.
After all, even if they defeated the Dashi Dynasty by force, they still needed to send officials to rule it, which was very troublesome. It would be best if they could use peaceful means to make the Dashi Dynasty yield or cooperate with the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, Ang Lee also knew that peaceful means might not be reliable. They had to use force to establish prestige. However, it was the good tradition of the Hua Xia people to use peaceful means before resorting to force. How could they use force before using force? How impolite would that be?
"No matter how powerful the Tang Dynasty is, we can't start a war easily. Once the war starts, the people will suffer. Our next stop will be Talos City. It's not bad to meet the Dashi Dynasty's envoy and listen to their opinions."
Ang Lee expressed his opinion.
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li."
The officials were all subordinates, so they could only obey Ang Lee's orders.
Filled with curiosity, Ang Lee's group set out for the important city of the Shi Kingdom, Talos City. This was an extremely famous city in history. The Tang Dynasty's Anxi army had been defeated here, and it was here that Gao Xianzhi's reputation had come to an end.
More than half of this group of nearly one thousand were elite guards, including Ang Lee's personal guards and soldiers from the Anxi army.
Several dozen li south of Talos City was the capital of the Shi Kingdom, Tuozhe City. This was the administrative center of the Shi Kingdom, and Talos City was even more important than Tuozhe City. Otherwise, why would the Tang Dynasty have engaged in a bitter battle with the Dashi Dynasty here?
Talos City was originally a very ordinary city, but because it was located on the main road connecting the east and west, it became extremely important. Both the Tang Dynasty and Arabia had set their eyes on it, leading to the war in history.
Ang Lee had now arrived at the Tang Dynasty and had transformed the Tang Dynasty into an extremely powerful empire. The bitter defeat of the Tang Dynasty would not be repeated, but Ang Lee could not be sure if a war would break out. However, if a war did break out, the Tang Dynasty would win and the Dashi Dynasty would suffer a bitter defeat.
The Anxi army was now equipped with cannons and armored command vehicles, and its strength had been greatly boosted. Gao Xianzhi's strength was extremely unyielding, and as his confidence grew, so did his tone. Ang Lee was somewhat worried that this fellow would definitely bully the surrounding countries for no reason so that he could gain military merit and improve himself. This would inevitably stir up a storm of blood.
For example, when Gao Xianzhi heard about the attack on the railroad workers, his eyes had brightened. Although he had appeared to be furious over the attack on the Tang Dynasty's workers, his eyes had betrayed him. He had definitely felt that this was an extremely rare opportunity, an opportunity to strike at the Dashi Dynasty and gain military merit.
But Ang Lee had come to Anxi and understood the situation here, so he had no choice but to have some misgivings. He did not dare to take matters into his own hands and send troops to attack the Dashi Dynasty. After all, Ang Lee's status in the Tang Dynasty was much higher than his. He had to listen to Ang Lee's opinion and give the initiative to Ang Lee.
"This is the city of Talos?"
Li An saw a small city of the Western Regions. It wasn't very big, but it was very lively. The city was bustling with activity, and was thriving. It made people feel very happy after seeing it.
"Alang, this is Talos, Mei-er's hometown."
Mei-er's eyes were filled with joy when she saw her hometown. Clearly, she liked her hometown very much. Everyone liked their hometown. Their hometown carried the dreams of too many people. It was a place that everyone yearned for.
"Oh, so this is Mei-er's hometown. Is your family here? Can Alang pay them a visit? "
Ang Lee asked with a smile.
This little fox had served him for so long, but Ang Lee had never asked about her family. After all, as long as the little fox was gentle enough, it was fine. Who cared where she came from or what kind of family she came from?
"Alang, Mei-er doesn't have a home. She has never had a home since she was young. She was adopted by my adoptive father. My adoptive father is a high official of the Stone Kingdom. He has been living in Tuozhe City for five years."
Mei-er said.
"Oh, Mei-er's adoptive father is a high official of the Stone Kingdom. How could he bear to give Mei-er away?"
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