Although these Dashi emissaries seemed to be speaking in a tough and fearless tone, one could see from their expressions that they were actually worried and weak.
As envoys of a country, they could not appear too weak in public. Moreover, they also knew what kind of treatment they would receive if they were exposed. Therefore, after being put under house arrest, they were fully prepared for the fate of being beheaded.
But when Ang Lee said that he would behead them, they were still a little afraid, so they used all kinds of calm words to try to hide their inner panic. In fact, the more they spoke, the easier it was to expose their inner panic. Pretending to be calm could not fool Ang Lee.
"I really didn't expect that you Dashi people have such a high opinion of me. I'm very happy!"
Ang Lee said with a smile and continued, "I know that you were just following orders and had no choice, but after all, you did something that damaged the friendship between the Tang dynasty and the Stone Kingdom, so you naturally have to pay the corresponding price. Otherwise, how can you appease the murdered craftsmen of the Tang dynasty?"
"We were just following orders. If we die, so be it!"
"When we set off, we expected this situation, but we had no better choice, so we could only do this."
The Dashi envoy said helplessly.
"Do you think it was right or wrong for you to go to the Stone Kingdom and encourage the Stone Kingdom's camel caravan to cause trouble? Do you feel guilty for causing so many people to die?"
Ang Lee asked.
"Since you're going to be beheaded, you might as well say everything. When you get there, you won't have a chance to say it."
One of the Dashi envoys pondered for a while and said, "To be honest, Assistant Minister Li, what we did was a little inappropriate, but we were doing it for the benefit of Dashi. We are Dashi's subjects and have to consider the problems of our motherland. We can't care about other things."
"There is a saying in the Tang dynasty, 'Those who eat from the emperor bear the emperor's worries'. We are Dashi's subjects, so of course, we have to consider everything for Dashi. I believe that if Assistant Minister Li were in our position, he would make the same choice."
Another Dashi emissary said.
"Do you think that by destroying the Tang dynasty's railroad in the Stone Kingdom, you are protecting Dashi's interests?"
Ang Lee smiled and felt that the envoy's point of view was very wrong.
"Assistant Minister Li, don't you think so?"
Ang Lee said, "This official knows that you are afraid that the power of the Tang dynasty will enter the Tang dynasty. If that happens, Dashi will lose control of the river countries. However, given the strength of the Tang dynasty, it is only a matter of time before it enters the river countries. You can't stop it, so it is better to accept reality early to avoid further confrontation. Moreover, the railroad is also of great benefit to Dashi. At least tens of thousands of Dashi merchants are in the Tang dynasty. If the railroad is blocked, how will the goods between the two countries quickly circulate? How will the Dashi merchants do their business?"
The Dashi envoys looked at each other, not knowing how to answer. They also understood the benefits that Ang Lee spoke of, but the Dashi Imperial Court was more concerned about the endless tributes it could receive and ignored the interests of the merchants. These envoys clearly represented the Dashi Imperial Court and the ruling class.
"Assistant Minister Li, if the river countries suddenly stop paying tributes to the Tang dynasty, what will the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty do?"
One of the Dashi envoys asked.
Ang Lee smiled. "It doesn't matter! Our Tang dynasty is rich in resources. Although the river countries send tributes to the Tang dynasty every year, our Tang dynasty rewards them even more. In general, our Tang dynasty is doing a losing business. If the other countries don't pay tributes, our Tang dynasty will have a better life. "
Hearing this, Yue Luo, the King of Stone Kingdom, agreed. He had been paying tributes to both the Tang dynasty and the Dashi Empire at the same time, but every time he offered tributes to the Tang dynasty, he would always get more rewards. However, when he offered tributes to the Dashi Empire, he didn't get much in return. He didn't even get any rewards, which hurt him a lot. This was also the most fundamental reason why he supported the Tang dynasty.
The Dashi envoys were rendered speechless by Ang Lee's words. This question exposed the greed and stinginess of the Dashi Empire. The river countries sent tributes to them every year, but they never gave anything back. At most, they rewarded them with some useless titles. The Tang Empire, on the other hand, was much more generous. Every time it rewarded the river countries with a large number of tributes, more than the tributes of these countries. This was the most fundamental reason why the other countries supported the Tang dynasty.
Of course, this was also the excellent historical tradition of the entire Hua Xia. They used a large number of tributes to make friends with their neighbors and make them support them.
By doing this, they could indeed make friends, but it had to be based on strength. If the Tang Empire became weak, even if they continued to treat these small countries well, they wouldn't get respect. They would only get a group of ungrateful wolves. In the later years, the Hua Xia Empire repeatedly encountered ungrateful wolves because its national strength was relatively weak. The surrounding small countries were threatened by the big countries and thus chose to fight against the Hua Xia Empire.
At present, the Tang Empire was very powerful, so there was no need to worry about this situation. In the face of the powerful force of the Tang dynasty, the surrounding countries could only choose to obediently submit, which was the best choice.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you talking?"
Seeing that the Dashi envoys had stopped talking, Ang Lee asked with a smile.
"People who are about to die have nothing to say."
"When we were caught, we knew this day would come. Just do it quickly. Don't let us suffer too much."
The Dashi envoys had nothing to say. All they could do was wait for their deaths.
"Stretch out your necks to be executed. Do you really want to die so much? Don't you want to live a good life? "
Ang Lee said.
"If Assistant Minister Li is willing to give us a chance to live, of course we are willing to live. However, we are envoys of the Dashi Empire in life and death. We will not do anything to harm the Dashi Empire."
One of the Dashi Empire's envoys said.
"Don't worry, I won't let you betray your country. Come, look at the map. I'll give you a good lesson."
Li An took out a world map and pointed at the location of Dashi. Then, he began a speech that made everyone exclaim in surprise.
Rather than a speech, it was more like a brainwashing. Using Ang Lee's unique knowledge of the future, he brainwashed the envoys of the Dashi Empire and the Stone Kingdom, making them listen to Ang Lee and follow his train of thought.
What Ang Lee described was a beautiful picture of the future. It was about the great changes that would take place in the western countries after the Tang Dynasty's railway was connected to them. These changes would only bring benefits and no harm to the countries. Under the leadership of the Tang Dynasty, the surrounding countries would become richer and richer, and the lives of the people would become better and better. In short, wherever the railway of the Tang Dynasty reached, it would become a modern city and a very rich place.
The envoys of the Dashi Empire were stunned by Ang Lee's imagination. They all felt that Ang Lee's words were very reasonable. The Dashi Empire's attempt to stop the Tang Dynasty from building railways in the west was like throwing an egg at a rock. They had no strength to stop all this. Once the railway of the Tang Dynasty reached the land in the middle of the river, it would be of great benefit to the merchants of the Dashi Empire. So, why should they fight against the Tang Empire? Moreover, the strength of the Dashi Empire was far inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty. Fighting against the Tang Dynasty would only put the Dashi Empire in danger. Just look at Tibet, which had been destroyed before, and they knew this clearly.
Fighting would never solve the problem. Only cooperation could bring about a win-win situation. Only in this way could Dashi Empire obtain the greatest benefits and allow the Dashi Empire to exist in the western region forever.
"Assistant Minister Li is right. We didn't think it through. We shouldn't have stopped the Tang Dynasty from building railways in the Stone Kingdom. We were wrong."
"Assistant Minister Li, as long as you are willing to let us go, we will do our best to persuade our King to give up the idea of fighting against the Tang Dynasty and work hard to mend the old relationship with the Tang Dynasty so that the people of the two countries can live a good life."
Several of the Dashi Empire's envoys quickly expressed that they had been successfully brainwashed by Ang Lee and were willing to do as Ang Lee said.
Seeing that his brainwashing was effective, Ang Lee was very happy. If these Dashi Empire's envoys could do as he said and persuade their King to cooperate with the Tang Empire, then the Tang Dynasty could easily enter the land in the middle of the river. After gaining a firm foothold, they could enter the more distant western countries and expand the influence of the Tang Empire to more distant places.
"Haha! It's great that you can think like this. When I said that I would let your heads fall, it was just a joke. As long as you are willing to cooperate and persuade your King to mend the relationship with the Tang Dynasty, the court of the Tang Dynasty will treat you as the closest friends. In the future, when you go to the Tang Dynasty, you will receive the highest level of courtesy. "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"Assistant Minister Li, don't worry. We will do our best to persuade our King. Can we leave now?"
A Dashi Empire's envoy asked.
Ang Lee nodded slightly and looked back at King Yue Luo of the Stone Kingdom. He found that King Yue Luo was grinning from ear to ear. Obviously, he was most satisfied with Ang Lee's solution.
After all, the Stone Kingdom was right next to the Dashi Kingdom. If Li An really killed the Dashi Kingdom's envoys, there was no guarantee that the Dashi Kingdom would not come looking for trouble. Although it was Li An who did it, the Stone Kingdom was the one who detained the envoys. The Stone Kingdom could not shake off the responsibility. Any explanation would be futile.
At first, when Ang Lee said that he would kill these Dashi Empire's envoys, Yue Luo was shocked. He was afraid that the Stone Kingdom would offend the more powerful Dashi Empire. Now that Ang Lee said that he would release these Dashi Empire's envoys and mend the relationship with the Dashi Empire, the Tang Dynasty's Dashi Empire and the Stone Kingdom would become one family. This was undoubtedly a good thing for the Stone Kingdom who were good at doing business. This would allow the Stone Kingdom, which was in the middle, to take advantage.
"Your Highness, you seem to be in a good mood!"
Ang Lee said.
"Haha! After hearing Assistant Minister Li's words, this King is suddenly enlightened. This King feels that Assistant Minister Li has handled this matter very well. In the future, the Dashi Empire, the Tang Dynasty, and our Stone Kingdom will all be one family. We will trade with each other and help each other. Our days will become better and better. "
King Yue Luo of the Stone Kingdom happily replied.
"Mm, Your Highness is right. In the future, we will all be one family. However, the Tang Dynasty and the Stone Kingdom have long been one family. As long as the King of Dashi Empire expresses his goodwill, we will all be one family."
Ang Lee said with a smile.
Yue Luo, the King of Stone Kingdom, smiled apologetically and said, "Assistant Minister Li, why don't I arrange for men to escort these Dashi envoys back to avoid any accidents on the way?"
Li An nodded and said, "His Majesty is very considerate. Indeed, we should send troops to escort them. After all, their conspiracy has killed many people. I'm afraid that many people want their lives!"
"Very well. Assistant Minister Li, please chat with the envoys. This King will arrange for carriages and guards."
Yue Luo respectfully nodded and then turned to prepare the carriages and guards.
Ang Lee continued to chat with the Dashi Empire envoys. Their topics were all about the future strategic cooperation between the Tang Dynasty and Dashi Empire, as well as the railroad to Dashi Empire.
When talking about the great changes that would happen to Dashi Empire in the future, the Dashi Empire envoys were very excited. They repeatedly praised Ang Lee as a talent and the most important friend of Dashi Empire. They were also willing to make friends with Ang Lee.
Soon, the guards and carriages of the Stone Kingdom arrived. In order to safely escort the Dashi Empire envoys back to their country, the King of Stone Kingdom had prepared two fully enclosed carriages and three hundred guards. These two carriages were awarded to the King of Stone Kingdom by the Tang Dynasty. In order to prevent any accidents, Yue Luo was willing to lend his favorite carriages to the Dashi Empire envoys. This showed how much he valued the safety of the Dashi Empire envoys.
The carriages were invented by Ang Lee, and the glass of the carriages was even more so. The carriages awarded to the King of Stone Kingdom were equipped with anti-peeping glass. In other words, the people inside the carriages could clearly see what was going on outside the carriages. However, the people outside the carriages could not see what was going on inside the carriages at all. It was a one-way transparent glass. This glass was very common in later generations, but it was relatively rare in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, it was still relatively expensive.
Yue Luo let the Dashi Empire envoys return to their country in his carriage. Along the way, no one suspected anything. After all, no one could see what was going on inside the carriages. Naturally, no one would know that the Dashi Empire envoys were sitting in the carriages.
The environment of Talos City in Stone Kingdom was very good. At least, Ang Lee liked this place very much. In Stone Kingdom, King Yue Luo arranged for many beautiful Stone Kingdom women to serve him. Ang Lee felt even better and did not want to go back at all.
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