In history, there were plenty of ambitious and ruthless people who admitted defeat. Several years after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the Turkic army came to Chang 'an. Emperor Li Er was so arrogant, but in the end, he still emptied his treasury in exchange for the Turkic army's retreat. Although he regained his face later, in front of the powerful Turkic cavalry, he did admit defeat. This was an indisputable fact.
Later, he became stronger than the Turkic army, so he dared to take the initiative to attack and regain his lost face. If the Turkic army had maintained its absolute advantage, Emperor Li Er would never provoke the Turkic army in his life, and this would leave a completely different impression on the future generations.
Abbas's situation was naturally the same. He longed for greater achievements, but when his strength was not enough, he could only choose to compromise. A person's ambition was proportional to his strength, and this was the case for everyone.
Abbas's choice to compromise when his strength was not enough was the most appropriate and wise choice. However, the Tang Empire would not give him a chance to surpass it, so his ambition could only remain in his imagination. At least, before he was strong enough to defeat the Tang Army, he would not dare to act rashly.
Ang Lee picked up a cup of tea on the table, gently pushed aside a few tea leaves on the water, and drank a few mouthfuls.
"Assistant Minister Li, it's time, but the Dashi envoy has not arrived yet."
"Don't worry, he'll be here soon."
Ang Lee put down the teacup and waited for the Dashi envoy to arrive.
"They're here, they're really here. They're the ones we sent away."
"That's great, please."
Ang Lee was overjoyed. He stood up and personally walked a few steps to show his sincerity.
"Assistant Minister Li, haha! We meet again. "
"There were some small incidents, but the King has agreed to cooperate with the Tang Empire to lay the railway and specially sent us to discuss it."
Ang Lee smiled and said, "It's fine, it's fine. It's just a small misunderstanding. My Tang Army has not suffered any losses, and most of your soldiers are in good condition. We're just waiting for you to come and get them."
The Dashi Ministers were very happy to hear this. They hadn't even started to negotiate yet Ang Lee had already agreed to release the captives. This made them feel that the following negotiations would be very smooth and that they would be able to obtain their demands.
"I knew you would come. The tables, chairs, and delicacies have been prepared. Everyone, please take a seat! Let's talk while we eat. "
"Alright, alright, I'll do as you say."
The banquet was full of delicious food. The people of the Tang dynasty, the Stone Kingdom, and the Dashi Kingdom all enjoyed the meal. The negotiations also proceeded quietly in this relaxed and happy atmosphere.
Ang Lee had already predicted the requests that Abbas would make several times. Therefore, when these Dashi envoys made various requests, Ang Lee readily agreed to all of them and expressed that the Tang dynasty was willing to maintain good relations with Dashi for generations to benefit the people of both countries.
The Dashi envoys were very excited that they got everything they wanted so smoothly. They didn't listen to him and expressed that they would try their best to promote their relationship with the Tang Empire. They even began to discuss with Ang Lee about the route of the railway.
Li An already knew the territory of Dashi like the back of his hand. He had his subordinates draw a map to make it easier for him to plan the railways of Dashi. During the few days of fighting with the Dashi elites, the railway plans had already been drawn. After a few small modifications, they were very mature.
"This is the railway map of Dashi that I have drawn. Take a look."
Ang Lee gave a look to the bodyguard beside him and asked him to pass the map to the Dashi envoys.
The Dashi envoys immediately gathered together and carefully looked at the map. They clicked their tongues in praise, not for the railway route, but for the map itself.
This map was extremely exquisite, with the mountains and rivers clearly visible. Even a rookie who had never studied maps could easily understand the map and feel as if they were bathing in a spring breeze.
After being amazed by the map's excellent quality, they carefully looked at the route and nodded in satisfaction. This railway route would pass through several important cities of Dashi and could be considered to have connected the main territory of Dashi. As long as the construction was completed, it would definitely greatly promote the economic development of Dashi.
"Assistant Minister Li, the railway on this map has no end and is still extending westward."
A sharp-eyed Dashi Country minister noticed that the railway line did not stop at the western border of Dashi Country. Instead, it continued westward.
Ang Lee chuckled and said, "That's right. My Tang dynasty's railway will not only connect to Dashi, but will also continue westward until there is no other road."
The Dashi envoy's lips twitched as he said, "Assistant Minister Li, below us is a savage land with many poisonous snakes and fierce beasts. There is also a vast desert. Laying a railway is meaningless. As for above us, there are many small countries, but after a short while, we will encounter a strait. Although the strait is not very wide, it is impossible for a railway to pass through."
Ang Lee naturally understood what he meant. Dashi's territory included the northern part of Africa, and the southern part of Africa was a barren land with no decent countries. If one continued westward, they would quickly reach the Strait of Hormuz. This natural moat would inevitably prevent the Tang dynasty's railway from continuing.
And after passing through the Strait of Hormuz, to the west was Europe. This was also the region where the industrial revolution had taken place and where a brilliant civilization had flourished. Although it was still rather backward, it could still be developed. If they did not develop the west, the Tang dynasty would lose a very large market and would have a great impact on the industrialization of their country.
Markets were urgently needed by industrialized countries. After Europe's industrialization, the production of various products had greatly increased, but the Europeans did not have enough markets to consume them. Thus, they had to open up colonies and force the people in the colonies to buy their industrial products. Now that the industrialization of the Tang dynasty had begun, as more and more products were produced, the European and Western markets became even more important.
Of course, as a large country with a large population, the Tang dynasty still needed to carry out a certain degree of domestic sales to improve the daily life of the people in the country. The domestic sales and the development of external markets should be carried out at the same time.
The domestic market was for the common people of the Great Tang to buy various products, while the export market was mainly the countries to the west. The European countries to the west of the Strait of Hormuz were a relatively large market, so they naturally couldn't just give up on them.
As for the strait blocking the railway, Ang Lee did not consider building a bridge, which was too difficult. However, he only needed to build two docks. The goods transported by the railway could be unloaded at the docks and transported to the other half of the strait by ships. Then, the railway would continue westward, and the goods would be transported to the western countries.
Although this would delay a lot of time and seriously affect the flow of goods, it was the best and most suitable way. After all, it was too difficult to build a bridge in the strait. It would consume a lot of goods and materials, and it would be difficult to recover the cost in a short time.
Li An voiced his thoughts, and the officials of the Stone Kingdom and Dashi Kingdom all expressed their approval. Once the railway was extended to the west, not only would the Great Tang benefit, but all the other countries would benefit as well.
"Assistant Minister Li's plan is very good, but we must first persuade the western countries to agree to build the railway. There are many countries in the west, and they are full of contradictions. It will not be easy to persuade them all to agree to build the railway."
Everyone said so.
Ang Lee did not take it seriously and said, "Of course, it will not be easy to persuade the western countries to build the railway. However, I believe that Dashi Kingdom will help us, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Our Dashi Kingdom will certainly help the Tang dynasty. However, the western countries may not listen to us. They are very barbaric."
A Dashi Kingdom envoy said.
"I know that the western countries are all barbarians. However, as long as Dashi Kingdom is willing to help, it will not be difficult to persuade them, right?"
Of course, Ang Lee's persuasion was more about the deterrence of force and the temptation of benefits. This would force the European countries to choose to cooperate with the Tang dynasty to promote common interests.
"Assistant Minister Li is right. Our Dashi Kingdom has fully understood the benefits of building the railway. However, the western countries have many powerful people. If we cannot persuade them, with our strength, we may not be able to force them to agree."
"This is not a problem. If it really does not work, our Tang dynasty can help. Your country has already experienced the power of artillery. Our Tang dynasty has even more powerful weapons. If any small country dares to disobey, our Tang dynasty will teach them a lesson."
Ang Lee said casually.
In order to open up the European market, Ang Lee did not hesitate to use force. With the assistance of Dashi Kingdom and the elite soldiers of the Tang dynasty, opening the door to the European countries would be very easy.
Of course, the development of industrialization in the future would be inseparable from oil. The desert to the west of Dashi Kingdom contained an enormous oil treasure. Since Ang Lee knew that there was oil here, he naturally would not throw away such a fat piece of meat that had reached his mouth.
However, the Tang dynasty currently had no garrisons in Dashi Kingdom. If they rashly tried to extract these resources, they would only benefit Dashi Kingdom. Only when the western countries refused to obey and the Tang dynasty's soldiers entered Dashi Kingdom's territory would they be able to extract these important resources. Moreover, they had to extract them one by one, not all at once. Otherwise, Dashi Kingdom's wealth would quickly surpass that of the Tang Empire.
After discussing the railway with the Dashi officials, Li An personally sent them off. He also sent several officials and railway talents to Dashi to prepare a map and find the best construction route. He also calculated the cost and labor requirements so that he could build the railway in the future.
In order to stabilize the situation, Ang Lee stayed in the Shi Kingdom for more than a month. He personally learned about the construction of the railway and would often send people to understand the situation in Dashi Kingdom.
At this time, the Tang dynasty's Imperial Court began to increase the number of soldiers in Anxi. They used the railway to transport tens of thousands of soldiers to Anxi, and some of these soldiers continued westward into the Shi Kingdom.
In this way, the Tang dynasty's soldiers in the Shi Kingdom were nearing ten thousand, and their equipment was even more advanced. An entire artillery brigade was stationed in the Shi Kingdom, enough to look down on any enemy.
Of course, if a battle were to break out, Chang 'an's war chariot brigade could also come as reinforcements. In short, the Tang dynasty now had complete control over the land in the middle of the river.
In order to control the Tocharians in the south, a few days later, a three-thousand-man Tang Army unit headed for the Tocharians. They were going to be stationed in the core area of the Tocharians, the Yuezhi Protectorate, so that they could use their superior equipment to control the entire Tocharians.
Following this unit were the railway personnel of the Tang Army. They were going to enter the Tocharians and map out the railway in the middle of the river to the Tocharians. This would allow the Tang dynasty to have a larger market.
The Tocharians had lost in the battle for the Tang dynasty's railway, but they had a great need for the railway. Thus, they could accept the second best. The Tang dynasty's railway would first lead to the middle of the river, and then to the Tocharians. Having a railway was better than nothing. They all understood this principle. Thus, they were very happy to see the Tang Army arrive, and they clearly expressed that they would help the Tang Empire build the railway in the Tocharians as quickly as possible.
There were many small countries in the middle of the river and the Tocharians, and all of them wanted to have a railway. Thus, the demand for the railway and manpower was great. They could recruit manpower themselves, and the Tang dynasty could just add some technical personnel. However, the demand for the railway was too great, and the demand for iron was great. The Tang dynasty was vast and rich in resources, and there were indeed many iron ores, but they could not afford such a huge consumption.
The best way to solve this problem was to look for iron ores in these countries. As for the leakage of the railway technology, there was no need to worry at all. First of all, the Tang dynasty would keep it a secret. In addition, even if the secret was leaked, it was not a big deal. The railway was not a high-tech technology, and it was not a big deal if other countries secretly learned it. As long as the core mechanical technology and gunpowder were not leaked, there would not be a big problem.
In addition, Ang Lee considered this in order to save the iron ore resources in the Tang dynasty. Resources were related to the interests of the future generations. If too much was mined, the future generations would have no resources to use. Therefore, it was necessary to use the local resources and look for iron ores in the western countries.
As for the concrete sleepers under the railway, it was needless to say. The Tang dynasty had unreservedly told these small countries about the concrete technology and let them increase the scale of production, thus providing a constant demand for the railway built by the Tang dynasty.
Naturally, there were people in charge of looking for iron ores and smelting iron to build the railway. The western countries were also in charge of the construction and control of the railway. Ang Lee's mission was completed, and there was no point in staying in the west, so he returned to the capital with his bodyguards.
He took a car along the way, and when he arrived at the railway station in Dihuancheng, he took his own special train and comfortably went to the capital.
This time, Ang Lee gained a lot. In addition to learning more about the situation of the western countries, he also received wealth and beautiful women from the kings of these countries.
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