Yang Zhao was now in charge of more and more positions, but most of them were just in name. He didn't personally manage them, nor did he have the energy to do so. The actual matters were all handled by his deputy.
As a result, he naturally didn't know what was happening in these departments, but his many trusted subordinates were required to know the big and small matters of all departments and then report the most important matters to him.
Hearing this, Yang Zhao also felt that he had neglected his duty. He hurriedly looked at his subordinate and sternly asked, "What's going on? Speak quickly."
The subordinate lightly bowed and said, "The situation is like this. In the Guangzhou area, there are many merchants who engage in maritime trade. They use the sea route to sell silk, porcelain, and other goods from the Tang dynasty to the various countries in Southeast Asia. Then, they buy goods that are scarce in the Tang dynasty from the various countries and make a huge profit. However, the sea route has never been peaceful. There are often pirates appearing and causing the merchants to suffer heavy losses. Furthermore, the pirates mostly gather in the coastal areas far away from the Tang dynasty and appear and disappear unpredictably. Eliminating the pirates is easier said than done. The merchants have been robbed time and time again and have suffered heavy losses!"
"Oh, so that's how it is! It's all because these merchants are greedy for wealth and insisted on traveling so far to trade. They brought it upon themselves to be robbed by the pirates. "
Yang Zhao didn't mind. He paused and looked at Ang Lee and curiously asked, "Assistant Minister Li, why are you suddenly concerned about maritime trade?"
Ang Lee smiled and softly said, "A few years ago, our Tang dynasty's railway was connected to the middle of the river, causing the Silk Road to become even more prosperous. Grand Minister Yang, do you know how much our Tang dynasty's imperial court has benefited from this railway?"
"It's all thanks to Assistant Minister Li's proposal to build this railway that our Tang dynasty has received a steady stream of income. It's said that it's several hundred times more than before the railway was built. It's a source of income. "
Yang Zhaoxi opened the way with a smile. How could he not know about the wealth brought to the imperial court by the railway? In addition, the wealth brought to the imperial court was only a small part of it. The businessmen inside and outside the Tang dynasty used the railway to gain more economic benefits, which far exceeded the money collected by the imperial court. It could be said that it was a way to make money that benefited all the people.
In addition, Yang Zhao's own industry had also benefited from this railway. A large number of new undergarments and skincare products had already entered the river market. Even the nobles of Dashi had used these products. Therefore, he placed great importance on this railway.
"That's right. This is a source of wealth. We must manage it well. However, as long as we manage it well, we can also form a similar source of wealth at sea. At that time, the two sources of wealth will run parallel, and our Tang dynasty will be able to earn more money."
Ang Lee explained excitedly.
Yang Zhao's eyes lit up as he hurriedly said, "The sea can also be a way to make money. Assistant Minister Li thinks so highly of maritime trade?"
"As long as maritime trade is properly developed, it may not lose to the Silk Road on land. This official has been thinking about this for a long time, and it shouldn't be wrong."
Ang Lee confidently replied.
"No wonder Assistant Minister Li is so interested in the Guangzhou merchants' complaints. So it turns out that he's planning to develop a maritime trade route."
Yang Zhao had a look of sudden realization.
Ang Lee did not stand on ceremony and directly requested, "Yang Taifu, leave those Guangzhou merchants to me! I want to know more about the situation from them. "
"Okay, no problem. When I return, I'll send someone to send these merchants over."
Yang Zhao straightforwardly agreed. Not long after, he bid farewell and left.
In order to understand the exact situation of the maritime trade route, Ang Lee had to personally meet these Guangzhou merchants. Only from their mouths could he obtain the most detailed first-hand information.
In the office of the Tang dynasty newspaper, Ang Lee met with these Guangzhou merchants. There were more than ten of them in total. In truth, the number of Guangzhou merchants entering the capital this time was far more than ten. There were at least three to five hundred of them, and these ten-some were only representatives.
In addition, their purpose in coming to the capital was not only to report on the pirates, but also to sell Nanyang's rare goods.
The goods they had taken the risk to sell from Nanyang were sold at a much lower price in Guangzhou than in the capital. By coming to the capital to sell directly, they could obtain even more generous profits.
"Assistant Minister Li."
More than a dozen Guangzhou merchants bowed and saluted Li An.
Ang Lee lightly waved his hand and said, "This official already knows a thing or two about the matter you've reported. However, this official wishes to know more. Tell this official everything you know."
"Assistant Minister Li, the Nanyang Trading Company sets out from Guangzhou, passes through Yazhou, passes through the vast South Sea, and enters the Indian Ocean. Along the way, it passes through several dozen countries. The profits from selling goods are quite generous, but pirates run amok along the way. The journey is not smooth, and many of our fellow merchants have died at the hands of pirates.
"It was better a few years ago, but in recent years, pirates have become more and more rampant. Pirates have appeared in places where there were no pirates before.
"Isn't this because our Tang dynasty's products are becoming more and more abundant, and the shipbuilding industry is becoming more and more developed? More and more merchants are engaging in maritime trade, so the number of pirates has also increased.
"That's right! Assistant Minister Li, in recent years, commerce has become more and more prosperous, and the people's demand for Nanyang's goods has increased. Every time we sell back, we don't have enough goods to rob. Many merchants, seeing that there is profit to be made, have begun to engage in maritime trade. However, nearly half of the profits go into the pockets of the pirates. In the long run, the pirates will only grow stronger and stronger, to the point where we can't fight them head-on!
"Assistant Minister Li, you may not know that the biggest pirates in Nanyang now have hundreds of ships and nearly 10,000 people. They are already very powerful. If we don't wipe them out with all our strength now, I'm afraid that their strength will surpass that of the imperial court in the future."
"Once the strength of the pirates surpasses that of the imperial court, they will become more arrogant in the future and even invade the coastal ports of the Tang dynasty. They must be wiped out as soon as possible."
"Assistant Minister Li, we are not only thinking about our own interests, but also for the imperial court. Once they grow stronger, they will also be a threat to our Tang dynasty."
The merchants in Guangzhou began to talk about it one after another.
Ang Lee listened carefully and felt that what these merchants said was very reasonable. If they ignored the pirates and allowed them to grow stronger, not only would the merchants' interests be greatly damaged, but the imperial court of the Tang dynasty would also suffer a great loss. The most serious consequence was that after these pirates became stronger, they would not continue to be pirates in peace. It was very likely that they would use their powerful strength to harass the coastal areas of the Tang dynasty, thus causing huge losses to the coastal people of the Tang dynasty. This would reproduce the problem of the Japanese pirates in the later Ming dynasty.
"Come on, put up the map."
Ang Lee asked his subordinates to put up the specially made map.
This map included the southern territory of the Tang dynasty, the entire periphery of the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the coastal territories of East Africa. All the areas that the maritime trade routes passed through were on the map.
"Assistant Minister Li, what is this map?"
The moment more than a dozen merchants in Guangzhou saw the map, they all widened their eyes. This map was quite similar to the map in their hands, but it was more compact and realistic, which made their eyes light up.
"This is the maritime trade route map that I personally drew based on the literature. I wonder if you can understand it?"
"Yes, it's similar to the sea route map in our hands."
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Tell me about the pirates according to this map."
A relatively older merchant came up, pointed to a place on the map, and said, "Assistant Minister Li, the pirates are rampant here. The grandfather of the pirate leader was originally a citizen of the Tang dynasty. He was an ordinary fisherman in Leizhou. Because he thought that fishing was too tiring and couldn't make too much money, he set up camp here and started the pirate business. After three generations of operation, he has now become a famous pirate in the South China Sea. Passing merchant ships only need to pay a high toll to pass through safely.
It's very dangerous. "Ang Lee glanced at it and sneered. This pirate leader was quite smart. He actually set up his nest in the Strait of Malacca, which was the only way for merchants of the Tang dynasty to enter and exit the Indian Ocean. As long as some pirate ships were sent to block the strait, all merchant ships passing through here would not be able to pass through. It could be said that this was extremely insidious, leaving no place for merchant ships to hide.
"If the pirates block the strait, how do your goods enter and exit?"
Ang Lee scolded harshly.
"Assistant Minister Li, please forgive us. We have no choice but to pay a high toll. We didn't intend to finance the pirates."
The dozen or so merchants were startled and hurriedly knelt down.
"Since you can be safe and sound by paying the toll, why did you come to the capital? It doesn't matter if you earn a little less."
Ang Lee didn't believe that these guys really came here for the sake of the Tang dynasty's eternal foundation. Merchants were all after profits. They wouldn't do things without profits.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is not the only pirate group along the way. Some pirates are easy to talk to and can be solved with a little money, but some pirates are bent on killing and robbing. It's difficult to save their lives even if they give up everything. In short, there are all kinds of pirates. It's impossible to guard against them."
"Yes! Assistant Minister Li, there are also some fishermen. When the harvest is not good, they will rob merchant ships. This kind of situation is even more impossible to guard against. "
The kneeling merchants hurriedly explained.
Ang Lee pondered for a moment, looked at the dozen or so merchants kneeling on the ground, and said, "Well, all of you, get up! I don't blame you. "
Looking at the dozen or so merchants getting up one by one, Ang Lee pointed to the Malacca area and asked, "The pirates here must be wiped out. Do you know the details of the pirates here?"
The merchants were overjoyed. However, they didn't know the details of the pirates. They only knew that the pirates' strength had soared in recent years and there were nearly ten thousand of them. They didn't even know the specific location of the pirates' lair.
"Assistant Minister Li, the pirates are afraid that the imperial court will send troops to encircle and suppress them, so they won't tell us the details. But there must be nearly ten thousand of them. In addition, there are other pirates everywhere. The imperial court will send at least fifty thousand naval troops to wipe out these pirates in one fell swoop."
A merchant said.
"The continuous prosperity of commerce has been taken advantage of by these pirates. How can this be? No matter how many troops the imperial court sends, they will definitely wipe out the pirates. You don't have to doubt the strength of the imperial court of the Tang dynasty."
Ang Lee said confidently.
"Assistant Minister Li, when will the imperial court send troops to wipe out the pirates?"
The merchants asked with concern.
Ang Lee thought for a moment and replied, "It will take a lot of time to mobilize troops and supplies. It will take at least three to five months!"
"Soon, it will be soon."
The merchants were very happy. They didn't have much hope this time. It was enough to ask the imperial court to send troops to Nanyang. They didn't dare to ask the imperial court to send troops as soon as possible.
Later, Ang Lee discussed more about the sea route with the merchants, and listened to the national customs, policies, and products along the way.
It turned out that the threats these merchants faced were far more than just the pirates. There were also fishermen who could turn into pirates at any time, the oppression of the local imperial court in Nanyang, the exploitation of local tyrants, and sudden storms, typhoons, and other natural disasters.
Therefore, although the profits were very rich, the merchants also had to take a lot of risks. Once they encountered too many accidents, the voyage would be a loss.
If the imperial court of the Tang dynasty could eliminate the pirates along the way, ensure the safety of the merchant ships at sea, and force the coastal countries to not humiliate the merchants of the Tang dynasty through certain means, the cost of the merchants of the Tang dynasty would be greatly reduced. In this way, the price of goods could also be reduced a lot, which was also good for the common people.
In short, Ang Lee had made up his mind that he must do his best to rectify the chaos of the sea route, give the merchants a good trade environment, and further enhance the strength of the Tang Empire to benefit the people of the Tang dynasty.
However, the strength of the pirates was not weak, and the strength of the countries along the way could not be underestimated. If he wanted to get rid of them, he would need to mobilize a powerful force. As for how much force to mobilize, Li An had to think carefully.
After returning to the courtyard, Ang Lee fell into deep thought. He was thinking about the situation introduced by the merchants in Guangzhou during the day, and according to the map in front of him, he was thinking about how much force and time it would take to achieve his goal.
With the current strength of the Tang Empire, no pirates could be a match for it. However, the pirates' nests were too far away from the territory of the Tang dynasty, so it was not easy to eliminate them.
In addition, Ang Lee was a person who pursued zero casualties, so he must mobilize the most elite forces to make the pirates completely unable to resist.
After thinking about it, Ang Lee decided to go to the sea in person. The forces to be mobilized included a flying brigade of the Sky Army, the first brigade of armored artillery vehicles, more than 30 ironclads, and more supply ships.
In addition, in order to accommodate a flying brigade of ten airplanes, an aircraft carrier with a flat deck must be built. In order to accommodate a brigade of armored artillery vehicles, five landing ships were needed, and each landing ship could accommodate ten armored artillery vehicles.
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