The transnational investment that Ang Lee envisioned was to make use of the advanced technology and capital advantages of the Tang dynasty to let the businessmen directly invest in the relevant fields of the small countries. Due to the unique advantages of the resources and labor costs of the various countries, it could create huge benefits for the businessmen of the Tang dynasty. At the same time, it could also drive the development of the countries along the way. It was a win-win situation.
After many years of development, the capital strength and technology of the businessmen of the Tang dynasty were unquestionable. They were fully capable of making direct investments overseas and setting up various workshops. However, the businessmen could not figure out the policies. The policies of the various countries along the way were different, which would bring a lot of trouble to overseas investment.
People were somewhat jealous of the rich, even the kings of the small countries. When they learned that the businessmen of the Tang dynasty were like fat sheep coming to invest and could make a lot of money, they naturally felt a little jealous. Therefore, they would collect high taxes to get a share of the profits. However, in this way, the interests of the businessmen of the Tang dynasty would suffer a great loss.
Making the businessmen of the Tang dynasty suffer losses and enriching the royal families of the countries along the way was obviously not in line with Ang Lee's original intention of opening up the Maritime Silk Road. It was reasonable for the countries along the way to collect a certain amount of fees, but the amount of fees to be collected must be determined by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty after discussion with them.
In addition, after the Maritime Silk Road was opened up, it needed to be maintained for a long time. Large-scale pirates were a big target and could be easily killed. However, small-scale and scattered pirates could appear from time to time. In order to maintain the deterrence against pirates, a certain number of deterrence troops must be stationed on the route for a long time. These troops needed to be fed. It was obviously unreasonable for the imperial court of the Tang dynasty to bear the military expenses. After all, these troops were not only protecting the trade route, but also protecting the countries along the way. These small countries should pay some protection fees.
However, the royal families of these countries would certainly not be willing to pay directly. How could they be willing to spit out what had entered their stomachs? Therefore, a roundabout way could be taken, which was to set up anti-piracy taxes in the transnational workshops. After collecting the taxes, they would be directly handed over to the navy of the Tang dynasty to maintain the basic operation of the navy.
In addition, several areas directly controlled by the navy of the Tang dynasty, such as Changhai Island, Dragon Tooth Gate, and Malacca, should be built on a large scale and deepwater ports. These ports could provide fresh water and supplies for the passing merchant ships, and also provide ship repair services. In short, they could make a lot of money. The businessmen who contracted these businesses also had to pay taxes, and part of the taxes would be used to maintain the local navy of the Tang dynasty. This way, the Tang navy of the Tang dynasty did not have to consume the imperial court's funds and reduce the burden of the imperial court.
Ang Lee's main task now was to clean up the large number of pirates involved. Most of the troops were sent to carry out such a task. At the same time, he also sent envoys and some guards to contact the surrounding countries to make them obey the policies of the imperial court of the Tang dynasty and unite with the imperial court of the Tang dynasty to promote each other's prosperity.
Now, there were only 3,000 Dragon Warriors left in the Tang Army's navy at the port of Malacca, and 1,000 Vanguard Battalion soldiers who were responsible for enlightening the surrendered pirates. There were only five steam gunboats left. Although their strength had weakened a lot, their strength was still incomparable to foreign enemies. In addition, there were no decent enemies nearby.
As for the issue of cross-border investment, Ang Lee now had an idea. It was estimated that many businessmen had this idea long ago, but due to many practical difficulties, they could not do it. Ang Lee needed to clean up the nearby pirates first. Then, he could contact the rich businessmen of the Tang dynasty to invest in these small countries. He would also use the navy troops stationed here to support them and prevent them from being blackmailed by the royal families of the small countries.
The various troops scattered to encircle and suppress the remaining pirates. Reports of success kept coming in. The captives were escorted to the Malacca camp in batches and were brainwashed by professionals to make them become good people.
In addition to encircling and suppressing the pirates, the subordinates sent to contact the kings of the small countries also returned with good news. They used the remaining power of eliminating the pirates to coerce the small countries and successfully persuaded them to accept the unified policies of the Tang dynasty. Some details of the terms were still being discussed.
In addition, in addition to contacting the royal families, these people also carried out a detailed investigation of the various situations around the cities of the small countries to find out the specific situation of these small countries so that they could invest in them in the future.
"Assistant Minister Li, good news! The surrounding countries are afraid of our army's elimination of the pirates in one fell swoop, so they don't dare to criticize the requirements of the Tang dynasty. Basically, they have agreed to our requirements. In addition, although the population of these countries is not large, they are extremely rich in products. Many of the products are not available in the Tang dynasty, so they are very suitable for large-scale development. "
A subordinate excitedly reported.
In fact, these small countries were afraid of the Tang dynasty not only because of the military strength of the Tang dynasty, but also because they had sent people to celebrate Black Wolf's birthday this time. In case the Tang dynasty labeled them with the crime of colluding with pirates, they could be wiped out at any time. With the strength of the Tang dynasty's navy, they could easily get rid of the pirates. Naturally, eliminating them was not a problem.
Ang Lee smiled happily and nodded. "Good news! The tropical rainforest climate is rich in products. These products are very important to the development of the Tang dynasty. After the pirates are completely eliminated, the next step is to contact the merchants of the Tang dynasty and let them build workshops in these small countries. "
"Assistant Minister Li, there are already merchants of the Tang dynasty who have built workshops in Rao Yue. The scale is not small, and the workforce is more than 100 people."
The subordinate said.
"Oh, there is such a thing. What workshop is it? Who opened it?"
Ang Lee asked with concern.
The subordinate said, "It's a palm oil workshop. There are many palm trees in Rao Yue, and the workshop is built in a place where palm trees are densely packed. I heard that it was opened by Zhang Batian, a merchant of the Tang dynasty who we met in Guangzhou before."
Ang Lee was stunned. "Zhang Batian, this guy is very capable! Not only did the pirates not rob his goods, but he also opened a workshop overseas. No wonder he made a lot of money. He is a smart man. "
"Assistant Minister Li, we have caught a lot of pirates now. As long as Zhang Batian is in collusion with the pirates, we will find out."
The subordinate said.
Ang Lee nodded approvingly. "That's right. Now that we have caught Black Wolf, it is not difficult to find out who is in collusion with the pirates. Unfortunately, many confidential letters in Black Wolf's lair have been burned, which has made us very passive. It would be better if these letters were not burned."
"Assistant Minister Li, the letters can be burned, but the people are still alive. We can catch Black Wolf and ask him."
The subordinate said.
Ang Lee smiled and walked to the camp where Black Wolf was imprisoned. He wanted to personally interrogate Black Wolf and find out whether Zhang Batian was in collusion with them.
In the most heavily guarded camp, there were only about two hundred pirates. However, all of them were pirate leaders and there were no ordinary pirates. In fact, there were originally more than five hundred people here. The rest were sent by the royal families of the surrounding countries to celebrate Black Wolf's birthday. After these people were locked up, they kept complaining that they were wronged and that they and their countries were forced to do so. They were afraid that Black Wolf would attack them, so they chose to please him.
Ang Lee naturally would not make things difficult for these people who were forced to come. Not only did he let them go, but he also sent his subordinates and elite troops to escort them back. He also used the threat of eliminating the pirates and capturing evidence to make the small countries accept the trade policies of the Tang dynasty. He thought that the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty would benefit the most.
After sending away more than 300 ambassadors, only Black Wolf and his 200 or so pirate leaders were left in this most heavily guarded camp.
It was the most difficult to change these leaders, because their characters were already deeply ingrained and very difficult to change. It was definitely not an easy thing to change them.
"Assistant Minister Li."
Seeing Ang Lee come, the guard nodded and greeted him.
"How is it? Is there any change in Black Wolf's mood?"
Ang Lee asked with concern.
"Assistant Minister Li, Black Wolf's mood is much more stable, but he is still a little unconvinced. He doesn't seem to think that there is anything wrong with being a pirate."
The subordinate replied.
Li An smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Black Wolf has been a pirate since he was born. His way of thinking has long been ingrained. It's definitely not easy to change his way of thinking. Take your time!"
After saying this, he strode into the camp, intending to chat with Black Wolf about life and also investigate Zhang Batian.
"Black Wolf, Assistant Minister Li has come to see you."
The subordinate reminded him.
Black Wolf looked up at Ang Lee, then continued to lower his head as if he hadn't seen him. It was clear that he was still angry. As a pirate leader who reigned supreme in this region, he had supreme authority in this region, but Ang Lee's appearance had made him a prisoner. It would be strange if he had any good feelings toward Ang Lee. As for the theories used to brainwash him, such as the idea that people should be kind to save Black Wolf, Black Wolf simply did not care. He only knew that Ang Lee had taken everything he had. He would remember this grudge.
"Black Wolf, do you hate this official to the bone?!"
Ang Lee joked.
"How dare I, how dare I? I'm just a prisoner."
Black Wolf said with resentment.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "Well, I don't care whether you hate me or not. It doesn't matter. I've suppressed countless pirates in my life, and there are at least hundreds of thousands of people who hate me! It doesn't matter whether you're one of them or not. "
"Can the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty really spare me?"
Black Wolf suddenly asked.
The brainwashed people of the Tang dynasty had told him these words many times, but he always refused to believe it. He always felt that the Tang Army was fooling him.
Ang Lee nodded and said affirmatively, "Of course we can spare you, but it also depends on your performance. As long as you can make immortal contributions, not only can you be spared, but you can also be an official. Of course, the officials of the Tang dynasty are for the welfare of the people, so they can't act recklessly. They have to restrain their temper and accept the reform."
"Okay, I'm willing to accept the reform of the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty."
Black Wolf said happily.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "The reform can't be completed in a day. It needs to be done step by step. Especially for a big shot like you, Black Wolf, you should be more cautious. After all, you used to have so many people under your command. If you rashly lead your former subordinates to serve the Tang dynasty, it will be troublesome if you encourage them to rebel. Don't worry, take your time! The first thing you have to do now is to give the order as soon as possible to let all your subordinates come here and surrender immediately. Without your cooperation, no matter how many troops we have, we can't dig out all the hidden pirates in a short time. "
"Okay, I'm willing to cooperate. I know where all my brothers are hiding. I'm willing to give the order to let them come here and surrender."
Black Wolf compromised.
Ang Lee nodded with satisfaction and said, "Good, very good. That's right. I believe that you will become a good person one day. By the way, there is a businessman in the Tang dynasty called Zhang Batian. Do you know him?"
In fact, it was not important to Ang Lee that Black Wolf could be successfully reformed. As long as he could stabilize him first and use his identity to better eliminate the other pirates, it would be enough. As long as the Malacca region was stabilized, the life and death of Black Wolf was no longer important.
"Zhang Batian? Isn't he a very shrewd businessman? I knew him in my early years, but I didn't see him much later. I heard that he went to Guangzhou in the Tang dynasty to develop his business."
Black Wolf said.
Ang Lee frowned and said, "You heard? You didn't tell the truth. "
Ang Lee could still tell if he was telling the truth or not. Black Wolf was obviously trying to downplay the matter of Zhang Batian.
Black Wolf was stunned for a moment. He felt that Ang Lee might already know a lot of things. Otherwise, he would not have come to ask him in person. If he continued to hide things, he would be punished even more.
"Okay, I'll tell you."
Black Wolf had no choice but to tell him that he knew Zhang Batian when he was young and had a very good relationship with him. Later, Zhang Batian took a fancy to maritime trade and had a relationship with the pirate leader. So, naturally, he started to do maritime trade. Moreover, it was a smooth journey. His business grew bigger and bigger, and he earned more and more money.
Later on, Zhang Batian used his relationship with the pirates as his backing to set up specialty workshops in various countries overseas to earn more money.
Later on, Zhang Batian even boldly revealed the whereabouts of the other competitors' merchant ships to the pirates, and let the pirates sell all the stolen goods to him at half price. In this way, both he and the pirates would receive great benefits, and the merchants who were robbed would lose their family fortune.
Listening to Black Wolf's confession, Ang Lee felt very angry. This Zhang Batian was too much. For the so-called monetary benefits, he dared to frame his peers. This kind of behavior was too shameful. It would not be too much to sentence him to death immediately.
However, Zhang Batian also had something that Ang Lee appreciated. That was, he successfully used the deterrence of the pirates to open his workshops in the Nanyang countries, and thus obtained rich resources in the Nanyang countries.
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