Ang Lee suddenly found a solution to kill two birds with one stone from the fact that pirates were rampant in the Malacca Sea. He could not help but feel quite happy.
Think about it, the main reason why pirates were the most serious in the Malacca Sea, far more than other sea areas, was its geographical location. All merchant ships going to the Indian Ocean had to pass through the narrow Malacca Strait. There was no other way to go, which brought a lot of convenience to the pirates.
Secondly, it was naturally the factor of poverty and hatred of the rich. The climate of the tropical rainforest was relatively rich, but the technological level of the countries along the way was too low, so they could not develop the huge wealth of the tropical rainforest very well. The living standards were far lower than the people of the Tang dynasty. The Tang dynasty's merchant ships often carried a lot of goods and money. This made the people of the Malacca Sea, who were eager to get rich, think of a very barbaric way, which was to rob.
Although robbery was an immoral and illegal act, the local people robbed the property of the distant merchants of the Tang dynasty. This was not a bad thing in their minds. They felt that robbing the wealth of the distant rich people was the act of a hero. They were robbing the rich to help the poor. They were robbing the wealth of the merchants of the Tang dynasty to relieve their own poverty.
Under the influence of this mentality, not only did they not feel that their robbery was wrong, but they also felt that it was a measure to improve their way of life.
Just like in the Huaxia Empire of the future, when a large truck rolled over and spilled a large amount of goods, the poor people nearby would swarm over and take the goods for themselves. They didn't feel that their actions were immoral at all. Instead, they felt that it would be a waste not to take advantage of the situation.
This kind of wrong thinking was formed over a long period of time. It was an extremely selfish idea, but they themselves were not aware of it. If they wanted to change their thinking, they must use force. Those who should be punished must be punished, and those who should be dealt with must be dealt with.
For example, the pirates that appeared in the Malacca Sea must be severely punished. Whether it was the stubborn pirates who had existed for hundreds of years or the tribal pirates who had risen recently, they must be severely punished. They must understand that piracy was a crime, and they must be punished.
In order to completely eliminate the pirate forces, in addition to maintaining a strong navy of the Tang dynasty, it was also a good choice to provide effective means for the nearby people to get rich.
There was a famous saying that the best way to prevent weeds from growing on a piece of land was to plant crops on it.
The best way to completely eliminate the pirate forces was to make the pirates change their profession. By combining force and interests, the pirates would become workers and make them work for the overseas workshops of the Tang dynasty.
The industrialization of the Tang dynasty had developed very well, but the small countries around Malacca had not yet started............... Many low-level workshops of the Tang dynasty............ to ease...............................
. Now that the pirates in the Malacca Sea had been almost cleaned up, the development plan could be put on the agenda. However, Zhang Batian had experience in this regard. After he arrived in Malacca, Ang Lee would listen to his opinion and let him take the lead to organize a huge multinational Chamber of Commerce group to develop the economy of the small countries along the Maritime Silk Road.
This multinational Chamber of Commerce group must be under the supervision of the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. They must obey the will of the imperial court, have a certain degree of patriotism, and undertake the task of supporting part of the Tang dynasty's navy. Moreover, they must unite the local people and make them yearn for and worship the Tang dynasty. They must not hate and exclude the Tang dynasty.
Ang Lee wanted the Tang dynasty's rich businessmen to set up multinational workshops along the Silk Road. It could indeed promote the development of the small countries along the way and improve the living standards of the small countries along the way. But at the same time, the Tang Empire would also benefit the most. This would be called resource plunder in the future. It meant that developed countries plunder resources from developing China.
However, Ang Lee did not care about this. So what if it was plunder? Who asked these small countries to be so weak? It was already good enough that they did not directly take over these small countries. Anyway, they had already improved their living standards. There was no guilt in their hearts.
The fishing law enforcement was still in progress. The ten teams had a harvest every day. They captured batch after batch of pirates and all of them were sent to the Malacca camp for ideological education. After they passed the education, they were sent back to the capital of each country and handed over to their kings.
"Big Brother, we have successfully captured more than 3,000 pirates through the fishing law enforcement. Now, most of them have been sent back to their countries. In addition, Black Wolf and his affiliated pirates have also captured more than 2,000 people in a few days. Do we still need to form the 11th and 12th Vanguard Battalions?"
Li Feiyu asked.
Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "The scale of the Vanguard Battalion is already big enough. Let these people work as workers. Make them work as punishment."
"Workers? Big Brother, what do you want them to do? "
Li Feiyu asked.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "The port of Malacca will definitely need to be expanded. Also, the facilities near the port are too simple. We need to build taller concrete buildings. These will require a huge amount of labor as the foundation. Let them be in charge of the work!"
Recently, the engineering team and some large equipment transferred from the Tang dynasty were already in place. The only thing lacking was labor. Work needed people. Without people, no matter how good the machine was, it would be difficult to operate quickly.
"Big Brother, these guys are all pirates. They don't have the skills to work. It seems that we need to train them well. Otherwise, they really don't know how to work."
Li Feiyu naturally understood that pirates wouldn't do this kind of work. However, this kind of work didn't require much skill. As long as they studied hard, they would be able to learn very quickly. People without knowledge and culture in the future were most likely to do this kind of work.
Soon, the newly captured pirates were transformed into craftsmen. They were organized into different groups and belonged to different departments. Before they started working, Ang Lee had already sent people to warn these pirates that only by working hard could they be forgiven. If they didn't work hard or ran away, they would be severely punished.
A few days later, these newly surrendered pirates learned how to work. A small number of those who were less qualified or deliberately refused to learn were arranged to do the most tiring and most unskilled transportation work.
Ang Lee stood on the high platform and looked down at the craftsmen working below. The corner of his mouth revealed a trace of a smile. These pirates who usually did evil should be tortured like this. They should be made to do the most tiring and difficult work.
"Big Brother, look, they're doing really well. They look like they're doing it."
Li Feiyu put his hand on the railing and said with a smile.
With the addition of these unpaid labor force, the construction of the Malacca port suddenly improved a lot. It was estimated that it would only take half a year to become the largest port in this area.
Of course, in addition to Malacca, the Rising Sea Island and the Dragon's Tooth Gate were also under construction. The scale of the construction in these two locations was not small. In order to ensure the safety of the Dragon's Tooth Gate, Ang Lee recently transferred the 9th Vanguard Battalion to the Dragon's Tooth Gate.
"Assistant Minister Li, Zhang Batian has been brought here."
A subordinate reported.
Ang Lee was very happy. He nodded and said: "Go and bring this old man here."
Soon, the nervous Zhang Batian was brought to the high platform and respectfully saluted to Ang Lee.
"Zhang Batian, come and take a look. These pirates are doing a good job. They're even better than the craftsmen of the Tang dynasty."
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"Very good, very good."
Zhang Batian seemed a little nervous.
Ang Lee looked back at Zhang Batian and asked: "Have you done this before? Do you want to have a try? "
The implication was to let Zhang Batian do the hard work.
"I'm old. I'm afraid I can't do this."
Zhang Batian whispered.
Ang Lee said with a smile: "I'm just joking. It's more suitable for an old man like you to cook and wash clothes for them. Haha!"
"If Assistant Minister Li really asked me to wash clothes for them, I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble."
Zhang Batian said nervously.
Ang Lee said sternly: "Zhang Batian, do you know your crime?"
"I don't know."
Zhang Batian braced himself and denied.
Li An said with dissatisfaction, "Hei Lang and Lang Yi have already confessed, yet you still dare to quibble. This official is very clear about all the bad things you've done. It's useless for you to deny it."
Obviously, it was absolutely impossible to not scare Zhang Batian. Otherwise, how could he control him in the future?
Zhang Batian knelt on the ground with a flop and said repeatedly: "I know my crime. I know my crime."
"Tell me! What crimes have you committed? "
Li An asked, unwilling to give up.
Zhang Batian naturally did not dare to hide anything under such circumstances. He quickly confessed all the crimes he had committed.
The latest information he gave was more or less the same as what Li An knew. There were also some unknown crimes that Li An didn't know about beforehand, but now he knew about them.
Ang Lee looked at Zhang Batian with a smile and said coldly: "Zhang Batian, it seems that you've done a lot of bad things! Your head is enough to be chopped off dozens of times, isn't it? "
"Yes, yes, yes. I deserve to die."
Zhang Batian confessed nervously.
Ang Lee waved his hand and said softly: "You've committed so many crimes. According to the law of the Tang dynasty, beheading dozens of times is not excessive. However, I didn't kill Black Wolf and Wolf One and gave them a chance to turn over a new leaf. Naturally, I won't kill you. I want to protect you and even hide all the crimes you've committed. I won't report them to the imperial court. In this way, no one will know what you've done."
"Assistant Minister Li, is this true? I don't know what Assistant Minister Li's conditions are. "
Zhang Batian was a shrewd old man, so he naturally knew that Ang Lee would not let him go easily. There must be a deal.
Ang Lee nodded and said: "Zhang Batian, in the whole Tang dynasty, only you have opened a workshop nearby. You must have a good experience in opening overseas workshops. My condition is that you can continue to open overseas workshops and mobilize more businessmen to join this industry. In addition, I think that your Zhang Chamber of Commerce should be dissolved and a larger Chamber of Commerce of the Tang dynasty should be established. You will be the president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tang dynasty and be responsible for guiding all the businessmen of the Tang dynasty to open overseas workshops. Remember, you're not allowed to do bad things. Your every move will not escape my eyes. If you dare to do anything wrong, you'll be severely punished."
"Yes, yes, yes. I'll follow Assistant Minister Li's instructions and never do bad things again. I'll follow Assistant Minister Li's lead in this life."
Zhang Batian said quickly.
Not only did this answer express their obedience to Li An's request, but it also expressed their loyalty to him. It was obvious that they were seeking refuge.
"Well, as long as you're obedient and don't play tricks on me, I'll guarantee you a life of glory and wealth, and your descendants will also benefit."
Ang Lee made a promise.
Zhang Batian said happily: "Yes, I understand. I'll do my best to complete the task given by Assistant Minister Li."
Ang Lee thought for a moment and said: "You're just a businessman. Sometimes it may be inconvenient for you to negotiate with the kings of other countries. I'll submit a memorial to the imperial court and appoint you as the president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tang dynasty. In this way, you can represent the imperial court of the Tang dynasty to negotiate with the kings of other countries. No one in the royal family of those countries will dare to ignore you."
"The president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Fifth Grade? My family has been bumpkins for generations. I've never been an official with a rank. "
Zhang Batian was so excited that he was stunned for a long time. Then he hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you, Assistant Minister Li. I can't thank you enough. I'm satisfied with my life. I regret that for wealth …"
Speaking of which, the old guy actually cried.
It turned out that when he was young, he was very poor and did not have a basic social status. He was just a poor fisherman who was often looked down upon. He fell in love with a beautiful girl, but the girl despised him and rejected him.
Since then, he was sad and hated the way of the world. He wanted to change his situation and make himself stand out. He wanted all those who had looked down on him to look up to him and kneel in front of him, so that he could relieve the depression in his heart.
In this era of the Tang Dynasty, everything was inferior, and only scholars had the highest status. He had also thought of taking the imperial examinations and making others look at him in a different light. However, he was an uncultured boor, and the imperial examinations were too difficult for him. There was another way out, and that was to join the army and fight. This was also a good opportunity for ordinary poor people to change their fate.
Zhang Batian also thought of this way. However, his martial arts value was not high. Once he died on the battlefield, he would lose everything. He did not want to take this risk.
In the end, because he was smart enough, he thought of the way to make money by doing business.
Although the businessmen of the Tang dynasty were at the bottom of society, as long as they had money, they could become a very rich businessman and make friends with scholars. Then, their status would not be low. At least, it was better than nothing.
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