If one went to bed early, one would wake up early as well. The next day, Ang Lee woke up at the crack of dawn. He was served by Shilifoshi's beautiful palace maids.
Breakfast was sumptuous as usual. However, the hunting team had been assembled. Therefore, Ang Lee and King Shilifoshi had to eat as soon as possible. They had to go hunting outside the city to avoid delaying the journey.
Ang Lee and King Shilifoshi had a simple breakfast before they left the palace. They met up with a few hundred elite soldiers outside the palace. Most of Shilifoshi's soldiers were near the hunting ground, responsible for trapping the prey.
The few hundred elite soldiers under Ang Lee's command were also assembled outside the palace. They met up with Shilifoshi's soldiers and formed a force of a thousand. More Tang Army soldiers were still stationed near the port. Some of them set up tents on the shore while others stayed in the cabins. In short, the main force of the Tang Army could not enter Shilifoshi's capital city so as not to disturb the daily life of Shilifoshi's people. After all, the Tang Army had too many soldiers. The total number of soldiers exceeded the population of Shilifoshi's capital city. If all of them entered Shilifoshi's capital city, it would be a disaster.
In addition to the 1,000 guards and horses, there were also more than 50 palace maids. Moreover, all of them were young and pretty ladies.
The purpose of bringing these palace maids along was to lighten up the atmosphere. If there were more prey, they might even have a feast. At such a time, how could the palace maids not attend to them? Therefore, it was not a bad idea to bring them along.
"Your Highness, everyone is ready. We can set off now."
Li An said with a smile as he stretched his waist. He then signaled his subordinate to drive the convertible sports car over.
"Wait a minute, Assistant Minister Li. What's this thing that can move?"
It was the first time King Shilifoshi saw a car. He was very surprised.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Your Highness, this is a car. It's a convertible. Come, try it."
After saying that, he extended his hand to invite King Srivijaya into the carriage.
King Srifoshi hesitated for a moment before extending his hand. "Assistant Minister Li, please."
"Alright, Your Highness, let's get in the car together. Come on."
Ang Lee pulled King Srifoshi into the convertible sports car.
This was a four-seater convertible sports car. It was divided into two rows. The front seats were for the driver and co-driver, while the back two seats were for the guests. In order to prevent rain, the front and back of the car were installed with a retractable rain cloth. When it rained, the rain cloth could be pulled up at any time to prevent the people in the car from getting wet.
"How is it? Is it comfortable to sit inside?"
Ang Lee asked happily.
King Shilifoshi touched the seat of the car and nodded. "Comfortable, very comfortable. Let's go!"
Ang Lee looked at the driver's head and said, "Let's go. Move slowly. Keep pace with the rest of the team."
Most of the guards and horses around were on foot. If the car drove too fast, the guards and horses would not be able to keep up with it. The maids who were serving them would walk even slower. Therefore, the sports car had to move at a lower speed so that everyone could keep up with it.
Ang Lee did not dare to compliment the quality of Shilifoshi's roads. In order to resist the mud, the roads in the city were paved with stone slabs. However, as the quality of the slabs was not good enough, the height of the slabs was not exactly uniform. Some were higher, some were lower, and some were even cracked. It looked very dilapidated.
Even though the Great Tang had already given away the concrete technology for free, perhaps because of the distance, Shilifoshi had yet to master the concrete technology. Thus, the roads in the city could only be paved with stone slabs.
It was impossible to drive without bumps on such roads. Fortunately, Ang Lee's sports car had a spring dampening device. The tires also had a dampening effect. Hence, the bumps could be minimized.
"Assistant Minister Li, this car is really good. Not only can it move on its own, but it's also not bumpy. It's much more comfortable than a horse carriage."
King Shilifoshi's eyes were fixed on Ang Lee's sports car as he spoke. He was obviously envious of it.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Of course. A car is much more advanced than a horse carriage. If Your Majesty likes it, you can use it more often. I still have many days before I leave."
King Shilifoshi said excitedly, "Good, good, good. By the way, Assistant Minister Li, how many cars do you have in the Tang dynasty? Can you sell one to us? "
It was obvious that King Shilifoshi and the King of Luo Yue were the same. They were both conquered by the advanced cars and wanted to have their own car.
As the ruler of a country, if he couldn't even have a transportation tool that he liked, then he would be a failure as the ruler of a country.
Ang Lee smiled and replied, "The Tang dynasty's car industry has been in its infancy for a long time. The number of cars in the country should be more than a few thousand! They can be sold overseas, but there are no plans to sell them overseas. I believe that in a few years, the Tang dynasty's cars will be all over the world. "
Of course, this was the truth. The automobile industry was such a profitable industry, and naturally, it couldn't only develop within the Great Tang Empire. The profits that could be generated from domestic sales were limited, and more money could be earned from foreign trade. Therefore, the Great Tang Empire shouldn't give up on the overseas market. It had to boldly expand the market, and this way, it would be able to earn more profits.
"Oh, that's great. Xiao Wang is looking forward to it. I hope I won't have to wait too long."
King Shilifoshi said. He was almost drooling, as if a shiny luxury car was driving toward him.
Ang Lee continued, "If Your Highness wants to get a car earlier, you can send someone to Chang 'an to buy one. That's totally possible. However, the distance to and from Chang' an is too far. It's a good choice to buy one when you pay tribute. However, the Tang dynasty's car facilities are all near Chang 'an. I'm afraid it will be damaged after you buy it back!"
As a small country and a dependent country, Shilifoshi had to go to Chang 'an to pay tribute every few years. He sent some local products to the imperial court of the Tang dynasty and received a large amount of money from the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. The purpose of paying tribute was to submit. It was indispensable. However, the king didn't have to pay tribute in person. It was enough to send his subordinates to do it. Of course, the king could also go in person. This would show more sincerity, and he would also receive better treatment and rewards.
"Why? Will the car break down?"
King Srivijaya was slightly disappointed. In his opinion, such an advanced car shouldn't have broken down.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Cars will break down. Won't the carriage break down? Won't the horse get hungry? The problem is, if the carriage breaks down, you can fix it. If the horse gets hungry, you can feed it. However, it's different for a car. If it breaks down, your people won't be able to fix it. If it runs out of gas, you have to go to Chang 'an to buy it. "
Ang Lee had already told the King of Rao Yue about this problem. Now, he repeated it again.
"Assistant Minister Li is right. If it breaks down, it will be troublesome. Oh right, the car will get hungry too. What does it eat? You mentioned gas just now. What kind of gas? Don't we have any? "
King Shilifoshi asked curiously.
Ang Lee explained honestly, "Naturally, the car needs gas. Shilifoshi doesn't have it now. However, I believe that you have gas here. It's just that it hasn't been discovered yet. If it is discovered, it will bring great wealth to your country!"
In Ang Lee's impression, there should be an oil field in Shilifoshi's location. As long as they found it, they could start mining and refining here. This polluting industry could be transferred overseas to reduce the environmental pressure of the Tang Empire.
In addition, Shilifoshi's technology was extremely backward. They didn't have the ability to mine the oil field. Therefore, the mining and refining of these oil fields could only be handed over to the Tang Empire. They could benefit from it. With the high demand for gas in the future, the benefits would be huge. It would be enough to support the rapid economic development of Shilifoshi. It could also make a great contribution to the Tang Empire.
"Gas? Do we have it too? Will there really be one? "
King Shilifoshi was a little excited.
Li An said softly, "This official took a look at your country's climate. There should be petroleum resources. Once we discover them, we can start mining. After refining petroleum, we can produce gasoline and other fuels. However, Shilifoshi doesn't have the ability to mine it, so you can only leave it to the Tang Empire to mine. We will share the benefits with you, so you won't suffer any losses. In addition, we will need a lot of labor. When the time comes, many of your poor people will have jobs to do, and their lives will reach a new level."
"Haha! Xiao Wang was looking forward to it! I hope that this day will come sooner. Oh right, there are already dozens of Tang Empire's technical talents looking for resources in Shilifoshi. I wonder if they can find gas successfully. It would be great if they can find it sooner. "
King Shilifoshi said happily.
"Good. It would be great if they can find it sooner. Hahaha!"
Ang Lee replied happily.
They chatted along the way and soon arrived at the hunting area.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is the area where Xiao Wang often hunts. It is also the place where he hunted tigers."
King Shilifoshi said happily.
Ang Lee stood up and looked around. He said, "Your Highness, why don't we let the Tang Empire's warriors hunt with your country's warriors and find the tiger's whereabouts first? Let us know when you find it. This way, we can immediately rush over to hunt it down."
"Assistant Minister Li is right. Men, go and arrange it!"
King Shilifoshi ordered happily.
Soon, the Tang Empire and Shilifoshi each selected thirty warriors with bows and swords. They mounted their horses and entered the hunting area.
They were having a hunting competition. Of course, this was a friendly competition. It didn't matter who won or lost. The most important thing was to have fun.
"Your Highness, who do you think will get the most prey between the Tang Empire and Shilifoshi?"
Ang Lee asked with a smile.
King Shilifoshi said, "Xiao Wang has heard that the Tang Empire has many warriors. I believe that the Tang Empire's warriors will not let Xiao Wang down."
Obviously, King Shilifoshi hoped that the Tang Empire's imperial court would win the competition in order to please Ang Lee and the imperial court of the Tang Empire.
"Haha! The competition has just started and Your Highness has already admitted defeat. However, I think that you Shilifoshi's warriors are more familiar with the terrain here. You have a higher chance of winning. "
Ang Lee said politely.
"It's just a friendly competition. It doesn't matter who wins or loses. As long as everyone has fun, hahaha!"
King Srivijaya laughed happily.
"Go, go, go …"
Not long after, one of Shilifoshi's warriors came back on his horse and reported, "Your Majesty, we've found traces of a tiger in the mountains. It's not far from here. We've already surrounded it."
This was not a hunting competition. Shilifoshi's warriors were all busy except for the tiger. They didn't even have time to hunt seriously. The warrior who reported this had all the arrows on his horse.
"Assistant Minister Li, we have found traces of a tiger in front. Let's go and have a look!"
King Shilifoshi said.
Ang Lee nodded and said softly, "Men, bring me my crossbow."
After taking the crossbow, Ang Lee ordered the driver to start the car and slowly drove forward.
A large group of guards followed and did their job.
Not long after, they saw a large group of guards surrounding a tiger. However, these warriors stayed fifty steps away from the tiger. Firstly, it was for safety. They didn't want to be attacked by the tiger. Secondly, they didn't want to provoke the tiger too much. They didn't want to risk their lives and escape from the encirclement.
The tiger was enraged when it was surrounded by a large group of warriors. It bared its fangs and roared non-stop. However, wild beasts were also afraid of death. Looking at the shining spears around it, it couldn't find a way to escape.
"What a big tiger! This is a big one. Assistant Minister Li, please! "
King Shilifoshi said with a smile as he looked at the tiger that was surrounded.
Ang Lee nodded and took out his crossbow. He aimed at the tiger that was a few dozen steps away from him.
Although the distance was a little far, Ang Lee's archery skills were outstanding. He could easily hit the target from a hundred steps away.
Besides, Ang Lee valued the tiger's skin very much. Therefore, he couldn't shoot the tiger's body. Shooting its hind legs was a good choice.
"Swoosh …"
Ang Lee released the arrow gently and accurately hit the tiger's lower part. The tiger staggered and fell to the ground.
"Ow ow ow …"
The intense pain caused the tiger to let out a miserable howl.
The tiger struggled to roll on the ground and glared fiercely at the warriors around it. It couldn't wait to swallow all these humans into its stomach.
"Assistant Minister Li, good archery skills! You can hit the tiger's hind leg from such a long distance. "
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