The King of South Tianzhu, Héraud, quietly hid in the crowd. Looking at the angry officials of the Tang Dynasty, he smiled happily. The first step of his plan could be considered a success. Next, he would provoke the King of the Lion Kingdom and make the Tang Dynasty and the Lion Kingdom hostile to each other, so as to achieve his plan of sowing discord.
"Your Majesty, it seems that our plan is going well! The officials of the Tang Dynasty are very angry now. When their senior officials arrive, they will definitely report the rudeness of the Lion Kingdom. At that time, it will be a good show! "
A minister said happily.
King Héraud said, "What are you waiting for? Immediately send someone to disguise as an envoy of the Tang Dynasty and humiliate the people sent by the Lion Kingdom. In addition, our reply has been sent. The King of the Lion Kingdom will definitely be furious after seeing the reply and hearing the report of the envoy."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will send someone to disguise as an envoy of the Tang Dynasty and humiliate the envoy of the Lion Kingdom."
The minister responded and immediately went to prepare.
After all the preparations were done, the King of South Tianzhu, Héraud's mood improved a lot. He returned to the palace to rest. Early the next morning, he would lead his ministers to Caligar. He wanted to personally welcome the senior officials of the Tang Dynasty, namely Ang Lee and the others, to show their respect for the Tang Dynasty.
After the envoy of the Lion Kingdom received the reply letter from the King of South Tianzhu, he did not dare to open it casually. He wanted to immediately send the letter back to the Lion Kingdom and hand it to their King.
However, when he was delivering the letter, he was humiliated by the people of South Tianzhu disguised as the envoys of the Tang Dynasty. These people who pretended to be the envoys of the Tang Dynasty scolded the Lion Kingdom and the King of the Lion Kingdom. They also said that the Lion Kingdom should quickly cede a large territory in the north to the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, the army of the Tang Dynasty would trample the Lion Kingdom.
The angry envoy of the Lion Kingdom naturally wrote a letter and put it together with the reply letter from the King of South Tianzhu. He quickly sent it back to his country and handed it to their King.
The King of the Lion Kingdom, Kulam, had been investigating the Tang Dynasty for the past few days. He more or less knew some things. After all, many merchant ships had to pass through the ports under the control of the Lion Kingdom. When chatting with the locals, it was inevitable that they would reveal what they saw and heard along the way. The Tang Dynasty had made such a big move in Malacca. Naturally, the merchants would know about it.
As the King of a country, Kulam was not stupid. Naturally, he could filter out the information he needed from these fragmented pieces of information. From this, he generally understood the purpose of the Tang Empire's southward invasion.
"Your Majesty, the situation is not good! The Tang Dynasty has ambitions for overseas territories. This is definitely not good news for us. It seems that they are not coming with good intentions! "
A minister of the Lion Kingdom said.
Kulam said, "These damn merchants, they are praising the Tang Dynasty to the sky. Is the Tang Dynasty really so powerful? Anyway, I don't believe it. "
"Your Majesty is right. The Tang Dynasty is thousands of miles away. How can they control us here? We don't need to be afraid of them. At worst, we can fight with them."
The minister said confidently.
"Your Majesty, there is news from South Tianzhu. This is the letter and the letter of credence."
A valet hurriedly walked in.
"Oh, Héraud has replied. Let's take a look first."
Kulam hurried to read the reply from the King of South Tianzhu.
"Bastard, I'm so angry. This Héraud actually gave up all the ports we occupied to the Tang Dynasty. He also asked us to cede the northern land to the Tang Dynasty. I'm so angry."
Kulam was furious.
"Your Majesty, these ports were exchanged with the blood of the warriors of the Lion Kingdom. We can't give them to the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, our years of struggle will be in vain."
The minister said.
Everyone understood the importance of these ports. Without these ports, the merchant ships coming and going would lose their midway supplies, and the smaller ships would not be able to sail on the sea. These ports could receive the merchant ships coming and going, and they could reap huge commercial benefits. If they lost these ports, the Lion Kingdom's dream of becoming a powerful country would be shattered. Therefore, no matter what, they could not lose these ports.
King Kulam was an ambitious king. He would not allow the Tang Dynasty to encroach on his sphere of influence. This was a provocation to him, and it would destroy his vested interests.
Slowly opening the letter from his subordinate and reading it, Kulam was even angrier. He threw the letter on the ground again.
"The Tang Dynasty has gone too far. There will be a war between the Lion Kingdom and the Tang Dynasty."
King Kulam roared angrily.
At this moment, whether it was the news they got from the merchants, the reply letter from the King of South Tianzhu, or even the experience of his subordinates, it seemed to prove that the Tang Dynasty had the ambition to conquer the world. They intended to interfere with the Lion Kingdom's invasion of South Tianzhu, and they intended to occupy the strategic points between the Lion Kingdom and South Tianzhu.
For the South Tianzhu, the loss was only the benefits that had already been lost. For the Lion Kingdom, the loss was real, and this benefit was not small. If they really gave the seized ports to the Tang Dynasty, the Lion Kingdom would suffer a great loss. Moreover, all kinds of signs showed that the Tang Dynasty's appetite was not only to eat up the ports in South Tianzhu that they had seized, but also the northern ports of the Lion Kingdom were in the sights of the Tang Dynasty.
The King of the Lion Kingdom could not accept the huge loss of benefits. He would never give up the ports that had already been in his mouth, let alone give up his own ports. In order to protect his vested interests, he did not hesitate to go to war with the Tang Empire.
Through the merchant's narration, the King of the Lion Kingdom, Kulam, knew that the Tang Dynasty's navy was quite powerful. However, he was not sure how powerful the Tang Dynasty's navy was. Therefore, he had to figure out the real strength of the Tang Dynasty fleet. Only by knowing oneself and the enemy could one defeat the Tang Dynasty.
"The Tang Dynasty wants our ports. This is wishful thinking. We can't agree to it."
King Kulam said affirmatively.
"Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty's vanguard only has three big ships. There must be more fleets behind them. More than 10,000 elite Tang Army troops are on these ships. If we can destroy these ships of the Tang Dynasty at sea, the Tang Army will be wiped out. At that time, we can use the remaining momentum of victory to destroy South Tianzhu in one fell swoop."
A minister said.
"I heard that the Tang Dynasty fleet has hundreds of ships, and they are all big ships. If we fight with the Tang Dynasty fleet at sea, I'm afraid that the odds of winning are not very good!"
Another minister said worriedly.
"What are you afraid of? Our Lion Kingdom has 500 ships. We can attack with fire and burn all the Tang Dynasty fleet to ashes."
Another minister suggested.
Kulam said happily, "Attacking with fire is really a good idea. However, it's safer to launch a sneak attack while they are not ready. We can launch a surprise attack and destroy the Tang Dynasty fleet in one fell swoop. In this way, our Lion Kingdom will become famous, and no one will dare to provoke our Lion Kingdom again."
"Your Majesty, you mean to launch a fire attack on the ports of South Tianzhu after the Tang Dynasty fleet enters the ports and burn all the ships in the ports. This is really a risky and brilliant plan!"
The minister praised happily.
King Kulam said with a smile, "Pass down my order. Keep a close watch on every movement in the direction of South Tianzhu, especially the Tang Dynasty fleet. As long as they appear in the port of Caligar, they must report it immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty. We will arrange it right away."
The minister replied.
On the vast sea, Ang Lee and his main fleet were still moving slowly. They would need at most one more day before they could dock at the port of Caligar.
They were about to reach land, this made many officers and soldiers look forward to it, because as long as the fleet reached the shore, they could go ashore and play in a carefree manner. The foreign girls were always extremely enthusiastic, the officers and soldiers definitely wouldn't miss this kind of good opportunity.
Ang Lee had to consider not only the foreign girls, but also how to deal with the situation in South Tianzhu and the Lion Kingdom, and how to fight for the greatest benefits for the Tang Dynasty.
The situation on land was accurately reported by carrier pigeons, so that Ang Lee could know everything that was happening in South Tianzhu.
"Assistant Minister Li, this envoy of the Lion Kingdom is too arrogant. He dares to insult the Tang Dynasty. He deserves to die. We must punish the Lion Kingdom severely."
"Those who offend the authority of the Tang Dynasty must be punished, no matter how far away they are."
"Why don't we divide our forces to attack the Lion Kingdom and teach them a lesson?"
The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were all angry, and they could not stay calm. Moreover, they did not need to stay calm. As long as they fought, there was no possibility of failure. Who would not want to rush forward when there was a chance to make a contribution?
Ang Lee analyzed the situation and said with a smile, "This is too much of a coincidence! They just went to South Tianzhu and met the envoy of the Lion Kingdom, and there was such a big conflict. I'm afraid there is a problem! "
"Assistant Minister Li, no matter if there is a problem or not, we need these ports under the control of the Lion Kingdom anyway. Isn't it better to take this opportunity to teach the Lion Kingdom a lesson?"
The general said.
Ang Lee thought for a while and said, "We can use force to attack the Lion Kingdom with just a few insults. However, this will not have a good influence. The surrounding small countries will have doubts about the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, we can't be anxious."
"Assistant Minister Li, if we don't take such a good opportunity, will there be another chance? Does the Lion Kingdom really dare to provoke the Tang Dynasty? "
The general asked.
Ang Lee looked at the map in front of him and said, "The Lion Kingdom has occupied the southern ports of South Tianzhu. We must ask them to return them. In this way, as long as the Lion Kingdom dares to refuse, we can legitimately send troops to the Lion Kingdom. Do you think the Lion Kingdom will agree?"
"Assistant Minister Li, if the Lion Kingdom sees the huge fleet of the Tang Dynasty, I'm afraid they will agree. At that time, we will have no reason to attack."
The general replied.
Ang Lee thought for a while and felt that it made sense. He said, "You are right. Therefore, we can't show our full strength. The main fleet will stay at sea. I will personally lead 50 ships into the port, including more than 30 supply ships."
"Good idea. In this way, the Lion Kingdom won't be too afraid. As long as they dare to refuse the mediation of the Tang Dynasty, we can launch an attack and help the South Tianzhu to take back the ports. After that, we can take them for ourselves."
The general said happily.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Go and prepare! We can dock at the port of Garigal tomorrow afternoon. "
The Kings of small countries all knew how to ride. At least, the King of South Tianzhu knew how to ride a horse, and his riding skills were quite good. Therefore, as long as they set off from the capital, they could reach the port of Garigal before noon.
In order to reach the port earlier and prevent the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty from arriving first, Héraud set off with the Tang Dynasty on horseback early in the morning. The officials of the Tang Dynasty naturally had to follow. Everyone was riding on horseback, so their speed was relatively fast. There were 500 cavalrymen behind them, so there was no need to worry about their safety.
After a few envoys, the King of South Tianzhu arrived at the port of Garigal. At this time, Ang Lee's fleet had yet to arrive, so they had to wait for some time.
The port of Garigal was the largest port of South Tianzhu, so there was a relatively large number of troops deployed there. As long as there wasn't a large-scale invasion, there was no need to worry about safety.
"This is the steamship of the Tang Dynasty. It's really huge!"
It was the first time that the King of South Tianzhu, Héraud, had seen such a huge steamship, especially the towering boiler tower, which left a deep impression on him.
"Haha! That's right, this is the steamship of the Tang Dynasty. This isn't big. What about bigger ones? Assistant Minister Li's steamship is much bigger than this. "
The official of the Tang Dynasty answered proudly.
"Oh, there are even bigger steamships. That's amazing. What are these pillars used for? Ordinary ships don't have such things."
Héraud asked curiously.
The official of the Tang Dynasty replied proudly, "This is a steamship. Naturally, it needs a chimney. These pillars are the chimney of the steamship."
"Chimney? Is it for cooking?"
Héraud still didn't understand.
The official of the Tang Dynasty smiled and said generously, "Your Highness, let's go on the steamship together and have a look. Won't that be clear?"
"Okay, please."
Héraud had been looking forward to going on the steamship for a long time, but he couldn't directly ask. He needed the official of the Tang Dynasty to invite him. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing.
The structure of a steamship was very different from that of an ordinary merchant ship. There were still many things to see, especially the steam turbine and the power generation equipment on the ship. They were all very advanced equipment that ordinary people would never have the chance to see.
"Your Highness, our steamship is much faster than a sailboat. When the wind is blowing, it's twice as fast as a sailboat. When the wind is blowing against us, it's more than ten times faster than a sailboat! Haha! "
The official of the Tang Dynasty was full of pride.
"This steamship is not only big, but also so fast. It's amazing. It must be very expensive!"
Héraud said in surprise.
The official of the Tang Dynasty nodded and said, "Of course. Such a good steamship is of course very expensive. It's much more expensive than an ordinary sailboat. However, the Tang Dynasty is rich. There are plenty of white jade steamships like this. Haha!"
"The Tang Dynasty is really powerful. We can't compare with it! It's amazing. "
"I don't know when Southern Tianzhu will be able to use such a good steamship!"
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