Ang Lee had already sent people to investigate the situation in the Lion Kingdom. He knew that the Lion Kingdom had made a lot of money with the help of the Tang dynasty's overseas trade. Especially after they took over some of the ports in South Tianzhu, all the merchant ships had no choice but to dock at the ports under their control. As a result, they charged higher docking fees. The price of water and food supplies had also increased by a few times.
The more merchant ships that came and went, the more money the Lion Kingdom earned. In addition, many subsidiary service industries had also developed vigorously with the help of the merchants coming and going.
Therefore, the Lion Kingdom's treasury was very rich now. They were a rich country. To deal with such a rich country, of course, they had to demand an exorbitant price. How could they let them off so easily?
"Assistant Minister Li, the Lion Kingdom has sent people here."
A subordinate reported.
Ang Lee tilted his head slightly and asked, "Oh, what are they here for?"
"Assistant Minister Li, they said they want to negotiate?"
Ang Lee smiled and said, "They have already suffered a crushing defeat. What right do they have to negotiate? Forget it, let them come over!"
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li."
Soon, a few ministers of the Lion Kingdom walked over. When they saw Ang Lee, they hurriedly knelt down and saluted. This made the King of South Tianzhu, Héraud, who was beside Ang Lee, happy. In the past, the ministers of the Lion Kingdom were arrogant when they saw him. Now, they were actually kneeling in front of him, even though the minister of the Lion Kingdom was not kneeling to him.
"The ground is cold, get up quickly!"
Ang Lee did not want them to keep kneeling.
"We don't dare, we don't dare."
The minister of the Lion Kingdom refused to get up and continued to kneel on the ground.
Ang Lee smiled faintly and said, "Alright, since you like to talk while kneeling, then kneel! Speak! What are you here for? "
"Negotiation, negotiation."
The minister of the Lion Kingdom answered nervously.
"Peace talk? Humph! You attacked the Tang Dynasty fleet for no reason and caused us a lot of losses. Just because you lost, you want to negotiate? What will happen if you win? Will you kill all of us?"
Ang Lee said angrily.
"I don't dare, I don't dare. His Majesty was muddle-headed for a moment and was instigated by a villain. Now, he is very regretful. He sincerely asks the imperial court of the Tang dynasty for forgiveness."
The minister of the Lion Kingdom pleaded.
Ang Lee took out the list of losses from the port of Caligar and threw it to the minister of the Lion Kingdom. He said, "Take a look at the losses caused by your sneak attack. All the losses will be compensated double, and the losses of the Tang dynasty will be compensated tenfold."
The minister of the Lion Kingdom took the list of losses and frowned. "So many? This … "
"What's wrong? Is there a lot?"
Ang Lee said unhappily.
"Not much, not much. Double the compensation, tenfold the compensation. The Lion Kingdom is willing to compensate."
The minister of the Lion Kingdom quickly agreed. He paused and asked, "This is the condition of the Lion Kingdom?"
Ang Lee shook his head and said, "This is only one of the conditions. You should compensate for these losses."
"Then … then what other conditions are there?"
Ang Lee said, "If your king is sincere, then cede half of the Lion Kingdom's land to the Tang dynasty and pay tribute every year."
"Cede half of the land? This is too much. The king will not agree. The Lion Kingdom still has millions of people. If we resist with all our strength, the Tang dynasty will also suffer great losses."
The minister of the Lion Kingdom was very angry when he heard that the Tang dynasty wanted half of the land. This request was indeed too much. It was difficult for them to agree.
"It seems that you are not sincere. Then what is there to talk about?"
Ang Lee's attitude was very tough.
The minister of the Lion Kingdom had seen the troops and weapons of the Tang dynasty just now. He was really scared. After thinking for a while, he said, "Please allow us to go back and discuss with the king."
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Okay, then I will give you one day. If I don't hear from you tomorrow, the Tang dynasty's troops will cross the strait and take our land personally."
"Okay, goodbye."
The minister of the Lion Kingdom was very helpless. He had to go back and discuss with their king.
"Assistant Minister Li, do you really want to take half of the Lion Kingdom's land?"
The King of South Tianzhu, Héraud, frowned and asked.
Ang Lee answered seriously, "Of course. Do you think I am just saying? Those who provoke the Tang dynasty are unforgivable. Asking for half of the land is already a light punishment. If the Lion Kingdom does not know what is good for them, the Tang dynasty's troops will take over the entire Lion Kingdom and make their royal family slaves."
"Yes, the Tang dynasty does have such strength."
Héraud hurriedly replied. At the same time, he was very nervous. Fortunately, he was friendly with the Tang dynasty. If he offended the Tang dynasty, his kingdom would be finished.
Whether the king of the Lion Kingdom agreed to Ang Lee's conditions or not, the troops of the Tang dynasty had to cross the strait. Therefore, after the minister of the Lion Kingdom left, the troops of the Tang dynasty began to prepare to cross the sea. No matter what, they had to cross the strait tomorrow and occupy the important port of the Lion Kingdom on the opposite side.
This area was the second group of bases that the Tang dynasty operated on the Maritime Silk Road. It was a very important strategic place, and they had to occupy enough land here.
Since he sent his minister to the other side of the strait for peace talks, the King of the Lion Kingdom, Kulam, had been in a state of anxiety. He did not know how high the Tang dynasty's conditions were, but no matter how he thought about it, he felt that the Tang dynasty's demands were definitely not low. They would definitely cut off a piece of his flesh.
"Your Majesty, we are back."
The official in charge of the peace talks returned to the palace of the Lion Kingdom and looked at their king with a depressed face.
"How is it? What demands did the Tang dynasty make?"
Kulam asked.
The minister replied, "The Tang dynasty wants us to cede half of the territory of the Lion Kingdom to them and compensate for the losses. They want double the compensation and ten times the compensation for part of the territory."
When Kulam heard that he had to cede half of the territory of the Lion Kingdom, he was so scared that his face turned pale. The territory of the Lion Kingdom was not very big. If they ceded half of it to the Tang dynasty, they would be even weaker and would never have a chance to rise again.
"They actually want to cede half of our territory. This is too much. Is there no room for negotiation?"
Kulam asked in pain.
"Your Majesty, this is their bottom line. There is no room for negotiation. We have tried our best."
The minister said helplessly.
"Half of the territory and the compensation will also consume half of our national treasury! The Tang dynasty is trying to destroy the Lion Kingdom! We can't agree. We can't agree to such harsh conditions. "
King Kulam said angrily.
"Your Majesty, we saw the elite Tang Army in Gordy with our own eyes. This is not something that the troops of the Lion Kingdom can resist. The gap in strength is too big. If we don't agree to their demands, they will attack us at this time tomorrow. At that time, we may not have a chance to negotiate."
The minister said.
"But the Tang dynasty has gone too far. How can we agree to such harsh demands? Immediately recruit soldiers in the country. All the men above the age of ten and below the age of sixty must join the army. Let them all resist the Tang Army. We must frustrate the spirit of the Tang Army. "
King Kulam of the Lion Kingdom roared.
"Your Majesty, no matter how many soldiers we have, we can't resist the elite troops of the Tang Army. If we reluctantly agree, we may have a chance to survive."
The minister persuaded.
"You are a traitor. Your Majesty, we can't compromise. I am willing to lead all the troops in the country to fight the Tang dynasty to the death. We can definitely inflict heavy losses on the Tang dynasty and protect our Lion Kingdom. As long as you believe in me, I will be able to complete the task of stopping the Tang Army."
A general accepted the order confidently.
"Loyal officials show their loyalty when the country is in chaos! Well, Ma Teqin, I will appoint you as the chief general to lead all the troops of the Lion Kingdom, including my personal guards. Go to Tanar to resist the Tang Army. We must win. "
King Kulam ordered. He was not crazy, but the Tang dynasty's demands were too high. He could not accept it at all. Even if he had to fight to the death, he would not hesitate.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will go and prepare."
Great General Ma Teqin responded and turned around to prepare. Before he left, the corners of his mouth curled up into a slight smile. He seemed quite proud of himself.
Ma Teqin made some preparations, took most of the troops of the Lion Kingdom, and went straight to the coastal Tanar.
However, this guy was not going to war. He was going to negotiate. Not for their king, but for himself. The reason why he asked for the remaining troops of the Lion Kingdom was that only with troops in his hands could he fight for the greatest benefits. If he was nothing, then he would not be able to fight for anything.
"Assistant Minister Li, General Ma Teqin of the Lion Kingdom sent his confidant to negotiate?"
Just as Ang Lee was about to set off with his troops, the news came.
One of his subordinates heard it and asked in confusion, "What's going on? Why would the Lion Kingdom send the general's confidant? What happened?"
"Assistant Minister Li, the Lion Kingdom is becoming more and more insincere. They actually sent a general's confidant. His position is too low. He is not qualified to meet Assistant Minister Li."
Another subordinate said angrily.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "His identity is not very important. Let's meet him! Maybe this insignificant person will bring us unexpected gains. "
Although he did not know where Ma Teqin came from and what he wanted to do, Ang Lee had a premonition that something must have happened in the Lion Kingdom. Therefore, it was necessary to meet this general's confidant and find out what happened in the Lion Kingdom.
Soon, Ma Teqin's confidant entered the tent and bowed respectfully to Ang Lee.
"Why would the Lion Kingdom send a nobody? Tell me! What are you doing here? "
Ang Lee asked.
"Assistant Minister Li, our General Ma Teqin admires you very much. He wants to make friends with Assistant Minister Li and is more willing to be friends with the Tang dynasty. Therefore, he sent me to discuss some matters with Assistant Minister Li."
Ma Teqin's confidant said.
"Oh, is that so? What do you want to discuss? Just say it directly. Don't beat around the bush. "
Ang Lee said.
"My general heard that the Tang dynasty agreed to the peace talks on the condition of ceding half of the Lion Kingdom's territory and a large amount of compensation. However, the King did not agree and sent my general to lead the country's troops to fight against the Tang Army. However, my general has always admired Assistant Minister Li and prefers the Tang dynasty. He does not want to be enemies with the Tang dynasty. Therefore, he sent me to talk to Assistant Minister Li."
The corner of Li An's mouth curled into a smile as he nodded and said, "Your general is quite sensible! He knows that the authority of the Tang dynasty cannot be offended. However, he must have his own demands! What can he give to the Tang dynasty and what does he want? "
"Assistant Minister Li, my general said that he can meet demands higher than those of the Tang dynasty. My general wants to be the king of the Lion Kingdom and hopes that the Tang dynasty can agree."
Ma Teqin's confidant said.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Very good. You are very frank and clear. Your general is a smart man! I like it very much. However, since you want me to help your general realize his dream of being the king, our demands will naturally be higher. The compensation amount will be increased by 30%. The Lion Kingdom will become a vassal of the Tang dynasty and must pay tribute every year. All the minerals in the Lion Kingdom must be given priority to the merchants of the Tang dynasty for mining. The taxes collected must also be negotiated with the Tang dynasty. If the Tang dynasty's merchants commit crimes in the Lion Kingdom, they must be handed over to the Tang dynasty for punishment. The Lion Kingdom has no right to deal with them on its own … In addition, more than ten ports and deep lands in the north will be completely assigned to the Tang dynasty, which is equivalent to one-tenth of the territory of the Lion Kingdom. The Lion Kingdom's army cannot exceed 20,000 and cannot be deployed near the land of the Tang dynasty. If the Tang dynasty needs anything, the Lion Kingdom will fully assist. "
"I will remember it. I will go back and make it clear to my general. My general should agree."
Ang Lee said with satisfaction, "Good. Go back and discuss it quickly. I will wait for your good news."
After Ma Teqin's confidant left, Ang Lee breathed a sigh of relief and was in a very good mood. The internal rebellion of the Lion Kingdom made his plan smoother and it became easier to colonize the Lion Kingdom.
"Assistant Minister Li, didn't you say that you wanted to occupy half of the Lion Kingdom's land? Why is it only one-tenth?"
An official was very puzzled. He felt that Ang Lee's request was lowered, not increased.
Ang Lee smiled and explained, "You are right. The land we want to occupy has decreased, but the benefits we can obtain have increased. The reason why we don't want so much land is because we don't need so much land. Our purpose is to build an important hub of the Maritime Silk Road here. We don't need too much land. In addition, the Lion Kingdom has a large population. If we occupy half of the land, we still need to govern a large number of people. It will be very troublesome. It is better to leave it to them to govern themselves."
"I see. Assistant Minister Li is wise! We didn't think of this. "
His subordinate praised.
Ma Teqin's confidant quickly returned to Tanar on the other side of the strait and explained Ang Lee's intentions.
"Agree, agree to all of them. Go now and discuss the specific details of the operation with Assistant Minister Li."
Ma Teqin ordered his confidant.
"Yes, General. I will go now."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
