Whether it was for an individual or for a country's imperial court, not having money was very scary. If a person did not have money, he could not buy all kinds of materials needed for his life. He could not spend happily and even had to suffer from hunger.
For a country, not having money was even scarier. The lack of funds would cause a country's operations to fall into a terrible paralysis. Once the country fell into a paralysis, all parts of the country would enter a state of anarchy. The number of people who committed crimes would increase sharply, seriously threatening the daily lives of the people.
Of course, the rulers would not think too much about the interests of the people. They were always worried about the interests of their own small group.
Once the country's funds were broken, the small group in power would fall into a great predicament. If this situation continued, the rulers were bound to be overthrown by the people and even lose their lives. Therefore, since ancient times, all rulers would try their best to avoid financial difficulties. When such a situation occurred, they would try their best to obtain more financial resources.
The way to obtain financial resources was either to increase reforms or to increase taxes. Under normal circumstances, no matter which situation it was, the unlucky ones would always be the ordinary people.
Ma Teqin used a better method, which was to rent and sell the country's land. This seemed to be selling out the country, but the ordinary people here only wanted to live their lives. Who would care about the land that was rented out? As for the nobles, as long as their interests were not infringed, it did not matter much if the country rented out some land, because they could not come up with a more effective way.
Therefore, when the country's finances were in a serious crisis, Ma Teqin's policy of renting and selling land was in line with the interests of the aristocrats and the people. There would not be much resistance in the country. Moreover, most of the land that was rented and sold was unowned wasteland and woodland. The rented ports were all simple ports that needed to be developed. There were even shallow ports that could not be used without a certain price.
Of course, the main reason why this method could work was that the information in this era was not developed enough. The people's sense of rights and patriotism had not been awakened, resulting in the imperial court being unable to oppose the betrayal of the country.
If it was in the future where the media was developed, this kind of traitorous behavior would soon be mercilessly criticized by the people. All the major newspapers would denounce it in speech and in writing. The prestige of the ruler would quickly disappear, and he might even fall from power.
He remembered that in order to use the power of the Wokou pirates to consolidate his rule, Baldy sold a lot of his rights and interests to them. However, the people and patriots didn't agree. They started a national condemnation, which greatly reduced Baldy's prestige.
In any case, the people of the Lion Kingdom in this era did not have any consciousness of resistance. As long as they could live, they would not risk being killed to do dangerous things. This also allowed Ang Lee's plan to be implemented smoothly....
After listening to Ang Lee's analysis, the subordinate felt that it was very reasonable. The Tang dynasty was so powerful now. Why was it so powerful? Of course, it was because the country was rich and the people were strong. In other words, it was very rich.
The Tang dynasty was very rich. Therefore, all the institutions in the country could operate very well. They also had enough funds to invent all kinds of things that were needed and to equip a strong army. In short, everything was easy with money. Without money, nothing could be done.
"Assistant Minister Li, if the Lion Kingdom keeps renting and selling land, won't it become richer and richer? In this way, will it gradually become stronger and stronger? Your subordinate saw it clearly. Many of the merchants borrowed money to buy the land. If the Lion Country doesn't acknowledge their debts in the future, these merchants will be in trouble. "
The subordinate said worriedly.
Ang Lee laughed and said, "Will the Lion Kingdom be so bold? Anyway, I don't believe it. "
For a weak country like the Lion Kingdom, Ang Lee really did not take it to heart. Even if it was allowed to develop, it was absolutely impossible for it to surpass the Tang dynasty. There was no possibility at all. Therefore, the Lion Kingdom was a small country that was worth worrying about.
The Tang dynasty was so powerful that there was no need to treat the Lion Kingdom as an opponent. It was simply a waste of time. The Lion Kingdom was not qualified at all.
In the future, the Hua Xia was gradually rising and had always been regarded as a huge threat by the world's powerful countries. The other poor small countries were never regarded as a threat because the Hua Xia was extremely vast, had a large population, and had a strong history and culture. It had the potential to become the world's most powerful country. The other small countries did not have the characteristics to become a world's most powerful country. Therefore, only the rising Hua Xia would be regarded as a global threat and a threat to the world's most powerful country. The similarly rich small countries were very reassuring because they did not have the characteristics to challenge the powerful countries and would not cause the powerful countries to be nervous.
In Ang Lee's view, the Lion Kingdom was a small country in the future. There was no need to worry about it at all. To treat it as an opponent was to look down on oneself.
"Assistant Minister Li, the Lion Kingdom is naturally no match for the Tang dynasty. However, the Lion Kingdom is isolated overseas. Our main forces cannot always stay near the Lion Kingdom. Sooner or later, they will have to withdraw to the mainland of the Tang dynasty. The small number of troops and horses left here may not be enough to deter the Lion Kingdom!"
The subordinate said worriedly.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "I understand. You are worried that after the Lion Kingdom recovers, they will take advantage of the departure of our main forces to take back the land they rented out."
"That's right. The Lion Kingdom will not be so bold in the next two or three years. However, it is hard to say in the future. Ten, twenty, or thirty years later, who can say for sure?"
The subordinate said.
Time would change everything. There was nothing in the world that time could not change. Time would make people grow old and change people's hearts. It could also change the original covenant. Therefore, after a few years, whether the Lion Kingdom would forcibly take back the land they rented out or not, no one could say for sure. In short, renting out the land of the Lion Kingdom definitely carried a certain amount of risk.
However, Ang Lee was not worried about this. At this moment, the Maritime Silk Road was still in preparation. Once the Maritime Silk Road was completely unblocked, the Tang dynasty would definitely station troops and horses in the important areas along the way that could deter pirates and the surrounding countries. Therefore, the Lion Kingdom would not go back on their words.
"Your concern is very reasonable. Therefore, in order to avoid such a thing, we must station enough troops and horses in the important areas along the way. At least, they must be able to deter the surrounding countries and pirates. You can rest assured."
Ang Lee comforted him.
The subordinate thought for a moment and said, "Assistant Minister Li, it is really too far to travel from Yazhou to the Lion Kingdom by sea. Wouldn't it be better if we could open up a shortcut on land?"
Ang Lee said in surprise, "What do you think? You can say it directly."
As a leader, Ang Lee did not like to keep his subordinates in suspense. He liked his subordinates to say whatever they wanted without hiding anything.
"I have looked at the world map these days. I think that if we start from Jiannan Province of the Tang dynasty and develop in the southwest direction, we can take a shortcut and bypass the Strait of Malacca. In this way, if something happens in the Lion Kingdom, the Tang dynasty can react quickly."
The subordinate said.
Ang Lee had naturally thought of this route long ago. However, this route needed to pass through two countries. One was Nanzhao, an affiliated country to the south of the Tang dynasty, and the other was Pyu, an affiliated country. These two small countries were not very powerful. It should not be too difficult for them to take the shortcut. However, after all, they had to pass through the territory of other countries. It always made people feel insecure and inconvenient.
"You are very smart. This is indeed a shortcut and can be a good support for the Silk Road on Sea. However, it is very difficult to open up this route! First of all, this shortcut needs to pass through Nanzhao and Pyu first. You know how difficult it is to build your own road on the territory of other countries. Secondly, this route needs to pass through mountainous areas. You can imagine how difficult it is to build a road. Not to mention the powerful railway, even a car road is very difficult! "
Ang Lee pointed out the difficulties of building this road.
"Assistant Minister Li is right. This subordinate also has this consideration. However, if we were to build a road here, it would be too perfect. It's just that the difficulty of building it is a little too high."
The subordinate agreed with Ang Lee's words, and a look of regret appeared on his face.
Ang Lee carefully recalled the map and said, "As long as we work hard step by step, this road can be opened. Moreover, Nanzhao and Pyu have their own roads. Their roads are connected and can pass through this sea. However, this road is too difficult to travel. For the time being, it has no commercial value. It is also very inconvenient for the army to mobilize. What the Tang Dynasty can do now is to help these two countries repair the existing roads and make this rugged and difficult road less difficult to travel. As long as it is constantly repaired and opened up, this road will have commercial value sooner or later."
Ang Lee was very clear whether this place could be built into a road. This was the later Burma Road. It could be built, but it needed to pass through Pyu and Nanzhao. As long as it was open to traffic, it would have commercial value. This road would have a very good supporting role for the Maritime Silk Road of the Tang Dynasty. In addition, Nanzhao and Pyu were still affiliated to the Tang Dynasty. However, history told us that Nanzhao would belong to the Tang Empire sooner or later. The Pyu also had the possibility of annexing it. If Nanzhao and Pyu became the territory of the Tang Dynasty, the Maritime Silk Road would become safer, and it would be very helpful for the development of the Tang Dynasty.
However, it would take a long time to annex Nanzhao and Pyu. Nanzhao could be annexed first, but Pyu would need a longer time to succeed.
"Assistant Minister Li, this road is a long-term plan! As long as it is built, it will be very beneficial for the Tang Dynasty. "
The subordinate responded. He seemed to be very excited and happy that he had made such a good suggestion.
"In fact, in addition to the road between Nanzhao and Pyu, there is another road in the west. Moreover, it is much better than this one. In the future, it can be paved with railways, and it can better support the Maritime Silk Road."
Ang Lee thought of another road.
"Oh, there is such a good road. Which one is it?"
His subordinate asked with concern.
Ang Lee said, "It starts from Anxi in the Tang Dynasty and goes all the way to the southwest until it reaches the sea. In fact, there is more than one road. However, the overall route is from Anxi to the southwest. Let's consider it as one road for the time being!"
"Well, this road is also good. If the train can really pass through, it will be amazing. In this way, the land we got from the Lion Kingdom will not be isolated overseas."
His subordinate said excitedly.
The terrain of the road in the west was more complicated, but it seemed to be slightly better than the road in the east. Moreover, the railway was already being built in the Tocharian region in the west. As long as it was slightly extended, it would be connected to the sea. At that time, a super-large seaport would be built at the seaport. In this way, there would be one more commercial channel, which would be very beneficial to the development of the Tang Empire's foreign trade.
Ang Lee's next destination was the end of the road in the west. He wanted to inspect the terrain in person and choose an excellent seaport as the starting point of the future land route. As long as the seaport was built and the railway was opened, the goods here could be directly transported to Chang 'an City, and the goods from Chang' an City could also be transported here.
The sea and the land would be united to serve the commercial development of the Tang Empire. Only in this way could they have better development.
In the place where businessmen gathered, they could always hear all kinds of news. Because these businessmen came from all over the world, the interesting things that happened in the world would be discussed here and spread further.
Because the Tang Dynasty had developed too fast in recent years, most of the overseas businessmen were businessmen from the Tang Dynasty, accounting for at least half of the share. Naturally, most of the news they talked about was all kinds of interesting news from the Tang Dynasty, including gossip and news about goods.
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