Ang Lee knew that the canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea was nearly 400 miles long. It could be said that it was a very long canal. Although it also included some natural waterways, the distance that needed to be excavated was still very long. It was not so easy to excavate it.
However, the Grand Canal that was opened by the Sui Dynasty before the Tang Dynasty was not inferior to the canal that needed to be excavated. It was even much longer than the canal that needed to be excavated. The only difference was that the canal that needed to be excavated was for ships to pass through. The requirement for shipping was naturally higher than that of the Grand Canal owned by the Tang Dynasty. However, the distance was indeed much shorter. As long as enough manpower was gathered around, coupled with the advanced machinery of the Tang Empire, this canal could be completely excavated in a few decades. Once this Grand Canal was successfully excavated, it would be of great benefit to the Maritime Silk Road of the Tang Dynasty. It would greatly promote the maritime connection between the Tang Dynasty and the Western countries and promote the economic development of the Tang Empire.
In short, no matter how much it cost, the Tang Empire would eventually excavate this canal. It was only a matter of time. Naturally, too much manpower from the Tang Dynasty could not be mobilized to excavate this canal. They had to rely on local manpower. The Tang Dynasty only needed to send technical personnel, and the most difficult work would be done by the nearby people.
If manpower was not enough, manpower could be mobilized from farther places, such as the Lion Kingdom, several Indian countries, Arabian countries, and some African tribes. As long as the manpower was within 2,000 miles, they could be mobilized. The source of food could be raised locally or transported by sea. In short, this was not a difficult task.
In Ang Lee's view, the significance of excavating this canal was far greater than that of the Grand Canal inside the Tang Dynasty. That Grand Canal was only connected to the internal country. However, this Grand Canal would completely connect Europe with the East. It was extremely important for the development of economy and trade. As long as the excavation was successful, it would not take many years for the capital to be recovered.
Of course, such an important location naturally had to be occupied by the Tang dynasty. No matter what method was used, the land on both sides of the canal must be owned by the Tang dynasty. Otherwise, such an important waterway in the territory of another country would be a big deal, and the huge annual traffic fee would be spent by other countries.
With the current strength of the Navy of the Tang dynasty, seizing such a place would be a piece of cake and would not cost them much. If they could take advantage of the conflicts between the local tribes, they might be able to seize this precious land without shedding any blood.
After leaving the Tang dynasty, Ang Lee had already taken control of two important transportation hubs, the Malacca base and the Lion Kingdom base. In addition, there were three important positions that must be controlled, and these three positions were very important.
One was the Grand Canal that connected the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The other was near the city of Aden that entered the Red Sea. The last was somewhere below Arabia.
These three positions each had their own advantages, and they must be controlled by him. Otherwise, the Maritime Silk Road could not be fully controlled.
In terms of importance, the junction between Europe and Asia and Africa that could be built into the Grand Canal was naturally the most important. The importance of this area was incomparable to the other areas because it guarded the main traffic route. It could be called the most important hub in the maritime industry, and no other hub could be compared to it.
Therefore, this area was Ang Lee's ultimate goal. However, this area was too far away from the Tang dynasty and was not close to the Lion Kingdom. It was an isolated enclave in the sea. In order to strengthen the support and facilitate support, before occupying this area, it was necessary to occupy the city of Aden.
The city of Aden guarded the entrance and exit of the Red Sea, and it could play a very good role in connecting the previous and following. If the Tang dynasty built a city here, it would be very easy to control this area. In addition, it would be beneficial for the connection between the Lion Kingdom and the Grand Canal. Once pirates and hostile forces appeared, it would be easier to react.
In short, the main reason why Ang Lee valued the city of Aden was because it guarded the entrance and exit of the Red Sea. After controlling this place and the Grand Canal, the entire thousands of miles of waterway would be controlled by the Tang dynasty.
In addition, in such an important area, it was necessary to guard it. After the commercial boom, if a strong navy was not set up here, pirates would rise.
In the future, pirates appeared very frequently near the city of Aden, and there were often tragedies of pirates robbing merchant ships. The reason was that this was a waterway that merchant ships had to pass through. All merchant ships that passed through the Grand Canal had to pass through the strait next to the city of Aden, which was directly called the Gulf of Aden in the future.
The story of the convoy in the Gulf of Aden was even filmed in a movie. In particular, the rampant level of pirates near the Gulf of Aden was really indescribable.
Naturally, Ang Lee had thought of this point first. Therefore, he had to build a city of the Tang dynasty near the city of Aden and turn it into a nail firmly nailed to the entrance and exit of the Red Sea. This would deter the small countries and pirate forces nearby, and ensure that the Silk Road on the Sea was fully unblocked.
The third location was very close to the so-called Persian Gulf in the future. This location was also very important. If it could contain the Persian Gulf, it would naturally greatly improve the international status of the Tang Empire. In addition, this place could also be connected to the Silk Road on the land of the Tang dynasty.
He only needed to find a good port here, and then build a railway from the port to the northeast to connect with the Silk Road of the Tang dynasty. In this way, he could realize his goal of transporting goods from the Persian Gulf to the Tang dynasty by land. Naturally, with one more choice, there would be one more business method, which was a great thing.
The Grand Canal, the city of Aden, and the port near the Persian Gulf could almost form a large triangle, which was close to an equilateral triangle. It would be a good compliment to the western area of the Silk Road on the Sea, and promote the economic development of the Tang Empire and other distant countries.
The location of the Lion Kingdom was a little far from these three places, and the Sea of Malacca was even further away. As for the mainland of the Tang dynasty such as Yazhou, it was even shorter.
However, the five overseas bases of the Tang dynasty planned by Ang Lee were about the same distance. At least, from the big map, there was not much difference.
For example, the distance from Yazhou to Malacca, the distance from Malacca to the Lion Kingdom, the distance from the Lion Kingdom to the Persian Gulf, the distance from the Persian Gulf to the city of Aden, and the distance from the city of Aden to the Grand Canal. These five distances were about the same, and the difference was definitely not more than two times.
Ang Lee had already planned to build five fleets at these five overseas locations in the future. From the farthest to the nearest, they were the First Fleet in the Grand Canal area, the Second Fleet near the city of Aden, the Third Fleet near the Persian Gulf, the Fourth Fleet in the Lion Kingdom, and the Fifth Fleet in Malacca.
With these five fleets, it would be enough to ensure the smooth flow of the Silk Road on the sea of the Tang dynasty and protect the huge interests of the Tang Empire.
Now, the fleet in the Sea of Malacca was already in preparation. The fleet in the Lion Kingdom was also in the initial stage. The captured warships of the Lion Kingdom only needed to be slightly repaired before they could be used. In addition, Ang Lee would also leave behind a few steam gunboats as the backbone of the local navy.
The cost of maintaining five powerful naval fleets was naturally very high. However, these costs could be paid by the surrounding small countries that were protected. In addition, these locations were all important sea routes, and the toll alone could be charged a lot. Naturally, there was enough money to support the operation of the navy.
Moreover, the scale of the navy in these five locations also depended on the local income. If the income could not keep up, the navy could use fewer warships. If the income was particularly high, the navy could maintain more warships. In short, they could not increase the burden of the local imperial court.
Although this method was good, it was also prone to some problems. That was, the navy in each location would obtain financial support from the local government. Over time, they would develop into local forces. If they became independent, it would be troublesome.
Therefore, the scale of the five overseas naval fleets still had to be controlled. They could not develop too much. In addition, the money collected from the toll had to be handed over to the imperial court. Then, the imperial court would transfer the funds to the navy. Although the money did not have to be directly transported to Chang 'an City, it was very useful to put an end to the separatist forces. He would remind the navy that their funds were provided by the imperial court and not the local officials. In this way, their loyalty would be to the imperial court of the Tang dynasty and not to the local officials of the Tang dynasty who were stationed in the area.
Five overseas naval fleets. It was very exciting to think about it. However, this plan was still in Ang Lee's mind. He did not tell the imperial court, because many things had to be done step by step and could not be done in a hurry.
After Ang Lee obtained part of the land in the Lion Kingdom and South Tianzhu, he immediately reported the details of the land to the imperial court. However, because the sea route was long, it took half a month for the news to reach Chang 'an City.
This was the most advanced steam ships and trains of the Tang dynasty. If Ang Lee had not invented these two things, the news would not have reached Chang 'an City in several months.
After the imperial court received the news, naturally, they were very excited. The Emperor and the ministers were all so happy that they danced happily in the palace.
When the ministers were happy, they asked the Emperor to name the land. The Emperor thought about it and decided that the largest piece of land he had obtained was the land of the Lion Kingdom, so he named it Anshi County.
In this way, the land that Ang Lee obtained from the Lion Kingdom had a new name, Anshi County. The most important city that Ang Lee had reported, Tanal City, was also changed to Anshi City by the Emperor of the Tang dynasty.
The imperial edict was sent to the Lion Kingdom at the fastest speed and went straight to Ang Lee's residence. Such an important matter naturally had to be handed over to Ang Lee as soon as possible.
"Assistant Minister Li, good news! That's great news! "
The eunuch in charge of delivering the imperial edict had all come to the Lion Kingdom. He had worked hard. There were also some substitute officials in the capital. These people had already become Jinshi. However, because there were no vacant official positions, they could only stay in the capital. This time, when Ang Lee obtained another piece of land, they volunteered to be officials. Naturally, the Emperor could not ask for more.
In order to show their loyalty, these officials only brought half of their families to take up the post. The other half of their families stayed in the Tang dynasty.
"Is His Majesty going to reward us meritorious officials?"
Ang Lee asked happily.
"His Majesty said that there is no need to read the imperial edict. Just give it to Assistant Minister Li directly. Please have a look."
The eunuch directly handed the imperial edict over.
Ang Lee took a look. There were indeed many rewards. However, there were not many monetary rewards. Most of the rewards were land. Of course, it was not the native land of the Tang dynasty, but the land obtained by Ang Lee.
Generals with meritorious service could obtain thousands of acres of land. Ordinary soldiers could obtain hundreds of acres of land. Those with the most meritorious service could even obtain tens of thousands of acres of land.
Because not all the generals and soldiers would stay in the local area, the land could be freely bought and sold. If the generals and soldiers who obtained the land left, they could sell the land to the generals and soldiers who stayed in the local area to develop the land. They could also sell the land to the locals.
Ang Lee naturally received the most rewards. He was given a total of 60,000 acres of land. The other generals and soldiers could not compare with him. However, Ang Lee did not intend to settle down in the local area. Therefore, there was no chance for him to use the land.
Fortunately, there were more Tang dynasty merchants in the local area. Ang Lee could lease the 60,000 acres of land he obtained to the Tang dynasty merchants and then collect a certain amount of rent. The Tang dynasty merchants traveled overseas all year round. They also had properties in the local area. It was very convenient for them to pay rent.
"Anshi County. Not bad. His Majesty gave it a good name! From now on, this place will be called Anshi County. Tanal City will be called Anshi City. By the way, we have just built a new school here. It's time to change its name. Let's call it Anshi University of the Tang dynasty! "
Ang Lee said happily.
"Anshi University of the Tang dynasty. What a good name! It's much better than the previous name! It looks more domineering. "
Everyone responded happily.
"These are the officials of Anshi County selected by the imperial court! You don't need to do anything these days. First, familiarize yourself with the environment and rest more. After that, you can start working. "
Ang Lee said.
There were 50 to 60 officials. Their families and attendants were no less than five or six people. Some had 20 to 30 people. On average, there were more than 10 people. The total number of people was about 500 to 600.
"Thank you, Assistant Minister Li."
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