Ang Lee had said so many encouraging words at the beginning of the banquet, which was naturally very necessary. It was very conducive to closing the distance between him and the businessmen so that the businessmen could complain to him.
The real businessmen might be more tactful due to the occasion and would not dare to criticize the Western Tianzhu Imperial Court too much. However, the fake businessmen sent by Ang Lee would not be polite. They would strictly follow the script and stand up at the right time to criticize the inaction of the Western Tianzhu Imperial Court, thus providing convenience for Ang Lee to take over the port in the northwest.
Seeing that the merchants were so enthusiastic about him, Li An was very happy. Being able to come here today meant that he was already halfway to success. Next, he only needed to proceed step by step to achieve the goal he had set out to achieve.
"Everyone, let's drink together. Let's drink together and be happy together."
Ang Lee raised his glass and looked at all the businessmen present.
"Assistant Minister Li, please."
Everyone stood up and raised the wine glasses in their hands.
After a few glasses of wine, the banquet officially began. All kinds of delicious food were served one by one, including tropical fruits, various seafood, and delicious meat. It could be said that everything was available.
Although the culinary skills of this era were not very good, as long as the material was good, it could be considered delicious with a little processing. It was very delicious, especially food like fruits. There was no need to add seasoning. As long as it was fresh fruit, it would taste very delicious.
Ang Lee glanced at the King of Western Tianzhu next to the port official and asked, "This is?"
The chief officer of the port hurriedly replied, "Assistant Minister Li, this is the Western Governor of Western Tianzhu, my superior."
"Western Governor, haha! Come, let's have a drink. "
Ang Lee raised his glass politely.
"Assistant Minister Li, you are too polite. I have always admired the culture of the Tang Dynasty. If there is a chance in the future, I will go to the Tang Dynasty and experience the style of the Tang Empire."
The King said.
"That's a good thing! In the future, as long as the Maritime Silk Road of the Tang Dynasty is built, it won't take too long to go from Western Tianzhu to the Tang Dynasty by ship. The Tang Dynasty also welcomes all friends. "
Ang Lee said politely.
"Come, Assistant Minister Li, let's have another drink."
The King of Western India took the initiative to ask Ang Lee for a drink.
Everyone ate, drank, and complimented each other. The banquet went very smoothly. Everyone was immersed in a happy atmosphere. Many people were drunk and their words were floating.
Seeing that it was about time, Li An signaled to his subordinates with his eyes and then stood up lightly. He had the merchants quiet down and said, "Everyone, this official is very happy today. It is this official's honor to be able to receive your invitation. If you have any difficulties, feel free to tell this official. This official will make a decision for you. Everyone, speak freely."
One of the fake merchants stood up and said, "Assistant Minister Li, since you've said so, then I'll boldly say it. We merchants are indeed facing a great threat right now, and that is the pirates in the northwest. In the past year or so, these pirates have been wantonly robbing passing ships and killing many merchants and crew members. They have committed heinous crimes and are the number one enemy of our merchants."
"That's right. Before these pirates appeared, we merchants were able to live a good life. However, ever since they appeared, our lives have become very difficult. Every time we pass through the Northwest, we have to be on tenterhooks. Many merchants have been robbed and have gone bankrupt. There are even more merchants who have lost their loved ones. If these pirates are not eliminated, we merchants will not be able to live a good life."
Another fake merchant spoke loudly to exaggerate the feelings.
A true merchant opened his mouth and said, "Assistant Minister Li, they are not lying at all. This old man has also been robbed by these pirates and suffered heavy losses. This old man can see that the Great Tang's army is very strong. If we can exterminate these pirates, we are willing to do anything."
"Assistant Minister Li, please help us!"
"Except for the Tang Dynasty's army, we can't count on anyone else."
The merchants were all emotional.
Ang Lee glanced at them from the corner of his eyes. The chief officer of the port of Western Tianzhu and the official who claimed to be the governor of the western region all looked very bad. Their faces were green.
As for why they had such expressions, it was very simple. They had an inescapable responsibility for the rampant pirates. If they had not indulged the pirates, how could these pirates exist? Although the military strength of Western Tianzhu was overestimating its ability to fight against the Tang Dynasty, it was still able to deal with the small pirates. Although there would be a lot of losses, they could still defeat them.
In order to avoid heavy losses and to create a strategic buffer area between Western Tianzhu and Dashi, the Western Tianzhu court finally adopted a indulgent attitude towards the pirates and did not ask what the pirates did at all. As for the demands of the merchants, they did not consider them at all. They were all unarmed people. The merchants could not make any big waves, so they could completely ignore the demands of the merchants.
But now, the merchants raised the issue of the pirates in front of the officials of the Tang Dynasty. The officials of Western Tianzhu naturally felt a little guilty, so it was natural for them to look unhappy.
Of course, Ang Lee could not directly agree. He frowned and said angrily, "How could there be such a thing? These pirates are really hateful. They not only rob but also kill innocent people. This is intolerable. By the way, these pirates have been entrenched in the northwest for more than a year. Didn't the local court send troops to encircle and suppress them?"
After that, he looked at the soldiers he sent and asked them to come out.
"To tell you the truth, Assistant Minister Li, the northwest pirate lair was originally the territory of Western Tianzhu. After it was accidentally robbed by the pirates, the Western Tianzhu court did not send troops to take it back. For more than a year, they never sent a single soldier and let the pirates bully us merchants."
One of the fake merchants accused angrily.
"It's more than that. I heard that the generals of Western Tianzhu received benefits from the pirates. Every month, the pirates would give a part of the wealth they robbed to the local officials of Western Tianzhu. Therefore, they have always been loyal to the pirates and are never willing to send troops to eliminate them."
"That's right. The Western Tianzhu imperial court is doing nothing. They just watch us merchants get bullied by pirates without doing anything. How can such an imperial court gain the loyalty of the people? We merchants have to pay a lot of taxes every year, but the imperial court doesn't help us eliminate the pirates and just watches us get bullied. It's really unfair."
"We implore the Tang dynasty to leave the troops in Western Tianzhu. We want to be the people of the Tang dynasty. We need someone to protect us."
"We were born in the Tang dynasty and we will die in the Tang dynasty. We don't want to be bullied by the pirates anymore. We implore the Tang dynasty to take over the land here and drive away the inactive Western Tianzhu court."
A group of fake merchants shouted boldly.
At this time, everyone became very sober. The merchants who were a little drunk suddenly woke up with a fright.
These were all reactionary words, and the high-ranking officials of Western Tianzhu were sitting here. There was actually a merchant who dared to say such bold words, which made the real merchants jump in fright.
However, it was not them who said these words. Moreover, the troops of the Tang dynasty had already entered the port, so there was no need to worry about the Western Tianzhu court getting angry. The merchants had long complained about the Western Tianzhu court. If the Tang dynasty really wanted to take over this place, they would not work for this inactive court.
Li An took a closer look. The merchants had a surprised look on their faces, while the expressions of the Western Tianzhu officials were very complicated. There was even a trace of fear in them.
Especially the high-ranking official of Western Tianzhu, who claimed to be the governor of the western region, his face was as pale as a sheet of ash.
"You … Are you going to rebel?"
The port official was trembling with anger.
If someone dared to speak like this before the troops of the Tang dynasty came, he would be very angry and order the insolent merchants to be arrested and even executed. But the situation at this time was a little different. More than 10,000 elite troops led by Ang Lee were stationed in the port, and their strength was far stronger than the troops of Western Tianzhu here. Just outside this restaurant, the armored artillery of the Tang Dynasty army was not something they could deal with.
Therefore, although the port official was angry, he was also very afraid. He was afraid that he would be impulsive and offend Ang Lee. If so, his life would be over.
"Everyone, tell me, do we still need to be loyal to this court that doesn't consider the people? Should we support the Tang dynasty? "
"What are you afraid of? The court of the Tang dynasty will make the decision for you. Shouldn't you do something yourself?"
Several fake merchants shouted.
At this time, a few smarter merchants realized that these shouting merchants weren't real merchants at all. Merchants wouldn't risk their lives like this. Moreover, these were all new faces that had appeared recently. If they were real merchants, then there was something fishy going on.
The IQ of merchants was higher than that of ordinary people. Otherwise, how could they gain a foothold in the unpredictable business field? After careful consideration of various things that had happened recently, they finally came to a conclusion that the Tang dynasty had territorial claims on Western Tianzhu, and they felt that it was more beneficial to follow the Tang dynasty.
"We support the Tang dynasty. We support the Tang dynasty."
After understanding the truth, the real merchants also spoke out to support the Tang dynasty.
"We support the Tang dynasty. The court of the Tang dynasty will help us eliminate the pirates. We want to be the people of the Tang dynasty."
Suddenly, all the merchants went crazy and loudly expressed their support for the Tang Empire, because only by supporting the Tang dynasty could their interests be better protected. And the court of Western Tianzhu had really broken their hearts.
"You …"
The chief official of the port suddenly turned ashen. He was so scared that he could not speak.
He was in charge of this port city. Now, all the business elites in the city supported the Tang dynasty and tried to turn the port into the territory of the Tang dynasty. As the director, he naturally had an unshirkable responsibility. The king was right in front of him. He did not know how to explain it to the king, and he also felt that it would be futile to explain it.
The king of Western Tianzhu, who pretended to be the governor of the western region, turned from pale to red. He was angry and scared. He was very angry because these merchants had earned their wealth in Western Tianzhu. It was Western Tianzhu who had supported them, but they betrayed Western Tianzhu so easily. He was scared because the troops of the Tang dynasty had already entered the port and did not take any action before. Naturally, it was because of this banquet.
"It seems that the court of Western Tianzhu is not doing a good job! The common people are against you. "
Ang Lee looked at several Western Tianzhu officials with a smile, whose faces were very pale.
"I'm afraid Assistant Minister Li already had such intentions!"
The king of Western Tianzhu, who claimed to be the governor of the port, said helplessly.
Ang Lee said aggrievedly, "I'm just passing by. You don't think that all this is my conspiracy, do you?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
Seeing that Ang Lee's tone was not good, the king of Western Tianzhu was at a loss. The guards he brought were limited, and they were no match for the troops of the Tang dynasty. Once there was a conflict, he would lose his life.
Ang Lee smiled and asked, "I'm just curious. Why don't you eliminate the pirates and make decisions for the merchants? Moreover, the northwest pirate lair is also your territory. Why is that? Is it because you can't beat the pirates? "
"This …"
The king of Western Tianzhu paused for a moment and said, "My subordinates only said that the northwest port was occupied by pirates. They did not say that the pirates killed and robbed. I didn't know that the pirates were so rampant."
"Good, very good. What do you think of this reason?"
Ang Lee looked at the merchants.
"What bullsh * t reason? The port has been occupied by pirates. Why don't we take it back? Haven't we reacted enough? The imperial court has never paid attention to it. They have received too many benefits from the pirates. "
"Yes, they have received too many benefits from the pirates. That's why they don't eliminate the pirates. The imperial court of Western Tianzhu is in cahoots with the pirates."
"The imperial court of Western Tianzhu is the biggest pirate, the biggest pirate."
The merchants had gone crazy. They vented all the resentment they had been holding in all at once.
When the Western Tianzhu officials heard this, they were even more frightened. The merchants actually regarded them as pirates, which meant that the merchants had long hated them in their hearts.
The king was very regretful. He should not have listened to his courtier and allowed the pirates to occupy the northwest port. If he had made the right decision, the situation would not be like this now. In addition, he was certain that the courtier who advised him must have received benefits from the pirates. He must kill this courtier. As long as he returned to the capital, he would kill the courtier who harmed him.
But the current crisis had to be overcome. If he did not give the merchants a satisfactory explanation, it would be a big problem whether he could walk out of here alive, let alone other things.
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