Ang Lee expressed that the Tang Empire would not bully the weak, so that Osman could cooperate with the Tang Empire without worrying too much about his own interests.
Of course, this so-called "not bullying the weak" was a relative concept. It did not mean that they would not bully the weak. They just did it in a more subtle way so that people could slowly accept it.
Using a tactful way to bully the weak would not only not be hated, but would even be appreciated by others. For example, since ancient times, farmers who worked in the fields had to pay taxes to the imperial court. In later generations, the imperial court did not require farmers to pay taxes. They even gave farmers a lot of subsidies to encourage them to work in the fields and satisfy more people's needs.
Not only did they not have to pay taxes, but they also gave subsidies. It was naturally very touching. However, was this not bullying? Of course, it was impossible. All the money of the imperial court belonged to the common people. If they did not take the common people's money and gave them a large sum of money, the imperial court would go bankrupt.
The imperial court's approach was very simple. It was to print money! The more money they printed, the richer the imperial court would be. Correspondingly, the money in the hands of the common people would be worthless. This was a disguised form of plunder. However, it was completely different from direct plunder. The common people were easily kept in the dark. They would be happy to sing praises for the imperial court even if their assets were robbed.
What Ang Lee wanted to do for the Tang Empire now was to bully the overseas countries in a disguised form. He wanted these small countries to have nothing to say when they were bullied. He also wanted to use some means to give these small countries benefits so that they would follow the footsteps of the Tang Empire. The Tang Empire would eat the meat, and these small countries would just drink the soup.
Ang Lee wanted the geographical location of Aden, but he would not use force to seize it. He wanted to leave a good impression on the merchants and common people of Aden so that they would sincerely like the Tang Empire. This was what Ang Lee wanted, and it was also in the best interest of the Tang Empire. As for whether he could annex Aden in the end, Ang Lee did not care too much about it.
Osman listened to Ang Lee. Although he did not believe it, he felt that Ang Lee's words were somewhat credible. After all, the Tang Empire's army had already stationed at the port of Aden, but they stayed in the open space next to the port and did not occupy the entire city. The army of the Tang Empire and the army of Aden did not interfere with each other and reached a situation of peaceful coexistence.
This was enough to prove that the army of the Tang Empire was benevolent and righteous. The Tang Empire was also trustworthy. They could rest assured that they would cooperate with the Tang Empire, as long as they took care of the interests of both sides.
"I've long heard that the Tang Empire is a country of etiquette. It seems that it really lives up to its reputation! The Tang Empire did not take advantage of its unparalleled strength to conquer the world. It's really … "
Osman sighed. At the same time, he was also testing the waters. If he had the strength of the Tang Empire's army, he would have already conquered Europe, Asia, and Africa and become the great emperor.
Ang Lee laughed and said, "Haha! The Tang Empire is willing to be friends with all the countries in the world. Why would we conquer them? The goal of the Tang Empire is to make everyone rich. General Osman is very wise to be on good terms with the Tang Empire. "
Osman smiled, looked at another map, and said, "The Umayyad Dynasty has already fallen apart. The Tang Empire's map actually marks it as a country. It's really rare."
Ang Lee chuckled and said, "General Osman, do you think it's possible for the Umayyad Dynasty to make a comeback?"
After that, he looked into Osman's eyes, waiting for his answer.
Osman's eyes were gloomy for a moment. He shook his head and said, "To tell you the truth, Assistant Minister Li, the Umayyad Dynasty is on the decline. Except for me, there are no other talents. There are many people who oppose Apos, but they will not support the Umayyad Dynasty. It's too difficult to revive the Umayyad Dynasty."
Ang Lee said with a smile, "General Osman, do you know why it's difficult for the Umayyad Dynasty to make a comeback?"
"Why?"
Osman asked curiously.
Ang Lee said, "It's because every dynasty has its destiny. Just like a person, there will always be a teenager, a young man, a middle-aged man, and an old man who will eventually return to dust. The Umayyad Dynasty's destiny is over. It's basically impossible for it to make a comeback. If General Osman still wants to revive the Umayyad Dynasty, you will only be dragged down. I wonder if General Osman knows the history before the Tang Empire. If you do, you can naturally learn a lot from it."
"I know a lot about the history of the Tang Empire. It has a history of thousands of years."
Ang Lee said with a smile, "That's right. There were many dynasties before the Tang Empire, but all attempts to revive the declining dynasties were completely failed. After the Great Han Dynasty fell, Zhuge Liang tried to restore the Great Han Dynasty, but he failed in the end. When the Great Sui Dynasty fell, in order not to be dragged down by the decadent Great Sui, the Great Ancestor of the Tang Empire resolutely decided to raise his army and founded the Tang Empire, thus laying the foundation of the Tang Empire. General Osman, you have a dignified appearance and more than 10,000 elite soldiers under your command. Why bother thinking about the Umayyad Dynasty? Isn't it better for you to be the Sultan?"
After that, he looked at Osman.
Osman was not blindly loyal, so when he heard Ang Lee's words, he did not show the slightest dissatisfaction. Instead, there was a hint of excitement in his eyes. Obviously, Osman had long wanted to be independent.
"I'm just a general. If I become the Sultan on my own, I'm afraid that I will be attacked from many sides. With only 10,000 soldiers under my command, it will be very difficult to resist!"
Osman directly expressed his concerns. Obviously, he seemed to be asking for Ang Lee's help.
Ang Lee naturally understood Osman's meaning. He smiled and said, "If General Osman is willing to be friendly with the Tang Empire, the Tang Empire will definitely support General Osman. How much help General Osman can get depends on how much benefit General Osman can bring to the Tang Empire."
"Oh, I see! Assistant Minister Li, if you have any ideas, you can tell me directly and show me the way. "
Osman directly asked for advice.
Ang Lee pointed at an enlarged version of the map and said, "General Osman, please take a look. The core of the Umayyad Dynasty is in the Khorasan region. Now, the Apus Dynasty is also in the Khorasan region and controls the surrounding areas. Their strength is far greater than General Osman's, so it will be very difficult for you to become independent here. Unless General Osman can defeat the elite army of the Apus Dynasty, otherwise, as long as you dare to become the Sultan, you will be attacked by the Apus Dynasty at all costs. Moreover, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for you to survive."
"Didn't Assistant Minister Li say that the Tang Empire will help me? If I have the help of the Tang Empire's troops, even if Mansur and Abdullah join forces, they may not be able to kill me."
Osman said with a smile, trying to test Ang Lee's sincerity.
Ang Lee waved his hand and said, "General Osman is willing to be friends with the Tang Empire, but Mansur and the others may not be willing to be enemies with the Tang Empire. If you are all friends with the Tang Empire, the Tang Empire can't interfere too much in your grievances and can provide less help. Everything depends more on General Osman."
"So, Assistant Minister Li wants me to go to a farther place, such as Egypt."
Osman looked at a piece of land on the map and said.
Ang Lee answered happily, "That's right. Egypt is far away from the Khorasan region, and the terrain is more conducive to defense. As long as General Osman works hard, you will be able to defend this place. Moreover, the Tang Empire will be able to persuade Mansur and the others not to conquer the distant Egypt, so General Osman can be at ease in Egypt."
Osman said with a smile, "Assistant Minister Li is very thoughtful. With my current strength, it shouldn't be a problem to occupy the more remote Egypt. However, this still can't guarantee that I won't be attacked by Mansur and the others. I'm afraid that the small Spanish court will also come to make trouble."
Ang Lee pointed at a location on the map and said, "There's a peninsula here. It's not very big. If this place belongs to the Tang Empire, the Tang Empire will definitely not allow the armies of other countries to pass through. Therefore, if Mansur and the others want to attack Egypt, they will have to go by water. In this way, General Osman should be able to deal with them easily. The Tang Empire will also persuade them to give up. When necessary, they can even send steam gunboats to patrol the sea and threaten Mansur's logistics so that they won't dare to act rashly."
The peninsula here was the Sinai Peninsula, a very important strategic location. As long as this strategic location was occupied, the canal could be easily dug. Once the canal was completed, the strategic value of this peninsula would be greatly increased. Of course, this canal could only belong to the Tang Empire. In the future, just the toll alone would be enough to make one's hands go soft.
Osman thought for a moment and felt that it was just an inconspicuous peninsula. As long as Ang Lee supported him in conquering Egypt, it would not be difficult for him to admit that the Tang Empire owned such a peninsula.
"I can definitely agree that the Tang Empire owns the peninsula. However, Mansur and the others may not agree! They have already deployed a small number of troops to the peninsula and Egypt. "
Osman said bluntly.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "This will require General Osman's help. As long as General Osman conquers Egypt and the peninsula, Egypt and the peninsula will belong to General Osman. At that time, General Osman will give the peninsula to the Tang Empire, and the Tang Empire's troops will be able to defend it legitimately. If anyone dares to be unconvinced, they can't blame the Tang Empire's troops for bullying the weak. Don't you think so? General Osman. "
Osman felt a chill on his back and hurriedly said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. I am willing to cooperate with the Tang Empire. Egypt is mine, and the peninsula belongs to the Tang Empire."
Just like that, Osman and Ang Lee reached a political agreement. Both sides gained something. Ang Lee won the peninsula for the Tang Empire, and Osman got Ang Lee's promise that he could go to Egypt and dominate it. He would no longer have to listen to anyone.
Ang Lee turned his gaze to the area around Aden on the map and said, "General Osman, there is no need to rush to carry out the plan I just mentioned. The Tang Empire's troops are not ready yet, so they can't go north with you. So, let's stay here in Aden for the time being! When the Tang Empire's troops go north, I will definitely inform you and let you go ahead. "
"Okay, I completely trust Assistant Minister Li. The situation in Aden is complicated. If Assistant Minister Li needs any help, feel free to ask me."
Osman said.
Ang Lee nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, it's settled. I will definitely trouble you, General."
"Assistant Minister Li, please rest. I will take my leave."
Osman bowed and prepared to leave.
Because he had chatted with Li An for too long, he needed enough time to digest the content of the conversation and analyze how to cooperate to his advantage. There were also some things that he needed to discuss with his subordinates and obtain their support and approval.
Ang Lee also had a lot of things to think about. He got up and walked Osman out.
After returning to the back garden, Ang Lee continued to observe the map. He was very happy. If Osman could really cooperate with him, the peninsula would belong to the Tang Empire sooner or later.
Ang Lee was very excited at the thought of the peninsula, which was located in an important geographical location, falling into the hands of the Tang Empire. He wanted to jump up and celebrate.
Now that he had a solution to the peninsula, he had to consider the matter at hand. With Osman's cooperation, he would be more confident in taking down Aden.
After leaving Ang Lee's residence, Osman immediately returned to the hotel. He didn't stay for long because he found that someone was following him when he left Ang Lee's residence. This person was not from the Tang Empire. Therefore, he suspected that he was being followed by his opponent. Therefore, the best thing to do was to leave as soon as possible. Next, he only needed to send his subordinates to contact Ang Lee. There was no need for him to take the risk in person.
The person who sent someone to follow Ang Lee was the City Lord of Aden, Altik. After Ang Lee moved to Aden, Altik sent someone to monitor Ang Lee's residence. He wanted to see who was passing by so that he could contact Ang Lee and control the situation.
"City Lord, the person who went to see Assistant Minister Li yesterday went again today. Moreover, he stayed in Assistant Minister Li's residence for a long time."
The subordinate walked behind Altik and reported.
"Oh, he went again. Did you find out who he was?"
Altik asked hurriedly.
"I secretly checked yesterday. According to the shop owner, there were 13 people in this group who came from Khorasan to do business. However, they were all burly and didn't look like businessmen at all. They looked more like soldiers."
The subordinate reported.
"Oh, he looks like a soldier. Who could he be?"
Altik frowned and thought for a while. Then he said, "Send someone to keep an eye on this group of people. We must find out their true identity. Also, find out why they are contacting the officials of the Tang Empire."
"Yes, sir."
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