Hearing Li Xiang talking about business, Chang Sun Ze also took out all the information he had sorted out during this period. Although some of it had been briefly sent up, if he wanted a detailed introduction, it would of course be best to say it here in person.
"Your Highness, their development is 20 years behind ours. Not only that, they also admire the culture of the Tang Dynasty and regularly send envoys to Chang'an to pay tribute. However, they only give us some worthless things, while we receive many valuable things in return from Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty."
When talking about this, Chang Sunze's face was a little unhappy. Isn't this treating us Tang as fools? If that's the case, then every time you go to pay tribute, you are actually going to make money.
Li Xiang had known about this kind of thing for a long time, and it was clearly stated in some unofficial history books of later generations. Many of the so-called tribute-paying nations were actually imposters from local people, but the emperor of the Central Plains was happy to see this, so he rewarded them with large amounts of gold and silver. It would be better for them to go to Chang'an than to work for an old age. Who wouldn't want to continue paying tribute?
This is simply a good way to make money, so in recent years, any small tribe in the south would go to the Tang Dynasty to pay tribute, taking a bunch of local worthless things, but Chang'an City did not have these things, and then exchanging them for gold and silver from the court.
"What's the military situation?"
Don't worry about these things now, just wait for the reckoning in the future.
"According to the information I've received over the years, the Pyu Kingdom has a total of approximately 30,000 troops. However, many of the local people live in the mountains and forests, much like the chieftains of Sichuan and Shu. On the surface, their military strength may not be very strong, but if a war really broke out, I estimate that every capable man in the country would be able to serve as a soldier."
Chang Sunze once sent a small team into the country and clashed with a village in the enemy country. As a result, all the men in the village, including children aged fifteen or sixteen, were able to fight with weapons, and their weapons were also varied.
But one thing is certain: these weapons are deadly.
"Your Highness, please forgive me for being so nosy. This place doesn't look like a good place at all. It's mostly hilly, and many places are uninhabited. What are we going to do here?"
Chang Sunze thought for a while and said, if it were someone else, Chang Sunze would naturally not dare to say this, but Li Xiang always liked others to sing a different tune and correct his own things in the process of singing a different tune.
"Many people have this question, so let me ask you a simple question. If you withdraw, and the people on the other side clash with the people of Nanzhao, who do you think will win?"
Li Xiang knew that it was useless to talk about anything too profound. If he talked about something like the outlet to the Indian Ocean, they would be even more confused. Who knew where the Indian Ocean was?
Li Xiang's words hit the nail on the head. Chang Sunde and the generals behind him were also sweating. Why didn't we see this? If the two sides clashed, the Nanzhao generals would definitely not be able to resist.
If Nanzhao is occupied, it will soon become our exclusive territory.
What they are best at is fighting in the mountains and forests. This is their strong point. Once they reach our Sichuan and Shu regions, even if we send troops to besiege them, it will be impossible to take them down.
"But they shouldn't be able to attack Nanzhao. I see they live in poverty. Even if they only have two meals a day, they go without food for at least two or three months every year."
After Chang Sunze finished speaking, he felt that it was a bit hard to make sense. Isn't this the kind of lucky mentality that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mentioned?
"Think about it carefully. I can tell from your expression that you've thought of the key point. As the Tang Dynasty's army, all we care about is not the gains and losses of this city or this place, nor our false reputation, but how much benefit it will bring to the future development of the Tang Dynasty."
Li Xiang patted Chang Sun Ze on the shoulder and prepared to leave the pass.
"Your Highness is going to enter Pyu Kingdom?"
Chang Sun Ze quickly stepped in front of him. It was already very risky to let Li Xiang climb the city wall of Anxi City. If he entered the territory of another country, it would be no joke. If something happened, no matter how great his contribution was, it would be wiped out.
"Since we're already here, of course we have to go take a look. Don't worry, there won't be any major problems. They won't make things difficult for us Tang merchants, right?"
What Li Xiang said was true. Many merchants from the Tang Dynasty often went there to do business, and I have never heard of them making things difficult for our merchants. The main reason was that the local people were short of daily necessities and the merchants from the Tang Dynasty could enrich their lives.
"The Mountain Camp is ready."
Upon hearing that Li Xiang was about to go, Chang Sun Ze immediately ordered his most elite Shanzi Camp to prepare.
"Wait a minute. If you take them with you, then no one will think anything of me. They will have to find out who I am. Bring the guards and guides with you. The rest of the people are not needed. Don't you think they can guarantee our safety?"
If he brought the entire battalion, it would be a case of pretending to be hiding something, so Li Xiang planned to bring only a small number of people. His 30 guards were enough to ensure their safety. These people had the combat strength of 25 people. To put it bluntly, they were martial arts masters.
Chang Sun Ze hesitated for a moment, but thinking of the terrifying combat power of Li Xiang's subordinates, he finally chose to agree. However, he had to follow them in person, otherwise he would not feel at ease.
The group disguised themselves as merchants and left Anxi City. Their horses were carrying food and other things, which were in great demand abroad.
In the 21st century, these places are good places to produce rice. Unfortunately, many local areas have not been cultivated yet, and their seeds are not good, so they still go hungry most of the year. It's like begging with a golden bowl.
After leaving the city of Parthia, Li Xiang saw that there were endless people coming and going on the road.
"Which city are we going to?"
Li Xiang was completely clueless about cities abroad.
"The place we are going to is called Wacheng. It is within the territory of their Pyu Kingdom, just like Luoyang is within the territory of our Tang Dynasty."
As soon as he heard the place name, Li Xiang knew it. Wasn't this Mandalay, a city in central Myanmar? It was originally called Wa City in those days. Li Xiang also became more and more interested in this city.
