If we go by difficulty, the prefecture-county system should be implemented first in areas close to Chang'an. There was no need to force it in the Western Regions. However, because of the Arab Empire, Li Xiang decided to skip other areas and implement the prefecture-county system first in the Western Regions.
When this news spread in the Western Regions, many people immediately expressed their dissatisfaction, especially those in power in the Western Regions. They originally had considerable power in their hands, and if the Tang Dynasty court adopted such a policy, they would not be able to interfere in any more matters.
Don't be fooled by the good situation they have now. If the Tang Dynasty really takes over, they will be gradually marginalized. The first generation may still have some rights, and the second generation will be just an ordinary citizen at best. If the third generation has no enterprising spirit, they may starve.
The Tiance General's Mansion did not deny these questions raised by the countries in the Western Regions. The ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her parents-in-law. If we hide it now, we don't know when we can say it out loud in the future. And when we say it, it has to be when our military strength is the strongest.
Now, after this war, and with the threat of the Arab Empire, the countries in the Western Regions no longer have any ability to resist the Tang Dynasty. Even if some people are dissatisfied, they dare not say it out loud. The smell of blood is still spreading throughout the Western Regions. If you say this out loud, I'm afraid the Tang army will wipe out your tribe first.
They had also heard about the situation around the city of Samarkand. They originally thought that the people of the Arab Empire had taken away all the good things, and the Tang Dynasty might have fought a losing war. On the surface, they had won, but in fact, there were no spoils of war. Fighting such a war in the Western Regions would be ridiculed.
But unexpectedly, the people of the Tang Dynasty did not swallow this bitter fruit themselves, but instead passed it on to the major tribes around the city of Samarkand. Now it has spread to the entire Anton Governorate of the Arab Empire.
All organized small tribes were "taken care of" by the Tang army...
Ultimately, it comes down to one thing: either you collect all the items on the list according to the requirements of the Tang Dynasty army, or you wait for us to come and collect them ourselves. If we come and collect them ourselves, I'm afraid they won't be the things on the list, and you may not be able to afford them by then.
More than a dozen tribes were looted one after another, and the remaining tribes also understood the determination of the Tang army. Their generals had told them that if they could not do it, then they would expect their fellow countrymen to be treated the same way.
The Tang Dynasty is still quite strong now, but if we fight a war that has no rewards, then such wars will continue in the future. We have set such a precedent, and we will be the gravediggers of the entire Tang Dynasty.
As long as the soldiers understand this principle, there is no need to worry about the rest of the things. These people also know how to do this, so more and more things are shipped back from the Western Regions. As for how those people in Andong Prefecture lived, it has nothing to do with us.
Samarkand
"I originally thought the implementation of the prefecture-county system began in the Western Regions, but I didn't expect it to start here..."
Cheng Chuliang looked at his elder brother in some disbelief. Cheng Chumo had rushed over from the Western Regions. They had originally thought that it would be held in various countries in the Western Regions, but an order from the court had to be held in the Anton Governor's Office of the former Arab Empire.
"This is the wisdom of His Royal Highness. We have already cleared the entire jurisdiction of the Anton Governor's Office. No one dares to do anything to us now. Moreover, they don't have much armed force left. All the young and strong men have been lost on the battlefield. What we need to do now is to take good care of them and divide this place into a large number of prefectures."
Cheng Chumo came with central officials and various documents. Now these people are waiting outside. They are also unsure about being an official in Central Asia. They thought they had jumped out through the court selection, but they didn't expect to end up in this place.
"That's what I said, but look at those nomadic people out there. They might turn on you with just a few words, including those teenagers. They are not ordinary Han people. Even if you assign them local officials, you have to find a way to ensure their safety. Otherwise, I don't think those scholars will be enough to kill."
Cheng Chuliang stood on tiptoe and looked at the place in the distance. These officials were all delicate and fragile. Not to mention coming to manage the Western Regions, even living here would probably be an extremely difficult problem. You know, the natural environment here is very poor. After these rough guys came here, it took them a long time to adapt. Some people could even die from not being able to adapt to the local climate.
"Of course we need to provide them with sufficient guards, but the most important thing is to relocate some civilians from the interior. It's always difficult at first, but after a while, ethnic integration occurs. Isn't that the case in other areas we occupied? Isn't it like this? Moreover, the local authorities have to give them official positions."
After hearing what Cheng Chumo said, those present nodded. If all the local noble leaders were to be killed at once, it would be impossible to carry out the plan here. Moreover, after our local officials went down, they would most likely be retaliated by the surrounding nomadic peoples.
"How's the situation with the military depot?"
Cheng Chumo suddenly remembered another thing. The attention of the civil and military officials was attracted to the Indochina Peninsula, but they could not sit idle either. The area of the Western Regions was too vast, so if they wanted to rule this area well, they had to set up military stations in some major places and let our people be stationed here permanently. Only in this way could they be controlled. Otherwise, it would be in vain to occupy these lands.
"A total of 179 military depots of varying sizes have been established across the country, with over 200 currently under construction. They're all located along key transportation routes. If local officials request assistance, they can guarantee they'll arrive within half a day."
The establishment of these military stations was one of the reasons why Li Xiang was planning to implement provincial government in this area...
