Take the current Central Asia region for example. The tribes are hostile to each other, and the Tang Dynasty court and them are also hostile to each other. We are a vulnerable group here. If we want to accomplish anything, we must mobilize a large number of troops. Now is the time to fight with the Arab Empire. We have a lot of troops here, but this war will end sooner or later. Once the war is over, these people will have to return to the inland of the Tang Dynasty. It is impossible for them to continue to stay here.
Once our army retreats, the local Han people and the established bureaucracy will likely be impacted. Although there are conflicts among the local tribes, they all have a sense of the overall situation. The biggest enemy among the tribes should be these Han people coming from the East.
Therefore, Li Xiang did not recommend that bureaucrats and businessmen in Central Asia form their own private armed forces. This might lead to them becoming too powerful to be controlled in the future, or they might become relatively independent. But no matter what, at least these people still obeyed the Tang Dynasty court, and without the protection of the Tang Dynasty court, their lives would definitely be worse.
Li Xiang believed that these people would weigh the pros and cons. Even if they developed these areas well, even if they reached the level of the Four Khanates of the Yuan Dynasty, what would that do? After all, this place was not suitable for human habitation, and the population would not grow too much.
So in this situation, Li Xiang agreed to their development. On the surface, he gave them an opportunity, but in fact, he just let them play a part in the security of Central Asia. Apart from the Tang army, they were also a group of civilian official troops that did not need the court's responsibility.
There are strict restrictions on the powerful landlords in the inland areas of the Tang Dynasty. The local governments must conduct long-term inspections to determine how many people are able to use swords and guns on your farms. This policy has not yet been implemented in the Western Regions because the powerful landlords have not yet developed. Once you develop, the Tang Dynasty court will put a label on you.
Everyone knew that the Tang Dynasty would do this, but they still couldn't resist the attraction. Who wouldn't want to have an obedient private army under their command? Especially in a piece of land like this, as long as you are strong enough, you can get enough profit.
After breakfast, the soldiers outside came in to report that more than a dozen groups of surprise troops had appeared in the distance. These people should be from the larger tribes in Ganyun County. According to the results of previous investigations, there are three major factions of tribes in Ganyun County.
When Arabia and the Tang Dynasty were at war, these dozen tribes sent out nearly 2,000 soldiers in total. Later, they were all defeated in the Western Regions. Although some stragglers have swum back now, these tribes are not very strong anymore, and the remaining young people have been captured and sent to labor camps.
“Why are these people’s skin so white?”
"And the red hair..."
There are also many foreigners in Chang'an City, but not too many at a time, and only in a specific area. Now, many Westerners have been seen in the Western Regions, and there is a look of admiration on their faces, as if they were looking at some animals.
"I'm not entirely sure about this, but I heard from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that this land beneath our feet is called something like Central Asia. Anyway, there are already Westerners here. Some live alone, while others have joined forces with the Xiongnu. There are all kinds of people here. Just remember that those who are not of our race must have different hearts. You can use these people, but you must never trust them."
Li Chengyi stayed with Li Xiang for a while, so he learned a lot of knowledge from Li Xiang. He himself was a rough man, and now seeing several scholars being so timid in front of him, the vanity in his heart was simply overflowing. You people usually look down on us warriors, but now you still want to ask a warrior like me for advice?
While Li Chengyi was speaking, four people got out of the carriage behind him. These four people had performed relatively well in the labor camp. According to the policy of the Tang Dynasty court, they would serve as counselors to the county magistrate here.
"These people's families are within your borders, and they all have both old and young children. Some of the children have been sent to Samarkand. We have set up a school there to teach their children some knowledge so that they can be used by me in the future. I have already taught these people. If you have any questions in the future, you can ask them directly."
After hearing what Li Chengyi said, Wang Decheng also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there are local people to help us, then we are not deaf and blind here. If we have to find a way out for everything by ourselves, it will be too dangerous. If we make a mistake, the result will be disastrous.
The others also looked at the carriage at the back. It seemed that there were quite a few people on it. When they arrived at their base, General Li would definitely give them a similar group of people. This would be the first batch of local people they had conquered there.
"Greetings, Lord Wang..."
Among these four people, only two can speak Chinese. The remaining two can understand but are still learning. However, this is already quite good. In a place like this, it is really not easy to find so many people who can speak Chinese.
Wang Decheng pulled these people to the side to communicate with each other. The cavalry in the distance were slowly coming over. When Li Chengyi saw these teams of cavalry, he sighed in his heart. Most of them were over 50 years old, or even less than 15 years old. It seemed that because of this war, there was a gap in the young people of the surrounding tribes.
Of course, this has nothing to do with us. Li Chengyi is not a sanctimonious bitch. After all, war means casualties, and if you stand in the camp of the loser, even more people will die. Although there are still some young people now, they are all locked up in labor camps.
"Meet General Li..."
Seven or eight old men got off their war horses. They were all tribal leaders. Some of the people from some tribes were young children. It seemed that the old men in many tribes could not hold on any longer and had to send these children out. They had heard about the policies of the Tang Dynasty court a long time ago and were now upset!
