Seeing that all the tribal leaders had come over, the adults who were chatting privately also gathered together. Although this was a handover ceremony of Wang Decheng, it was also the first time for them to see such a ceremony, so everyone had to come and take a look. By the time it was their turn, they would have some experience. Of course, this experience might not be useful in another place.
"Old man Gebangta, I won't say much about them. I also know that in Ganyun County, if you can cooperate well, then our Lord Wang's work will be much easier. Since the court has issued an order to you, I have no way to disobey it. Although we have had some unfriendly interactions before, if we continue to follow the court's pace, I believe this place will be able to develop better, at least much better than it is now."
Li Chengyi pointed at an old man standing in the middle. Although the old man was already over 60 years old, which was considered quite old in the local area, Li Chengyi did not give him much face. After all, Li Chengyi was a member of the high and mighty Tang Dynasty Li royal family. Let alone a tribal leader like you, even the governor of the Arab Empire could do nothing. He would still have to bow before me.
The people present also understood that the young general in front of them was different from the others, because other generals only had two flags. One flag had the word "Tang" for the Tang Dynasty, and the other had the general's surname. But the young general in front of them was different. He had an extra flag, which was the Golden Dragon Flag.
According to the rules of the Tang Dynasty, if a member of the royal family leads troops to war, he can indeed be equipped with a golden dragon flag. Therefore, people from all countries in the Western Regions also know that Li Chengyi is different from others. The fact that he can come here in person to talk to you, a tribal leader, is already giving you considerable face.
"General Li is right. We will definitely cooperate. Now all 15 tribes have arrived, including the three new tribal leaders. We will definitely obey the orders of this lord from now on."
Old man Gebangta was relatively cooperative. Two tribes around him were directly wiped out. When the Tang army gave them the collection standards, the two tribes were actually preparing to escape overnight. Unfortunately, they couldn't escape at all. The Tang army had been prepared in advance, so no one from the two tribes survived halfway. All the women were taken to Chang'an City, and as for the men taller than the wheels, none were left behind.
"In that case, since you tribal leaders don't need to graze your livestock around here anyway, you can move your tents here and stay around this master's tent. This will be the administrative center of Ganyun County in the future. Besides exchanging goods between you, you can also discuss matters together. As for your original tribal territories, you must obtain permission from this master in the future. Regardless of whether you inherited them from generation to generation or plundered them in war, without official documents from the Tang Dynasty court, none of your claims will count."
After Li Chengyi said this, many people present were a little panicked. They were all afraid that the existing grasslands in their hands would be taken away again. You know, they all rely on grazing for a living, and there are many deserts around here. There are very few grasslands that can really allow cattle and sheep to grow.
"You don't have to panic. We will definitely divide the areas according to your traditional boundaries. For the next few months, you will focus on this task. After that, we will naturally inform you of any other regulations of the court through Lord Wei."
Although Li Chengyi made a guarantee, the people present still felt a little scared. After all, the area of their grassland was changed through war. When the people of the Arab Empire occupied this place before, they did not interfere with this matter. Now the Tang Dynasty directly cut off their roots.
Wang Decheng also admired Li Xiang's strategy very much. No matter what you people want to do, these grasslands are the foundation of your survival. As long as there is no document from the Tang Dynasty government, even if you say that this grassland is yours, it is not yours.
Although many people cannot see the power of this now, the civil servants who followed have seen it. Once you gain a new grassland through war, but you do not get the recognition of the Tang Dynasty government, then the surrounding tribes may continue to attack until you get the recognition of the Tang Dynasty government, and then this grassland will be yours.
Now everyone may think this is a bit nonsense. After all, they have lived in this place for so many years, and they don’t need to ask the Tang Dynasty government for everything. But everything will develop with the development of time. Once more than ten or twenty years have passed, I am afraid that the rights of these tribal leaders will be greatly diluted.
"You guys can discuss the specifics. I will keep you updated on the court's affairs. We all share a common goal, which is to govern this place better and turn it into a Jiangnan outside the Great Wall. That would benefit us all."
Having said that, it was basically time to leave. Wang Decheng was still a little reluctant to let go. After all, after spending the past few days together, he realized that Li Chengyi was definitely a man who could do great things. Although he was born into the Li royal family, he also had his own abilities. Otherwise, how could so many royal children lead troops to fight in the Western Regions?
"I hope the general can give me some more tips and tricks before I leave..."
When Li Chengyi was about to mount his horse, Wang Decheng trotted over. He was completely clueless about the situation in the Western Regions. Although he had hired two advisors, those people probably didn't know about the situation here, including those who came out of the labor camp.
"Some things don't need to be discussed with them. When you have free time, go to their tribe and spend more time there. Apart from these old people and children, there are probably very few young people left. So as long as there are some things that don't cause public outrage, then you can do them."
Li Chengyi patted the guy on the shoulder. Some civil servants were too weak-minded and always talked about various noble principles.
If this were the inland of the Tang Dynasty, there would be nothing wrong with you educating your people in this way, and the court might even reward you. But now we have just conquered this place, and the smell of gunpowder is still very thick. If you insist on being merciful here, I am afraid you will not be able to accomplish anything.
