Li Xiang could also see that Zhang Jiuli was indifferent to fame and fortune. If someone else had said this, Li Xiang would have thought that they were retreating to advance and that they really didn't want anything. But when it came to Zhang Jiuli, Li Xiang knew that this guy had actually been sublimated.
Over the years, he has traveled all over the country with Li Xiang and made many contributions in various places, especially the county system in the Western Regions. On the surface, it was Xiao Shougui who was doing it, but Zhang Jiuli also contributed at least more than 40% of the profits, so if rewards are to be given according to merit, he must be one of the two protector-generals.
But since he doesn't want to be an official anymore, and Li Xiang also hopes to have a think tank by his side, then let him do as he wishes. What's more, by being by Li Xiang's side, he can also provide a future for his children in the future. He doesn't want anything on his side. Having lived to this point, isn't everything for his children?
After inspecting the trading market here, Li Xiang began to plan the transportation map. Although a main road has been built now, if the Western Regions and the mainland are to be brought closer together, there must be another road. Of course, it must be separate from the original road. This is what many merchants in the north have been calling for for a long time.
Zhang Jiuli had already made plans for this road and was waiting for Li Xiang to go for an on-site inspection. If this road was to be built, at least 19,000 prisoners of war would have to be mobilized, and it had to be completed within two years. If half of these 19,000 prisoners of war could survive after two years, it would be considered a blessing from God.
The roads were either lined with desert or Gobi Desert. In this day and age, there were no large-scale machines. Repairing the road would require human labor. Of course, these people would likely lose their lives, but Li Xiang didn't care. Every war would yield a large number of prisoners of war. If they didn't build these infrastructure, would they be wasting their time? Such people were worthless in the Tang Dynasty.
"Then don't wait. Since you've written such a detailed plan, you should have already found someone to take charge. Have him start construction immediately. I'll only give him two and a half years, and I'll double the labor force to 35,000."
Zhang Jiuli's plan was very detailed, but Li Xiang thought it was still conservative, especially without any machinery. It would be impossible to repair the road with only 19,000 people. The total length was over 3,000 miles, so more manpower would have to be added. According to Li Xiang's estimate, even if 35,000 people were given, it might not be enough, and more manpower would have to be added.
Of course, we haven't said this explicitly yet, so as not to dampen the enthusiasm of the people below. Their original plan is one thing, but if you criticize their plan and think it's not worth a penny, then when they implement it, they will have all kinds of psychological obstacles. Let them do it for a while, and after they're done, they will know how many loopholes there are in their plan.
Zhang Jiuli originally wanted to refute Li Xiang's words, but finally swallowed his words. This ghost place in the Western Regions is completely different from the mainland. If you don't take good care of it, this place may very likely become the place where you fall.
His Highness has presided over the construction of roads in all border areas and should know more about this situation than I do, so His Highness said that as many people as needed would be used. There are plenty of prisoners of war anyway. Even if there were no prisoners of war from the Arab Empire, the local labor force alone would not be enough.
When leaving Gaochang, Li Xiang also held a small military parade here. About 14,000 Gaochang soldiers participated in the parade. They were dressed in the uniforms of the Tang Dynasty soldiers and were almost the same as the Tang Dynasty soldiers. After participating in this parade, these 14,000 Gaochang soldiers would be dispersed.
They were divided into teams of 1,000 people each and were assigned to the Tang military camp. From the moment they entered the Tang military camp, there was no longer any Gaochang army. From then on, they were the Tang army and would be scattered among the various primary institutions of the Tang Dynasty.
This is what Xiao Shougui did before. If the Gaochang army was taken out alone, I am afraid that the generals on the battlefield would not believe them. Now that they are scattered among the Tang army, even if some of them have second thoughts, we can easily suppress them.
The soldiers from other tribes in the Western Regions envied the Gaochang soldiers very much, because when these Gaochang soldiers joined the Tang army, their salary could be 90% of that of the Tang soldiers. Not to mention supporting their own families, they could even allow their families to live a good life.
But what about the troops of other tribes in the Western Regions? They can only get 50% of the salary of the Tang Dynasty soldiers, and that is if they perform well. If they make any mistakes, especially mistakes related to resisting the Tang Dynasty, you can forget about getting the money. You have to go through the most stringent internal review. If you fail the review, your whole family will suffer.
Li Xiang was also unwilling to implement such a tough policy in the Western Regions, but he was forced to do so by them. These people surrendered to you on the surface, but what they were doing in secret, I'm afraid only they themselves knew.
Therefore, we must strike first without waiting for them to make a move, and let these people know how powerful we are. If these people don’t know, we will have to find a way to let them know in the future that the Tang Dynasty will be the eternal ruler here.
The Gaochang soldiers knew that it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who was reviewing the troops today, and they all straightened their backs. They had been training for such a long time just waiting for this day. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had conquered the world and added more than half of the territory to the Tang Dynasty, including their Gaochang, which was conquered by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Following such a commander, they didn't know where they would go in the future. Many people also wanted to see what the end of the world would look like according to what Li Xiang said. If it weren't for Li Xiang, they wouldn't even know the word "world" existed.
Seeing the army passing by in an orderly manner, Li Xiang smiled and nodded. The combat effectiveness and formations of the Gaochang soldiers were basically equivalent to those of the Tang army. Giving them 90% of their salary was really not a waste of money. They would definitely be the most ruthless minions on the battlefield in the future.
