Xiao Shougui suddenly remembered another thing. Regarding the immigration order, we can only persuade and guide them, but we must never force them. If we force them, many people will definitely come, but the problem is that these people who come here are resentful and may not be able to become your helpers in the future. They may even do bad things to you.
But force can be placed on the heads of the Goguryeo people. The local land has been distributed. According to the information obtained by Xiao Shougui, many people still can't find jobs. So why not bring these people here? It can be regarded as a way out for them. Of course, there are certainly many difficulties, but can they be greater than the judgment here?
After Xiao Shougui finished speaking, he stared at Li Xiang. This could be considered a way to break the deadlock, but it required Li Xiang's consent. If Li Xiang disagreed, no matter how ingenious your idea was, it would probably not be implemented.
"That's a good idea, but I don't know if you still remember what I said back then."
Li Xiang took another sip of wine. Many people on the border only wanted to solve the problem, but there was one thing they had to remember all the time. And not just in their minds, they had to remind themselves all the time. Otherwise, you would lose these areas easily in the future even if you took them now.
"Your Highness's teachings, I dare not forget them. Those who are not of my race must have different hearts."
When Xiao Shougui said this, Li Xiang knew that he had not forgotten, but the problem was that you moved a large number of Goguryeo people here. Compared with the people in the Western Regions, the people of Goguryeo are indeed more gentle and can obey our orders, but the problem is that they are not of the same mind as us. Don’t look at them performing hard on the battlefield now, that’s because our Tang Dynasty is stronger, but who can guarantee that the Tang Dynasty will always be strong?
If the Tang Dynasty begins to decline, these people may be the first to stand up and oppose it. If that happens, the people of Goguryeo will collude with the local Western Regions ethnic groups and may very likely sideline us. We have to think of a good way to control them. Otherwise, if we migrate them over a long distance, it will create an obstacle for us more than ten years later.
"The fact that you remember this means you haven't forgotten how dangerous what we're doing is. So, you still have to think of a solution. It's okay for people from Goguryeo and Fuso to come over, but how do we control them? That's what's most important. I'm talking about long-term control."
Some of the policies currently implemented in the Tang Dynasty, such as splitting a family into two locations and using people from one location to control them, are fine in the short term. However, what if the person from the other location dies due to time constraints? Can you still control them? Once the person from the other location dies, it is very likely that they have broken the shackles, and then they will bring a crisis to themselves for no reason.
"Your Highness, in fact, the original method used by Goguryeo is also feasible. For every Han Chinese immigrant we bring over, we can provide him with ten to fifteen slaves. Then, when we bring people from Goguryeo over, we can also make them slaves of the Han Chinese. In the Tang Dynasty, many people still want Goguryeo's policy, but we have stopped it. If we implement this policy in the Western Regions, people should be willing to come."
Xiao Shougui's brain was sharp. He suddenly figured out what to do. "Don't you think the Western Regions are not that great?" Besides the house and land, we can also give you a dozen slaves. You couldn't even make a living in the Tang Dynasty, but now you suddenly have assets and people working for you.
These dozen or so slaves may not make you rich, but at least they can keep you alive. When you start a family and build a career here, you will have taken root. The older slaves will give birth to younger slaves. At the beginning, you may have more than a dozen, but later you may have dozens or even hundreds.
"That's a good idea. You should formulate a strategy right away. I'll also have people from Goguryeo and Fuso check to see how much can be shipped in the first batch. The journey is too far, and sea transportation is not an option. So, if this plan is to be implemented, it will take six months."
Li Xiang felt that this plan was feasible, but the only thing that frustrates him is that it is too far away. It will take a year to transport these people here and then let them slowly adapt to the situation. For an impatient person like Li Xiang, if it is calculated in years, it would be a life-threatening time. However, the affairs of the Western Regions cannot be rushed.
Xiao Shougui hurriedly said goodbye to Li Xiang. This guy was also impatient. Since His Highness had already approved of this method, let's stop drinking here and hurry up to do some business. We should come up with this plan tomorrow. Although they are not people who can say a few words, the scholars we have under our command are not here to eat and do nothing. We have to pull them out and use them at the critical moment, otherwise, is it a waste to keep them every day?
When you have nothing to do, you can be a bunch of literati, reciting poems and composing couplets, and the Protectorate will provide you with food and drink, but if something happens, you have to put in your utmost effort. If you can't solve the problem, don't blame me for letting you down. I will just give you travel expenses and you can get out.
When Li Xiang got up the next day, he still had a slight headache. Cheng Luan made a bowl of sobering soup for him. They had agreed in Chang'an that Cheng Luan would follow him to the Western Regions. However, because of the war some time ago, Li Xiang did not bring Cheng Luan with him and placed Cheng Luan in the Protectorate.
"It's always better to have someone to serve you. When I'm on the front lines, even if I'm drunk, I can just go out and get some sand in the wind to sober myself up a bit, and then I have to continue working."
Li Xiang got up and stretched, then drank a bowl of sobering soup, which made his head clearer. Xiao Shougui left early, so Li Xiang poured most of the drinks by himself, and he drank quite a bit.
In fact, sometimes drinking alone is also a state. When you want to drink a little, let yourself be in a state of being slightly tipsy, and your whole body will feel very comfortable. You don’t have to find someone to accompany you. Li Xiang reached that state last night. From his rebirth to now, such quiet moments are rare. It can be said that he is extremely comfortable.
