"How much do you know about Nanzhao? Have you ever had any contact with this place in the past?"
Next to Li Xiang, Zhang Jiuli was kneeling obediently. Although there were other seats on Li Xiang's carriage, Zhang Jiuli himself was a criminal, so it was impossible for him to sit in Li Xiang's carriage so carelessly. Li Xiang did not show any courtesy to the wise and humble. Zhang Jiuli was indeed a criminal, so he could not be treated with courtesy.
"Your Highness, I have always had trade with this place when I was in Sichuan, but the volume was not large, mainly because the people here have different living habits from ours. However, since Your Highness opened Zhidaobao, all kinds of goods can flow freely here, and the merchants who come and go are all selling Zhidaobao goods."
What Zhang Jiuli said was all true. The living habits of the people here were very different from those of the people in the mainland, and the people here also mastered some of their own technologies. Although they were relatively backward compared to Chang'an City, they had lived like this for thousands of years, and they did not really need the things in Chang'an City.
It's just that the habits of the rich are the same. When all kinds of luxury goods appeared in the treasures of Chang'an City, the merchants in Sichuan immediately realized the business opportunity. If the goods were transported from Chang'an City to Sichuan, the price might increase three or five times, but these people were not pursuing such profits. If they could transport these goods to Nanzhao, the price would be more than twenty times.
Li Xiang was of course very clear about this. He had sent people to Nanzhao to open several small shops of his own. Of course, he could not sell Zhidaobao's goods openly. If he did so, it would easily arouse the local vigilance. Li Xiang sent people here to collect local customs and practices. Only when his own political power reached here would he allow Zhidaobao's branches to come here. Otherwise, Zhidaobao would be a sitting duck for others. A child holding gold bars was a sitting duck and could be robbed by local people at any time.
For ordinary people, they only know that they can make a lot of money by finding treasures, but they probably don’t know exactly how much money it is. However, it is different for the local dignitaries. They have more sources of information than ordinary people. They only need to go back and calculate carefully, and they will immediately know how much money it is.
If they don't know this number, then it is still very safe to get the treasure. But if they know this number, many greedy people will develop some inappropriate thoughts, and over time they will put these thoughts into practice. They don't care who owns the deal. The most important thing is that Li Xiang can't control them, so even if they embezzle Li Xiang's assets, will the Tang Dynasty start a war?
Therefore, before the power of the Tang Dynasty reaches a place, Li Xiang will never allow the treasure to be seized and then driven over. That is equivalent to giving money directly to others. Whether it is the goods or the money that is lost, Li Xiang will not allow it. We already know such a crisis, why should we go to the tiger mountain even though we know there is a tiger there? That is a reckless behavior.
What's more, letting these merchants travel long distances to transport goods is also another way of sales, which can be regarded as giving benefits to everyone. The journey is long and unsafe, and they really deserve such profits. Li Xiang cannot make all the money. If this is really the case, he will probably become the target of public criticism in the future.
"You two sides share a border with each other. Have you ever had a border conflict? Have you ever been aware of their military strength?"
Li Xiang had known this news for a long time, but he still wanted to see Zhang Jiuli's judgment. After all, in Li Xiang's heart, Zhang Jiuli was a capable man. Since he had been in power in Sichuan for a long time, he must have his own opinions about the neighbors in the south. After what happened in the mountains, Zhang Jiuli's mother was the first to be released. This also gave him hope. If he continued to work hard, other relatives would be rescued.
This time when he went to Nanzhao, Li Xiang also made a promise to him. As long as he could play a role in Nanzhao, Li Xiang would let one of his wives come back. Although it did not involve his descendants, she was still a relative of his after all. When Zhang Jiuli came, he had already made up his mind to let Li Xiang see his role.
"I don't have a deep connection with this place, mainly because we are separated by the territory of the Longquan Tusi. If I were to say that I know this place well, the people of the Longquan Tusi often clash with them. Although they belong to the same southern barbarian tribe as the Nanzhao, they are not of the same clan, and wars between them are very frequent."
When talking about other things, Zhang Jiuli might be very knowledgeable, but when talking about this matter, Zhang Jiuli might not be able to do anything. The Longquan Tusi often interacted with people here, but now the Longquan Tusi has come to Beijing...
"If we talk about the fighting power of these people, I think they are not much different from the Tusi Lord's army. Five years ago, the Longquan Tusi engaged in a large-scale conflict with them, mobilizing an army of over ten thousand people. The three major Tusi also sent their people to support them, but in the end, both sides were defeated and retreated to their respective starting points, without causing any border changes. Of course, this is just my speculation and may not be true."
Zhang Jiuli said very cautiously that he just searched out everything he knew in his head, and he had to indicate whether his speculation was true or not. If it affected Li Xiang's judgment, he would be guilty of a serious crime.
"Being able to dispatch tens of thousands of troops at will, it seems the court's estimate of their forces is flawed. The court believes their standing army is around 40,000 to 50,000, less than even that of a larger chieftain. What do you think?"
Li Xiang frowned when he heard this. To put it bluntly, Li Xiang was a little distrustful of the people under Zhangsun Wuji. The Tubo incident had already shown that those people spent a lot of money, but the information they got was not very true.
"I don't know much about this place, but the number from the court must be different..."
Zhang Jiuli's words were more tactful. He couldn't just say that the court investigators were wasting money, right?
