"It's a question of whether or not God has blessed us. Some places do have a good climate, but they have many mountains and not much land suitable for farming. Most importantly, there are no major rivers running through them, so there has been no civilization from ancient times to the present day. Here we are purely blessed by God."
Li Xiang didn't know how to explain this problem, so he could only attribute it all to God. Everyone was willing to believe this explanation. After all, from the day they were born, these people had an incomparable sense of superiority and always believed that the territory of the Tang Dynasty was the best in the world. Li Xiang's explanation also made them more satisfied.
"I've always told you that we need to occupy this area in order to bring our advanced technology over there. It may not be apparent yet, but it will be soon. The population of the Tang Dynasty will grow, and the existing land will not be able to meet our development needs. So we will move the grain-producing areas to this area, and then find a way to transport the grain back. Then we can do something else in the heart of the Tang Dynasty..."
Su Dingfang was very familiar with these words. When attacking Goguryeo, Li Xiang also used these words to convince everyone. Although these words were repeated, it must be said that they were very useful. Zhang Jiuli and others also nodded. What Li Xiang said was very correct.
"Let's talk about the army. Given the capabilities of our Tang Dynasty cavalry, how many troops do you think we need to conquer Nanzhao and then advance into the southern countries? Of course, it doesn't matter if I'm wrong. This is just our internal estimate."
Long Wu was exchanged by Li Xiang from the system, so this person's words are relatively reliable. Unlike some people in society, he will definitely calculate this matter very conservatively.
"If we're just going to crush the various regions, I think 30,000 cavalrymen are enough. But if we want to effectively occupy all of them, I'm afraid we'll need several times that number. Although the people in these areas don't have a unified country, they're also very difficult to control. Furthermore, this area is covered in mountains and forests, so I suggest we only occupy some of the plains and let the rest develop on their own."
Long Wu thought for a while and said, including Nanzhao, many places are not worthy of our occupation. If we want to occupy all these areas, the cost and time we spend will be by no means a small amount. What we want is nothing more than the plains in this area. As for those mountains and forests, let them do as they please.
"What you said makes sense. For now, this is the only way. We will occupy a small part of the area first, but we must not give up the rest. If you give up, then others will slowly develop in this area, and sooner or later they will swallow up our gains."
Li Xiang wanted to establish a new opening policy, which was to occupy the coastal and plain areas first. As for some places in the mountains and forests, they could be opened to the domestic aristocratic families and those brave men in the mountains. As long as you want to create a new world for yourself, you can work hard in those mountains and narrow areas.
You only need to pay a portion of taxes to the court every year, plus 1/3 of the land you occupy to the court. Then you can use the rest of the land for 100 years, and the court will redistribute it after 100 years. This can be said to be a very profitable business.
Some people also say that those people in the country are not fools, and they may not do this. Li Xiang did not say that everyone should do it. Some people can no longer develop in the country, but they do have strength in their hands. Now that the court has given them an opening, it would be strange if they did not go.
What's more, the right of use is for 100 years. No one can guarantee what will happen in these 100 years. It is not too late to grasp these lands in your own hands first and deal with them slowly in the future. What's more, every piece of land has its own output, especially these tropical lands. As long as you can operate it well, it is not difficult to make more than ten times the profit. The local indigenous people are not strong in combat, so there are still people willing to go there.
"Your Highness, aren't we thinking too far ahead? We are currently in the process of forming a marriage alliance with the Nanzhao Kingdom. You have already thought about everything related to the southern countries. We must finish this matter first."
The others had already planned to establish an armed manor in the south. Anyway, this was allowed by the court. But they were brought back to reality with just one sentence. They said, "Don't think about such beautiful things for now. Our current influence only reaches the southern part of Sichuan. The Nanzhao Kingdom does not belong to us yet. If you want to realize your wish of establishing an armed manor, we must first deal with the current issues."
"What you said is also true. Let's not have any illusions for now. Let's try our best to avoid a fight within Nanzhao. I estimate that in the next year or two, all kinds of problems will arise in their country. Elevating the temple to such a high level is already beyond their ability. Right now, because of peace, these conflicts have not been provoked. We must find a way to stimulate them."
It may be very difficult to make a country develop in a good direction, but if you want to find something to do to this country, especially if you are much stronger than this country, then you have too many ways to do it. Just think about Tubo in the past. It was a country that could be compared with the Tang Dynasty, but now it is directly divided into three parts, and the other two parts are getting weaker and weaker. Even if there are people like Lu Dongzan and Songtsen Gampo, what can they do?
"How about splitting our forces into two groups? Your Highness will continue to support the King of Nanzhao, while we will find a prince from within the imperial court to support the Prince of Zhennan. The conflict between the two sides is already irreconcilable. If the Prince of Zhennan has the support of a prince within the imperial court, then the time will come for action. Regardless of who wins in the end, the overall national strength will at least drop by more than half."
Zhang Jiuli also understood what comprehensive national strength meant. With the arrival of Li Xiang, these new terms had new space in the Tang Dynasty. After this guy finished speaking, everyone else squinted their eyes and nodded. Zhang Jiuli was definitely a capable person with a good brain.
"But none of the other princes can compete with our Highness!"
Qian Ping's words immediately brought everyone back to the starting point. Being too strong is not a good thing. No one can act against you. This is one of the pains of being too strong.
