It seems that the kings of the two countries are still sensible. Li Xiang put the two pieces of paper aside with satisfaction. The kings of the two countries also breathed a sigh of relief. If Li Xiang was furious, it was probably because the two countries gave too little.
To put it bluntly, this informal meeting of the three countries was Li Xiang's attempt to blackmail them. Unexpectedly, the kings of the two countries were so sensible that they actually sent the list. Each country paid a gift of nearly 800,000 strings of cash. If it were in the territory of the Tang Dynasty, they might think these things were worthless, but the two countries were at most equivalent to a province of the Tang Dynasty. Being able to pay such a sum of money was basically the maximum.
According to the information Li Xiang knew, the two countries were actually very poor, and there were no special products in the country. The people just relied on farming and fishing to make a living. If they took out so much money at once, it would be like emptying the national treasury. For a moment, Li Xiang didn't know how to start.
"If Your Highness needs our help, please feel free to ask. Although our two countries are small and our people are weak, it is our absolute duty to serve Your Highness."
The King of Silla saw that Li Xiang was drinking tea and not getting to the point, so he bravely asked a question. He knew that the knife would come sooner or later, so he might as well take the initiative. Maybe because of his initiative, Li Xiang would not take action.
"It's like this. Our Tang Dynasty navy used to be very powerful, but since the last war, our navy has encountered various problems, and now it is not very large. Now I am the commander-in-chief of the Dengzhou Navy, so I hope you can help me with the training of the navy in the future."
Since you two have paid the money voluntarily, we can skip the first step. There is no need to ask you for money, nor do we need to let the cavalry next to us conduct exercises. After all, if we conduct an exercise, the most we can get is this much money. When facing these small countries, we cannot squeeze them too hard. We have to squeeze out this money every year and leave them some money for enjoyment so that we can continue to squeeze them next year.
After hearing what Li Xiang said, the two of them felt very nervous. In the past, the reason why they were sometimes close to and sometimes distant from the Tang Dynasty was because the Tang Dynasty did not border them. They accepted things that were beneficial to them and turned a deaf ear to things that were not beneficial to them. But now, if the Tang Dynasty had a navy, it would be too easy to control them.
Of course, although both of them are against the Tang Dynasty building a navy, our opposition is useless. The Tang Dynasty will never listen to our opinions. We basically have no choice but to implement the national policy formulated by others. How can we cooperate with them?
"If the Tang Dynasty navy is trained, not only will it be able to guarantee the safety of the Tang Dynasty's coastline, but we, as a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, will also be able to rest easy. We are also very happy, but I don't know what cooperation Your Highness requires from us."
The Baekje king feigned amusement, but in reality, this guy was already fuming. They were both coastal states, so who wouldn't want a strong navy? But do you think training a navy is that simple? The navies of both countries had been established for a long time, but now they had nothing but a few dozen broken ships. Besides the cost of developing a navy, the most important thing was talent, and with both countries being small and weak, where could they find so many talented people?
"I heard there's a large island to your south, and quite a few people live there. I hope my navy can establish a naval base there. If anything happens, we will be responsible for your maritime safety. Your navy can be disbanded, and the annual military funds allocated to your navy can be directly handed over to the Tang Dynasty Navy. Of course, only 70% of the annual funds will be paid, and the remaining 30% will be used to supplement your national treasury."
Li Xiang looked like a good guy, but to the ears of these two kings, it was like a bolt from the blue. Not only do you want to disband our navy, but you also want us to pay tribute to you every year in order to ensure the safety of our coastal areas. Is this what you call ensuring the safety of our coastal areas?
This means that we are putting our entire coastal area under your threat. If we don't obey, your navy warships can arrive at any time. Moreover, after you occupy the big island in our south, we will have to get your consent before we want to go out to sea. This is 100% and comprehensive control.
The most infuriating thing is that you have deprived us of our sovereignty, and we still have to pay you the cost of your garrison every year. This is really a bit too much. Although the two were so angry that they were about to smoke, they still had a faint smile on their faces. They knew who was in front of them, and the fate of the two countries was in his hands. If you show a little dissatisfaction, maybe you will not be the king.
"Please rest assured, I know it's a bit difficult for you to give up the navy, but I'm not aimless. If you have nothing else to do, you can come with me to see the majestic appearance of the Tang Dynasty navy."
Li Xiang stood up without hesitation. The two did not want to go over, as this was clearly a show of force, but under Li Xiang's enthusiastic pull, the two could only follow slowly from behind. The two looked at each other, and saw bitterness in each other's eyes. The bottom line of this trip was not to destroy the country, but in the state of not destroying the country, all power in the country would probably have to be handed over to the Tang Dynasty in part, and the most important part, otherwise your country would not be able to exist.
Both of them shook their heads with a wry smile. At this point today, they no longer had any choice. They made the wrong choices before and after the war. Now that the Tang Dynasty was able to keep them, it was already quite a courtesy. You couldn't let the Tang Dynasty forget everything that happened before, right?
There is one good thing about the land of Goguryeo. If you want to see the sea, you can just gallop on your horse for an hour and immediately reach the seaside. No matter where you are in Goguryeo, you can arrive there in one hour. This is a task that the territory of the Tang Dynasty cannot accomplish. Who made the territory of the Tang Dynasty so large?
Neither king had ever been to the battlefield, so they could only ride in carriages. When Li Xiang arrived, the navy warships were gathering. When the two kings arrived at the seaside, more than a dozen warships in the distance had formed a double column, looking majestic on the sea.
"This...is such a big ship?"
The King of Silla said this out of fear.