Although the upper echelons of the countries in the Western Regions were not happy about it, in order to preserve their own peaceful lives, they finally submitted the agreement to Li Xiang.
Whether it was forced or voluntary, all countries paid some actual price. Unfortunately, their price was far from what Li Xiang required.
"Master Zhao, please take a look."
After Li Xiang finished reading, there was no good expression on his face. Instead, he handed it to Lord Zhao next to him. As for Niu Jinda, this guy has so many big characters that it would be useless for you to give it to him.
Lord Zhao looked at every word very carefully. If it were Li Xiang, he would only read the previous article without reading it. From this, we can see that Lord Zhao is a pure civil servant. Especially when it comes to matters related to the profits of the Tang Dynasty, Lord Zhao must read them carefully to avoid being criticized in the future. These civil servants all have the same idea that they must not cause losses to the Tang Dynasty because of their own mistakes.
"Overall, the countries in the Western Regions have come with real intentions this time, and they haven't resorted to using empty promises to fool us. However, these tangible profits seem a bit insufficient compared to the scale in your heart."
It took Lord Zhao a stick of incense to finally read through all the terms. Lord Zhao had already discussed this with Li Xiang that day, and it was obvious that there was a huge gap between what the two parties wanted. It was estimated that this set of terms would not satisfy Li Xiang. Even if Li Xiang made concessions, it would not be to this extent.
Take the question about the military, for example. According to Li Xiang's thinking, every country must establish a garrison abroad, stationing at least 500 troops. If there aren't enough troops, what's the point of having them stationed there? They'll just be eaten by them...
However, the figures given by the countries in the Western Regions were far from this. They did not mention setting up overseas offices in their own countries. They believed that each country now had a Tang Dynasty Guild Hall, which was enough. They only needed to send a civil servant to be stationed there. As for the issue of the army, they did not even mention it.
This is how it was done in previous dynasties. There was only one liaison office, and apart from a few guards around him, there was no one else. Once a conflict occurred, the entire Tang Dynasty Guild Hall would be like meat on the chopping board.
If we can station 500 soldiers, especially those equipped with the new equipment of the Tang Dynasty, then these 500 people are no joke. By then, even if you have more than 5,000 soldiers, they may not be our opponents. This has been verified on the battlefield.
In case there are any problems in your country, these 500 soldiers can become the vanguard of the Tang Dynasty. Although we have not actually occupied this place, this is also the first step. If we want to occupy this place in the future, it will also bring us a lot of convenience.
The reason why the countries in the Western Regions were unwilling to let the Tang Dynasty send troops was because they saw the miserable state of Gaochang. If the Tang Dynasty’s troops had not been allowed in, Gaochang would not be where it is today, and they could still have their own sovereignty.
The second thing is to send princes to Chang'an to study. Each country only said that they would send royal children. What Li Xiang said before was the emperor's son, preferably a son who could inherit the throne. Moreover, without the canonization of the Tang Dynasty, the inheritance of any country would not count.
This is the right that the suzerain state should have, but the countries in the Western Regions do not want to recognize it. If this is the case, then the greatest right of the country will be in the hands of the Tang Dynasty. In terms of cultivating the next generation, if the current king and the Tang Dynasty cultivate different things, who should they listen to?
If the two sides were in opposition, a war would be inevitable. The Tang Dynasty only needed to give remote control from Chang'an, and the entire Western Regions would be in chaos. What autonomy would they have?
"If you ask me, these people have never suffered any loss. If they had really suffered at our hands, would this matter still exist? Didn't we agree earlier that we should fight and talk at the same time? Now we're just talking. Have they forgotten how powerful we are?"
Although Niu Jinda didn't know what was written on the paper, he was able to read people's expressions. Seeing that Li Xiang and Lord Zhao looked unhappy, he knew that this matter would definitely not be settled. We have already reorganized the army, and there is nothing major happening in Gaochang, so we might as well fight them.
Lord Zhao and Li Xiang looked at each other. They also felt that Niu Jinda's idea could be considered. We have always been known for our toughness in foreign wars. If we rely solely on persuasion, then forget it.
"We can fight them, but we have to figure out how to fight them. It's best not to start an all-out war. We need to inflict pain on them, and we need to end it quickly. We're seriously short on supplies right now, and if we get stuck in a protracted war, we might not be able to hold on."
Lord Zhao said with some hesitation. He knew that it was not easy to deal with the countries in the Western Regions. If he did not make them feel afraid, it would be very difficult to change the clause. The negotiation alone might drag on for several months. Lord Zhao had been away from Chang'an for quite some time and was thinking about going home.
"Then this matter must be handed over to Lao Niu. I'll give you five days. You and your men should carefully study and find out what the Western Region Alliance fears the most. We will fight them within half a month, but it must be over within half a month. We are not trying to defeat them, we just want to make them surrender."
Li Xiang was not very familiar with the local area regarding this purely military matter, so he handed it over to Niu Jinda. Niu Jinda had nothing to do these days, so after hearing what Li Xiang said, he happily went out to make arrangements.
Ever since he followed Li Xiang back to the capital, he has not shown his prowess on the battlefield. Now that he has finally found the opportunity, he must let the countries in the Western Regions see that Grandpa Niu is not someone to be trifled with.
After the countries in the Western Regions submitted their terms, they were all waiting for the Tang Dynasty's reply. They also wanted to see what the Tang Dynasty's attitude was. If they were not satisfied, they had to tell us clearly what they were dissatisfied with, and we would go back and discuss it slowly.
But three days later, a message arrived at the Western Regions coalition's camp. This wasn't sent by the Tang Dynasty, but rather by their border scouts. It seemed the Tang army was about to make a major move...