Xiao Shougui understood that Li Xiang was testing him.
Although everyone below said that Xiao Shougui was a good guy and that some important things could be entrusted to him in the future, Li Xiang still inadvertently posed a test question. What others said was one thing, but what he saw with his own eyes was another.
"This person is useful, but we must be vigilant about him at all times and give him a warning every once in a while. After all, he's a former military commander. If our management is too lax, he might have other ideas in the future."
Xiao Shougui blurted out the answer without thinking for too long. If he thought for too long, even if your answer made Li Xiang very satisfied, you would just be an ordinary talent in Li Xiang's mind. In such a camp, there are too many ordinary talents.
"That's right. For the time being, you still have to stay in the Western Regions. You can continue to punish this person. As for Wadahhan, apart from giving him three meals a day, you can keep him there. He is not allowed to contact anyone, and no documents are allowed to be leaked. In the end, he is just imprisoned in the palace."
Xiao Shougui knew that Li Xiang was about to leave. Several documents had already arrived from the court. Li Xiang had to rush to the Kingdom of Nanzhao after returning, so this was to explain the affairs of the Western Regions.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will never fall in the same place twice."
To put it bluntly, Xiao Shougui is also responsible for this incident. He and Su Lingfang both underestimated Walahan. They were usually deceived by this guy, otherwise he would never have been able to contact people outside. They thought that since they controlled all the troops, this guy would not be able to make any other moves. It seems that they really underestimated this guy.
"I'll only give you one chance, including Su Dingfang. If you make too many mistakes, then I'm afraid you'll need to find a place to think carefully. Life is like sailing against the current; if you don't move forward, you'll fall behind. If you keep standing still, the younger generation will surpass you."
Although Li Xiang's words were not very harsh, beads of sweat still fell on Xiao Shougui's forehead. What Li Xiang said was also the truth. After joining this camp, Xiao Shougui also saw many capable people. These people's abilities were no worse than his. The only thing they lacked was an opportunity. If these people were to seize the opportunity, then you might never have a chance to succeed in the future.
It doesn't matter that your mother is a princess. Weren't there enough princesses in the Tang Dynasty? To be in this position, you've already used up all your mother's favors. If you can't shine in this position, you must maintain a light without any dimming. Now, there's a huge black spot.
"I obey your orders."
Xiao Shougui knelt on the ground. Li Xiang looked at the form in front of him and asked him to stand up. There was no need to be so serious when talking in private, but he still had to criticize when necessary.
"Have you prepared all the gold and silver for the court?"
This time when Li Xiang returned to the capital, he had to bring back some money. At that time, many people in the court opposed the Western Regions policy, believing that it was a matter of spending money but not making money. So this time, he had to let the people in the court see that Li Xiang was indeed making money in the Western Regions.
Hearing Li Xiang asking about serious matters, Xiao Shougui also breathed a sigh of relief. This meant that our crisis was over. He knew Li Xiang quite well. As long as he talked about serious matters, it meant that your past affairs would not be pursued. But Xiao Shougui could not relax in his heart. The feeling just now was indeed uncomfortable, and he did not want it to happen again in his life.
"In reply to Your Highness, all the various items, totaling four million strings of cash, have now been loaded onto the trucks. There are over ninety of them in total, and they will be traveling with Your Highness to the capital."
During this catastrophe, Li Xiang found a total of 19 million strings of cash in various items, but he could not hand them all over to the court. However, he had to hand over a part of them at the same time to let the court see his ability, so that they would continue to hand over the affairs of the Western Regions to him.
After a period of improvement, the tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty court had increased from 12 million strings of cash per year to 16 million strings of cash. Even though it had increased so much, the 4 million strings of cash that Li Xiang brought back were still very precious.
Li Shimin had all kinds of ambitions, including some domestic livelihood issues, which he wanted to solve as soon as possible. However, no matter what the problem was, it would cost money. These days, just like the 21st century, basically nothing can be done without money. As long as Li Xiang could continuously transport the money back, Li Shimin's plans could be implemented, and he would not cause trouble for Li Xiang.
Take the current incident in the Western Regions for example. Li You caused such a big fuss that it almost led to a war between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions. If Li Xiang had not settled this matter, the empire would be facing war again. Even if you killed Li You more than a dozen times, could you change all this in the end?
People within the court also began to fan the flames, saying that the Western Region policy was wrong from the beginning. If we had proceeded steadily and advanced westward step by step from the beginning, we might not have controlled as much territory as we do now, but there would not have been so many crises.
Especially since there was no harvest at all, all the harvest was just on paper. In order to slap these people in the face, Li Xiang had to ship this money back to let them know that the court had gained a lot in the Western Regions. Moreover, a part of the money had to be shipped back every year in the future. It might not be as much as this time, but it had to be more than two million strings of cash.
Only in this way can these people's mouths be shut and let them know that the court has a lot of income in the Western Regions, almost reaching one-eighth of the annual income. Don't underestimate this one percent. If it can be transported back continuously, many of Li Shimin's wishes will be realized, and this will gain his support. As for the various officials within the court, Li Shimin can protect Li Xiang.
"General Cheng will stay this time. I will bring Su Dingfang back to the capital and accompany me to the Southern Zhao Kingdom. If there is anything that needs to be handed over, please hurry up and have them go down to do it. General Cheng has a bit of a hot temper, but he is also wholeheartedly for the Tang Dynasty."
Li Xiang thought about it and decided to swap these people. Su Dingfang had made many military achievements outside, so he should let others show their talents...