When Chen Jingke mentioned the food issue, he immediately thought of what he and Cheng Huailiang had discussed a few days ago. Isn't this a coincidence?
The three of them did not have the ability to engage in maritime trade, but the Tang Dynasty did. The imperial court had shipyards and a certain amount of naval forces in its hands.
The new shipbuilding and navigation skills he had previously brought to the imperial court could quickly be put to use.
Through this, a fleet that is familiar with the sea will be trained, which will be helpful in pacifying Liaodong, sailing to Nanyang, or laying the foundation for launching large-scale voyages in the future.
So he said: "I know that there is food in a place that can provide food for at least millions of people in the Tang Dynasty every year."
Li Shimin was overjoyed at first, and then said seriously: "This matter is important, so we can't joke about it."
Chen Jingke said with certainty: "How dare I joke about such a big thing, and I told you about that place before, you should be able to think of it with your wisdom."
Have you said it before? Li Shimin immediately thought that it should have been said before when he introduced the world map.
So where is it?
His brain quickly started an analysis. It couldn't be too far away from the Tang Dynasty, and transportation had to be convenient, otherwise there would be no point in having more food.
The abundance of food there means that the land is fertile and can be grown for multiple seasons a year... Yes.
“But Indochina?”
Chen Jingke said: "Your Majesty is wise, it is the Indochina Peninsula. It is located in the tropics and crops can grow all year round. Rice is harvested three times a year."
"The land is so fertile that you can just sow a handful of seeds and harvest the crops in a few months."
"It's just that the favorable innate conditions have made the locals lazy and unenterprising..."
"As long as we give them a little power, they can produce more food, and if we take back some of it, it will be enough to feed millions of people."
Li Shimin said in embarrassment: "But you also said that the environment there is hot, humid and malaria-ridden. We northerners are not suitable for the local climate and environment."
"The imperial court has no way to send troops to conquer there, so how can we let them grow food, and how can we collect food from them?"
"..." Chen Jingke gave him a thumbs up in his heart, "As expected of Li Shimin, his way of thinking about problems is so direct.
"Why must we send troops to conquer? Sometimes if we change our thinking, things may become simpler."
Li Shimin said directly: "If you have any ideas, just tell me and don't be too secretive."
Changsun Wugu smiled in his heart, it was so interesting that these two people were talking.
Chen Jingke pretended not to hear the rebuke in his words and said:
"The indigenous tribes and countries in the Indochina Peninsula admire the Central Plains Dynasty very much. Send a few envoys there, and with an edict, they can become vassals and pay tribute."
"You then give their lords and chiefs some fine silks, porcelain, sugar, glass and other luxuries."
"It's best to give it in front of all the nobles in their country, so that they can see what a treasure from the heavenly kingdom is."
"Those natives who have never seen the world will definitely be greedy. We will send caravans over to sell these things and let them exchange them for food."
"If they want to obtain these luxuries, they will inevitably drive the people under their rule to farm and produce more food."
"And we only need to use a glass bowl to exchange for a shipload of food from them."
"Without spending a single soldier, the Indochina Peninsula will become the granary of the Tang Dynasty, providing us with a steady stream of food."
"Bang." Li Shimin slapped the table and scolded: "Shameless, really shameless. How is this behavior different from that of a robber?"
The next moment he suppressed his anger and asked Changsun Wugou seriously: "Guanyin, what do you think of this method?"
Chen Jingke was dumbfounded. Is this a face-changing trick?
"Pfft haha..." Changsun Wugu covered his mouth and laughed, and said while laughing: "I think it is feasible, Erlang might as well give it a try, even if it doesn't work, there is no loss."
Li Shimin nodded, and then said to Chen Jingke: "If you have anything to say in the future, just say it directly. Don't beat around the bush. I can't explain it for a long time."
Only then did Chen Jingke realize that he was deliberately teasing himself just now, and said aggrievedly: "I don't want to tell you more clearly."
Changsun Wugu wiped away the tears from his laughter and said, "Well, Jing Ke is a good and attentive boy, and deserves praise."
Chen Jingke was so embarrassed that he almost dug his toes out of the three bedrooms and one living room.
Li Shimin added: "But your method is indeed unique. If it succeeds, you will have found a new granary for the Tang Dynasty. For such a great achievement, I will reward you heavily."
Chen Jingke said feebly: "Hey, whatever reward you want, a little Sizi is enough."
Changsun Wuguo interjected: "Just remember it first, and we will reward you together in a few years."
Chen Jingke didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, so she naturally wouldn't say anything. Besides, Li Shimin owed him many rewards, and this one was not missing.
Now that this idea has been made, there is no need to hide it. He continued: "There is another place that is also suitable for this method, and that is the Wonu Kingdom."
Li Shimin immediately thought of the situation in the Wonu Kingdom and asked, "Is there also a lot of food there?"
Chen Jingke shook his head and said: "It's not that there is a lot of food there, but there are several mines with huge reserves of gold, silver and copper. If we can get these gold, silver and copper, we can alleviate the money panic of the Tang Dynasty."
"Moreover, the Japanese slaves were very ambitious and unwilling to be subordinated to others. They sent envoys to the Central Plains twice during the pre-Sui Dynasty period."
“The certificate of credence he carried used the title “The Emperor of the Sunrise to the Emperor of the Sunrise” and “The Emperor of the East Respects the Emperor of the West”.
"It can be seen that they surrender in words, but in their hearts they consider themselves emperor. This kind of country is very dangerous."
This is the first time Li Shimin has heard of this. How dare he call himself emperor? How dare he be called the emperor of the Central Plains Dynasty?
This directly touched his back scale, which was unbearable.
The eldest grandson Wuga said thoughtfully: "I remember that in the fifth year of Zhenguan, the imperial court sent Bohai County Duke Gao Biaoren as an envoy to the Japanese slave country."
"Because the ruler of the country refused to accept the order according to etiquette, he was trapped in a dispute. It was not until the seventh year of Zhenguan that he was able to escape and return to the Tang Dynasty. This shows that the country did not have much respect for the Tang Dynasty."
Li Shimin's face was already so gloomy that it was almost raining, and he said: "When the new navy is established, I will destroy it."
Chen Jingke was not so optimistic, saying: "The Wonu Kingdom is different from Goguryeo. It is too far away from the Tang Dynasty and can only travel by water. It is difficult to destroy the country."
"If His Majesty really wants to conquer this place, it's not impossible, but he must make a long-term plan to gradually encroach."
Li Shimin naturally understood this and asked, "What can you do?"
Chen Jingke said: "There is a way, but I don't know if it is feasible."
Li Shimin said: "Tell me, I will judge whether it is feasible or not."
So Chen Jingke explained his own method: "The situation of the Japanese slave country is more similar to that of the pre-Qin period, and it adopted a feudal system."
"In addition to the king of the country, there are hundreds of vassal states below. Some small countries are even as big as a township in my country in the Tang Dynasty. They are busy with constant conquests by various forces."
"In addition to internal discord, they also have an external enemy, the Ezo people. The two sides have been fighting for hundreds of years and their hatred is so deep that there is no possibility of reconciliation."
"As long as we think about it, there are actionable opportunities everywhere."
Li Shimin nodded slightly, which was nothing more than fanning the flames, sowing dissension, and letting them fight with each other and weaken themselves.
At this time, Chen Jingke scratched his head and said: "We seem to have gone a bit far. What I wanted to say just now... Oh, by the way, where to sell luxury goods unique to the Tang Dynasty."
"You need to spend money to buy luxury goods, which must be exchanged for items such as grain, cloth, or gold, silver, and copper."
"There are many gold, silver, and copper mines on Wunu Island. We can encourage them to mine, and we can even send craftsmen to find the veins for them."
"These veins are fat, and whoever owns them will become the object of others' covetousness. At that time, the court will guide them, and it will be easy for them to fall into civil strife."
"Cultural propaganda is also very important. We must assimilate them culturally and remove ideological obstacles for the subsequent imperial court to conquer this place."
Li Shimin nodded again. Although the specific plan was a bit idealistic, there was no problem with this idea.
Changsun Wugou put forward a different opinion, saying: "This place is too far away from the Tang Dynasty. Even if we conquer it, it will be difficult to manage it for a long time. I think it is enough to teach them a lesson."
Chen Jingke smiled and said: "Haha... Auntie is right. In fact, this is also the purpose of coming to see Your Majesty today."
Li Shimin and Changsun Wujia were both stunned for a moment, not understanding what he meant.
"Tell me carefully, what's going on?"
Chen Jingke said: "Your Majesty's request to be granted the title of Inspector reminds me of an idea that the elders of the family once made, so I came here to talk to you."
Li Shimin was a little embarrassed by the stupid things he did impulsively, but he couldn't say anything. He could only pretend to be nonchalant and said: "What's your idea?"
Chen Jingke said: "The world is so vast, how can our Chinese civilization achieve domination over it?"
Li Shimin immediately forgot what was embarrassing or not, and asked: "What solution did the elders of your clan come up with?"
Since he learned about the true appearance of the world, he has also been thinking about this problem, which is also one of the reasons why he has been reluctant to take action.
Some places are so far away that it takes a year and a half to travel back and forth. How can we rule them? What's the point of working hard to conquer them if we can't rule them?
Now that there is an answer for reference, I am naturally very interested.
It was clear to the onlookers that Changsun Wugou on the side had already guessed what Chen Jingke wanted to say from the conversation just now, and said:
"To enfeoff, is it to enfeoff overseas lands to meritorious officials?"
Chen Jingke said with admiration: "My aunt is so smart. Yes, it is to enfeoff the land that the Tang Dynasty cannot rule to the meritorious officials."
"In this way, we can not only realize the expansion of Chinese civilization, but also fulfill the friendship between His Majesty and his ministers. Your idea of making the governor official can also be realized in another way."
"And there is another advantage to doing this. These powerful people will leave the Tang Dynasty and go to the feudal country, and no one can stop you anymore."
"You can promote officials who are loyal to the imperial court and appoint them as replacement officials, and you can truly have the power to dominate the affairs of the country."