In fact, the pattern of Qin's seemingly good southward strategy only began to take shape in the past two or three years. The situation before was completely different, and Qin's southward strategy did not exist at all.
First of all, Qin and Shu are both slave states of the Great China Empire. If these two countries attack each other, they must be under the control of the Great China Empire. In terms of overall national strength, the Great China Empire is
The one who crushed Qin and Shu.
Even in modern times, the national power of the Great China Empire has begun to decline, but it is still the largest country in the region, whether it is Shu or Qin, no matter which of these two countries, it is impossible to go to war against the pressure of the Great China Empire
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Because the Great Hua Empire could influence the outcome as long as it sided with the country being attacked, Qin did not have the conditions to declare war on Shu before.
On the other side, there was no Tang Empire that suddenly appeared, and there were not so many big interest disputes between Qin and Shu.
In the past, there was no benefit from Qin's attack on Shu. Apart from getting land, the benefits were pitiful.
Qin's attack on the northern part of Shu invisibly increased the border area with the Orc Empire and the Great China Empire. This was not a good thing at all. It was just a waste of national power and increased the length of its own defense line.
What then? After paying so much, what Qin can gain in addition is the convenience of exporting to Chu.
Are you kidding me? The crappy economy before Chu State, let alone buying things from Qin State, will collapse once in a few years if you play your own game...
As for saying it to Zheng or Qi, stop making trouble and go directly to the Great China Empire. Why go to Chu to go over the mountains and ridges for a circuit?
At that time, everyone was a vassal state of the Great China Empire. It was more convenient for caravans to go through the Great China Empire. Apart from being exploited, there were no problems.
After all, the roads are not smooth, the total trade volume is limited, and the goods are of a single type, the kings and senior officials of various countries do not care at all.
Things are different now. Most of Qin's exports are exported to the Tang Dynasty. The civil strife in the Great China Empire has directly affected Qin's exports. This is a situation that has not been encountered in the past.
In fact, when the Tang Empire rose, the Qin State had already begun to study the so-called "southern detour" strategy to conquer Shu.
It's just that the economic conditions were not good before, the weapons and equipment were backward, and the Great China Empire had not completely declined, so it was not easy to implement it immediately.
Another reason is that the rise of the Tang Empire was so fast that the pattern was already taking shape before the Qin State was ready to go to war with the Shu State.
With the development of the Qin State over the years, the conditions have naturally become more and more mature: now the Qin State's national strength is not bad, and its military force is also very strong. Everyone in the Qin State believes that as long as the Tang Empire nods and agrees, Qin State will be able to defeat Shu State.
If you start a war, your victory will definitely be guaranteed by catching the snail with three fingers!
"Your Majesty, now the question is on our side. If we allow Qin to expand, how can our interests be guaranteed for Shu?" Nangong Hong relayed the request of Qin's special envoy and looked at Tang Mo who said nothing.
Then he looked at Prime Minister Roger beside him.
Frankly speaking, Tang Mo's political vision is actually not as good as Nangong Hong's. His limited experience in international relations is either what he summed up when he was selling arms in his previous life, or what he has learned and sold in this life.
Roger is even more helpless. He is just a partner of a blacksmith shop. His success today is all because of Tang Mo's ability to stand in line. His loyalty is absolutely useless, and his ability can only be said to be average.
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So what is interesting is that neither the emperor nor the prime minister of the most powerful empire in the world have a professional background. To put it bluntly, they are just two amateurs.
"If we acquiesce to Qin's expansion, it will be equivalent to giving up the trade of the Western Continent, and everything will have to be reshuffled..." Tang Mo was silent for a long time, and then expressed his views on the part he was most familiar with.
Nangong Hong also knew that he should add something. After all, it was Nangong Hong who helped Tang Mo formulate the strategy of developing westward in Bunas.
He no longer considers Roger as Prime Minister. Now some officials even privately call Roger the Prime Minister "Minister of Agriculture."
This imperial prime minister is not strong at all, he is not very professional, and he has not made any achievements in national policy. He can only focus on agricultural production, supervise water power, bridges, railways and other substantive work.
Basically, the ministers of various departments below him can do the things he handles, so the prime minister's only use is just a totem, the kind of mascot that attracts loyalty.
In fact, there was nothing that could be done about it. It was unrealistic to expect a partner of an old blacksmith shop to be very wise and powerful. The reason why Tang Mo reused Roger was not because of his ability, but because of his loyalty.
Nangong Hong, the temporary foreign minister, was actually more suitable for the position of imperial prime minister than Roger. Unfortunately, after seeing the Ministry of Internal Affairs remove all officials who talked about the prime minister in private, Nangong Hong knew that Luo
Unless Jie dies, he will never be able to reach the threshold of prime minister in his life.
So, he thought for a few seconds and said: "The losses are certain. The slave trade will affect our construction speed. Oil prices will rise, and food and cotton will be affected."
The Great China Empire and the Qin State were both oil exporters. It was not that they did not use oil, but that the Tang Empire purchased too much.
Ever since the establishment of the Southern Oilfield and the import of oil from the Chu State, the Tang Empire never allowed the Longdao Oilfield to increase production.
Even after transforming the southern oil fields, the Tang Empire did not allow the southern oil fields to reach full production capacity - Tang Mo was consciously consuming foreign oil production capacity, and at the same time using this method to feed back the poor economies of Qin and the Great China Empire.
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This directly drove up international oil prices, making life much easier for these oil exporting countries. Of course, it also allowed these countries to spend their Tang Dynasty gold and dollar reserves more bravely.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! So as long as the war in the Western Continent escalates, the price of oil in the Tang Empire will definitely rise. Food, cotton, and slaves will also be affected.
Relatively safer are the steel produced by the Tang Empire itself, and the large amounts of rubber produced by Chu and the southern Shu.
"Is there any solution?" Tang Mo asked Nangong Hong directly.
"In fact, it doesn't have much impact on us, so what your Majesty needs to consider is whether you are willing to let Qin grow bigger." Nangonghong replied: "According to my speculation, Qin will only be able to capture the northern part of Shu at most.
It just takes a few months.”
"It is difficult for the Dahua Empire to take into account the expansion of Qin. As long as it does not attack them, Zhao Kai will probably burn incense. Maybe he will breathe a sigh of relief and bring back some troops from the west to fight in Fengjiang.
." Tang Mo still had some foresight. He nodded and said, "Relying solely on Shu alone may not be able to withstand Qin's attack."
"Then we can see... what benefits our Tang Dynasty can get from it." Nangong Hong smiled and offered advice to Tang Mo: "Letting Qin take action is tantamount to muddying the water. Naturally, there are benefits in chaos.
What we can gain is a changed situation. If Qin is not allowed to take action, the situation will be very calm. We can also gain trade benefits in silence, which will also be beneficial to the Tang Dynasty."
"Let's talk about it." Tang Mo said directly: "Let the Prime Minister and I study more."
Roger was stunned when he heard Tang Mo's words, and then he was moved immediately: It was actually quite embarrassing for him to sit next to him, and his ability also made him feel a little inferior. Tang Mo could put him and himself together at this time, and Roger could
I felt Tang Mo’s good intentions.
Nangong Hong was not surprised and immediately spoke: "Send Qin away and Ying Duo is not allowed to expand. Our trade will be stable and all construction will go according to plan. In two years we will be able to complete the first five-year plan drawn up by His Majesty.
, when the Tang Empire’s national power will be unparalleled in the world, this is the inevitable result.”
After he finished speaking, he paused. Seeing that Tang Mo had no intention of speaking, he could only continue: "Support Qin's expansion, and there will be changes. There will be changes in all countries and forces. If Your Majesty is willing to make a move...
Then there will be many different scenery in the future.”
"First of all, the beaten Shu Kingdom is bound to move closer to us. The Great China Empire cannot save them. Only we can make the Qin Kingdom be honest." Nangong Hong pointed to the water glass on his side of the coffee table.
Then he pointed to Tang Mo's water cup: "The Qin State has captured northern Shu, so naturally it will be an advantage, and it will naturally have to give us something. This is another piece of cake!"
After finishing speaking, he pointed to Roger's water glass: "The Tang Empire and the Qin State have surrounded Dahua... How much fat is left is also a change."
Tang Mo was silent. Just like Nangong Hong said, there are many changes. Where the Tang Empire's national power is placed, it can indeed gain a lot of benefits.
But it is actually a good choice to sit firmly on Diaoyutai, build the country well, and climb the technology tree. This is indeed a difficult choice, and Tang Mo cannot take into account all aspects at the same time.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to make a decision in a hurry. Ask the military for their opinions and let other ministers express their opinions. Maybe it can be more comprehensive." Roger himself couldn't come up with any good strategies, so he could only make comprehensive suggestions.
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Tang Mo nodded, and he felt that he was not in a hurry: "Let Qin's envoy wait for a few days! This kind of thing is not in a hurry."
Nangong Hong nodded. Indeed, this kind of matter still needs to be carefully considered by all departments and it would be better to synthesize their opinions.
But personally, Nangong Hong is more inclined to make the situation chaotic. The little money and materials are nothing in the eyes of an old counselor like him. Sometimes, opportunities are the most valuable things.
Unfortunately, the Tang Empire was too powerful, giving him another option: do nothing. The Tang Empire's national power was getting stronger day by day, and stability might be an easier way to win.