Seeing that the matter had almost been discussed, Yang Fan stood up and said: "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will leave first!"
His Majesty Li Er raised his eyebrows, as if he was hesitant to speak, and raised his hand to indicate that he still had something to do.
Finally, Li Er said inexplicably: "You care so much about Jiangnan's shipping and ports. Do you have any other plans?"
Yang Fan arranged for Xue Rengui to be in charge of the navy and shipbuilding, and also assigned Fang Yiai and Du He to be responsible for training the caravan guards.
Now Yang Fan is asking for land in the Jiangnan area again. All of these indicate that Yang Fan is making big moves.
Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the times, His Majesty Li Er couldn't figure it out even if he tried hard.
What prompted Yang Fan to be so motivated? Is it really just to open up overseas shipping lanes?
Although the area south of the Yangtze River was very fertile, the mountains there were high and the emperor was far away, and the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River were everywhere, so the court had very little control over it.
In His Majesty's opinion, there is no need to spend a lot of energy on those illusory things.
After all, even if a new waterway was opened, the biggest beneficiary would not be the imperial court, but the Jiangnan nobles.
Yang Fan did not answer in a hurry, but asked with a smile: "What kind of country does Your Majesty think Fusang Country is?"
Since His Majesty Li Er asked, Yang Fan did not intend to hide it anymore.
A candid announcement may also gain the support of His Majesty Li Er.
His Majesty Li Er thought for a while, frowned and said: "As far as I know, the Fusang Country is just a small, poor and backward island country."
Soon, His Majesty Li Er realized that Yang Fan's purpose of building sea ships was to deal with Fusang Kingdom.
But Li Er still asked in confusion: "Fusang is a small country with few people, so there is nothing to fear. Why do you go to such great lengths to plot against Fusang?"
A tiny place, nothing to fear?
Yang Fan chuckled, somewhat scornful of His Majesty Li Er's idea of arrogance of the country and the people.
In later generations, it was this small country of Fusang that gnawed so much flesh and blood on the elephant of China.
Even in this tiny place, some barbarians from the European and American continents almost devoured this elephant. Who would have thought?
Not to mention the distant future, even in the near future, this small Fusang Kingdom will begin to peek at the flesh and blood of the elephant in China.
Since he dared to send naval troops to start a war with the Tang Dynasty, this was a wolfish ambition.
Although the Tang Dynasty now has strong soldiers and strong national power, will it not take Fusang Kingdom seriously?
But too many ants can kill people, especially when they are weak.
Precisely because Huaxia never paid attention to the tiny Fusang Kingdom, it eventually led to a serious disaster and almost destroyed the country.
Due to historical changes, this kind of tragedy may not happen again, but Yang Fan will never tolerate any luck.
So he decided to give a warning lesson to this Sky Khan whose eyes were higher than his head.
Thinking of this, Yang Fan pondered for a moment and asked again: "Your Majesty, I heard that in the previous Sui Dynasty, the Fusang Kingdom sent an envoy to Luoyang to meet the Sui Emperor and presented a letter of credence."
His Majesty Li Er is worthy of being a learned and talented emperor. Not only is he very capable, he is also very knowledgeable.
After just thinking for a moment, he said: "Haha, I have some impressions. It is said that a big joke was made at that time, which made Emperor Sui very dissatisfied. If he didn't want to argue with them, he would have killed them long ago!"
Yang Fan did not laugh, but asked with a heavy heart: "Your Majesty, do you remember how they wrote their credentials back then?"
His Majesty Li Er frowned, obviously he could not remember the specific content.
Yang Fan didn't say anything, but said directly: "If Wei Chen remembers correctly, it should be: the emperor at sunrise, the emperor at sunset, the emperor is fine..."
His Majesty Li Er clapped his hands and laughed and said: "Yes, that's how it is written."
Then he glanced at Yang Fan with a slightly surprised look, a little surprised.
Although I know that Yang Fan has some genius, most people will forget this kind of rare knowledge and just regard it as an interesting thing.
But it's incredible that this kid Yang Fan is so clear. He obviously put in a lot of effort.
Speaking of this incident, it was indeed a big joke in the Sui Dynasty.
During the Daye period, the mission sent by the Fusang Kingdom to the Sui Dynasty arrived in Luoyang.
These envoys presented to the Sui Emperor a letter of credence from the emperor. The letter began with - The emperor at sunrise, to the emperor at sunset, that the emperor is well...
This kind of language structure made all the civil and military officials burst into laughter and despised Fusang Guohao.
Of course, it’s not just this weird writing format that everyone laughs at.
The most important thing is that I think the title "Fuso people" is too arrogant.
In that era, only the emperor of Huaxia could be called the emperor.
The Fusang Kingdom's credential referred to their supreme ruler as the Son of Heaven, which made the Sui Emperor very unhappy, and the civil and military officials naturally laughed out loud.
Besides, the emperor is fine when the sun rises and the emperor is fine when it sets... No one will like this statement.
Therefore, Emperor Sui ordered people to teach Fusang envoys etiquette, and even gave them a lot of craftsmanship.
It is precisely because of such jokes that Huaxia has never taken Fusang Kingdom seriously.
In their view, Fusang is a small country and its people are not educated, so why should they be afraid?
It is precisely because of this arrogance and ignorance that these Fuso people stole a lot of advanced industrial and agricultural technologies, causing China to suffer a lot in the future.
Of course Yang Fan would not allow such a thing to happen again, so he solemnly said: "Your Majesty, we can see from this the ambition of the Fusang people. A ruler in an uncivilized land dares to call himself the emperor. How can he pay it off in the future?"
"A country cannot be strong forever. There will always be times when various natural and man-made disasters lead to weakness or even destruction."
"Of course, a country cannot be weak forever. If one day a capable king is born, the country will definitely be strong!"
"Once the Fusang Kingdom becomes powerful, its ambitions will inevitably be exposed. If you are not prepared, you may be caught off guard."
His Majesty Li Er nodded and asked: "Then how can we make a country strong forever and prevent foreigners from bullying it?"
Yang Fan continued to answer: "It's very simple, either destroy the surrounding countries when the country is strong, or make the surrounding countries always weaker than yourself!"
"As the old saying goes, flowers never bloom in a hundred days, and people never bloom in a thousand days. Things will turn to their extremes, and prosperity will inevitably decline. This is an eternal truth."
"The same goes for countries. If a country wants to be strong and prosperous, it must formulate a long-term strategy and then implement it unswervingly."
"In my opinion, the external strategy is actually very simple. We cannot allow those weak countries to become stronger little by little!"
"We must use all resources and use all means to make other countries surrender, keep them in civil strife, and make them have to rely on us. Then the Tang Dynasty will always be invincible."
Although Yang Fan was just a loser in his previous life, information in the 21st century is very popular and there are many discussions on the forum.
For example, the later superpower Citigroup pursued this kind of policy and played it very smoothly.
Firmly control the political and financial affairs of small countries, and if you are disobedient, they will do something to you, so that no one will be driven by Citigroup.
Even the powerful European Union, under the coercion and inducement of Citigroup, has no choice but to obey its lead.
This is the way for a great power to rule the roost!
Considering the strength of the Tang Dynasty, it is completely possible to follow this path. It can even be said that the Tang Dynasty is the far leading country in the world.
Whether it is from a technical, cultural or economic level.
Of course, in order to achieve this, the premise must be to get rid of the arrogance of a big country and its people, and not to look down on small countries.
After hearing Yang Fan's eloquent explanation, His Majesty Li Er nodded in agreement, showing a thoughtful expression.
Seeing this situation, Yang Fan struck while the iron was hot:
"Your Majesty, there are only permanent interests between countries, but no permanent friends."
"Since you are not a friend, you can only be an enemy. No matter whether the enemy is strong or weak, you must always be vigilant. It is best to deal with it before it poses a threat!"
His Majesty Li Er was directly shocked by Yang Fan's words!
This kind of thinking completely subverted his understanding of national relations, but after careful consideration, he found that what Yang Fan said made sense.
After pondering for a long time, His Majesty Li Er looked at Yang Fan with complicated eyes and interjected: "You are building Xinshi ships and opening up waterways in the south of the Yangtze River, not just because of Fusang Kingdom, right?"
This insight completely overturned His Majesty Li Er's understanding.
In the past, he always thought that the Tang Dynasty was superior to him, and that other countries were just vassals, and there was no need to pay attention to them at all.
Yang Fan's words completely made him realize a different world, and made him realize the entanglement of interests between countries.
As Yang Fan said, there is no friendship between countries at all. At most, there are only some interests.
Yang Fan's move this time was a bit big, obviously it couldn't be just for the small Fuso Kingdom.
Yang Fan said calmly: "Of course it is impossible to work hard for a small Fusang Kingdom. Suppressing Fusang Kingdom is just a side method. The main purpose is to make the people of the Tang Dynasty rich and powerful."
His Majesty Li Er's eyes lit up, but he still pretended to be calm and said: "Tell me, how can a waterway make the people of the Tang Dynasty rich and powerful."
Yang Fan took a sip of tea and continued to explain: "Zhangzhou and Quanzhou belong to Jiangnan Road. Although the mountains are high and the roads are far away, it is very close to the sea route."
"From there, it is extremely convenient to travel to various countries in Southeast Asia. If we can operate a trading port here, we will have unique geographical advantages and can open up trade routes with various countries in one fell swoop. In a few years, it will become the largest maritime port in the Tang Dynasty.
Trade gateway."
Of course, Yang Fan's inspiration came from the special economic zones.
In later generations, after the treasure land of Jiangnan Road was listed as a special economic zone by the country, it only took a few decades to become the largest container production base in Asia and the most important shipping port in the country.
If Jiangnan Road is developed into an overseas trading port, wealth from all over the world will surely flow into the Tang Dynasty.
Whether it is national construction or fighting a war, it all requires financial support.
His Majesty Li Er nodded with some relief. He really thought that Yang Fan was going to such great lengths to deal with a small country, which was a bit disappointing again!
If you really want to destroy the Fusang Kingdom, His Majesty Li Er can just send a general with tens of thousands of soldiers to sweep across that small area.
To be honest, the reason why His Majesty Li Er gave Yang Fan so many conveniences was not only to make money, but also to prepare for the future Eastern Expedition.
The area south of the Yangtze River is rich in people and supplies, but unfortunately transportation is inconvenient. If Yang Fan opens the waterway, shipping can be used to support the Eastern March.
But when he thought of the port and fleet that Yang Fan wanted to build, His Majesty Li Er frowned again: "I heard that you spent more than 10 million yuan to build sea-going ships and build ports. Is it true that it is really necessary to build such a large port?
Ports and caravans?”
The bigger the project is, the more money it will cost.
Although Yang Fan paid for it himself, Li Er still felt a little pity.
How great it would be if all this money could be used to spend on food and supplies for the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo!
Although His Majesty Li Er has seen the benefits brought by commercial prosperity from Junyangfang.
But Jiangnan is too far away from Chang'an, and that is the territory occupied by the Jiangnan gentry.
Even if commerce flourishes, the people who benefit the most will definitely be the Jiangnan gentry.
Although Yang Fan said it was to increase the income of the court and the people.
But those who benefited the most were the Jiangnan gentry who had always seemed alienated from the imperial court.
His Majesty Li Er is not willing to do this kind of thing of making wedding clothes for others, nor does he want Yang Fan to do it.
After all, His Majesty Li Er has been continuously weakening the power of the family.
Of course Yang Fan understood His Majesty Li Er's concerns, but he still insisted: "Your Majesty, if you want to build one, of course I will build the best one. Moreover, what I want to build is not an ordinary fleet and port, but one directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court."
Department of Shipping.”
"After this port is built, we can gather all the maritime merchants who come to the Tang Dynasty to do business here, and the imperial court will issue a unified document informing them that this port is the only legal trading port for the imperial court, and all other places will be regarded as smugglers."
"And all the revenue from the port, except for daily operations, is turned over to the court. As a result, it is impossible for the Jiangnan gentry to enjoy the benefits."
In the Tang Dynasty, there was no concept of "customs".
When Yang Fan said that all maritime trade would be brought under the unified management of the imperial customs,
Li Erbi was so shocked that his hands trembled and he almost pulled off his beard.
Doesn't this mean that he has cut off the foundation of the Jiangnan gentry?
Rely on the mountains to eat the mountains, rely on the sea to eat the sea!
The reason why the Jiangnan nobles have been able to occupy Jiangnan for hundreds of years is because of the extremely profitable sea trade!
Now, once the Yangfan port is established, it will be equivalent to determining the income of the Jiangnan nobles. How can these guys give up?
Even His Majesty Li Er has to admit that Jiangnan is the Jiangnan of the Jiangnan gentry!
Once these Jiangnan nobles found that their foundation was shaken, they would inevitably launch a desperate counterattack.
In the one-third of an acre in the south of the Yangtze River, not even the imperial court could do anything!
Of course His Majesty Li Er will not act recklessly!
Once Jiangnan falters, his great cause of the Eastern Expedition will be delayed for who knows how many more years.
His Majesty Li Er shook his head and sighed: "It's difficult! It's difficult!"
Yang Fan's idea was enough to make him excited, but there was not much chance of success.
Once this port is opened, it will inevitably encounter full resistance from the Jiangnan gentry. It is feared that it will die just after it is completed.
Without the support of the Jiangnan gentry, this port would exist in name only.
However, Yang Fan had already known the case. Yang Fan said confidently: "Your Majesty clearly knows that the success or failure of this matter does not lie with the Jiangnan nobles, but with us."
His Majesty Li Er was puzzled: "Why is this?"
Yang Fan confidently said: "Merchant's nature is to pursue profit. As long as there is profit, someone will do the business of beheading."
"The resistance of the Jiangnan gentry is inevitable because they want to pursue huge profits. Once the port is controlled by the imperial court, all taxes will be attributed to the imperial court, which will affect their income, but it does not mean that they are monolithic."
His Majesty Li Er suddenly realized.
Yes, these Jiangnan nobles are both friends and rivals. As long as you make good use of their relationship, you can be like a fish in water.
Doing business is all about making money. Once the trade routes in Jiangnan are strictly controlled, if you don't follow the rules, there will be no business!
This move would not only integrate Jiangnan's business, but also allow the imperial court to increase its control over Jiangnan Road.
Once the port becomes the only maritime trade port in the Jiangnan region, the entire Jiangnan Road will be in the hands of the imperial court!
His Majesty Li Er suppressed his excitement and grinned: "What if they still don't listen to someone else?"
Yang Fan raised the corner of his mouth and revealed a sinister smile: "Whoever refuses to listen, the court will not tolerate them. The sea is windy and dangerous, who knows what unforeseen disasters will happen..."
His Majesty Li Er slapped his thigh and said loudly: "I will issue a decree to establish this Customs Department later!"
Anyone who disobeys will be killed. This is simply too satisfying for His Majesty Li Er!
Yang Fan knew that His Majesty Li Er would not object, so he quickly said: "Your Majesty, I haven't finished speaking yet."
His Majesty Li Er said happily: "What else is there? But it doesn't matter!"
Yang Fan is really talented as a prime minister!
If you just come up with an idea, you can not only make a lot of money, but also help the court collect a lot of taxes. What a monster!
The more His Majesty Li Er looks at Yang Fan, the more he likes him. He is so amazing and talented, he is simply a God-given son-in-law.