Ling Tianfang, who had been temporarily appointed by me as the director of the Administration of the Golden State Prefecture, followed me and strolled through the streets of Golden State, "My lord, I think it's better to send some personal guards to go with me, just in case." ”

"Oh my God, if the Gaoyue people really want to be unfavorable to us, going to a few hundred guards will not help, but it will increase their suspicions. I don't think they will turn their faces without even hearing the conditions, but I am still the chief executive of this side, and I don't think they will be so rash. They have been confined to this mountain long enough, do they really not yearn for a better life? Is it so difficult that they are willing to be trapped in this mountain for generations and unable to develop? I think their leaders will make a wise choice. ”

Although the urban area of Golden State is not large, it is quite prosperous. There are a large number of medicinal herb shops, medicine halls, woodworking workshops, furniture workshops, and horse-drawn carriage manufacturing factories here, all because of the abundance of medicinal herbs and wood, and the whole street seems to exude a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs and wood. This is really an excellent big rear! When I let out this sigh with deep feeling, Ling Tianfang also closed his head in agreement.

"My lord, it seems that we are still on the right step here, with this, Qingyang has become a solid shield, we can also attack, retreat and defend, greatly reducing the risk, and Qingyang has also obtained a strong backing." I really didn't know that Wang Shiqi had such good conditions, but he made this place look like this. Ling Tianfang was obviously very satisfied with the plan he had designed.

"It's too early to talk about the success of the matter, controlling Jinzhou is certainly one of our goals, but taking the Gaoyue people under our command is our more important goal. "My gaze has already flown over the mountains in the distance, to the depths of the gloomy expanse.

cleaned up Wang Shiqi's family background, only to find that this guy is worthy of being a master of collecting money, and the small treasury of the Finance Department and the normal treasury actually left nearly one million gold coins, which made me choose a big bargain in vain. From here, it can also be seen that the financial income of the Golden State Government is very considerable, and under Wang Shiqi's extravagant enjoyment, there is still a huge amount of remaining, and it can also be imagined that the Golden State is attractive.

"Stop, don't come closer, who are you, what are you doing here?"

Soon after Ling Tianfang and I entered the sphere of influence of the Gaoyue clan in the Great Hengduan Mountains with a few guards after two days of trekking, a few vigilant shouts came from the woods.

"I am Li Wufeng, the new city guard of the Jinzhou Mansion of the Empire, and I am here today to meet with the noble elders and discuss some things. I glanced at the dense woods and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. From the early information, it has been known that the Gaoyue people are somewhat different from other ethnic groups, it is composed of many tribes of different sizes, and there are also geographical divisions, most of the people live in the lofty mountains and mountains of the Great Hengduan Mountain Range spanning thousands of miles from north to south of the mainland, the total number of people is about one million, and there are about 200,000 people living in the territory of the imperial Golden State.

There was a panic in the dense forest, although there was a long-term hostility and even conflict with the local government, but after all, this was the territory of the Tang River Empire, and this person claimed to be the new local supreme administrator, and he couldn't help but make these minions in charge of vigilance busy, and they didn't know what to do for a while. After a while, a young man came out of the dense forest, looked at me suspiciously for a long time, and then asked, "You said that you are the city guard of Jinzhou, what proof do you have?"

"Bold!" several of the soldiers behind me shouted, "My lord, who dares to pretend!"

Ling Tianfang also replied: "This is indeed my family's adult, I don't think you can be the master of this matter, it is better to ask Your Excellency to report it." ”

There was a hint of anger in the eyes of the man who came out to talk, but he soon reacted, it is definitely not a simple matter for these people to come up the mountain, let alone themselves, even ordinary leaders may not dare to receive them, as the man said, I am afraid that only the great elders can receive them.

"Okay, you wait a minute, I'll report to the top first, and I'll let you know if there's an answer from above. He stared at Ling Tianfang fiercely. The figure of the young man quickly disappeared into the dense woods.

After half an hour, the figure of the young man reappeared in front of us, but his demeanor had calmed down a lot, so we followed him, and after half a day's trek on the path, we arrived at a slightly flat dam, where there were obviously many more inhabitants, very different from the scattered houses we saw along the way, and it seemed that this should be an important settlement for the Gaoyue people.

"Back to the Great Elder, the guest has been invited. The man who led the way respectfully saluted the few people standing in front of a very old wooden house.

I also took this opportunity to take a closer look at the principals of the more than 200,000 Gaoyue clansmen. Standing at the front was an old man in brown, his face was wrinkled and it was impossible to tell his specific age, but his jet-black hair matched his old face, which made people feel indescribably strange from a visual point of view. The shining eyes also make people feel his abundant energy. Three of the four people in the back are also old men who are over the age of sixties, and they all look quite imposing, but only the man in black on the edge looks less than thirty years old, and he is actually a great elder, which is quite amazing, especially there is always an unpredictable smile on his dark face, and his hands are also tightly closed in the sleeve cage, which is unforgettable at first sight.

"When you come to visit, you don't welcome you from afar. Master Li is famous and famous, and although the old man has been in the wilderness for a long time, he has already heard of it. The old man in brown smiled and stepped forward, and the four people behind him followed silently. "The old man is the chief elder of the Gaoyue clan in Jinzhou. ”

It could be seen that these people were very prestigious here, and the Gaoyue people who were watching next to them all showed a look of disbelief and shock when they saw the five people walking down the stairs together to greet them, perhaps they had never seen any guests who needed the five elders to greet them at the same time.

"Elder Kapok's name, the lower officials have already heard about it, and they should have come to visit early, but when they first took over, there were still many trivial matters to deal with, so it has been delayed until now. I smiled sincerely, and strode forward to hold Elder Kapok's soft hands.

"Please. "Please"

It's a modest wooden house, but it's a long way to tell, and it's not a place where anyone can come and go. A few wooden chairs in primary colors have been polished and rustic, but spotless, albeit austere. This is probably their council chamber.

"This is Mr. Ling Tianfangling, who is currently the director of the Administration of Jinzhou Prefecture. Motioning for the guards to stay outside the house, Ling Tianfang and I calmly walked into the wooden house.

"Mr. Ling's name, the old man has also heard of it. Now that Master Li has the world in mind, Mr. Ling can make great achievements under his command. "Elder Kapok's words seemed to be pointing out that my brain, which was originally thinking about how to cut into the topic, quickly worked, I couldn't see that this old guy's vision was so sharp, I had just entered the Golden State, he could actually guess my ambition from this point, it was not simple, but it was good, it was much easier to deal with smart people, it seems that today's trip should be rewarding.

"The Great Elder really has something to say, the purpose of Lord Li and I coming here today, I think the Great Elder also knows a little bit about it. Ling Tianfang also fought-for-tat.

The wrinkled face showed a sly smile, "I would like to hear the two of you." ”

Seeing that Kapok was so cunning, I didn't want to go around in circles with him, "Elders, I went up the mountain with Lord Ling today to change the current status quo of Golden State, which is not conducive to the economic development of Golden State, so I am here to discuss with a few people. ”

"I want to hear about it. The attitudes of the five elders became serious.

"As we all know, under the sky, it is not the land of the king, and our Jinzhou is the territory of the Tang River Empire, and it is also a treasure land of feng shui rich in precious timber and medicinal materials, and it is also famous in the whole continent. The current situation is that due to the confrontation between the Gaoyue people and the local government and local forces in Jinzhou, the management of the Jinzhou government cannot reach the whole territory. Due to the restrictions imposed by the local government, the Gaoyue people are unable to be self-sufficient in basic necessities such as grain, salt, and cloth, and their production and livelihood are difficult, while the timber and medicinal materials produced are restricted by various kinds and cannot be sold freely. Therefore, I would like to discuss with the elders to solve this problem fundamentally, so that the economy of Jinzhou can develop smoothly, and at the same time, the life and development of the Gaoyue people can embark on a broad road. Although my first few words made several people a little dissatisfied, when they heard the next few words, several people showed a thoughtful look.

After a long time, Kapok nodded slightly, and at the same time looked at the other Great Elders next to him, "It seems that Master Li must have a good plan to teach me this visit, Kapok and my brothers are very eager to hear Lord Li's thoughts." ”

I stood up and slowly walked around the spacious hall, everyone's eyes were focused on me, "At present, it seems that no political axe on the mainland recognizes the equal status of the Gaoyue people, including the Tanghe Empire, they all adopt a discriminatory attitude towards the Gaoyue people, which is also the main reason why the Gaoyue people have always been trapped in the Great Hengduan Mountains, as long as this reason still exists, the Gaoyue people will never be able to really develop and grow, and will gradually decline." ”

Although I didn't like what I said, these elders had to admit that what I said was the truth, and two of them couldn't help but sigh softly.

"I can promise you that in the area under my rule, the Gaoyue people are equal to other ethnic groups, including the Tang people, in all aspects, both in terms of rights and obligations, and of course in the areas where all ethnic groups are moved, working, farming, doing business, receiving education, serving in the army, and engaging in politics. No one shall engage in acts or remarks that discriminate against other ethnic groups, otherwise they will be punished with endangering national security. ”

My words immediately moved the five of them, but Kapok quickly calmed down, he knew that the more he gets, the more he pays, and there is no such thing as a free lunch.

"In terms of implementation, I will allow the Gaoyue people to live in the plains of central and southern Jinzhou, and as for the policy, according to the regulations I formulated in Qingyang, each person can get ten acres of land to cultivate, but they are not allowed to buy or sell for several years. Of course, the Gaoyue people can also migrate to any place in Qingyang and Jinzhou if they wish. ”

If the previous remarks are a bit pragmatic, then the latter is the most tangible thing. In order to win the way down the mountain to live on this plain, the Gaoyue people have gone through several generations of hard work, but they have never succeeded, and now I have taken the initiative to bring it up, how can I not surprise and delight them. Even if it was a calm Elder Kapok like a mountain, he couldn't help but let out an "oh", and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be much less, this was what his ancestors had dreamed of for generations, and the other four elders couldn't help but turn their heads and ears.

I can see that this condition has deeply touched the hearts of the Gaoyue people, and I struck while the iron was hot: "I can also ensure the supply of basic production and living materials for the Gaoyue people, so that the Gaoyue people can live a better life." ”

After saying that, I easily returned to my seat and sat down, now it was Gao Yueren's turn to think carefully.

"Lord Li, you put forward such generous conditions, to be honest, even I am quite tempted. But I think adults must have corresponding requirements, so it's better for adults to say it directly, so that we can think about it. "Kapok finally couldn't help it, such generous conditions, if they were known by ordinary people, I am afraid that it would immediately cause a chaos, who doesn't want to go down the mountain a day earlier to enjoy a better life?

"My conditions are not harsh, there are only two. First, the Gaoyue ethnic group in Jinzhou must be subject to the management of the local government in Jinzhou, but the specific management method can be negotiated. Second, the people of the Gao Yue tribe must obey the need to join the army in my military operations. Specifically, the current troops of the Gaoyue people in Jinzhou, I think there are about 30,000 people, who have joined my army unconditionally, and must strictly obey the management of the army. "I didn't rush to put my conditions forward.

Several elders immediately fell into a quarrel and muttered for a long time, and Kapok finally made a difficult choice: "In principle, we agree to the terms of the lord, but the matter is too big, and we must make another meeting of tribal chiefs to decide whether to accept it or not." Please wait, my lordship, and we will hold a council of chiefs on this matter at once. ”

The chieftain's meeting was soon over, and the final result was acceptance of my terms, which I expected, and the desire for a better life was enough to overpower everything else. On specific matters, Ling Tianfang had a careful consultation with the youngest Great Elder, Elder Yamagen.

"Master Li, let's go out for a walk. Elder Kapok, who had been silent since the results, suddenly made this invitation.

The two of us walked along the path in the woods, "Master Li, in fact, I don't agree with the result of this consultation, after all, our Gaoyue clan is a nation of reading power, and in this way, although our lives will be greatly improved, we have lost our reading ability, is this a blessing or a curse?" Elder Kapok said in a deep voice as if he were talking to himself.

"There are gains and losses, the development and growth of a nation is by no means by resting on its laurels, Elder Kapok, I believe that the Gaoyue people will get more development opportunities after the baptism of wind and rain, and the outside world is more exciting, so that these young people can break through will benefit the entire Gaoyue tribe a lot. "My high-sounding comfort to Elder Kapok.

When Elder Kapok and I returned to the wooden house, Ling Tianfang had already reached a final agreement with Elder Yamane on the terms of both sides, just waiting for me and Elder Kapok to sign. In terms of our conditions, we have added two more items: building roads leading to the Gaoyue ethnic areas in southern Jinzhou as soon as possible and increasing investment in the education and health infrastructure of the Gaoyue people.

When I exchanged agreements with Elder Kapok after signing them, Elder Mumian looked at me with complicated eyes: "I hope that your Excellency will keep your promise and not live up to the expectations of the Gao Yue clan." ”

I also looked around and shouted in a voice that everyone around me could hear: "If I, Li Wufeng, violate the words of the near present, the heavens will punish it, and the earth will destroy it!"

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