The members of the royal family of Khorezm finally arrived at Bianliang City under the escort of the Ming army. Seeing the vast city in front of him, the splendid mountains and rivers, the city walls are tall, the city gate is magnificent, and the pedestrians on the official road are like weaving and the merchant travel is prosperous, and everyone in Khorezm is stunned. A young member of the royal family couldn't help but exclaim, "This, is this heaven?" Everyone only felt that their capital was like a pheasant compared to a phoenix, and a beggar compared to a rich man, and they could not help but feel ashamed of themselves in their hearts.

Entering Bianliang City, everyone felt as if they were in the Heavenly Palace. The buildings were exquisite, even more elaborate than those of a fairy-tale world, and the pedestrians on the streets were beautifully dressed, and most of them looked beautiful, like fairies in myths and legends. The crowd went into town like hillbillies, and everything was so new and amazing!

Unconsciously, everyone was led outside the State Guesthouse, and everyone only felt unsatisfied, and they really wanted to go to this heavenly palace-like city to have a good look. The official in charge of the reception greeted him, hugged his fists and said, "I am the official in charge of receiving you." "It's in the Khorezm language. When everyone heard this, they immediately returned the salute, and the middle-aged man in the lead bowed: "There is Master Lao!" Excuse me, my lord, when will His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty receive us? The official said, "You are tired from afar, so you should rest here first." Your Majesty can't spare time for the time being, and when you have time, I will naturally inform you! The crowd was anxious, but they didn't dare to say anything. The middle-aged man bowed down and said, "I'll wait here for the reception of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!" The official nodded and ushered the crowd into the state guesthouse.

When everyone entered the state guesthouse, they couldn't help but marvel at the exquisite wooden buildings hidden in the shade of the trees, which were as beautiful as a dream. I just think that this state guesthouse is much better than the royal palace.

The official stopped and said to the crowd: "This courtyard is for you to live in temporarily, the bedding and other things have been prepared, they are all freshly washed, and food is provided three times a day, at regular intervals. If you still need anything, you can tell the staff here, and if it's allowed, they'll do their best to accommodate you! Everyone nodded, and the middle-aged man in the lead bowed down and said, "Thank you, sir!" The official said, "If you want to go out, there is no taboo in the city, but you must obey the law, otherwise there will be no mercy under the law!" Also, if you want to go out of the city, pay attention to the time, the gates will be closed after dark every day, and if you don't come back in time, you will have to spend the night in the town outside! Every time the official said a word, everyone nodded.

The official glanced at everyone and asked; "Is there anything else you don't understand?" The crowd shook their heads. The official clenched his fists and said, "Okay, you guys can rest, I take my leave." Everyone hurriedly bowed, and the middle-aged man in the lead said, "Congratulations to my lord." "The officer left.

The middle-aged man glanced around, bowed down and asked a staff member standing next to him, "Excuse me, where is your residence?" Naturally, he said Khwarazm language, but the staff could understand it, because in order to receive these royal family members of Khorezm, this state guesthouse has been replaced by staff who understand Khorezm. The staff led the group into the backyard, pointed to the buildings around the pond and said, "These are the residences." The buildings were all retinue quarters, with each room accommodating two to six people, and the relatively detached wooden huts were for people of status. You decide for yeast how to distribute it. ”

The middle-aged man thanked him and immediately allocated everyone's accommodation. There were quite a few of these Khorezmians, a dozen members of the royal family, and more than a hundred retinues, but the rooms here were enough to arrange them. The distribution of middle-aged people inevitably made some people dissatisfied, but no one raised objections, which shows that the prestige of this middle-aged man is still quite high. It turned out that this middle-aged man's name was Mahamat, the brother of the deceased Emperor Khorezm, and he was known for his kindness and wisdom in Khorezm. Among this group of royals, although some were much older than Mahamat, he was the leader.

After the quarters were allocated, the retinue either went to the kitchen to prepare food or went to rest, while Mahamat and other members of the royal family gathered in Mahamad's room.

An old man with gray hair said worriedly: "The Ming Emperor is not in a hurry to meet us, so it can be seen that he doesn't value us very much!" I'm really worried that we won't gain anything by asking Daming for help! "This old man's name is Taikashi, and he is Mahamat's uncle, and he also has a lot of prestige in the royal family.

Mahamat frowned and said: "It was the Western Liao State and the Liao State that attacked us, and these two countries are the mortal enemies of the Ming Dynasty, especially the Liao State, and there have been many major wars between the two sides, which can be said to be as deep as the sea." The Ming Dynasty needs the Khorezm Allies, so I judge that we can still negotiate with His Majesty the Ming Dynasty. ”

Taikashi frowned and said: "In all negotiations, both sides must have a good hand. In our current situation, what else can we come up with? Does the title Khorezm alone really work? ”

Mahamat frowned and said, "Didn't we discuss this matter a long time ago?" Why did Uncle Huang suddenly come out again? ”

Taikashi sighed and said, "I've been thinking about this question for the past few days! Khorezm is over! Even if the Liao State and the Liao State are defeated by the Ming Dynasty in the future, Khorezm is just a new master, and there is no need to think about recovering the country! Everyone nodded in agreement, all looking disheartened, and a young man named Iler said: "We have tried our best, and we may even lose our lives, but Khorezm will not be able to return to the country!" Instead of doing such useless things, it is better to stay in the elf-like world of Daming and enjoy it! Fortunately, we have brought out many treasures from the palace, and it is no problem to live happily for the rest of our lives! The crowd agreed. These people didn't have much interest in recovering the country, but now they see that Daming is so prosperous, like a flower, compared to the legendary elf world, they are very moved, and they just want to stay here and enjoy it.

Mahamat was greatly annoyed, but said quietly, "Do you think that you can live in peace and stability by staying here?" The crowd looked puzzled.

Mahamat snorted, "You can forget your identity, but the Liao State will not forget, the Liao State will not forget, and the Ming Dynasty will not forget either." If we don't take the initiative to fight for it, we people may become the goods traded between their three empires! If we can't show our enough value to the Ming Dynasty, and the Liao State or the Western Liao State exchange us with benefits, will we still have a way to live? Everyone's faces changed, and Iler said in disbelief: "This, this won't be!" Why do Western Liao and Liao want us? ”

Mahamat snorted coldly and asked, "If you occupy someone else's home, aren't you worried that one day the master of this family will come and take the homeland?" When the people understood what Mahamat meant, they were all terrified, and they were overwhelmed.

Mahamat looked at Taikashi and said, "We are not the people of the Ming Dynasty, but the royal family of Khorezm. We won't be safe in Daming! If we want to be truly safe, there is only one way, and that is to use the Ming Dynasty to restore our state! ”

Regular pilgrimage meetings. Zhang Xiang stood up, clenched his fists and said, "Your Majesty, the Tibetan Mission and the Khorezm royal family have arrived. Both families were anxious to meet His Majesty. ”

Yang Peng said: "Your cabinet will talk to them first." I don't want to see them just yet. Zhang Xiang promised and returned to his seat.

Yang Peng glanced at everyone and asked, "Have you read the report sent by Shi Liancheng recently?" The crowd nodded. Huang Qiaoyun said with a smile: "Our army has hit the beach in one fell swoop, and the strategic goals set by the eldest brother before the war have been completed!" Yang Peng smiled at Huang Qiaoyun, and Huang Qiaoyun became shy and lowered his head.

Yang Peng said: "Although the strategic goal has been completed, the situation in Bagan is not optimistic. The north of Bagan City is fine, because of the large number of Han Chinese, we can completely control it, but south of Bagan is a different situation. The people of Bagan are clearly not comfortable with our rule, and rebellions continue to break out everywhere. With Duan Zhixian's 30,000 elites alone and the thousands of Xuanjia Heavenly Soldiers who occupied the Jin Kingdom, they could only be exhausted! ”

Everyone couldn't help frowning. Tang Shidian said: "Your Majesty, forgive Weichen for being blunt. Bagan's uncivilized land is really of little use to our Ming Dynasty, and it is enough to destroy Bagan and make an example of chickens and monkeys, so why do you need that wild land? Zhang Xiang nodded and said, "What Lord Tang said is extremely true!" During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the army fought a bloody battle in Mobei to expel the Xiongnu, and then abandoned the land of Mobei, which was also because the wild land had no value! ”

Yang Peng said: "It is precisely because of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that after that, Xianbei, Khitan, and Jurchen can rely on the northern grasslands to rise into powerful empires, posing a huge threat to the Central Plains Dynasty!" ”

When everyone heard this, they understood Yang Peng's intentions, and Yang Peng didn't plan to give up Bagan.

Yang Peng said: "There is no useless land, only useless rulers." Bagan is a wild land, but because of its desolation, it has great potential for development. In addition, Bagan also has many unique materials that are not available in the Central Plains, not to mention all kinds of novel fruits, elephants are very powerful means of transportation, and there are many high-quality timber that cannot be obtained in the Central Plains, as well as rubber, etc. ”

Everyone glanced at each other, and Qian Letian said: "Your Majesty, the ministers all know about elephant wood or something, but what is 'elephant glue'?" Does it have anything to do with bananas? Others have the same question.

Yang Peng sighed, and said depressedly: "His grandmother's, rubber has something to do with bananas!" Oh my God, that's a question that elementary school students wouldn't ask! He took a deep breath and said, "This rubber is actually made from the sap of a tree." It is a very useful material that can be used in many ways, and in many cases can replace wood or even steel. When everyone heard this, they only felt incredible. Chen Xiao thought to himself: "Now there is no rubber industry at all, but we can vigorously develop this industry." As soon as he thought of this, he was ready to wait for Luo Yanran and Anqian to come back and talk to them about this matter.

Yang Peng raised his head, glanced at everyone, and said, "In short, land is the most important wealth, our army has finally been defeated, how can we give up easily!" ”

Zhang Xiang frowned and said, "What Your Majesty said is extremely true. However, in order to control the Bagan region, it was necessary to recruit soldiers. This will inevitably contain a large number of our troops, and at the same time, the expenses on food, grass, and baggage will not be much in a short time, but it will be an unimaginably huge number after a long time; However, with such a huge cost, it is not necessarily possible to truly integrate Bagan, and if you finally have to give up, the previous investment will not be all in vain! In fact, there is a lesson from the past in a similar situation, when the Tang army occupied Goryeo, it was because of the huge cost and the continuous resistance of the locals, and finally had to withdraw the troops. In that battle, the Tang army consumed countless people, but in the end they were only empty-handed. His Majesty's wisdom is far superior to that of Emperor Taizong, so naturally he will not make the same mistake! ”

Yang Peng scolded with a smile: "Zhang Xiang, you are wearing a high hat for me, but there is a conspiracy behind it!" ”

Zhang Xiang hurriedly stood up and bowed: "Weichen doesn't dare!" ”

Yang Peng said: "What you said is not unreasonable. It's just that those emperors in the past were influenced by Confucianism, and always liked to pretend to be garlic, and they didn't know how to plunder or colonize at all, but they didn't know that the way of benevolence and righteousness had no other use than to encourage others to resist! In this way, if you occupy the enemy's land, not only will you not have any gain, but you will continue to consume your own resources, and after a long time, you will naturally be unable to support it, so you can only give up! I will never be like Li Shimin, let alone Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, on the road of opening up the territory, it is impossible to avoid blood, for the sake of long-term peace and stability in the future, I will use any means now! Everyone's hearts sank.

Yang Peng pondered: "Duan Zhixian knows how to deal with the rebels, and I don't have to explain anything to him, I believe he will solve the problem in the end." He raised his head and glanced at everyone, saying, "What we have to think about now is how to develop Bagan." I have an idea. Nowadays, Bagan is not safe, and it can be used by local dart bureaus to protect merchants entering Bagan to establish various industries. At the same time, the strength of these darts is also a force to stabilize the place, and when necessary, the dart board can help defend the town, and even carry out some offensive tasks. For example, in some small villages and towns where our troops are not stationed, the dart masters who protect the merchants can become the force to protect the villages and towns, which is enough to deal with small-scale riots. ”

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other and were very surprised. Tang Shidian hugged his fists and said: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this matter is inappropriate!" ”

Yang Peng smiled and asked, "Why is it inappropriate?" ”

Tang Shidian said: "In this way, wouldn't it make these dart games of the people stronger and stronger?" As the saying goes, if the power of the people is too strong, I am afraid that it will get out of control, and then cause unpredictable consequences! ”

Yang Peng shook his head, "Fear that the civil forces will get out of control is actually a sign of cowardice. Only those who have no confidence in themselves, only those who are selfish, will try their best to stifle the power of the people! This is wrong! If the power of the private sector can be developed healthily, it will be a great help to the country, not a threat! If the power of the people really becomes a threat, it only means that what we have done has completely deviated from the original intention and no longer has the support of the people! If it really comes to that point, Daming should be finished! Everyone looked at each other, only to feel that His Majesty's words were deafening.

Yang Peng said: "I think it is very good to vigorously develop the dart master industry. Then he said jokingly: "At least if our official power is useless, there is still a private force to rely on." Zhang Xiang frowned and said, "Your Majesty's idea is really shocking!" ”

Yang Peng said with a smile: "You think that the development of non-governmental forces is a threat to the government. This cannot be wrong. But I think that's a good thing. As the saying goes, 'born in sorrow and dying in peace', only when we feel threatened all the time can we continue to be vigilant and constantly introspective, so that Daming can develop better! As long as the Ming officialdom is always clear, as long as the combat power of the Ming army is always strong, the power of the people will only become a help rather than a threat! ”

Huang Qiaoyun said: "Big brother is right! In fact, the words of the eldest brother are the same as the principle of war and peace. Happiness and sorrow are actually one, and it is simply a fool's dream to completely eliminate sorrow, and instead of trying to eliminate sorrow, it is better to learn to live with sorrow. ”

Chai Yongqi Huang Guang nodded. Zhang Xiang and Tang Shidian were still frowning, although they felt that Yang Peng and Huang Qiaoyun were reasonable, but they still couldn't accept the excessive development of civil forces. Zhang Xiang clenched his fists and said: "Your Majesty, this matter is related to the country's major policies, and I am afraid that a cabinet plenary meeting must be convened to determine it!" "The meaning of this is very clear, that is, Your Majesty, you have no right to decide this matter.

Yang Peng nodded and said, "This is nature." However, before the formal meeting of the plenary session of the Cabinet, I can exercise the power of the Emperor to act as I wish. Zhang Xiang didn't speak again.

Yang Peng said to Huang Guang: "Lord Huang, you can immediately send a message to the dart bureaus and merchants in various places, telling them that now is a good time to enter Bagan, and ask them not to miss the opportunity." Huang Guang stood up and bowed in agreement.

Yang Peng thought for a while and said, "We also want an organization similar to a dart bureau in the city. Everyone looked at each other, and Huang Qiaoyun said puzzledly: "In this way, wouldn't it rob the business of the dart game, I'm afraid this is not in line with the original intention of the eldest brother!" ”

Yang Peng smiled: "I didn't want to steal business with them. Gradually the official is not an official institution, but a commercial organization similar to a state enterprise, in which the personnel are not soldiers, but mercenaries who enter into contracts. That's right, it's called a mercenary, which is different from a dart game. Mercenaries will charge much more than darts, and will only accept a certain amount of business, which means that mercenaries are aimed at the most high-end market. In this way, there will be no impact on the traditional dart industry. ”

Huang Qiaoyun and Chai Yongqi and Huang Guang discussed in a whisper, and they all felt that this method was feasible. And Zhang Xiang and Tang Shidian looked at each other, and both of them had the same thought in their hearts: 'Your Majesty is sometimes far more like a businessman than an emperor!' However, I also think that the establishment of mercenaries can balance the power of the civilian dart game, which is also a good thing.

Yang Peng pondered: "This matter will be discussed at the annual meeting." He looked up at the crowd and asked, "Is there anything else?" Tang Shidian stood up, clenched his fists and said, "Your Majesty, there is something about Catholicism that needs to be reported to Your Majesty." ”

After all, what happens next, let's see how it will be broken down next time.