Chapter 294 Future
The eleventh year of Li Yuan.

Considering the heroes who had provided him with a lot of help during his previous conquests and studies in his childhood, some of them are old now, and some are even gone.

In order to commend their contributions, Zhao Xin began to reward them according to their merits.

Although this commendation came a little late, it finally came.

According to incomplete statistics from some people, Zhao Xin spent nearly 200,000 to 300,000 strings of cash on this reward.

Even in the entire Song Dynasty, it was a rare and large reward.

Ouyang Xiu, Fu Bi and others said that they could not help much, so they tried their best to decline.

However, after some hesitation, he finally accepted the reward.

in fact……

By the Song Dynasty, this title was no longer valuable.

It was calculated at 25 cents per household, and was usually settled on a monthly basis together with the salary.

The reason why Zhao Xin had to spend so much money at once was mainly because he paid it out according to how many years others had followed him.

Settle all the previous ones in one go.

Rather than counting from now on.

of course!

Whether you have money or not is not the most important thing.

The key is reputation. After Zhao Xin gave such a reward, people in both the public and official circles knew these people and understood them.

after……

What kind of person do you want to be?

Speaking of which…

This year, Zhao Xin also saw a familiar name on the list of officials, Cai Jing.

If his memory is correct, isn’t this a treacherous minister of the Song Dynasty?
Zhao Xin had no recollection of what the other party had done wrong.

but……

This name is indeed quite loud.

of course!

Maybe it’s just a name.

But when Zhao Xin thought of this, he would feel that the Song Dynasty was indeed about to perish.

look!

The treacherous ministers themselves jumped out.

Cai Jing had just completed the four-year internship as a local official after passing the imperial examination and was waiting for the next assignment.

This also made Zhao Xin feel a little embarrassed.

Let’s let them go, I always feel that they will exploit the people.

And they exploit the people purposefully.

If he keeps the other person by his side, wouldn’t that be a definite disaster for the court and the prince?
Finally thought…

Put it next to yourself first.

If there is no way to save the situation, then just ruin the other party’s reputation and then find an opportunity to kick the other party out of the court. This is probably the best solution.

This year.

There was also movement coming from the southwest of the Song Dynasty.

in fact……

Many places in the south of the Song Dynasty have never been well developed.

It seems that there are still many barbarians living in some mountains and forests.

Some of these barbarians would not obey the imperial court and would rebel from time to time.

of course!

These are all small matters.

The big thing Zhao Xin wanted to say was that the Dali Kingdom in the southwest paid tribute and said it wanted to become a vassal state of the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Xin also learned about the size of the other party’s territory, population, etc. from the other party’s envoys.

The other party said it without hesitation.

Of course, it is hard to say whether the other party is bragging or not.

However, what is certain is that the Dali Kingdom must have been quite large in area.

It is said to be in the southwest of Sichuan, and it is bordering Jiaozhi.

only……

Maybe it’s because the road is not very smooth.

The exchanges between the Dali Kingdom and Jiaozhi were very rare.

However, the Dali Kingdom learned from some unknown channel that the Song Dynasty had destroyed the Dai Viet Kingdom.

For this reason, I came here specially to submit.

Zhao Xin also asked the officials of the Song Dynasty about the past of the Dali Kingdom.

It is said that during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Song, a rule was established, in which he drew a line across the river with a jade axe and said, “I do not own anything beyond this,” and then he divided the river with the Dali Kingdom and ruled separately.

It has been hundreds of years since then.

During these hundreds of years, the Dali Kingdom acted like a lapdog, paying tribute many times and expressing its desire to join the Song Dynasty.

The reason is that there are many domestic forces, so often the rulers need a strong external force to support the “legitimacy” of the other party’s regime.

And for some unknown reason, the Song Dynasty rejected the other party’s joining every time.

Maybe it’s a kind of political correctness?
Since Emperor Taizu of Song said so, the Song Dynasty was no longer needed.

Moreover, that place was the territory of Nanzhao during the Tang Dynasty, where many barbarians lived who refused to submit to the rule.

I guess many people think that if they accept it, it will become a burden to the court.

It is hard to say whether the tax can be collected.

You have to add something else to it.

But Zhao Xin wanted it.

only……

Zhao Xin didn’t want their people, he only wanted their land.

After understanding the most basic historical situation and the other party’s products and customs.

Zhao Xin also began to think about how to get the other party’s land.

of course!

Send someone to investigate first.

just now……

The only place with space is Kumamoto.

Coincidentally, Kumamoto was also suppressing a rebellion nearby at this moment.

then……

Zhao Xin asked Kumamoto to follow the other side’s envoy to learn about the local situation.

It is best to be familiar with the roads, the layout of the enemy’s city, and the number of soldiers. Then, as long as you find an opportunity, you can lead your troops to defeat the enemy.

I heard that the other country’s ruler’s surname was Duan.

Although Zhao Xin didn’t like watching Qiao Feng very much, he still knew that this must be the prototype of Duan Yu.

The matter in the southwest has come to an end for the time being.

Southeast.

Ryukyu has gradually gotten back on track this year.

Nearly 200,000 acres of land have been developed.

The people now finally have some hope for the future.

Industries such as salt making, sugar making, and oil pressing have also been developed. Basically, there is no problem in ensuring daily needs.

The merchants were of course delighted to see the situation getting better day by day.

after all……

They paid money in the early stage.

Even this year, this tea tree was developed and planted separately.

only……

Because tea trees are generally planted on mountains and far away from human settlements.

therefore……

At present, it is still not so convenient.

But as long as you plant it and leave a few dozen people there, there will be no problem.

It’s just that once these people encounter an accident, it is difficult for them to get good treatment.

That can basically be said to be a life-or-death situation.

But in pursuit of profits, businessmen certainly don’t care about so many things.

If we wait until everything has been developed before planting, it will take a long time.

After all, it takes at least three to five years from the time the tea trees are planted to the time the tea can be harvested.

to this end……

They used money to recruit some so-called death warriors, and then let these death warriors plant tea trees.

Although there will definitely be casualties, at least the tea garden has been developed.

Huang Tingjian also reported the current development of Ryukyu to Zhao Xin.

Zhao Xin could only ask the other party to keep a close eye on him.

We need to do well in two aspects: first, organize soldiers to guard against the natives on the island; second, ensure the livelihood of the people there.

Waited until the end of the year.

The railway from Kaifeng to Youzhou in the Song Dynasty has been completed by four-fifths.

Next…

There are only about a hundred kilometers left.

Youzhou City.

In the palace.

Faced with so many things.

Zhao Xin also asked the crown prince Zhao Zhe, “What do you think is the most important thing in the world today? Or, what do you think your father is most worried about?”

Zhao Zhe is still young, how could he know so much?

After trying a few things that were happening right now and seeing Zhao Xin shaking his head to indicate that they were wrong, Zhao Xin said, “Actually, what worries your father the most is not these.”

“As a person standing at the top of the world, you can’t just look at the things in front of you, you also have to look at the future.”

“For example, Fuzhou has always had some foreign businessmen going there to do business.”

“What your father is worried about is that if they master the steam technology, they will bring this technology back to their hometown.”

“You know, the spread of technology is difficult, but it is also easy.”

“It is estimated that within 20 years, they should be able to master this technology to a certain extent.”

“Remember the games you played when you were a kid?”

“At the time, I didn’t really consider what would happen to you once you learned the same techniques.”

“As the saying goes, if you don’t plan for the future, you will have immediate worries. You must always be vigilant. For things like science, if you don’t make progress, others will.”

“In the future, the Song Dynasty must develop into an industrial power, a technological power, and a commercial power, so that it can remain invincible for hundreds of years to come.”

“In fact, countries like Korea and Japan are not considered a big threat in your father’s eyes.”

“The biggest threat is still in the west.”

“Of course, the threat from Liao is no small matter.”

“However, the threat from Liao is that we currently do not have a better way to completely counter cavalry.”

“But this is actually already on the way.”

Zhao Zhe also asked: “Dad, why are you so afraid of the West? Have you been to the West?”

Zhao Xin argued, “That’s because you don’t read. During the Han Dynasty, there was a Qin in the west. During the Tang Dynasty, there was also a Shiite. These were all great powers in the west.”

“In the past, since the land route was too long, it was impossible for them to threaten the Central Plains.”

“But now it’s different. Whether it’s using warships or railways, it’s possible to shorten the distance between the two sides.”

“Of course, it’s easier for warships to close the distance. What kind of world is this actually?”

“To use an old saying, the world is bustling with people because of profit, and the world is bustling with people because of profit.”

“I don’t think the West is richer than the East, but it is precisely because of this that they are more motivated to come to the East to do business.”

“Our technology will spread to them quickly while we are doing business.”

“They can also take advantage of the spread of this technology and quickly overtake us.”

“Because… our Eastern emperors are always satisfied with the status quo and don’t have forward-thinking like your father and I.”

“Once an emperor ascends to the throne, you can see that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is a typical example.”

“They only know how to indulge in fun and have no vigilance against the threats outside.”

“Also, the kings of fallen countries are often like this, they only know how to eat, drink and have fun.”

“So, their kingdoms don’t last long.”

“In the West, on the other hand, there is a high probability that such a problem does not exist.”

Zhao Zhe also asked: “Why?”

Zhao Xin said: “Although there may be some people who are also addicted to pleasure, their businessmen are different from our businessmen.”

“Our businessmen usually buy land when they have money and become landlords. They never go out to do business.”

“And other merchants, even if they have to travel thousands of miles, must come to the Central Plains.”

“Our people are naturally not motivated to go outward, while their people are naturally willing to go thousands of miles away to do business.”

“Where will this lead?”

Zhao Zhe asked: “What led to it?”

Zhao Xin said: “This will lead to that if they can satisfy their appetite through business, it will be fine.”

“If they are not satisfied, they will definitely resort to violence against us.”

“So I predict that in the near future, a certain type of person will emerge in the West.”

Zhao Zhe: “Who is it?”

Zhao Xin: “It was a group of businessmen who came to the Central Plains from afar for the sake of profit. Because the benefits of the Central Plains are too great, they want to gain greater benefits, so they will definitely start a war against the Central Plains. You now think that the Song Dynasty is invincible, so what if the enemy comes?”

“But the situation may be worse than you think.”

Zhao Zhe asked, “Why do you say that?”

Zhao Xin: “As I said before, once our people have money, they like to buy land instead of developing technology.”

“For others, because it is very hard to come here, but the rewards are also rich, they are more willing to improve their skills so that they can reach the Central Plains faster and better.”

“Others always have a desire to improve their technology.”

“Look at us now. Apart from your father, I, who is vigorously supporting the development of technology, who else would value these technologies?”

“Look at the wealthy merchants in the city. Once they have money, they will only continue to focus on the Central Plains. They even use the money to buy slaves and spend money on wine and women. They have never thought about going out to do business.”

“This is the curse of this land. Because the resources are so abundant, no one wants to leave.”

“In the future, the Song Dynasty will face threats from nomadic peoples on land and pirates on the sea.”

“When you see how much trade there is on the southeast sea, you can’t just think that this year we have so much harvest, it’s really great, you can live a life of luxury and luxury, lying on the spice mountain.”

“You have to look further ahead and see that others are coming with muskets and cannons to rob your property, and you have to make corresponding preparations in advance.”

“The reason why your father and I have achieved what we have today is because you and I have always had a longer-term vision than others and were more concerned about the future.”

(End of this chapter)