Princess Menglang is hard to change, the whole capital is embarrassed for her

Chapter 349: Good Strategies for Border Management

There was still an hour and a half left, and Guan Yonghou and Fang Yao couldn't sleep at all. They walked around excitedly inside, and from time to time ran to the front of the fog, looking at the palace outside and commenting on it.

"This shabby place is more than a level below our Great Zhou Imperial Palace. You really can't tell it's a place rich in pearls, jade and gems."

"Who says they aren't?" Fang Yao said this with disdain. "I've been in Western Xinjiang for so many years, fighting so many battles, big and small, and I never thought they were that rich. They're all so poor that they even have to take food and medicine from us. If it weren't for this, the two families wouldn't be fighting every other day."

Shen Li's heart moved.

Are they stealing food and medicinal materials? Are they rich in jewelry and jade?

She lowered her eyes and said slowly, "Uncle, they are not poor, but no matter how much jewelry and jade they have, they can't be eaten as food or used as medicine. Xiqiang is located in an arid area, with scarce rain all year round. There are windblown sand and saline-alkali land everywhere. They can't grow food themselves, so they can only buy or rob from outside."

"If we buy it, the price will definitely be very high. The common people don't have any jewelry. The jewelry is in the hands of the powerful. The powerful will not use the jewelry to help the common people buy food, but they need the common people to work for them. So, they started a war and instigated the common people to rob our border residents."

"Anyway, it's the common people who die in war, not the powerful, and we never seize their territory, so the powerful people of Western Qiang don't suffer any losses. Changing this situation is simple. We just need to find a way to transfer all the territories bordering Great Zhou to ours. Then, we can encourage the Western Qiang people who can't join Great Zhou and tell them that if they don't want to die but still want food, they can trade their jewelry for it."

"As for where their jewels come from? Find some articulate people to quietly infiltrate them and instruct them to seize them from the powerful. If necessary, you can provide financial assistance. The Western Qiang and Northern Di have already suffered heavy losses from the fighting. If they collapse from within at this time, you will see that in a few years, the so-called luxurious and wealthy Western Qiang will be in chaos. When the time comes, we will definitely beat them hard and not give them a chance to breathe. We will take the opportunity to split them into several small countries, let them restrain each other and become hostile to each other. When that day really comes, I am afraid they will rush to make peace with the Great Zhou."

"This kind of thing will involve many details if it is to be carried out properly. My Lord and my uncle will need to discuss it carefully with the Emperor after returning to the capital. It would be best to set up a special secret department to handle these matters. After all, in addition to the Western Qiang, there are also the Northern Di, the Monk Tribe, and the Western Xiasa..."

"As for those tribes and nations that frequently harass the Great Zhou, if they can do it once, they can do it again. Instead of passively waiting for them to invade and then confronting them, we should take the initiative to attack them, find their weaknesses, or exploit their internal conflicts to defeat them one by one and divide them. We can also create more conflicts among them so that they cannot gather together to deal with the Great Zhou."

"The Great Zhou will then win over the more obedient among them, whether through trade, marriage, or mutual learning of cultural knowledge. As long as the methods are appropriate, they can win their hearts. Then, they will be used as our vanguards to fight against the disobedient ones. If they win, they will be rewarded. If they lose, they will be given supplies, and then they will be allowed to fight again."

"This way, there will be no casualties among the Great Zhou people, nor will there be any waste of Great Zhou's wealth, because the supplies provided are also obtained from them. Since they need the Great Zhou as a backing, they must pay tribute and offer treasures every year..."

She looked up and was stunned.

Standing before her, Marquis Guanyong and her uncle were staring blankly at her. She quickly stopped talking and asked in confusion, "Uncle? Marquis? What's wrong with you two?"

She glanced out of the fog.

It's very quiet, nothing unusual.

Guan Yonghou shook his head, a little bit unable to believe his ears, turned his head to look at Fang Yao, and murmured, "General, pinch me."

Fang Yao reached out and pinched him.

After thinking about it, he pinched himself again.

Two people gasped at the same time.

"Oh my god, I'm not dreaming." Guan Yonghou shouted, then looked at Shen Li in silence.

"Li'er," Fang Yao's voice was very soft, for fear of scaring Shen Li, and asked, "Where did you learn these things?"

"what?"

"What you just said."

Shen Li was silent.

From the military academy? From the current political events you follow every day? Or from your favorite political commentary?

"I can't remember," she said.

The two bosses looked at each other, both with surprise in their eyes.

Looking at Shen Li in front of him, how could a teenage girl say those words just now? But she said it out loud, in front of the two of them, saying those insights and suggestions that they had never seen anywhere else, without any falsehood.

"Fang Yao, you are so lucky! If your niece were to take the imperial examination, she would definitely be among the top three, if not the top scorer."

Fang Yao said modestly, "Not at all."

I can't hold back the trembling at the corners of my mouth, but I have to hold it back.

puff.

There was a suppressed laugh from the side, and the two bosses turned their heads and saw that it was Fang Jitao who had woken up.

"My Lord, you haven't seen the handwriting of my cousin. Hahaha, it's either missing an arm or a leg, and it's so ugly. It's crooked and twisted, like a clumsy shrimp, and they can't even straighten their backs..."

He suddenly covered his mouth.

Because the fire in his father's eyes was about to burst out, which was a prelude to a beating.

"Is death ugly?" Fang Yao asked through gritted teeth.

"No...it's not ugly, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay."

As he spoke, he quietly retreated, glancing out of the corner of his eye for somewhere he could hide.

Guan Yonghou was also angry that he had said bad things about Shen Li, and he pouted and said to the other party, "He wants to hide on the left."

Fang Jitao looked at Guan Yonghou with resentment, "My Lord, you have become evil."

Shen Li covered her forehead with her hands, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "Uncle, don't hit me. We still have to go to the palace's storehouse to take a look. Then let my cousin take a look at the things inside and we can take them all back. How about that?"

"That's a good idea," Fang Jitao's eyes lit up when he heard it. "My cousin is sensible. When I go downstairs later, I'll pick out the best ones for you and save them for the bottom of the box."

"You're so good," Fang Yao kicked him on the butt and reached out to pat him on the head, but he dodged it. "When you go out, keep your eyes open and try to take away everything without leaving anything behind."

Fang Jitao gave a thumbs up and said, "Dad, you're even darker. You're darker than the bottom of a pot."

Snapped.

Fang Yao's big palm finally slapped him on the head, making him grimace in pain.

Guan Yonghou laughed so hard that tears almost came out. "You kid, you're such a mean mouth. You deserve to be beaten."

Then Shen Li said softly, "Take the things back and divide them in the palace. Everyone will have a share."