"No." Murong Shun pursed his lips and said honestly.
"So, after my careful calculation, you only need to compensate me 30,000 gold stones." Li Ke opened his mouth and came.
"Pfft..." Li Jing next to him choked on his own saliva. Although gold in the Tang Dynasty is not a currency, gold can be used as currency since ancient times. Gold in the Tang Dynasty was also valuable, and many wealthy families had saved a lot of gold.
Murong Shun was even more stunned. Your Highness, do you know what you are talking about? 30,000 stones of gold? Even if you sell the entire Tuyuhun, it won’t be enough.
But Murong Shun did not bargain, because he knew very well that he was not qualified. After a moment of silence, Murong Shun said: "Your Highness, I can accept this compensation. When I inherit the throne of Tuyuhun, I will pay the prescribed amount to Datang every year." Providing war horses and flocks to pay debts.”
Li Jing's hand paused, did he just agree? He looked at Murong Shun kneeling there and suddenly felt that he didn't understand this person at all. He thought he knew him quite well before. When Li Ke said this condition, Li Jing felt that Murong Shun would not agree to it.
But he didn't expect Murong Shun to agree so readily, so a problem arose.
The Tang Dynasty conquered the Eastern Turks before. What did the Eastern Turks give them? In addition to professing tribulation to the Tang Dynasty, changing the Khan, and having transfer orders from the Tang Dynasty, and accompanying the Tang Dynasty in sending troops, it seems that... nothing was given to the Tang Dynasty at all, and many of the cattle, sheep and miscellaneous livestock seized during the capture of the Eastern Turks have been Returned to the other party.
The same goes for the captured cattle, sheep and miscellaneous animals in Tuyuhun. If Murong Shun is appointed as Khan according to the original plan, then these must be returned to the other party, because without these, the people of Tuyuhun will all die and cannot survive. That would naturally be even less valuable to Datang.
"What are you dreaming about? Tuyuhun is now under the control of the Xizhou Protectorate. In the future, it will become the Qinghai Road of the Tang Dynasty. What does it have to do with you?" Li Ke said unceremoniously.
Murong Shun was stunned. This... was the Tang Dynasty going to include Tuyuhun within its territory? So... Tuyuhun no longer exists?
After a moment of silence, Murong Shun said with a wry smile: "Your Highness, if this is the case, the guilty minister will not be able to take out this money no matter what."
Li Ke's fingers tapped rhythmically on the glass table. He looked at Murong Shun in a calm tone and said, "In that case, you are useless, right?"
Murong Shun had a sudden shock in his heart. He knew very well what this sentence meant. He had been confident before and felt that the Tang Dynasty still needed him to rule Tuyuhun, so he never had any thoughts that something would happen to him. At this moment, he disappeared. An uncontrollable fear surged out of his heart.
At this time, Murong Shuncai suddenly realized that facing death... he was so afraid. It turned out that he had never been brave. It was just that he thought that Datang would not kill him before, that's all.
There was great terror between life and death. Li Ke's understatement gave Murong Shun an unprecedented fear. He spoke almost subconsciously: "Your Highness, I can provide the money. I know that my father hid the money." It's somewhere, but...it's really not as much as thirty thousand stones of gold."
After saying this, Murong Shun felt that something was wrong. If he gave the things... wouldn't that make him less valuable? But, the words had already been said, and he didn't dare not say them.
He is afraid of death! Afraid of death, not shabby!
Hey, is there a surprise? Li Ke raised his eyebrows.
Before Li Ke could speak, Murong Shun quickly continued to make amends: "Your Highness, I have other roles. For example, I can help the Tang Dynasty rule Tuyuhun and stabilize the situation in Tuyuhun. I still have some prestige in Tuyuhun."
"Oh, forget it. How to rule these people is not difficult for me at all." Li Ke curled his lips disdainfully, prestige? Give your Highness half a month, these herdsmen will pretend not to know you when they see you, and you still have prestige? In this era, people who are nobles never know what the people really need.
The same is true for nomadic people. Ordinary herdsmen of nomadic people were much worse off than ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty.
It seems that every household has cattle and sheep, but only a small part of all the cattle and sheep are owned by themselves, and the rest are grazed by the nobles! If the sheep grazing for the nobles die due to wild animals, wolves, weather, etc., fill them with your own, and the nobles’ cattle and sheep will never die!
Anyway, every year the nobles’ flocks and herds must be steadily increased for me according to a certain number!
Even so, you must pay the pasture tax on time every year, and then give some of the lambs from your own flock to the nobles. Otherwise, they will not mind killing all the boys in your family who are taller than the wheel, and then take your family's lambs. The women and children were thrown into another small tribe and let another small tribe help herd them.
In addition, whenever there is a war, men must apply for conscription. Those who dare not to conscript will die!
Do ordinary herdsmen eat meat? Don't make trouble, you can eat meat, but you will only kill a sheep on rare occasions during festivals. Most of the time, you rely on goat milk, milk and other dairy products, plus wild vegetables on the grassland, and hunting to survive, or use some The saved sheepskin, cowhide and other leather materials were exchanged for some grains with the traveling caravans.
This is the life of ordinary nomadic herdsmen. This is just the cruelty of the system. In fact, the nobles saw that the common herdsmen plundered and oppressed them much more cruelly than the wealthy families of the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that they were basically not human beings.
This is also the reason why a minority tribe was conquered by another tribe and never resisted after being ruled.
Because for ordinary herders, there is no difference. Who is grazing for whom is it not grazing? What's the difference? It's just a change of ruler.
Without culture as a carrier, they have no sense of belonging, and they just want to survive.
Your prestige? Your prestige is just that you don't have a choice.
Murong Shun was a little desperate, because he suddenly felt that he had no other use...
"I can give you a chance." Li Ke suddenly spoke.
"Your Highness, please speak." Murong Shun immediately raised his head, like a man grasping at straws.
"I can even let you continue to be a khan." Li Ke added.
Murong Shun's eyes lit up.
"Many of your father's soldiers must have been captured. I can hand them over to you. Then, I can also provide you with swords, armor, and food. But there is one thing." Li Ke said with a smile. road.
"Your Highness, please speak." Murong Shun kowtowed directly.
"Look, many countries in the Western Regions are ruled by the Western Turks, and there are some small countries, just like your father, who disdain the Tang Dynasty. But my father, Tian Khan Li Shimin, It’s a shame, but I’m too embarrassed to do anything.”
"But I am different. Now I am responsible for the affairs of the Western Regions. For me, Li Ke, if you don't give me the Tang Dynasty face, you don't give me Li Ke face. And I also prefer gold, you know?" Li Ke said indifferently He said, while Li Ke felt a little pity, it's a pity that he doesn't smoke. Otherwise, at this time, light a filter and blow out a smoke ring.
"Your Highness, I understand. From now on, I will be a knife in Your Highness's hand." Murong Shun is not a fool. Li Ke has made it so obvious, can he still not understand?
"Oh, look, get up quickly. It's too foreign to talk about swords and swords. From now on, this Xizhou will be your natal home. When you are tired from fighting outside, come back and rest for a while, and then go out to work again. Come on, Give me a seat." Li Ke immediately waved his hands with a smile.
A guard next to him brought a chair over.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Murong Shun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up with a respectful expression.
Li Jing beside him was almost dumbfounded.
