Jiang Quhu was speechless, but the person was already here, and he couldn't run away. Although he felt uncomfortable, he still had to listen to the lessons.
"Give me a seat." Li Ke waved his hand.
Yang Anning moved a chair from the side.
Jiang Quhu hesitated for a moment, then sat down.
"Don't worry about Jiang going to King Hu. Since I made it clear to you, I won't do anything to you. Tell the truth. Do you feel a little aggrieved?" Li Ke said with a smile.
"A bit." Jiang Quhu paused and nodded.
"It's human nature, I can understand it. Let's put aside everything and just say one thing. After Datang takes over Xizhou, according to my plan, Xizhou will be stable within two years at most, while East Turkestan It has long been in my possession, the Tang Dynasty, and if the Tang Dynasty wants to develop, there is only one direction left, the Western Regions. Am I right?"
"This...that's right." Jiang Quhu hesitated for a moment and nodded.
"Look, King Jiang Hu, you yourself know what I'm saying. Don't say that the Celestial Kingdom is too embarrassed to attack small countries like yours. In the face of absolute national interests, these are trivial matters. Besides, since ancient times, Cheng The king defeated the invaders, history is written by the victors. As long as we, the Tang Dynasty, win, I will find any reason and say that you, King Hu, are disrespectful to me, Li Ke, and the Tang Dynasty. I will send troops to destroy you. , do you have any questions?" Li Ke spread his hands.
"No..." King Jiang Quhu was stunned for a moment, and then spoke bitterly.
"Right, let's put aside the relationship between us, let's just say, after King Jiang Hu conquered a tribe, who was the first person you killed?" Li Ke looked at him with a smile.
"Khan and the leader." Jiang Quhu's mouth was a little dry.
"Don't you know this very clearly? Let's go back to the topic just now. You gave me gold, and I gave you a chance to merge with the Tang Dynasty. Is this reasonable? Do you still feel aggrieved now?" Li Ke asked, snapping his fingers.
Jiang Quhu paused for a moment, and it seemed that... it was indeed gone. The main reason was that... what Li Ke said was the truth, the iron-clad fact. This is what anyone would do. If he, Nuoqiang, was a big country, no, Even if it were a country the same size as Tuyuhun, maybe he could still feel aggrieved.
But unfortunately, this is not the case for Nuqiang. He is just a small country with a total population of less than 10,000. The total population is not as large as a cavalry of the Tang Dynasty, so the opponent's destruction of him is really as easy as trampling an ant to death.
"I understand." Jiang Quhu said with a grimace.
"You don't have to be so sad. In fact, if you think about it in another direction, this might not be a bad thing." Li Ke smiled.
"A good thing?" Jiang Quhu was stunned.
"Good thing." Li Ke nodded, "Let me ask you, do you still have any ambitions now? Is it the ambition to expand your territory and achieve hegemony?"
"Uh... Your Highness is joking." Jiang Quhu was a little embarrassed. What is this thing? It never occurred to him.
"Then let me put it another way. In fact, you are just enjoying life now, eating, drinking and having fun. Am I right?" Li Ke said with a smile.
"That's right." Jiang Qu thought about it for a while, but it was true. If this wasn't all he did every day, what could happen to a small country with ten thousand people? When he was idle and bored, he would settle cases on trivial matters, just to relieve his loneliness.
"Then look, isn't this a good thing? If you merge into our Tang Dynasty, I guarantee that you can make a lot of money according to what I said. As for eating, drinking and having fun, do you think there is any place in the world better than Chang'an? ? If you merge into the Tang Dynasty and make a lot of money as I said, my father will grant you an idle title. You will spend every day in Chang'an, listening to music in brothels, hooking up with women, and walking on the streets. Dog, watch the Cuju, listen to the opera if you have nothing to do, and then eat the delicacies of the Tang Dynasty, how happy are you living today?"
"As for you, a small country in the Western Regions, it's not that I look down on Nuqiang, but have you ever eaten stir-fried vegetables? Have you ever eaten hot pot? Have you ever eaten steamed lamb, steamed bear paws, steamed deer tail, roasted duck, roasted chicken, roasted goose, Are there a total of 204 dishes including braised pig, oven-roasted duck, soy sauce chicken, bacon, pine flowers, tripe, dried meat, sausages, assorted sourdough dishes, smoked chicken with white tripe, and steamed eight-treasure pig?"
"There are maids like me in the brothels all over Chang'an City. Are they not prettier than the women from your Nuoqiang country?"
"You don't have to worry about those trivial things every day. You eat, sleep, and play when you wake up. If you are happy, find a few beauties. If you are unhappy, find a few beauties. Which one do you think is better compared to your so-called Khan position? ?" Li Ke crossed his hands and fingers in front of him and asked with a smile.
Jiang Quhu's eyes became brighter and brighter as he listened, and he asked in a daze: "These things His Highness said? Are they available in Chang'an City?"
"Hahaha..." Li Ke laughed directly.
Jiang Quhu was a little embarrassed by Li Ke's laughter, until Li Ke stopped laughing and asked: "I'm sorry for being rude, I'm not mocking you for being a frog in the well, but what I said can only be said by me after seeing it. It’s impossible for me to know things I haven’t seen, right? Besides, Chang’an City is much more interesting than this, just a lot more, so what do you think you, Nuoqiang, can compare with?”
"This..." Jiang Quhu was moved. He was really moved. In fact, Li Ke was right about his position. He only had to deal with trivial matters every day, and he often had to feed and drink for the people below. Unfortunately, he has never eaten any of the delicacies Li Ke just mentioned, and he has never heard of them.
And those beauties can be found everywhere in Chang'an... Pity him, Jiang Quhu, he has never seen such a delicate woman as Yang Anning. The women of their Nuoqiang... all have rough skin and dark skin, but such a fair woman is actually in Chang'an. All over the place.
"Your Highness, can you really make me a lot of money?" Jiang Quhu couldn't help but ask. He knew very well that the most important thing in all of this was money. Only when you have money can you be free.
"It's okay if you believe me. If you don't believe me, then I can't do anything. To be honest, I don't like your gold. You can take it away." Li Ke said with a smile.
"No, no, no, this is a gift for Your Highness, how could I take it away. Of course I believe His Highness's words, but I don't know how His Highness should operate it? Do you want me to sign my credentials?" Jiang Quhu asked quickly.
"There is no need to submit credentials. For the time being, you are still the king of Wuqiang. If you do as I say, I can make you money." Li Ke said with a faint smile.
"Your Highness, I listen to you!" Jiang Qu thought for a while, then gritted his teeth and said decisively.
"Well, first of all, I will ask my caravan to stop in Wuqiang when they go to you in the future. Then, I will gradually send people to build a small city in Wuqiang, and then build a small city in the local area. An army of 1,000 people is stationed to maintain daily order. Caravans traveling in and out can stay here for repairs. Management fees can be charged here, and I can give you 20% of these fees." Li Ke said.
"In addition, I allow you to keep the property that your Nuqiang royal family has saved over the years." Li Ke added, "This is your only chance."
