Tang Dynasty: The poisonous scholar in the Eastern Palace, please abdicate and let the wise one take

Chapter 423 Why not use the banner of the Tang Dynasty?
Are most people Buddhists?
Su Bin raised his eyebrows and glanced at Su Chen without leaving any trace.

He had heard that Su Chen had pretended to be a god on the grassland before, fooling dozens of grassland tribes, causing the leaders of these tribes to fight each other.

Now, if most people in India believe in Buddhism, doesn't it mean that he can also imitate Su Chen, pretend to be the messenger of Buddha, and kill people everywhere?

When he thought of this, Su Bin couldn't help but feel excited.

But he soon calmed down, because this journey southward would not only require them to leave the coastline of the Tang Dynasty, but also to cross the waters of other countries.

Even if he found enough reliable people and a strong enough ship to sail on the sea, he would still have to consider his own personal safety.

What should we do if we are attacked by ships from other countries, or if we encounter a small group of pirates?

"If we go south along the coastline, the sailors and ships should be better prepared."

After all, they are not crossing the ocean, but traveling along the coastline. Once they can no longer stay on the sea, they can choose to dock at the nearest port and rest on land.

Therefore, the requirements for such sailors and ships do not need to be too high.

"But there is another important issue, and that is safety."

Su Bin said in a deep voice, "Although I have trained some merchant escort teams, there are not many of them who are good at swimming. If we encounter difficulties from other countries or encounter pirates, not only will our lives be in danger, but even the goods we brought will certainly be lost."

Su Chen nodded, "So, you need a musket."

"what?"

Su Bin was stunned.

He didn't dare to think too much about weapons like bows and crossbows, as he might be reported for treason by others. But now Su Chen actually asked him to prepare muskets.

Can he buy this thing? Is it possible for him to buy it?
"I heard that the Ministry of Revenue and envoys from various countries have done a business, and the price of each musket is a full 1,000 taels of silver."

"Although I have a lot of silver in my hands and can buy muskets, the Ministry of Revenue may not sell them to me."

"purchase?"

Su Chen looked at him strangely, "You are doing this to help the Tang Dynasty expand its territory. You are helping the Tang Dynasty improve its maps of the surrounding countries. Why do you want to buy guns?"

"Shouldn't the court give you hundreds of elite soldiers for free who are proficient in the operation of fire guns and have a certain level of proficiency in other weapons to protect your safety?"

"what??"

Su Bin opened his mouth wide.

Can it still be like this?
"Isn't this appropriate?"

"What's inappropriate?"

Su Chen smiled and patted Su Bin on the shoulder, "You have to understand that you are not only the emperor's uncle, but also a businessman who is determined to make progress."

"You are sailing for His Majesty and for the Tang Dynasty. You are doing this to help the Tang Dynasty better understand the customs and practices of the surrounding countries. You are doing this for the Tang Dynasty. Shouldn't the Tang Dynasty protect your safety?"

Su Bin nodded subconsciously: "It should be so."

"That's it."

Su Chen smiled and said, "As a Tang Dynasty envoy on a long voyage, how can we survive without elite soldiers protecting us?"

"But……"

Su Bin was hesitant, "If I say this, will they really believe it?"

"It doesn't matter whether they believe it or not. What matters is that you went out to sea under the banner of working for the Tang Dynasty!"

Su Chen smiled and said, "With this great cause in front and your status as the king's uncle behind, it would be easy to get some musketeers, right?"

"Wonderful..."

Su Bin was amazed.

The many difficulties he saw were so insignificant in front of Su Chen.

With just a few words, he was able to see the light and understand the other side of the matter. From another perspective, the world is so vast.

"Then won't I have to go to the palace to see the emperor tomorrow?"

"As long as you are willing, any time is fine, uncle."

Su Bing was immediately happy. What he said really made sense.

This trip to Taizi Residence was indeed not in vain.

Su Bin immediately stood up and said goodbye, "It seems that I really need to go to the palace."

"Although I don't care about your majesty's reward, but after hearing what you said, I suddenly realized that the identity of the king's uncle is really useful!"

That's not the case.

For example, the two uncles-in-law of the Ming Dynasty were also masters of greed for money.

But compared to Su Bin, his ability is far inferior.

"Come on, follow me into the palace."

"what?"

Su Chen asked in surprise, "What am I going to do in the palace?"

"Of course, I told His Majesty about these things."

Su Bin had a smile on his face. If he mentioned this matter with his identity, there might be some resistance, but if Su Chen was added, then there would definitely be no problem.

Who knows, there might be unexpected gains!

"Let's go."

Su Bin laughed and pulled Su Chen up from his chair, "Aqiang, prepare the car, we are going into the palace."

……

The morning court had just ended, and the ministers left in groups of three or four.

After seeing Su Chen and Su Bin, the ministers couldn't help but reveal confusion and curiosity on their faces.

Why did Su Chen, who seldom enters the palace, come today?

and.

Why does the person following him look so familiar?

"The King of Side by Side is here."

"King Bingjian and the uncle of the king are entering the palace at this time. Is there something important?"

"Uncle of the King?" Looking at Wei Zheng and others greeting Su Chen, the remaining ministers suddenly remembered.

That man is Su Bin, the current queen’s brother!
Isn’t he the king’s uncle?
Su Chen smiled and said, "Didn't he pull me here?"

Dai Zhou and others looked at Su Bin curiously. It was said that Su Bin not only rejected the reward from His Majesty, but also claimed that he was just a businessman and that it was enough to do business. He had no interest in any official position.

Why did he bring Su Chen to the palace today? Did something happen?
"Hello, everyone."

Su Bin greeted with a smile, "We came to the palace because we have something to discuss with Your Majesty."

"I see."

"Then I won't bother you two anymore."

"Master Dai, please stay."

Su Chen's heart moved, and he called out to Dai Zhou who wanted to leave with him.

Dai Zhou looked at him, and Su Chen smiled and said, "Su Bing's matter may still require the assistance of Lord Dai."

"Oh?"

Dai Zhou looked surprised. After looking at Su Bin, he smiled and nodded.

Since Su Chen kept him, he must have something to tell him. Moreover, Dai Zhou's intuition told him that this must be a good thing.

At least for the Ministry of Households.

Led by a palace servant, the group of three arrived at the imperial study.

Li Chengqian, who was dealing with memorials, suddenly became interested after hearing the greetings from Su Chen and the other two.

"Xuan."

"See Your Majesty."

"You two are here, why did you bring Master Dai along as well?"

Li Chengqian said this with a smile, then motioned for Su Chen and the other two to sit down and ordered someone to serve tea.

Su Chen smiled and said, "He wants to become bigger and stronger and create more glory. I just gave him some small suggestions, but I didn't expect him to drag me here."

"Coincidentally, I ran into Lord Dai and his men leaving. I thought that I would have some business with the Ministry of Revenue, so I asked Lord Dai to stay."

"Oh?"

Li Chengqian looked curious, "What's the matter?"

Su Bing: "Go to the sea!"

"Go to the sea?"

Li Chengqian and Dai Zhou both frowned.

One was that he didn't know Su Bin's purpose for going into business, and the other was wondering what the relationship was between Su Bin's going into business and his Ministry of Revenue.

Su Bin said in a deep voice: "Pei Mingli has already taken over the business in the Western Regions. If I want to start a new business, I will naturally conflict with Pei Mingli and his team."

"This is not in line with the Ministry of Revenue and the court, so I sought Su Chen's opinion, and he suggested that I go out to sea!"

"Following the coastline of the Tang Dynasty, heading south, you can pass through Ryukyu, Luzon, and reach the Lion Country, etc."

"I heard that these countries are rich in various minerals and resources. If we can reach a trade cooperation with them, it will definitely be a good thing for our Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian seemed to be thinking about something. Pei Mingli went west, and Su Bin went east?
Not entirely.

At least from what he said so far, it should be heading south along the coastline.

The purpose of both is the same.

"So, what you mean is that you want to get people and ships, go south along the sea route, and communicate and do business with various countries?"

"good."

After getting Su Bin's affirmative answer, Dai Zhou vaguely understood why Su Chen wanted to keep him.

This is definitely beneficial to the Ministry of Households!

"I wonder how many people and ships the uncle wants?"

"I need a thousand elite soldiers. They must not only be proficient in various weapons such as swords, spears, clubs, and muskets, but also be familiar with water."

Su Bingshi opened his mouth and said, "As for large ships, I don't need too many. Give me one tower ship, three warships, and five fighting ships."

The number of elite soldiers originally discussed was increased to 1,000. He even asked for eight warships, which made Dai Zhou's eyes widen.

Are you going there to do business, to exchange local customs and practices, or to cross the ocean?
"Is it too much?"

Li Chengqian couldn't help but frown.

The tower ship was the main fighting force of the Tang Dynasty navy. It was equipped with parapets, battle grids, flags, crossbow windows and spear holes, catapults and stone and iron ramparts, and was shaped like a mobile fortress.

Although the specifications of warships and battleships are a bit small, if they are really fighting on the sea, their fully configured combat power is enough to sweep away a navy of 5,000 people.

Especially the warships, which had raw cowhide covering the back of the hull, oar holes on both sides, and crossbow windows and spear holes around them, making it impossible for the enemy to get close and arrows and stones to easily penetrate.

This type of ship adopts a closed structure and is covered with raw cowhide on the outside. It is small and flexible in shape and has an amazing speed. If it is used for raids, the navies of the surrounding island countries will definitely not be able to match it.

"No more, no more."

Su Bing said cheerfully, "Your Majesty, think about it. This time I am traveling south along the sea route. Although most of the coast is our Tang Dynasty coast, I can resupply at any time. But once I pass through Lingnan Road, I will enter Borneo and the territory of Khimmi."

"Jimie and our Tang Dynasty do not have a harmonious relationship. If we want them to agree to our landing and to allow us to enter their city to do business, without strong strength to guarantee it, it will be easy to go wrong."

Dai Zhou pondered and agreed, "Your Majesty, what the uncle said is true. Although there are more people and warships, his safety can be greatly guaranteed."

"and."

"During this trip, my uncle can not only bring many porcelains and other goods from our dynasty to sell, but also buy things from them that our dynasty does not have, such as rare grain seeds."

"Secondly, with the presence of the uncle, it would be helpful to add some paths to the map of the Tang Dynasty. This way, we will know that there are unknown countries around the Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian glanced at Dai Zhou with a smile, and naturally understood his thoughts.

Pei Mingli's trip to the Western Regions will bring huge profits to the Ministry of Revenue. Now, Su Bing is going to sea again. If he succeeds, there will be a steady stream of money flowing into the Ministry of Revenue and the national treasury.

This is a good thing for both the Ministry of Revenue and the imperial court!
After thinking it over again and again, Li Chengqian nodded slowly, "I approve of this!"

"But I can't give you that many battleships. I can give you three at most, plus the tower ship and the warship, a total of six large ships, okay?"

(End of this chapter)