Diqin Designer

Chapter 419 Liu Ji's Strategy for the Western Regions

In terms of formation principles, resources such as oil, coal, and natural gas are renewable, and they are formed by ancient organisms that were deposited underground.

Since ancient organisms can evolve into oil and coal through sedimentation, it seems that modern organisms can also form oil and coal?

But the reality is that the environment in ancient times was different from today, and the organisms were also different. The conditions that allowed ancient organisms to form oil and coal may not be applicable to modern organisms. Even if they are applicable, it will take a long time to form them.

It takes millions of years for ancient fossils to be deposited underground as oil and coal. For skinny monkeys whose average lifespan is less than 100 years, if this is not a non-renewable resource, then what is it?

With the development of technology, the reserves of resources such as oil, coal, and natural gas that can be discovered will be greater than before, but this cannot change the fact that oil and coal are difficult to regenerate in the short term after being mined.

Moreover, the proven reserves are greater than before, but the proven mines are not necessarily located in one's own territory. Even if they are located in one's own territory, it is better to use one's own mines than to develop and use mines in other people's territory first.

First take out the minerals from other people's territories and use them, and seal up your own territories for future use. Not only that, but more mineral deposits must also be seized for the Qin Dynasty's control.

There are only so many resources. If the Qin Dynasty does not take more of them first, they will be taken by others. Then, others may use these resources to harm the Qin Dynasty.

Competition between countries is never friendly and harmonious. It is not that everyone sits in a row and distributes resources equally, but that everyone wants to occupy more. So Li Nian's choice is naturally to let the Qin Dynasty of this world occupy more.

The current situation is undoubtedly more favorable to Daqin. Other countries do not know the importance of oil and coal, but Daqin learned about it because of Li Nian and was able to take the lead in making arrangements. Even if Daqin cannot control those famous oil-producing areas with its current national strength, it can still make some arrangements.

Li Nian continued, "Perhaps in the future, a war between countries will be triggered in order to seize this item."

Could this thing trigger a national war?
Everyone looked at the lacquer in the glass jar and thought that this was indeed possible. This material had such a wide range of uses that it could even send people to heaven. It would definitely become an important material that countries would compete for, and it was very likely that war would break out over it.

Everyone also understood Li Nian's intention more and more. This was to allow Daqin to gain an advantage while other countries were still unaware of the importance of this item.

If an individual is one step ahead of others, he can become successful and wealthy. If a country is one step ahead of other countries, what about it?

This person is not only making moves for Daqin now, but also making plans for Daqin's future, so that Daqin can continue to maintain its lead over other countries. This is what a statesman should do!

Li Nian tapped the map with a stick and said again: "These places are very rich in lacquer resources, and the locals don't know how valuable it is. If Daqin doesn't take it, other countries will take it, and they may use it to harm Daqin in the future. This is not only a plan for Daqin now, but also a plan for Daqin in the future, and for the descendants of Daqin in the future!"

Hearing Li Nian mention "future generations", everyone perked up and looked more serious. If their ancestors didn't do it now, their descendants might suffer. How could they allow that?

Thinking that their descendants would be killed and slaughtered as a result, everyone had the same idea in their minds: they must eliminate this disaster for their descendants in advance.

Noticing the expressions of the crowd, Li Nian was very satisfied. No matter which era, the Chinese people always valued the younger generations. Many ancestors would have the courage to do things related to the younger generations, no matter how difficult they were.

"After you go to the Western Regions, you must try to exert the influence of the Great Qin on these areas. It would be best if you could make them be controlled by the Great Qin. Even if that is not possible, you must make them submit to the Qin."

Everyone nodded and looked at the Western Regions marked on the map, realizing the importance of this area. If the Qin Dynasty wanted to control these lacquer producing areas, it had to control the Western Regions first.

After asking someone to take the lacquer away, Li Nian held the small wooden stick in his hand and continued, "The Western Region itself is also rich in mineral deposits, such as lacquer, stone nirvana, and a mineral used in artillery. The Western Region also has it!"

There is no need to listen to the rest. Just the word "cannon" is enough to make everyone realize its importance. Except for Zhang Han, Liu Ji and others have seen the power of cannon. In the future, the Qin Dynasty will mainly rely on cannons in its battles. The minerals needed for cannons are available in the Western Regions, so this land should be controlled by the Qin Dynasty.

Li Nian added fuel to the fire: "From what I know, that mineral seems to be abundant in the Western Regions."

The scale of sodium nitrate resources in the Western Region ranks second in the world after Chile. Sodium nitrate can be used to make fertilizer in agriculture, gunpowder in the military, and is also used in food, medicine and other aspects.

Li Nian continued, "In addition to the above, the Western Regions is also a passage for communication with the Western countries. Western goods can be transported to Daqin from here, and Daqin goods can be circulated to the West from here. It is a place for the circulation of economy and culture. Let's talk about the economy first!"

"This place is an important place for communication between the East and the West, connecting Daqin with the West. Many people and goods will pass through here, and people need to rest and eat when passing through here. If Daqin sets up a market and post station here, it will definitely make a profit. But this is only a small profit. The big profit lies in the taxes that can be collected from here."

"To the west of the Western Regions, there are still many nations and tribes. If they trade with Great Qin, many goods will flow through here. If we can collect taxes on these goods, what do you think will happen?"

There is no need to think too much about this. It will definitely bring great profits and open up a new source of income for the Qin Dynasty. Although everyone can imagine that they will make a lot of profits, they still cannot imagine how much profit they can make.

The financial benefits that could be obtained from the Western Regions far exceeded their expectations. The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, the strength of the Arab Empire, and even the accumulation of wealth by the Jews were all related to the Western Regions.

The commercial taxes collected by the Tang Dynasty from the Western Regions, the jade, iron ore and other resources obtained, and the profits made from the sale of various goods to the West through the Western Regions all provided support for the Tang Dynasty to create a prosperous era.

If the Western Regions were missing, even if the Tang Dynasty could still reach its peak during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, it might have been later and might not have been as prosperous.

The Arab Empire also controlled part of the Western Regions, thereby monopolizing the trade between the East and the West and making huge profits. At that time, many Jews lived in the Arab Empire, and they accumulated a huge fortune by buying Eastern and Western goods at low prices and selling them at high prices.

The Western Regions not only played a great role in the economic development of the Arab Empire, but also became a transit station for the Arab Empire in terms of cultural dissemination. Some technologies of the Tang Dynasty were first spread from the Western Regions to the Arab Empire, and then from the Arab Empire to Europe, such as papermaking. Some things of the Arab Empire were also spread from the Western Regions to the East, such as certain religions.

The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire were both related to the Western Regions, which had brought rich benefits to the two empires. Without the Western Regions, the Arab Empire might not have been as strong as it was in history, and the Tang Dynasty might not have been as prosperous as it was in history. Li Nian said: "In terms of culture, unless the Western Regions are isolated and closed, it will become a place where Eastern and Western cultures meet, and the cultural customs of Western countries..."

At this point, Li Nian paused before continuing: "Especially those religious beliefs in the West may be introduced from here. Of course, the culture of the Qin Dynasty will also spread to the West from here!"

"This place of cultural integration must be under the control of the Qin Dynasty, because the cultural ideas introduced from the West may not be beneficial to the Qin Dynasty. Liu Ji, you have been to Wusun, so you should understand."

Liu Ji nodded. They had stayed in Wusun for quite some time, so they naturally had some understanding of the cultural customs of Wusun and some countries and tribes in the Western Regions. He believed that some of them could not be introduced to Daqin.

"So, in terms of culture, the Western Regions will serve as a line of defense for the Qin Dynasty, blocking those harmful cultural customs for the Qin Dynasty. At the same time, the Western Regions will also be the base for the Qin Dynasty to spread its culture to the western countries. So, what should you do after you go to the Western Regions?"

Li Nian asked again, this time directly asking what they should do after reaching the Western Regions. He said, "Liu Ji, you answer first!"

After learning that he would be stationed in the Western Regions on behalf of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Ji thought about how to deal with the affairs of the Western Regions if he arrived there. Therefore, when faced with Li Nian's question, he was not panicked at all.

In order to do a good job after settling in the Western Regions, he consulted with many people and studied the Qin Dynasty's methods for dealing with the Xiongnu and the Baiyue tribes, the Qin Dynasty's current policies, such as the Qin Dynasty's monetary policy, the Qin Dynasty's tax system, the courses of the Qin Dynasty International Academy, etc.

Liu Ji tried his best to prepare anything he thought he might need in the Western Regions. He was quite hardworking!

Facing Li Nian's question at this moment, Liu Ji just used the ideas he had thought of long ago. He said: "Ji thinks that we should do the following things in the Western Regions: First, take an elite army to intimidate the countries in the Western Regions. It would be best if we could summon the kings and nobles of the countries in the Western Regions after we go there and show them the power of our Great Qin's elite troops so that they dare not go against the will of Great Qin."

Having only heard of the power of the Qin Empire, the Western Regions might not be convinced. It would be necessary to let them see with their own eyes how powerful the Qin Empire's elite troops are. It would be best if I could lead an elite force equipped with artillery to let the people of the Western Regions see the power of artillery.

This was a step Liu Ji felt he had to take after arriving in the Western Regions: inviting the princes and nobles of the Western Regions to come and watch the elite military exercises of the Qin Empire.

Liu Ji added: "But just showing force will not last long. I think we should also show gentleness to the Western Regions and show some goodwill to them."

"So the second option is to unite the countries in the Western Regions and form an alliance with Great Qin as the core, and share certain benefits with the countries and tribes that join the alliance, so that they can stand firmly on the side of Great Qin and even attack those countries that do not join the alliance for Great Qin."

After saying this, Liu Ji added: "Ji believes that many things can only be done better after this alliance is established!"

Many of his ideas were based on the establishment of this alliance. There was no doubt that the military strength of the Qin Dynasty was superior to that of the countries in the Western Regions, but although it was possible to gain a foothold in a region with multiple countries and tribes by relying solely on military strength, the cost would be very high.

The best way is for Qin to contribute part of its efforts, and for the local states and tribes in the Western Regions to also contribute part of their efforts, so that they can govern themselves for Qin.

In short, unite and win over one group, suppress and alienate another group, and reduce the cost of Qin's investment in the Western Regions. Otherwise, if it relies solely on military strength, even if Qin is militarily powerful, it may be dragged into the quagmire of war.

Military strength is the basic guarantee. The Qin Dynasty's advancement in the Western Regions will inevitably lead to wars, but not all wars need to be fought, nor does it mean that all nations and tribes must become enemies.

Li Nian said: "Tell me, how do you want to establish this alliance?"

Liu Ji said: "Ji believes that the alliance must be centered on Daqin and Daqin is the leader of the alliance. This point must not be abandoned. Rules should be set for the alliance and all countries joining the alliance should abide by them. Those who violate the rules will be punished, and the same applies to Daqin."

"The rules of the alliance may require that all countries use the currency of the Qin Dynasty when doing business. When a country is invaded by an enemy, other allied countries should support it and even send troops to attack it together..."

Liu Ji spoke eloquently about the alliance rules he had thought of. Although Li Nian thought there were many omissions, it was still rare.

"Besides binding the member countries with the alliance rules, we also need to share benefits with the member countries. If joining the alliance is the same as joining the alliance, then what is the point of joining the alliance?"

"The allied countries can purchase Daqin's goods and weapons first, sell them some items that non-allied countries cannot buy, allow them to send students to Daqin to study, and allow them to charge lower taxes when selling goods to Daqin..."

"We need to make them feel the benefits of joining the alliance, so that they will join the alliance, obey the orders of our Great Qin, and stand with our Great Qin. Ji thinks this 'second' is extremely important, and everything else Ji thinks about is related to 'second'. If 'second' cannot be achieved, it will be difficult to govern the Western Regions!"

Liu Ji silently said in his heart, "At least it won't be easy to achieve what your Majesty and the young master want!"

Daqin sent him to stay in the Western Regions permanently, not because it regarded the Western Regions as a dispensable place, but because it wanted to manage the Western Regions for a long time and make it the property of Daqin. He has fully demonstrated this attitude to them today.

If we want to operate the business for a long time, we cannot just think about killing, burning, looting and running away. Instead, we must plant the roots of the Qin there and make the people there turn their hearts to the Qin and recognize the Qin.

Liu Ji said: "My lord, you just said that the Western Regions are of great use to Daqin in terms of military, mineral resources, economy, culture, etc., which inspired me. Third, we should investigate the terrain of the Western Regions and send soldiers to garrison where necessary; fourth, we should explore the mineral resources in the Western Regions and send back the mineral resources that are useful to Daqin. If the mineral resources are within the territories of the Western Regions, we can try to jointly develop them with them."

This is why there is a "second" option. After establishing an alliance among countries, it will be easier for these countries to cooperate with Daqin and agree to develop their domestic resources together with Daqin.

"Fifth, in terms of economy, Daqin should set up standards with the allied countries, such as which goods can be circulated, how much they should be priced, how much tax should be levied, and which merchants can be allowed to enter Daqin. Ji thinks that we can imitate the methods of Daqin and the Xiongnu and Baiyue tribes, set up trade cities in the Western Regions, and establish trade rules. In this way, Daqin can make profits and prevent harmful goods from entering Daqin and causing harm to Daqin."

The others nodded. Although trade could bring benefits to Daqin, they also had to be on guard and not allow it to develop freely.

(End of this chapter)