Chapter 269
It was truly impressive that Su Li could personally write a letter. Apart from his wife, Changle, there was only one other individual – that troubleso Li Er. The reason for this letter was to trade half of his share of the profits from the Great Tang Factory for the ability to attract talent and population to the Great Tang. Additionally, Li Er had to assist in spreading the ssage.
It was important to ntion that the earnings generated by the factory he left behind in the Great Tang were imnse. Although he had already departed, he had arranged everything properly beforehand. At its current size, he didn't need to be directly involved.
Even without this trade, Su Li was confident that he could recruit enough people and talent solely based on his reputation. However, as an independent prince, not making this concession might harm Li Er's reputation. Seeing that Li Er was quite reasonable, Su Li gave up half of the factory's profits. Furthermore, if tensions escalated too much, it would worry his wife. For Su Li, money was never the biggest concern. The real issue was the shortage of people in the desolate northwest.
Without gaining one or two million individuals from the Central Plains, how could he expect to change the customs of the Hu people with only the few Han people he had now? It was nothing but wishful thinking. The number of Hu people in Tubo was already much greater than the Han population, not to ntion the need to arrange for people to teach these Hu people Chinese characters.
Having a sufficient population itself was a form of control. The Hu subjects might have ulterior motives, but once the Han people from the Central Plains arrived, the dominance within Tubo would be led by the Han.
Now that he had dealt with various Hu tribes, the next step was to promote the migration of Central Plains people. Su Li certainly needed his own Han population base. As for favorable policies, he had already considered them. With the entire population of the Great Tang being around twenty to thirty million, he would require only a fraction of that—probably less than one-tenth.
More wouldn't be a problem, but Tubo would need expansion now. Furthermore, the allocation of land for cultivation needed to be properly arranged. The northwest had limited arable land suitable for growing crops, and even if they planted only potatoes and sweet potatoes, it would barely support one or two million people. However, Su Li knew potatoes and sweet potatoes were just temporary solutions.
The Central Plains Han people who followed him to the northwest had given up fertile land and a comfortable climate. How could he mistreat these people? Looking at it from another perspective, even though the profits from the Great Tang Factory seed substantial, his focus had shifted to the northwest.
The factories within the Great Tang were under the emperor's control, and while Su Li was confident that Li Er wouldn't dare to seize his assets, those factories were ultimately not what he needed. Exchanging so Central Plains Han people with Li Er aligned better with his intentions. Furthermore, although he had confidence in his reputation, Li Er's assistance would be enough to dispel any doubts the Han people might have.
In addition to this matter, Su Li also took the ti to draft a call for talents to have Li Er help him announce it within the Great Tang.
The call for talent involved issuing an imperial decree and notifying officers in various regions to identify capable individuals in their territories. These local officers would then recomnd these individuals for further assessnt. However, only those willing to co to the northwest would be recomnded.
Su Li had no interest in persuading those unwilling to co. He was confident enough in his reputation. Once the call for talent was issued, people would naturally co forward. Su Li believed that Li Er would share his sentints on this matter. After all, when he left Changan City, the ten thousand citizens who tried to stop him were no trivial matter. Regarding his intentions and the northwest situation, Su Li clarified everything in his letter. He knew how Li Er would make his choice.
Compared to the various Hu tribes that had often harassed the army in the past, if they could be persuaded to undergo cultural reform, it would also benefit the current Great Tang. In the three years before Su Li's arrival, the constant harassnt by the various Hu tribes had left the Great Tang stretched thin and unable to deal with the vast expansion of the northwest.
It was incredibly difficult to eliminate these Hu tribes. Su Li's efforts in subduing them had been a significant help to the Great Tang, allowing more of its people to recover and prosper. If Su Li's calculations were correct, the Great Tang was about to enter a period of prosperity and developnt.
Several days later, in Changan City, Li Er sat in the Taiji Palace, holding the letter sent by Su Li. After briefly perusing its contents, he couldn't help but inhale sharply.
“Hiss!” Truly, he was the King Yongle. It had taken him such a short ti to resolve the issues in the northwest. Those Hu tribes, upon hearing of King Yongle's arrival, had beco so fearful. After the initial battle in the northwest, they refused to submit and continued to harass the Great Tang persistently. Yet, as soon as King Yongle arrived, these Hu tribes acted like mice encountering a cat.
In just a month, they had all chosen to submit. However, it was only natural. In the initial battle in the northwest, Su Li had earned a fearso reputation. Those Hu tribes might tremble to hear his na, so their reactions were unsurprising. If they had offended the Great Tang in the past, they might have had a chance to escape, but offending Su Li ant they might face the destruction of their families.
Li Er inwardly marveled and continued to read the letter. As he learned about Su Li's thods in dealing with the Hu people, he instinctively swallowed hard. Su Li... was becoming more and more formidable. Although it seed like a policy of appeasent, this approach was more ruthless than outright violence.
Making the Hu people abandon their Hu clothing, language, and script, prohibiting their rituals and beliefs, erasing tribal and ethnic distinctions, and adopting Han clothing, language, and script – didn't that an they would beco indistinguishable from the Han people?
Just thinking about it made Li Er shudder. He couldn't help but be even more impressed with the thods of the King of Yongle. He sighed, “Su Li, you've played this move brilliantly. I bet those Hu people are in a state of panic.” “It appears to be just a few decrees, but it directly destroys the roots of the Hu people.” “That does seem like your handiwork.”
Li Er was no fool. He had managed to rise above the rest in the brutal battle for the heir's position in the past, and he could easily see that those Hu people were not sincerely submitting. However, King Yongle's actions were essentially severing the bloodline of the Hu people.
While it might not lead to their physical deaths, it was like continuous bloodletting. Making them abandon the tribal and ethnic nas they had maintained for over a hundred years, even their language, script, and clothing, was even more painful than taking their lives. As ti passed, the bleeding would continue until the Hu people fully adapted to the Han way of life. Li Er marveled at Su Li’s cunning move and continued to read the rest of the letter. His expression subtly changed.
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