Vol 2 Chapter 2309: United with the Western Regions to resist the Sui Dynasty, Qingmei sailed to th

Chapter 2309: United with the Western Regions to resist the Sui Dynasty, Qingmei went to the Western Ocean

Chapter 2305: United with the Western Regions to resist the Sui Dynasty, Qingmei went to the Western Ocean

 Twenty-four percent?

This number couldn't help but make Ying Hao's eyelids twitch.

If one percent of the academy construction plan is included, the three major projects alone account for 25% of Daqin's finances and a quarter of the overall finances. And this is not a small number. .

The Qin family has a big business and naturally has a lot of money to spend. Putting aside everything else, military spending definitely accounts for the majority.

 The military expenditures for the major generals and the 850,000-strong army account for 50% of the fiscal budget.

This is also the biggest reason for Ying Hao's disarmament, because if there is no disarmament, the military expenditure will reach about 65%, and then Da Qin will have no money to use for development and growth.

In addition to military expenditures, the total number of officials, large and small, in the nine states of the Qin Dynasty was nearly 20,000, and the salaries of these officials accounted for about 5% of the finance.

The Qingzhou Navy's expenditure on military expansion is not large, but the shipbuilding plan is a huge hog of money. In addition, various weapons and armor must be built in advance for future military expansion. These expenditures will probably account for 5% of the fiscal budget.

For Da Qin, building warships and weapons only cost labor and time. They didn’t even need to spend money on materials. They could just use local materials, so the cost was naturally small.

 Including miscellaneous other expenses, it is roughly about 5%.

Ying Hao didn’t know it, but he was shocked when he calculated it.

According to this calculation, Great Qin's finances for the next year have been prepaid by 90%, leaving only 10% for internal affairs.

This ratio is indeed a bit too low. If an accident occurs, such as a natural disaster, Great Qin will not even be able to provide disaster relief funds.

At this thought, Ying Hao couldn't help but feel extremely solemn. Da Qin's financial situation was not optimistic, and he had to find ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.

"The plan to open up the maritime trade route seems to be carried out as soon as possible." Ying Hao said solemnly.

 For Da Qin now, the best way to make money is to open up maritime trade routes.

 At present, there are more than 20 Nanyang forces that can be identified as conducting sea trade with Daqin, excluding the Nanman.

Nanyang is a huge market, with a fairly small population and low level of civilization. Basically, all the goods in Da Qin are in hot demand.

As long as maritime trade routes can be opened up, there will naturally be no shortage of sellers for the seized equipment gathering dust in Daqin's warehouses, as well as the various excess commodities, and they will immediately turn waste into treasure.

By conducting sea trade with the major forces in Nanyang, Daqin can also earn a large amount of development funds. Naturally, it will no longer be short of funds for the development of the civil war, and there will be a fiscal surplus left to invest in other areas, so it must be promoted as soon as possible. That's it.

“The plan to sail to the Western Ocean has been accelerated and is expected to officially set sail on February 10th.

The chief envoy Ye Qingmei, the deputy envoys Zheng He and Magellan on the left and right have all rushed to Qingzhou, accompanied by the Southern Barbarian envoy Lord Zhu. ” Xun Yuhui reported.

Because Da Qin lost Nanjun, the trade route with the Nanman was cut off. The only way to continue trading was by sea.

Nanman is a relatively closed place, and there are not many opportunities for trade with the outside world, let alone sea trade.

 The transactions between Da Qin and Nanman are not a small number. For Nanman, it is the key to the prosperity of the country.

It is precisely because of this that Zhu Rong decided to go with Ye Qingmei. She and Ye Qingmei wanted to witness this trade route with themselves. Only by ensuring the safety of the maritime trade route could Nanman confidently and boldly trade with Daqin. .

Ying Hao couldn't help but nodded after hearing the words, and then continued to discuss other matters with the ministers. But in the middle of the meeting, Jia Xu broke in with an important piece of information.

"Your Majesty, the Heibingtai spies in Liangzhou have returned urgent information. The Sui army secretly mobilized 30,000 cavalry with unknown intentions." Jia Xuhui reported.

Ying Hao suddenly perked up and walked to the precise map he drew by himself. He pointed at the map and said seriously: "The Sui army has four targets that can directly fight. The first is our Daqin, the second is Yuan and Meng, the third is Tubo, and the fourth Western Region.

The Sui army has just ceased war with our army. If the treaty is abrogated so soon, the possibility of restarting the war is not high, so the target of the Sui army should not be our army. "

Hearing this, all the ministers nodded involuntarily. They did not think that the Sui State had the courage to go to war with the Qin alone. If a war broke out, the one who would suffer in the end would definitely be the Sui State. Yang Guang could not be so stupid.

Ying Hao continued his analysis: "As for Yuanmeng in the north, this possibility can be ruled out directly. After all, the total number of cavalry of the Sui army is second only to our Qin Dynasty among the princes, but it is not enough to provoke Yuanmeng. situation."

Among the princes in the world, except for Da Qin, the Tang State originally had the largest number of cavalry. However, after the two battles between Si and Yong, the Tang State's cavalry suffered heavy casualties, and its overall ranking dropped to third place. On the contrary, it was the weakest in overall national strength. The Sui Kingdom had the second largest number of cavalry.

Although the Sui Kingdom had the second largest number of cavalry in the world, it was obviously far from qualified to challenge Yuan Meng, who had all cavalrymen on the grassland.

“As for the Tibetan Kingdom in the southwest of the Sui Kingdom? Tubo has more than three million people, but only more than 100,000 soldiers, and its combat power is not too strong. It is indeed a good direction for the Sui Kingdom to expand.

However, Tubo is located in a plateau area. People who are not on the plateau will suffer from altitude sickness if they go to the plateau area, which can range from physical weakness to death.

Most of the Sui troops were from Liangzhou and Qiang people. Before they could adapt to altitude sickness, they would not easily send troops to Tibet. "

At this point, Ying Hao stopped and looked at the Western Region. The meaning was naturally obvious. After all, three of the four targets were eliminated, so only the Western Region was left.

“The Western Region, the land in the far west, is vast and sparsely populated, but it has thirty-six kingdoms, large and small, and the strength is not very strong. With the strength of the Sui State, it can completely swallow it up. It is the best choice for the Sui State to expand.

However, Yang Guang only used 30,000 iron cavalry this time, presumably it was just the first round of testing. "

Ying Hao analyzed Yang Guang's purpose in just a few words, and even guessed that this time it was mainly about testing.

Ying Hao naturally wanted to have the Western Regions. After all, as long as the Hexi Corridor was opened, Da Qin would be able to trade with Central Asian countries and even Western countries.

 Compared with sea trade, the benefits of land trade are also not small.

If possible, Ying Hao would naturally want to trade with the Western Regions, but the Sui State blocked Da Qin's trade routes to the west.

Ying Hao really wanted to destroy the Sui State, open up the Hexi Corridor, and conduct trade with Western countries, but he could not do so.

 First, the current Great Qin was unable to destroy the Sui Dynasty. After all, destroying the Sui Dynasty would require at least 150,000 troops, including at least 50,000 cavalry, which the current Great Qin could not afford.

 Second, Ying Hao was afraid that destroying Sui would trigger a chain reaction and destroy the hard-won peace.

 Some people say that although the situation in Da Qin is not good, the situation in other countries is also not good, so why should we be so timid?

 But you must know that among the major forces, only Da Qin has the ability to unify the world, and other countries do not have this ability. If Da Qin doesn't care about anything and destroys any country it wants, it will definitely attract the princes to unite to attack Qin. Although Da Qin is not afraid, the whole world will be in chaos.

It feels great to do this, but the process of Great Qin's unification of the world will definitely be slowed down. This is the greatest loss of Great Qin. On the contrary, other countries will not have any losses. After all, they do not have the strength to unify the world.

Back to the topic, Yang Guang wants to swallow up the Western Regions in one go. Naturally, Ying Hao will not let him do so. He will definitely create some trouble for him and prevent him from conquering the Western Regions so easily.

“None of the countries in the Western Region are very strong, and they are doing their own thing, so it may be difficult to resist the Sui State.

If the Sui State gains access to the Western Regions, its national power will be greatly increased and it will also become a major trouble for our Qin Dynasty. Therefore, the Sui State must be prevented from conquering the Western Regions. "

Ying Hao's eyes were full of determination. He looked at the ministers below and said in a deep voice: "My dear friends, who would like to be an envoy to the Western Regions to explain the Sui Kingdom's ambitions to the countries in the Western Regions and persuade them to form an alliance? Fight against the Sui army together?”

 Zhang Yi stood up decisively and said: "I am willing to go."

Seeing this, Ying Hao pondered for a moment but then shook his head and said: "The Western Regions are thousands of miles away from Luoyang, and this mission to the Western Regions is not a one-day mission, and may take several years to return to the court.

 Zhang Yi, you are in charge of the Foreign Affairs Department and responsible for the diplomatic affairs between Qin and other countries. How can you leave the court for a few years? "

Zhang Yi then realized that it was indeed impossible for him, who was in charge of the Foreign Affairs Department, to leave Da Qin for several years. Otherwise, who would be responsible for diplomacy with other countries?

You must know that the diplomatic environment of Great Qin is not good. Besides Zhang Yi, who else can stop Su Qin’s plan of Lian Heng to resist Qin?

“Zhang Yi, is there no other eloquent person in the Foreign Affairs Department?” Ying Hao asked.

 “Of course there are countless.”

Zhang Yi smiled lightly and confidently recommended: "Ji Yun Ji Xiaolan is articulate and eloquent. Since joining the Foreign Affairs Department, he has completed several diplomatic missions perfectly.

Ji Yun was promoted to the post of envoy by a minor minister. "

 “Ji Xiaolan?”

Ying Hao was startled. Ji Xiaolan had served as the governor of Changshan. He could have taken the orthodox political promotion route, but was deceived by Zhang Yi into the Foreign Affairs Department and became one of the generals of the Foreign Affairs Department.

But one thing to say is that Ji Xiaolan's eloquence is indeed good, otherwise he would not have gained the reputation of "iron teeth and bronze teeth".

"Since Zhang Yi has your recommendation, let Ji Yun serve as the official historian. What about the candidate for deputy envoy?" Ying Hao asked again.

This mission to the Western Regions is a big project. After all, there are thirty-six countries in the Western Regions. If Ji Xiaolan alone is the one to lobby, the efficiency will be too low. Maybe the Sui army has withdrawn, and the Western Regions Allied Forces are still there. It has not yet been organized, so it is necessary to find some helpers for him.

Zhang Yi thought for a while and then replied: "Lü Qinghou can be the deputy envoy, and Jian Yong and Sun Qian can be the envoy."

Ying Hao nodded, this configuration is not bad.

Although Jian Yong and Sun Qian have surrendered to Qin, they have never had anything serious to do. Now it's time to find something for them to do.

In this way, the Da Qin envoy to the Western Regions was established under the recommendation of Zhang Yi. Ji Xiaolan was the chief envoy, Lu Qinghou was the prestige deputy envoy, and Jian Yongsun Qian was the accompanying envoy.

In addition, Ying Hao also sent the famous general Wang Ben, commanding two powerful generals Meng Ben, Ruan Wengzhong, and 300 elite cavalry as accompanying guards to protect the mission.

Yang Guang probably never expected that although he was paying attention to the Western Regions, before he sent out troops, Ying Hao had already taken the lead. Not only did he want to leak the news to the countries in the Western Regions, but he also asked them to form a coalition to fight against the Sui army. .

 All in all, the Sui Kingdom’s conquest of the west was certainly not that easy.

　　————

 The first year of Shenwu, February 10th.

 Qingzhou, Beihai County, Qin Navy Navy Dazhai.

More than a hundred warships loaded with supplies have already set sail. Once the envoy Ye Qingmei arrives, they will set sail and head south to open up Daqin's maritime trade routes.

The fleet that sailed to the Western Ocean this time included: one main ship, ten large building ships, thirty small and medium-sized frigates, and one hundred large material transport ships, a total of 141 warships, and a total of eight naval escorts. Thousands, the leader of the navy will be Qi Jiguang.

Zhou Yu, the commander-in-chief of the navy who had married the princess Ying Xuewu, saw that the time to set off had come, but the main leader Ye Qingmei did not show up. He couldn't help but frowned and asked: "Why hasn't Ye Shi come yet?"

“Well, Ye Shi has been delayed for a while because of putting on makeup. He will be here soon.”

Hearing this, not only Zhou Yu, but also Han Shizhong, Li Shunchen and other naval generals could not help but twitch their lips.

They only have one thought in their minds, and that is, women are trouble.

Qi Jiguang sighed helplessly. He was the naval commander of this mission and would work with Ye Qingmei for a while. He hoped that Concubine Ye would not go too far.

While everyone was discussing, Ye Qingmei, who was dressed energetically and energetically, under the protection of Gai Nieweizhuang and others, brought Zheng He, Magellan, and Zhu Rong with him. He arrived late, but took the initiative to apologize to Zhou Yu and everyone.

Ye Qingmei's attitude also made everyone's faces soften a lot, especially Qi Jiguang. This also shows that Ye Qingmei is at least not an unreasonable person.

After Ye Qingmei led the envoy onto the main ship, he glanced at Qi Jiguang beside him, and Qi Jiguang understood and decisively ordered: "Set sail."

 Woo, woo, woo…

The horn sounded, and all the warships sailed out of the water village and headed south.

On the deck, Zhu Rong looked at the vast and rough sea, feeling extremely excited. This was the first time she had seen the sea.

After getting excited, Zhu Rong calmed down and asked Ye Qingmei: "Miss Ye, how long does it take for the fleet to sail to Annan?"

Annan, also known as Vietnam in later generations, the transactions between the Nanman and the Qin Dynasty were conducted in the Annan area.

 Great Qin has reached a cooperation with the local forces in Annan. When the fleet arrives in Annan, it will unload the goods on the ship, and the Nanman people will transport the goods back to the Southern Barbarians themselves. If something goes wrong in the process, Great Qin will not be responsible.

After listening to Zhu Rong's words, Ye Qingmei replied: "The warships used by our Great Qin Navy are the most advanced warships, but the speed of the fleet's sailing does not only depend on the ship itself, but the wind direction also affects the speed. .

 If the wind is favorable, it should take more than half a month of sailing to arrive. However, if the wind is not favorable or even headwind, it may take a month of continuous sailing. "

 (End of this chapter)