Cui Geng asked, "What?" Didn't you get the 400,000 taels of money in your treasury by trading with the barbarians? ”

Niu Xianke smiled bitterly: "Why does Cui Xiang ask knowingly? Those barbarians are so poor that I can make a few bucks just by trading with them? ”

Cui Geng then thought that from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, there was a difference of hundreds of years. After a few hundred years, the degree of development in Rongzhou is of course very different.

He wondered, "Then you didn't get all these possessions from farming?" How many Han people are there in the whole of Rongzhou? ”

"You can't make much money farming." Niu Xianke gritted his teeth and said ruthlessly: "Let's make it clear, the money earned by the lower officials is from trading with the Tubo people. ”

"I see." Cui Geng nodded slowly.

In Cui Geng's eyes, international trade can certainly make a lot of money, there is nothing strange and nothing shocking.

However, in the eyes of Niu Xianke, Cui Geng's performance is a clear proof that he has already guessed the truth of the matter!

He said: "Xiaguan has a lot of words, if others talk about doing business with Tibet, you have to pretend to be shocked." It's the lower officials...... If it weren't for Cui Xiang's questioning, I wouldn't have recognized it. ”

Cui Geng then remembered that the trade between the two countries involved many political factors, which could not be determined by a small history of Niu Xianke.

If it is said that Niu Xianke is doing business with Tubo privately, it is not impossible to deduct a big hat for him with the intention of rebellion.

He thought for a moment and said, "You tell the truth to this king, what are you and Tubo trading with each other?" If it's about iron and grain......"

At this point, Cui Geng suddenly shut up.

Princess Wencheng married Tubo and brought a large number of blacksmiths, and now the ironware production level in Tubo is not below the Tang Dynasty.

Even if the cattle cyclamen wanted to sell ironware, people in Tibet would not buy it.

As for the grain, with the transportation conditions of these years, it is a proper loss. In fact, not to mention grain, even if copper money is transported around, it will lose money. Otherwise, why did the Song Dynasty use iron money in Shudi, but copper money was used outside. Without it, the transportation is difficult, and it is not cost-effective to transport the copper coins from other places to Shudi.

Therefore, what Niu cyclamen and Tubo traded was inevitably high-value, light-weight goods.

What is it exactly?

Niu Xianke said: "King Ji doesn't have to worry, what Xia Guan trades with the Tubo people is not iron tools and grain, but ...... Tea. ”

"Tea?"

Cui Geng was stunned for a moment, and then he slapped himself a few times.

Stupid!

I'm so stupid!

How did I forget that the so-called Zhouzhou, Yaozhou and even Rongzhou are the starting point of the "Ancient Tea Horse Road" in later generations, that is, the starting point of the "Southwest Silk Road"!

From here, you can go west to Tibet and trade with the Tibetans; Nan can go to Nanzhao and trade with Nanzhao people. Further on, you can even trade with the Tianzhu people.

These state capitals are simply lying on a mountain of gold!

It turns out that I have always been worried about how to quell the rebellion in these two states.

According to historical records, the Tang Dynasty's rule over these two states has not been very stable, and it was even occupied by the Nanzhao State later.

Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin "jade axe to row the river", here is owned by Dali.

It wasn't until Kublai Khan first destroyed Dali and then the Song Dynasty that these two states belonged to China again. Judging from the conditions of the Tang Dynasty, there is almost no solution.

But when you think about it, that's not the case at all!

The reason why the barbarians are difficult to subdue is that there are many plagues in the so-called mountains and mountains, which is only one factor.

The main thing is that the Tang people have no suitable assimilation method for the barbarians here at all.

The Han people are an agrarian people, and it makes sense for you to teach these barbarians to farm. But what about the ground? There are many mountains and rivers here and few plains, and there is no way for barbarians to farm even if they want to.

However, you can't grow fields on the mountain, so you can grow tea with high economic value. As long as the barbarians are incorporated into the economic system of the Tang Dynasty, assimilation is a matter of time.

In addition, the reason why it is difficult to subdue here is that the imperial court does not see any economic benefits and is reluctant to invest on a large scale.

However, once the tax revenue in this place increases greatly, how can the imperial court not only withhold the land and only add 500 troops to Yaozhou a year?

With a large amount of investment in troops and money and food, let alone these two states, why worry about instability even if it is the tiger's den in Longtan?

After the Yuan Dynasty, these two states never separated from the Chinese territory, which was not unrelated to the prosperity of the Southwest Silk Road.

The more Cui Geng thought about it, the happier he became, and the corners of his mouth even flashed with a smug smile.

But the ox cyclamen was mistaken again, and continued: "King Ji once sent an envoy to Tibet, and he must have some understanding of the Tibetan people's tea love. They eat a lot of beef and mutton, as well as grampa and other oily things, which must be dissolved by drinking tea. Therefore, our Datang tea is not only very good in Tubo, but also very expensive. ”

Of course, Cui Geng knows that the Tubo people like tea, mainly to help digestion. In addition, tea can compensate for the lack of vitamins and various trace elements in highland food, which is beneficial to health. Although the Tibetan people do not know the principle, the benefits of drinking tea to the body are real, so once the tea scripture appeared in Tibet, it quickly became popular.

He shook his head slowly and said: "The history of ox thorns still needs to read more books, and it is true that the people of Tubo like tea, but it will not be dissolved without drinking tea." In fact, this tea has only appeared in Tibet for twenty or thirty years. It is rumored that during the reign of his Zampu Juniper Mangbu, he fell ill with a serious illness and all efforts were ineffective. At that moment, a small bird brought a branch with leaves. Juniper Mango took the leaf in his mouth and chewed it a few times, feeling refreshed. So, he ordered his ministers to find this leaf. Later, the Tibetans learned that this kind of leaf is called tea. ”

Niu Xianke's old face turned red and said: "King Ji is really knowledgeable, and the lower officials don't read much, which makes King Ji smile." ”

"It's just some wild history. Although he doesn't read much, he has the skills to govern the people, so he doesn't have to take this matter to heart. Uh, by the way......" Cui Geng coughed lightly and said, "Are the people sent by the Niu Thorn History to do business with the Tubo people Han or barbarians?" ”

"Han Chinese, of course. Those barbarians are extremely stupid, let them do business, I am afraid that they will be pitted by the Tubo people without a mile of pants. ”

Cui Geng didn't think that the intelligence of the barbarians was low, but they had no education and were not suitable for business.

In this case, it is impossible to expect them to do business on their own tea horse road.

Cui Geng said: "The history of the cow thorn thinks that how about letting these barbarians plant tea trees, pick tea leaves, and finally sell the tea to the government?" If the barbarians have a livelihood, they can organize their households and even pay taxes, and Rongzhou is completely stable. ”

To his surprise, Niu Xianke shook his head again and again, and said, "King Ji, you're not kidding, are you?" This is not possible! ”

"Why? Can't a barbarian even do such a little work? ”