The slave trade is a new industry, and the sale of slaves is also because there are too many people needed, and the number of people needed is also a bottomless pit...... Or it belongs to the royal family, and the royal family has become the largest slave trader in the world.

Because the need for slaves was so urgent, it was inevitable that individuals and civil society would also participate in the slave capture industry. For example, there are barren mountains and mountains, and there are hundreds of ethnic groups in Lingnan, where individuals or non-governmental groups have been active for a long time, and they shuttle and wander in the deep mountains and old forests to find any trace of aliens.

If you find an alien, if the scale of the alien is relatively small, and individuals and groups can do it on their own, they will contact the nearest garrison and cooperate to do it.

"Recently, the people from the Jingling Chamber of Commerce and the garrison captured more than 3,700 alien races belonging to Xiangyue."

"Really? There are still three or four thousand alien tribes on the other side of Lingnan? ”

"I heard that they were hiding in the mountains and forced to live in caves and rely on hunting for a living."

"Hehe, originally the Baiyue of the clans was already a bit human, but it's a pity that they shouldn't be the first to attack us, so they will get the current fate."

"Haha! As if if they don't attack us, we won't attack them. ”

"Yes, even if they didn't attack us, like the wild people on the [Korean] Peninsula didn't provoke us, we still sent troops to occupy their land and capture their people."

"That's right! The army of the empire is to use the sword in its hand to plow the fields for us, otherwise it is a decoration to master weapons, why maintain a huge number of troops? ”

They are talking about groups that are active in certain regions, and they are talking about the values of the people of the empire today.

The Empire encouraged the participation of civilians in the hunt for aliens, not because the captured aliens could be sold as slaves, but because the army was able to use war to defeat the aliens and occupy the lands that were supposed to belong to the aliens. However, the army needs to use a lot of manpower to hunt down those caught fish of foreign races, and if it is carried out for a period of time, it may be nothing, and the frequency of long-term search is high, then it is a question of cost-effectiveness.

How can we ensure that the army does not get tired due to frequent sorties, and how can we maintain local stability more effectively and quickly? It is undoubtedly a very good thing to encourage private individuals or groups to join in the search and arrest operations. Reducing the frequency of military dispatches can also reduce the consumption of military spending, so why not?

The army is looking for aliens who are hiding, the number of sorties is too large, the movement is too large, and it is easy for the aliens to detect and flee first, the number of sorties is small, and the casualties are somewhat serious, if there are too many casualties caused by the search for aliens, it is easy to hit the morale of the army, resulting in low morale in the army, which can be said to make the military very troubled.

The military not only has to consider the consumption of military spending, but the death and injury of non-commissioned officers will also bring a series of follow-up events. For example, the retirement and work arrangements of disabled soldiers, the follow-up pension for 15 years for soldiers killed in war, and the participation of non-governmental individuals or groups in the search for foreign races consumes the expenses of individuals or groups, and the military does not need to pay for the death or injury. The people only make business actions when they see profits, and if there are any problems, of course, they will bear their own burdens, and what is the matter with the military, isn't it?

The empire had just occupied what was supposed to belong to Minyue, Ouyue, and Guiyue...... That is, when Minnan County, Nanhai County and other counties, the military established a large number of outposts in order to prevent frequent attacks. But even if there are a large number of outposts, such as the outposts themselves and the settlements of immigrants. Some of the places that should have been attacked are still subject to frequent attacks.

Facts have also proved that it is a correct decision to encourage people from the private sector to participate in the search for alien races, with the participation of private individuals or groups, the means of searching for aliens are no longer so "military", and some of the methods used by the people can be described as varied, because the enthusiasm brought by profits is not comparable to that of the army when it executes orders, and the result is only in three or five years. The remnants of the alien race in some counties due south such as Minnan County were quickly swept away, and the people obtained huge profits from the capture of foreign slaves, and the country obtained a stable land that was not disturbed by attacks, which can be said to be a win-win situation.

Precisely because the capture of slaves was a good business, the private individuals and groups in the latter were no longer able to generate profits in some counties due south. They flocked to the Lingnan side instead.

The area covered by Lingnan is much larger than the area directly south of the empire, and the topography and landform of Lingnan are relatively complex in some aspects, so since some people from the people participated in the search for aliens in Lingnan, four or five years have passed, and now some medium and large tribes can be found, catching hundreds or even thousands of alien races at one time. However, in general, such opportunities have diminished over time, so some large groups have once again "migrated" to the South Asian subcontinent to start new businesses, and some have even raised funds to buy boats and intend to participate in the exploration of the seas.

Civilian participation in sea exploration has been around for a long time, but due to the restriction of ships, they can only operate in the near sea area, and recently the Imperial Navy has discovered several islands in the southern waters of unknown size, and it has also been discovered that there are a large number of alien races on the islands over there.

"Yes, there are wild people on every island, and the wild people there are about the same race as the people of the South Asian subcontinent, and their skin is dark, but they are slightly shorter."

"Naval vessels are precious, a 200-ton naval navigation ship is the cheapest and thousands of runs, and there can't be only one ship to go to sea, right? Something happened and there was not even a chance to change ships. ”

"Therefore, the big chamber of commerce or the big businessman will buy a few more, and the small chamber of commerce and the small businessman can only cooperate."

"Well, our merchants over there are uniting to organize a fleet."

"Hmmm! I heard that there are not only wild people on the islands over there, but also some spices, the kind that the South Sea Fleet brought back the last time. ”

A 200-ton ship is really not expensive, after all, it is not possible to use any kind of wood to make a ship. In addition, the way in which seafaring vessels and inland river vessels are manufactured is also different, and the difference here refers to the difference in the selection of more suitable timber and vessel structure. Maritime vessels are more expensive than inland waterway vessels, which is more expensive in the selection of timber and the manufacturing process.

As time goes by, the South China Sea Fleet discovers more and more islands in the South China Sea, and naturally discovers more types of resources. Thanks to Lu Zhe's prompts in advance, the first time they discovered the island was to look for spices, and sure enough, they found spices with a lot of uses.

Spices are also divided into types, such as edible and other uses. Spices used for food such as cloves, cardamom kernels, nutmeg, etc., and some other foods that are not included in the scope of consumption include wood with its own aroma and some materials that can be used as dyeing cloth.

The discovery of spices in the empire has not been around for a long time, and the identification of edible spices is not yet complete. The use of spices is only in the preliminary stage, but no one will underestimate the value of spices, but some discerning businessmen will find the great value of spices at the first time.

The cost of sea navigation with the continuous expansion of the imperial shipbuilding industry and the progress of manufacturing technology is reducing the cost of ship manufacturing, there used to be many rewards to attract capable people to explore the sea, but personal navigation exploration can not be compared with the army, with the discovery of islands or new continents to attract people is not too large, the South Sea Fleet took the lead in confirming the existence of islands in the southern sea, but also found a lot of spices.

When the legendary unknown becomes a reality, there is a need to capture slaves. Spices have also been discovered, and the increase in attractiveness is not one or two times, but directly tens or even hundreds of times, and those who are willing to take risks to pursue profits must also increase.

"It's not just about hunting aliens and exploring spices, but there's also quite a bit of something valuable over there, like pearls."

"Yes, we have found a pearl source on the Wajima Islands, and we have also found a pearl source on the newly discovered islands of the South Seas. The pearls on the South Sea side are larger and more sleek than those of the Japanese archipelago. ”

"Uh-huh. The abundance of resources in the south is no longer speculation for some people, and I heard that the army has also discovered the origin of jade and jadeite on land. The quality is very good. ”

They are talking about the discovery of the Southern Expeditionary Corps in Burma, Laos, and other areas in the later generations, and when the army invaded a similar area, it was found that the stones used by the local aborigines to build residential buildings actually had jade or jade, which caused a sensation at that time.

Jade has a strong value in China, and jadeite is also the first choice for women to make jadeite and related jewelry, and the army found that the stones used by the indigenous people to build houses have jade and jadeite. How could you not know that the local area is rich in jade and jade, and after reporting to the center of the empire, the ruling government responded by increasing the military expenditure of the Southern Expeditionary Corps, in exchange for the army needing to clear the local aliens as quickly as possible and complete the occupation goal at the same time. It is also necessary to ensure the smooth operation of mining in the later stage.

In fact, some islands on the sea also have jade or jade minerals, such as Luzon Island, which not only has jade and jade minerals, but is not only full of copper ores, but also all kinds of gems are not difficult to find, but the imperial navy has only carried out preliminary rough exploration, has not been able to penetrate into the hinterland, and has not carried out resource exploration.

"It's far more valuable than anyone could have imagined." Lu Zhe was standing on top of the king's chariot, not sitting. He had been chatting with Sima Xin, who was in the same car, and chatting and chatting about the exploration of the southern HNA Sea: "Xiao He has recently been asking to receive private businessmen to land on newly explored sea islands, such as the big island that has been named Luzon. His opinion is that with the participation of the private sector, it will promote the exploration and development of Luzon. ”

Sima Xin actually didn't know much about HNA, but he could see a lot of things based on Lu Zhe's tone and demeanor, so he said: "The empire has spent unimaginable resources and energy to explore, and it must be able to get corresponding rewards." Does the king think that it is not appropriate to open the people into Luzon now? ”

"Now the people are not suitable to land on the island, which is still the most primitive environment, and it is more dangerous than some primitive environments on land." That's what Lu Zhe said.

In fact, it is not the reason for being stingy or stingy, the system of the empire tends to be perfect, and businessmen who want to develop a place need to be recognized by the state, so they need to invest funds in exchange for development, although it is inevitable that there will be mistakes in the country's exploration, but the value of a certain place is underappraised, but even if the transaction is determined, even if it suffers, it cannot change the fact that the agreement has been signed.

The exploration and development of islands in the sea is far more risky than on land, which is a reality that has been repeatedly confirmed in all aspects, and Lu Zhe does not want businessmen to be given a head start when they do not understand the current situation, because there is no profit from investing in the sea or too many people have died, which directly hits the fear of the people of the empire on the sea.

"It's the minister's misunderstanding." Sima Xin was a little puzzled and said, "Then why does the ruling government still agree to the participation of the people in the development of the sea?" ”

"There are many places where the imperial government can generate revenue, but there are more places where money is used." Lu Zhe stiffened his fingers and said slowly, one by one: "The number of troops used for the war in Northern Xinjiang is huge, and the troops directly involved in the campaign have always lasted more than ten legions, which is an astronomical amount of money spent. In the Central Plains and other places, the reconstruction work has been going on, and we have hired a huge number of people from the private sector for a series of needs, which is also a huge expense, not counting some of the resource procurement and food consumption of the reconstruction work. ”

Sima Xin is also very clear about the subsequent expenses, in addition to the funds related to the campaign and reconstruction, a large number of garrisons are also stationed in various places, so that the funds used for the military are even larger. The non-commissioned officers of the army need to be armed, and it is inevitable that they will consume food, and the non-commissioned soldiers will also have to pay military salaries, plus some logistical expenses to maintain the daily life of the army, and the funds to be used are indeed unimaginably large.

"So, it's really going to be a gradual reduction in the number of troops." Lu Zhe glanced at Sima Xin deeply: "Since you have returned to Nanling, you will be responsible for the reduction of the second-line troops in the first step, and wait for the matter to be completed before leaving for Liaodong to take up the town." ”

Sima Xin smiled bitterly in his heart, he had already heard some things, the last time Kuaitong first talked about disarmament as the leader, at that time, some generals of the military were eager to eat Kuaitong alive, and the voice of "Kuaitong is actually not a member of the military collective, but a civilian official in the coat of the military" came out.

Under Lu Zhe's somewhat compelling gaze, could Sima Xin refuse?

Sima Xin almost didn't hesitate, and the deacon responded, "No!" Then he didn't hide his wry smile: "Many colleagues must be looking for trouble with the minister, you can take care of the minister." ”

Lu Zhe's response was to laugh out loud with a direct "haha", and the laughter attracted the attention of some people who didn't know what was going on.

Because everyone didn't know what the king's ministers were talking about, they only thought that Sima Xin was far more favored by the king than they imagined, and as for what they would think in their hearts, it was not clear, but they would definitely feel envy or jealousy. (To be continued......)