sjar Chapter 1085 Slap him, then give him a whack
Chapter 1085 Slap him, then give him a whack
Who is it being repaired for? The road is repaired... and then what?
Li Che's words completely exceeded the expectations of all the chieftains. The Shu people from outside the mountains had always come to them only to take.
Salt, furs, medicinal herbs, and even human heads that could be used as war merits—these are the things that outsiders love most.
As for building roads for yourself... don't be ridiculous.
The immense confusion in their hearts made them even more helpless than when facing firearms and cannons.
They looked at the young emperor sitting upright, trying to find any trace of mockery on his face, but all they saw was indifference.
Li Che then said, "Road construction is not urgent for now; let's talk about the present."
The leaders tensed up, knowing that the real issue was about to be addressed.
Li Che's gaze swept over them, and he asked, "According to the rules of your Liao people, how should the victor deal with the loser after a battle?"
A chieftain, his face ashen, said in a hoarse voice, "If we fail to die in battle, we will become slaves, our lives at the mercy of others."
Although he used the Liao language for the word 'slave,' Yang Tong, who was standing next to Li Che, explained to him that this word was the same as the Qing language's word for slave.
The Daqing dynasty abolished slavery long ago, and after the reigns of Emperor Qing and Emperor Li Che, the buying and selling of slaves and people was basically eliminated.
But the Liao people were different; their system remained primitive, and the existence of slaves was perfectly normal.
Some of the more experienced locals would even go into the mountains and forests to capture uninhabited locals, imprison them, and make them work for their families, much like the Qing people captured wild donkeys and horses. They truly didn't treat uninhabited locals as human beings.
Li Che nodded and said, "Now that I have captured you alive, you have gone from being leaders to prisoners. According to this rule, shouldn't you submit to me?"
As soon as Li Che spoke, the bamboo house fell silent.
Everyone was silent at first, then looked at the actions of the others.
This is a subconscious reaction; first, observe how the people around you act.
The old man from Qing Teng Dong, however, was different. He didn't even look at the others before tremblingly bowing down and resolutely touching the ground with his forehead:
"This old man is willing to lead the people of Qing Teng Dong Liao to submit to Your Majesty, to be your eternal servants, and never to betray you."
With one person taking the lead, the other leaders followed suit without hesitation.
The chieftains rushed to kneel down, swearing allegiance, afraid of falling behind.
Even Aguli was no exception. After struggling for a moment, he sighed heavily, knelt on one knee, and lowered his head.
Surrendering to the Liao people was not a great disgrace, after all, survival was paramount.
Submitting to the strong in exchange for survival is the most basic law in the mountains and forests.
People are afraid of death. The reason why some people are determined to die rather than surrender is due to their moral values. However, morality is as scarce as the air in the mountains among the Liao people.
Moreover, the person before him was the emperor of the Qing people, the strongest person in the world.
Li Che nodded slightly, but did not immediately tell them to get up. Instead, his tone became more indifferent: "Don't think that your submission is because I have gained an advantage."
"Look at my subordinates! There are countless wise and resourceful individuals, exceptionally brave warriors, and immensely wealthy men... and they are all very loyal to me."
"And what about you? What value do you have to me?"
The old man lay on the ground, his mind racing, and then, as if struck by inspiration, blurted out: "Salt! Your Majesty, we have salt wells."
Li Che looked at him, a faint smile on his face: "You're not bad. There are wise and resourceful people among the Liao people."
The old man repeatedly said he dared not.
“Salt is a matter of life and death,” Li Che said calmly. “If people don’t eat salt, they will become weak and frail, and eventually they will get sick or even die.”
"Therefore, the Qing people need it, the Liao people need it, and the Qiang and Man people also need it."
“In the past, the salt resources of Sichuan were mostly in your hands. You were dissatisfied, so the amount of salt delivered to the government was less, the price of salt soared, and the people of Sichuan had no salt to eat.”
“I can disregard the past, but the people of Shu are my subjects now, and I do not want to see another person die from salt shortage.”
The leaders were inwardly groaning, realizing that they had indeed come full circle back to their lifeline: salt.
Even the most foolish Liao people know that salt is their livelihood.
They could be slaves to the emperor, but they couldn't just hand over the salt; otherwise, they would truly become worthless slaves.
Not knowing how to negotiate with Li Che, they all looked at the old man from Qing Teng Dong.
The old man felt bitter inside, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "We will never dare to reduce the salt tax of the court in the future, and we are also willing to offer more of the salt that our tribe has reserved to Your Majesty."
"However... the salt needed by the Qiang and Man tribes has always been obtained through trade with us. If we were to offer it all up, I fear it would cause them..."
“You are very clever.” Li Che interrupted him, his smile unchanged, but his eyes suddenly turned cold. “I like clever people, but—”
"If you think yourself clever and treat me as a fool who can be easily fooled, I will not like it."
Hearing Li Che's icy words, the old man felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "I deserve to die! I'm talking nonsense! Your Majesty, please calm down, I had no such intention!"
His meaning was simple: everyone was willing to hand over the salt to the emperor, but should the Qiang and Man tribes also hand over their share?
If we hand it over, the Qiang and Man tribes will definitely be unhappy. If they attack, Your Majesty, you must protect us.
Li Che stopped looking at him and swept his gaze over the silent crowd: "Since you have submitted to me, if the Qiang and Man dare to make another move, I will cut them off for you. This is my protection for you!"
"But you must also remember that everything in this world that I give you is yours. You cannot ask for it if I do not ask for it."
"Understood! Understood!" the chieftains hurriedly replied, their backs soaked with cold sweat.
The old man from Qing Teng Dong lay prostrate on the ground, too afraid to move, his heart filled with lingering fear.
He lived long enough and had a lot of dealings with the people of Qing, so he believed he knew the government and the imperial court well enough.
The Qing people like to use both kindness and severity. After displaying their thunderous anger, they will inevitably bestow some favors to make the Liao people grateful. They call this "influence."
But this emperor was different. While others would slap someone and then offer a treat, he would slap someone before even offering the treat.
If you dare to provoke me, I'll give you another whack and beat you half to death.
Only when you are lying paralyzed in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life, will he bend down, touch your head, and ask if you are in pain.
It must be said that this method was even more effective for these Liao people who feared power but did not appreciate virtue.
Li Che felt he had been too lenient with them, and that they should be crushed by force.
Seeing that everyone had completely calmed down, Li Che continued, "I know what you're thinking. There are only so many salt wells. If I take more, you'll have less."
"It's only natural that you're unwilling."
The chieftains dared not admit it, repeatedly saying they dared not, and swearing that they were doing it willingly.
Li Che waved his hand and said, "Although there are only these salt wells, is there really only this much salt?"
Everyone looked up blankly, not understanding what he meant.
"What if I told you I could lead you to extract even more salt?"