Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5084 Zhang Liang's Ambition
Xi Junmai didn't care about Zhang Liang's attitude and asked directly, "The governor summoned you. Is there something important?"

Zhang Liang frowned, looking unkind: "I sent a message to you a few days ago, saying that I had something to discuss. Why did you wait a few days to see me?"

He spoke in a bad tone, but Xi Junmai was even tougher than him: "I am a naval commander, under the orders of the naval commander, and I have my own duties. Duke Yun is the governor of Luzon, not my direct superior, and cannot give orders to me."

You and I belong to different systems. You can order me around, but I may not give you face, so don't act like a boss.

Zhang Liang's face was gloomy and he held back his anger, but he didn't dwell on it anymore.

He and Fang Jun had many conflicts and deep hatred, but the navy treated Fang Jun like a god and obeyed his orders, so it was not surprising that they did not have a good attitude towards him.

Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Last time, I told you that I had lived in Chang'an for a long time, and I felt very uncomfortable when I suddenly came to Luzon Island. Not only was the heat unbearable, but I also couldn't adapt to the climate. So I planned to rebuild the Governor's Mansion, and all the furnishings would be arranged like at home. I wonder if the navy could be responsible for transporting furniture and daily necessities from the Tang Dynasty to this place?"

It would cost a huge amount of money to build a new mansion, with the architectural style, furnishings, and daily necessities all shipped from the Tang Dynasty, and he did not intend to pay for it himself.

It’s not that he just wants to take advantage of the country, he’s just short of money.

The title of Duke has its own salary paid by the state. The Duke is equivalent to the first rank, with an annual salary of 800 dan of rice and 8,000 guan of money, which is a drop in the bucket. Therefore, the biggest source of income is the taxes on the fiefdom and the rewards from the emperor.

"Yun Kingdom" is located in Chu, adjacent to the Yangtze River. The terrain is flat and the land is fertile, but the place is too small. Even if the people in the country are squeezed dry, not much money can be collected.

The emperor would not reward his subjects for no reason. For example, he would reward them when they made military achievements such as fighting in foreign wars or suppressing rebellions. However, Zhang Liang's career has been sluggish and he has not been smooth sailing in recent years. It was better when Emperor Taizong was alive. He was rewarded a little every year on birthdays, but the current emperor is extremely cold to him and probably doesn't even remember him...

The most important thing is that the cost is too high.

At the beginning, he was accused of "adopting adopted sons but actually raising assassins" and was punished by Emperor Taizong. Almost all of his hundreds of adopted sons were dismissed. But this time when he was appointed Governor-General of Luzon, he thought that he must have close people to assist him, so he recalled more than a hundred of those adopted sons.

These people had been living a comfortable life and spending money lavishly when they followed him in Chang'an. Now that they were in Luzon, they naturally wanted to eat and drink well. However, the prices here were high, and the daily expenses were huge. Even the dignified Duke of Yunguo could not make ends meet...

He could only set his sights on the navy. In his opinion, the navy was undoubtedly the richest among the many armies of the Tang Dynasty. Building a governor's mansion was no problem at all. What's more, the governor's mansion was the property of the imperial court and it was not a gift to Zhang Liang. So why not?
Xi Junmai said: "I have already reported this matter to the Grand Commander, but the Grand Commander cannot make the decision on his own. I have sent a letter to Chang'an to ask for the decision, but no news has been sent back yet."

Zhang Liang laughed angrily: "A governor's mansion is only worth tens of thousands of guan. Can't Su Dingfang make the decision? Does he have to ask Chang'an?"

Xi Junmai said expressionlessly: "Every stitch and thread in the navy's warehouse is state funds. How can they be arbitrarily misappropriated and taken for themselves? Without a written order from Chang'an, the navy dare not build the governor's mansion without permission."

The attitude is firm and there is no possibility of compromise.

Zhang Liang took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and asked, "My family's caravan was transporting goods to Luzon Island. Why was it detained at the port and not released?"

This is what really annoyed him. As the Governor of Luzon, he privately organized a caravan to sell goods, but was detained by the navy stationed in Lingayen Gulf... Isn't this a slap in his face?
Xi Junmai looked at Zhang Liang in surprise. "No matter whose fleet it is, as long as it is transporting goods, whether it is imported or exported, it must pay taxes after assessment. This is the law of all the customs offices in the Tang Dynasty and cannot be disobeyed. The fleet of the Duke of Yun State went out to sea without a sea license, which is equivalent to smuggling. We have already given you some consideration by not confiscating the entire fleet. How can you still ask us to break the law and make concessions in private?"

Zhang Liang gnashed his teeth in anger: "So, my fleet can't be released?"

Xi Junmai hesitated for a moment and said with embarrassment: "Since the country of Yun has opened its mouth, it is not impossible to release them... Either you pay the full amount of taxes, and then you can unload the goods on Luzon Island and sell them there, or you return the fleet to the Tang Dynasty, and I will pretend that nothing happened."

Zhang Liang said nothing more and turned and left.

……

After returning to the governor's residence, he looked at the simple furnishings in the house, angrily went to the backyard to fetch a basin of well water, took off his damp clothes, exposed his muscular arms, washed them carefully and wiped them dry with a towel, and the sticky and wet feeling on his body disappeared.

When he returned to the house, he became angrier and angrier. He kicked over the stool and stood in front of the window to try his luck.

Deceiving too much!

He was the Duke of Luzon and the Governor-General of Luzon, but in the end he did not even have the power of a county magistrate. He was constrained and restricted in every way. He felt depressed and angry, but had no way to vent.

Cheng Gongying, the trusted strategist, walked in from outside, glanced at the stool that was tilted on the ground, put the teapot on the table, and said with a smile: "General, come and have a cup of cold tea to cool down your temper."

Take the cup and fill it with herbal tea.

Zhang Liang came back to his senses, picked up the teacup and drank it all. The tea must have been cooled in a deep well. The cool and slightly sweet herbal tea made him feel better after entering his stomach.

Seeing Cheng Gongying's smiling face, he immediately became furious: "We are trapped here like animals, without even a decent meal, with unbearable heat all day long, mosquito bites at night, and we have to endure humiliation everywhere, and you still can laugh?"

Cheng Gongying knew that Zhang Liang was worried that the goods seized by the navy could neither be sold nor taken back.

"Don't worry, Marshal. In fact, with a little trick, we can sell off all the goods."

"What's the plan?"

Cheng Gongying walked to the wall and pointed at the map of Luzon Island and its surrounding waters hanging on the wall. His finger landed on an island to the south and west of Luzon Island. "Does the commander know where this is?"

Zhang Liang stood up and stood in front of the map with his hands behind his back. He saw that the island was long and narrow, running from northeast to southwest, and covered a large area. There was no name marked next to it, but he recognized it.

"This island is only two hundred miles away from Luzon by sea. It is not a small place, but because there are many indigenous people and tribes on the island, there is no unified name."

Cheng Gongying said, "These days, I have inquired about the chiefs who come and go to trade and interrogate the natives working at the docks. I learned that there are more than ten tribes on this island who are fighting each other and no one is willing to submit to the other, but the overall population is not small, at least tens of thousands of people."

Zhang Liang was surprised: "So many people?"

Since arriving in Luzon Island, the current situation overseas has completely overturned his previous perception. In the Tang Dynasty, even in poor and remote areas, there are hardworking people living there. The plains are even more overcrowded, and there is not even enough land for farming...

However, in the East and South Pacific, most of the scattered islands are uninhabited. Even large islands like Japan and Luzon are far from populated compared to the crowded Tang Dynasty.

But I didn’t know there were so many people on this island?
Before Cheng Gongying could answer, he asked again: "Since there are so many people, they can naturally sell more goods, but why did the navy just let it go?"

Cheng Gongying said: "The largest tribe on the island is called the 'Wu Tribe'..."

He pointed to a port on the south bank of the narrow island and said, "The Wu Clan has the largest population and the most power on the island. They occupy the largest port on the island and have always refused to trade with the Tang Dynasty. However, because their geographical location is far from the route opened by the Tang Dynasty, the navy ignores them."

Zhang Liang nodded to show his understanding.

The ocean is so huge that even if the Tang navy had countless ships and a population of hundreds of millions, throwing them into the East and South Seas would only cause a splash. Therefore, the navy's strategy was not to expand territory, but to set up bases in densely populated areas, cooperate with local indigenous people, and indirectly control the situation in that area.

It is impossible to claim every island you see as your own.

Furthermore, the route means safety, while deviating from the route means entering into completely unfamiliar waters. Tides, reefs, weather, etc. may cause the fleet to suffer a catastrophic disaster. Before a clear exploration, the Tang Dynasty Navy will not rashly enter this sea area.

"What do you want to say?"

"Marshal, the navy doesn't dare to go, but we can go!"

Cheng Gongying was very excited. He rubbed his hands and said excitedly: "There is a safe waterway from Luzon Island to this island, but because there are many islands and reefs scattered around the surrounding waters, the waterway is narrow and not conducive to large-scale fleet navigation. This is why the navy did not go there. But we have few people and few ships. We only need to hire a few local sea merchants to act as guides, and we will definitely arrive smoothly!"

"General, we brothers have always dreamed of helping you achieve great things. Now we will risk our lives to help you capture this island and build a great cause!"

Zhang Liang's face also turned red with excitement, but after a little consideration, he hesitated and said, "With so few people and no firearms, can we defeat them?"

If we encounter stubborn resistance, the result will be more than we gain.

As for the navy, he didn't consider it at all. After all, he was the Governor of Luzon. How could he not even have the power to attack an island?

Besides, I could just make up a lie, like one of my soldiers was killed and the murderer fled to that island, so of course I would march to the city and demand justice...

I’m afraid I can’t defeat it.

After all, there are tens of thousands of people on the island, and the "Witch Clan" is very powerful...

Cheng Gongying said proudly: "General, do you think those native savages are as brave and good at fighting as the Turks and Tibetans? On land, we are 'one Han against five Barbarians', and in the ocean and overseas foreign countries, we can defeat a hundred with one!"