Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Chapter 353 Harunist Slaves, Passion Scars Li Chengqian heard this answer, which perfectly matched his stereotypical impression of his third brother's country from his previous life.

They couldn't help but tilt their heads and let out a soft chuckle.

"Hehe... Hahaha..."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Li Gang and Yu Shinan laughed so hard they almost fell over, while Kong Yingda, who was also present, kept shaking his head, his face full of disdain and mockery.

The country, already weaker than anyone could comprehend, was now facing the death of its old king and the usurpation of the throne by a powerful minister.

Faced with raids from Tibetan, Nepalese, and Zhangzhung and other highland countries.

What they did was to voluntarily offer their own people as tribute to the Tang Dynasty as slaves.

What a clever way to bypass the middleman...

When Arunasva's messenger saw everyone present openly mocking him, he assumed that the price he had offered had not met the approval of the Tang Dynasty ruler.

He hurriedly spoke again.

"If 200,000 isn't enough, we can discuss it... How about 300,000 a year? As long as you can get the Tibetans and those bandits to stop plundering us..."

The Ministry of Rites official translated helplessly.

Those who were able to serve as officials in the Ministry of Rites, especially those in charge of foreign affairs, were all highly knowledgeable and experienced.

But countries as outrageous as this one are today.

This was also the first time they had faced this situation.

"Ha ha ha ha......"

The crowd laughed even louder.

After laughing for an unknown amount of time, Li Chengqian wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and caught his breath.

He looked at the bewildered messenger kneeling on the ground with a strange and complicated expression.

"You say you're willing to offer so many slaves as tribute, then I have a question... how are you going to send them to my Great Tang?"

"You are planning to travel through the plateau, passing through the territory of Tibet, and making a long journey to our Great Tang Dynasty."

"Or... would the Kingdom of Zhelouqi to your north be willing to lend you its port and allow you to send so many people into their territory?"

The messenger sent by Arunasva listened to the questions translated by the Ministry of Rites official.

His expression froze for a moment.

Neither he nor Arunasva, who had usurped the throne and was determined to maintain his wealth and status as king, had ever considered this question.

Li Chengqian shook his head, feeling bored.

"Throw them out..."

The soldiers of the Eastern Palace immediately rushed in, completely ignoring the shouts and the so-called "Princess Harsha," and dragged everyone in like garbage.

They were dragged out of the hall.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the world is so big, there are so many wonders~" Li Gang exclaimed.

"It's really baffling. They went to such great lengths to send people to our Great Tang to sue for peace, yet they haven't even figured out how to achieve the peace conditions they proposed... It's truly bizarre."

Kong Yingda shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this.

Li Chengqian smiled faintly: "Besides the Buddhist sect, which can be said to have some civilization and culture, the only other people in the Harsha Kingdom that can be considered as having any meaningful communication are some nobles."

"As for those commoners... I think they should be called new types of agricultural tools."

New agricultural tools...

Upon hearing this title, everyone seemed to be deep in thought, all of them thinking of the Harsha slaves who had now entered the farms of the common people in the Tang Dynasty.

Recently, with the support of the government, Buddhist organizations have started new businesses.

That is to spread the Dharma to these Harsha slaves who toil all day long.

The core message is this: "They are suffering in this life, but if they live out this life peacefully, they will be reborn as people of the Tang Dynasty in their next life."

There is also the term "scar of suffering".

If one works devoutly for ten years, the Buddha will bestow upon them a "scar of suffering" as a symbol of "attaining Buddhahood."

Nine "scars of suffering" are the highest level.

The Buddhist community preached to the slaves that those who could endure nine "scars of suffering" in the world would be cleansed of all their sins and gain immense merit.

To attain Buddhahood immediately after death, even through reincarnation, means being reborn as a nobleman who enjoys unparalleled wealth and luxury, living a life of peace and happiness...

to this end.

At first, some people were worried that slaves might rebel, but now the Tang Dynasty has officially introduced Harsha slaves.

Two years have already passed.

However, such an incident has never occurred.

"However, we can inform Songtsen Gampo and the others about this. Someone doesn't want them, the middlemen, to make a profit. Heh, let's see their attitude..."

Li Chengqian gave a cold laugh.

"what!!!"

The scalding brand was branded amidst screams of agony.

The Tibetan soldiers ruthlessly pressed the captured Harsha's forehead against his own.

Despite suffering a major defeat and being forced to cede a large amount of profits, the company still has to pay substantial compensation every year.

However, under Songtsen Gampo's forceful reforms, it only took half a year.

The Tibetan tribes, who had previously held some reservations about him, reunited.

"The Gongbu tribe received 5,600 slaves, 1,500 taels of gold, and 5,000 shi of grain."

"The Bolu tribe received 3,400 slaves, 1,800 taels of gold, and 4,000 shi of grain."

"The Chloe tribe received..."

The clattering sound of abacuses echoed in a palace in the city of Lhasa.

The leaders of all the tribes, large and small, of Tibet gathered here.

Each person held a document recorded on a parchment scroll, comparing it with the ledger, while occasionally glancing around to see what was happening in other tribes.

However, everyone had a happy expression on their face.

There is no indication that Tibet now needs to pay a large sum of reparations to the Tang Dynasty and Xiangxiong.

"Hahaha, with this batch of slaves, we can exchange them for many things in the Tang Dynasty."

"I heard that recently the Tang Dynasty and our border trade have opened up to more goods, and there are many rare and unusual items..."

"The slaves we captured this time are all top-quality; they can definitely make up for the tribal warriors we lost before..."

Everyone was talking about it.

Songtsen Gampo sat on his throne, watching quietly.

Beside him, Grand Minister Galdontsen also wore a look of joy on his face.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps, accompanied by an announcement, came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty! His Highness Zam has sent a messenger back with a message!"

Songtsen Gampo, who was holding a wine glass, instantly stiffened.

The previously joyful atmosphere instantly froze, and everyone assumed that the Tang Dynasty was about to launch another attack.

Tension, fear, and uncertainty... all sorts of emotions instantly surfaced on the faces of these Tibetan tribal leaders who had been excited just a moment ago.

Songtsen Gampo took a deep breath and let the people in.

To everyone's surprise, the messenger who delivered the message had a look of delight on his face.

"Did something happen to Samaga in the Tang Dynasty? Or has His Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty abandoned her?"

Songtsen Gampo asked with a worried expression.

This was also his biggest worry: the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty had never seemed to have any interest in his sister, Samaga.

however.

The envoy immediately shook his head and excitedly reported back.

"Your Majesty, good news! His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty has issued an imperial decree, bestowing upon Princess Zanmu the title of a virtuous concubine. She is expected to marry the Crown Princess and the others in the latter half of this year..."

Songtsen Gampo suddenly stood up from his seat.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"real?!"

He turned his head and asked Galdonzan beside him, his voice filled with excitement and confusion.

"Your Excellency, what rank is a Liangyuan?"

Gardonzan was filled with excitement: "Your Majesty, that's not low! A Liangyuan is a fourth-rank concubine in the Tang Dynasty! That's quite a high-ranking concubine. If His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, Liangyuan's rank will be raised accordingly... Perhaps she can even be made a Noble Consort in the future!"

Songtsen Gampo took a breath.

He didn't understand the term "Liangyuan," but he had heard about the high status of the imperial concubines of the Tang Dynasty.

Those who speak in the inner palace carry some weight.

He turned his head and looked excitedly at the messenger to confirm.

The latter nodded repeatedly.

“That’s right, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince seems to have developed some feelings for Zanmu. The eldest daughters of the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Zheng family of Xingyang in the Tang Dynasty are now on the same level as our Zanmu!”

"what?!"

The Tibetan Zanmu Samaga was granted a formal title by the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

A virtuous lady of the fourth rank!

This news swept across the entire plateau like a whirlwind blowing down from the Himalayas.

soon.

The kingdoms of Nipo, Xiangxiong, Yangtong, Dongnu Kingdom, and various Dangxiang tribes all received this news.

Niva Kingdom, Royal Palace.

The Mud Kingdom of today is quite different from what it was two years ago.

Not to mention the nobles who are now all wearing clothes made of silk purchased from the Tang Dynasty, even the common people of the Nipo Kingdom, every family with male members has participated in the capture of slaves.

They all benefited from the success, making a fortune.

however.

The palace of the Niva Kingdom is now shrouded in gloom and despair.

"No! I've already told you, you definitely can't do it!"

"You haven't even let me try, and His Highness the Crown Prince of Tang has never even seen me. How do you know I can't... Father, look at my brother. How can he be so obstructive of his sister becoming the Crown Princess of Tang?"

"Crown Princess? Shut your mouth! You can't even speak a few words of Tang language, and His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't even understand your language! What are you talking about liking?"

"Why must we share a common language?! I..."

"Alright! Enough! Stop arguing!"

Udaya Dewa couldn't even bear to look at herself these past few days, having deliberately dressed herself up in a flamboyant manner, her makeup resembling that of a heavily made-up daughter.

His face was full of distress and helplessness.

Prince Narendra was right; the Vaishya royal family indeed did not have a single princess who was presentable.

Even the eldest daughter who married Songtsen Gampo.

She was sent back by the Tibetans not long ago. She was not pretty and had lost her usefulness, which did not surprise Udaya at all.

The ministers watched as the princesses finally quieted down.

Someone cautiously suggested, "Why don't we hold a beauty pageant in China? If we start now, we can definitely select the winners before His Highness the Crown Prince of Tang's wedding and send them to Tang."

"Even if we don't mention the title of 'Consort,' if we were to obtain a lower-ranking position, His Highness the Crown Prince wouldn't stand idly by if anything happened to us in the future, would he?"