Thinking that a large loss would be recovered tomorrow, Xia He couldn't help but feel happy. He grabbed one arm of Li Ze and said, "Young Master, in the past two days, several people have talked about Goguryeo when they came to me, either openly or secretly."

"What did they say to you?"

"I want me to blow the pillow wind!" Xia He chuckled, "But isn't this a rare and great opportunity? I think it's a good thing to annex Goguryeo in one fell swoop. Didn't the young master always say that he doesn't care about the lack of land? He is also worried that our people will continue to grow at this rate, and after many years, the land will not be divided."

Li Ze laughed and said, "That's different. We can grab some places, and we can't keep them for a long time if we grab them."

Xia He flattered his mouth: "Why can't it be long-lasting? Could it be that weak country like Goguryeo can still make a fuss?"

When Li Ze heard Xia He say this, he sat upright. Obviously, in the court, I am afraid that many people think so, and they don’t quite understand why they didn’t kill Goguryeo with this opportunity.

"Xia He, since Qin unified the world, do you know why every dynasty and every emperor in our China have made unification of the world their top priority?" Li Ze asked. "In fact, it is not just an emperor, not only a knowledgeable person, but even ordinary people think that the unification of the world is the right thing to do. Do you know why?"

Xia He shook his head: "I don't understand why, shouldn't it be like this?"

"What a good person is like this!" Li Ze nodded: "The truth is like this. This is the culture and tradition that my Chinese people have been immersed in their bones since the Qin and Han Dynasties. No matter how many hardships our Chinese people have suffered and how much abyss they have fallen into, but with a little dawn, unifying the world will appear in the minds of the leader, no matter whether this person is a hero, a hero, or a treacherous hero."

"But, what does this have to do with Goguryeo?"

"Of course it's a little bit of a relationship." Li Ze smiled and said, "How broad is my Chinese culture? It has a profound influence. It's not just limited to the Yellow River Basin, the Yangtze River Basin, etc., such as Goguryeo, Japan and other places. Over the years, you have read a lot of historical books. You also know that the upper class of Goguryeo and the elites are not immersed in my Chinese culture. They can not only use our language fluently, but also recite poems, essays and articles. When it comes to literary talent, I'm afraid that they will lift up a few of such people, and you and I will not be able to catch up with them. Even the official texts they use so far are ours."

Xia He blinked a few times, "Young Master, I understand. What you mean is that these people have learned the things that we Chinese people are soaked in bones."

Li Ze nodded: "So Goguryeo is not like the places occupied by the foreigners, barbarians and Hu people. Those places will be snatched and occupied. In a short time, they will forget their original origins. In addition, we deliberately promote them, and naturally they will be completely assimilated. But places like Goguryeo have their own traditions. If we occupy their territory, then we will inevitably become irreconcilable enemies. Wars are everywhere, and the act of resistance will inevitably be like a fire of stars and will be hard to extinguish."

"So, we cultivated it ourselves?" Xia He felt uneasy.

Li Ze laughed: "Actually, this is not a bad thing. Our two countries have the same source as culture. Everyone has a sense of closeness. As long as they operate properly, they can always be my country."

"Is this the reason why the young master told me in the past that cultural invasion is sometimes more effective than force?" Xia He asked curiously.

"It's as above." Li Ze nodded: "Of course, this also requires our Greater China to remain strong and have always been the object of envy and jealousy. In this way, they will imitate us desperately and learn from us desperately. The more they imitate us, the more they learn from us, the deeper they will depend on us. If one day, once we fall down and cannot maintain this influence, and another culture takes advantage of the opportunity to defeat us, things may turn around. They will immediately become extremely suspicious, even deny us completely, and turn to learn from another culture, and then they will become our enemies."

"But over the past few decades, the Tang Dynasty has declined!" Xia He widened his eyes and said in confusion: "Domestic separatist dramas, local military governors are fighting each other, will the country be a country?"

"This is what you see." Li Ze laughed: "The Tang Dynasty was once very chaotic, but Zhang Zhongwu, a mere military governor, beat them to no avail with all the power of suppression. So in their opinion, the Tang Dynasty was still the extremely powerful Tang Dynasty. The same example was the Han Dynasty. At that time, the Han Dynasty had fallen apart for several years, and the Han Emperor had no authority. However, a mere border general of the Han Dynasty could suppress the surrounding barbarians and slaughter the barbarians at all, and they could kill them. Therefore, historical books say that all dynasties have perished because of weakness, but the Han Dynasty has perished because of strength."

"It seems that's the reason!"

"Of course, there is another reason, that is, at this time our Chinese culture is still the most advanced and best culture in the world, and nothing can replace it." Li Ze said: "So as long as we are not confused and do not commit suicide, then the Chinese nation will inevitably be the most powerful nation in the world, no one."

Xia He nodded: "I seem to understand a little."

Li Ze smiled and patted Xia He's raised high butt and said, "But even though that is the case, other means are indispensable. Therefore, we still have to station troops without interfering in their basic internal affairs under the conditions of allowing Goguryeo to exist independently. You must know where we station troops, and we declare our right to dominate them."

"Add to the economic control." At this point, Xia He was excited: "I understand this. The tariffs on both sides were abolished and the people of the two places were allowed to trade freely. At that time, a large amount of low-priced goods from our Tang Dynasty could enter Goguryeo in large quantities and destroy the same industries in their country. For example, Goguryeo's own mining and iron smelting industry were not developed, and the cost was far higher than that of us. The same hoe, in our Tang Dynasty, from mining to iron smelting to finished products, the final cost was only more than ten cents. Even if it was transported to Goguryeo for a long distance, its retail price was cheaper than their cost."

Li Ze smiled and nodded.

"When our hoes entered Goguryeo in a large scale, their hoes would naturally not be sold. If we continue, what ended up ending would be their fundamental industries of mining and iron smelting. The same principle applies to other industries." Xia He became more and more excited: "In the end, what they can sell to us is only the things with the lowest added value. That is, the raw materials you once said, and we process these raw materials and sell them back. They pay more, but they earn less, but we pay less."

"In the long run, they have become economically dependent on us. If they leave us, they will be doomed." Li Ze smiled and said: "Cultivate our spokespersons in their elites, and cultivate a community consistent with our Tang Dynasty's interests among their merchants. When their culture, economy, and military are in harmony with us, it doesn't matter whether they are directly under our jurisdiction. This is the smallest price to exchange for the greatest benefit. This is not exchanged for thousands of troops. Moreover, if a thousand troops go out, if one does not do well, it will be counterproductive."

"If you want to get it, you will give it first, so after the war, we gave them low-interest or interest-free loans and took the opportunity to explore our financial tentacles?" Xia He said: "Where do you want to get more from them, you must first help them restore their economy, right?"

"Of course, if you don't give, you will get it. But the gain we hope is just a huge profit." Li Ze said: "It's not only economic but also political."

"I really don't interfere with Goguryeo's internal affairs?" Xia He asked with a smile by putting his elbows on Li Ze's chest.

Li Ze coughed twice and said, "I asked if I knew it."

"I know, we naturally do not interfere in the open, but what we do in secret is another matter." Xia He laughed and said, "At that time, the army is just a deterrent, and it is our businessmen, scholars, etc., who really affect their internal affairs, right? Moreover, it is definitely just empty talk when we promise to withdraw troops when we are at a certain time. Anyway, it is easy to find excuses at that time, and it is easy for us to create some excuses. At that time, we can even manipulate their people to keep us!"

Li Ze closed his eyes and said nothing.

"Did you think so?" Xia He held Li Ze's head in both hands and shook his mind.

"Interference in Goguryeo's internal affairs is a matter in the future, and I don't need to worry too much. Of course, there are people like Gu Han to worry about it." Li Ze opened his eyes and hugged the other party with both hands: "But now, I want to interfere in your internal affairs first."
Chapter completed!