Zhang Huangyan was the chief minister, that is, the prime minister. Li Xiao had no choice but to ask Zhang Huangyan for advice.

The old thief bared his teeth and stroked his beard while saying "hey" and "hey" happily.

"If you have a way, just say it. I'm almost dying of worry." Li Xiao was really worried. If there were not enough people to station in the Western Region, even if all the people there were killed, there would still be an influx of people from other ethnic groups.

Come.

The world is like this. As long as there is land, people will be attracted. Places like no-man's land can only appear in places that are extremely unsuitable for human habitation.

"Hey...! If you want to move people to the Western Regions, there is only one way, and that is profit. The living conditions in the Western Regions are harsh and difficult. If there is not enough profit, it will be difficult for people to move there."

"The land in the Western Regions is basically decided by the land reclamation masters. As long as we Ming people go there, each of us will have a hundred acres of land. This is not a Gobi desert, but it can be regarded as a good land with rich water and grass."

"The water and grass are plentiful? Are you planning to let people herd sheep? Sheep herding can be done in the mountains behind your own village. There is no need to go all the way to the Western Regions."

"What should we do?"

"I heard that the Western Region has long sunshine hours, which is very conducive to the growth of cotton. I originally thought that planting cotton requires a large number of manpower. But when I saw the tractor this morning, I felt that there is something possible.

Did you know? Our Ming Dynasty imports a lot of cotton from India every year. There is no way, the people of our Ming Dynasty do not like to grow cotton. And our Ming Dynasty is the country with the most looms in the world.

The cotton cloth of Ming Dynasty has always been the most exported product, no one can say.

If large-scale collective farms can be established in the Western Regions and tractors are used to cultivate and grow cotton, it will not only reduce dependence on Indian cotton, but also reduce the cost of cotton cloth.

I think we should focus on employment in the early days. Go to places like Daliang Mountain, or the mountainous areas of Guizhou, and hire farmers to plant cotton in the Western Regions. The wages must be high, and as time goes by, those people may settle down in the Western Regions.

.After all, places like Daliangshan are indeed very poor.

Moreover, there are no roads at all in many places, and it sometimes takes a day or two, or even several days, to get out of the mountains. It is very difficult for villagers living there, both in terms of communication and life.

Instead of forcefully moving people out, it is better to use this method to induce people to come out. I dare not say more. In the Yunnan-Guizhou Mountains, plus the Daliang Mountains, or places like Xikang, a total of three or four hundred thousand immigrants is not a problem at all.

.

At first, cotton cloth was grown, then grain could be grown, and of course people could graze livestock. When an industrial chain composed of Han people was formed in the Western Regions, we were able to stand firm.

The only thing worth worrying about is Tibet!"

"What happened to Tubo?" Li Xiao asked strangely.

Today's Tubo are very well-behaved, and Li Xiao doesn't think they have any ideas. If the altitude of the plateau was not too high, and the Ming people would suffer from gas problems when they reached the plateau, Li Xiao would have sent his troops to the plateau long ago.

As for having to get that guy Gesar to be a puppet!

“As far back as the Han Dynasty, our ancestors had occupied the Western Regions, and the Tang Dynasty established the Anxi Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate.

There is only a narrow Hexi Corridor that connects the mainland and the Western Regions. After the Anshi Rebellion, Tubo took advantage of the weakening power of the Tang Dynasty and occupied the Hexi Corridor.

As a result, the mainland of the Central Plains completely lost contact with Anxi and Beiting. Guo Xin, the last governor, led the Tang cavalry and persisted in Anxi for fifty years.

When they appeared in history again, they were already under siege by a hundred thousand Tibetan troops. They were an isolated city thousands of miles away, filled with white-haired soldiers.

How unyielding and helpless this is!

Since then, China has been cut off from contact with the Western Regions for thousands of years. Now the Ming Dynasty is powerful and has once again occupied the Western Regions. Just like Anxi and Beiting back then, but if the Ming Dynasty weakens again, will Tubo repeat its same tactics?

.

After all, this kind of thing has happened once, and our Han nation has paid a heavy price and thousands of years for it."

"So, you want me to take down Tubo?" Li Xiao looked at Zhang Huangyan like a fool. Is this still the peerless old fox?

"Yes!" Zhang Huangyan answered simply.

"Mr. Zhang, the future world will be a scientific world. As you just saw, we will soon have tanks and armored vehicles. There will be airships in the sky and tanks and armored vehicles on the ground.

Tubo people! How can the Tubo people fight with us, just with their broken sabers?"

"The Tubo people not only have sabers, but who says that they only have sabers now and will not have other powerful weapons in the future?

Three days ago, I just received a telegram from Wu Zangdusi. They said that Gesar and the Living Buddha were preparing to go down the plateau to pay homage to His Excellency the Generalissimo of the Ming Dynasty and visit various factories in the Ming Dynasty.

I wonder what your opinion is, Marshal?"

"Just them?" Li Xiao laughed.

Zhang Huangyan's worry is actually a bit unnecessary. With the basic education of the Ming Dynasty today, the Tubo people cannot achieve it no matter what. Modern scientific knowledge must be based on improving basic education.

Just those Tibetan people, who spend all day reading Buddhist scriptures with prayer wheels. One plus one equals something, which can confuse many people. It is too much to expect them to master the science and technology of mechanical manufacturing.

Zhang Huangyan’s current worries are unfounded!

"If one generation can't do it, it doesn't mean that two generations can't do it. If two generations can't do it, it doesn't mean that three generations can't do it. As the children and grandchildren continue to multiply, one day they will be able to do it."

"Mr. Zhang, I think we should treat the Living Buddha well. As long as there are Living Buddhas on the Tubo Plateau, they will never learn technology.

There will never be any way to affect the Hexi Corridor. I am absolutely sure of this." Li Xiao was very sure.

"You mean...! Living Buddha will prevent the Tubo people from mastering technology?"

"Yes! The teachings of Buddhism can actually only be regarded as a kind of philosophical thought. And philosophy and science can be regarded as two subjects that have little relationship with each other.

As long as we support the spread of Buddhism in Tibet, I don’t think they will be able to master modern technology for generations to come. Among other things, they will never be able to build things like tanks and armored vehicles.”

"Well, I will find suitable people to immigrate to the Western Regions. Within three years, we will gradually immigrate 300,000 people. How about that?"

"Three hundred thousand people! It's still a little less."

"Haste makes waste. We cannot expect such a huge population migration to be completed within three years. Only when people see the benefits and feel that staying in the Western Regions is better than living in their hometown can they stay.

It will take several generations to completely occupy the Western Region. In my opinion, it won’t take decades of hard work, so don’t even think about it.”

Li Xiao nodded, Zhang Huangyan was right. Even if people were forced to move, if their lives were difficult, people would flee back to the mainland. On the contrary, this was a man-made disaster.

"The immigrants will first be arranged in the Ili Valley, which is a rare land with abundant water and grass in the Western Region. We will first accumulate supplies for two years, and after two years we will send troops to Nur-Sultan. Kill the last Jungar Mongols and let them

I know the price of killing Zu Dashou will be very high."

"After all, someone has to pay the price for the fall of my Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, I will always pretend to be a pig. If I pretend for a long time, I will think that I have really become a pig." Zhang Huangyan absolutely agrees with sending troops to avenge the ancestor's birthday.

Moreover, this battle will not only avenge Zu Dashou, but also kill Ming's potential opponents in Central Asia. Let all Central Asians know that Ming is the only master here.

When he arrived in Jinzhou, Zhang Huangyan naturally went to inspect government affairs. Li Xiao went directly to the gate of Jinzhou Garrison!

"See the Marshal!"

"See the Marshal!"

When the two burly men saw Li Xiao entering the conference room, they immediately bowed and saluted.

"Zu Kuan! Cao Bianjiao! I, the Ming Dynasty, will organize two armored regiments, and you will serve as regimental commanders respectively. Although you are both regimental commanders, you will lead completely different troops.

You have all led cavalry. The combat method of armored regiments is similar to that of cavalry. The only difference is probably that it can move faster, has stronger firepower, and is invulnerable.

Two years! I only give you two years, so I can train that team.

Two years later, you will be fighting a very difficult battle. Tomorrow, Zu Chengxun will come from the northwest. He wants to be the new leader of the supply regiment!

The armored regiment is extremely powerful, but its only weakness is its reliance on logistics. You must come up with a solution, otherwise you will be in despair if supplies are cut off on the battlefield in the future."

Although they couldn't quite understand Li Xiao's words, Zu Kuan and Cao Bianjiao puffed up their chests and said "No!"

"Work hard, and you will usher in a new era of war." Li Xiao patted the shoulders of the two men. They were the two best cavalry generals in the Ming Dynasty.

Li Xiao very much hopes that there will be armored generals like Guderian and Rommel under his command!

"promise!"

"Let's talk about it. I saw tanks today. Tell me what you think." Li Xiao wanted to test whether these two are suitable to become armored generals.

Many times, commanding a new military branch relies heavily on talent.

Zu Kuan and Cao Bianjiao glanced at each other, and finally Zu Kuan spoke first: "Commander, I saw this tank today. I think this thing is most suitable for fighting on the plains. The top speed of a tank is similar to that of a war horse galloping at full speed.

The difference is that war horses will get tired if they run for a long time, while tanks can obviously maintain their top speed longer than war horses. If they can't be penetrated or escaped, this thing will be a nightmare for all cavalry."

Li Xiao nodded and looked at Cao Bianjiao again.

"I think tanks are invincible in the field, but if we want to attack the city wall, I think the firepower is not enough. We also need heavy artillery to blast through the city wall.

Commander-in-Chief, you just talked about supplies. My subordinates have stayed in the Ili Valley for more than a year and are well aware of the vastness of the Ili Valley. In our Ming Dynasty, one or two thousand miles is already a long distance.

But in the Western Region, one or two thousand miles is not that far away. From Hami to the Ili Valley, the distance is almost three thousand miles.

In order to supply the army in the Ili Valley, the imperial court had no choice but to build a railway from Hami to Dihua. However, there were too many no-man's lands along the way, and even the railway tracks that were built would often be buried by wind and sand.

Railway transportation has become extremely unstable, and delays are common. There may even be major accidents such as train derailments. Therefore, if you want to put the armored regiment into a place like the Western Regions, logistics is indeed a major issue that needs to be carefully considered."

Li Xiao carefully looked at this bastard Cao Bianjiao. He was another bastard who looked like a monkey if he had hair on his head.

From the time Li Xiao appointed Zu Chengxun as the leader of the logistics group, to the area where tanks were suitable, Cao Bianjiao, who had been around in the Ili Valley for a long time, immediately guessed what Li Xiao wanted to do.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that he has been in the northwest all year round and is familiar with the situation in the northwest.

"Isn't it okay to use airships for supplies?" Li Xiao looked at Cao Bianjiao and asked.

"It is feasible to carry out supplies by airship, but the weather in the Western Region is unpredictable. In addition, sandstorms have been frequent in recent years. It was only when the founder encountered sandstorms that he had to make an emergency landing in the settlement.

Therefore, if you want to use airships for supplies... if the weather is good, there is no problem. If you encounter bad weather, I am afraid there will be great losses. In the Ili Valley, if the airship encounters a sandstorm, there is basically no possibility of escaping."

Li Xiao shook his head helplessly. Without reliable weather forecast, it is indeed dangerous for an airship to fly blindly in the Western Region. Zu Dashou is a living example!

"Go down, let's have dinner together in the evening. Regarding supplies, you and Zu Chengxun will come up with a suitable solution. If you need anything, report to the Ministry of War and I will support you."
To be continued...