I don’t know if it was because of the guilt of refusing Li Ling’s request before or other considerations, Dingxi Hou actually agreed to Li Ling and his request to Chuxiong after his son said that.

So, after only three or five days in Kunming, they followed the team to west again and rushed to Chuxiong. This time, their team was larger than any previous one. A total of 5,000 elite soldiers of the Dingxi Army protected the Xiao family and son. The flags were really flying, and the team was vast. Walking on the official road, there was no need to greet them, so the people and others left to retreat.

However, this time Sun Bi did not walk with them, but was instructed by Xiao Ding to stay in Kunzhou with Jiang Han and other confidant generals. As for whether they were guarding the city to prevent being unprepared or had other arrangements, it was not something Li Ling and the others could ask about.

If it were in the Central Plains, it would be in the cold winter at this time, but in southern Yunnan, spring was already in harmony and everything was revived. As a result, Li Ling and the others could relax, enjoy the beautiful spring scenery in the southwest and appreciate the beautiful rivers and mountains.

After two more days of traveling like this, Xiao Ding, who was about to enter Chuxiong Mansion, sent someone to call Li Ling to the front. The Marquis summoned him, and Li Ling naturally did not dare to neglect him. He immediately rushed forward and followed him to the back, greeting with a smile: "Have you worked hard for the Marquis to be outside these days?"

"Haha, of course it's not hard. I think that since I was thirteen, I have joined the army with my father. Over the years, I have fought for more than a hundred times. Even if I can't compare to the generals guarding the northern border, I can still be considered a battle. What's the matter with just a few days of itinerary?" As he said that, Xiao Ding turned around, "Where are you, do you feel it's hard?"

"It's okay, at least it's much easier to follow the Marquis on this road than to come from Central China. At least you don't have to rush through the rugged and steep mountain roads like in Qianzhou."

"This is what I meant by Hou. Do you feel it's hard to come to the southwest this time?" Xiao Ding suddenly said meaningfully, "Especially when it seems that nothing is gaining, do you have any regrets in your heart?"

"No!" Li Ling replied without hesitation.

"Oh? The truth?"

"Truthless, because Xiaguan did not give up this idea, I always feel that things have a turnaround."

"So this is the purpose of your desire to go to Chuxiong with me? I want to see if this marquis will change his mind?"

"This is only one aspect, and more importantly, will there be any variables after this trip to Chuxiong?"

Xiao Ding looked at the young man deeply for a moment before laughing: "I am the same as you are at your age."

"I am not so young and energetic that I am unwilling to give up, but an inference based on the current facts." Li Ling's answer was neither arrogant nor humble, which made Dingxi Hou more interested: "Let's say it."

"The southwest is the territory of my Great Yue Kingdom after all. The people in the southwest, regardless of the Han and Barbarians, are all my Great Yue people. This is a fact that no one can change. The court saw this, and I think the marquis must think so, right?"

Faced with the sudden statement made by Li Ling, Xiao Ding naturally could not deny it, so he nodded softly. Li Ling seized the opportunity and continued: "That's it. Neither the marquis or the nobles in the court, they would probably not allow the current situation in the southwest to continue. For the territory of our Dayue and the people of our Dayue, how could there be no taxes but to support the court instead?"

Xiao Ding shook his head: "What you said is certainly reasonable, but it is only a truth, not a reality. For a hundred years, the imperial court has pursued a strategy of restraint in the southwest. That is, my Xiao family wants to have prestige and prestige here, and they dare not force themselves, which makes the barbarians in these two provinces anxious to jump over the wall..."

"Since it is reasonable, why can't it be implemented?" Li Ling suddenly asked, which made Xiao Ding obviously stunned, but he smiled bitterly: "Because the southwest has its own special nature after all... The barbarians and the Han people finally have a gap. Once they force themselves to seize their interests, it will only cause civil strife in the southwest to regenerate."

"Please forgive the fact that the marquis cannot accept this argument. In fact, in my opinion, it is precisely because of this view that it is difficult for the Han and the Manchus to integrate, and then the southwest cannot be truly under the jurisdiction of the court for a hundred years, and even taxes have become a luxury."

"Hmm?" Xiao Ding looked at Li Ling with surprise, and even made Ma Su slow down. It was obviously thinking about the truth hidden in this sentence.

Li Ling looked back at him with no slightest reason: "Hou Ye has always been wise, so he will not understand the truth, right? How to make an outsider become his own family not only requires our efforts, but also his own efforts and recognition. How to do this is naturally to let this outsider do his part for the entire family. The same is true for the country and the country. If we always think about not bothering the barbarians and worrying about them being dissatisfied with it, it means that we have always treated them as outsiders, not the real people of my Dayue."

Xiao Ding said this for a while and then said, "There are some truths, but the barbarians in the southwest are not outsiders, but a huge ethnic group. Even those familiar barbarians have their own thoughts, not to mention that they are still in the deep mountains and are unwilling to have much contact with us. How can these people make them recognize the identity of my Dayue people?"

"It's very simple, but only two points, Huade and the power of the people. For those who are willing to use it for the court, they should naturally be given enough respect and benefits, but at the same time, they should also be allowed to bear corresponding obligations, such as taxes and military service. As for those who still refuse to submit to the court today, the detention strategy will probably only make them more arrogant and unrestrained, so it's better to deal with them with a tougher attitude. As for those who take advantage of the court and want to be local emperors, they should even kill the chicken to warn the monkey and make them pay a heavy price."

"What you said is simple, but what should we do if there is another chaos in the southwest?"

"Marquis, the southwest was not the territory of our Great Vietnam a hundred years ago, but wasn't we still allowed to take it down? The situation at that time was worse than it is now. Why was it possible at that time? Now, we are afraid? At least now we have the Dingxi Army and the Dingxi Marquis who are well-known in the southwest. But can't we even lose the courage of the past?

"I know that the Marquis and many adults in the southwest are worried about. You are afraid of taking responsibility, but have you ever thought that if you drag it on like this endlessly, the harm to the court will only be greater. Just like this, this chaos in the two provinces in the southwest is closely related to the long-standing detention strategy. Because the barbarians think that the court dares not do anything to them, they dare to be so arrogant, kill officials and rebels and other things, and local taxes have become their weapons to develop and strengthen their own strength.

"What is most unacceptable is that when these barbarian leaders obtain a lot of money, grain and taxes, they are in the name of the court. In this way, the people only blame the court, but few people blame them. When they really take the anti-bank, there are countless followers. However, the marquis and the court were regarded as their biggest enemies. Is this normal?"

These words could have revealed the entangled relationship between the southwestern barbarians and the court in an incisive way, and also made the face of Dingxi Hou become more and more serious: "I didn't expect that you would have such insights at a young age."

"Maybe this is the so-called bystanders. After all, the officials do not have as many concerns as the marquis." Li Ling said, and his tone became a little relaxed again. "In fact, I have seen some things from the successful resolution of the chaos in Jinning County this time. At least, Changshuman still has a certain good impression of the government. Since the conflict can be resolved in this way, why can't it be implemented throughout southern Yunnan and the entire southwest?

"I think that as long as the imperial government is treated equally, those barbarians will always be influenced. They should be rewarded for their merits and punished for their mistakes, rather than looking back and forth like now, everything they do is to be timid and ruthless.

"In addition, as the following officials said early in the morning, Qianzhou is the key to truly mastering the southwest. Only by opening up the roads there and being able to advance at any time in the Central Plains army can solve the chaos in the southwest once and for all. I wonder what the marquis thinks?"

Dingxi Hou's eyes set on Li Ling's face with a bright look. After a while, he sighed: "It seems that you have a deep understanding of the southwest, and even this Hou is willing to give in. However, there are chaos in both places now, and I am afraid that it will be impossible to solve the problem as you said in a short time."

Li Ling shook his head, "No, the officials think that now is a good time to turn things around. As the saying goes, break and then build up, there will naturally be some changes in this chaos. What the marquis needs to do is to follow the trend to eradicate those who do not obey the imperial orders one by one. Without these troubles, it will not be difficult to gather power, gather taxes, and build a road."

"Well, after hearing what you said, it's really worth ten years' book. I will consider it carefully next. But before that, the tax you want is still difficult." Xiao Ding once again turned the topic to the problem that Li Ling really needed to solve.

Faced with this statement, Li Ling did not feel regretful, but just sighed: "In fact, in my opinion, the two southwestern provinces have a lot of their own advantages. If they make good use of them, I dare not say anything else. It is easy to pay a tax to the court like ordinary provinces. As for the people, they will definitely be able to live a better life. Unfortunately, because all forces have their own selfish intentions and the court does not dare to make drastic changes, the southwest has been detained and difficult to improve."
Chapter completed!