Because many territories did not bring much income in ancient times, but were negative assets.
For example, even though Lingnan had been developed for thousands of years and countless generations had come here, it was still a place where criminals were exiled during the Tang and Song dynasties.
Therefore, the ancient dynasties would take whatever territories they could get from the surrounding areas. If they couldn't get them, they wouldn't regret it. There were even cases like Sima Guang who gave away the conquered territories.
Zhao Jun saw that although they looked happy, they were not overly happy, so he asked, "Do you think these lands are useless?"
"Of course we know that you, Hanlong, are obsessed with land, but you should also understand that with the current productivity of the Song Dynasty, it is not possible to actually control so much land. For the Song Dynasty, it is indeed of little use."
Cai Qi said.
"Yes, Hanlong, you can't compare the national strength of the future with that of the Song Dynasty. Isn't that bullying?"
Jia Changchao spread his hands and said.
Zhao Jun laughed and said, "How is that possible? I know you can't get rich overnight. We have to develop step by step. But don't underestimate these places. They won't become our negative assets."
"oh?"
Fan Zhongyan became interested and stopped his work and asked, "Why, could it be that Xixia has a mine?"
"Yes, a lot."
Zhao Jun smiled and said, "Coal mines, iron mines, salt mines, and rare earth mines are all good things. Besides that."
He pointed to Xingqing Prefecture with a pencil and said, "This will be our rear base for conquering the Western Regions in the future, as well as here."
He then pointed to the Yin Mountains, which later became Bayannur and Baotou, and said, "These places should be our rear base for attacking the grassland and taking over the entire grassland."
"Preparing for war again? Didn't we investigate before? The Western Regions are too far away and require long-term preparations?"
Yan Shu said.
"Yeah, isn't this the preparation stage?"
Zhao Jun smiled and said, "Look, this is the western part of the Hetao Plain, the Ningxia Plain. And then there's the Bayannur Plain and the Tumed Plain in the eastern part. These are all great places for growing crops."
Everyone gathered around.
The place Zhao Jun pointed to was very close to the heartland of the Liao Kingdom to the north and very close to the Western Regions to the west. If agriculture could be developed here, it could indeed become a rear base for advancing into the Western Regions and the Liao Kingdom.
"Um."
Fan Zhongyan was the first to see its strategic value and nodded, saying, "I remember Emperor Wu of Han once sent people to irrigate the farmland here, and this place has flourished since then. Now I see that our ancestors were indeed farsighted."
Zhao Jun said, "Since the Song Dynasty never conquered this place, its significance was naturally unknown. It wasn't until the Ming and Qing Dynasties that this place was vigorously developed."
Everyone looked at Zhao Jun with resentful expressions.
Don't reveal the truth.
Besides, can the current Song Dynasty be the same as the Song Dynasty in history?
"But judging by the map, this place is still too far from our strategic location. Will it be difficult to get supplies?"
Fan Zhongyan raised objections.
The supply mentioned here is not only food, but also control of the local area. From Yan'an Prefecture to Bayannur, it is a full 500 kilometers, which makes it extremely difficult to control.
"train!"
Zhao Jun made the final decision, "We can postpone repairs to other parts of the northwest for now, but the trains from Guanzhong to Hetao, and from Guanzhong to Yumenguan, must be completed first. Once these are completed, they will benefit both the economy and the military, and will greatly benefit the development of the Song Dynasty."
Why was the ancient system of controlled rule only implemented over the Western Regions and the Mongolian grasslands?
It's really too far.
If the Central Plains dynasty wanted to send troops to these places, the marching distance would be calculated in thousands of kilometers.
For example, when Huo Qubing fought against the Huns, he traveled two to three thousand kilometers back and forth.
The number of soldiers who died of exhaustion or disease on the road may have been greater than the number of Han soldiers killed in resistance by the Huns.
So it’s not that our ancestors didn’t want to own more land, but that they were powerless and had no way to control so much territory.
It’s different with the train.
Supplies can be transported directly to the border, and control will be greatly enhanced.
More importantly, Zhao Jun wanted to open up the Silk Road and expand trade with Central Asia by controlling the Western Regions.
In this way, the prosperity of both maritime trade and land trade will inevitably open up the market quickly, thus laying the foundation for the Song Dynasty to enter the industrial age.
Otherwise, once the domestic market becomes saturated, the industry will inevitably have overcapacity. If we do not prepare early, workers will be laid off, people will lose their jobs, the domestic economy will decline, and other problems will follow.
Therefore, Zhao Jun was preparing for a rainy day and taking measures for the future.
"It's difficult for us to predict these things. The country's development right now is already very unfamiliar to us."
Yan Shu sighed and said, "With the development of the country now, only you, Hanlong, can come."
"Yes, although I understand a lot of economic principles, it's still difficult to change my mindset and actually apply these principles."
"It's funny. Last month, a note arrived on Guangnan East Road, hoping for a further reduction in tariffs. I was thinking, wouldn't lowering the tariffs mean a significant reduction in national taxes? But then I read it and it said they only import products from us and export raw materials and minerals. Lowering the tariffs would significantly increase their enthusiasm for exporting raw materials, bringing in more tax revenue for the country. I felt like I didn't know how to govern anymore."
"Alas, we are not keeping up with the times."
Several prime ministers also sighed.
If someone had said ten years ago that they didn't know how to govern a country, these people would probably have just laughed and not bothered to argue.
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