When Sakoqi heard the amount of compensation Chu Qian was demanding, he was also taken aback.
It should be noted that the Parthian treasury's annual income is only two million gold coins. To repay the two hundred million gold coins demanded by the Han Dynasty, it would take at least a hundred years.
Moreover, during this century, the Parthian treasury's revenue could not be used for anything but to repay debts.
The expenses for military, civilian, and official salaries within the next hundred years will all be unable to be covered.
If there are no soldiers, the people will be unable to produce, and there will be no officials in the court, then the peace and stability of the region will be uncertain, and the country will perish at any time.
This consequence is far more unacceptable than ceding territory.
Sakqi looked at Chu Qian with a bitter expression: "Heavens...angel, two hundred million gold coins in compensation is too much. Could you reduce it a bit?"
"Is that a lot? According to my investigation, the coastal cities and ports alone generate about three million gold coins a year."
Parthia controlled the trade routes connecting East and West, and the annual tax revenue alone amounted to at least seven million gold coins.
In addition, Parthia has more than 240 cities and a population of nearly 20 million. Its annual tax revenue must be at least 5 million gold coins.
With an annual income of nearly fifteen million, the debt owed to the Han dynasty can be repaid in just over a decade. What difficulties could there be?
"this……"
Upon hearing the data listed by Chu Qian, Sakqi was speechless and didn't know how to respond.
The income from the year of Anxi was indeed considerable, but the vast majority of it went into the pockets of the nobles and ministers. It was impossible to get them to part with the money.
If he did that, even if the Han army didn't kill him, those guys in the country would kill him anyway.
Saksi looked at Chu Qian with a troubled expression: "Angel, what you said is true, but Parthia is bordered by the Kushans to the east and Rome to the west, and the Persians in the country are not at peace either. We have to support a large number of soldiers to guard against them, and the cost every year is too great."
If all that money is used for reparations, Parthia will likely fall into chaos immediately. Not only will it be unable to repay the reparations, but it may even face the threat of national extinction…
Upon hearing Sakqi's words, Chu Qian also appeared to be weighing his options.
After a moment's thought, Chu Qian said in a deep voice, "What you said makes sense. If Parthia is truly unable to repay this indemnity, I do have a compromise solution here!"
Sakaki's expression shifted: "Oh? Please, angel, speak plainly!"
Chu Qian smiled and then said, "My idea is that since your country cannot afford this reparation, then you should temporarily hand over the fifty-odd cities south of Ansu City to our administration for fifty years."
For the past fifty years, the management, construction, administration, and taxation of these cities have all been the responsibility of my Great Han, and Parthia has been forbidden from interfering..."
In Chu Qian's view, it was probably unlikely that Parthia would cede all these cities to the Han Dynasty.
After all, such a large territory and such a large population would not be easily ceded to others by any country.
Once the Han forces its way in, it will surely unite all Parthians against the Han, and the two sides will be locked in an endless struggle.
What if Rome and Kushan take the opportunity to invade and destroy Parthia? Wouldn't I be doing all the work for them?
Therefore, the best approach at present is to temporarily cease hostilities and adopt a concession system to bring southern Parthia under the administration of the Han Dynasty. This would allow them to obtain money and manpower but not land, thus minimizing the risk of both sides falling into a power struggle.
In this way, the Han army could remain on the sidelines and observe, and at any time, whether it was a Roman invasion or a popular rebellion, the Han army could send troops north to become the biggest winner.
Upon hearing Chu Qian's condition, Sakqi paused for a moment before weighing the options.
Compared to the consequences of paying 200 million gold coins in reparations, handing over the southern region to the Han Dynasty for administration is not unacceptable.
Of course, most importantly, the land will rest in peace, and the only loss will be the tax revenue of the south for the next few decades.
"I agree with the angel's suggestion, but it will take some time to persuade my king and the ministers and nobles. Of course, the most important thing is that I can return to Parthia alive and continue to serve as the Right Chancellor..."
Ultimately, Sarkozy also made his stance clear and subtly outlined his conditions.
“If the Right Chancellor can make this happen, we can not only save his life, but also allow you to rest in peace and gain a more secure power and position. However…”
Changing the subject, Chu Qian looked at Sa Keqi with a threatening expression: "The premise is that the Right Chancellor must cooperate closely with our side, otherwise..."
"Please rest assured, angel, my life and future are entirely in the hands of the Great Han. I will do my utmost to cooperate..."
Sakqi immediately bowed to Chu Qian with a submissive expression.
"That's good!"
Chu Qian smiled and nodded, then took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Sakqi.
"This is?"
Looking at the letter Chu Qian handed over, Sakqi was also full of doubt.
Chu Qian said calmly, "This is for you. It clearly describes the process of your defeat. Write down the contents of the letter so that you can have an explanation when you return to your country!"
Upon hearing this, Sakki quickly opened the letter and found that it attributed all the reasons for his defeat to the betrayal of Kemolai and the lowly people, as well as the soldiers' lack of discipline, completely absolving himself of any responsibility.
"Thank you so much for your help, angel! I am truly grateful!"
After reading the letter, Sakoqi's face lit up with joy, and he quickly bowed to Chu Qian to express his gratitude.
The fact that the Han envoy was able to give him this letter indicates that the Han army had already made preparations.
In this way, at most he would be accused of misjudging people, which was great news for Sarkozy.
"Since the Right Chancellor is able to seek benefits for our Great Han, our Great Han will naturally not treat you unfairly!"
Chu Qian smiled and continued, "After the Right Chancellor leaves, we will send a large army into Parthia territory to force Parthia to negotiate, and we will appoint the Right Chancellor to be in charge of the negotiations!"
"I understand!!"
Upon hearing Chu Qian's instructions, Sakoqi nodded solemnly.
To prevent Sakqi from breaking his promise, Chu Qian also ordered his men to write down all the contents of the negotiations with Sakqi that day, and to sign and seal them as a secret agreement for cooperation between the two parties.
Subsequently, Chu Qian selected three hundred able-bodied men from the guards, disguised them as remnants of the Parthian army, and escorted Sakqi toward the Parthian capital.
Immediately afterwards, Chu Qian arranged for generals such as Huang Gai and Ling Cao to lead 25,000 guards, 40,000 able-bodied men, and 65,000 Han soldiers, a total of 130,000 troops, to march in a mighty procession toward the cities north of Ansu.
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