Chapter 663: Not Satisfied? Then Let Them March to Chang'an and Tell Me

"What does the flow of other people's wealth have to do with us?"

Li Shimin said irritably, "The goods are brought by foreigners; they can sell as much as they wish. Take those glassware from before— even if they fetched sky‑high prices, what of it?"

"Isn't there still someone buying?"

"Do you intend to restrict their buying and selling?"

"His Majesty has misunderstood." Chen Yan felt speechless; how could Li Shimin not see the point?

He had to explain patiently: "These foreign merchants not only bring goods that earn money for the Tang Dynasty, but when they return they also take away Tang goods, making huge profits on both ends."

"It's like the glassware you mentioned… Of course, that item may not be as valuable now; we can produce glassware ourselves, so it's not exactly abundant, but it's not far off either."

"But that thing used to be valuable, and there are also all kinds of rare items from foreign lands."

"They bring items to the Tang Dynasty, sell them to Tang merchants, Meritorious Nobles, and even the Imperial Family, then purchase local silk, ceramics, and other goods to take back."

"Plainly put, this is arbitrage; given the status of these foreign merchants, it can be called a highly profitable trade that only requires a bit of time on the road."

"However, have you considered why these people make money so easily, while Tang Dynasty merchants find it so hard to earn abroad?"

Li Shimin frowned upon hearing this, thought for a moment, then relaxed his brow and gave Chen Yan a meaning‑filled smile.

He seemed to understand what Chen Yan intended.

Empress Changsun, seeing Li Shimin give no reply, spoke: "Tang Dynasty merchants find it difficult to go abroad to make money for two reasons: first, there is no safe, reliable route, no good guide, so they can easily get lost."

"Even now, when Tang merchants go out to trade, they don't actually go far."

"When you originally partnered with the aristocratic families in the silk trade, wasn't it because you wanted a stable, reliable route?"

"Then you obtained the route and immediately packaged and sold the lagging silk technology back to the aristocratic families."

After speaking, Empress Changsun continued: "Second, being in a foreign land makes accidents likely; bandit horsemen, weather, and road conditions along the way are great challenges."

"Third, the farther you go, the higher the profit— that saying is true—but once you go far, tariffs also increase."

"The Si Chou Zhi Lu is not an empty highway; it consists of a series of oasis states, each with its own tax system. A caravan must pay an 'entry tax' or a 'transit tax' to pass. The farther one goes, the more checkpoints, the more taxes…"

As she spoke, Empress Changsun suddenly stopped.

She looked seriously at the smiling Chen Yan, her phoenix eyes flashing with an inexplicable light.

"Zi An… this palace seems to know what you intend…"

"Empress, your insight," Chen Yan chuckled lowly: "The Tang Dynasty, as the center of the world, has always been renowned as a nation of propriety. No matter which country's merchants come to the Tang Dynasty to trade, we have never levied tariffs."

"But the problem is, we show goodwill, yet the foreign nations think otherwise; they levy tariffs on Tang merchants while exempting their own merchants from road fees."

"They fill their own purses to the brim, while Tang merchants going abroad must face all sorts of problems."

"Where in the world does such logic exist?"

Li Shimin said nothing, but gave Chen Yan an encouraging look.

Speak, keep going.

I love hearing this.

Chen Yan paused, then spoke again: "His Majesty, have you ever learned how much tariff foreign nations charge Tang merchants when they go abroad?"

"I… should I be clear about it, or should I not be?" Li Shimin did not answer immediately, but replied with a question.

"His Majesty, you can be clear about this."

"Alright, then I am clear… Hmm, if I recall correctly, places like Gaochang, Kucha, Shule, and Yutian have not been fully brought under Tang control. According to what I've heard before, they charge tariffs and transit fees of roughly one‑fortieth, sometimes one‑tenth of the goods' value."

"At most, it reaches ten percent of the goods' value."

"After passing through layer upon layer of checkpoints, the merchants' cargo is already reduced to almost nothing."

"Exactly!" Chen Yan nodded, spreading his hands, "His Majesty, don't you think this is a bit too oppressive?"

"We have shown our goodwill, giving foreign merchants the greatest tolerance, not only allowing them to waive transit fees to come to the Tang Dynasty for re‑export business, but also needing to protect them to some extent?"

"Yet they act like they don't consider us at all!"

Li Shimin nodded heavily: "Your words, virtuous son‑in‑law, are spot on!"

"So what do you plan to do?"

Hearing the word 'virtuous son‑in‑law', Chen Yan's mouth twitched; he remembered he had just called someone a little bastard.

"If people treat me with courtesy, I will return courtesy; if they treat me with resentment, must I answer with song?"

"Since they dare to levy this tariff and bully Tang merchants, why should Tang speak of courtesy?"

"We also collect tariffs, and we charge up to the maximum ten percent! If they come to Tang for a business with no capital, that's impossible!"

Li Shimin smiled and asked, "What if the foreign nations have objections?"

"Objections?" Chen Yan sneered, "Then let them send troops to fight!"

"If they are not convinced, they should bring their own army, march to Chang'an and tell us; if that fails, they must keep it to themselves!"

Good!

What a perfect 'if you disagree, bring your army and march to Chang'an to tell us'.

Those words truly struck Li Shimin's heart.

From fighting the Eastern Göktürks to the Wei River, forcing the Tang to sign the disgraceful Wei River Accord; in the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, after he dispatched troops to pacify the Eastern Göktürks, the Tang Dynasty had become the unrivaled greatest nation.

At this moment, they certainly have the right to say that.

If you disagree, what can you do?

Even if you disagree, you must keep it to yourself!

Empress Changsun expressed some concern: "Will this affect the harmony with many foreign nations? After all, this year we still need to dispatch troops against the Tuyuhun…"

"Your Highness!" Chen Yan interrupted Empress Changsun, "Across the realm, probably only I would dare to do this."

"All nations paying tribute should not be a false prosperity; the weak need to talk about harmony, while the strong merely sit aloft, enjoying the fearful homage of all!"

"Harmony is not achieved by compromise, but forged with swords and iron cavalry!"

"More importantly, the key to all nations paying tribute is not honor but profit; making the nations continuously bleed into the Tang Dynasty will strengthen the Tang!"

"......"