Chapter 206: The Great Migration

"Yuting, I think that giving that Nobel guy five million taels is too much."

"What do women know? I'm sure what he has researched will change the pattern of warfare. It's worth the price."

Hu Liuniang shook her head. "When I was the big sister of Hujiazhai, if someone told me where there was 5,000 taels of silver, I would go and rob it without hesitation. If that person said there was 10 million taels, I would never dare to rob it. Even if I could really rob it, I would be surrounded and attacked by the government, and I would definitely lose my head. Unless I am like you, with enough troops under my command to protect the wealth, I would not dare to think about the huge sum of 48 million taels like I did in Nanjing."

The overly excited Shao Quanzhong calmed down all of a sudden, "Yes, giving too much at once would scare him, and he would worry about not being able to keep this windfall. But I'm also worried that if I don't spend more money than he expected, I won't be able to get this big Buddha."

"I think two hundred thousand taels is enough to bring him down."

Shao Quanzhong waved his hands and said, "I can't listen to a woman on this matter. Women are narrow-minded and have no courage. If they don't like it and don't trust me, the loss will be huge. Let me think about it."

Shao Quanzhong walked around twice with his hands behind his back, "Send a message to Emery, and ask him to estimate how much money it would take to win the Nobel Prize."

The telegram came back half an hour later, "I will go to Lake Mala and have a detailed talk with Nobel himself."

Well, Shao Quanzhong does things without thinking, and his imagination runs wild. But Emery is a rigorous staff officer who needs to have enough intelligence to make judgments, which is just right for him to be Shao Quanzhong's effective assistant.

"Sixth Lady, let's go to the Governor's Office and discuss buying Xiaoxiang Cliff with Lord Qiao."

"Report! Ma Zhan'ao has returned to Hezhou. Before he left, he was furious and said he would mobilize the people of Hezhou to fight to the death and kill 10,000 of us. Should we chase him back and kill him?"

"I haven't seen him, and I don't want to say anything harsh? The situation is clear now. If he defends Hezhou, we will definitely lose people. There is no need for him to remind us. He is a big shot after all. I killed him when he came to negotiate. It seems that I am petty. Let's meet on the battlefield."

"Yes!"

The guard turned around as ordered. "After he finished venting his anger, he sighed as he walked, saying that it was a pity that he wanted to help his superiors eradicate the rioters in Shaanxi and Gansu, but he didn't have the opportunity to serve the court..."

"Bring him back to me!"

Ma Zhan'ao came back soon. He left at a snail's pace, waiting for Shao Quanzhong to catch up with him.

"Hezhou Dahe Family Central Temple Ahun Ma Zhan'ao pays homage to Lord Zhongcheng."

Ma Zhan'ao was an "Ahun" officially recognized by the Qing court. Like monks and Taoists, he did not kowtow when meeting officials but only bowed.

Shao Quanzhong did not humiliate him, and looked at Ma Zhan'ao with a smile, "Old Ma, you said that you can help me eradicate the rioters in Shaanxi and Gansu. Isn't that too much?"

Ma Zhan'ao acted like a loyal minister of the Qing court. "After the Shaanxi-Gansu bandit rebellion, the hatred between the Han people and the rioters was as deep as the sea and could no longer be reconciled. Ma, who was granted the favor of the country as an Ahun, of course, must solve this problem for the court. It is my duty."

"Why did Lao Ma teach me?"

"I am not talented, but after Ma Hualong's death, I have the highest prestige among the rioters in Shaanxi and Gansu. If the Minister of the Central Chancellery allows me to patrol Shaanxi and Gansu, I have the ability to take all the rioters away and move them westward out of the court-controlled area, completely eradicating any possible rebellion by the rioters in the future and clearing the way for the court to rule Shaanxi and Gansu forever."

"What can you do if Ma Guiyuan and Ma Wenlu don't listen to you?"

"I am willing to serve as the king's vanguard and help the court wipe out these traitors."

"You are moving out of the area controlled by the court. Are you going to join the foreign countries in the Western Regions? This time, our court is sending 80,000 troops to the Western Regions, intending to recover the ancient lands of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Even if you run to the Western Regions, you are still under the control of the court, and it is inevitable that you will become my enemy." "I don't want to go to the Western Regions. The Western Regions and I belong to different factions, and they will not take us in. Even if they do, we will just be cannon fodder."

Shao Quanzhong actually guessed wrong, and he couldn't help but feel very interested, "Then where are you going?"

"I have seen that all the countries in the Western Regions have their owners, and there is no place for me to stand. I am not willing to submit to a small foreign country. I heard from the elders who came back from pilgrimage that the two territories of Hejaz and Najd, the hometowns of the first saint, originally belonged to the Ottoman Empire, but are now occupied by the Sat family. Because it is a barren land, the Ottoman Empire was unwilling to go to war again after sending troops from Egypt in 1818. The surrounding British forces also looked down on that piece of sandy land, so the Sat family was able to live in peace. The Sat family is weak, and although the land they occupy is barren, the oasis is enough to feed hundreds of thousands of people..."

Shao Quanzhong understood. It seems that facing a life-and-death crisis can really stimulate the potential of one's brain. Ma Zhan'ao had a wild idea and actually wanted to lead hundreds of thousands of people to migrate thousands of miles to grab a piece of sandy land that no powerful force would be interested in.

Shao Quanzhong chased him back, wanting to hear if he had any brilliant ideas to help him eliminate the hidden danger of riots, and he actually had an idea.

Shao Quanzhong stood up, put his hands behind his back and thought for a long time, but couldn't think of any harm in doing this.

Only more than 10,000 men under Ma Zhan'ao escaped punishment, but there were indeed no hidden dangers in Shaanxi and Gansu. This was a well-done job.

"You are going to lead hundreds of thousands of people to relocate. I'm afraid there will be heavy casualties during the migration process."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Zhongcheng. This is the punishment that the rioters deserve."

"Then I agree to this matter. Congratulations, Lao Ma, you are about to become the king overseas."

Ma Zhan'ao shook his head and said, "I am a subject of the Qing Dynasty. When I go overseas, I will serve the imperial court as my master and be a vassal of the Qing Dynasty. I will follow the orders of the Minister of Justice."

"Old Ma, you are so loyal."

"Ma's move is not just out of loyalty. If I take over Mecca, my power will be stronger than that of the Sat family, and I will inevitably be attacked by the surrounding Ottoman Empire and the British. I heard that the Minister of the Central Government has a close relationship with the British. When the time comes, I will ask the Minister of the Central Government to mediate. I don't ask for the support of the British. As long as the British don't attack me, the Ottoman Empire is stupid, and I have the confidence to withstand their attack."

What a talented person he was. He thought of such far-reaching things. He deserved to be the hero who ruled the northwest for five generations.

Shao Quanzhong was not interested in the sandy land at all. But he helped mediate. I guess the British had no motivation to clean up a piece of sandy land without any hair on it, right?

What Shao Quanzhong didn't know was that after Ma Zhan'ao's descendants fled from the Chinese mainland after their defeat, they went to Hanjaz to seek shelter with the Sartre family. Now that Ma Zhan'ao had gone there ahead of time, it was clear that the Ma family was indeed connected to that place.

"It's settled now. You better act fast. I'll be heading west soon, so I may not be able to wait for you for too long."

"My subordinates will do it now."

Ma Zhan'ao tried to climb up the ladder and wanted to follow Shao Quanzhong's orders. Shao Quanzhong agreed, and Ma Zhan'ao immediately changed his words and called himself his subordinate.

This concerns whether the British who occupy Yemen, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will attack us in the future, so we cannot be careless.

Shao Quanzhong issued an order to suspend the attack on Hezhou. Ma Zhan'ao rode back to Hezhou quickly, and messengers were sent out everywhere.

His men took Mada'ahun's handwritten letter and went to recruit 150,000 rioters from Shaanxi and the remaining rioters in Gansu.

Soon, under the supervision of the 80,000-strong army on the Western Expedition, 600,000 rioters gathered in Lanzhou, driving flocks of sheep and carrying their belongings and tents on ox-drawn carts. The procession was vast and endless.

(End of this chapter)

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