CHAPTER 1519: CHAPTER 1436: EQUAL TREATMENT FOR ALL

"I am not prepared to enter Qin Country as a victor. I am prepared to become the ruler of Qin Territory as a liberator," Tang Mo stated in the meeting.

He certainly did not intend to turn the Qin Country region into his own colony; if he wanted a colony, clearly the Orc Empire would be a better choice.

Furthermore, Tang Country already had several colonies and even a low-level administrative region, and these areas were not yet specifically planned or managed. It would be an utter waste to turn Qin Territory into such a place.

"My ambition from beginning to end is only one! That is to ensure that within the borders of the Great Tang, all are Da Tang citizens! Tang people! Only Tang people! Recognizing and understanding our Great Tang, they are all people of our Great Tang!" Tang Mo did not want to turn a quick victory into an endless policing war.

In this regard, he had plenty of experiences to reference. The kind of foolish colonial strategy employed by Europe and America, the one-off pirate style, was simply idiotic behavior.

Only a brainless person would choose such a brutal way to manage their occupied areas. What he wanted was to have the locals accept Tang Country’s culture, recognize Tang Country, become citizens of Tang Country, integrate into Tang Country to become an inseparable part.

Although he knew this would require many years, a lot of money, a lot of bloodshed, and a lot of patience...

But it would all be worth it. The regional barriers must be eliminated because Tang Country had already become too big, and such a massive empire could not have too many regional divergences.

Tang Mo did not want, in the future, for his empire to become like Mongolia, first turning into something like the Four Great Khanates, and then shattering like sand in the wind into disconnected fragments.

"I’d rather have none than allow a piece of land to become an exception... I don’t want good exceptions, and I certainly don’t want bad ones!" Tang Mo knocked on the table, reminding his ministers word by word.

"Education the same! Development the same! Management the same! System the same! The future military the same! That is the Great Tang! The people there are my people! If they are mistreated, then it is a mistreatment of me!" In such matters, Tang Mo believed he could not afford any negligence.

The soon-to-be-appointed officials of Tang Country were taking down the Emperor’s instructions with their heads lowered. They were about to go to Qin Territory to serve as officials, to govern that land where customs were fierce and the system entirely different.

The people there were skilled in battle and inclined to resolve everything through force. The land there was relatively barren and the economic conditions relatively backward.

However, for officials, being transferred to Qin Territory was indeed a great opportunity. Before they left, they were promoted, and once there, they would naturally become chief officials in many regions.

If they did well, they might one day become strong competitors within the empire’s central administration. This was both a test and a tremendous opportunity. Seizing this opportunity, these inconspicuous individuals might one day become the brightest stars on the stage of world dominance.

"Let the common people live and work in peace and contentment! If they break the law, manage them with the law. If they abide by the law, they are your benefactors! The people are like water, the Great Tang is like a boat; water can carry a boat, as well as capsize it! I hope you engrave this principle in your minds, never to forget it!" Tang Mo looked at the officials in front of him, having almost fully expressed what he wanted to say.

This was a test for these officials, as well as for the Great Tang Empire. The land area had nearly more than doubled, and the population in the occupied territories was like a vast sea. The Great Tang Empire simply did not have enough officials to manage such a vast land.

Therefore, in this meeting, Tang Mo could not even call out the names of nearly all the participants, except for a few who had met Tang Mo before, and these officials who had met Tang Mo could now be said to be genuinely powerful regional governors.

They were all very young, some just barely over 30. According to the normal promotion and selection process, they might have had to wait until they were fifty years old to sit in their current positions.

"Yes! Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! We will surely heed Your Majesty’s teachings, toiling for the empire’s people until the end of our lives!" everyone stood up and swore an oath to Tang Mo.

...

A civilian vehicle slowly pulled up beside a camp, where the soldiers of Qin Country appeared somewhat weary. Only the guards on duty stood at attention and saluted the officers stepping out of the vehicle.

"My Lord!" the soldier on duty seemed a bit anxious because he knew that the number of guards assigned here was actually too few, and the distance was also against regulations. At this moment, they were practically in an undefended state.

But this could not entirely be blamed on them. They had traveled 40 kilometers in one day, each carrying large amounts of ammunition and food...

This marching speed was already the limit, as many troops did not have vehicles and most companies were even using oxen and horses for transportation.

There was no other way; they were marching from the distant northern Shu Territory towards Wuyang, the capital of Qin Country, covering more than 230 kilometers in just a few days. This was almost the limit.

According to orders, because Wuyang lacked food and had little ammunition, they could not march lightly and quickly, but instead had to bring large quantities of ammunition to ensure combat ability and self-sufficiency, then head north to engage in battle.

In other words, they had to sustain themselves, prepare their own weapons for fighting... And once their supplies of ammunition and food were exhausted, they would likely not have new supplies to look forward to.

In the past, such an order would have been a joke. No one would command a battle this way, but now they were executing such an absurd order because the city they were going to rescue was called Wuyang.

That was the sun of Qin Country, the most sacred place in the hearts of the Qin people. So they were heading north at all costs, achieving a speed that amazed people.

"No worries! No need to disturb anyone! Let everyone get some rest," Liu Zhian stopped the soldier from waking up his sleeping comrades, softly commanded.

He barely slept these past few days because he dared not use radio equipment, so he had to run from one troop to another along the road, personally supervising his subordinates’ march.

Except for getting some sleep in the car, he hadn’t closed his eyes. Hence, the exhausted Liu Zhian walked straight into the command post of this troop, took a cup of hot water handed over by the on-duty officer, and sat on a chair with a light sigh.

His rear guard troops had sent a message that the Tang Army had already captured the Shu Mountain defense line and completely encircled Shu Mountain City. His retreat route was now blocked, and very soon, the rear guard troops deployed in Nanjiao City would be under attack by the Tang Army.