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Life in Chang'an Chapter 37 The underlying reasons for road construction

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    "Oh? Lord Changsun, please speak!" Although he hated this sinister man, Li Min had to accept the other party's question.  Li Shimin and civil and military officials also looked at the two men.

    "This cement is indeed wonderful, but I wonder how much it costs?" Changsun Wuji smiled slightly and immediately asked the key.  Li Shimin and others who were still excited just now calmed down and looked at Li Min nervously. This cement is good, but good things are usually very expensive. If the cost of cement is too high, then the gain outweighs the loss.  .

    Li Min smiled slightly. As a descendant, how could he not know the importance of cost-effectiveness of goods? Although he did not understand the material and labor costs of cement, Bai Qing, the person in charge, knew everything about it, so Li Min waved to Bai Qing.  Then he said: "Master Changsun asked well. Although I provided the cement firing method, the specific operation was done by Bai Shucheng, so he should introduce it to everyone." Kong Yingda and others heard that the cement turned out to be  Li Min invented it, but he was hesitant in his heart. No wonder Li Min was responsible for this matter.

    Bai Qing's legs were trembling with excitement. He walked tremblingly to the court, saluted Li Shimin and all the officials, and said, "Bai Qing, who will be the Supervisor, pays homage to our Emperor, long live my lords."

    "Hurry up, how much does this cement cost?" Li Shimin asked eagerly.

    "Your Majesty, the materials used in this cement are very common and the price is very cheap. It's just that the calcination requires a lot of charcoal, and all the money is spent on fuel." When he said this, Bai Qing pointed at the standing piece of cement.  Cement Board said, "For example, this cement board uses cement plus sand and gravel, and the cost is about fifteen cents."

    "Fifteen cents?" Li Shimin frowned. This price is not low. You must know that the current price of food is only five cents a dou. If you want to build a cement highway from Chang'an to Luoyang, you can estimate it at least.  Four to five million strings!  However, Datang's annual tax revenue is only as small as building a few cement roads and it is all gone.

    "Father, what Bai Shucheng said is only the current cost. If cement is fired on a large scale in the future, the cost can be further reduced. I estimate that it will never exceed ten cents. And with the improvement of the technology in the future, the price will still have room to drop.  ." Li Min stepped forward and assured, and his words were immediately approved by Bai Qing.

    "If the price can be lowered to less than ten cents, our Datang will build roads even if we are struggling to make a loss. This will be a sacred act to protect our Tang Dynasty forever!" When Fang Xuanling heard this, he couldn't stand it anymore.  Unable to bear it anymore, he stood up and said with great excitement.

    Hearing what Fang Xuanling said, many far-sighted officials also agreed and came forward to ask Li Shimin to issue an order that the Ministry of Industry be responsible for expanding cement production.  Some cautious ministers did not object, but suggested that a few roads could be built on a trial basis to see the effect. If feasible, it would not be too late to build a large scale.

    Li Shimin was also in a dilemma. The treasury was not very rich to begin with, and he had always wanted to find an opportunity to conquer Goguryeo. Tubo was not at peace either, and he didn't know when a war would break out. Although the Tang Dynasty had a great family and a great business, it had to use money everywhere.  Got money.  How could he not see the importance of the road?  But if the Tang Dynasty spent several years building roads at a loss, nothing would be done by then, and the Tang Dynasty would also be on the defensive externally. This would indeed be very painful for an extremely ambitious emperor.  thing.

    After thinking for a long time, Li Shimin could not make up his mind. Finally he just said: "Cement production must be expanded and roads must be repaired, but the cost is still too high. Let me think about it for a few days before deciding!"

    After Li Shimin finished speaking, he left the court directly. This time he didn¡¯t ask anyone to stay, and he went straight back to the palace by imperial chariot.  The civil and military officials below also dispersed, but some curious people were reluctant to leave. They gathered around the cement workshop to see the cement production process, but due to confidentiality reasons, they were all invited out by Li Min.

    Ordinary officials were easy to deal with. As soon as Li Min came forward and told them, they would go out. Some of them didn't even need to be invited by Li Min personally. Hearing that the cement workshop had to be kept secret, he immediately left consciously.  However, not everyone has this kind of wink, and what is surprising is that this person is not a bad guy like Cheng Yaojin, but a third-grade civil servant wearing purple clothes.

    Li Min had noticed this person from the beginning, and he also knew him, but he was too embarrassed to chase him away due to human feelings.  I thought that based on this person's identity, he would consciously leave when he saw me chasing people away, but what I didn't expect was that until other officials left the cement workshop, this person was still standing there with a smile.

    Li Min had no choice but to step forward, bowed to the ground and said, "My nephew, see Uncle Fang!" Even though Li Min was a prince, Fang Xuanling was an old man who conquered the world with Li Shimin.  In private, Li Shimin always talked with them as their peers, so as long as it was not a formal occasion, Li Min always addressed senior ministers like Fang Xuanling as his elders.

    ?"Haha, Liu Lang is here to drive me out?" Fang Xuanling said with a smile.

    Li Min cursed in his heart, since you know everything, why are you still so ignorant?  But these can only be thought in his mind, he dare not say them in person.

    "Uncle Fang is serious. This place is of course confidential to others, but of course it is of no use to you, old man." Li Min said with a mischievous smile.

    "Okay, Your Highness Prince Liang, please stop playing your little tricks in front of me." How could Li Min's little thoughts be hidden from the eyes of an old fox in officialdom like him?  The reason why he stayed here was of course because he wanted to see him for something, and Li Min vaguely guessed this.

    Fang Xuanling thought about it for a moment, and then said again.  "What do His Highnesses, Prince Liang, think of the road construction?"

    Li Min was stunned. He didn't expect that Fang Xuanling stayed to ask about road construction. This was not the same as cement. No matter how much cement was said, it was just a new thing that benefited the country and the people. He would only get merit if he offered it.  No, but road construction is different. This is a political matter related to the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. He, the prince, cannot discuss government affairs without Li Shimin's permission.  Fang Xuanling has been wallowing in the court for so many years, so he doesn't even know this, so what does he mean by asking himself this?

    Li Min couldn't guess what Fang Xuanling had in mind for a moment, but fortunately he reacted quickly. He was stunned for a moment and said with a smile: "Uncle Fang, you are asking the wrong person. How can I, an idle person, know anything about the affairs of the court?  "

    Fang Xuanling¡¯s piercing eyes have been observing Li Min¡¯s every move. Seeing Li Min reacting so quickly, she secretly admired him in her heart.  As the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, the art of observing people was the foundation of being an official. Ever since Li Min memorized the Three Character Classic in elementary school, Fang Xuanling had already noticed Li Min. After this period of direct or indirect contact, Fang Xuanling  It can be concluded that among Taizong's disciples, in terms of talent and intelligence, almost no one can match Li Min.

    "It's a pity that the two most outstanding princes, Li Min and Li Ke, have the blood of the two dynasties' royal families in their bodies, which means that they are destined to have no chance of becoming the emperor of the Tang Dynasty!  When Fang Xuanling thought of this, he sighed secretly in his heart. Although Li Shimin was still young and the prince had been selected early, the prince's performance in recent years has made many ministers dissatisfied. Li Shimin also had the idea of ??Yi Chu in his heart. Fang Xuan  As one of the most important counselors under Li Shimin, Ling was naturally troubled by this issue.

    Thinking of these troubles, Fang Xuanling felt a little depressed, and had no intention of hanging around with Li Min anymore, so he got straight to the point: "Liu Lang, I have something important to discuss with you this time, so don't worry so much. Why?"  Say whatever you want, if you call me uncle, then I will act like an old man today, and we will talk to each other as elders and juniors, what do you think?"

    Having said this, what else can Li Min say? Besides, he has no grudges against Fang Xuanling. As the number one person in the dynasty, he also used some conspiracy tactics against him, so Li Min  He stopped laughing and said seriously: "Since my uncle said so, let me give you my humble opinion."

    Li Min paused for a moment when he said this. Guan Fang Xuanling listened attentively, so he continued: "Building roads is of course a century-old plan. I won't go into details about the importance of roads. Based on my uncle's experience as an official for many years  , I must have seen it more clearly than anyone else, so I believe that this road must be built, but it cannot be built in a day or two, so we cannot rush it. We can build it in Jiannan or other important places.  We need to build a few main roads on a trial basis first, and when the time is right, it won¡¯t be too late to build them on a large scale.¡±

    Li Min said it tactfully. Just now, Fang Xuanling was very enthusiastic about building roads and his attitude was very radical. He even said that he would have to build the roads even if he had to work at a deficit for several years.  Of course, Li Min was a little strange. Normally, Fang Xuanling would not be so radical because of his stability. What is even more strange is that his statement was supported by many people.

    "Haha, it seems that my wise nephew thinks that I am a little too radical, right?" Fang Xuanling certainly heard the underlying meaning of Li Min's words, but she was not angry at all. Instead, she said with a smile.

    "My nephew doesn't dare!" Li Min hurriedly bowed and saluted. Although he said he didn't dare, his meaning was exactly the opposite.

    "Alas! In fact, I don't know if this matter is urgent or not, but for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, I have to be anxious!" Fang Xuanling suddenly sighed and said something that shocked Li Min.

    "What did uncle say?" After Li Min was shocked, he was confused again. Now is the tenth year of Zhenguan. It is the time when the country is strong and prosperous, and it is even called the 'Reign of Zhenguan' by later generations.  It is one of the famous prosperous times in history. I have never heard of anything in history that could threaten the country of the Tang Dynasty?

    "Does Liu Lang know His Majesty's ambition?" Fang Xuanling did not answer Li Min's question. Instead, he asked another question that left Li Min confused.

    "This"After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly realized that although he was Li Shimin's son, in terms of understanding of Li Shimin, he really couldn't compare to Fang Xuanling. After all, he was the most important minister under the emperor's father. He was the prince for ten days.  I haven't seen Li Shimin for half a month, and Fang Xuanling discusses matters with him almost every day.

    "His Majesty is a great hero of the generation, no less inferior to the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty!" When Fang Xuanling said this, his tone turned high-pitched, "His greatest wish is to wipe out all the powerful enemies around the Tang Dynasty in his lifetime, and create a better country for the Tang Dynasty.  You, the descendants, have left behind a peaceful and prosperous era. Now the Turks have been destroyed, the northern grasslands are in chaos, Tuyuhun has been pacified, and only Goguryeo in the southeast has not yet been conquered. Although Tubo has become stronger and stronger in the past two years, in the heart of His Majesty Taizong,  The one I wanted to conquer the most was Goguryeo. Back then, Goguryeo took advantage of the civil strife in the Central Plains to occupy Liaodong. The former Sui Emperor's several expeditions failed, and hundreds of thousands of powerful men died in battle in Liaodong. I always talk about this.  , His Majesty sighed with regret"

    Fang Xuanling was worthy of being the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, and he was very clear about Li Shimin's thoughts. Under his explanation, Li Min also understood the reason why Fang Xuanling was eager to build roads.  It turned out that during this period of time, the Tang Dynasty had no strong enemies outside and the country was very stable. Li Shimin also had the idea of ????conquering Goguryeo. Although Fang Xuanling and Li Jing were both opposed, they could not change Li Shimin's decision.

    Just when Fang Xuanling felt that there was nothing he could do, Li Min suddenly invented cement. This gave Fang Xuanling an idea. If he wanted to build roads across the country, it would definitely cost a lot of money. Even the treasury of the Tang Dynasty would not be able to provide extra money to support it.  A large-scale conquest could not only greatly improve the traffic conditions of the Tang Dynasty, but also delay the conquest of Goguryeo. It could be said to kill two birds with one stone.  After all, road construction cannot be completed in one or two years. In addition, seven or eight years will pass after building the road to accumulate strength. By then, Li Shimin may have changed his mind.  It was precisely with this intention that he actively supported road construction.

    Politics is indeed the most complicated thing in the world, and no one who engages in politics is simple!  After listening to Fang Xuanling's explanation, Li Min couldn't help but lamented that it was originally a very simple matter, but once it was in the hands of people like Fang Xuanling, it became extremely complicated. Who would have thought that building a road would be so involved?  About the conquest of Goguryeo?

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