In the Tai Chi Hall, Li Shimin listened to Li Chengqian's petition and couldn't believe it.
After looking at Li Chengqian blankly for a while, Li Shimin frowned and said:
"Qian'er, the Tang Dynasty has a vast territory, high mountains and long roads, and transportation is inconvenient. There is no way around this."
"The imperial court also orders the states and counties to continuously repair official roads every year. Now the roads are much better than those of the previous dynasty. Why does the emperor deliberately bring up the issue of repairing official roads now?"
Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others also looked surprised. They wanted to know why the Crown Prince was so hot-headed. Is it child's play to cultivate the world's officialdom?
Facing the gazes of His Majesty Li Er and all the ministers, Li Chengqian was not as timid as before, but said confidently:
"Father, there is nothing I can do about the long distance. Moreover, I believe that as the territory of the Tang Dynasty becomes larger and larger, this problem will only become more and more serious. However, the transportation is inconvenient, which can be improved. of."
“Today’s official roads in the Tang Dynasty, as long as it rains heavily or is trampled by people and horses after snow, the entire road will fall into mud. Even the official roads near Chang’an cannot withstand heavy rain and snowstorms. "
"Today I went to Junyangfang to express condolences, but my previous thoughts were completely overturned. It turns out that the road can still be made like that."
"Father, you don't know that the cement road from Gyeonggi Road to Junyangfang is simply smoother than the street on Zhuque Street, and the time it takes is at least doubled."
Li Chengqian was really shocked. After walking through the flat cement road of Junyangfang, he no longer looked down upon the bumpy official road.
After rushing back to Chang'an City from Junyangfang, we went directly to Tai Chi Hall.
It happened that Li Er summoned several ministers from the court to discuss the matter, and this was the scene just now.
Of course Li Shimin also knew the current situation of the Tang Dynasty's officialdom. As an emperor who fought all year round, he certainly knew the importance of a good road to the Tang Dynasty.
The quality of roads directly affects the speed of material transfer and transportation, and can also save transportation costs.
Li Shimin was thoughtful and asked: "Qian'er, do you mean to pave all the roads with cement?"
Li Chengqian nodded: "Father, yes, if you want to build it, just build a cement road!"
"Besides, there is a saying that if you want to get rich, you must first build roads. Well-built roads will not only speed up the transmission of information, but more importantly, it can also greatly improve the living standards of the people and stabilize the rule of the court."
Changsun Wuji and others suddenly screamed, inexplicable surprise: "Building cement roads across the country? Is this His Highness the Crown Prince crazy?"
Of course they had heard about the cement road built by Junyangfang, but the cost of construction was too high in comparison.
Not to mention how expensive the cement was, even the labor costs for digging mountains and building roads were not something the imperial court could afford.
What's more, if there were so many official roads in the Tang Dynasty, if they were all built into cement roads, even if the taxes in Chaoyang were doubled several times, it would not be enough.
Cement has been used in the construction of Daming Palace. Although we don’t know how much it will cost, we imagine it will not be very cheap.
In addition, gravel and other paving materials are also a huge expense, isn't it a fantasy?
Li Shimin also took a breath. Although he thought his son's idea was good, the feasibility was too poor.
Is building cement roads a good thing?
Needless to say, it is certainly a good thing that will benefit the future.
Ever since he learned about the function of cement, Li Shimin was actually very enthusiastic.
Of course, the cement road in Junyangfang was deliberately explored by Baiqi. When Wu Meiniang was building the road, she was impeached by the censor because of the land occupation issue.
However, after the investigation, Li Er was extremely envious, but he could only be envious.
I also imagined that one day all the official roads in the Tang Dynasty would be as spacious and flat as that.
Thinking and doing are two different things!
The Daming Palace under construction actually uses a lot of cement. How could Li Shimin not know the benefits of these cement roads?
But why didn’t you dare to propose the idea of converting the official road into a cement road?
Strength does not allow it.
It is said that the cement road, which is only a few dozen miles long, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The national treasury simply cannot bear such a huge burden.
In the Tang Dynasty, all official roads were paved with cement roads. Even if he took off his underwear, he wouldn't be able to raise so much money.
What's more, there are many places where money is needed in the empire. Whether it is natural disasters or other infrastructure, it will require a lot of expenditure.
Even if Junyangfang pays more taxes this year, if it is spread over the entire empire, it will only be a drop in the bucket.
The Tang Dynasty was built on the corpse of the Sui Dynasty.
Of course Li Er has studied how talented Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty was. Even now, he dare not say that it is far beyond the heyday of the previous dynasty.
Then why did the country completely collapse in just a dozen years in the hands of Emperor Sui Yang?
The failure of the three expeditions to Goguryeo was certainly one of the reasons.
But in Li Shimin's view, the main reason for the demise of the Sui Dynasty was that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty took too big a step.
In the first year of Daye, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty ordered the construction of the Eastern Capital and recruited millions of civilians every month. Although this huge project was completed in more than a year, various productions were delayed.
Immediately afterwards, Emperor Yang of Sui ordered the construction of canals and various palaces.
Especially the construction of the Grand Canal once again involved millions of civilians and lasted five years before the foundation of the empire was shaken.
You must know that the entire Sui Dynasty had a population of more than 30 million, and there were millions of civilians recruited to build the canal.
After all calculations, excluding women, children, the old, weak, sick and disabled, the number of adult men in the Sui Dynasty was less than 10 million at most.
Transferring so much of the adult workforce for several years at once will of course hurt the country.
These projects took a long time to complete, and coupled with layers of oppression, countless civilians died from exhaustion.
Such a vicious cycle left the fields uncultivated and the people living in dire straits. Later, coupled with the failure of the three expeditions to Korea, it was considered the last breath of the Sui Dynasty.
Therefore, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Li Er has been very cautious about recruiting civilians on a large scale.
Even the recruitment of government soldiers has strict regulations, and they are all based on the principle of taking more soldiers first.
Naturally, Li Shimin only dared to think about the idea of building cement roads across the country in his dreams.
Now that Li Chengqian actually proposed such a plan, it was simply suicidal and unfeasible.
To build cement roads across the country, the amount of money and people involved must be astronomical.
If we really dare to do this, without the invasion of external enemies, civil strife will break out in Datang itself, and it will become a scene where the people are in dire straits.
Thinking that his son hadn't thought it through, Li Shimin said earnestly: "Qian'er, my father naturally knows that this cement road plan is a good thing, but when a good thing is done, it may not necessarily have good results." "
"The governance of a country cannot be blindly looked at, but should be considered comprehensively."
"The Grand Canal of the former Sui Dynasty was also a project that benefited the country and the people. It not only connected the north and the south and made the circulation of people and materials more convenient, but it also led to the demise of the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, as long as people's livelihood is involved, we must be cautious. "
Changsun Wuji was also frightened and broke out in a cold sweat, and quickly advised him: "Yes, Your Highness, although the population and wealth of the Tang Dynasty have increased, the other barbarians are eyeing it."
"The successive years of war have made the Tang Dynasty still a little worse than the previous dynasty in its heyday. If we act rashly, we will definitely cause trouble."
"His Royal Highness just said that building cement roads has many benefits, and I agree with him, but I don't agree with him that it can benefit the people."
After a pause, he added: "Did someone trick the public into doing this by deceiving the public? His intentions are deplorable."
Changsun Wuji knew very well about His Highness the Crown Prince. Although he was timid, he was not that stupid.
If you think about it carefully, you will definitely find that the solution is not feasible.
His Royal Highness the Prince had just returned from Junyangfang, and he was so anxious that he wanted to test it...
After hearing the analysis of His Majesty Li Er and Changsun Wuji, other ministers also expressed doubts.
In the eyes of everyone, although it sounds good, it is really not a good plan because it is too wasteful for people and money.
Li Chengqian suddenly became anxious!
Although it was Yang Fan's guidance, he actually proposed the plan first.
Li Chengqian also wanted to show off in front of Li Er to increase his sense of presence, so he quickly explained:
"Mr. Zhao, please don't talk nonsense. This was proposed by Gu himself, and Marquis Zhongyi just gave some suggestions... Besides, Gu still thinks it is more feasible."
Hearing Li Chengqian's words, Changsun Wuji's eyes lit up. Sure enough, it was the mallet that finally caught your sore foot, so he quickly said:
"Your Majesty, Marquis Zhongyi must be trying to plunge the empire into chaos and His Highness into injustice. Please issue an order to punish him for his evil words and deceiving the public."
Seeing that Changsun Wuji was so urgent, Fang Xuanling, who had been closing his eyes to rest his mind, slowly said: "Your Majesty, based on my understanding of Marquis Zhongyi, since he agrees with His Highness's plan, he should not let anything go. Since the Crown Prince It’s been brought up, why not let His Highness the Crown Prince finish talking about whether there is anything else hidden.”
Li Ji and others, who were originally watching flowers, also agreed.
He glanced at Fang Xuanling gratefully and saw that Li Er did not stop him. Li Chengqian proudly held up his chest and talked:
"Father, I know what you are worried about. In fact, I also had such worries at the beginning."
"But after thinking about it, it can actually be solved. There are many criminals in the Tang Dynasty. In addition, aren't there hundreds of thousands of Turks who have moved into the Guanzhong area?"
"As long as we make reasonable use of these people, the court can make these people ours by paying a small amount of money."
"Besides, it doesn't have to be implemented nationwide at the beginning. It only needs to be a pilot near Chang'an City first. If feasible, it can be gradually rolled out."
"Why the canal project led to the demise of the Sui Dynasty, the final analysis is that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was too anxious and acted recklessly regardless of the actual situation."
"But when building cement roads, we can fully draw on the experience and lessons learned from the construction of the Grand Canal and gradually implement them. In this way, we don't have to worry about causing civil unrest."
"In addition, we can use segmented contracting to hire workers for the common people, which can not only reduce the burden on the court, but also increase the income of the common people. It is simply killing two birds with one stone and benefiting the country and the people."
Obviously, Li Chengqian integrated and improved what he heard from Yang Fan and put forward a set of feasible plans.
If Yang Fan hears it, he will definitely sigh at Li Chengqian's intelligence. Even if he is timid, he is not a useless person.
The ministers did not expect that Li Chengqian would be so knowledgeable, and they all nodded in agreement. Li Shimin also nodded happily.
Only Changsun Wuji, who had just strongly opposed it, smiled awkwardly and said: "Some ministers agree with His Highness's statement, but where does the money for hiring workers come from?"
"Besides, the sand and gravel used for road construction may not be valuable, but the cement cannot be produced without production, right?"
"Besides, if the large number of hired workers causes people to delay their farming work, wouldn't it be a small gain but a big gain?"
Fang Xuanling nodded and said: "Your Majesty, I have a different view. As His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said just now, it is normal to be worried."
"The imperial court can start from Chang'an City and build a cement road from Chang'an to Luoyang, and see the effect while building it. Even if it fails, the imperial court can bear it. If it is feasible, we can expand the scale."
Looking at the people arguing endlessly, Li Shimin was also a little embarrassed.
The bloody lessons of the former Sui Dynasty were there. Li Shimin did not dare to make a decision easily, so he looked at Li Chengqian and said:
"I will pay attention to this matter. Your Majesty has worked hard all the way. Please step aside and write a detailed memorial on the specific matters. I will reply to you in a few days."
After Li Chengqian retired, he was both looking forward to it and a little worried. This was his chance to show off!
Once he succeeds, his position as prince will be as stable as Mount Tai.
My good impression of Yang Fan is also slowly rising...
In the Tai Chi Hall, although Li Shimin did not make a decision on the spot, he already had a plan in mind.
He was not afraid that his sons would do something wrong, but that they would be restrained and afraid to do anything.
Now Li Chengqian boldly proposed a plan, which Li Er wanted to see, but such a major matter must be carefully considered.
After glancing at Changsun Wuji, who still wanted to speak again, Li Shimin waved his hand and said:
"The matter of the cement road has been put aside for the time being. I have come to see you all today to discuss how to reward the heroes who have conquered Tibet, especially the loyal and righteous Marquis Yang Fan. He is truly my blessed general. Let's discuss it."
"Since Duke Zhao has something to say, let's start with Duke Zhao."
Changsun Wuji suddenly didn't want to talk.
But the emperor pointed out his name and asked. Of course he couldn't refuse, so he could only say with great discomfort:
"It has only been a few months since Marquis Zhongyi was granted the title of Marquis. It is not appropriate to elevate him to a title. Moreover, Marquis Zhongyi is already in a high position at a young age and is not suitable for promotion."
"Besides, Marquis Zhongyi is about to marry Princess Gaoyang. He is considered a member of the royal family and it is natural for him to serve the empire."
"Besides, Marquis Zhongyi did not respect military orders and violated military discipline during the expedition. It is better to reward him with some money."
Li Shimin lowered his head and said nothing, but said to himself: "My uncle-in-law has gone too far. Your son Changsun Chong has been given a large reward for his meager achievements. Although I feel guilty, I can't be so shameless." Bar?"
Changsun Wuji's words made Li Jishi quit. This Changsun Wuji actually described the destruction of the country as child's play.
If he really succeeds, who in the army will be willing to sacrifice their life for the country?
So he coughed lightly and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I don't agree with Zhao Guogong's statement. Although the merits cannot be overshadowed, it is an indisputable fact that Zhongyi Marquis has made great contributions. If the imperial court neglects the meritorious officials in this way, wouldn't it be a disgrace to all the soldiers?" Heart? Your Majesty, please think again."
His Majesty Li Er put his hand on the eucalyptus table and kept tapping it gently. He neither spoke nor could tell what he was thinking, but looked at Fang Xuanling.
He wanted to hear the wise old minister's opinion.
Fang Xuanling thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, I think what Duke Zhao and the British Duke said makes sense, but I have a suggestion."
"Oh? Tell me." Li Shimin raised his head and looked at Fang Xuanling with interest.
Fang Xuanling, a minister who planned the country, never let him down.
During this time, His Majesty Li Er also had a headache.
According to Yang Fan's merits, even if he was granted the title of county king, he would be fine, but he also made many mistakes.
Disobeying military orders is a taboo in the military. Even if he was optimistic about Yang Fan, Li Shimin could not tolerate such a situation.
Besides, at such a young age, Yang Fan was awarded the title of Duke of the State, which is a highly respected minister.
Once he makes meritorious deeds again, won't he be rewarded without reward?
As a veteran who has followed His Majesty Li Er for decades, Fang Xuanling was certainly able to figure out His Majesty Li Er's thoughts, so she raised her eyelids and said:
"Marquis Zhongyi is young, energetic, and unruly. He often disobeyed military orders during the expedition. It would be inappropriate if he were to be ennobled again."
"Besides, as the saying goes, a tree that is beautiful in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Marquis Zhongyi has become too popular now, which may not be a good thing. I think that for Marquis Zhongyi's long-term plan, it is not appropriate to have any big rewards in the short term."
As Fang Xuanling spoke, she secretly looked at Li Shimin's reaction. Seeing Li Shimin's jaw slightly twitching, she knew that this was something that was deep in Li Shimin's heart.
He immediately continued: "But your Majesty has clear distinctions between rewards and punishments. Marquis Zhongyi has merit and must be rewarded. Now that Marquis Zhongyi has no heirs, Princess Gaoyang has a noble status and does not need to be rewarded."
"Since he attaches great importance to his concubine Wu Meiniang, and Wu Meiniang's hard work in running Junyangfang can be regarded as a great contribution to the court, why not give Wu Meiniang a royal title with the merits of Marquis Zhongyi? Wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone?"
When Li Shimin heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately stood up and said, "Ai Qing is indeed a minister who plans the country, and his thoughts are lofty. I'm sure."
It would be great to reward Wu Meiniang as a concubine!
Doesn't Yang Fan like to stand up for his concubine?
That's fine, I'll give you a concubine with a royal title.
Anyway, this kind of reward is just empty talk. It sounds noble, but it is just a word from the emperor.
The key is to be generous but not...the key is to promote your generosity without spending money.
Ahem, let’s fulfill that boy’s desire to be a concubine again!
The more Li Shimin thought about it, the more he felt that he was applauding, which not only suited his wishes, but also made Yang Fan tick. He could think of Yang Fan's miserable look when he heard about the reward.
Of course, it was impossible for the proud Li Shimin to really only give Yang Fan such a small reward.
"Come here and draw up a decree to confer Wu Meiniang, the concubine of Yang Fan, the Marquis of Zhongyi, as the fourth-grade imperial concubine. Marquis Zhongyi will temporarily hold the post of Minister of Rites and receive a purple robe..."
It was Li Shimin who made the temporary decision for Yang Fan to temporarily take over the post of Minister of Rites.
In fact, it is of no great use at all, because since Li Daozong was removed from the post of Minister of Rites, this position has been vacant.
As the Minister of Rites, Yang Fan is actually the top leader of the Ministry of Rites.
Although Li Shimin wanted Yang Fan to accumulate some background before further promotion.
But it is really impossible for Yang Fan to have great achievements but no reward at all. This kind of false promotion is the most suitable.
However, as soon as Li Shimin's words came out, the one who suffered the most was Changsun Wuji.
Just a few days ago, I took my son and eldest grandson to cry to His Majesty Li Er, and His Majesty Li Er also agreed to let his son serve as the Minister of Rites.
He thought he had plotted against Yang Fan secretly, but he didn't know that in the blink of an eye, this stick became his son's boss again.
Now that Yang Fan is wearing a purple robe, although he is still not as good as the founding ministers like them, this boy's promotion speed is too fast.
I didn't expect that Yang Fan, the stick, had grown to this point without knowing it!
Although it seems that he is just a marquis, and even the post of Minister of Rites is only temporary.
But he knew that this was just His Majesty's method. With this boy's favor and ability to mess around with things, not to mention the Duke, the Minister, and other officials such as Sikong might not have a chance.
How old is Yang Fan!
The sense of urgency in his heart increased greatly, making Changsun Wuji extremely fearful.
At this time, Yang Fan didn't know that a dispute in Tai Chi Hall not only made him wear a purple robe, but also made his joke about Wu Meiniang come true.
At this time, Wu Meiniang did not know that she had suddenly transformed from a concubine into a third-grade imperial concubine.
Waiting for the imperial edict, it will definitely make many real wives in the world feel ashamed!
However, Wu Meiniang can't care so much because she is reporting the information obtained to Yang Fan.
