"Your Majesty, Marquis Yong'an wants to see you!"
In the afternoon, in the Manlu Palace, a chamberlain came in and bowed.
By the way, after Li Zexuan left the workshop, he didn't even have time to eat lunch, so he came to the palace to find Li Er.
It’s hard enough.
"Let him in!"
Li Er smiled lightly and said.
After a while, Li Zexuan walked in from outside, then saluted Li Er and said, "I see your Majesty!"
"Well, no gifts!"
Li Er nodded, and then said: "Young man, you stay in Yunshan all day long. How come you have time to come to the palace to see me today?"
This is asking knowingly!
However, he had to ask questions knowingly. If he directly told Li Zexuan's purpose, Li Zexuan would definitely think that he was being watched, which would create a rift between the emperor and his ministers. Old Li is not that stupid!
Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said, "Back to Your Majesty, today I am here to ask Your Majesty for the right to mine a mineral vein. I hope Your Majesty will grant you permission!"
Not long ago, when Guancheng was destroyed and all the rebels of the Cui family were annihilated, Li Er not only promoted Li Zexuan to an official position, but also granted Li Zexuan the right to mine three mineral veins, but he did not specify which three mineral veins they were at that time. , basically equivalent to Lao Li writing a blank check that can be filled in at will, and today, Li Zexuan just wanted to write the name of the Lanjia Volcano mine on this check!
Li Er couldn't help but feel happy when he heard this. He smiled and said: "Hey~! Are you here to collect debt from me? Tell me, what mineral vein do you want? Gold mine, silver mine, or copper mine?"
Li Zexuan bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I don't want gold mines, nor silver mines, nor copper mines. I only want a vanadium-titanium magnetite mine in Jiannan Road, Weizhou. I hope your Majesty will allow it!"
After the Qin Dynasty destroyed Ba and Shu, it implemented the system of prefectures and counties in Sichuan and established Bajun and Shujun in the original Bashu area. In the first year of Zhenguan, Li Er abolished the state and county systems and changed Yizhou to Jiannan Road, with its seat in Chengdu Prefecture.
Jiannan Road is one of the ten roads in the world. It mainly refers to more than thirty states and hundreds of counties in the Bashu area!
Li Er wondered: "Vanadium titanium magnetite? What kind of ore is this? What is it used for? Why have I never heard of it?"
Although he heard from Zhao Song that Li Zexuan sent people to Bashu to look for ore, he really didn't understand what kind of ore Li Zexuan was looking for, let alone what vanadium-titanium magnetite was!
Li Ze "One of the two alkalis" has extremely wide uses. It is no exaggeration to call it the industrial cornerstone of our Datang! And that kind of catalyst can be extracted from vanadium-titanium magnetite!"
Although Li Er had not conducted in-depth research on "Chemistry", this was the first time that he saw Li Zexuan introducing something to him in such a serious manner, so he could not help but pay attention to the so-called vanadium titanium magnetite.
"I don't know much about engineering. Can you tell me what the sulfuric acid is used for? And what else can the vanadium ore be used for besides producing sulfuric acid?"
If you don’t understand, just ask. This is what makes Li Er different from other kings. In terms of magnanimity and magnanimity, few emperors can compare with him!
Furthermore, in the land of Bashu, there are many wealthy families and tribes, and the forces of all parties are complicated. Old Li has to ask the matter clearly so that he can weigh whether the vanadium mine in Bashu is worth mining!
Li Zexuan thought for a while, picked up some things that Li Er could understand, and replied: "Your Majesty, sulfuric acid has a wide range of uses. Going further, it can make more powerful gunpowder and refine stone paint. , as well as making fertilizers that can make crops more productive. In the near future, sulfuric acid can be used to refine copper to make the copper more pure. In the future, the generators in the Bahe Hydropower Station will need refined copper! And there is Sulfuric acid can also be used to make batteries!"
Regarding stone lacquer, this thing is petroleum. Before Shen Kuo's "Mengxi Bi Tan", there are relevant records of petroleum in "The Book of the Former Han Dynasty"!
Hearing this, Li Er looked shocked. He murmured: "More powerful gunpowder? Is there more powerful gunpowder in the world? And fertilizer that can make crops more productive? Also, the battery I just mentioned, and What is it?"
What Li Zexuan said sounded so incredible to Li Er that he couldn't help but be shocked!
Li Zexuan smiled and replied: "Your Majesty, the gunpowder I presented earlier is the most primitive, simplest to make, and of course the least powerful. The gunpowder I just mentioned is more than dozens of times more powerful. As long as A hundred catties can destroy half a city! As for fertilizers that can make crops more productive, they can probably increase crop yields by 30 to 40 percent!
However, it is impossible to create powerful gunpowder and fertilizer with sulfuric acid alone. The industrial foundation of the workshop must be more complete! As for the battery, once you have sulfuric acid, you can start manufacturing it immediately. Your Majesty should know about the battery that I made for the telegraph machine earlier. Compared with the previous battery, this battery has more power. When marching and fighting, it has The battery can ensure that the telegraph machine can maintain communication with the rear for a long time! "
After hearing this, Li Er couldn't help but be very moved. Whether it was strong gunpowder or batteries, he wanted them all! So, he smiled and said:
"Okay! Okay! Okay! This battery must be built as soon as possible! As for the strong gunpowder mentioned, don't worry, another kind of gunpowder will be enough. Besides, I am still very confident in the combat effectiveness of my Datang army. of!"
Li Zexuan smiled and said: "Your Majesty is wise! I also believe that with your Majesty's wisdom and martial arts, the army of the Tang Dynasty will be able to sweep across all directions and become majestic! In addition, regarding the use of vanadium ore, in addition to being used to make sulfuric acid, it can also be used to make sulfuric acid. Come and forge divine weapons!”
"Magic weapon? What magic weapon?"
Li Er suddenly wondered.
Li Zexuan returned: "Your Majesty, the workshop can now mass-produce high-quality steel. If steel is a tiger, then vanadium is a wing. Steel containing vanadium is like adding wings to a tiger. Just add a few percent of vanadium to the steel, and it will The elasticity and strength of steel are greatly increased, and the resistance to wear and burst is better. It is resistant to both high temperature and extreme cold. If this kind of vanadium steel is used to make a sword, although it cannot be said to be as sharp as cutting iron, it is not far behind. !”
"Good! What a magic weapon!"
Li Er suddenly looked fascinated, and he said excitedly:
"I have promised the right to mine three veins before. Since this vanadium mine is so important to me, it doesn't hurt to give it to me! And I see that I am confident today. Could it be that I have found the vanadium mine I want in Sizhou, Jiannan Road? Already~?”
When Li Zexuan heard this, he felt happy and quickly replied: "Your Majesty, at the beginning of this year, I sent my servant to search for vanadium mines in Shu. Fortunately, my servant lived up to his command and found a large amount of vanadium on a mountain in Yizhou. Vanadium titanium magnetite ore, with this ore, can definitely meet the needs of the Tang Dynasty for hundreds of years! But..."
Li Er smiled in his heart and thought to himself that he finally got to the point. He smiled faintly and said, "It's just what?"
Li Zexuan bowed and said: "Your Majesty, according to my servant, this mountain was mistakenly regarded as a sacred mountain by the local Qiang people. They do not allow outsiders to invade the sacred mountain, let alone mine from it! So..."
Li Er frowned and said, "Holy Mountain? Is there any explanation here?"
"Your Majesty, this is just nonsense! The local Qiang people found that the mountain range has a strong attraction for weapons, so they thought there was divine power at work, but in fact it was just the powerful vanadium-titanium magnetite in the mountain. It's just magnetism! But the Shu area is closed, and most of the locals believe in the power of ghosts and gods, so it may not be easy to explain it to them! For this reason, my servants and generals were almost killed by the local Qiang people. Please also ask The Holy One makes the decision for me!"
Li Zexuan bowed and said in a deep voice.
"Qiang people!"
Li Er's face gradually darkened, and after a moment of silence, he slowly said: "Back then, when the heroes were competing in the Central Plains, the wealthy families and other local forces in Bashu mostly joined forces with the county officials to protect the territory. Changes in the situation. After my father took control of Bashu, he "issued a letter to all counties and counties, so from Shangluo in the east to Bashu in the south, the county magistrates, thieves, Qushuai, and Di Qiang chiefs rushed to send their children to see them and ask for surrender. Replying to the letter counts hundreds every day."
In the face of strong military pressure, the wealthy families of Bashu allied themselves to the Tang Dynasty. For these local powerful people who surrendered, the imperial court mainly adopted a policy of combining grace and power. On the one hand, it was to prevent them from becoming powerful in the future, and on the other hand, it was also to prevent them from becoming dissatisfied and rebelling!
Hundreds of years ago, Liu Bang flourished in Bashu. During the Chu-Han War, the Bashu region as the rear area not only provided a steady stream of troops for the Han army, but also provided strong logistical support for the war. Wherever there was a Han army, Wherever there is food, grass and military supplies provided by Bashu. Five years of conflict between Chu and Han, the Battle of Gaixia, and the siege on all sides. Xiang Yu committed suicide in Wujiang River, and Liu Bang ascended to the throne of emperor, ushering in the 400-year history of the two Han Dynasties!
Bashu contributed all its energy to Liu Bang's imperial career, supported several years of war with almost the power of one place, and made indelible contributions to the founding of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, it can be said that Bashu was the land of Longxing in the Han Dynasty. Therefore, after Liu Bang came to the throne, he attached great importance to the land of Bashu. He directly regarded central Sichuan as the exclusive territory of the imperial court, which was directly governed by the Han court and would never enfeoff vassal kings in Shu!
In fact, my father and I have always attached great importance to the governance of Bashu. In order to balance the powerful forces of Bashu and maintain the long-term stability of Bashu, I summoned the children of the leaders of Bashu and assigned them according to their talents. On the other hand, I sent the queen's uncle to the Bashu land to serve as the governor of Yizhou. I asked him to govern the Shu land for me and let the people of the Shu land return to me as soon as possible. Datang!
In addition, I also plan to change Ke'er to the title of King of Shu and grant him the title of Commander-in-Chief of Yizhou. He will be the Commander-in-Chief of Yi, Mian, Jian, Jia, Ling, Ya, Mei, Meng, Qian, and Qiong. There are thirty-six prefectures in Nanning and Huidu. When he gets a few years older, I will send him to Shu to take up his post to show how much I value Shu!
Now, since there is such an important mineral vein in Shu, I will issue an order to have the governor of Yizhou, Shi, personally negotiate with the Qiang people. After the negotiations are completed, I will send people to mine the mineral vein there! "
The uncle of Empress Changsun mentioned by Li Er, the governor of Yizhou, was Gao Shilian, who was also the later prime minister of the Tang Dynasty!
After listening to Old Li talking for so long, Li Zexuan had a general understanding of the current situation in Bashu. Of course, he did not expect that Li Er actually sent Li Ke to Hanwang under such circumstances. He was renamed King of Shu. However, according to official history, even if he did not appear, Li Er would have named Li Ke the King of Shu this year, that is, in the second year of Zhenguan.
History is always surprisingly similar!
At this moment, Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, when negotiating with the Qiang tribe, it is better to be soft than hard. If Gao Changshi's negotiations are blocked, I can make suggestions for him!"
Li Er couldn't help but laugh and said: "Oh? Is there any other good plan that can work?"
Li Zexuan bowed and said: "The Qiang people misunderstood the mine as a sacred mountain. I will send someone to explain it to them when the time comes! And once this mine is mined, it will bring endless benefits to the local Qiang people. The most intuitive benefit is The money they earn every year becomes more and more! Although the Qiang people live as tribes, I believe none of them dislike money and the exquisite products from the Central Plains, right?"
Li Er finally understood. Li Zexuan was planning to use a mine to feed the people around him, which was indeed a good idea!
"Haha! That's very good! I will pass the order to the queen's uncle later and let him handle the matter as appropriate. If necessary, ask for advice~!"
Li Er nodded and smiled.
"Thank you, Your Majesty~!"
Li Zexuan cupped his hands with satisfaction.
………………………
After coming out of the palace, Li Zexuan went straight back to Yunshan. When passing by Yanhuang Academy, he thought about it, turned around and walked in.
Calling Li Ke out of the classroom and taking him to the office, Li Zexuan sat on the sofa and smiled slightly: "Xiao Ke, you should have learned almost all the financial management knowledge given by your teacher, right?"
Li Ke cupped his hands and said: "The mountain chief's knowledge is not enough. How can he dare to say that he has learned enough?"
Li Zexuan couldn't help but laugh and said: "Haha! It's time for me to be humble! Well, I've come to you as my teacher today. I have something serious to talk to you."
"Captain, please speak!"
Li Ke sat upright, looked at Li Zexuan, and acted like he was listening.
Li Zexuan nodded and said in a deep voice: "Today I went to the palace for my master. I heard from the Holy Master that he plans to change the title of King of Shu and grant him the title of Governor of Yizhou to manage the affairs of the thirty-six states of Bashu!"
Li Ke was shocked when he heard this. He said in a panic: "Shan Chief, does this mean that my father is going to send me to Shu to take up my post soon?"
He is now learning financial knowledge from Li Zexuan at Yanhuang Academy, which he has never heard of before. He is very happy and fulfilling, and he doesn't want to leave so soon!
………………………………
