"Um, Li Ke." Thinking of this, Li Shimin spoke.
"Father, please speak." Li Ke said with a smile.
"You can smelt so much steel here, so you consume a lot of iron ore, right?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.
"Of course, Father, do you want to sell me the official iron ore? It's okay. If the official iron ore from several imperial courts can sell the iron ore to me at the previous market price, then I will accept it. , Erchen can also increase the output of the Ministry of Industry by 50,000 kilograms every month!" Li Ke said generously.
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect this benefit. He immediately said: "Okay! Then I agree. Then you can see that the output of several iron mines here is quite large. Do you want some iron ore?" Just take it?"
"Take it! According to the previous market price of iron ore in Chang'an City, as many sons and ministers want it!" Li Ke smiled happily and agreed quickly! This is a good thing! Why not collect it! Li Ke's cost of mining iron ore is similar to Changsun Wuji's, but there is one thing. The market price Li Ke talks about is the market price before the monthly payment increased.
The main expenditure for mining iron ore is mainly labor expenditure. Now the monthly labor cost has more than quintupled. In order to keep these workers, the Changsun family took the initiative to guarantee that they would contract for at least one year and take care of their meals. .
So, why doesn’t Li Ke accept it? As long as Changsun Wuji dares to sell it, Li Ke will dare to take it!
Changsun Wuji: "..."
"Your Majesty." Changsun Wuji couldn't help but speak. If he didn't speak again, Li Shimin would tell Li Ke to death. Would he, Changsun Wuji, sell it or not? Sell it, you'll lose whatever you sell, don't sell it... Isn't this a refutation of Li Shimin's face? People have taken the initiative to ask for orders for you, what else do you want as a courtier?
"Huh?" Li Shimin was a little confused.
"Your Majesty, I... I can't afford it." Changsun Wuji felt a little ashamed. It was so embarrassing! Although face in the court is no longer a thing, as long as this matter is not spread, everyone is actually the same.
But this... They originally made trouble for Li Ke first, but now... they lost his wife and lost his troops, stealing chickens but losing rice. In the end, even Li Shimin came forward in person, and he had to refuse this good offer.
"Huh?" Li Shimin was really stunned for a moment. He actually didn't know this. He couldn't blame Li Shimin for not reacting. Mainly because he thought about a lot of things every day, and the uproar started in the blacksmith shop.
Li Shimin's idea is that if the finished ironware cannot be sold, it is better to sell the ore. This is always possible.
"Recently, the monthly money around Chang'an City has skyrocketed. The monthly money has increased five times, and the overall cost of iron ore has more than tripled." Changsun Wuji lowered his head and said with some embarrassment. The main cost of iron ore is Manpower accounts for a huge part, but there are also other losses.
"Then Li Ke..." Li Shimin looked at Li Ke.
"I don't want three times. My son, I, employs a lot of people here, and I also bought several iron mines. Father, didn't you say you would sell me all the ores from the official iron mines? That's enough. ." Li Ke said seriously.
The reason why the cost of official iron mines has not increased is because those who work in official iron mines are corvees. In the Tang Dynasty's military system, every household in Yongyetian and other households has a certain amount of time for corvee service every year.
If you don't do corvee, you will be given money. People who do corvee are not only soldiers, but also other national projects for free.
Therefore, the cost of official iron ore is of course lower. Even the cost of food and other consumption is much lower than the original market price.
Li Ke has no idea of changing this system for the time being, so he has to eat one bite at a time.
Li Ke said it simply, but the atmosphere in the court instantly became awkward. It would be as embarrassing as you want, because you can't buy or sell by force, right? What's more, Li Ke has just more than tripled the imperial court's pig iron income. Isn't it appropriate for you to let people buy and sell by force at this time?
"Then why don't you buy the iron ore owned by the Duke of Qi?" Li Shimin thought for a while, and he had already thought about Changsun Wuji's difficulties. Li Shimin felt that he had to give Changsun Wuji a sweet date anyway, and he couldn't. Caught someone in a trap. This stinky boy Li Ke had just defrauded his family from the cloth and grain stores in Chang'an City. We couldn't let them lose their source of income.
Although selling iron ore is like selling a chicken that lays eggs, this chicken no longer lays eggs, so it is a good thing to sell it quickly, otherwise it will consume more food if you continue to raise it.
"No." Li Ke refused directly.
Li Shimin: "..." I won't give you any face, right?
"Dad, it's not that I don't want to buy it, it's that I have discovered several large-scale iron mines and hired a lot of people. Even if I buy the iron mines, I can't mine them. Why do I need so many mines?" Li Ke said seriously.
"Otherwise, as a nephew, I can't make my uncle's family unable to eat. After all, I have to prepare a betrothal gift for Changle. How about this, let my uncle renovate the blacksmith shop in Chang'an City, and I will provide him with the finished products. If you sell a plowshare for 50 cents each, and your uncle sells it, you can make a profit of 50 cents, right?" Li Ke said with a smile.
Highlight a filial piety.
Preparing a betrothal gift for Changle... Everyone almost couldn't hold back their laughter, mentioning this at this time...
These words... were so harsh to hear. The ministers were so uncomfortable holding them in that even Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Dasha didn't dare to laugh. If they laughed at this time, wouldn't this offend Changsun Wuji to death?
What does Li Ke's behavior look like? It's like holding down Chang Sun Chong, beating him up with a bruise on the nose and face, snatching his money, and then lifting him up and saying with a smile: "You haven't had breakfast, I'll give you 5 cents, go have breakfast, be good."
Changsun Wuji's face turned purple. The problem was that he couldn't say anything at the moment. He just lowered his head and said in a low voice: "Thank you, Your Highness, King Qin. This is no longer necessary. I still have my salary and support." It raises a big family."
"Oh, that's right. After all, my uncle gave my nephew a batch of cloth and grain stores before, but my nephew was rude." Today's Li Ke spoke politely.
After this scene, Li Shimin said nothing. He was afraid that Changsun Wuji would vomit blood directly in the hall like the previous minister, so he moved directly to the next topic.
Until the end of the court, Li Ke did not speak, but waited for the end of the court with a smile. The Changsun family would not die. It was certain that their muscles and bones would be broken, but they would not die.
Li Ke's current radiation area is not that large. It can only radiate to areas around Chang'an, Guannai Road and other areas. No matter how far away he is, he can't affect it for the time being. The Changsun family's iron mine will not die. It can be built and sold to other places. Yes, the cost is higher.
In addition, it is sold to Turks and other places outside the customs, but there are restrictions on selling to these places. The Tang Dynasty was not a fool. Ironware was an important weapon of the country. It was never allowed to be sold to the Turks before. Now that the Turks and other ethnic minorities have surrendered, Li Shimin allowed a small part of the ironware to be sold. There was a quota every year, and the price was extremely high.
The border guards of the Tang Dynasty would inspect trading houses. In addition, I don’t know if it was really because the Li family had Xianbei blood. The nomads who belonged to the Tang Dynasty were extremely loyal in the early days, so some people dared to smuggle. They didn't dare to take it away after selling it, otherwise the entire tribe would be easily slaughtered.
"Prince Li Chengqian, King of Qin Li Ke, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, Li Shiji, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Chai Shao, Changsun Wuji, went down to the Liangyi Hall to discuss matters." When he was going down to the court, Chang Lin suddenly Another announcement was made.
