As one of the clan generals, Li Daozong was as famous as Li Xiaogong. Compared to Li Xiaogong, who was well-connected, Li Daozong didn't have many friends.
Moreover, he also had issues with Changsun Wuji, Yu Chigong and others. Zhang Yang listened to Li Tai's story and walked all the way to the entrance of the village. He knew that Li Daozong was coming. As a general of the clan, Li Xiaogong naturally couldn't be absent.
A banquet was arranged in the village, and Li Tai specially asked someone to build a straw shed here. The gloomy sky would rain at any time.
Zhang Yang put his hands on his hands and looked at the soldiers and horses coming from a distance, frowning and said: "Actually, you don't need to be here. It's just a business deal. The ministers in the DPRK are all kind-hearted people, and they will not bully me." Li Xiaogong snorted, his face full of disdain for these words.
Zhang Yang asked again: "How is your health?" Li Xiaogong relaxed his arms.
"Not bad, eat well, sleep well."
"Recently, drink less alcohol, eat more vegetables, and pay more attention to health."
"I'm here to see Li Daozong. I haven't seen him for a long time. With Chang Sun Wuji on the side, that old fox will be more restrained." Li Daozong and Li Xiaogong are both clan generals and cousins of His Majesty. After ascending the throne, Li Xiaogong was granted the title of Prince of Hejian County, and Li Daozong, who was also the Prince of the County, was granted the title of Prince of Jiangxia. Both of them stayed in Chang'an City.
At that time, everyone followed Li Yuan to conquer the world, but after Li Shimin ascended the throne, they have been reducing the power of the clan.
The clan and royal relatives are all relatives. There have always been conflicts between relatives and direct royal families throughout the ages.
Tian Khan is now in his prime, while his direct heirs are still young. At this time, the contradiction has not yet emerged. Li Xiaogong greeted Li Daozhong with a smile. Now it seems that there is always a feeling of beauty before being broken.
The seizure of power by relatives and the royal family was so cruel that whether in the Han Dynasty or the former Sui Dynasty, they stepped on the corpses of others to gain power.
Zhang Yang was worried when he saw Changsun Wuji and Li Daozong dismounting from their horses and approaching, bowing and saluting: "I have met Duke Zhao, I have met the King of Jiangxia County." Li Tai also saluted,
"Uncle Wang, uncle." Changsun Wuji was very fond of the word uncle. If he wanted to call Zhao Guogong in front of outsiders, he could call him uncle here.
Looking Li Tai up and down, he added: "When you were traveling, my uncle couldn't see you, so I gave this gold pen to you." Li Tai took it with both hands.
"Thank you, uncle." Noticing that Zhang Yang looked at the pen made of gold with fiery eyes, Li Tai quickly put the pen in his arms and said politely: "Uncle Wang, please take a seat quickly."
"That's fine." Changsun Wuji said.
"I heard that my brother has been staying in Lishan for a long time to recuperate?" Li Daozong said in a low voice. Li Xiaogong stroked his beard with a serious look on his face.
"Well, Divine Doctor Sun is in Lishan, and the Lishan Medical Clinic has excellent medical skills, so he stayed here." Li Xiaogong was nine years older than Li Daozong. They were both clan generals at the time. The King of Hejian County had long since given up his military power and became a military official. After becoming the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and burning down the office of the Ministry of Rites, he no longer had an official position and drank and had fun at home.
The emperor really couldn't stand this clan member, so he simply transferred him to the position of Minister of Zongzheng Temple, where he remains today.
Even as the Minister of Zongzheng Temple, Li Xiaogong was still a dilettante who didn't care about anything. He was originally a military commander, but he could not do well as a civil servant, so Li Shimin let him go. As long as this man did not cause trouble, the Zongzheng Temple Minister kept him in charge. It has been more than a year now.
Now Li Shimin of Zongzheng Temple asked Chu Liang to watch again. At the beginning of Zhenguan, in order to control military power after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he had the idea of letting the clan generals leave the army, and he also implemented this idea.
Li Xiaogong was one of them. There was also Li Daozong, who had served as the Minister of Dali Temple at the beginning and transferred from a general to a civil servant.
Because the Turks invaded Liangzhou, Guanzhong was caught off guard. Li Shimin let Li Daozong regain military power and sent troops to Liangzhou.
Furthermore, in four years, during the northern expedition against the Turks, Li Shimin asked Li Jing to lead the army to the northern expedition, and Li Daozong was among them.
After conquering the Turks in the north, he became the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and became a civil servant from a military general. Later, because of the war in Tuyuhun, Li Daozong was transferred to Xihai Road to help defend the northwest with Li Daliang.
So much so that even now that the trouble on the northwest frontier has been lifted, he still leads some of the Liangzhou soldiers and horses. Just like this, he was transferred back and forth. When he was needed, Li Shimin placed him in the army, and when he was not in use, he was given a civilian position.
The emperor was a contradictory emperor. Military power now relied on the prestige of the clan. Li Shimin did not want the clan to be in charge of the army for too long and would retire from his military position as soon as the war was over.
In contrast, Li Xiaogong lived more clearly. Although he had a very tough wife in his family, he could balance military power and government affairs.
Live like a fool, knowing very well what you can and cannot do. Of course, there were times when he was impulsive, such as setting fire to the Ministry of Rites.
After doing this, I can still be alive and kicking and enjoy the rest of my life. It can only be said that we have a lot of things to do.
Everyone sat down, and Zhang Yang lit a brazier on the spot. He took a few pieces of coal and stone from his horse and looked at them carefully. From the appearance, it looked very good, the color was very good, there were no stains, and there was little yellowing on the surface.
Crush it into pieces and put it into the brazier, carefully observing the changes in the flame. After half a stick of incense, the coal and stone were burned. The flame became more intense and the burning time was quite long.
"The quality of the coal is very good." Zhang Yang nodded and concluded. Li Daozong sat aside and said nothing. He looked at the young man with a straight face, as if he wanted to see what was different about this young man.
It started to drizzle again in the gloomy sky. Changsun Wuji took a sip of tea to dispel the chill in his body.
"I was busy with things for the coming year, but I didn't expect that Your Majesty would arrange to come to Lishan to sell these coals. Merchant affairs are not what I am good at. Zhang Yang, you can make the decision yourself." Li Xiaogong coughed and said,
"Old fox Changsun." When the old fox said this, Changsun Wuji's face immediately sank.
"Since His Majesty has arranged it, we can't let this kid make the decision on his own. As elders, we should give some advice." The words were passed to Changsun Wuji.
It was a simple transaction, but a few words made the atmosphere quite awkward. Zhang Yang smiled and said, "May I ask Mr. Zhao, how much coal he brought?" Changsun Wuji sat upright, but Li Xiaogong didn't sit properly, and even licked his nose.
Changsun Wuji was originally a literati. The most important thing for literati is etiquette. When you sit, you should sit down, and when you stand, you should stand up.
Although Li Xiaogong was also a civil servant, he was a scum among civil servants. Anyway, there is no sitting posture.
Changsun Wuji calmed down, as if to soothe his blood pressure, and whispered: "Five thousand stones, and six thousand stones are being transported from Xue Yantuo." Zhang Yang asked again: "If it is a long-term transaction, Xue Yantuo's coal mine The reserves must be more than this."
"Of course, as compiled by the geography of your Diplomatic Academy, there are many coal mines in Xueyantuo, and the people of Xueyantuo are not good at using these things. General Li Ji is currently stationing troops in Xueyantuo and letting the idle tribesmen of Xueyantuo dig coal mines." The location of Xue Yantuo is just north of Mobei, which is also the Outer Mongolia region in later generations.
It has excellent mineral resources, but it is also a very barren and bitterly cold place. After coal resources were widely exploited, Xueyantuo's environment became worse and worse. Over-exploitation and overgrazing aggravated sandstorms.
In later generations, winds and sand from Xue Yantuo often swept through Guanzhong. Environmental management is a long-term solution. In the northwest, Dickson has been asked to arrange for people to plant Populus euphratica forests in the Gobi to build a sand prevention forest.
The young man stood with his hands folded, frowning and looking into the distance, as if he was thinking. Li Daozong sat on the right side of Li Xiaogong and was also observing carefully.
"I think professional work must be carried out in a practical manner. It is best to be open and honest. Specific matters must be analyzed in detail and the plan for the next ten years shall be implemented. This time, coal mining must continue to cooperate with Xue Yantuo. We must start from the details and let Datang We are in a relatively good development environment with Xue Yantuo." After saying this, the scene was quiet for a while.
This set of official words made everyone present click their tongues, and they were stunned and did not come back to their senses. Talk a lot, detail, foundation, implementation, specific analysis?
Li Daozong asked in a low voice: "Brother, does he usually talk like this?" Li Xiaogong shook his head and said: "It's not like this at ordinary times." Li Daozong came closer and asked: "I heard that Zhang Yang's speech is unpredictable. Even the prince often speaks like this. Asking for advice?"
"Hehehe..." Li Xiaogong smiled dryly,
"I'm afraid you didn't inquire carefully. This boy acted arrogantly back then. His Majesty asked him to read more books about sages. However, after reading for many years, his way of speaking became more and more strange."
"It didn't say how enigmatic his speech was. Moreover, there is a rumor in the East Palace that the more Zhang Yang studied, the less human he became." Li Daozong nodded understandingly.
At this time, he looked like a child who had never seen the world. Li Xiaogong felt disgusted with this person. We were all brothers. We couldn't say how close we were to each other among the brothers in the clan. Li Daozong was considered an honest man.
He was just too honest. When he went to war with His Majesty, he only followed orders to lead troops. During the northern expedition against the Turks, he also obeyed Li Jing's orders.
He is capable of leading and running the army on his own, but he is too well-behaved, and sometimes he loves saving face. In the army, he offended people like Yuchi Gong and Changsun Wuji, and from then on he had even fewer friends in the army.
This is why His Majesty is so comfortable with him.
"If there is a chance, brother, can you arrange it? My brother wants to have a chat with him about how to run the army." Li Xiaogong nodded after hearing this.
"Let's wait for him to discuss it with the old fox."
"Here." The two clan brothers whispered in a low voice. The brazier was still burning in the hayloft and the conversation continued.
Changsun Wuji whispered: "The court also has the same idea. Tang Dynasty naturally hopes to get along better with Xue Yantuo." At this point, Li Tai finally understood what his brother-in-law and Duke Zhao were saying.
What does it mean to get along better and have a good development environment? Doesn't this mean that Xue Yantuo will be taken over and become a state and county of the Tang Dynasty?
Thinking about it again, Li Tai is in trouble again. Is this realistic? Xueyantuo is located in the north of Mobei. Just one Turk is already a headache, let alone the distant Xueyantuo.
The people in that area are still uncivilized. Although the words were not clearly stated, Li Tai felt that he heard something extraordinary.
If Lishan wants more coal mines, it needs long-term supply from Xue Yantuo. The basis of this supply is that Datang completely controls Xue Yantuo.
After some speculation, Li Tai nodded secretly. Zhang Yang paced back and forth, looking up again and thinking,
"According to the market price of coal and stone in Guanzhong, it is five hundred and seventy yuan per stone. If Lishan draws an integer, how about five hundred yuan per stone?" Changsun Wuji sighed: "One stone is reduced by seventy yuan. There are five thousand stones here. If all At such a discount, the North Korean government will suffer too much loss."
"The price is still five hundred yuan per stone. After all, Lishan will be the largest customer of Chaozhong in the future. I dare to ask who else can it sell to if Chaozhong has so many coal mines. If the manpower and material resources consumed are not paid, wouldn't it be a bigger loss? Big." These coal mines were originally obtained from Xue Yantuo, so it would be better if they could be sold to Lishan, and the court would also get more income.
Changsun Wuji said again: "If you insist on changing the price, it is better to make another exchange. Lishan will give an extra 10% of the tax to the court every year." Zhang Yang added: "But the price of coal is still 500 yuan. One stone." Changsun Wuji thought for a moment and said
"That's fine, but the DPRK still has a condition. The coal purchased by Lishan cannot be sold to others."
"Of course I understand." The price given by the imperial court was appropriate, and coal and stone would not be widely used until after the Song Dynasty.
At present, the utilization rate of coal is not high, and the price is not high, but coal is a resource that can be stored for a long time. It is black gold.
As utilization and demand get higher and higher, prices will change sooner or later. The old fox is an old fox after all. He has already calculated that the goods shipped from Lishan need to pay taxes.
The more Lishan earned, the more taxes the court received. Instead of focusing on the benefits of a hundred dollars or one stone in front of you, it is better to directly affect the taxes of Lishan.
No matter how the price of coal changes in the future, as long as Lishan makes a profit and Chaozhong makes a profit, even if Lishan loses money, Chaozhong will still make a profit.
This is a sure-fire deal. Changsun Wuji stood up slowly,
"I know that when negotiating a business in Lishan, a written document is required. After I signed it, I took it back and returned to my life."
"Hahaha!" Li Xiaogong said loudly: "Old fox Changsun, why don't you come back to Chang'an after having a meal with us? The documents need to be stamped, and the coal and stone must be transported to Lishan to be carefully weighed and checked, right?" The old fox Changsun said one mouthful at a time. , and another old man saying "grandson"... this talented person who doesn't study!
Li Tai held his forehead in pain and motioned with his eyes to let his guards prepare the food and drinks. Li Tai forced out a smile in pain and said,
"It's rare for uncles to get together, why don't we have dinner together." Li Daozong nodded and said, "That's great." Everyone laughed, Li Daozong agreed, but now it would be a bit embarrassing to refuse.
"There are still many things to be busy with in the imperial court, and the imperial court will begin soon."
"With so many things going on in the court, we can't delay this moment. It's been a long time since I tried your drinking capacity as an old man, hahaha!" Li Xiaogong laughed loudly again.
Seeing the Hejian County King talking, he led Li Daozhong and Changsun Wuji to the village. Shangguan Yi also brought people to unload the goods, weigh the coal and check it.
The rain stopped for a while and now it started falling again. Zhang Yang put his hands behind his hands and said, "There has never been harmony between the civil and military forces of the DPRK and China."
"Don't worry, brother-in-law. If you drink too much and start making moves, my king's guards will stop you."
