Although Fang Xuanling spoke very softly, Qin Ming still guessed what Li Er meant from the few words they said.
Qin Ming pretended not to hear clearly and said to Li Er:
"Your Majesty, you are wise! We can summon the shipbuilding craftsmen in the coastal areas to build several large cargo ships. Then we can send merchant ships along the Wei River, all the way through Luoyang, and through the canal to Yangzhou."
"After changing to a sea-going ship in Yangzhou, we will go out to sea all the way along the Yangtze River to the south. After crossing Lingnan, we can go directly to Champa. If everything goes well, we can transport the Champa rice seeds from Champa back to Chang'an in a few months. .When the merchant ship draws the chart, then..."
Before Qin Ming could finish speaking, the three people in the restaurant looked directly at Qin Ming.
Qin Ming was a little embarrassed by the sight of these three people, so he swallowed what he said next.
When Li Er saw it, he stroked his short beard and laughed. He reached out and patted Qin Ming on the shoulder and said:
"That's good, let's do it."
If it were for other things, Qin Ming might not be so active, but when it comes to going to sea, Qin Ming can't help but think of Zheng He's voyages to the West and China's modern century of humiliation.
In addition, there is the neighbor to the east of Datang.
As an angry young man, Qin Ming has always regarded the saying "If you fall behind, you will be beaten" as a golden rule.
Therefore, Qin Ming wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of Champao to let Tang Dynasty build up its navy first.
Some people may have questions, wasn't the merchant ship I just mentioned? Why did it involve the navy?
Of course, we have to do business first. Only when Datang gains astronomical benefits at sea will Datang build a navy to protect its own interests.
.....
After everyone had eaten and drank enough, Qin Ming sent everyone out of the Qin Mansion.
Li Er, who was about to get on the carriage, suddenly turned around, looked at Qin Ming and asked:
"By the way, nephew, I forgot to ask you, what is the name of that travel book? Who wrote it?"
Qin Ming smiled and said to Li Er:
"That travelogue is called "Lu Bingxun's Wanderings", and the author is Lu Bingxun."
........
In the sixth year of Zhenguan, on the twentieth day of the first lunar month, Sishi
A spy from Baiqisi entered Chang'an City from Mingde Gate on a fast horse.
The spy whipped the horse's belly hard with his whip and shouted anxiously:
"Eight hundred miles, hurry up, get out of the way."
The people on Zhuque Street took shelter after hearing the words, for fear of being hit by fast horses.
After the fast horse passed by, people gathered together in twos and threes, talking in low voices and guessing what happened.
...
Royal Palace, inside the Amrita Hall
Li Erzheng was reviewing the memorial with a smile on his face.
He was in a very good mood today, because this morning at the court meeting, the matter of sending an envoy to Champa City was officially finalized.
Because Datang needed time to build large ships, the mission was initially scheduled for mid-May.
A young eunuch hurriedly entered the hall and bowed to Li Er:
"Your Majesty, General Li of the Hundred Cavalry Division said that he has urgent military information to report to Your Majesty. He is currently outside the palace asking for an audience."
Li Er couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard this and said:
"Announce his presence."
"promise."
After hearing this, the little eunuch hurriedly walked out of the Manna Hall with small steps.
A few moments,
Li Junxian, who was wearing armor, stepped forward and entered the hall.
He held an envelope in both hands, knelt on one knee and said:
"Your Majesty, the general has just received a secret report from a spy."
Seeing this, Wuji hurriedly walked down the jade steps and took the secret report from Li Junxian's hand, then trotted over and handed it to Li Er.
Li Er took the secret report and checked the paint on the report. Seeing that the paint was intact, he opened the letter.
He just glanced at it briefly, and then his eyebrows rose involuntarily. He slapped the desk and said angrily:
"Wuyu, you immediately send someone to announce that Zuopu shot Fang Xuanling, the Minister of War, Hou Jun, and the Duke of Wei, Li Jing, have entered the palace."
"promise."
After speaking, Li Er looked at Li Junxian and said:
"This time your Baiqisi not only transported back cotton seeds, but also learned about the enemy's troop movements in advance. I will mark your success."
When Li Junxian heard this, he bowed and said:
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"By the way, the secret report said that cotton seeds will be delivered to Chang'an tomorrow. Then you can just take the seeds directly to the man's house in Lantian County. I will send someone to inform him later. It has nothing to do with you here. Come on down Bar."
"promise."
After a while
Zuopu Shefang Xuanling, Minister of War Hou Junji, and Wei Guogong Li Jing entered the Manlu Hall one after another.
Li Shimin picked up the secret report from Baiqisi from the table and asked Wuyu to hand it to the three of them.
Li Shimin saw Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, and Hou Junji reading the secret reports one by one. Then he asked Li Jing:
"Gong Wei, what do you think about Tuyuhun gathering troops and sending them to the border of Datang?"
Li Jing is sixty-one years old this year. His hair has turned gray and his face is covered with wrinkles, but his eyes are extremely bright.
He saluted Li Er and said:
"Your Majesty, I think that Tuyuhun secretly sent troops to the border this time, and it is very likely that he wanted to attack our border city of Datang."
Li Er nodded slightly when he heard this, and then asked:
"Then according to Aiqing, where is Tuyuhun most likely to attack?"
When Li Jing heard this, the map of the border between Datang and Tuyuhun could not help but appear in his mind.
He thought for a while and said:
"Your Majesty, I believe that Tuyuhun has mobilized 50,000 of his country's elites this time to launch such a large-scale war. I think that Tuyuhun is very likely to raid Lanzhou City."
Hou Junji, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, wrinkled his aquiline nose when he heard this and was a little disinterested.
In his opinion, the Tang Dynasty had just wiped out the Eastern Turks for two years. Even if they borrowed Tyuhun's courage, they would not dare to invade the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shimin nodded first, and then looked at Hou Junji, who seemed to have other ideas, so he asked Hou Junji:
"Hou Aiqing, it seems you have a different opinion?"
After hearing this, Hou Junji hurriedly bowed to Li Erxing and said:
"Reporting to your Majesty, I thought that the Tang Dynasty had just destroyed the Eastern Turks and the military was at its peak. A small Tuyuhun would never dare to invade the borders of the Tang Dynasty."
Li Shimin frowned when he heard this and said:
"Then tell me, why did Tuyuhun mobilize so many troops to the border?"
After hearing this, Hou Junji thought for a while and said:
"I thought they were gathering troops to attack the party members."
Li Er frowned even more when he heard this. Hou Junji's statement was not unreasonable. On the one hand, Datang was indeed very strong now, and on the other hand, Dangxiang and Tuyuhun had a feud.
It's just that now the Dangxiang people have defected to the Tang Dynasty. Even if Tyuhun really wants to fight the Dangxiang people, the Tang Dynasty cannot stand idly by.
At this moment, Fang Xuanling stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, I believe that Tuyuhun's gathering of troops to the border is a threat to the Tang Dynasty. What if Tuyuhun really comes for the Tang Dynasty? In any case, it is better for us to make some preparations in advance."
Li Er nodded slightly when he heard the words.
"Then according to Fang Qing, what should we do?"
"The veteran believes that we can first send a guard of soldiers to station in Lanzhou City to prevent any unexpected events. Even if Tuyuhun really wants to attack the Dangxiang people, our Tang Dynasty can send troops nearby to reinforce."
........
