Wang Bo first ordered the steward to do something, then turned around and asked curiously: "Your Highness, what is the method you mentioned?"
These days, he has actually been worried about this matter, but after racking his brains, he couldn't think of a good way.
It was impossible to live in the house. A large number of outsiders poured in around Chang'an, which made the local people treat the outsiders as thieves. When they went out, they wanted to ask eight neighbors to help look after their homes.
Building a house is even more unrealistic. The work on the construction site is time-sensitive. After working here for a period of time, after bordering the adjacent construction site, you may have to go to the next construction site who knows how far away. When people leave, the house is useless. Isn’t this a waste?
To be honest, he was also very worried that His Highness the Prince would make such a proposal. If he built a house, even if it was just a wooden house with a thatched roof, it would not be as cost-effective as living in a shed.
After looking around, Li Xian simply stood up and walked towards the slope on one side.
It wasn't until he reached the slope that Li Xian began to look carefully at the material of the slope.
Not bad, it’s loess.
Pointing to the earth slope, Li Xian smiled and said: "There is no need to build a special shed, isn't this a very good place? Just dig a section on this earth slope and then dig a cave, and you can live. As for stability , just use wood to prop up the inside. And the hole is covered with linen. Compared with building a house, digging a hole requires saving a lot of materials. As for the time consumed, although it does take some time, even if you leave, leave it. It’s no shame if the cave is abandoned.”
After speaking, Li Xian looked at Wang Bo and said with a smile, "What do you think?"
Wang Bo thought for a moment and suddenly realized that this method was feasible. However, it is estimated that it will only be applicable to the next construction site. It's going to be finished here soon, so it's better to carry it for a few days.
As for the specific effects of His Royal Highness's method, we can really only try it through practice.
The steward was still very dedicated and translated the prince's words to the two Li Zhengs without missing a word.
The method of digging a soil hole sounds cheap, but they know very well that this is also a method. Thinking about it, it seems that living in a cave is indeed better than sleeping in a shed.
Li Niu and Ding Liu looked at each other and immediately imitated the appearance of taking care of things, bowing and bowing with their hands in hand.
Especially Ding Liu, he just feels very lucky now, and of course, he is even more moved.
In his opinion, even if he told this matter, His Highness the Crown Prince would probably not pay much attention to it. If you have a straw hut to sleep in during a calamity year, what else do you want?
He raised this matter just in case. To his surprise, His Royal Highness actually listened and found a solution for them.
As for the fear I felt towards His Royal Highness just now, it disappeared immediately.
This is a kind prince.
At this moment, everyone could not help but have this idea in their minds.
After watching Wang Bo write this down with his own eyes, Li Xiancai looked at Li Niu and Ding San with a smile and asked, "Besides a place to live, what else do you want?"
After listening to the steward's translation, the two of them naturally shook their heads.
They have enough to eat and earn money, the foreman has a good temper, and now even the housing problem can be solved. They feel that the current treatment is already good and cannot be better. On this basis, if they ask any more conditions, they themselves will feel that they are going too far.
Seeing the expressions of Li Niu and Ding Liu, the steward also smiled.
His Royal Highness came to the construction site to inspect. To be honest, they were still under a lot of pressure. Nowadays, these people are quite contented and have not made any excessive demands. It seems that I will have to treat them better in the future.
The construction site would help them dig cave dwellings for sleeping. Just this news made the migrant workers on the construction site happy.
What Li Niudingliu thought was what they thought, and they really couldn't be more picky.
After taking a look at the setting sun and calculating the distance back, Li Yun couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, we should set off. Besides, didn't you and Dai Pushe make a bet? Do you want to?" Could you please come over here and check on the situation for you?"
After listening to Li Yun's prompt, Li Xian remembered the bet with Dai Zhide.
Also, the best way to verify a bet is to send people to the other party to have a look. The people from above will come down to inspect. When they leave, the reactions of the people will be the most real.
Nodding, Li Xian said: "Then you ride a fast horse and go back quickly."
After agreeing, Li Xian turned around and left.
Because he had to wait for Li Yong to come back after seeing the situation there, Li Xian had nothing to do, so he had to continue to see the situation at the construction site.
Compared with official roads and small roads, the only difference may be that they are smoother and harder.
Xinguan Road, which extends from Chang'an to Luoyang, needs to be smoothed in many places because it is as straight as possible. Especially considering factors such as heavy rains, not only drainage ditches but also sand roads must be prepared on the side of the road with compacted soil.
The sand road was specially prepared for couriers and red feather messengers, so that they could ride horses on the official road even in rainy days.
This amount of work would not even be comparable to the "ten fully covered" village roads in later generations. However, in this era, building such a road is already very laborious. This means that there is no additional "steamed soil pad road", otherwise it will definitely be more troublesome.
Without excavators and other equipment, the confrontation between manpower and nature can only rely on the tactics of the sea of people and time to slowly grind!
Walking on the sandy road, feeling the pebbles on the soles of his feet, an idea appeared in Li Xian's mind, but he immediately stuffed it back into the corner of his memory.
It's not possible now...
Because they were ordered to rest, the migrant workers could only find a shady place each. Some of them watched the prince walking around the construction site blankly, and some of them began to discuss what it would be like to live in a cave dwelling.
To be honest, before coming to the construction site, everyone was still trembling. The imperial court they had heard from the older generation over the years was simply synonymous with cruelty. Although this time they were recruiting workers rather than serving as laborers, when they thought of what the old man described, , I feel scared.
However, when I actually arrived at the construction site, I found that it was not that scary.
Li Yun left quickly but came back very slowly, because he came back with Dai Zhide's team.
Seeing Dai Zhide's carriage parked on the side of the road, Li Xian got into the carriage and prepared to go back.
Seeing that the prince was about to leave, the migrant workers who were resting stood up one after another, threw away the tools in their hands, and chose to give him a ride.
Although His Highness the Crown Prince came to the construction site with great pretentiousness, who asked him to be the Crown Prince? What's more, since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ordered the cave dwellings to be excavated, everyone couldn't help but fantasize about the thought of being able to sleep well at night in the future. future life.
Dai Zhide was not sitting in the carriage, but standing outside the carriage.
Today's experience is difficult to describe in one word, but to sum it up, it is very uncomfortable.
He clearly showed his identity and even joined the team in person to work regardless of his manners. However, he just couldn't attract the attention of the people.
As a last resort, he could only summon everyone together.
However, even though he had clearly revealed his identity and had a steward testify, the people were just not interested in him. Even if he announced that there was no need to work at the hottest time at noon and no grain would be withheld, it did not arouse much response.
If you have to say it, those people are like wood. It's not like he has never been out on inspection tours in Beijing before. Everywhere he went, he was greeted with cheers. This time...
He really couldn't understand!
Standing outside the carriage, although it is not very high, you can still see farther.
When he saw His Royal Highness the Prince's carriage followed by a large group of people, he was so surprised that he was speechless.
This, compared with his situation, is simply a huge difference!
Until the two teams merged, the common people had not dispersed, and they were sent for a long distance outside the construction site before finally stopping.
After leaving the ranks of the common people, Dai Zhide immediately ordered the guards to stop the prince's carriage. He ignored etiquette and got into the prince's carriage impatiently.
Seeing Dai Zhide coming over anxiously, Li Xian had no choice but to smile and ask Li Yong to prepare tea.
Ignoring drinking tea, Dai Zhide asked straight to the point: "Your Highness, what conditions did you agree to those people? Why did they send you out?"
"It's nothing. I just promise them that they can rest for an hour and a half during the hottest time at noon every day, and they won't deprive them of food..."
After hearing what the prince said, Dai Zhide became even more confused.
Other than building a cave dwelling for living, the conditions are no different, right? Why can His Royal Highness win the hearts of the people?
With a slight cough, Dai Zhide sighed: "Your Highness, I lost the bet. I will fulfill my promise and walk back to Chang'an. However, before I fulfill my promise, I still want to ask Your Highness, why?"
Seeing Dai Zhide serious about cashing in his bet, Li Xian repeatedly waved his hand and said, "This is just a joke. You'd better go back in the carriage."
"No, a bet is a bet. If you don't honor it, it will be detrimental to my character. Please forgive me for not being able to obey my order."
Seeing that Dai Zhide insisted on honoring the bet, Li Xian had no choice but to order the carriage to stop, put Dai Zhide down, and then got out of the car and walked with him.
"Why? It's actually very simple, because our practices are different. Dai Pushe, what do you think the image of high-ranking officials in the court, or even the prince, is in the minds of the people? Even the landlords of one place think that The other party has no good intentions, and you need to prepare for the worst in response to what the other party says."
"The landlords are like this, let alone us. You changed into linen clothes and went to work on the construction site. Although this approach seems very close to the people, among the people, they will only think that you are putting on a show. Oh, it just means pretending to do good things."
"You said you are Shang Shu Pushe. Maybe the steward will explain to them that Shang Shu Pushe is a great official, but they don't have much feeling for you. They will only think that since you are a high official, then He should be arrogant and extravagant, he cannot be wearing sackcloth and working on a construction site."
"As for you announcing these new regulations, in their opinion, this may be what they deserve, and naturally they will not feel grateful to you."
After hearing this, Dai Zhide seemed to have some understanding, and raised his hands and asked: "Then what did His Highness do at the construction site?"
"It's very simple. We will formulate regulations that the people can't think of. After we formulate them, just ask them what they want. If you want to gain the gratitude of the people, you have to let them set their own conditions. For thousands of years, , the people are accustomed to accepting the government's control, and they are very measured and will not make excessive demands."
"On this basis, no matter what kind of request they make, as long as they agree, they will feel grateful. This is the condition of digging cave dwellings to live in. Because what we allow is what they really need, so they will not They will resist, even if the construction of cave dwellings does not require our approval, they can decide on their own, but after Gu agrees, they will naturally attribute the gratitude that their lives have improved to Gu."
"Because of this, after Gu arrived at the construction site, he did not hide his identity as the crown prince at all, and he did whatever he could to show off. Such behavior may seem like a showoff in the eyes of the people, but they also think it is natural. It seems weird, but it actually shows integrity to the people. In this way, it will also help to shorten the distance between us and the people."
"You have to know that no matter what we do, it is a bad thing in the eyes of the people. Only when they feel the benefits will they recognize it as a good thing."
After saying that, Li Xian also felt thirsty, so he picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea.
The carriage in the East Palace uses a shock-absorbing mechanism, so it does not drive too bumpy. The teacup also has an iron block embedded in the bottom. This way, it will not be easy to place it on a table embedded with magnets. If it falls down, even half a cup of tea will not spill out easily.
Nowadays, the table is placed on the flat platform in front of the carriage. Even if you are walking, if you feel thirsty, you can reach it as soon as you reach out.
Of course, it would be impossible for Dai Zhide to discover such details.
After listening to the prince's words, he was surprised to find that what His Highness the prince said was unexpectedly reasonable.
Indeed, officials and civilians are basically two different levels. When civilians are at the bottom and look up to the top, they cannot be trusting.
Suspicion and wariness should be the main emotions of the people when facing officials. Under such circumstances, it seems that what they did was really wrong.
Seeing that Dai Zhide seemed to understand a little bit, Li Xian added the last sentence: "Dai Pushe, if you say something ugly, in the eyes of the people, officials who do not show off and are arrogant are like dogs who can eat shit. It is unbelievable. . So, no matter what we do, there is actually no need to pretend to have a good relationship with them. Sometimes, the more condescending you say it, the higher your credibility will be."
Dai Zhide nodded, cupped his hands and said, "I didn't expect that His Highness the Crown Prince would have such an opinion. In comparison, I don't know about it. I'm really ashamed!"
