Mingguang Armor is one of the rare top armors in the Central Plains at this stage.
For people outside the Central Plains, if there is anything in the Central Plains that is most attractive, besides the land, it is weapons and armor. After all, the forging craftsmanship of the Central Plains people is among the best in the world. Although Tubo has made a lot of progress in forging due to the craftsmen introduced during the Taizong period, it is still not good when it comes to high-end manufacturing such as Mingguang Armor.
After all, Taizong was not stupid. Although he "brought" a blacksmith to Tubo, he could only make some pots and pans. If you really want to make a weapon, it's okay to chop wood, but not to use it in battle.
Because of this, the reason why the Tubo people were able to defeat the Tang people was still because of their ferocity, and there was not much improvement in weapons.
Hearing the words Mingguang Armor, Ba Lujia's mouth started to water.
Not many Mingguang armors were sent to Tubo from the Central Plains, and they were usually given to Zampu or big nobles. And these armors were used to bury these people after they died.
Therefore, so far, there is only a pitiful set of armor on the plateau.
Now, he has got two sets of armor. He can wear one set himself and give another set to Zamp. With this alone, he can steal the show on the plateau!
After swallowing a sip of saliva, Ba Lujia cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Then, I would be disrespectful to refuse. Thank you, His Highness, for the reward."
"Um."
After a casual hum, Li Xian sat back and drank tea without even looking at the jade stones.
Although these things given by Ba Lujia are of great value, as a prince, he cannot act like he has never seen money.
Seeing that the Tang prince regarded money as dirt, Ba Lujia couldn't help being surprised again.
Taking a sip of tea, thanks to his current change in mood, he now realized the delicious taste of the tea.
After drinking two cups of tea, Ba Lujia glanced at the construction site where construction had resumed. Ba Lujia sighed: "I have always believed that the most creative people in the world are the Central Plains people. The order to build roads, I have also been to Zampu on the plateau, but at most it was just a smooth trail between the valleys, unlike the Central Plains, where mountains are cut into roads."
After saying that, Ba Lujia looked at the prince again and asked: "Your Highness, I wonder what the purpose of building roads in the Central Plains this time is?"
Seeing Ba Lujia's question, Li Xian smiled and said: "It has three uses. First, in disaster years, the people always have something to do, so that they can earn rations, and the court takes the opportunity to get a good way. Isn't it the best of both worlds? Secondly, the roads being built are by no means comparable to the previous official roads. Not to mention that they are as straight as possible, even the width of the roads and the like are far wider than before."
"After the emergence of such a road, it will have an important impact on the economic development of the Central Plains. No matter what kind of goods, as long as the transportation cost can be saved, the volume of transportation and transactions will also increase. It seems that this is just It’s a small road, but it can even have an impact on trade in the Western Region.”
Hearing these two uses, Ba Lujia couldn't help but nodded in agreement. Tubo also wanted to develop trade, but there were too few things they could trade with. Therefore, so far, the biggest trade partner they can trade with is Datang.
"As for the third point, hey hey hey."
Li Xian smiled evilly and continued: "No matter which road is used, it will be effective in concentrating the army. If there is a war on the border in the future, the army will gather in a shorter time. Run to the battlefield.”
Hearing this, Ba Lujia couldn't help but frown.
Because he knew that there was a road built from Chang'an towards Tubo.
In this way....
It will be even more difficult for Tubo to take action against the Tang Dynasty!
The worried expression only lasted for a moment before his expression changed to a smile.
He felt more and more that this mission was really important. The Tang Dynasty was actually so prepared. If they hadn't seen it on the way to the envoy, Tubo would not have known about it. From this point of view, Tubo's intelligence capabilities still need to be improved!
Looking at the construction site under construction again, Ba Lujia couldn't help but secretly sigh.
Even if he is one of the people who most support attacking Datang, at least now, it is impossible.
Although there was a drought, he could not see any signs of decadence in Datang. In fact, they even thought about building roads!
The impact of these paths on the battle situation is also unknown.
Tubo could go to war with the Tang Dynasty, and the outcome would be even 50-50. Even if they lost, it wouldn't be a problem to pick a random tribe and kill them as a scapegoat after the war.
But the question is, if the trade between the Central Plains and Tibet is affected by the war, is it really worth it?
not worth it!
After confirming this, Ba Lujia felt that he really needed to change the purpose of his mission to the Tang Dynasty.
At least for now, the relationship between Tubo and Datang must be maintained.
Thinking of this, Ba Lujia breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Li Xian and Wang Duan and said: "I heard that this place is very close to Chang'an. I am really anxious to pay a pilgrimage to the saint of the Tang Dynasty. I don't know, can I hurry up and hurry up? If so, The city gate is closed, please help me open it."
Ba Lujia still knew how strict the Chang'an curfew was.
Li Xian and Wang Duan looked at each other and nodded to each other.
It seems that at least this guy Ba Lujia has it figured out.
"What's the difficulty? It's just that my father is busy with affairs recently. I'm afraid he won't have time to receive an audience from the envoy in a short period of time. The envoy will have to wait for a few days. Therefore, even if we are not in a hurry to return to Chang'an, we can still of."
With a look of reminiscence in his eyes, Ba Lujia said with emotion: "Even so, I still want to return to Chang'an as soon as possible. After many years of separation, I don't know if some of my mentors are still alive..."
"...."
Looking at Ba Lujia's appearance, Li Xian couldn't help but sigh at the great influence of Central Plains culture.
Even this hawkish guy still maintains his respect for his mentor.
It's a pity that the rulers of the Central Plains since ancient times have never thought of using this thing as a weapon. Even Zheng He's voyages to the West did not turn Chinese into a universal language.
Among the three major religions in the world, Taoism has not been able to rank among them.
In the final analysis, whether it is the culture or religion of the Central Plains, there is still a lot of difference in aggressiveness.
"In that case, let's get up now. Just in time, I want to go back."
Seeing that the prince promised to return to Chang'an as soon as possible, Ba Lujia breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, he not only missed Chang'an and his mentors, but the main reason was that he was afraid of the people on the construction site.
In the scene that just happened, he had no doubt that if the prince hadn't stopped him, those people would really tear them into pieces.
Although the combat effectiveness of the Central Plains people is not very good, when there are many of them, they are still very scary!
Although they decided to go back together, in terms of status, Ba Lujia obviously couldn't share a car with the prince.
The team from the East Palace was in front, and the team from Honglu Temple was behind. Ba Lujia could only sit in a carriage with Wang Duan.
The location of the construction site is still some distance from Chang'an, so it was already midnight when we returned to Chang'an.
Although Chang'an's city defense is tight, there is still no problem in opening the door in the middle of the night in front of the prince.
After the team entered Chang'an, they parted ways. Wang Duan took Ba Lujia to Honglu Temple, while Li Xian returned to the East Palace.
No matter how late he slept, Li Xian would still choose to get up the next day. Practice martial arts.
For some things, persisting for a day or two is of no use at all. Only if you persist long enough can the effect be achieved.
This is what martial arts is like. Even if Li Xian is good at archery, he feels that he is already very good, but he still has to practice hard.
Although it is hard to sharpen one's skills in battle, working hard is better than not working hard at all. What's more, as one of the representatives of the Tang Dynasty, if he loses face in Qiu Hunting, tsk tsk...
Ignoring the fixed target, Li Xian deliberately replaced the rabbit used for archery with a cage of pheasants today.
Although it was very difficult to adapt to a sudden change of goals, once he felt it, Li Xian still achieved good results.
"I came back so late last night, and I have to get up early to practice archery today."
Hearing this familiar voice, Li Xian remained unmoved. He shot an arrow and hit the back of a pheasant before turning around.
The person who came was none other than Li Zhi.
Li Zhi looks better today than he did some time ago. There was no chariot in sight, so he must have walked over by himself. Walking from the Daming Palace to the East Palace, his face was just a little flushed. His body was much better than before.
Putting down his bow and arrow, Li Xian cupped his hands and said, "Aye's complexion looks much better."
Li Zhi smiled: "It's indeed much better. I thought I would die soon, especially when your unfilial brother left, which was a heavy blow to me. Who knew, haha. "
There are some words that are inconvenient to say. In Li Zhi's opinion, changes in his body and recuperation are secondary. This sixth son is much better than I imagined. The main reason is that I feel happy.
However, there were some words that he would not choose to say out loud because he was afraid that the prince would be proud.
Glancing at some arrows scattered on the ground, Li Zhi sighed and said helplessly: "There is nothing I can do about letting you replace me. Although my body has improved a lot, it is completely incomparable to what it was before. To be honest, don’t give up on yourself because your archery progress is slow. In my opinion, your progress is rapid. Even among the archers in the army who are famous for their archery skills, none of them have spent many years of hard work. Only by practicing and accumulating can you become famous?"
Li Xian nodded. In fact, he didn't feel discouraged.
There is nothing to be upset about if you are not as good as others in some aspects, but the rising star can surpass it, or the stupid bird takes the lead and wins. There are too many examples of this.
The same goes for archery. Originally, this thing was accumulated over time. Now it is not as good as others, so there is no shame.
It would be really shameful if because of this, there was no thought of continuing to train and accumulate experience.
Glancing in the direction of Honglu Temple, Li Zhi asked: "I heard that Ba Lujia is here? Although I have seen the secret report, I still want to ask you how you feel about this person."
Ba Lujia?
Li Xian thought for a moment and then replied: "Ba Lujia should be very dangerous. Although he is only an envoy now, there is no doubt that he will occupy a very important position in the future. Erchen felt that , the position of Prime Minister must belong to him."
"Although this man is of Tubo origin, his city is still very deep. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that he once studied in the Central Plains. However, Erchen feels that Ba Lujia, after taking office, will have a great influence on the country. Tang may not be without benefits.”
"Oh? Why do you see it?"
"Because he really knows the Tang Dynasty very well. Just like this time, I dare to say that if a ruder envoy came, he might not be able to see so carefully. However, Ba Lujia obviously gave up attacking the Tang Dynasty. plan. Believe it or not, when you meet with Ba Lujia, he will definitely choose to lower his profile. The so-called gentleman can bully others. Compared with barbarians, Ba Lujia is more dangerous, but equally, he It’s much easier to deal with.”
Seeing the prince say this, Li Zhi couldn't help laughing.
"You are right, Ba Lujia is indeed dangerous, but at the same time, he is easy to deal with. So, how do you plan to deal with him?"
Seeing that Li Yun had brought a chair, Li Xian asked Li Zhi to sit down first, and then he sat down and said, "My son has agreed to give him two pieces of Mingguang armor. For the Tubo people, they can get Mingguang armor. It is simply a dream. In addition, when he goes back, his son will try his best to let him return in glory. If nothing else, the reward he received will definitely make Zanpu of Tubo think that this People are amazing."
Li Zhi nodded, the prince's response was correct. Since Ba Lujia chose to surrender, it is appropriate to give him more rewards. From a long-term perspective, the reward paid at this time is nothing.
Recalling the content of the secret report, Li Zhi asked again: "I heard that Ba Lujia witnessed the progress of the construction site, and you incited the people at the construction site to almost fight with the Tubo people? Tell me, this is your 'national wealth', 'Popular' plan?"
Li Xian nodded: "Countless dynasties in history have proved that when the Central Plains countries were most powerful, it was a period when the people were united. This is what I want to let Ba Lujia see. It is true that they Tubo people Occupying the advantageous location on the plateau and being naturally tough, they can always take advantage in battles with the Tang Dynasty, but at the same time, they are also afraid of the 'large number of people' in the Central Plains."
"Because of the poor living environment, their numbers have grown very slowly. If they had not occupied some low-lying areas, they would not have had any friction with the Tang Dynasty. In any case, although the Tubo army is powerful, we We need more troops. As long as we show him the wealth of the Tang Dynasty and the firmness of the people, then..."
