Empress Lu looked at Liu Chang with a handful of snot and tears in disgust.

"Mother, I really want to do something good for the benefit of the country and the people... But I'm too young to help me, so I can't do it..."

"I saw Shang Fang making farm tools earlier, and I understood that it is impossible to make good tools without good iron..."

"So I've always been thinking about how to mine more ore, how to make better iron..."

Empress Lu didn't interrupt him, she listened carefully to Liu Chang's explanation, and after Liu Chang explained a rough idea, she frowned and began to ponder.

"Do you really have a way to increase minerals?"

"Of course! Mother! People don't believe me, don't you believe me? Who am I, Chief Liu, and when did I say big things? ”

Hearing this, Empress Lu, who was originally a little moved, began to hesitate again.

"Long, to mine iron ore, this is not a trivial matter, it will take tens of millions of people, and the cost is huge, if you can't do it, don't talk nonsense... Otherwise, it will invite great disaster. ”

"Mother, I can really do it, as long as you send me over, I will definitely be able to do it, if I fail to fulfill my promise... Mother can cure me! I don't have a word for it! ”

Seeing Liu Chang's confident and high-spirited appearance, Empress Lu really couldn't refuse anymore, she thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I believe you for the time being." ”

"Great! When are we going to Shang Fang?! ”

"Go find your eldest brother, he will help you."

"It's so hilarious to co-authorship... In the end, you will push me to the big brother? Liu Chang muttered in a low voice.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing, thank you mother, ah, no, thank you queen!"

After Liu Chang left, Empress Lu found a palace maid and explained a few words.

"Good! Your idea is so good!! ”

Liu Ying slapped her thigh violently and shouted excitedly.

After Liu Chang found the second brother and told him his thoughts, Liu Ying almost didn't hesitate at all, and immediately agreed. Liu Ying has been holding her breath these days, wanting to perform in front of Liu Bang once. This time to go to Huainan, Liu Bang still had an idea and wanted Liu Ying to go on the expedition instead of himself, but Empress Lu still disagreed.

Even if Liu Ying pleaded for mercy several times, but Empress Lu just ignored him, and in the end, Liu Bang could only scold and scold in person, although this war did not last long, but Liu Ying was hit again, and the relationship between father and son finally eased back to the original point.

At this moment, hearing Liu Chang's thoughts, Liu Ying was immediately overjoyed, thinking that this was a good opportunity, not only to prove himself, but also to bring great benefits to Dahan.

Liu Chang was a little stupid, and the second brother agreed? Don't think about it anymore?

"Brother, aren't you afraid that I won't do well and waste my efforts?"

"What is my brother going to do, how can he not do it?"

Liu Ying replied with a smile.

Liu Chang's heart suddenly felt a little warm, and he grinned, "Don't worry, this matter will definitely be done!" I will not fail my brother's trust! ”

Liu Chang wants to do things and Liu Ying wants to do things is completely different, Liu Ying took Liu Chang to the door of Shangfang Mansion just now, and the officials inside hurriedly came out to greet him, bent over, and listened to the prince's order with a smile on his face, "Choose an iron mine, arrange the manpower, and prepare all kinds of tools..."

"Yui!"

No matter what Liu Ying said, they hurriedly promised, and they didn't even dare to hesitate. Liu Bang is not there, nominally he is the "prince in charge of the country", the general leader of all domestic affairs, no one dares to disobey the prince's orders, even if he is the prime minister, he has to come to Lu Hou and the prince to discuss when he encounters major events.

Although most of the time, it is Empress Lu who makes the decision, but if Liu Ying really wants to do something, the ministers cannot disobey it at all.

As Empress Lu said: No one binds your hands and feet. Well, except for herself.

Liu Chang looked at these groveling looks, and couldn't help gritting his teeth, everyone is a prince, why do they treat them so differently? You all wait, when I grow up, I will arrest all of you and go to repair the palace!

The Qin State did not allow private mining of iron ore, nor was it allowed to make iron privately, and salt and iron were all operated by the government with strict standards. However, Xiao He believed that in order to restore people's livelihood in the fastest time, iron tools must be sufficient, and he directly relaxed the restrictions on iron, allowing private mining and smelting, only hoping to have a large number of iron tools in the fastest time.

Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing in history also maintained this tradition left by Xiao He, which was a good thing for the early Han Dynasty and played a great role in rebuilding the world. Until the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in order to create wealth for the country and persist in fighting the war, the ministers began to focus on salt and iron again.

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, there were many iron mines, but most of them were small private mines, with only a few hundred people, and the daily mining volume was also very low. As for the mines run by the government, unlike the Qin Dynasty, there were not many criminals in the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty would not mobilize a large number of people to dig mountains and open mines, so the mining rate of government-run mines was also very low.

On the basis of the Qin Dynasty system, the Western Han Dynasty reduced a lot of criminal laws, learned the lessons of the Great Uprising, and no longer frequently issued conscription and mobilized people's power. This is of course a good thing, but in terms of mining and the use of iron tools, the early Han Dynasty was far inferior to the Great Qin, and it can only be said that there is no perfect policy, and there are advantages and disadvantages.

And Shang Fang can't manage the iron mine, but they can help the prince contact, after conveying the prince's order, Shaofu sent the largest iron mine in Shangjun to Liu Ying to manage, this iron mine, there are more than 13,000 criminals, which can be regarded as a very large mine.

Liu Ying decided to arrange the affairs of Chang'an first, and then set off for the mine.

Liu Chang took advantage of this opportunity and hurriedly found his friends.

"At that time, as soon as I walked to the door of Shang Fang, the people of Shang Fang rushed out, standing respectfully on the side and waiting for my order, I told them at that time, the Han need iron, I can help them mine iron ore, after I finished saying our will, they were shocked, and hurriedly gave me an iron mine in Shangjun with hundreds of thousands of people!"

"Later, the prince came to me and said that he knew my thoughts and wanted my help, and I agreed to him for the sake of brotherhood."

The friends were stunned when they heard this, and their eyes were full of admiration.

"But, big brother..."

"Call the king!"

"The King... Didn't you say you were going to take us to something big... Now that you are going to go to Shangjun with the prince, and we can't go with us, what use are we? Zhou Shengzhi said helplessly.

"Who says you're useless? Are there no available men in your respective mansions? ”

"Do you have no money or food in your hands?"

"When the iron is smelted, you can also help sell it!"

Liu Chang stretched out his hand, let everyone close to him, and taught in a low voice: "After you go back, you can discuss this matter with your family... Needless to say, it was my idea, but I said that the prince was going to do this..."

Everyone listened attentively, nodding their heads from time to time.

In the Prime Minister's Mansion, Xiao He looked helplessly at his son sitting in front of him.

Xiao He has two sons, the eldest of which Xiao Lu has already married, Xiao Lu is calm and cool-headed, and he no longer needs to worry about it. But this second son, I really don't know what the situation is, he is always half a beat slower than others, stupid and stupid, and it took a long time to respond to him.

Xiao He was also very anxious at first, and thought of various ways, until one day, a doorman saw the stupid Xiao Yan, and came forward to congratulate Xiao He, Xiao He asked rhetorically, this doorman told him: You are already the prime minister, there is no more prominent official than you, even if your descendants do nothing, they can inherit your title, and they will not endure hardships.

Xiao He thought so, and did not force this child to study anymore, but followed his temperament and did whatever he liked.

Xiao Yan is honest, there is no city government, he is kind at heart, and he is weak by nature, but fortunately, Zhou Shengzhi never bullied him, he always took him to play, and he played happily every day. Xiao He thinks that this is also very good.

"Father... The prince wants to make iron, and he wants my help. ”

Xiao He didn't know how to reply for a while, there were really too many slots in this sentence, which made the prime minister of the big man speechless for a while, he was silent for a long time, and asked, "Who told you to say this?" ”

"Uh... It's the king. ”

"Childe?"

Xiao He shook his head and couldn't help laughing, this bear kid is really going to make trouble, he has heard about the iron mine, but Liu Chang has to pull this group of brothers.... Xiao He suddenly realized something, frowned, his face became serious, he thought for a moment, shook his head again, and his face became calm.

"In that case, then you can fund the prince in your private name... I'll prepare it for you tomorrow, and when the prince and them depart, you can send them over... Remember, it's in your name, remember? ”

"Hmm..."

"Repeat to me, in whose name?"

"Uh... In my name..."