Seeing that the craftsmen really made the hydraulic giant hammer and had a decent appearance, Li Chengqian couldn't help but be impressed by the craftsmen of the ancients again.

In fact, it's not that they don't have the ability to accomplish this, but it's just that they have been living an almost copy-and-paste life, imprisoning their thoughts. Those who are willing to bow their heads and hammer iron are called industrious, and as for fiddling with wheels and gears and assembling machinery, they are all reprimanded by the old man for not doing their jobs.

Is this not a proper business?

Seeing that a red-hot iron bar quickly turned into a piece of iron under the action of a giant hammer, it was difficult for Li Chengqian to associate this achievement with the four words "not doing a proper job."

Just by pulling a handle, the transmission of power was destroyed, and the giant hammer stopped when it was hanging high, and Yan Liben showed the iron piece of the hammer to the prince.

"It takes half a day for ordinary craftsmen to hammer iron bars like this, and excessive heat hammering will make the iron brittle. Your Highness, just this hydraulic giant hammer can make my Datang's smelting faster! It's just...."

"Just what?"

No matter what the research and development is, it will experience failure, Li Chengqian is already shocked that Yan Liben and others can make a hydraulic giant hammer in a short period of time, at this time, if he says that there are still hidden dangers, he will not be surprised.

"It's just that the axles of the waterwheel can't bear such a heavy load at all, the waterwheel outside, Weichen and others just repaired it yesterday, and the wooden axles will last at most for a day even if the axles of the chariot are used. And repairing the axle takes half a day. We can't fix it for half a day, let's use it for a day. Besides, it's winter, and the waterwheel needs to break the ice before it can be used, as long as the ice is not broken overnight, the waterwheel will be frozen. ”

Li Chengqian, who was in a wheelchair, was pushed by Yu Tai to the edge of Weishui. Sure enough, on the cold days of the New Year, the axle part of the waterwheel had already risen in white fog. This is the heat generated by intense friction. In winter, the flow of water under the ice is slow, and it all becomes like this, not to mention what it will be like when the ice melts. It is estimated that it will have to be used for half a day and repaired for half a day.

Seeing the wooden waterwheel, Li Tai pouted and said, "Stupid, can't you change all these parts of the waterwheel to iron?" Even if the whole thing is made of iron, the water can't be pushed, and the axle can be made iron, so it can save a lot of trouble! ”

Seeing that Li Tai spoke, Li Chengqian gave up the idea of pointing out Yan Liben. Well, it's not bad to let Li Tailai tinker with this thing and pass the time. As for whether he can find the idea of developing bearings through research, it depends on whether he is smart enough.

Datang's smelting level, ball bearings can't be made, but there is no reason why roller bearings can't be made.

Since Li Tai was naturally interested in these things, Li Chengqian felt that he, as an elder brother, should guide him in this direction.

After throwing Li Tai into this experimental site, Li Chengqian took a carriage back to the college.

This year's winter is exceptionally cold, and it is clear that the New Year has passed, but you have to go out against the cold wind.

When he returned to the old man's courtyard, Li Chengqian immediately couldn't cry or laugh. The old gentleman was very gentlemanly and did not go to the opposite college to teach. However, his old man called the students to his home and crowded them into the study to give lectures.

Seeing the old man's radiant appearance when he gave a lecture, Li Chengqian didn't say anything more. Perhaps, lying on the bed like an old man who is about to die, exuding a rotten smell from the inside out, is what he is most tired of.

Back in his room, Li Chengqian began to check the information sent by the secret guard.

The damned Pei family, as expected, did not endure the bombardment of silver, and finally recruited some blacksmiths to teach the Japanese people the technology of iron smelting.

But....

Thinking about the leap in the Datang smelting industry after the completion of the hydraulic giant hammer, Li Chengqian didn't feel that the original smelting was anything powerful. What if the Japanese people produce on a large scale? Without core forging skills, they can only be crushed by Datang craftsmen.

The manufacture of armor has always been a key department of the imperial court, and the craftsmen under the supervision of the ordnance supervision have always been the business of the son following the father. The Japanese people learn folk technology, which can indeed allow the smelting industry of the Japanese to develop, but the armor wants to surpass the Tang Dynasty? Dreaming is more practical.

It's not that I didn't think about killing these Japanese envoys, and told the old gentleman his thoughts, but he was scolded by the old man.

When the two armies face each other, they do not kill the envoys, and the two countries do not kill the envoys. This is a rule formed in this land for thousands of years, which can only be maintained, and must not be broken.

Flies are the right words to describe these people, flying around in front of them, obviously picking up a fly swatter can be swatted to death, but for the sake of the snow-white walls, they can't really move after all.

Write to Geng Buqu to reply, and order him to give up the surveillance of the Japanese people. Since you don't have to plan to kill them, let's try our best to help the scum of the Pei family make up for their mistakes.

After writing the order, Li Chengqian opened Li Dahai's letter again.

Since Lao Li revealed his intentions, he has become more and more concerned about the business outside the East Palace. When he heard that the prince was going to send someone to Xiazhou to inspect the local coal mines, he took it upon himself to do so, and now he has replied.

Looking at Lao Li's report, Li Chengqian laughed.

"Wang family, aren't you a big family? There is no need to hurt people with this, as long as the price of your goods is pushed down, it is a victory! ”

Clapping his hands, Fang Sheng walked in from the outside, bowing down and waiting for the prince's orders.

"You go back to the East Palace, take stock of the current assets of the East Palace, and then send a few people to check whether it is convenient to transport bulk goods from Chang'an to Xiazhou. If it's not convenient, go to the Ministry of Information and Industry. Let's just say that Lone is going to pave the road between Xiazhou and Chang'an, and the Ministry of Industry only needs to contribute to build a smooth and wide official road, pave cement, and Lone will bear it, and they don't need to pay for it! ”

After hearing it clearly, Fang Sheng immediately turned around and went back to the East Palace. He had a hunch that the goods that had just been accumulated in the East Palace would be emptied again.

After Fang Sheng left, Li Chengqian stretched his waist and transferred the route of the grassland caravan to Xiazhou, so that it coincided with the route from Xiazhou to Chang'an.

Xiazhou is actually the later Yulin City, with the title of "the first coalfield in the country". Since it is the first coalfield, the output is unreasonable, but it can't be done in the Wang family's coal mine.

The Wang family lives in Taiyuan and naturally controls the largest coal business in the Tang Dynasty. Today, the coal stove made by the blacksmith shop under the supervision of the superintendent is quite popular in Chang'an. With a coal stove, who wants to have a brazier in the house?

Thanks to the sale of coal stoves, the Wang family can be said to have made a lot of money this time.

As a beneficiary of the coal stove industry, I don't know how to be grateful, but I will take revenge, which is too much.

It is indeed your royal family that has the final say in the vicinity of your state, and other small businessmen have to act according to your face even if they are not surnamed Wang. The price of coal is controlled by you, and others dare not provoke, but this does not mean that you dare not be alone!

If you live in the academy and want to go to court, you have to get up earlier.

As a bystander, there is still something to gain from experiencing the court.

For example, Li Chengqian found that although the chief officials of the three provinces and six ministries had great power, they could not cover the sky with one hand. In the three provinces, only the positions of Shang Shu Ling and the left and right servants are as stable as Mount Tai, but the positions of the six Shang Shu are always rotated back and forth.

The secretary of the military department was originally Li Jing, but after returning from the grassland, Li Jing had to recuperate from his injuries, so the secretary of the military department fell to Du Ruhui again. This Du Duan, who would have died of illness last year, does not show a trace of pathology now. In the past, I had to take a vacation in the winter, but now I don't have a cough or breathlessness.

He is not the only one who has benefited from Sun Simiao, Qin Qiong was originally seriously ill and has retired and rarely went to the court, but now although he is no longer as brave as he was back then, it is no longer a problem to go to the court.

If the twists and turns of the place are just small things, Fang Xuanling will generally make the first annotation, and the emperor will finish it at a glance. If it is a big matter, it needs to be specially approved by the prime minister, and then handed over to the emperor for decision. As for such a major event as the establishment of an official office in the new territory of the Eastern Turks, it needs to be discussed by everyone in the court.

"The grassland has been a big problem in the Central Plains since ancient times, and it is too difficult to make them have a sense of belonging to the Central Plains! Therefore, the old minister thought that it should be managed by the system of the state of Jiaomi. The grassland herdsmen are fierce in nature, afraid of power but not virtuous, and should be restrained by heavy canons, so as not to cause trouble. ”

As soon as the eldest grandson Wuji finished speaking, Kong Yingda jumped out:

"What Zhao Gong said is too biased! The reason why the grassland people have no sense of belonging is nothing more than cultural differences. With such a huge territory, but managed by the system of the Detention Prefecture, aren't you afraid of another disaster? If you want to make the north of Guanzhong stable, you must firmly grasp the land in the palm of your hand!

Therefore, the old man felt that instead of being ruled by its vulgarity, it was better to pass the classics of the Central Plains to the grassland, so that they could wear Hanfu, speak Chinese, and use Chinese, so that they could really be integrated. ”

Listening to Kong Yingda's words, Li Chengqian, who was sitting on guard in the civil official team, although his face was expressionless, he gave this old man a thumbs up in his heart. Whether this method can be implemented or not is not implemented for the time being, but the idea of cultural invasion is commendable.

Fang Xuanling stood up and said: "How to manage the grassland is not something that can be done by just talking about it. To the north of Xiazhou, there is new land, and there is no shortage of herdsmen. Why don't you choose a state capital, experiment with your methods for the time being, and see the results before deciding, how about it? ”

Now that Fang Xuanling has stood up and spoken, it is only a few people who dare to refute after all.

Li Shimin, who was on the throne, nodded and said, "Since Fang Qing thinks that it should be experimented, then it should be decided." It's just that north of Xiazhou, there is no state system yet, so it's better to experiment in Shengzhou. There are Turkic herders, which are more effective than in the vicinity of Xiazhou. ”

The emperor spoke, and Kong Yingda, Eldest Sun Wuji and others all returned to the team. It seems that the full laying of the official offices on the grassland will not be carried out for a while. How to stuff more of their own children in this blank area is what they are most concerned about.

"Speaking of Xiazhou, the twists and turns of the history of Xiazhou are a little interesting. His Royal Highness the Prince, Zhou Yin, the assassin of Xiazhou, is on the book, and the East Palace intends to open a mine in Xiazhou, I don't know why? ”

Seeing Fang Xuanling take out a chapter from his sleeve and shake it at him, Li Chengqian could only stand up and answer.

"Fang Xiang, Gu is now the vice president of Zhenguan Academy, and he is also the one who pays for the construction of the college. Naturally, we must open up our financial channels. With only those few properties in the East Palace, how can they cope with the current and future expenses of the academy. ”

After listening to the prince's words, the courtiers didn't know how to respond for a while.

What about the preparation industry? The supervisor has the shares of the East Palace, the Cheng family has the shares of the East Palace, the glaze workshop has the shares of the East Palace, and there are still in the cement workshop. I heard that the cement workshops under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry have a single cadre share of the college.

The caravan of the grassland, the auction house of Pingkangfang, the breeding farm between Chang'an County of Wannian County, and the printing workshop of the college.

So much adds up, it's enough for a family to be among the wealthy families, and now, do you want to open a mine?

"Although Gu wants to open a mine, everything still has to be done in accordance with the regulations of the imperial court, and the taxes that should be paid will not be less, and the wages that should be paid to local migrant workers will not be less. The emergence of a mineral is bound to drive the prosperity of Xiazhou Prefecture. Don't you think there's anything wrong with it, what does Fang Xiang think? ”

Holding this chapter of the history of the Xiazhou Thorn, Fang Xuanling smiled: "The old minister didn't mean to accuse the prince, on the contrary, the old man wanted to advocate this kind of behavior.

As the prince said, Donggong's purchase of industries in Xiazhou will definitely drive the local people to become rich. Originally, Xiazhou can be called a poor place, like His Royal Highness, he is not only able to do his own power, but also helpful to the people, why not do it! ”

After speaking, Fang Xuanling bowed down to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, now there are some assets in the Xungui family, all of which effectively imitate the prince's ability to benefit a place. Weichen is bold, please allow your majesty to do the same. ”

Fang Xuanling's words immediately made the court blow up!

Wei Zheng stood up and arched his hand: "Your Majesty, no! It has always been a rule that officials are not allowed to do business, so how can it be broken because of this? ”

Wei Zheng didn't trouble Fang Xuanling, because everyone knew that although Fang Xuanling was also one of the nobles, he would never take the initiative to open his mouth to talk about it. Now he dares to take the recital of the Xiazhou Assassin History and talk about things in court, most likely because he was instructed by the emperor.

Compared with Wei Zheng, who jumped up and down, the rest of the officials were happy. How can you support your whole family with the help of being an official? Zhenguan's court has strict laws, and no one dares to be corrupt and take bribes. If you want to support a large family, you have to accept the dependence of the merchant or organize your own industry no matter what.

I had to be sneaky before, and if this matter becomes above board, I don't have to worry about it all day long.

"Wei Zheng retreats, I have my own opinions!"

After repulsing Wei Zheng, Li Shimin said: "Can you Aiqing agree with Fang Qing's words? ”

At this moment, almost everyone couldn't wait to stand up:

"Willing to seek well-being for the local people!"

Listening to the uniform voices of the courtiers, Li Chengqian was a little dazed.

Probably, his arrangement and this twist and turn of the Xiazhou Assassin History aroused the emperor's reverie.

If a place wants to be rich, it really needs rich people to invest in the past!

After this matter was passed, the court was suddenly bursting with laughter. Many courtiers began to think about how they could expand their industries.

For the emperor, what was important was the "investment" of the nobles, which could bring development to the local area. But what the nobles considered was the opposite.

But either way, it's a win-win.

Today, when he saw the twists and turns of the history of Xiazhou, he found that Donggong's purchase of industries in Xiazhou could actually drive the local area to become rich. According to the history of Xiazhou, the land in Xiazhou is desolate and can only be grazing, and the mining in Donggong alone can solve the labor of thousands of people in Xiazhou. As the scale expands, more and more people will benefit.

What's more, after the caravan has been in and out of Xiazhou for a long time, Xiazhou can become an important stop in the Central Plains grassland, and there will be more jobs that require manpower.

In fact, he discovered this as early as when the prince was building a farm and a cement workshop. It's just that this practice is really unprecedented, and what really made him make up his mind was the twists and turns of the Xiazhou Thorn History.

Seeing the officials below celebrating each other, Li Shimin couldn't help but remind: "I know that you all want to see this, but my preferential treatment of the nobles is placed in the second place, and the first is whether it can benefit the people." If someone takes the opportunity to prey on the people, don't blame me for being disregarded. Wei Zheng, I will leave the matter of supervising the noble estate to you, can I? ”

Wei Zheng stood up and said happily: "The minister's order!" ”

What Wei Zheng is most afraid of is that the nobles will be released from the ban and cause bad things. Now that the emperor has not relaxed his supervision, it is the reason why he is relieved.

Seeing that Wei Zheng had obtained the power of supervision, many people's smiles dispersed a lot. Although the future life is better, but Wei Zheng is here, tsk, you still have to pay more attention!

Tang Jian, the secretary of Honglu Temple, stood up with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, although the road is closed by heavy snow, the Western Turks still sent a reply on the matter of peace and kin. The Khan of the Wild Leaf Protector went north to Tiele and was defeated by Xue Yantuo, so he was particularly concerned about the matter of harmony. At the beginning, the Khan was killed by his uncle, and His Majesty said to the seekers that he could make peace with his relatives. Now although Ye Hu is suspicious and vicious, he has to serve the public, and he can be regarded as the main master of the Western Turks. Weichen thinks that there is a lot to be done about harmony! ”

Hearing that the Western Turks had agreed to make peace, Li Chengqian immediately forgot to listen more and watch less talking, and hurriedly went out of class and asked: "Tang Siqing, did you ever say in the reply that they would marry, or should we marry?" ”

Li Chengqian's eagerness caused the courtiers to laugh, and Li Shimin also laughed. It doesn't matter if the prince does this for his sisters or for himself.

As for the crown princess, he already has a plan. It is absolutely impossible for a princess of the Western Turks to become a concubine.

Tang Jian said with a smile: "Naturally, the princess of the Western Turks came to marry, but although Ye Hu was willing to marry the princess, he didn't mention when he would marry, presumably, he was waiting for my Tang Dynasty to give a dowry gift first." ”

As soon as he heard the word "dowry", Li Chengqian realized that he had forgotten about this stubble.

However, it has always been the Western Turks who give the dowry first, and the Central Plains add an extra copy when they give the dowry. Now it's the other way around, I believe that a big country like the Western Turks won't be too picky!

"Since the Western Turks are waiting for the dowry, then the Ministry of Rites will formulate the type and quantity of the dowry, and the internal government will fund it, so let's get married to the Western Turks."

Lu Kuan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, immediately came out to receive the order, and the Tang Dynasty married the princess of the Western Turks, or officially married, which is a lot of brains. When the Ministry of Etiquette encounters etiquette that needs to be formulated on weekdays, it only needs to drill into the pile of old papers.

This time, however, it seems, there is no precedent ....