"The idea? Yes, Your Majesty, the minister also briefly mentioned to you before, most of you are a noble person who forgets things and forgets them. ”

"Mentioned? When did it happen? Li Shimin blinked his eyes, stunned and didn't remember.

"Uh... Probably when His Majesty just planned to establish the Beiting Protectorate, it was all last year, and at that time, the Xue Yantuo tribe had just surrendered to my Tang Dynasty, and under the military authority, no one dared to clash with our soldiers, so Your Majesty may have forgotten. ”

"Oh, then you can tell me more about it, I listen."

Chen Fei nodded, thought for a while, and asked Li Shimin a question, a question closely related to the government - "Your Majesty, how important do you think the large grasslands in the north are?" ”

"How important..." Li Shimin didn't seem to think much about this question, and quickly gave the answer when he heard it. If the northern grasslands can be in their hands, the imperial court will have a large area of horse breeding land. The northern grasslands are fertile, rich in cattle and horses, the country has horses, farmers have cattle, and they are rich and strong! ”

Chen Fei nodded in agreement, the north is indeed a good place to produce cattle and horses. The land area is comparable to the entire existing land, and such a large grassland is used to raise cattle, sheep and horses...... Tsk, it's exciting to think about.

But... How to say it, as a person who has crossed over from later generations, Li Shimin's understanding of the northern grasslands is still a bit narrow.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with this day and age.

"What Your Majesty said is that controlling a large area of the northern grasslands not only eliminates the harassment of the northern nomads, but also provides a large number of high-quality cattle and horses for the country, which is indeed a good way to kill two birds with one stone. But... Are there really only these two visible values in the northern grasslands? Chen Fei asked rhetorically, and really stopped Li Shimin.

In addition to these two values, the rest is nothing more than the fact that the land area is doubled, and what else is there?

Seeing Li Shimin's somewhat confused eyes, Chen Fei couldn't help but sigh. I'm afraid it's not just Li Shimin, countless previous dynasties have a similar view of the northern grassland, thinking that it is just a place to produce cattle and horses, and the others are not of much value. In reality, however, they grossly underestimate the economic value of the grasslands.

"Your Majesty, the value of the northern steppes is far more than we imagined. Let's ignore the cattle and horses, let's talk about another animal on the grassland - sheep. Your Majesty knows that the sheep is full of treasures. Lamb can be eaten, wool can be used to make clothes......."

"Wool for clothes? How can wool be used to make clothes? Like the people of the north? No, no, this game means that the Tao is too heavy, and it smells very bad on the body, and it can't be used as clothes. Li Shimin waved his hand again and again to refuse, as if he looked down on clothes made of wool.

Chen Fei only smiled bitterly, in ancient China, no one really wore clothes made of wool, wool had a smell, and this smell made many people unbearable, so no one was willing to give up the good linen or silk to use wool.

Moreover, if wearing silk is a symbol of dignity, then wearing wool is a lowly synonym, and most people will hide away when they see him, no reason, they just can't stand the smell!

"Your Majesty, wool can indeed be used to make clothes, and unlike what everyone knows, the clothes made of wool that the minister called are not the kind with sheepskin, but simply clothes made of wool. The smell will be much smaller, and after being treated in a special way, this smell can be removed, and it will be no different from ordinary clothes. And most importantly... Wool clothes are very cold-proof, comparable to cotton clothes, and can be made into more styles than cotton clothes, and are definitely the best material for making clothes. ”

"Well..." Li Shimin was skeptical after listening to Chen Fei's description, and did not express his position for the time being. Chen Fei touched his nose and smiled bitterly, and said: "In addition to wool, the northern grassland also has an important role, and it will become a barrier between my country and the north and Western countries." Your Majesty should know that when General Li Jing subdued the remnants of Xue Yantuo in the northern grassland, he discovered a new country, which His Majesty named the Rakshasa Country, and its country is located in the extremely cold land in the north, the climate is harsh, and it is difficult for the army to pass and attack, so if our country has a war with them in the future, the large grasslands in the north can play a role in blocking. ”

"Rakshasa seems to be a small country, although the people are strong, but it is really backward, and the inhabitants are like savages, so there is nothing to worry about."

I'll go! Chen Fei almost fainted when he heard Li Shimin's words, the world's toughest fighting nation was actually evaluated by Li Shimin as a "small country" and "not to be worried", which really made him not know what to say.

However, for the time being, it is indeed not a cause for concern that the fighting nation has no combat effectiveness and no advanced productive forces and weapons.

"Your Majesty, yes, although the Rakshasa Kingdom is backward now, they have a lot of resources...... Belch... It's a gold mine! They have a lot of gold mines! Your Majesty must not help but prepare. ”

Not knowing how to explain oil and gas to Li Shimin, Chen Fei simply described all these mine resources as gold mines. Sure enough, Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he immediately became interested.

"Is that true? Strange, you've never been there, how do you know there's a gold mine there? ”

"Uh......." This question is really embarrassing, Chen Fei rolled his eyes, and immediately received: "It was said by an old man who is proficient in hexagrams." ”

"Oh, it's a coincidence, the two national teachers also said that there are heavy treasures in the far north, it seems that this is true, well, yes, continue to say."

National teacher? It can't be Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, right? I didn't expect these two heavyweights to say the same, it looks like I'm going to be fooled today, otherwise I really have to spend a lot of time.

"Your Majesty, since the north is rich in gold mines, we also need to make some preparations for the future, naturally we must first consolidate the power of the steppe, and then take the far north. As for the cold climate of the Far North...... Your Majesty, a sweater made of wool can withstand the cold, even in the cold and snow. ”

"Well, even if what you say is correct, there is something that works, but what does that have to do with how to control the North?" Li Shimin rounded the problem back and threw it back to Chen Fei.

Chen Fei said with a smile: "Since Your Majesty agrees with what the minister said, it is equivalent to agreeing with the value of the northern grassland, Your Majesty, the minister wants to ask Your Majesty for a few things for the northern grassland, and please give it to Your Majesty." ”

Hearing that he was begging for something, Li Shimin raised his eyebrows and asked, "What is it?" Although Zicheng came to the Tao, if it is feasible, I will definitely not be stingy! ”

Chen Fei smiled slightly and said: "First, teach herdsmen to farm, second, open up business, third, culture and education, fourth... Allow grassland herders to be officials! ”

(End of chapter)