"Oh? Lord Changsun, please speak!" Although he hated this sinister man, Li Min had to accept the other party's question. Li Shimin and the civil and military officials also looked at the two of them.

"This cement is indeed wonderful, but I wonder how much it costs?" Changsun Wuji smiled slightly and immediately asked the key. Li Shimin and others who were excited just now also calmed down and looked at Li Min nervously. This cement is good.

Yes, but good things are usually very expensive. If the cost of cement is too high, then the gain outweighs the loss.

Li Min smiled slightly. As a descendant, how could he not know the importance of cost-effectiveness of goods? Although he did not understand the material and labor costs of cement, Bai Qing, the person in charge, knew everything about it, so Li Min waved to Bai Qing.

Then he said: "Master Changsun asked well. Although I provided the cement firing method, the specific operation was done by Bai Shucheng, so he should introduce it to everyone." Kong Yingda and others heard that the cement turned out to be

Li Min invented it, but he was still hesitant in his heart. No wonder Li Min was responsible for this matter.

Bai Qing's legs were trembling with excitement. He walked tremblingly to the court, saluted Li Shimin and all the officials, and said: "Bai Qing, who will be the Supervisor, pays homage to our Emperor, long live my lords."

"Quickly, how much does this cement cost?" Li Shimin asked eagerly.

"Your Majesty, the materials used in this cement are very common, and the price is also very cheap. It's just that the calcination requires a lot of charcoal, and all the money is spent on fuel." When he said this, Bai Qing pointed at the standing piece.

Cement Board said, "For example, this cement board uses cement plus sand and gravel, and the cost is about fifteen cents."

"Fifteen cents?" Li Shimin frowned. This price is not low. You must know that the current price of food is only five cents a dou. If you want to build a cement highway from Chang'an to Luoyang, you can roughly estimate that it will cost at least 5 cents.

Four to five million yuan! Datang's annual tax revenue is only that much, and it would be all gone if it built a few cement roads.

"Father, what Bai Shucheng said is only the current cost. If cement is fired on a large scale in the future, the cost can be further reduced. I estimate that it will never exceed ten cents. And with the improvement of the technology in the future, the price will still have room to drop.

." Li Min took a step forward and assured, and his words were immediately approved by Bai Qing.

"If the price can be lowered to less than ten cents, our Tang Dynasty will build roads even if we are struggling to make a loss. This will be a sacred act to protect our Tang Dynasty forever!" When Fang Xuanling heard this, he couldn't stand it anymore.

Unable to bear it anymore, he stood up and said with great excitement.

After hearing what Fang Xuanling said, many far-sighted officials also agreed and came forward to ask Li Shimin to issue an order that the Ministry of Industry be responsible for expanding cement production. Some ministers with cautious personalities did not object, but suggested that they could try out a few repairs first.

Let’s see how effective the road is. If it’s feasible, it won’t be too late to build it in a big way.

Li Shimin was also in a dilemma. The treasury was not very rich to begin with, and he had always wanted to find an opportunity to conquer Goguryeo. Tubo was not at peace either, and he didn't know when a war would break out. Although the Tang Dynasty had a great family and a great business, it had to use money everywhere.

How can he not see the importance of roads when he has money? But if Datang spends several years building roads at a loss, nothing will be done by then, and Datang will also be on the defensive externally. This is a big problem for a country.

For a very ambitious emperor, it was indeed a very painful thing.

After thinking for a long time, Li Shimin could not make up his mind. Finally he just said: "Cement production must be expanded and roads must be repaired, but the cost is still too high. Let me think about it for a few days before deciding!"

After Li Shimin finished speaking, he left the court directly. He didn't ask anyone to stay this time, and went straight back to the palace by imperial chariot. All the civil and military officials below also dispersed, but some curious people were reluctant to leave and gathered around the cement.

The workshop wanted to see the cement production process, but due to confidentiality reasons, Li Min came forward to invite them out.

Ordinary officials were easy to deal with. As soon as Li Min stepped forward and told them, they would leave. Some of them didn't even need to be invited by Li Min personally. Hearing that the cement workshop had to be kept secret, they immediately left consciously. But not everyone did.

With this look in his eyes, what is surprising is that this person is not a bad guy like Cheng Yaojin, but a third-grade civil servant wearing purple clothes.

Li Min had noticed this person from the beginning, and he also knew him, but because of friendship, he was embarrassed to go up and chase him away. He thought that based on this person's identity, if he saw him chasing people away, he would

He left consciously, but what he didn't expect was that until other officials left the cement workshop, this man was still standing there with a smile on his face.

Li Min had no choice but to step forward, bowed to the ground and said: "My nephew, see Uncle Fang!" Even though Li Min is a prince, Fang Xuanling is an old man who conquered the world with Li Shimin.

In private, Li Shimin always talked with them as their peers, so as long as it was not a formal occasion, Li Min would address veteran ministers like Fang Xuanling as his elders.

"Haha, Liu Lang is here to drive me out?" Fang Xuanling said with a smile.

Li Min cursed in his heart, since you know everything, why are you still so ignorant? But these are just thoughts in his mind, and he dare not say them to his face.

"Uncle Fang is serious. This place is of course confidential to others, but of course it is of no use to you, old man." Li Min said with a mischievous smile.

"Okay, His Highness Prince Liang, please stop playing your little tricks in front of me." How could Li Min's little thoughts be hidden from the eyes of an old fox in the officialdom? The reason why he stayed here was of course because he had something to do.

To find him, Li Min also vaguely guessed this.

Fang Xuanling thought about it for a moment, and then said, "What does His Highness Prince Liang think of the road construction?"

Li Min was stunned. He didn't expect that Fang Xuanling stayed here just to ask about road construction. This is not the same as cement. No matter how you say it, cement is just a new thing that benefits the country and the people. He will only get merit if he offers it.

No, but road construction is different. This is a political matter related to the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. He, the prince, cannot discuss the government affairs without Li Shimin's permission. Fang Xuanling has been wallowing in the court for so many years, and he will not even do this.

Not sure, so what exactly does he mean by asking himself?

Li Min couldn't guess what Fang Xuanling had in mind for a moment. Fortunately, he reacted quickly. He was stunned for a moment and said with a smile: "Uncle Fang, you are asking the wrong person. How can I, an idle person, know anything about the affairs of the court?"

"

Fang Xuanling's bright eyes have been observing Li Min's every move. Seeing that Li Min reacted so quickly, he secretly admired him in his heart. As the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, the art of observing people is the foundation of an official. From above

Fang Xuanling had noticed Li Min since he started memorizing the Three-Character Sutra in primary school. After this period of direct or indirect contact, Fang Xuanling could conclude that among Taizong's disciples, in terms of talent and intelligence, almost no one

If you can, go to Li Min.

It's a pity that the two most outstanding princes, Li Min and Li Ke, have the blood of the royal families of the two dynasties, which means they are destined to miss the throne of the Tang Dynasty! Fang Xuanling sighed secretly when he thought of this. Although Li Shimin still has

Young, the prince was selected early, but the performance of the prince in recent years has made many ministers dissatisfied. Li Shimin also had the idea of ​​​​Yi Chu. As one of the most important advisers under Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, of course, also

This problem bothers me.

Thinking of these troubles, Fang Xuanling felt a little depressed, and had no intention of hanging around with Li Min any more, so she got straight to the point: "Liu Lang, I have something important to discuss with you this time, so don't worry so much about it. Why?"

Say whatever you want, if you call me uncle, then I will act like an old man today, and we will talk to each other as elders and juniors, what do you think?"

Having said this, what else could Li Min say? Besides, he had no grudges against Fang Xuanling. As the number one person in the dynasty, he also used some conspiracy tactics against him, so Li Min

He stopped laughing and said seriously: "Since my uncle said so, let me tell you my humble opinion."

Li Min paused for a moment when he said this, and Xuanling, the housekeeper, listened carefully, so he continued: "Building roads is of course a century-old plan, and I won't go into detail about the importance of roads. Based on my uncle's experience as an official for many years,

, I must have seen it more clearly than anyone else, so I believe that this road must be built, but it cannot be built in a day or two, so we cannot rush it. We can build it in Jiannan or other important places.

We need to build a few main roads on a trial basis first, and when the time is right, it won’t be too late to build more massively.”

Li Min's words were very tactful. Just now, Fang Xuanling was very enthusiastic about building roads, and his attitude was very radical. He even said that he would build the roads even if he had to work hard for several years to make a loss. Of course, Li Min was a little strange. Normally, Fang Xuanling

Xuanling's stability should prevent him from being so radical. What's even more strange is that his statement is supported by many people.

"Haha, it seems that the wise nephew thinks that I am a little too radical, right?" Fang Xuanling certainly heard the underlying meaning of Li Min's words, but he was not angry at all. Instead, he said with a smile.

"My nephew doesn't dare!" Li Min hurriedly bowed and saluted. Although he said he didn't dare, his meaning was exactly the opposite.

"Alas! Actually, I don't know if this matter is urgent or not, but for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, I have to be anxious!" Fang Xuanling suddenly sighed and said something that shocked Li Min.

"What did uncle say?" Li Min was shocked, but at a loss. Now is the tenth year of Zhenguan, a time when the country is strong and prosperous, and it is even called the 'Reign of Zhenguan' by later generations.

It is one of the famous prosperous times in history. I have never heard of anything in history that could threaten the country of the Tang Dynasty.

"Does Liu Lang know His Majesty's ambition?" Fang Xuanling did not answer Li Min's question. Instead, he asked another question that left Li Min confused.

"This..." Li Min hesitated for a moment. He suddenly realized that although he was Li Shimin's son, his understanding of Li Shimin was really not as good as Fang Xuanling. After all, he was the most important minister under the emperor's father.

The prince himself had not seen Li Shimin for ten days and a half, while Fang Xuanling discussed matters with him almost every day.

"His Majesty is a great hero of the generation, no less inferior to the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty!" When Fang Xuanling said this, his tone turned high-pitched, "His greatest wish is to wipe out all the powerful enemies around the Tang Dynasty in his lifetime, and create a better country for the Tang Dynasty.

You, the descendants, have left behind a peaceful and prosperous era. Now the Turks have been destroyed, the northern grasslands are in chaos, Tuyuhun has been pacified, and only Goguryeo in the southeast has not yet been conquered. Although Tubo has become stronger and stronger in the past two years, in the heart of His Majesty Taizong,

The one I wanted to conquer the most was Goguryeo. Back then, Goguryeo took advantage of the civil strife in the Central Plains to occupy Liaodong. The former Sui Emperor's several expeditions failed, and hundreds of thousands of powerful men died fighting in Liaodong. I always talk about this.

, His Majesty sighed for it..."

Fang Xuanling was worthy of being the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, and he was very clear about Li Shimin's thoughts. Under his explanation, Li Min also understood the reason why Fang Xuanling was eager to build roads. It turned out that during this period, the Tang Dynasty had no strong enemies outside the country.

It was also very stable. Li Shimin also had the idea of ​​​​conquering Goguryeo. Although Fang Xuanling and Li Jing both opposed it, they could not change Li Shimin's decision.

Just when Fang Xuanling felt that there was nothing he could do, Li Min suddenly invented cement. This gave Fang Xuanling an idea. If he wanted to build roads across the country, it would definitely cost a lot of money. Even the treasury of the Tang Dynasty would not be able to provide extra money to support it.

A large-scale conquest could not only greatly improve the traffic conditions of the Tang Dynasty, but also delay the conquest of Goguryeo. It could be said to kill two birds with one stone. After all, road construction cannot be completed in a year or two.

The time for Lu to accumulate strength has passed in seven or eight years. By then, Li Shimin may have changed his mind. It was precisely with this intention that he was so actively in favor of building roads.

Politics is indeed the most complicated thing in the world, and there is no simple person among those who engage in politics! After listening to Fang Xuanling’s explanation, Li Min couldn’t help but lamented that it was originally a very simple matter, but when Fang Xuanling came to

In the hands of people like this, it has become extremely complicated. Who would have thought that building a road would involve the conquest of Goguryeo?
Chapter completed!