Because of the severe drought, there is a lot of idle labor. Since there is no hope of saving the crops in the fields, then don’t save them. If you have the strength to carry water to save the crops, it is better to go to work in the big cities. The copper coins you earn are far more than the few coins in the fields.
A crop is valuable.
The food donated by the government was reserved for the old and the weak, enough for them to eat for the next year. The strong men put on their sackcloths and went to the nearest city on foot or in an ox cart to find food.
Chang'an City had the largest influx of laborers, and Li Er took advantage of the situation to start renovating the Furong Garden. This is a royal garden covering an area of more than 1,000 acres and 17 miles long. It was previously awarded to Li Tai, but Li Tai found it annoying.
No, the main reason is that we can't find enough labor to repair and renovate a dilapidated garden left by the former Sui Dynasty. If we want to renovate it, we can't do it in a year or two.
Now that there is labor, Li Er is willing to increase investment, so Furong Garden is now crowded with people. The Gongshu family is responsible for the overall design and construction. Gongshu Jia is now the master craftsman, and has directed countless constructions over the years, from Camel City to
There are bridges, but now it is just a landscape garden, not a big deal.
The Furong Garden is not a big deal, but the statue of Li Er that is about to be erected is a big problem. The height of this statue is more than forty feet, and its weight has reached an astonishing half a million kilograms. To erect such a statue,
And it has to be exactly right, which requires precise calculations and exquisite coordination.
The huge crane has been erected. There is no machinery in the world that can lift this statue. The winch, crane, levers, and a huge door are the main force.
Li Er stood on the platform of Wanmin Palace and could see the construction site. He found that countless carriages were going to the city to sand the canal, and they were constantly piling river sand around the base. There was obviously a lot of river sand.
.Those civilians seem to have no intention of stopping and are still sanding the canal.
"Xiang'er, do you know why they piled yellow sand on the base?"
"Reporting to Grandpa Huang, my grandson knows that the weight of the entire statue is too great. According to the Academy's calculations, it is no less than 500,000 kilograms. There are no tools in the world that can lift the statue and finally place it on the pedestal, so
, only the most primitive sand-piling method can be used. First, pile the sand around the base, then drag the statue onto the sand pile, and finally adjust the position bit by bit using winches, cranes and other hoists, and then lift the statue
The sand underneath is slowly cleaned up so that the statue can be recognized on the base. In the end, it is only necessary to use a winch and a crane to straighten the statue, so that the statue stands firmly on the base. The final task is to clean up all the surrounding sand.
If it goes away, the whole project will be considered completed."
Li Er was very satisfied after listening to Li Xiang's explanation. Li Xiang has made great progress in recent years and is not as irritable as in the early years. Li Er does not think that the project will be as simple as Li Xiang said. But he can use simple
It is also a skill to explain the general appearance of the matter in a few words, which is why he kept Li Xiang by his side as his secretary.
It has been a consensus in the Tang Dynasty that large-scale construction projects were carried out in the years of major disasters to create a living for the people. Therefore, it was not only Chang'an City, Luoyang, and Jinyang that carried out large-scale construction projects. County magistrates from various places also led the people to take advantage of the situation.
During the dry season, rivers were renovated and water conservancy facilities were repaired. The Chidao in Guanzhong also began to be paved with cement pavement. The related kilns and steel industry were in full swing. At this time, Guanzhong was like a huge construction site.
Li Er returned to the Wanmin Palace and asked Li Xiang to take out a huge scroll. After opening it, he carefully measured the distance on the map with his fingers. Although the firearms workshop had been fully restored and had increased by 30% from the original output, Li Er still
I am very dissatisfied that the imperial army's weapon replacement speed is still lagging behind greatly.
He very much hoped that all armies in various places could be re-equipped in the shortest possible time, and excess weapons could be destroyed, thereby strengthening the court's complete control over the army.
Gunpowder workshops and firearms workshops are only allowed to exist in Chang'an City. Just like coin minting workshops, no branches from other places are allowed. This has been written into the laws of the Tang Dynasty and is strictly prohibited from being changed by anyone, including those of later generations.
emperor.
Without gunpowder, the combat strength of the army will be reduced by at least half. Li Er believed that as long as he controlled the gunpowder and refined kerosene, he would not have to worry about the rebellion of the foreign vassals as long as he had the powerful Sixteenth Guards.
Local troops can only be responsible for guarding. As for combat, it is the responsibility of the Sixteenth Guards, the Donghai Navy, the Nanhai Navy, and the Xuanjia Army. The sixteen armies will take turns guarding the fortresses that the empire needs to defend most in order to maintain
The powerful fighting power of the Sixteenth Guards.
"Ask Yun Ye if he can increase the production of firearms. The local army has been trained and is now waiting for his supply of firearms. Hasn't he already established three workshops? Why can't they all be started?
Do you have to rotate it and always leave one workshop vacant?"
Li Er was good at dotting the map and made arrangements with Li Xiang.
"Grandpa Huang, mainly saltpeter and sulfur cannot keep up. The East China Sea Fleet cannot transport these raw materials from Iwo Jima. Marquis Yun has a special note here to explain to you the reasons for taking turns to produce. He believes that if conditions permit,
In this case, six firearm workshops should be built, half of which should be sealed, half used, and rotated every six months, so as to minimize the possibility of accidents." Li Xiang said and found Yun Ye from the large cabinet next to him.
Show the memorial to the emperor.
Li Er still had an impression of this letter, so he took it and read it again. After pondering for a long time, he said to Li Xiang: "If you want someone to draft an edict, call Shangguan Yi."
Li Xiang rang the golden bell, and after a while, Shangguan Yi walked in. A year in prison had worn away the literary spirit in him, and his whole person became lifeless. After saluting, he sat behind the desk and picked up his pen.
Waiting for Li Er to speak.
"Order Yunye to start building three other dormant firearms workshops."
"I ordered Zhang Liang to ensure enough saltpeter and sulfur, otherwise he would be severely punished!"
"Master Sun Ren is ordered to control the output of kerosene, and not a drop of refined kerosene should be left outside, otherwise he will come to see you.
"The commander-in-chief, Sun Wuji, must ensure that the Ministry of War has sufficient funds, and there must be no delay, otherwise he will be severely punished.
"Order the Xuanjia Army to station in Hanzhong, block the Jinniu Road, and divert merchants to Shu Road without any violation."
Li Eryi issued five decrees in a row to ensure that the army could complete the change of uniforms in the shortest possible time. Obviously, as an army, apart from the Sixteenth Guards, the first one to need a complete change of uniforms was the Xuanjia Army.
Soon, the decree came into the hands of Yun Ye. The documents of the military system still needed to be signed by him, the Minister of War. No, kerosene was not only available in Beiting, but also in the Sixteen Kings. Could it be said that Changsun Wuji didn't have it at all?
Report this news to the emperor? What is this guy thinking?
Moreover, kerosene has now become a bulk civilian item. No drop of oil is allowed to be leaked. This is simply impossible. The circle of interests involved is too large, including the Yumen garrison, the Hexi Army, and Xue Rengui's Rock City garrison.
They are all involved. Once it is completely banned, there may be trouble. Copper coins are yellow and people's eyes are red.
Zhang Liang's documents and Xuanjia Army's documents were quickly dispatched. Yun Ye held the document for Sun Renshi in his arms and hurried to Wanmin Palace to see the emperor. There was no way to carry out this order.
"What? You said my will cannot be carried out?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, kerosene is everywhere now. It has also been discovered in Yanchang County. There are nine people with nine surnames in Qiuci and Zhaowu. It has been discovered in Shazha Kingdom. Moreover, the distillation method is no longer a secret. If you want
Banning kerosene, this is impossible, Your Majesty!"
Li Er suddenly stood up and looked at Yun Ye and said, "You said Yanchang, Qiuci, Zhaowu Jiuxing, and Sansa all have this thing?"
"That's right, Your Majesty, now the Shizhishui in Yanchang County has been controlled by the military, but we only have a 20% share of the Shizhishui in the Sixteen Kings. In fact, the country with the most Shizhishui is Dashi, not us.
In the Tang Dynasty, the lamp oil in the south is now obtained through maritime trade. Once we ban kerosene, the biggest gainers will be the big food merchants, and they will laugh to death."
Li Er angrily smashed the jade bottle of mutton fat in his hand to pieces, and said angrily: "You are obsessed with profit. You know that this is an important weapon of the military and the country, but you don't know how to cherish it. Everyone wants to make a fortune relying on it. Yun Ye, I ask you.
, do you have any part in this matter?"
Yun Ye blinked his eyes and said: "Your Majesty, no, as you know, the Yun family has never been involved in any business related to the military and state's important weapons. Your Majesty, these matters have long been submitted to the provincial government for review. You
Why don’t you know?”
Li Er was choked up all of a sudden. It was obvious that this was a means by Changsun Wuji to frame Yun Ye. He couldn't explain it clearly. He suppressed his anger and asked Yun Ye: "Now that this matter has been corrupted, how do you deal with it?"
?”
"Your Majesty, our military's kerosene reserves have exceeded the quota. The ten kerosene depots are already full. What Weichen is most afraid of now is this thing. It is more dangerous than gunpowder. If it explodes, Weichen estimates that
It will blow up the flow of the Wei River. Now all the fire oil depots are on the edge of the Wei River. This thing must be made and used now. Over time, it will dissipate like wine and there is no way to seal it, so Wei Chen will acquiesce.
Kerosene trading exists!”
Yun Ye said as he took out the account book from his pocket and handed it to Li Er for inspection. Li Er hurriedly checked it and handed it to Li Xiang and said: "Send it to the Du Shui Supervisor for thorough investigation. Every oil drum must be inspected."
After doing these things, his complexion gradually improved, and he sat down and asked Yun Ye: "Why is my Tang Dynasty's fire oil so low?"
Yun Ye rolled his eyes and said: "Your Majesty, kerosene is not something that a large place will have, but it depends on whether your country is lucky. Obviously, when it comes to kerosene, the cannibals are luckier than us."