As one of the clan generals, Li Daozong was as famous as Li Xiaogong. Compared with Li Xiaogong, who was well-connected, Li Daozong did not have many friends.
In addition, he had issues with Changsun Wuji, Yu Chigong and others. Zhang Yang listened to Li Tai's story and walked all the way to the entrance of the village. He knew that Li Daozong was coming. As they were both clan generals, Li Xiaogong could not be absent.
A banquet was arranged in the village, and Li Tai specially asked someone to build a straw shed here. The gloomy sky would rain at any time.
Zhang Yang put his hands on his hands and looked at the soldiers and horses coming from a distance, frowning and said, "Actually, you don't need to be there. It's just a business discussion. The ministers in the DPRK are all kind-hearted people, and they will not bully me." Li Xiaogong.
He snorted, his face full of disdain for these words.
Zhang Yang asked again, "How is your health?" Li Xiaogong relaxed his arms.
"Not bad, eat well and sleep well."
"Recently, drink less alcohol, eat more vegetables, and pay more attention to health."
"I'm here to see Li Daozong. I haven't seen him for a long time. With Chang Sun Wuji on the side, that old fox will be more restrained." Li Daozong and Li Xiaogong are both clan generals and cousins of His Majesty.
After he ascended the throne, Li Xiaogong was granted the title of Prince of Hejian County, and Li Daozong, who was also the Prince of the County, was granted the title of Prince of Jiangxia. Both of them stayed in Chang'an City.
At that time, everyone followed Li Yuan to conquer the world, but after Li Shimin ascended the throne, they have been reducing the power of the clan.
The clan and royal relatives are all relatives. Throughout the dynasties, there have always been conflicts between the relatives and the direct lineage of the royal family.
Tian Khan is now in his prime, and the direct heirs are still young. At this time, the contradiction has not yet appeared, Li Xiaogong greeted Li Daozong with a smile, and now it seems that there is always a feeling of beauty before the break.
The power grabs by relatives and the royal family were so cruel that both in the Han Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty, they always stepped on the corpses of others to gain power.
Zhang Yang was worried, but he saw Changsun Wuji and Li Daozong dismounting from their horses and approaching, bowing and saluting, "I have met Duke Zhao, I have met the King of Jiangxia County." Li Tai also saluted,
"Uncle Wang, uncle." Changsun Wuji was very fond of the word uncle. If he wanted to call him Zhao Guogong in front of outsiders, he could call him uncle here.
Looking Li Tai up and down, he added, "When you were on your first trip, my uncle couldn't see you, so I gave this gold pen to you." Li Tai took it with both hands.
"Thank you, Uncle." Noticing that Zhang Yang looked at the pen made of gold with fiery eyes, Li Tai quickly put the pen in his arms and said politely, "Uncle Wang, please take a seat quickly."
"That's fine." Changsun Wuji said.
"I heard that my brother has been staying in Lishan for a long time to recuperate?" Li Daozong whispered. Li Xiaogong stroked his beard with a serious look on his face.
"Well, Divine Doctor Sun is in Lishan, and the Lishan Medical Clinic has excellent medical skills, so he stayed here." Li Xiaogong was nine years older than Li Daozong. They were both clan generals at the time. The King of Hejian County had long since given up military power and became a military official.
After becoming the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and burning down the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, he no longer had an official position and drank and had fun at home.
The emperor really couldn't stand this clan member, so he simply transferred him to the position of Minister of Zongzheng Temple, where he remains today.
Even as Minister of Zongzheng Temple, Li Xiaogong was still a dabbler who didn't care about anything. He was originally a military general and could not do well as a civil servant, so Li Shimin let him go. As long as this person did not cause trouble, the Minister of Zongzheng Temple would let him go.
He has been there for more than a year now.
Now Li Shimin of Zongzheng Temple asked Chu Liang to watch again. At the beginning of Zhenguan, in order to control military power after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he had the idea of letting the clan generals leave the army, and he also implemented this idea.
Li Xiaogong was one of those who was arranged. There was also Li Daozong, who had served as the Minister of Dali Temple at the beginning and was transferred from a general to a civil servant.
Because the Turks invaded Liangzhou, Guanzhong was caught off guard. Li Shimin allowed Li Daozong to regain military power and sent troops to Liangzhou.
Furthermore, in the fourth year, during the northern expedition against the Turks, Li Shimin asked Li Jing to lead the northern expedition, and Li Daozong was among them.
After the northern expedition against the Turks, he became the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and became a civilian from a military general. Later, because of the war in Tuyuhun, Li Daozong was transferred to Xihai Road to help defend the northwest with Li Daliang.
So much so that even now that the trouble on the northwest frontier has been lifted, he still leads some Liangzhou soldiers and horses. He was transferred back and forth like this. When he was needed, Li Shimin placed him in the army and gave him a civilian position when he was not needed.
The emperor was a contradictory emperor. Military power now relied on the prestige of the clan. Li Shimin did not want the clan to be in charge of the army for too long and would retire from his military position as soon as the war was over.
In contrast, Li Xiaogong lived more clearly. Although he had a very tough wife in his family, he could still balance military power and government affairs.
He lives a bastard life and knows very well what he can and cannot do. Of course, he also has impulsive moments, such as setting fire to the Ministry of Rites.
After doing this, I can still be alive and kicking and enjoy the rest of my life. It can only be said that we have a lot of talent.
Everyone sat down, and Zhang Yang lit a brazier on the spot. He took a few pieces of coal and stone from his horse and looked at them carefully. From the appearance, it looked very good, the color was very good, there were no stains, and there was little yellowing on the surface.
Crush it into pieces and put it into the brazier, carefully observing the changes in the flame. After half a stick of incense, the coal and stone were burned. The flame became more intense and the burning time was quite long.
"The quality of the coal is very good." Zhang Yang nodded and concluded. Li Daozong sat aside and said nothing. He looked at the young man with a straight face, as if he wanted to see what was different about this young man.
It started to drizzle again in the gloomy sky. Changsun Wuji took a sip of tea to dispel the chill in his body.
"I was busy with things for the coming year, but I didn't expect that Your Majesty would arrange to come to Lishan to sell these coals. Merchant affairs are not what I am good at. Zhang Yang, you can make the decision yourself." Li Xiaogong coughed and said,
"Old fox, Changsun." When the old fox said this, Changsun Wuji's face immediately sank.
"Since His Majesty has arranged it, we can't let this kid make the decision on his own. As elders, we should give some advice." The words were passed to Changsun Wuji.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! It was a simple transaction, but a few sentences made the atmosphere a lot awkward. Zhang Yang smiled and said, "May I ask Duke Zhao, how many coal mines did you bring?" Changsun Wuji
Sitting very upright, Li Xiaogong didn't sit properly and even had his nose licked.
Changsun Wuji was originally a literati. The most important thing for literati is etiquette. When you sit, you should sit down, and when you stand, you should stand up.
Although Li Xiaogong was also a civil servant, he was a scum among civil servants. Anyway, he just didn't have a good position.
Changsun Wuji calmed down, as if to soothe his blood pressure, and whispered, "Five thousand stones, and six thousand stones are being transported from Xueyantuo." Zhang Yang asked again, "If it is a long-term transaction, Xueyantuo's coal mine reserves will definitely be
It’s more than that.”
"Of course, as compiled by your Diplomatic Academy's Geography, there are many coal mines in Xueyantuo, but the Xueyantuo people are not good at using these things. General Li Ji is currently stationing troops in Xueyantuo and letting Xueyantuo's idle tribesmen dig coal mines."
The location of Xue Yantuo is just north of Mobei, which is also the Outer Mongolia region in later generations.
It has excellent mineral resources, but it is also a very barren and bitterly cold place. After the coal resources were widely used, Xueyantuo's environment became worse and worse. Over-exploitation and over-grazing made the wind and sand aggravated.
In later generations, sandstorms from Xue Yantuo often swept through Guanzhong. Environmental management is a long-term solution. In the northwest, Di Zhisun has arranged for people to plant Populus euphratica forests in the Gobi to build a sand-proof forest.
The young man had been standing with his hands folded, frowning and looking into the distance, as if he was thinking. Li Daozong sat on the right side of Li Xiaogong and was also observing carefully.
"I think professional work must be carried out in a practical way. It is best to be open and honest. Specific matters must be analyzed in detail and the plan for the next ten years shall be implemented. This time, coal mining must continue to cooperate with Xue Yantuo. We must start from the details and let Datang
We are in a relatively good development environment with Xue Yantuo." After saying this, the scene became quiet for a while.
This set of official words made everyone present click their tongues, and they didn't come back to their senses. It talked about a lot of details, foundation, implementation, and specific analysis?
Li Daozong asked in a low voice, "Brother, does he usually talk like this?" Li Xiaogong shook his head and said, "That's not the case at ordinary times." Li Daozong came closer and asked, "I heard that Zhang Yang's speech is unpredictable, and even the prince often asks for advice?"
"Hehehe..." Li Xiaogong smiled dryly,
"I'm afraid you didn't inquire carefully. This boy acted arrogantly back then. His Majesty asked him to read more books about sages. However, after reading for many years, his way of speaking became more and more strange."
"It didn't say how enigmatic his speech was, and there is a rumor in the East Palace that the more Zhang Yang studied, the less human he became." Li Daozong nodded understandingly.
At this time, he looked like a child who had never seen the world. Li Xiaogong felt disgusted with this person for a while. We were all brothers. We couldn't say how close we were to each other among the brothers in the clan. Li Daozong was considered an honest man.
He was just too honest. When he went to war with His Majesty, he only followed orders to lead the troops. He also followed Li Jing's orders when he conquered the Turks in the north.
He was able to lead and manage the army on his own, but he was too polite in his conduct, and sometimes he was very face-saving. In the army, he offended the likes of Yu Chigong and Changsun Wuji, and from then on he had fewer friends in the army.
This is why His Majesty is so comfortable with him.
"If there is a chance, brother, can you arrange it? My brother wants to have a chat with him about how to run the army." Li Xiaogong nodded after hearing this.
"Let's wait for him to discuss it with the old fox."
"Here." The two clan brothers whispered in a low voice. The brazier in the hut was still burning, and the conversation continued.
Changsun Wuji whispered, "The court also has the same idea. Tang Dynasty naturally hopes to get along better with Xue Yantuo." At this point, Li Tai finally understood what his brother-in-law and Duke Zhao were saying.
What does it mean to get along better and have a good development environment? Doesn’t this mean that Xue Yantuo should be taken in and become a state and county of the Tang Dynasty?
Thinking about it again, Li Tai is in trouble again. Is this realistic? Xue Yantuo is located in the north of Mobei. Just one Turk is already a headache, let alone the distant Xue Yantuo.
The people in that area were still uncivilized. Although the words were not clearly stated, Li Tai felt that he had heard something extraordinary.
If Lishan wants more coal mines, it needs long-term supply from Xue Yantuo. The basis of this supply is that Datang completely controls Xue Yantuo.
After some speculation, Li Tai nodded secretly. Zhang Yang paced back and forth, looking up again and thinking,
"According to the market price of coal and stone in Guanzhong, it is five hundred and seventy yuan per stone. If Lishan draws an integer, how about five hundred yuan per stone?" Changsun Wuji sighed, "One stone is reduced by seventy yuan and there are five thousand stones here. If everything is like this,
If the price is discounted, the losses incurred by the DPRK and China will be too great."
"The price is still five hundred yuan per stone. After all, Lishan will be the biggest customer of Chao Zhong in the future. I dare to ask if Chao Zhong has so many coal mines, who else can it be sold to? If the manpower and material resources expended are not paid, wouldn't it be a bigger loss?"
Big." These coal mines were originally obtained from Xue Yantuo, so it would be better if they could be sold to Lishan, and the DPRK would also get more income.
Changsun Wuji said again, "If you insist on changing the price, why not make another exchange? Lishan will give an extra 10% of the tax to the court every year." Zhang Yang said again, "But the price of coal is still five hundred yuan per stone.
"Changsun Wuji thought for a moment,
"That's fine, but the DPRK has another condition: the coal purchased by Lishan cannot be sold to others."
"Of course I understand." The price given by the imperial court was appropriate, and coal would not be widely used until after the Song Dynasty.
Nowadays, the utilization rate of coal is not high, and the price is not high, but coal is a resource that can be stored for a long time. It is black gold.
As the utilization rate and demand get higher and higher, prices will change sooner or later. An old fox is an old fox after all, and he has already calculated that all goods shipped from Lishan need to pay taxes.
The more Lishan earns, the more taxes the court will receive. Instead of focusing on the benefits of a hundred dollars or one stone in front of you, it is better to directly affect Lishan's taxes.
No matter how the price of coal changes in the future, as long as Lishan makes a profit and Chaozhong makes a profit, even if Lishan loses money, Chaozhong will still make a profit.
This is a business that is sure to make money without losing any money. Changsun Wuji slowly stood up and said,
"I know that when negotiating a business in Lishan, a written document is required. After I signed the document, I took it back and resumed my life."
"Hahaha!" Li Xiaogong said loudly, "Old man Changsun, why don't you come back to Chang'an after having a meal with us? The documents need to be stamped, and the coal and stone must be transported to Lishan to be carefully weighed and checked, right?" The old fox Changsun said in one mouthful,
Another old man saying that he has a grandson...this killer who doesn't study!
Li Tai held his forehead in pain and motioned with his eyes to let his guards prepare the food and drinks. Li Tai forced out a smile in pain and said,
"It's rare for uncles to get together, why don't we have dinner together." Li Daozong nodded and said, "That's great." Everyone laughed, and Li Daozong agreed. It would be a bit awkward to refuse now.
"There are still many things to be busy with in the DPRK, and the DPRK will begin soon."
"With so many things going on in the court, we can't delay this moment. It's been a long time since I tried your drinking capacity as an old man, hahaha!" Li Xiaogong laughed loudly again.
Watching the Hejian County King talking, he led Li Daozhong and Changsun Wuji to the village. Shangguan Yi also brought people to unload the goods, weigh the coal and check it.
The rain stopped for a while, and now it started falling again. Zhang Yang put his hands in his hands and said, "There has never been harmony between the civil and military forces of the DPRK and China."
"Don't worry, brother-in-law, if you drink too much and start making moves, my king's guards will stop you."