After the rain, Kunming Pond is as clear as blue. The sun shines on the water surface where the breeze blows. The vast lake surface is like a huge piece of silk, rippling slightly and sparkling.
The ruins of the original foundry bureau on the north bank have long been cleared away. Spacious workshops and huge waterwheels have risen from the ground. Countless craftsmen and civilians shuttle among them. This building carries the highest level of industrial casting in the Tang Empire. The buildings are gradually returning to their former prosperity, and even more so.
Fang Jun arrived in a carriage outside the newly built gate of the Foundry. Before the carriage could stop, several six- or seven-year-old children in the carriage had already poked their heads out of the windows. A large number of curious people were talking around them in low voices.
A child with a big head and fair hair turned around, looked at Fang Jun and asked: "Uncle Fang, father said that the most powerful weapons in the Tang Dynasty are produced here. Is this true?"
Fang Jun stretched out his hand to touch his big head, nodded with a smile and said, "That's right."
Another child with thick eyebrows and big eyes also came over and asked: "I heard that you, Uncle Fang, invented firearms?"
Fang Jun nodded with a smile.
The last child was chubby, looked a bit honest, and was the youngest at only six years old. He pulled Fang Jun's clothes and raised his little face with bright eyes full of admiration: "Uncle Fang is so awesome!"
Fang Jun laughed out loud. This is Xue Rengui's son, Xue Ne. It's hard to imagine that Xue Rengui, who is upright and old-fashioned and has an ancient style, can give birth to such a son who seems to be honest and honest, but is actually cunning, clever and good at saying nice things...
The other two, the chief ones are Su Dingfang's only son Su Qingjie, and Pei Xingjian's second son Pei Yanxiu. Although he is the second son, Pei Xingjian's eldest son died young, and this child is now Pei Xingjian's eldest son.
Although the generals under his command were powerful in all directions, when the situation was tense, they still took the risk and sent their sons to Chang'an as hostages...
Li Chengqian may not need his ministers to be so cautious, but for his ministers, this is indeed an indispensable attitude.
The current situation is complicated. Even among the civil and military ministers who are now surrendered to the imperial power, who is loyal and who is traitor? We cannot rely on the emperor to distinguish it by himself. It is very difficult. As a minister, he must take the initiative to use all means to show his position. " The method of "giving a son as a pledge" is very old, but it is very effective.
The newly-built foundry bureau is no less secretive than Taiji Palace. There is a patrol of the East Palace Six Commands on the periphery. Any suspicious person who tries to get close will be immediately arrested. If there is no legitimate reason or is considered suspicious, he will be thrown into the big house after being resold. In prison, there will be countless tortures.
Inside is the foundry bureau's own security team. Two thousand people have surrounded the entire foundry bureau. There is a post every three steps and a sentry every five steps. Not even a fly can fly in.
At the door, there are three checkpoints to strictly check the identity, position, and belongings of people entering and exiting.
So until now, no one outside knows how much the Foundry Bureau has restored its previous production capacity...
Liu Shi, a doctor in the Ministry of War, got the news and hurriedly led a group of foundry bureau officials to greet him. Fang Jun got out of the car with several children, and Liu Shi stepped forward to greet him.
Fang Jun smiled and waved his hand, saying: "No need to be polite, I have nothing to do today, so I'll bring a few juniors over here to have some fresh air."
The children all bowed to Liu Shi in a polite manner.
When Liu Shi learned the identities of the children, he didn't dare to tell them anything, so he quickly returned the gift and said with a smile: "These good nephews are of good quality and strong spirit. As expected, heroes come from young, and their future achievements will be as good as those of their fathers."
As one of Fang Jun's team members, how could he not know about Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, and Pei Xingjian, Fang Jun's confidants? Moreover, the abilities of these people have long been known to the public and the public, and their future achievements are limitless, so even if they are facing several people at this moment,
Even though he is a child, he does not dare to neglect or despise him.
Fang Jun didn't take it seriously. He walked towards the door and said, "They are all my nephews, why should I be so polite? The children are not knowledgeable. Today, I will take them to see the gun workshop so that I can be more friendly to the imperial army in the future."
If you understand, you can protect your home and country."
Liu Shi smiled and said: "If you can be interested in this when you are young, you will be more proficient in it in the future. After all, there are endless firearms, and it requires generations of good men of the Tang Dynasty to work hard and strive for excellence."
The two of them talked and walked into the gate of the foundry.
The three children followed behind, holding hands. Their curious eyes were simply not enough. They looked here and there, and everything felt new.
Fang Jun walked forward with his hands behind his hands, observing the surrounding buildings and asking: "How is the production capacity restored now?"
Liu Shi has been deeply tied to the foundry bureau all his life. He understands that as long as the foundry bureau is managed well, the future will be unlimited, so he has to do everything personally.
Ten gates, seven thousand kilograms of gunpowder, three hundred thunderbolts... The output has not yet reached the peak of the previous period. After all, half of the original craftsmen were unable to continue production due to death, injury, etc., and the various newly built workshops and equipment were also unable to continue production.
It needs to be debugged. But the Duke of Yue can rest assured that when the new batch of craftsmen become proficient and all the equipment is debugged, the production capacity will definitely be better than before."
A battle in the Eastern Expedition, a Guanlong Mutiny, firearms were used on a large scale, and the effects produced were enough to shock the world. Being able to control the largest gunpowder and firearms production workshop in the empire, Liu Shi believed that with this, he would inevitably enter the core of the emperor's power.
.
The group came to the drainage channel of Kunming Pool. It was obvious that the drainage channel had been re-dredged and widened. Dozens of huge waterwheels stood on both sides of the channel. The water from the pool was released from the water, pushing the flywheels set up in the water to drive various machines, and then rushed downstream.
It flows into the Dianchi Lake, and then forms the Dianshui River and flows northward into the Wei River.
The huge waterwheel aroused the amazement of several children. They stepped forward and stood by the canal, looking up at the huge waterwheel with wide-eyed expressions of shock.
Fang Jun was thinking about telling the children how not to stick to the old rules and to follow the development of the times and accept new things. The soldiers who were left outside the door came running quickly: "A servant from the palace is coming. Your Majesty invites Erlang to come to the palace to discuss matters. It's very important."
important."
Fang Jun did not dare to delay, and told Liu Shi to take care of several children, and wait until dark before sending someone back to the East Palace. Then he followed the soldiers out of the gate, met the chamberlain, listened carefully to the emperor's order, then galloped back to Chang'an City, and then returned to Chang'an City.
Enter the city from Mingde Gate, go straight to Zhuque Gate along Zhuque Street, then enter Chengtian Gate and go straight to Wude Hall.
…
In the side hall, Li Chengqian, Li Ji, and Cen Wenwen discussed for a long time. When Fang Jun arrived in a hurry, they had not yet reached a conclusion on Li Daozong's matter.
Fang Jun sat down, and a secretary on the side handed him the recorded meeting minutes, asking him to familiarize himself with what was being discussed and the opinions of the emperor and ministers.
Fang Jun nodded his thanks and glanced at the young secretary. His heart suddenly moved. He smiled and nodded again. The secretary also greeted with a friendly smile, and then stopped looking at Fang Jun and concentrated on recording the minutes.
Fang Jun looked through the minutes in his hand and realized that Li Xiaogong actually suspected that Li Daozong might rebel and endanger the palace ban...
But his mind once stopped on the secretary man.
Doulu Qinwang, his father acted as governor of the prefecture, Doulu Renye. The original surname of the Doulu family is "Murong", a member of the Xianbei royal family, and Doulu Chang, the ancestor of the Doulu family, was the commander of Rouxuan Town, one of the "Six Towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty".
The Hou family is even more powerful among the six towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty. To this day, it is still one of the backbones of the Guanlong clan. However, although it is powerful, it has always kept a low profile. In recent years, it has been quite discordant and contradictory with Changsun Wuji.
Very deep.
The Guanlong clan, under the leadership of Yu Wenshiji, attached themselves to Jin King Li Zhi and stationed troops in Tongguan to rebel and rebel. As one of the backbone of the Guanlong clan, the Doulu family placed their legitimate son next to Li Chengqian as his secretary. This was an obvious political move.
Signal.
The Guanlong clan is on the verge of splitting under the control of Yuwen Shiji, and the day of disintegration is not far away...
After reading the minutes in his hand, Li Chengqian looked at him and asked, "In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"
Fang Jun pondered for a while and said cautiously: "After all, it's just the Hejian County Prince who has suspicions. If he goes into war because of this, the consequences will be really serious."
Since Zhenguan, Li Xiaogong has gradually faded out of the highest echelon of power. If the Anxi Protectorate had not been invaded by foreign enemies and was in danger, His Majesty Li Er had to use Li Xiaogong to go out to the Western Regions. He might have been living a luxurious life in the mansion until he died.
The person who replaced Li Xiaogong was Li Daozong, who had followed His Majesty Li Er since childhood, obeyed His Majesty Li Er's words and was loyal and loyal.
Within the clan, Li Daozong far surpasses the great Zong Zhenghan King Li Yuanjia in terms of status, power, influence, strength, etc., and is considered the first person in the clan under the emperor.
Even in the military, Li Daozong's prestige and influence are definitely not low.
It is absolutely impossible to convict such a person on "unfounded" charges. It is even difficult to transfer him. This will inevitably trigger a strong reaction from the clan and the army. Yuchi Gong also led tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his command to the east of Bashui
Well, if they were not careful, they could break through the Bashui defense line and rush to Chang'an City, which would be an earth-shaking disaster.
Li Ji nodded and said: "Erlang's words are exactly the truth. Without conclusive evidence, the Prince of Jiangxia County cannot act without permission."
Obviously, he and Fang Jun have the same opinions and consider the same things.
Cen Wenwen frowned: "But if the Hejian County Prince's speculation is true, will Jiangxia County Prince be allowed to control the important territory of Xuanwu Gate and suddenly rise up and invade the palace in the future?"
The strategic position of Xuanwu Gate is too important to take any risks. Once Li Daozong really relies on the King of Jin to start an uprising at Xuanwu Gate, his soldiers and horses can rush into Taiji Palace in an instant, taking advantage of the terrain to swoop down from the palace.
Even if there were twice as many central guards, they still wouldn't be able to withstand it.
It's still the same situation as before Fang Jun came, with a dilemma and a dilemma.
Fang Jun thought about it carefully and suggested: "If you send someone to Xuanwu Gate to serve as deputy general, does your Majesty think it is feasible?"
Li Ji's eyes lit up, he glanced at Fang Jun, and said to Li Chengqian: "Send someone to monitor directly. This method is feasible."
Openly sending a deputy general to Xuanwu Gate clearly told Li Daozong: The court has doubts about you, and no matter what you think, you should restrain yourself.
Therefore, no matter what Li Daozong's position was, it was impossible to refuse such a deputy general to serve in Xuanwu Gate, otherwise the intention of treason would be obvious.
With such a nail nailed into the Xuanwu Gate, Li Daozong would know immediately if there was any disturbance, notify the palace in time, and take measures.
This is a very clever conspiracy, a clever move that is direct and avoids conflicts in the current situation. Young people are not simple...