Chapter Five Hundred and Ninety-Five: Adding Newcomers
Li Min, on the other hand, was having a great time playing with the three little guys.
Not to mention that the three little guys turned into clay figures, even Li Min's body was covered in mud.
Seeing this scene, Qin Mengxin, Wu Meiniang and the other three women were both amused and moved.
My husband really dotes on his children too much.
Not only can you play in the mud with them, but you can also have crawling competitions and play various games with them.
And, it was a lot of fun.
For the next period of time, Li Min, the King of Shu, seemed to have nothing serious to do except play with his children.
During this time, Li Min ordered Shangguan Yi to give a memorial and report in detail the situation of the battle with Nanzhao.
In the memorial, Li Min reported that the terrain of Nanzhao was complex and the Tang Dynasty was unable to penetrate it either with chariots or cavalry.
However, Nanzhao never retreated, and the two sides fell into a stalemate.
How many soldiers and horses can there be in the Nanzhao area?
This seems to be an excuse.
However, with this memorial, the emperor could not easily transfer the king of Shu.
However, Shangguan Yi still had worries in his heart.
"Your Highness, I think this is not a long-term solution! We may be able to delay this year, but what about next year? How long can we delay it?"
Li Min smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, my father will have something to do soon and won't keep his eyes on Jiannan Road."
Um?
Is something big going to happen recently?
Shangguan Yi has followed the King of Shu for many years and knows the King of Shu very well.
Since the King of Shu said something will happen, it will definitely happen.
Shangguan Yi was amazed at the prediction ability of the King of Shu.
…
What happened during this period was the assistance to Meng Xunzhao.
Meng Xizhao can be said to be the partner of the King of Shu.
It can even be said that the king of Shu was the vanguard to occupy the entire Nanzhao.
But now the development of Meng Xunzhao is really too slow.
If he is allowed to develop on his own, I am afraid that he may not be able to develop it in ten or eight years.
But Li Min couldn't wait that long.
Li Min gave him at most one year.
With Duan Gongming's ability, he definitely wouldn't be able to do this.
Therefore, in the past two years, Li Min decided to shift the focus of development to Nanzhao.
Over the years, Li Min himself did not know the specific figures of the wealth accumulated by China Commercial Bank.
It can only be said that the country is extremely wealthy.
It is not very difficult to expand Nanzhao.
Just after Li Min returned, Nanzhao shipped a batch of automated machines.
For example, steam pear harvesters and other equipment.
And Li Min also decided to support Meng Xunzhao in building roads.
Mengxunzhao has now annexed two tribes, and can be said to control the entire Nanzhao-like territory.
The remaining three tribes of Nanzhao were ready to make moves in the face of the suddenly strong but weak Mengxu Zhao.
No matter which one of the three tribes they belong to, as long as they can swallow up the Meng Xun's edict in one go.
It will soon become the largest country in Nanzhao, and as long as they can consolidate the fruits of victory, they can easily unify the entire Nanzhao.
Therefore, the remaining three tribes all tentatively launched attacks on Meng Xunzhao.
However, their attacks were all ruthlessly slaughtered by Tang chariots.
The sharpness of the Tang Dynasty's chariots made them fearful, and they no longer dared to covet Meng Xizhao in the slightest.
However, this also made the remaining three tribes choose to form a group in order to resist the Tang Dynasty.
Even, they got closer to Tubo.
Because some of the countries in Nanzhao were originally tributaries of Tubo.
Of course, between countries, strength needs to speak for itself.
The so-called vassal states are also superficially similar but mysteriously different.
When you are weak, you naturally have to be loyal and subordinate.
But once it becomes powerful, it will immediately get rid of its status as a vassal state.
But now, in order to fight against the Tang Dynasty and Meng Xunzhao, they had to surround Tubo closely.
Li Min was naturally reported on all this.
However, Li Min was actually dismissive of their group reporting behavior.
In fact, this is exactly the result Li Min wanted.
If Tubo dares to make any small moves, Tubo will be able to be dealt with at that time.
…
Duan Gongming, the king of Mengxunzhao, annexed two tribes with the help of Tang Dynasty.
Now, Mengxunzhao has occupied half of the entire Nanzhao area, becoming the largest country in the Nanzhao area.
However, Duan Gongming has been both excited and having a headache recently.
What is exciting is that now my country's strength has expanded rapidly, and there is a chance to unify the entire Nanzhao, of course I will be excited.
But the troublesome thing is that because of the previous war, Meng Xunzhao now occupies a huge territory.
But they simply don't have such a large population.
It seems that large areas of land cannot be cultivated.
Moreover, they burned down Langqiongzhao and now they have to rebuild it.
The more than 20,000 tribesmen in Langqiongzhao had all their food and houses burned down, and they all needed him to feed them.
In addition to the 20,000 troops of the Tang Dynasty, they stayed here just to help them.
They must be needed to support their army, right?
In this case, they would need to support more than 40,000 people!
Duan Gongming sadly discovered that their country’s stock was running low!
It’s hard for them to feed so many people!
It’s hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice!
At this time, Datang provided them with a batch of advanced farming tools free of charge.
It's the kind that comes with a driver.
Before Duan Gongming, he had been coveting some of the farming tools of the Tang Dynasty for a long time, but he had never been able to sell them.
Datang had very strict control over these, and no one dared to sell to them.
The most important thing is that border inspections are extremely strict.
Even if they could buy these tools through other channels, they would not be able to transport them out of the Tang Dynasty's territory.
And now?
The King of Shu actually supported them for free!
With these advanced farming tools, even though their population is sparse, they can now easily plant all their farmland.
Rice in Nanzhao was originally harvested once a year. After it was ripe, wheat was planted.
And now?
The King of Shu directly brought some grain that could be harvested twice a year.
I heard that if the nutrients can keep up, three crops a year will not be a problem!
In this way, their big problem of food shortage will really be solved!
As long as they wait until this crop of rice is harvested, they will have enough food.
I have to say that the King of Shu in the Tang Dynasty is really interesting.
The heroic spirit of King Shu made Duan Gongming feel guilty in his heart.
Isn't it a bit sincere that others treat me like this, and I treat others like the King of Shu of the Tang Dynasty?
Then, the King of Shu in the Tang Dynasty actually offered to build roads for them free of charge.
And he also wanted to help their burned Langqiongzhao tribe free of charge.
This favor is so great!
These are all free!
Such an action not only moved Duan Gongming, but also made him feel uneasy.
Why is the King of Shu of the Tang Dynasty so concerned about our affairs?
It’s almost the same as my own affairs!
How could he be so good?
However, when Duan Gongming accidentally saw his daughter with a happy smile on her face, he suddenly realized.
Oops!
Co-author of the Tang Dynasty, everything the King of Shu did was all for Yutong!
No wonder he is so generous!
snort!
If he wants to marry the king's daughter, these are what he should do!
Duan Gongming even felt that it was a bit light as a betrothal gift.
…
Not long after, Tang Dynasty's transportation vehicles and construction teams rushed to the Mengxun imperial edict.
Truckloads of raw materials were delivered, and of course, some raw materials were sourced locally.
And to build roads and rebuild tribes, naturally a lot of small labor is needed.
These small workers naturally have to be selected from the Mengxunzhao tribe.
In addition to the wages given by Datang, I could also give him twenty cents for taking care of food every day.
This kind of treatment shocked the people of Mengxunzhao.
Oh my god!
Is their treatment really good?
You know, in their tribe, the wages of small laborers are often only two or three pennies a day!
Just like that, it’s still hard to find a part-time job!
But now, the treatment offered by Datang is ten times that of their small-time workers!
For a time, the registration office was almost overcrowded by the people who came to sign up to work as part-time workers.
In fact, what they don't know is that in Datang, the wages of a small laborer have now risen to fifty cents a day.
When they first offered 20 cents a day's wages, they thought it was too little!
Unexpectedly, the salary of twenty cents shocked them!
The wages of twenty coppers almost made the entire Mengxuzhao people break their heads just to snatch the position of a small laborer.
With Duan Gongming's full cooperation, everything progressed naturally smoothly.
Next, Zhonghua Commercial Bank opened many stores in Mengxunzhao.
Even Datang Bank opened a branch in Mengxuzhao.
Mengxunzhao is actually still quite a poor place.
The shops are open here, and the business is very dull. In fact, they don't make much money.
But now, the road is being built.
As long as the roads are built, the special fruits here can be transported to the outside world.
Although Meng Xunzhao was relatively poor, the products here were still quite rich.
These shops can purchase these properties at extremely low prices and then sell them at high prices.
Of course, more importantly, with these shops, Li Min can control all the information about the entire Mengxun imperial edict.
…
Time soon came to September, and the Silla Kingdom suddenly sent an envoy to the Tang Dynasty to ask for help.
It turns out that Baekje and Goryeo captured more than 40 of their cities, and Silla was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.
So Silla Kingdom quickly sent envoys to Tang Dynasty to pray for help.
After learning the news, Li Shimin immediately sent an angel to ask Goryeo to stop using troops.
However, Goryeo did not obey the Emperor of Tang Dynasty at all and continued to use troops against Silla.
Li Shimin was very angry and decided to attack Goryeo.
Of course, it is already September and almost October.
Winter is coming soon, and with this weather, it is naturally impossible to attack Goryeo.
If Goryeo is still disobedient next year, Li Shimin has already decided to attack Goryeo.
…
Yizhou New City, Jiedu Envoy's Mansion, has a new member.
Two wives, Xu Hui and Liu Zhi, gave birth to a son and a daughter respectively for Li Min.
Xu Hui gave birth to a boy, whom Li Min named Li Rui and nicknamed Congcong.
Liu Zhi gave birth to a daughter, whom Li Min named Li Xiang and nicknamed Jing Jing.
There was a new member of the Jiedushi family, and Li Min was very happy.
Li Min's subordinates also came to join forces one after another.
At this time, a little girl, riding a cute giant panda, walked in slowly.
"Panpan, let's go!"
This girl is of course Shangguan Wan'er.
This little girl is the slimiest.
Whenever she has nothing to do, she likes to go to Jiedushi's mansion. As long as Li Min is at home, this little girl will hang out here almost every day.
And Li Min also liked this little girl very much.
When she has nothing to do, she will be taught to recite enlightenment books such as The Three Character Classic, The Thousand Character Classic, and Hundred Family Surnames.
And this little girl is also very smart. She can recite a poem at most three times.
Li Min taught her to write, and she learned it quickly.
Moreover, except for the crooked handwriting when I first started learning to write, now my handwriting has become neater and neater as I write.
For such a smart and studious young man, Li Min couldn't help but cherish his talent.
Now whenever Li Min is free, he will spend at least an hour every day to teach Shangguan Wan'er.
Now, there is a new daughter in Jiedushi's palace, so Li Min certainly doesn't have time to teach her.
But how could such a lively event be without this little girl?
After entering the courtyard, Shangguan Wan'er patted Panpan's head, and Panpan lay down obediently.
After getting off Panpan, Shangguan Wan'er also curiously went to see the baby.
Last year, when the three little guys Li Rong, Li Baoyu and Li Haoran were born.
Because Li Min was not at home at the time, Shangguan Wan'er did not come over and did not see their newborn appearance, which has always been a deep regret.
Now that she can see it, she will naturally not miss this opportunity.
After entering the house, Shangguan Wan'er found that there were many people in the house.
These people are all praising the baby for being beautiful!
"Tsk tsk, look at these eyes and eyebrows, they are exactly the same as His Highness!"
"Yes, he was so handsome when he was born! When he grows up, he will be a handsome man again!"
Shangguan Wan'er walked over and glanced at the two little guys.
He couldn't help curling his lips and said: "It's so ugly, wrinkled, like an old man, so ugly!"
Shangguan Wan'er's words made everyone laugh.
Newborn babies are all wrinkled and have lanugo hair on their faces, so they are definitely not in good shape.
After four or five days, it will become rosy and look much better.
Mrs. Shangguan was immediately embarrassed when she heard her daughter's words.
He quickly pulled Shangguan Wan'er and said, "Wan'er, don't talk nonsense."
Shangguan Wan'er pouted her little mouth and said, "Mom, I'm not talking nonsense, it's obviously so ugly!"
Hearing Shangguan Wan'er's words, Li Min couldn't help laughing and said: "Wan'er, do you know that all newborn children are so ugly?"
"You were also like this when you were a child!"
After hearing this, Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but raise her mouth and said unhappily: "I won't do that. I was very beautiful when I was first born!"
Mrs. Shangguan couldn't help but smile and said: "Wan'er, what His Highness said is true! When you were just born, you were uglier than them!"
"Wow - I'm not ugly, I'm not ugly!"
When someone said this, Shangguan Wan'er's tears fell down and she started to cry with sobs.
Li Min couldn't help but hurriedly coaxed: "Wan'er, I'm kidding you! When you were born, you were not ugly at all, you were extremely beautiful!"
Shangguan Wan'er had sparkling tears hanging on her cheeks, and there was indeed a smile on her face. She couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Brother, is everything you said true? Didn't you lie to me?"
Li Min couldn't help but said solemnly: "Of course it's true. Think about it, when did elder brother lie to you?"
Shangguan Wan'er snorted and said, "But you just lied to me! I was obviously not ugly at all when I was born, but you still lied to me and said I was ugly!"
…
After October, the weather gets colder day by day.
The maple leaves turn red, and in the blink of an eye, the snow falls, and before you know it, it’s the end of the year again.
This year's New Year's Eve is even more lively.
Li Rong, Li Baoyu, and Li Haoran, the three little guys, are running quite fast now.
During the Chinese New Year, the three little guys were very happy.
Everyone is holding colorful windmills and running wildly in the yard.
Not bad, this is how it should be during the Chinese New Year!
After the Chinese New Year, on the 15th day of the month, until February, Di Renjie found Li Min again.
oh!
This time, I wonder what kind of trick this guy has come up with?
Not long after, Di Renjie came to the study.
Li Min couldn't help but smile and asked: "Renjie, I wonder what new product you have developed this time?"
Upon hearing the master's question, Di Renjie did not answer immediately. Instead, he smiled slightly and had someone bring in a fish tank-sized thing.
Then, Di Renjie tinkered a little, pressed two buttons, and asked mysteriously: "Master, what did you just say? I didn't hear it clearly. Can you say it again?"
Um?
Has this guy learned to be mysterious?
Li Min frowned slightly, but soon a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
Li Min couldn't help but smile slightly, and then asked: "Let me take a guess. Could it be that this is a gramophone? It can record and broadcast what people have said, and can play it again at any time?"
Upon hearing Li Min's words, Di Renjie was immediately dumbfounded.
His eyes were wide open and he looked at Li Min without blinking.
In Di Renjie's eyes, Li Min saw a god.
Li Min smiled slightly, and then asked: "Renjie, why did you react like this? Could it be that my teacher didn't guess correctly?"
Di Renjie couldn't help but said bitterly: "Master, your guess is so right! The question is, how did you guess it? Isn't it impossible to guess it? Master, you are not really a god, are you?
Nothing can be hidden from you?"
This time, Di Renjie was really shocked again.
There was no guessing in advance, a gramophone that had never appeared before.
I wonder how it is possible to guess it at a glance?
In fact, there has never been a gramophone in this world.
But it has already happened in future generations!
Of course, Li Min didn't guess it through this.
The phonograph developed by Di Renjie and others actually has no similarity at all with the phonographs of later generations.
It was when Di Renjie was trying to make things mysterious that Li Min came up with this guess.
At that time, this guy was very arrogant.
When asked what he was studying, he didn't say anything. He even took out the gramophone and fiddled with it a few times.
Li Min guessed at that time that this guy had probably turned on the recording mode and deliberately induced him to talk.
Then play it back and scare yourself.
Then when I asked myself, it turned out to be true.
Of course, the premise for being able to guess is that Li Min had seen a gramophone before and knew its principles.
If you don't know it beforehand, there will be no hint at all.
If you could have guessed that it was a gramophone, you would have really seen a ghost.
No wonder Di Renjie regarded his master as a god.
But soon, Di Renjie reacted.
By the way, I remember the moment when I just became a disciple.
The master used the photo printed out from the camera and shocked himself.
Didn’t I just regard my master as a god at that time?
I guess this is also the case now, right?
The master may have used a gramophone long ago.
correct!
Di Renjie actually remembered that when the envoys from the Fifteen Kingdoms proposed marriage, after the competition was completed.
The envoy from Tubo killed the envoy from another country.
At that time, I was still investigating the case myself, and I found the murderer through fingerprints.
However, there is no law in Tang Dynasty that criminalizes fingerprints.
So the murderer was obviously found, but there was no way to arrest him because there was not enough evidence.
It was the master at that time who invited the victim's soul out and frightened the murderer to the point of peeing.
I remember that at that time, I also regarded my master as a god.
Now that I think about it, there is no ghost here.
This is clearly a combination of a camera and a gramophone. Of course, there are many unknown elements inside to create a machine!
Thinking of this, Di Renjie's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but ask Li Min: "Master, did you use the principle of the phonograph in the trial after the marriage proposal in the Fifteen Kingdoms?"
Hearing Di Renjie's words, Li Min smiled slightly.
This kid is really not stupid, he thought of it.
Li Min couldn't help but nodded and said: "Yes, that one has the principle of a gramophone. Of course, there are also many technologies that you don't understand yet."
Di Renjie was very greedy and couldn't help but chuckled: "Master, what kind of technology is it? Can you teach it to your apprentice?"
Li Min said helplessly: "That technology is too cutting-edge. With your current level, I'm afraid you won't be able to reach that level within ten years!"
After hearing what Li Min said, Di Renjie was very disappointed.
But he also knew very well that it was definitely not the master who was hiding something from him, it was definitely because they really couldn't reach that level at the moment.
In fact, this was the case. Li Min used a computer at that time.
Based on the current development of science and technology in Datang, Li Min felt that he would not be able to produce such an advanced computer in twenty or thirty years, let alone ten years.
However, cameras and phonographs have been manufactured, so can movies be far behind?
