Chapter 241: If you want to get rich, build roads first
"Your Majesty,"/"Your Majesty."
Li Mu and Empress Changsun hurriedly stood up and saluted. Li Shimin waved his hand and sat down opposite Empress Changsun, where Li Mu had just been. When Li Mu saw that his seat had been taken away, he moved to the mahjong table without waiting for instructions.
The chair is back to sit on.
Li Shimin pointed at Li Mu and said to Empress Changsun: "Did you see that I have wronged him? There are no rules. Did I say that I would give him a seat?"
Empress Changsun said with a smile: "Your Majesty, won't you grant me a seat?"
"That's not necessarily the case!"
Li Mu's eyes glanced at the mirror in Queen Changsun's hand from time to time without saying anything. Queen Changsun felt his gaze and couldn't help but laugh: "Your Majesty, I just received the gift, why should I give him a seat? Otherwise, this gift
But you have to return it."
Li Shimin couldn't help but be curious and asked: "What gift can make the queen like it so much?"
"Your Majesty, please take a look." Empress Changsun handed the mirror in her hand to Li Shimin. Li Shimin took it in his hand and was also shocked. He said in surprise: "This is a mirror? It's so clear!" He glanced at Li Mu and said:
"Is this your new invention?"
Li Mu said modestly: "I get it by chance, I get it by chance."
"Oh, you can get it by chance, but others can't? Li Mu, when you should be humble, you are not humble, and when you shouldn't be humble, you are unreasonably modest. I think you did it on purpose!"
Li Mu called out to Qu and said, "Your Majesty, you have put me in a difficult situation. When I am not humble, you say that I am arrogant. When I start to be humble, you think that I am hypocritical again. Alas! I am really in trouble. I am a talented person."
, it’s really not easy!”
"You kid!" Li Shimin laughed angrily and said, "I understand. You are pretending to be humble, but in fact you are arrogant. You can't change the things in your bones."
"No, I think it's not arrogant to do what you say, but to be stubborn when you can't do it. That's called arrogance. So far, I've basically done what I said, so I think I'm okay, not
It’s considered arrogant. I can call you a handsome young man who thrives in the glory of our emperor. As the saying goes, a young man is as good as jade.”
"Stop it, I'm a little sick." Li Shimin said angrily: "Li Mu, I won't talk nonsense with you anymore. If you don't come, I will go find you. Do you know how much trouble you have caused today?
At the court meeting, Shandong, Jiangnan, as well as Longxi and Longyou, all submitted letters asking for road construction. They said that I was partial to the Wang family of Taiyuan and allowed the Wang family of Taiyuan to get so much benefit for no reason. I also thought about it again and again, and felt that the imperial court might
You have suffered a loss. Who are you planning for? Tell me clearly!"
Li Mu sighed and said, "Your Majesty, I think your Majesty should just enjoy this matter secretly."
"What's the explanation?"
"Your Majesty, don't be deceived by others. Take all the additional conditions out of the equation and think about this matter again. This matter is one thing. The court does not need to pay a penny. It not only resettles the refugees, but also builds roads.
And after three or five years, this road will be returned to the imperial court. What your Majesty calls lost is something that your Majesty did not have in the first place. What kind of loss is this? Your Majesty, you think, of course you can wait until next year's grain harvest to build the road, but you
The money and food are used to build roads, where will the ten thousand cavalry you want come from?"
"Money and food are limited. If you spend it here, it will be gone there. Your Majesty is wise and wise, how can you not understand this truth?"
Li Shimin frowned and said, "So, are you lying to them?"
Li Mu shook his head and said: "Your Majesty knows me. I am a kind person, how could I do something deceptive? The king is not a fool. Since he can do what I want, there must be something involved in this matter.
The advantage is that what I promised is not empty talk. The Wang family of Taiyuan will definitely get benefits from building the road, and other forces have also seen the benefits in this area, so they are flocking to it."
Li Shimin couldn't help frowning and said: "I'm a little confused, Li Mu, apart from the visible money, what benefits does this road construction have?"
"There are many benefits here. I estimate that your Majesty has thought of some, and my uncle and others have also thought of some. But in my opinion, what you have thought of is very one-sided."
Li Shimin was extremely angry and laughed back, saying: "According to you, I and my uncle are not smart people. You are the only smart person in the world? Li Mu, when will you change your arrogant temper? Really?"
It’s really annoying!”
Li Mu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
"I am not smarter than your majesty, uncle, and others. I can think more and take a longer term for one reason. I have said this reason countless times. It is because I regard money as dirt."
Seeing that Li Shimin was going to be furious, Li Mu quickly changed his words: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. What I mean is that in this matter, I don't make any money and have no interests involved, so I can look at things from the perspective of a bystander, and your Majesty also has the uncle."
Everyone is acting out of their own interests, so they are one-sided."
Li Shimin frowned, nodded slightly, and said, "That makes sense, so let's analyze it. Where is the one-sidedness between me, Uncle Guo, and others?"
"It's very simple." Li Mu became serious and said: "After all, it's nothing more than money and food. Your Majesty needs money and food to build a victorious army to wipe out the barbarians around the Tang Dynasty. The uncle and Wang Shi
The average person considers more the long-term interests of all parties. If we can build roads and collect tolls, it will be a steady stream of income. This is a great benefit to a family. Why do everyone feel so concerned about road construction?
Interested, isn’t it because there are benefits in it!”
"In an extension, building roads not only has benefits, but also has many benefits. For example, if the Wang family in Taiyuan builds a road from Taiyuan to Chang'an, then according to the rules, as long as they take this road, they will have to pay tolls. This road
The areas covered will be under their control to a certain extent. At the same time, they will also know where the population is large and where the population is small, where food is produced, where fish and rice are produced, and their control over all kinds of information will be
Much better than before.”
"If they are smarter, they build warehouses to hoard goods, buy low and sell high, and profit from it, it is just like making money while lying down. If they manage well, they only hoard goods, buy low and sell high, and the benefits they gain will even exceed
Travel expenses, so this business will never lose money."
"Your Majesty, most businesses in the world are risky. How many of them are guaranteed to make a profit? Nowadays, road construction is a business that is guaranteed to make a profit and has a lot of added value. Naturally, people will flock to it."
Li Shimin slowly digested the meaning of Li Mu's words and said: "If it is as you said, if they do the road construction, it will deepen their influence on the local area. This is not a big deal for me.
That’s a good thing.”
"This is what I just said. The starting point is different. When your Majesty does things, the first thing he considers is his own interests. In short, Li Tang's country. But when the nobles and nobles do things, the first thing they consider is their own interests. There is a contradiction in this.
It exists naturally and cannot be adjusted. Then the thing will not be done? I don’t think so. I think that the thing must still be done, depending on the pros and cons of it. In my opinion, road construction is a must
That's right. Although this incident has relatively deepened the influence of the nobles on the local area, your Majesty must understand that even if the road is not built, the influence of the nobles will still exist. Building the road and limiting the time will also limit the influence of the nobles.
It's time for nobles and nobles to influence the local area. When the time comes and the road is returned to the imperial court, it's time to deepen the imperial court's influence."
Li Mu increased his tone and said: "Your Majesty, imagine if your Majesty were a commoner. In the first three years after the road was built, nobles and nobles collected tolls. After the road was returned to the court, the court would charge less or even no more. This public sentiment
, to whom will it belong?”
Li Shimin was stunned and suddenly said: "Of course it is the court that charges less or no tolls! Aiqing is so scheming!"
Li Mu laughed and said: "That's right, Your Majesty, our country in the Tang Dynasty will not be as it was in the Sui Dynasty. We can afford to wait for three years, five years, or even ten years. The Wang family of Taiyuan and others will work hard for the family's long-term plan."
, Your Majesty should also consider the long-term plan of the Tang Dynasty. The principle is the same. Now if the court can build roads without spending money, and can build one road after another, building roads will really be a great thing that benefits the country and the people!"
"After roads are built, connections between places will be faster, supplies will move more promptly, and trade will become smoother. In short, if you want to get rich, build roads first! Furthermore, when the court uses troops, it can better reflect the spirit of repair.
The value of the road. If the road is good, the troops and horses can be dispatched quickly. When your Majesty declares his troops, the troops are valuable and the troops are swift. I don’t need to explain it to you."
Li Shimin nodded frequently and said: "What Aiqing said is very true, but there is still one thing I don't understand. Since road construction is a matter that is beneficial to the court and the nobles, why does Aiqing only let the Wang family of Taiyuan
Take advantage of this?"
Li Mu smiled and said: "Your Majesty, do you suspect that I have received the benefits?"
"That's not true. I estimate that they can't offer you any benefits that you like. After handing you a deposit of hundreds of thousands of dollars, even the Taiyuan Wang family shouldn't be able to come up with much money." Li Shimin
He glared at Li Mu and said angrily: "Sometimes I get really angry when I see you. Why do you always come up with ways to make money? You are not short of money, you can come up with ways. I am short of money.
, I can’t think of anything.”
Li Mu quickly answered: "How else would you say that Your Majesty is the Emperor? I was living a good life as a village hero in Dingxiang. If not for the guidance of God, how could I have found Su Hui and traveled to Chang'an to serve Your Majesty?
Where's the service?"
"You have such a mouth!" Li Shimin pointed at Li Mu and laughed loudly: "Stop being careless and explain it to me quickly."
Li Mu thought for a while and said, "Has your Majesty ever heard of the saying that there is no good deal if you rush up?"