The sudden impeachment of Zhang Shuo caused all the officials to turn their gazes in that direction. Those who were far away recognized that it was Vice Minister Li Yuanhong. He was a man of few words and was always practical. It was unknown why he had suddenly appeared today to impeach Zhang Shuo.
Zhang Shuo was also puzzled. He was the one who found fault with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, so why did Li Yuanhong appear? Could it be that those two people were related to you? Wasn't this just worrying about trivial matters?
While he was puzzled, he was even more angry. Li Yuanhong, I didn't find trouble with you, but now you're targeting me? Do you think I'm easy to bully?
Just as he was about to question him, Li Longji spoke.
"We have heard of the matter that Minister Li spoke of." Li Longji paused. The hearts of all the officials trembled. Could it be that the Emperor was going to act against Zhang Shuo?
"Yes." Li Longji said another word. Zhang Shuo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Minister Zhang is the Head of the Secretariat, leading hundreds of officials. Naturally, you need to interact with them. There isn't enough time in the Imperial Court, so it's fine to speak in private. Does Minister Zhang think so?"
Li Longji narrowed his eyes at Zhang Shuo. There was an indifferent expression on his face, making it impossible to tell if he was speaking the truth.
As if he had grasped onto a life-saving straw, Zhang Shuo nodded fiercely. His beard fluttered with his movements, slightly tinged with frost. Together with the weather, it gave off a desolate air.
Standing across from him, Yuan Qianyao sighed softly. He was old, he was all old. Time waited for no man. Unlike Zhang Xiaobao and Cuckoo, he could decide the matters of the Imperial Court at such a young age and had plenty of youth to squander.
"That's right," Li Longji said casually. Then, he continued, "We know that many officials don't have any ulterior motives. It's just that it's easy for them to be misunderstood. Minister Zhang is one such example. I hope that the officials can trust their colleagues by their side more.
Don't jump to conclusions based on hearsay, and don't assume that someone has bad intentions based on a groundless matter. Judge others by your own standards. According to Xiaobei's words, our Great Tang's Imperial Court is united. Does everyone agree with Our words? "
"Your Majesty, after hearing Your Majesty's words, I feel Your Majesty's tolerance and trust. I will not let Your Majesty down." Yu Wen Rong stepped out and said something. The other officials who were standing in front of him all followed suit.
Zhang Shuo was naturally no exception. After he finished flattering the Emperor, he understood that his efforts today were in vain. The Emperor's meaning was very clear. He shouldn't casually find a groundless accusation and pin it on others. Others impeached him, but the Emperor didn't find trouble with him. Then, if he were to mention the matter of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, wouldn't he be playing with fire?
Sigh! Why should the two of them receive such treatment? ' Zhang Shuo was unconvinced. His face looked even older. He quietly retreated to his seat and decided to endure.
The Emperor and his officials praised each other for a while before returning to the peaceful scene at the beginning. The wind was still blowing, and the sky had not cleared up. When the morning court ended, there would probably be a heavy downpour. Did the Emperor prepare an umbrella? There was still some distance from the Hanyuan Palace Hall to the office. He regretted not bringing the portable foldable umbrella that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan gave him. He would definitely learn his lesson next time.
After Li Longji settled Zhang Shuo, he adjusted his mood and finally returned to his original state.
He smiled and said to the officials, "Since you all don't have anything important to say, Zhen will talk about recent matters. This is something that Zhen suddenly thought of. What a coincidence. Come, bring Zhen's things up."
The officials below did not think that it was something that Zhen Yi suddenly thought of. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped them from speaking. Zhang Shuo deserved it.
The things that were prepared in advance naturally did not take much time. As Li Longji's voice fell, Gao Lishi waved his hand. A few eunuchs beside him moved the things in front of Li Longji. The officials stretched their necks, wanting to see what the Emperor was doing.
Li Longji coughed lightly and walked down from the soft chair, which was a rare sight. He stood in front of the item placed on the ground and gave an even rarer smile. He took the item from Gao Lishi, who had squatted down to pick it up. He waved it in front of the officials and asked, "Does everyone know what this is?"
The officials looked and recognized it. It was a light bulb. It was nothing special. Their own houses had it. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan gave it to them. Any official with a high enough rank would be able to receive benefits from Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan for free. There were many low ranking officials who would work hard for such benefits.
The rich and powerful also bought it for use at home. Those who had a windmill would use it. Those who did not have a windmill would find a way to use a water wheel. Those who did not have both would take turns to use the generator. Why did the Emperor take it out today?
Li Linfu had a good eye. He stood up and showed an uncertain expression. He asked softly, "Your Majesty, could this be the legendary light bulb? Your Majesty is taking this small and exquisite thing. Did Your Majesty make it yourself? "
"Yes, it is a light bulb. Not bad. Minister Li's eyesight is indeed good. You can see it with your eyes. "Li Longji admired Li Linfu's attitude. He praised him and then shook his head," It was not made by me. I was afraid of hurting you. I do not have the ability to blow out light bulbs, much less draw air. "
"Your Majesty's health is important." Li Linfu added.
Li Longji did not reply this time. He held the small light bulb in one hand and pointed at another item on the ground. He asked, "Do you know what this is?"
"Ah? Could it be the legendary fish tank? " Li Linfu saw a box made of glass. It was not much different from a fish tank. The only difference was that there were no fish in the water. Instead, it was connected to wires.
"No, guess again." Li Longji was like a child at this moment.
"Your Majesty, please enlighten me. I really can't guess. I only know now that I am not as knowledgeable as Your Majesty." Li Linfu asked in distress. This time, he was not talking nonsense. He really did not know. The other officials who were closer also saw the fish tank. They were also puzzled.
Li Longji looked down and waved his hand, "Come forward. I will show you."
The fifth rank official who was the furthest looked at the people around him. When he saw someone move, he also moved forward. When he got closer, it was really like what Li Linfu said. It was a fish tank. There was no fish in it.
When others were puzzled, Li Longji continued to the next step. He picked up two wires in the fish tank. One was wrapped around the bottom of the light bulb, and the other was placed on the smallest point. When the two wires were connected, the light bulb suddenly lit up.
"Ah? Your Majesty, why did it light up? " Gao Lishi cooperated and exclaimed. His eyes were wide open, making people worry that his eyeballs would fall out at any time.
Li Longji had an unfathomable expression on his face. He moved back and forth so that everyone could see clearly. After the officials were puzzled, he slowly said, "Don't you think it is very magical? There is no wind power, no water power, and no one is stepping on the generator. "
"Your Majesty, why did it light up?" Zhang Jiu Ling walked forward and looked carefully. He still could not figure out the trick, so he asked humbly.
"This is a good question. Why did it light up? I believe that everyone has the same question in their hearts. This is the wet battery that I participated in the development of. With the battery, you will not have to work as hard as before. You can use the battery to light up the lamp anytime and anywhere."
Li Longji pulled the wires away from the light bulb and pressed them back on. He repeated it a few times so that people could see clearly and happily introduced it.
"Your Majesty is indeed amazing." A fifth rank official praised sincerely.
Li Longji smiled and shook his head. "Don't think that this is my original intention. If it can only light up the lamp, then it is nothing much. Look at the other thing."
Putting down the light bulb, Li Longji pointed to the other thing in front of him. To be precise, there were two identical things in front of him. There was also a bundle of wires.
This time, there was no need for others to cooperate with him. Li Longji took the initiative to introduce it. "This is a cable telegraph machine. Someone will ask what this thing is for. Is it not? "
Some of the officials cursed in their hearts. Isn't this nonsense? Aren't you taking it out for others to see? Who wouldn't have such thoughts when they don't know?
"I will let you all know now. Men, carry the other one further away." Li Longji couldn't hear the thoughts of others, so he didn't have any evidence to convict them. With a command, a eunuch immediately came over and carried one of the two down the stairs. Only when the bundle of wires was used up did he stop and wait for further instructions.
Another eunuch carried a fish tank over and stood to the side, looking at Li Longji.
Li Longji looked around, and Gao Lishi hurriedly gestured to a nearby group of people. They were all wearing the same type of work uniform, and all of them were walking with their heads held high. However, if one looked carefully, they would notice that some of them were injured.
When this group of people came closer, Li Longji waved his hand. One of them ran to the front, while another ran further away. Each of them took out a small notebook and a pencil.
Li Longji looked at the doubtful gazes of his subjects and explained, "The function of the telegraph machine is to send messages quickly. As soon as there is a movement, we will receive it immediately. The telegraph machine can communicate with each other over a certain distance depending on the length of the wire."
The officials nodded to show that they understood. Even if they were doubtful, they didn't dare to show it.
"I know you all don't believe me, but that's fine. I will let you all understand. Minister Zhang, you say a few words and let this person pass the message. See if the other telegraph machine opposite can receive it. At such a distance, you can whisper a few words. They won't be able to hear you, right?"
Li Longji called out Zhang Shuo and asked him to speak.
Zhang Shuo nodded, "Yes, I couldn't hear you. That place is more than twenty zhang away from here. Your Majesty asked me to say it, and I really did. Yes, I said that it would rain today."
"Send the report," Li Longji instructed the person who had just arrived.
This person quickly took out a thicker book from his pocket and searched for something in it. Then, he used a pencil to write and draw on the book just now. Finally, he used his hand to press on a spot on the telegraph machine. Another person helped to connect the wires in the fish tank. The same thing happened on the other side.
When everything was ready, the man began to press on that place.
'Beep … Beep … Beep … Beep … Beep … Beep … Beep … Beep … Beep …' A crisp sound rang out, and before long, the person raised his hand, indicating that he was done.
The officials immediately turned their gazes back to the person below. They saw that the person had just finished writing in the book, then flipped open another thick book and began searching. A moment later, a person ran over from that direction and reported to Li Longji, "Your Majesty, the information has been received. The content is that it will rain today."
"Hmm?" Many of the officials were puzzled. They felt that it was very strange. How could the other side know what the message was after a few beeps? This was much more useful than the beacon tower.
"Where else do you want to try?" The smile on Li Longji's face grew wider.
"Your Majesty, I'm here." Lv Yanzuo, who did not believe in heresy, stood up and whispered to the person who sent the report, "I don't believe it's true. Send it."
The person nodded and flipped through the book a few more times. After he finished writing and drawing, he began to press the button on the telegraph machine. Along with the beeping sound, the other side began to receive the message. After a very short time, a person ran over and said to the crowd, "Received. The content is that I don't believe it's true."
Lv Yanzuo was stunned. He raised his head and looked into the distance. After swallowing his saliva, he said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, this is amazing. If this thing is connected to all parts of the country, the speed at which it can send messages back and forth in the future is really unimaginable."
Li Longji smiled and nodded.
At this time, Zhang Shuo began to pour cold water on the Emperor again.
"Your Majesty, I don't think it's appropriate. How long would it take to connect the wires to all parts of the country? How many wires would it consume? This thing is of little value. "
Li Longji's happy mood changed again after Zhang Shuo's words. He glared at Zhang Shuo, meaning to say, 'Why did you mention this?'
Fortunately, he was already prepared. When he saw that some of the officials had the same thoughts, he coughed and said, "It's just an experiment. This is called a wired telegraph. Now, the Ministry of Works is researching on dry batteries and wireless telegraphy. When the research is completed, batteries will be more convenient to carry around and the telegraph machine will no longer need wires to connect. This won't be of little value, right?"
"Your Majesty is wise." Gao Lishi chimed in.
The expressions of the officials also changed. They naturally knew that if there was a portable battery and a telegraph machine that did not need wires to connect, how fast would the transmission of messages in the future be?
However, this news came too suddenly. It was so sudden that they were not prepared at all.
Yuan Qianyao said excitedly, "Your Majesty, when did the Tang Empire have such an advanced thing? According to what Your Majesty said, wouldn't it only take a blink of an eye to send a message from the farthest place to the capital?"
"That might not be the case. I heard from Xiao Bao and Cuckoo that it would require a few transfers. Otherwise, the distance would not be enough. They could arrange for a special frequency band for the transfer of telegraphy. Advanced? Yes, it's considered advanced. At least, it's ahead of the neighboring countries. Without the hundreds of thousands of craftsmen in the Tang Empire, there wouldn't be today's advanced technology. They have sacrificed a lot. "
As Li Longji spoke, the happy expression on his face disappeared. He looked at the group of craftsmen standing a few steps away and introduced them to the officials. "These are the researchers of the battery and the telegraph, Liu Liang."
"Your Majesty." As Li Longji called out the name, a person stood out. This person was still wrapped in a white cloth. The officials knew that he was injured. This was the classic packaging cloth used by Deyi Hospital.
Li Longji looked at Liu Liang with a gentle gaze. Liu Liang was very excited. He kept swallowing his saliva and his legs were trembling.
"Roll up the sleeve of your right arm." Li Longji ordered.
Liu Liang didn't dare to hesitate. He used his left hand to slowly roll up the right sleeve, revealing his arm. When the officials saw this, they all gasped at the same time.
The arm was full of holes and the skin was already wrinkled. The arm was small and thin, as if it had been burned by fire.
"Liu Liang's arm was burned by sulfuric acid during his research. However, he still determined the ratio of sulfuric acid. Without his persistence, there wouldn't be the current wet battery. I confer upon him the title of Founding Count. Zhao Chen, step forward."
Li Longji introduced Liu Liang and shouted to the crowd. A one-eyed man stood out. "Your Majesty."
"This is Zhao Chen. He has been in charge of the production of the telegraph machine. During the welding process, one of his eyes was blinded. However, he still completed the initial task of welding the telegraph machine with one eye. I confer upon him the title of Founding Marquis. Zhao Gong, step forward … Zhao Gong is Zhao Chen's younger brother. He did experiments with his older brother. Originally, Zhao Gong was a High Scholar. However, he gave up the opportunity to take the imperial examination and was willing to take over the heavy responsibility of his older brother.
Zhang Yan … "Li Longji called out the people one by one. Every time one of them was called out, he would tell them what they had done and reward them. There were a total of 32 people.
When Li Longji introduced them, all of them puffed out their chests. Their eyes were filled with excitement. The officials also listened carefully. If it was in the past, there would have been people who would have stood out to oppose the Emperor's rewards. However, today was an exception.
They knew that the Emperor's rewards were for the hundreds of thousands of craftsmen. The fact that the craftsmen, whom they had never paid much attention to in the past, were able to create such amazing things made them feel emotional.
Li Longji squatted down and touched the telegraph machine. He said, "I hope that all of you will know that the Tang Empire's craftsmen are not lowly. You will understand that while you are enjoying good things, there are people who are bleeding and sacrificing for them. Every item is filled with the blood and sweat of the Tang Empire's craftsmen. You must cherish them."
"I will remember." Gao Lishi was the first to speak. The other officials followed suit.
"Yes, please go back. The craftsmen are omnipotent. Remember to keep it a secret." Li Longji showed the officials the power of the craftsmen. When the morning court session resumed, the first thing he proposed was to allocate a large amount of money to the Ministry of Works.
All the officials now understood that the Emperor was doing this to clear the way for Zhang Zhong. If there was no telegraph machine, there would be people who would object to giving a large amount of money to the Ministry of Works for no reason. Now that they thought about the advanced tool that could send messages over long distances, there was no one who would not support it. It was too scary.
They imagined that thousands of miles away, a person could tap on the telegraph machine, and the message would be sent to the capital immediately. After the same discussion, the message would be sent back. It was much faster than sending an urgent report from 800 miles away. Even a pigeon could not compare to it. In the face of disasters and war, the reaction time would be greatly reduced. It was even more amazing during war. Several armies could cooperate with each other at any time. What kind of enemy could not be defeated?
While the others were feeling satisfied, Li Longji's mind was wandering to Ji Li Province. 'When will Xiao Bao and Cuckoo be able to create a weapon that can fight from Lu Zhou to the capital? And intercept it? '
*****
"Beep, beep, beep, beep …" In a house on the north bank of the Mud River, Wang Juan was tapping on something. The sound of beeping could be heard from time to time.
Zhang Xiaobao sat aside and looked at the map in his hand. He was lost in thought. After a while, he recovered and asked, "Is it done? When it's done, help me send a telegram. Just say, 'Thank you for your hard work today. Is the road repaired? If it is, don't be anxious. Be steady and tell the others that we can proceed to the next step. When the next step is carried out, it will be the moment of our victory. As for this … "
"Comrade Zhang Xiaobao, this is sending a telegram, not making a phone call. Jian Jie, do you understand?" Wang Juan was about to translate it into code when she heard Zhang Xiaobao talking a lot of nonsense. She stopped what she was doing and complained with dissatisfaction.
"Oh, you just thought of it. Make a call. Lu Cheng will do it." Zhang Xiaobao nodded and reduced the pile of words just now into five words.
"Isn't it done? Do you think Li Longji will find out that the thing we used is more advanced than what he saw? And then scold him? " Wang Juan had some basic knowledge of telegrams. She quickly sent the message. If Li Longji saw the telegram she used, he would definitely scold them for keeping it to themselves.
There was no fish tank beside the telegram. Instead, it was a block-like thing that provided power to the telegram. At the same time, the telegram didn't have any wires connected to other places. It only had an antenna that extended out. This was the dry battery and wireless telegram he was looking forward to making in the future. He didn't expect that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had already used it.
Zhang Xiaobao said uncertainly, "I don't think so."
"Can't he scold him or can't he find out?" Wang Juan asked again.
"As long as he can't find out, he won't scold us," Zhang Xiaobao answered.
"In other words, you're pinning the consequences on the former."
"That's right. If he really finds out about this, he'll probably make things difficult for us. This is something that's very different from telegrams. It's a product that transcends time and uses electromagnetic technology. In the future, we can make a radio station and use a thin box to receive the signal. This is the People's Radio Station. What we're broadcasting right now is whether the Great Tang Emperor, Li Longji, will be angry if he finds out about this technology and he wasn't the first to see it? Dear listeners, you can write a letter and send it to …"
"Alright, stop joking around. You still want to be angry? Based on his personality in the past, you should be beheaded for this crime. You should find ten thousand people to watch and then eat a steamed bun dipped in blood to treat tuberculosis."
"Can't we use Remi's seal to treat tuberculosis? Those people in the medical school are too lame. They haven't developed it yet. It's the same for antibiotics. At the very least, they should have developed penicillin first so that it can be used to treat diseases. At this rate, when will they be able to perform heart bypass surgery? "
Zhang Xiaobao began to complain about the medical school's research speed.
Wang Juan said disapprovingly, "You think it's a game where you can be as fast as you want? That's a problem with the system. Heart bypass surgery? Why don't you talk about changing the DNA? That way, humans won't have to worry about breathing. They can absorb the Reiki between heaven and earth and fly freely in the universe. "
"That's fine. This is a new topic in the medical school. It's best to first demonstrate it from the five elements and the balance of Yin and Yang in Chinese medicine. Sigh, we have to go back. We'll be assassinated tomorrow. "
Zhang Xiaobao followed Wang Juan's words for a while and then remembered the serious matter.
"Tomorrow? Isn't it earlier tomorrow? Let's wait until the rivers start to connect. Otherwise, it's easy to cause problems. "Wang Juan thought for a while and gave her opinion.
"I'll listen to you. It's late. Madam, why don't we go to sleep?" Zhang Xiaobao said with a yearning look.
"If you dare to touch me while I'm asleep again, I'll chop off your perverted pig hand."
"You're the one who put it on me."
"Then I'll chop it off too."
*****
After receiving the young master and young lady's orders, the construction workers worked much faster. They didn't stop at night. They lit torches and continued to instruct the people of Xinluo to work hard to build the road.
During this period of time, the road on the side of Xinluo was about to be paved. The place where the tariffs were collected was also built. Anyone who paid the tariffs would be let through when they passed through this road. Those who didn't pay would be blocked on the other side.
The merchants of Xinluo were looking forward to the benefits they would receive after the arrival of the tariffs. The members of the royal family of Xinluo were also looking forward to using the money to build the place.
Another two days passed. The last section of the road was being watered. When it was dry, the moisturizing grass mats on it were taken away. The road could be extended to the farthest place.
Another day, Li Dong listened to the sound of firecrackers and stood happily at the place where the tariffs were collected. He waited for the Tang Empire's caravan to take the initiative to send the money. The people sent to the Tang Empire sent back information that there was already a large caravan coming. An Li said that they would arrive last night, but they didn't expect that they still hadn't arrived.
While waiting anxiously, the sun reached the middle of the sky. Just when Li Dong and the other merchants of Xinluo thought that the Tang Empire's caravan would not come today, a large amount of dust was blown up by the wind on the distant path.
"They're here, they're here. Get ready. When you check the goods later, you have to be serious. You can't charge more or less. 20% of the tariff. Remember."
Li Dong saw the approaching caravan and hurriedly instructed the person in charge of collecting the Tang Empire's tariffs.
The group of people answered in unison. Their eyes were fixed on the caravan, and their minds were filled with the sound of money.
The more anxious they were, the slower time passed. Just when Li Dong and the others couldn't wait any longer, the caravan finally slowly arrived at the customs. They looked at the people in front of them blankly, as if they didn't know the situation.
Li Dong, the main leader, knew that it was time for him to go on stage. He took two steps forward and asked the caravan, "Where is your boss? According to the agreement between Xinluo and the Tang Empire, when you sell goods in Xinluo, you have to pay 20% of the tariff, which is 20%. You can pass after paying the money. "
"When did this happen? 20%? That's too much. "A while after Li Dong finished speaking, a person stood out from the caravan and asked in confusion.
"Not long ago. It was proposed by that Zhang Xiaobao from your Tang Empire. 20% isn't much. Don't you know how much your goods can be sold for in Xinluo? If you can't pay, you can use 20% of the goods as a substitute."
As Li Dong said this, he had other thoughts in mind. He didn't need to treat the merchants who came with a good attitude. As long as they had any questions, they would immediately push the blame to Zhang Xiaobao, causing the conflict between Zhang Xiaobao and the other merchants to worsen.
The people in the caravan clearly felt that it was too much. That person asked again, "What if you don't pay?"
"If you don't pay, you can't go over here." Li Dong was not anxious at all.
"Then it's not too much. Let's go back." The leader of the caravan was even more straightforward. With a wave of his hand, the caravan turned around and left at a speed many times faster than when they came.
Li Dong looked at the caravan that was gradually disappearing from his sight. He wanted to stop them, but he realized that they were on the land of the Tang Empire. He was not qualified to do so.
After the last wisp of smoke disappeared, Li Dong gritted his teeth and said gloomily, "This group of merchants from the Tang Empire is treacherous, stingy, and stingy. Watch them carefully in case they sneak over under the cover of the night."
The equally disappointed Xinluo people were also furious. They agreed to Li Dong's words and swore to guard this place well. They would not give the merchants of the Tang Empire any chance.
This wait lasted until nightfall. The moon hung high in the sky, and the stars around it dimmed due to the lack of one side of the moon. Li Dong, who still insisted on not sleeping, kept dozing off. He drank cup after cup of tea, but it didn't seem to have any effect. His eyelids kept closing.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, a person rushed in from outside and reported anxiously, "Boss Li, bad news. The Tang Empire's caravan has bypassed us and entered Xinluo from another place."
"What? They went in? Why didn't they stop them? " What Li Dong was worried about had finally happened. The merchants did not care about the system. If they could pay less, they would definitely not pay more.
"We did, but the place is too big, and we don't have enough manpower. The Tang Empire's caravan is divided into countless small teams, coming to Xinluo from all directions. Those who were stopped by us said that they had taken the wrong path in the dark and turned around to go back. We sent out more than a hundred people to stop 30 small teams, but looking at the scale, there should be 70% of the Tang Empire's caravan that was not stopped. That means that 70% of the goods entered Xinluo."
The person who came had a dejected look on his face. He seemed to be complaining about the Tang Empire and also seemed to be complaining about the lack of manpower on his side.
Hearing the words of the person who came, Li Dong's brows furrowed deeply, forming the character 'Chuan' above his nose. He looked at the people waiting there and asked, "Brothers, do you have any good ideas?"
"Yes, one is to send more people. If we want to completely block the land route, we need at least five thousand people who are familiar with this place," the person replied.
Li Dong looked at a place and did not move. After a while, he said, "Alright, then we'll discuss with others tomorrow. Send five thousand people out to stop the Tang Empire's caravan. We can't let them pass so easily. Otherwise, who will pay?"
"Yes." The person agreed and left in a hurry.
The next day, it was noon again. The weather was so hot that it made people feel stuffy. Fortunately, another team from the Tang Empire arrived at the place and also asked about the tax. Like the previous team, they turned around and left.
The five thousand people that Xinluo had found with great difficulty were divided into different places according to the distance. They waited for the Tang Empire's people to secretly come over at night so that they could block them.
But this time, they did not wait for the sky to completely turn dark. Just as the sun set, someone ran over to look for Li Dong.
"Boss Li, it's not good. The merchants of the Tang Empire have crossed the narrow Mud River. They actually brought a rubber raft. They must have been prepared. Boss Li, quickly think of a way?"
Li Dong was completely dumbfounded. He could still send five thousand people to block the land route, but if the water route was also included, then not to mention five thousand people, even fifty thousand people would not be able to block it. The place was too big. There were many places in the Mud River that were relatively narrow. It was very easy to cross it.
Could it be that the tariff really could not be collected? Then what was the use of this place? He had even spent a million strings of coins. Was it all for nothing?
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. Li Dong really had no idea this time. He went to the third floor of Changfeng Pavilion again and found the other merchants to discuss, hoping that someone could come up with a better idea.
"From what Boss Li means, the land route connecting Xinluo and the Tang Empire is too wide, and there are many narrow places in the two rivers? Then can we think of a way to make the river wider so that their rubber raft can't cross it easily, and then make the connecting place narrower from the road? "
A merchant in a partnership thought of the crux of the problem and suggested an idea.
The other merchants also nodded in agreement.
"Then how should we make the river wider and the land route narrower?" Li Dong muttered as he tried his best to think of an idea.
The other merchants were also thinking about this problem. Suddenly, a merchant's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "I thought of a good idea. That is to connect the two rivers. This way, the flow of water will increase and naturally make the river wider. Moreover, once the protruding land that was not submerged by the water is submerged, it will form a reef and it will be very easy for something to happen.
Then, we can find a place, such as where our road connects, and build a bridge there. Let the merchants from the Tang Empire pass through the bridge. This way, it will be difficult for them to take a detour. If a few boats capsize, they will lose more than just 20% of the tariff. The value of the goods transported to Xinluo is quite a lot. In addition to the human lives, I think we can solve this problem. "
"That's right." Another merchant slapped his thigh in agreement. Suddenly, he revealed a confused expression and said, "Why does this idea sound so familiar to me?"
Li Dong's thoughts were faster and he said, "Of course it's familiar. That was the idea that Zhang Xiaobao first suggested. Wasn't it messed up by the people we hired? We even had a lot of fights with the people we hired.
Zhang Xiaobao, Zhang Xiaobao, oh Zhang Xiaobao, you're good. I understand. This is a way to connect the rivers. I'm impressed. You made us clearly know that, but we still have to do it. If we don't do it, we won't have 20% of the tariff. The higher-ups can't bear the pressure anymore.
We also have a lot of money. "The other merchants were not stupid. They immediately understood and looked at each other. They could see deep worry in each other's eyes. This Zhang Xiaobao had finally met him. If they did not have direct contact with him, they would not be able to understand his abilities. After going around in a big circle, the rivers that should be connected had been connected, and the bridges that should be repaired still needed to be repaired.
Li Dong sighed helplessly. "Let's discuss it with Zhengzheng Construction Group's Zhang Tie. I'll have someone deliver the letter tomorrow. Everyone, remember to be careful. Whatever Zhang Xiaobao brings up next time, we must consider it carefully. Don't be fooled again. I finally understand why Li Longji sent him here. He's a smart man."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The news that Xinluo wanted to cooperate with the Tang Empire to connect the two rivers and repair the bridge quickly spread to the Tang Empire's Chang 'an.
During the morning court session, Li Longji was in the middle of a discussion with the officials about how more merchants would be sent overseas to explore new places in the future, and how they would be charged for bringing good goods back to the Great Tang, when Gao Lishi was sent by a young eunuch to collect a letter.
After reading the letter from Gao Lishi, who left and returned in a hurry, Li Longji was stunned for a while. Then, he suddenly burst out laughing, "Hahahaha, Xiao Bao, oh Xiao Bao, you really didn't disappoint me. You went around in circles and used the same method to deal with me on Xinluo. Good, I'm very relieved. Come, let the officials take a look."
The matters discussed earlier in the morning court were put on hold, and the letter was first delivered to Zhang Shuo. His position was the highest, so after he finished reading the letter that did not have too many words and passed it on to the next person, Zhang Shuo fell silent.
He had an impulse to overturn the method he had just proposed. When they were talking about collecting the goods tax from the merchants who returned from the sea, he suggested that Lu Zhou's coastal patrol team be placed in the hands of the imperial court instead of Lu Zhou. In other words, he was taking back the power of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family in disguise.
That was a team to make money. Whoever controlled it could get both power and money. There would definitely be many people begging to do things for them.
However, after reading the contents of the letter from Ji Li Province, he was a little afraid that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan would find out about his proposal. With Zhang Xiaobao's scheming, would the consequences be unbearable if they spent a little effort on him?
The officials read the letter one by one. Each of them had a different expression after reading it. Some were nervous, some were relieved, some were confused, and some were deep in thought.
When the letter was passed around and returned to Gao Lishi, the officials had different opinions about the ownership of Lu Zhou's coastal patrol team.
Li Longji was still excited. He said to his officials, "Xiao Bao is really reassuring. If all the local officials are as good as him, what else do I have to worry about? Unfortunately, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are only a pair. It's hard to find them. Let's wait until Xiaobei and the others are older. Where was I just now? Minister Zhang said that he wants to take back control of the coastal patrol team. What are you going to do? "
Li Longji sighed. Then, he remembered what happened just now. He looked at Zhang Shuo and asked.
Zhang Shuo smacked his lips. He looked at the row of people who were looking at him with a gloating expression and replied calmly, "Your Majesty, I've thought about it again. I still don't know enough about Lu Zhou's place. Why don't we send more people there to have a look and learn? After that, we can discuss it again so that we don't make any mistakes in our haste."
"Oh? You're not in a hurry to take it back? What do the others think? " Li Longji asked deliberately. He did not want the head of the secretariat to meddle too much. That would give him too much power. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo were more reassuring.
"I agree." The person who spoke up for Zhang Shuo earlier quickly changed his mind at this moment.
With his words, the others did not want to offend Zhang Xiaobao who had just schemed against Xin Luo. They all agreed.
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