Hearing Li Longji's question, Zhang Xiaobao was stunned. He looked around and asked, "Where does Your Majesty want to set up the cannons?"
"On the city walls. After the expansion, we will need to pass through two walls to reach the capital. Set up one cannon on the outer wall, and another one on the inner wall. With layers of defense, there will be no need to worry about the capital."
Li Longji waved his hand. It really did feel like he was talking about the country, except he was talking about the capital.
Zhang Xiaobao was speechless. Li Longji's idea was completely different from his. To be more precise, it was completely different. Of course, the Earth was round. If one walked in the other direction, they would still be able to reach their original destination.
Li Longji didn't hear Zhang Xiaobao's reply. He turned around and saw Zhang Xiaobao's helpless expression. Wang Juan also seemed to be dispirited. He couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Bao, do you have a better idea in terms of defense?"
"Yes." Zhang Xiaobao replied and looked at Wang Juan. Wang Juan nodded, indicating that she supported him.
Zhang Xiaobao continued, "I plan to tear down the entire city wall. If someone comes to the capital from the outside, we will set up a boundary marker on the road with the words' Capital City, Chang'an 'written on it."
After making a few gestures, Zhang Xiaobao pointed in the direction of the imperial palace. "Not only do we need to set up cannons in the palace, we also need to store a large number of firearms. The exterior is loose, but the interior is tight."
Wang Juan continued, "If Your Majesty is worried that someone will bring an army to Chang'an, you should first defend against the enemy outside the country and not outside the capital.
The Great Wall of the Pre-Qin Dynasty couldn't prevent its destruction. The truly indestructible Great Wall is in the hearts of the people. The people are willing to sacrifice their lives for the country, the merchants are willing to sacrifice their wealth for the country, and the officials are willing to sacrifice their lives for the country.
If one day someone can really reach the capital, the people will be able to build a wall of flesh and blood for Your Majesty without using bricks or mud. Otherwise, even if you use steel, there will be a day when it will be burned down. "
Li Longji didn't say anything else and fell into deep thought. Surrounded by people, he walked aimlessly in the middle of the open space outside. Step by step, he walked very slowly.
After a long time, he made a decision that made Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's hair stand on end.
He instructed the surrounding guards, "Don't surround me. Keep a close eye on those who aren't from the Tang Empire. I want to … I want to put on a show. Yes, put on a show. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will accompany me. I will personally go and ask the people who are working."
"What?" Zhang Xiaobao quivered and stretched his hand back. Immediately, someone handed over a revolver.
Wang Juan's eyes also suddenly widened, and she also asked for a revolver.
The two men tucked their guns into their sleeves and placed their other hands behind the firing pins.
He nodded at Li Longji, who had a resolute expression on his face. What he meant was, "Fine, if you dare to attack, we'll accompany you with our lives."
Gao Lishi hurriedly took a few steps forward and stood diagonally in front of the Emperor. He fiercely signaled to the surrounding guards.
When Li Longji walked towards a construction site where the common people were hired to work, dozens of figures jumped out from the guards around Xiaobei. They were all dressed very normally. Some of them were dressed like foot carriers, some were carrying jobs, and there was even an 'artist' who was carrying a large drawing board on his back. There were so many of them.
Needless to say, these people were plainclothes. They belonged to the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Families. Each of them was very self-aware. They didn't need others to remind them where they should stand and carry out cross surveillance.
It wasn't clear whether it was because Li Longji trusted Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, or because he was confident in his own charisma. In any case, he walked all the way to the construction site.
The gatekeepers who were guarding the entrance to prevent people from entering saw the group of people coming from afar. Not only did they see the people, but they also saw the flag that represented the Emperor's identity.
She had long been scared silly. She watched as a person in gorgeous clothes walked over with a dignified aura. She stood there and swallowed her saliva with all her might. She couldn't even say a word.
"The two of you, are you still tired?" Li Longji walked in front of the two people and tried to speak in a calm and caring tone.
"His Majesty is asking you two a question. Are you tired?" Gao Lishi leaned over and touched one of them with his finger.
After being touched, the person reacted and shook his head vigorously. Then, he suddenly knelt on the ground with a thump. He kowtowed and shouted, "Long live His Majesty."
The other person also knelt on the ground and kowtowed, but he couldn't say a word.
"No need for formalities, no need for formalities. You … uh, the two of you have worked hard." Li Longji reached out to help them up. Gao Lishi didn't even have time to rush forward and help them up.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan who were accompanying him on the left and right narrowed their eyes, but their faces were calm. The plainclothes around them were the same. Under the calm surface, there were turbulent waves.
This person seemed to be braver. He didn't need Li Longji's help and stood up on his own. As he stood, he said, "Your, Your Majesty, I, I can do it myself. Don't, don't dirty my clothes. Your, your hands."
Li Longji was putting on a show, so he naturally had to go through with it. He held the person's hands and looked him up and down. Suddenly, his eyes stopped on the person's hands and he sighed.
"Qiuhan, your hands are cracked. What do you do? Who else is at home? Someone, bring me my mink oil hand cream. This is a pair of hands that silently contribute to the peace of the Great Tang. "
"Xiao Bei." Zhang Xiaobao called out.
Behind them, Xiao Bei pouted and took out something from her bag. She complained in a low voice, "He's so generous. How did he know that I took two unopened bags today? I wanted to give them to Shuiyun's family."
After taking out the bags, she pulled Xiao Yuan forward and muttered to Xiao Yuan, "Next time when you come out with Uncle Emperor, remember to remind him to bring everything. We're here. If we don't come, how can he give them to us? We'll go to the palace for dinner tonight. "
"Then don't be so picky about porridge. How much porridge can you drink to get back two bags of hand cream?" Xiao Yuan, who had always been unwilling to be calculative, also felt sorry for her.
When the two of them walked forward, the person whose hand was held by Li Longji was already crying. He couldn't wipe his tears because his hand was held by the Emperor.
He sobbed and spoke incoherently.
When Xiao Bei brought the items over, Li Longji finally understood what the other party meant. He said that he was doing carpentry. His two parents were here, and he also had three children and one daughter-in-law. The eldest child could help out and was cleaning the wood. The other two children were still young and were in school.
He also knew to thank the Emperor for sending Xiao Bao and Cuckoo to organize the Chaoyang Operation. He also thanked the Emperor for governing the country well. Anyway, that was what he meant, not what he said.
"Take one box each. Apply it on your hands when you go back. Seeing you like this, I feel guilty. You work hard for the Great Tang, but I can't take care of you often. Sigh!
Apply this on your hands and it can prevent them from cracking. To be honest, I came out in a hurry and didn't bring anything. I'll borrow Xiao Bei's first. Xiao Bei, you're my Great Tang Patrol Officers. You can cut down corrupt officials and impeach the emperor. "
Li Longji took the things from Xiao Bei and told the truth. He didn't forget to introduce Xiao Bei, making Xiao Bei feel that he shouldn't have been thinking about going to the palace to eat. Instead, he should have just eaten porridge.
The person who was supported by Li Longji was so moved that he couldn't speak. Tears flowed down his face as he nodded his head repeatedly.
Li Longji patted the person's shoulder again, "The weather is getting colder by the day. I'll have people prepare lamb bones and pig bones soup for you to drink. I'll pay for it. As for the things …"
Li Longji looked at Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't dare to relax in the slightest. He was vigilant as he replied, "I'll be in charge of buying them. Also, I'll be providing a batch of roasted chicken on behalf of Zhuangzi."
Behind them, there were officials who wanted to step forward and say how much they were going to donate, but they were stopped by the guards. They meant that they shouldn't join in the fun. It was easy to get into trouble if they were in a mess.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. Thank, for your kindness." The person holding the two boxes of hand cream quickly expressed his gratitude.
Li Longji nodded his head in satisfaction. As he walked forward, he didn't forget to joke, "One box per person. Don't keep them all for yourself."
"I don't dare, I don't dare." The person repeatedly promised, provoking laughter.
Everyone continued to walk in. Just a short while ago, someone had already passed the news of the Emperor's arrival to the official in charge of the construction site.
The person in charge ran out alone. There were still oil stains on the corners of his mouth that hadn't been wiped clean. As soon as he arrived in front of Li Longji, he wanted to kneel down.
"You're in charge? The food is pretty good. "Li Longji frowned.
At this time, the person in charge didn't kneel down. Instead, he sat on the ground. He could still tell whether the words were good or bad. He opened his mouth, but didn't say anything. He wanted to defend himself, but he didn't dare.
Xiao Bei went up to him and asked, "What were you eating just now?"
The person in charge looked at Xiao Bei gratefully. If someone asked, he could go along with it. He replied to Xiao Bei, "Lord Zhang, I was eating donkey meat just now."
"You know me?" Xiao Bei was puzzled. When did I become so famous? He asked again, "Why did you eat donkey meat?"
The person in charge suddenly realized that Xiao Bei was so cute. It seemed that his life could be saved.
He hurriedly said, "I know you. Who doesn't know Lord Zhang, who patrols the Great Tang? The donkey was born from a worker's family. It was crushed to death by a log. I saw that he was distressed, so I paid for it. I'll treat everyone to some donkey meat soup and try the donkey meat buns."
"You paid for it yourself?" Xiao Bei asked again.
"Yes, yes. This official's family is quite well-off. You can tell just by looking at this official's stomach. It's probably gone down after the expansion. It's really bitter. Even I, who am in charge, have a hard time, let alone the workers.
This official's family also has a pig farm in Wannian County. I'm planning to ship a batch of pigs over to give everyone more oil. In fact, this official is afraid that I'll be too thin from hunger. It's just convenient for me to eat with the others. This official is too selfish. "
The person in charge touched his stomach and explained.
Li Longji glanced at him and didn't say anything. He walked straight in. A maid in the crowd ran out first, accompanied by two guards.
After a while, she returned and pointed in a direction. She said to Li Longji, "Your Majesty, the kitchen is over there."
Li Longji looked at the maid's clothes and knew that she was from the inner courtyard of the Zhang Family and Wang Family. He secretly praised her for her ability to observe people's body language. There were too few people in the palace who were so clever and dared to do things on their own.
Nodding to the maid, Li Longji walked towards the kitchen. After a hundred steps, a light breeze blew, and the aroma of meat drifted over. That's right, this is the place.
The person in charge followed at the side. He didn't dare to raise his head and only looked at the ground.
When they arrived, Gao Lishi went forward to take a look. Many people were in the kitchen. Some were holding bowls, while others were holding cakes.
Gao Lishi first looked at the bowls. There was a lot of soup in the bowls. He then looked at the pot and the wooden bucket beside it. The soup in the pot was boiling. Two of the wooden buckets were empty. He picked up a spoon and stirred the pot. The meat was indeed cooked. He could even find seasonings and seasonings at the bottom.
Putting down the spoon, he turned around and said to Li Longji, "Your Majesty, it is indeed not freshly cooked. Let me find someone to ask."
After saying this, Gao Lishi pointed at a person who hadn't swallowed the food in his mouth, "You, come here. His Majesty has something to ask."
"His Majesty, the Emperor is here. He personally saw that you're here. Why aren't you coming over?" The person in charge took the initiative to shout.
A series of hurried voices sounded. A group of people knelt on the ground. Some spilled soup, and some dropped cakes. They all knelt there and looked up. Other than awe, there was also curiosity.
"Dispense with the formalities. Everyone, quickly get up. We're delaying everyone's meal. We feel uneasy. We smell the aroma. We're hungry. Make a jiamo for us. Scoop some soup for us."
Li Longji immediately persuaded them to get up. He asked them to eat.
Gao Lishi called the person over and began to quietly ask. The person in charge lowered his head again. He didn't dare to look at the person Gao Lishi was asking. He was afraid that Gao Lishi would misunderstand. If that really happened, Gao Lishi probably wouldn't even bother to ask.
The cook in charge of cooking was so nervous that his whole body trembled. He wanted to get up, but his legs wouldn't listen to him.
"What are you afraid of? Did you poison the meat?" Xiao Bei shouted.
"No, no, how would I dare to poison it? If you don't believe me, I'll eat it first. If it's poisonous, you'll poison me first." The cook trembled and finally stood up. His face was flushed red. This was cooking for the Emperor.
He tried his best to control himself and finished making a jiamo. Xiao Bei rushed over, "I'm also hungry. I'll eat one with Xiao Yuan first. You can cook more for Uncle Emperor."
As Xiao Bei spoke, she really took a bite. She smacked her lips twice, "I didn't put enough salt. I'll just eat it."
She didn't give it to Xiao Yuan. She took another bite and continued smacking her lips, "En! It's not bad. There's pepper and coriander inside. Why didn't you put chopped green onions? I can taste cinnamon and cloves. I didn't expect there to be so many seasonings here. The meat is chewy and doesn't smell like rotten meat. Okay, it's edible. Xiao Yuan, try it. "
Xiao Yuan took it and looked at the cake first. Then she picked up the shredded meat and sniffed it under her nose. She nodded, "There's a lot of ginger. Why did you put garlic? This is the first time I've heard of donkey meat with garlic and cabbage leaves washed clean. "
She took another bite and used her tongue to carefully push the meat against her teeth. Then she sucked the soup inside, "It's not old soup. There's no numbing sensation."
Only then did the other officials realize that Xiao Bei and Xiao Yuan were testing the poison first. It had to be said that their mouths were really useful, because the cook repeatedly nodded and admitted it.
He sighed in his heart. No wonder His Majesty valued Xiao Bei and the others so much. The children were really too sensible. If it was an adult who came to snatch the jiamo, people would think that Huang Hesang was not at ease. Children were fine. They liked to play.
When the cook saw that the first jiamo was tasted and evaluated, they started to make the second jiamo. He understood, but he couldn't say anything. When the emperor ate in the palace, there were also people in charge of testing the poison.
When the second jiamo was done, Gao Lishi took it and sent it to Li Longji. At the same time, he gave him a look, meaning that he had finished asking.
Li Longji looked at Xiao Bei and sighed. He opened his mouth and took a big bite. He chewed hard and swallowed it. He said, "Good, someone thought ahead of me. Good, what's your name? What's your official rank? "
The person in charge felt relieved. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, my name is Yuan Yuan. I'm in the engineering department of the Ministry of Works. I'm in the lower seventh rank."
"Oh, you're in the engineering department, right?" Li Longji directly promoted Yuan Yuan from the lower seventh rank to the upper sixth rank. It could be said that he had jumped three ranks in a row, surpassing the upper seventh rank and lower sixth rank.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll send the pigs back." Yuan Yuan knelt down to express his gratitude and promised that he would do a good job with the pigs. He was promoted three ranks in a row. It was worth it to bring all the pigs at home.
Li Longji no longer paid attention to Yuan Yuan. He took the jiamo and said, "Eat, eat. Today, I'm just here to take a look. I don't want to do anything else."
After saying that, he started to eat again.
Seeing that the emperor was asking them to eat, and that the emperor was also eating, everyone went back to wash the soup. They picked up the flatbread and blew on the dust. They didn't want to throw it away and continued to eat.
After eating a jiamo with them, Li Longji began to walk around other places. After Xiao Bei and Xiao Yuan finished eating, he asked for more than ten more. There were still people who hadn't eaten yet. He had to leave some for his brothers and sisters.
The cook brought out his skills to the peak. The others didn't have any objections. It was just one less bite. It would be good to be able to eat in the same pot as the officials.
After Li Longji finished walking around the place where the commoners were working, he went to the military camp. He ate two spoons of salted beans and asked a few questions. Finally, he came to the site of Zheng Zheng Construction.
At this point, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan finally breathed a sigh of relief. They cursed Li Longji in their hearts.
Li Longji was in a good mood, but he was a little thirsty. He had eaten salted beans earlier, and he was still holding Xiao Bei in his arms. He had wanted to help someone carry the log, but he had been stopped by Gao Lishi, who had refused no matter what.
In order to show his strength, he carried Xiao Bei. Along the way, no one dared to say anything. Xiao Bei was poisoned just now. How much courage did he have? He also had to be smart.
Li Longji looked at the orderly construction site and coughed lightly. He asked, "Is there soup?"
"Your Majesty, there is egg drop soup." The person in charge of Zheng Zheng Construction wasn't as nervous as the others and respectfully replied.
"Is it salty? If it isn't, then give me a bowl. What's the main dish? "Li Longji asked again.
"Steamed buns. When you're working, eating steamed buns is more energetic." The person in charge replied.
Xiao Bei slipped out of Li Longji's arms. "A bowl of soup and a steamed bun. Uncle Emperor tasted it just now."
The person in charge immediately went to arrange it. In less than a moment, he personally brought the food to the place.
This time, Li Longji didn't need anyone to try it first. He blew on it and drank a mouthful of soup. He pinched a piece of steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth. After that, he drank a mouthful of soup and let out a long sigh of relief.
He said to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, "We'll let bygones be bygones. We don't need the city wall. We have millions of people. Why should we be afraid of the invasion of a small country? Xiao Bao, spend the money in the bank when you need to. Do more … that's called … oh, it's called public welfare. "
Zhang Xiaobao was also preparing a bowl of soup. When he heard Li Longji's words, he stopped what he was doing and replied, "Your Majesty is right. Only by spending money on public welfare can we earn more. The circulation of money is the only way to stabilize the economy.
Since Your Majesty is talking about public welfare, this subject has something to say. Apart from repairing bridges and roads, this subject should also directly use the money on the people's livelihood. This way, it'll be more convenient for this subject to earn more money. "
"Oh? Xiao Bao, you have another brilliant plan? Tell us about it first and let us guess. " Li Longji's interest was piqued. Guessing Xiao Bao's riddle was very interesting, even if he couldn't guess it correctly.
Zhang Xiaobao was no longer anxious. He first drank a mouthful of soup, then cleared his throat and spat out two words, "Military horses."
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