After Li Longji said the word 'kill', he added, "A few years ago, when you and Cuckoo told me about this matter, I sent people to patrol the area every year. The results were pretty good, but there were still people who dared to commit crimes at the risk of being executed. The officials in the Henan Circuit, oh, there were 613 of them.
They didn't manage to find out anything. Last year, I sent three batches of people, but they managed to fool the patrolling officers. To be more precise, the patrolling officers couldn't figure out what the Japanese were talking about.
The last batch of people discovered a small problem. I ordered them to send news, but the news was cut off. Only then did I send Xiaobei and the others over. "
At this point, Li Longji glanced at Xiaohai and the others and nodded. "You guys are still the best. When you went over, the news wasn't cut off."
"They don't dare, and they don't have the ability." Big Man replied. Little Man continued, "Even if they can mobilize ten thousand soldiers, our guards will be able to bring us back safely."
"Indeed. This year, I sent five batches of people. The money spent by the people sent out was much less than the money the officials embezzled. It was worth it. I will give another order.
I will let the people of Great Tang know that if they discover any corruption or bribery of local officials, they can report it to the department that sends the telegrams. I will immediately send people to investigate.
The department that sends the telegrams will be independent of the local government, just as Xiao Bao had requested. It won't be investigated or controlled by the local government. Even if it won't be completely eradicated, it will at least minimize the losses. If any of the officials in the royal court dares to participate, their properties will be confiscated and their entire family exterminated. "
Li Longji spoke harshly.
"This subject doesn't dare," the officials replied in unison.
Li Longji ignored the officials and instructed Zhang Xiaobao, "Xiao Bao, activate your family's intelligence network. I believe in your two clans. If anything happens, have Xiaobei investigate. I will kill whoever is found. Their crimes don't warrant death. As long as they are caught by Xiaobei, I will kill them."
"Since the monarch treats me like a national scholar, I will repay the monarch with a national scholar." Zhang Xiaobao said seriously. Since Li Longji had already started to ignore the fact that the two of them were trying to avoid suspicion, he had to make a stand. It seemed that he had to continue opening more branches. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the news.
Of course, he wouldn't do what Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong did in history, because he was smarter than them. He didn't need to rely on those little tricks to get money and power. When people wanted to use power to obtain selfish monetary satisfaction, they couldn't rely on wisdom to satisfy the public.
"Student, may I ask one more question?" The official appeared again.
Under Zhang Xiaobao's signal, he asked, "I want to know, how is that money different from the money in the bank?"
"One is that the accounts are different, and the other is that the application is different. Your Majesty can spend your money as you please, but that money must be used for public welfare. The purpose of collecting deposits is not to make things difficult for the people, but to make them take it seriously and work hard.
It's hard for people to cherish things that they get for free. By keeping a deposit, they will use the horses well. At the same time, when they don't need the horses, they can take the money back at any time.
For example, if they can't afford to keep horses in winter, they can return the horses and take the money back. When spring comes next year, if there are still horses that are idle, they can rent them again. This fee is actually balanced by the interest generated from the money they put in the bank.
I will run a perfect operation and earn a lot of money. Then, I will take out the money and use it for public welfare. For example, for families with low incomes, I will build houses for them and give them money to buy necessities for survival. "
Zhang Xiaobao's answer satisfied the official and he retreated.
Not only was he satisfied with Zhang Xiaobao's answer, but he was also satisfied with his master's ability. He was indeed omnipotent and didn't let him down.
Li Longji suddenly remembered something that Zhang Xiaobao said just now.
"Xiao Bao, what do you mean by letting the people plant specific crops? For example … "
"I haven't thought about it yet. It's just a suggestion. Yes, I haven't thought about it yet." Zhang Xiaobao had a calm expression.
"It must be related to the technology your family is releasing. Am I right?" Li Longji asserted. After asking, he looked at Zhang Xiaobao carefully.
Zhang Xiaobao smiled: "Your Majesty, don't try to trick me. If you say it's right, then it's right."
Zhang Xiaobao wasn't sure when he answered. Just as Li Longji asked, there was indeed a connection. Otherwise, who would be stupid enough to give away their technology for free? But now, they couldn't say it out loud in case someone tried to interfere.
Li Longji was conflicted. He knew that even if he guessed correctly, he wouldn't be able to guess the connection between the two. If he asked Zhang Xiaobao again, he wouldn't get an answer. If he did get an answer, it would probably be a lie.
"I was just asking casually. Accompany me to the construction site and see what's the difference between your family's buildings and other buildings."
Li Longji didn't want to think about it anymore because the more he thought, the more tired he became. He turned around and walked inside.
After calling out, Xiao Bei came back with the carved rice sprouts. She looked very happy. She ran over and spoke to Zhang Xiaobao first.
"Brother, I found a way to make money."
All the officials were speechless. They were really a family. Zhang Xiaobao's plan was to make a lot of money. His sister could also make a little money herself. It seemed that it would be difficult for her to starve to death in the future.
"Oh? What's the idea? Tell me. "Zhang Xiaobao had to play along and pretended to be curious.
"Hehe, it's about the candy house." Xiao Bei hugged the carved rice sprouts and swayed back and forth.
"Ah? Let me guess. Did you make a new flavor of candy? "Zhang Xiaobao made a candy eating action.
"No ~ right, just a little. Guess again." Xiao Bei continued to sway her body.
"Then you must have made a better pastry."
"Also ~ wrong, let me tell you. We have a new thing, and the shape is different. In the future, Sister Xiao Zhu will design the shape.
Just now, we asked the master to help us carve and he carved a lot of wood shavings. I asked the master if the wood shavings would be thrown away.
The master said to throw away the worthless wood shavings, but keep the valuable ones and use glue to make various patterns. Guess what I thought of? "
Xiao Bei lifted the carved rice sprouts and shook it.
"Ah, what did you think of? What did you think of? I will tell you when I go back tonight. I have to think about it carefully. "Zhang Xiaobao said as he walked forward.
Xiao Bei caught up with him: "Let me tell you. I thought of our precious candy house. The colors of the candy are too simple. Red is red, green is green.
When we make them, we use a mold, and the edges and corners are left behind. We have to reheat them. Also, the ones with sugar grains can only be sold cheaply. When we reheat them, the taste will change.
Didn't you say that a real brand is not only innovative, but also consistent? In the future, we don't have to sell them cheaply. We can just stick the leftovers into various colors and shapes and make them into little people's clothes. "
Zhang Xiaobao nodded with satisfaction and looked at Wang Juan. Wang Juan was also very pleased and asked: "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, this idea was not from me. It was from Brother Zhang Qiang. He said that he wanted to make a bow-and-arrow candy. Then he asked if we could let the children who came to eat candy design it themselves. We will make it for them.
We first came up with dozens or hundreds of designs. If they are willing to choose, they can choose. If they are not satisfied with any of them, they can think of their own or even draw it themselves. Then we will make it for them. We will charge more because some candy needs molds. "
Xiao Bei happily introduced the details and was not afraid that others would copy it. There was no protection of property rights now. The only thing that was protected, other than the official seal, was the cartoon rice seedling logo of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family.
The former was compulsory, while the latter was consciously protected by the people of the Tang Empire. The cartoon rice seedlings were not allowed to be copied.
Li Longji stopped, turned around, and said: "Xiao Bei, did you use my idea in the Imperial Court? I can't use it for nothing. "
"You want, you want shares? Uncle Emperor, sure, you can have them, but I want to write in the project you are involved in that it is personally approved by the Emperor of the Tang Empire. In terms of business, we can give up the 1.3 million strings of coins, but we can't lose a cent of the candy house's money. "
Xiao Bei was not willing to lose out at all. Her small mouth was like a machine gun.
The officials were stunned when they heard this. The little guy had really become a spirit.
Li Longji was afraid of the words 1.3 million strings of coins. It was not that he did not have it and could not take it out, but he was used to this' rule '. He said helplessly: "Just pretend that I didn't say it just now. I will treat you to dinner tonight, okay?"
"Okay, brother, you can have porridge. I want to eat a big crab. Just one is enough. Crabs are cold, so children can't eat too many of them. Wait a moment, I will discuss with them. We can't let Uncle Emperor come up with the idea for nothing.
Xiao Bei ran to discuss with the other eight children after saying that.
What Li Longji lamented the most was that the nine children worked together and each had their own strengths. In the end, they were omnipotent. He sighed and said to the officials who were watching the show:
"See, there will be an idea in a while. A man who fights in battle is not the full strength of the battle, but the unity of the soldiers in the battle. A man who governs is not the ability to learn, but the trust of the people. Therefore, the rule of the country is smooth, but the will of the people is like a city. I don't build a city, but I have millions of people."
"Long live the Emperor!" The officials shouted.
Li Longji still ignored the officials. Instead, he nodded to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to express his gratitude.
It didn't take long for Xiao Bei to run back. "Uncle Emperor, we've discussed it. In Uncle Emperor's name, before the New Year, we'll invite the children of Chang 'an to come up with ideas for our precious candy house and design candies and pastries.
At that time, we'll choose the best ones and give them something from Darling Candy House. We'll let the children in the capital have a good new year. The other places are too far away, so we can't take care of them. "
"Oh ~! How are we going to judge? How many people won't be rewarded? "Li Longji asked.
"I said, the children in the capital will naturally be rewarded. We'll give more suggestions and designs to those who are good, and we'll also give a share to those who aren't good." Xiao Bei looked at him with a 'why don't you listen to me?' look.
"Can't we just give them directly? Why bother them? "Li Longji asked again.
"We can't accept rewards without doing anything. Just call it charity and let them think of a way to get the candy. They'll feel that it's the result of their hard work, and it'll taste better," Xiao Bei explained.
"Do you see? Do you hear me? " Li Longji first said to the official, then turned to Xiao Bei and said, "Jun 'er and Pan' er are still waiting for you to play with them. You have to find them soon."
"We'll find them when we get back tonight. We'll lend them our original small house to play with. Our house is made of agarwood, the only house in the entire Great Tang that has a mercury balance. Brother and sister gave it to us back then."
Xiao Bei's face was filled with happiness when she talked about her house.
Li Longji also knew about that house and was very envious of it. He didn't live in it when he was young, so he nodded and said, "We're really going to make a big crab tonight. Let's go, we'll walk around a bit more before we return."
Compared to the other two places, Zhengzheng Construction Group's construction site was indeed cleaner and tidier. The efficiency of the work was also higher. As for the quality, there was no need to say much. After all, a professional was a professional.
Li Longji kept looking around and occasionally asked someone a few questions. It was only when the sky was dyed with a gorgeous sunset that he reluctantly left.
He brought Zhang Xiaobao and the others into the palace. Li Longji still had memorials to approve, so he didn't have time to think about other matters.
However, the news of the Emperor personally coming to the construction site had already spread throughout the capital. What was originally a simple matter of putting on a show had been greatly exaggerated, causing the impact to become even greater.
The simple commoners could no longer use words to express how moved they were. They could only display their loyalty to the Emperor through other actions, such as burning incense and releasing whips.
This made the people from different countries feel extremely helpless. They couldn't help but admit that the foundation of the Great Tang was unshakeable.
In terms of military affairs, the Great Tang had millions of soldiers, and Demoness Cuckoo was overseeing it. She even taught the other generals how to march. It was rumored that Demoness Cuckoo's military lessons were so fancy that they couldn't be described as a simple battle between two armies. There were many aspects involved, and each aspect had many details. Furthermore, it was coordinated with the actual situation, so it wasn't a simple theory.
In terms of money, oh, economy, there was no need to mention it. According to the people who asked around, the Great Tang's national treasury had more money than they could spend. The thing that the officials worried about the most was how to spend money. In addition to the national treasury, the current Emperor had more money in the bank than the national treasury.
In the end, they could only think of a solution in terms of the people's feelings. However, the Great Tang's Emperor didn't give them a chance. Why did an Emperor like you come to the construction site to eat jiamos? You clearly have nothing better to do.
You can also tell them in advance so that they can make preparations and send men of sacrifice to assassinate you. In the end, you can really do whatever you want. You can just bluff your way through.
It was said that even the city walls weren't built. What's the use of that? They had to attack the Great Tang first before they could attack the capital.
The countries in the southwest were the most troublesome because the sea route was impassable, and the mountain roads near the sea were also impassable. Lu Zhou was blocking the key points. The gunboats and lighthouses in the sea, and the special forces in the Hundred Thousand Mountains formed a joint defense with the mountain people.
What if they took the road in Jiannan Circuit? The river was slightly below them, and water transportation was developed. However, the trackers of the Zhang Family and Wang Family were as developed as the fleet. If they went further up, they would reach Chengdu. What was the point of going there? There were many businesses of the Zhang Family and Wang Family in Chengdu.
If they went around Chengdu from the west, they would hit the border of Tubo. How many troops did the Zhang Family and Wang Family have guarding the pass? There were also eagles in the sky, and they couldn't fly away even if they had wings.
If they went further, they could take advantage of the fact that there were still tribes in Tubo who were not convinced. They could bribe and rope them in before entering the snow mountain. After that, they would reach Wing Prefecture. Was there a need to mention the prestige of the logistics camp in Wing Prefecture?
If they continued to go around, it was estimated that 100,000 people would set off and go around the Tujue. By the time they reached Feng Prefecture, it would be considered a lot if they had 5,000 people left.
As a result, the people of the southwest countries realized that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had sealed off half of the Great Tang. If they wanted to destroy the Great Tang, the first to be destroyed would be the Zhang Family and Wang Family.
Compared to the southwest countries, the Xin Luo in the east had already accepted their fate. Only today did the Xin Luo royal family realize what it meant to subdue the enemy without fighting. Using money could also stun a country.
If Zhang Xiaobao knew what the people of Xin Luo were thinking, he would definitely be very disdainful. They were just Xin Luo. Did they know how many countries were destroyed by the United States' Wan Ta Plan? I've already shown mercy. At least your Xin Luo didn't starve to death.
The Japanese were also depressed. They had just come up with a plan in Henan Province, but it only affected a very small area. That spark was immediately extinguished. It was estimated that the interrogative edict asking them to send people back would soon reach their country.
If they didn't send the people back, after the new year, Zhang Xiaobao might support Wang Juan in sending troops after he had settled the matters of the Great Tang. Once the gunboats arrived, the shore would definitely be lost. Then, they would seal off and divide. It was said that Wang Juan's favorite thing to do on the sand table was to cut through, divide, and then surround and annihilate.
Li Longji didn't care about these things, so he didn't worry much. During dinner, he finished a busy day's work. He approved the big things himself and gave the minor things to the head of the secretariat.
The main thing was that there wasn't much to do. There were no enemies invading the border, and there was no place rebelling. There wouldn't be a disaster that couldn't be paid. In addition, there were telegrams, and news was transmitted very quickly. There were very few things to deal with every day. Moreover, there was now a special think tank.
'When spring comes, will I be able to go out and have some fun? 'Li Longji thought as he closed the last memorial.
When Li Longji arrived at the dining area, Xiaobei was already waiting anxiously. The other side dishes were already set, and the aged vinegar ginger juice was also prepared. Xiaobei was waiting for the big crab to be served.
When Li Longji arrived, the hot dishes were served one after another. There weren't many kinds. He didn't pursue quantity now. The dishes that were used for show were all gone. He let the kitchen make whatever he wanted to eat. When he wanted to eat a bowl of noodles, other than the noodles and the gravy on top, a few small salted vegetables were enough.
Only when he was in a good mood when meeting with an envoy would he put a pile of food for the envoy to taste.
"Uncle Emperor, you're here. There's no need to let people taste the dishes anymore. I'll send someone to the imperial kitchen to watch. Eat it while it's hot. You can't eat the crab when it's cold."
Seeing Li Longji sit down, Xiaobei was very active. He was afraid that Li Longji would let people taste the crab and make it cold. Eating cold crab could easily lead to poisoning.
Zhang Xiaobao was already slowly eating the porridge. He didn't care so much. Li Longji, you can eat it or not, but I have to eat it. I'm a patient.
When Li Longji saw Xiaobei, he smiled happily, "Eat, eat, I want to eat the crab too."
When the crab was served, Xiaobei grabbed a big one and put it on the plate in front of him. He didn't need to use the eight pieces of crab made by his older brother and sister. He stuck his chopsticks into the plate and used his left and right hand. With a crunch, the crab opened. Then he picked up the spoon and scooped up the yellow, then dug into the meat. He ate to his heart's content.
Li Longji followed suit. After eating a mouthful of meat, he asked Zhang Xiaobao, who had drunk half a bowl of porridge, "Xiao Bao, where do you think I should go next spring?"
"Next spring? That won't do. At the start of spring next year, Cuckoo and I have something to do, so you have to stay in the capital. "Zhang Xiaobao pondered for a moment before rejecting Li Longji's suggestion.
Li Longji wanted Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to accompany him. Seeing that Zhang Xiaobao didn't agree, he felt very regretful.
Zhang Xiaobao said, "Your Majesty, after the military selection, you can go. There's still some time before the new year."
"Really? Where should I go? "Li Longji was delighted when he heard that there were places he could go.
"By right, we should go to Hainan when the weather is cold. That's where Lu Zhou is. However, it'll take too long to go there. It'll only be more convenient when the railway is built. It'll only take a few days. Since we can't go to hot places, let's go to cold places. We'll go to the north of Jili Province to hunt for delicacies."
Zhang Xiaobao suggested that they go to the northeast.
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