Ang Lee moved very quickly, and he acted first and reported later. After sending out three thousand engineers, he ran to greet the people from the imperial court, catching them off guard. They had no choice but to agree. After all, Ang Lee's request was quite reasonable. The line to Luoyang in the east had been completed. As such, next, it was naturally the turn to lay down the other directions. There was no problem in laying down the northern line first. It was completely reasonable.
After laying down the wires to Lingwu, Ang Lee began to prepare the guns and bullets. These were life-saving things, so they had to be prepared properly.
The bullets were made by the craftsmen in different departments. Each department was responsible for one step. The last step was personally assembled by Ang Lee. Although the output was very small, there was definitely no problem in terms of safety. No one knew what these things were, thus increasing the confidentiality.
Li An had already made more than a dozen firearms, each of which was a fine product that had been personally polished by Li An. He had also made no less than 30 silencers, which was quite sufficient. Thus, no matter if it was a long gun or a short gun, it would be almost silent.
Most of these firearms were hidden in Ang Lee's office cabinet. There was a lock on it, and only Ang Lee had the key. It was very difficult for outsiders to find out what was in the cabinet. The entire office was always guarded, twenty-four hours a day, without exception.
Ang Lee picked two of the most convenient pistols and carried them on his body. There were twenty bullets in each pistol's magazine, so the two pistols had forty bullets. In addition, sixty bullets were enough. The total weight wasn't much, so it couldn't be seen at all. Especially now that it was winter, everyone was wearing cotton-padded clothes, so it was even more difficult to see.
In short, this time, Ang Lee was determined to go to the north and play. He was about to go crazy from studying machines in the capital every day. It was time for him to go out and play. Who knew, there might be unexpected gains?
However, no matter what, with his identity and status, if he wanted to go on a long trip, he had to get the permission of the emperor. This was something that couldn't be doubted. Li An had to find a reasonable excuse. After all, he couldn't just say that he was going to the North Gate to relax, could he? That would be too willful. Even if the old emperor agreed, he would have to consider the opinions of the other ministers. Perhaps he wouldn't agree.
Although it wasn't difficult to find an excuse, it was better to find a more reasonable one. This reason was indeed troublesome.
"Assistant Minister Li, General Guo's goods have been transported to the Summer State. Our people have returned."
A subordinate suddenly ran over to report.
"Isn't the Summer State the Spirit State?"
Ang Lee asked curiously.
The subordinate said, "Assistant Minister Li, the Spirit State is the capital of the North. It is where Jiedushi Wang is stationed. General Guo is stationed in the Summer State. Don't you know?"
Ang Lee slapped his forehead and said in annoyance, "I didn't ask where General Guo is stationed. I was too careless, too careless."
Previously, Ang Lee remembered that Old Guo was in the Spirit State. He didn't know when he was transferred to the Summer State. The situation in the north wasn't too urgent, so Ang Lee didn't care too much about it most of the time.
"Assistant Minister Li, it's okay if you remembered wrongly. The train to Lingwu has to pass through the Summer State. It's closer to the Summer State."
Ang Lee thought for a moment, looked at his subordinate, and asked, "What did the people who came back say? Did they mention the problem of the Horse Gang in the north?"
"There is such a thing. The brothers who came back said that there are many Horse Gang in the Qiwu Mountain and Wushui area of the Summer State. They specialize in robbing passing caravans and are very dangerous. Sometimes, they even dare to cross the Wushui River and attack freight trains on the railway. After robbing them, they escape. Fortunately, I didn't encounter any Horse Gang on this trip. Otherwise, it would have been very dangerous."
The subordinate said.
Ang Lee nodded. It turned out that the Horse Gang was in the Summer State area. These Horse Gang were quite bold. They even dared to rob the imperial court's train. They must have eaten the heart of a bear or the heart of a leopard.
The reason why the imperial court had not been able to eliminate these Horse Gang was probably that there was an inside contact with them. At the same time, these Horse Gang also acted according to the people. Generally, they only robbed wealthy merchants and would not rob people they should not rob. In this way, the impact on the imperial court would not be so great. The imperial court would not spend too much effort to regulate this kind of criminal behavior.
There was another point, perhaps that was what Ang Lee was most worried about. If the Horse Gang really disappeared, these officers and soldiers who maintained law and order would have no meaning to exist. Even if the imperial court did not dismiss these officers and soldiers, their status would be greatly reduced. There would be no reason for them to reach out and ask the local merchants for protection fees.
In other words, the existence of these Horse Gang was also very beneficial to the local officers and soldiers. It allowed the officers and soldiers to make a lot of money. The ones who suffered losses were the rich merchants. It seemed that the harm was not so great.
However, the merchant community was bound to be extremely annoyed by the rampant Horse Gang problem. With the interference of the Horse Gang, the local merchants had to pay a high price to invite the local officers and soldiers to protect them. Otherwise, there was a high probability that their goods would be robbed. They would also inevitably complain to the imperial court and ask the imperial court to eliminate the Horse Gang here as soon as possible.
It was not until now that Ang Lee understood why Guo Ziyi was in Summer State. It turned out that there was a serious Horse Gang problem here. His superior sent him here to completely eliminate the Horse Gang here. After Guo Ziyi arrived in Summer State, he also discovered the seriousness of the problem. Therefore, he ran to the capital and wanted Ang Lee to invent better weapons so that the officers and soldiers of the Tang dynasty could better eliminate these Horse Gang who came and went without a trace.
After understanding all this, Ang Lee felt that he should go to Summer State. It was too boring in the capital. There were only a few things to do every day. Life was not too exciting, or rather, there was no sense of crisis. Going to Summer State in the north might be able to find some excitement. It would be more interesting to live in that way.
As for the safety issue, there was no need to worry too much. He would travel back and forth by railway, so his safety was absolutely guaranteed. Moreover, it would be very comfortable and not suffer at all. It was just like traveling. Moreover, it was a very knowledgeable trip that would make people full of joy.
He was about to go to the Summer Province to play. In addition to informing the old Emperor, he also had to inform the few madams at home so that they could be prepared and prepare the daily necessities for Li An earlier.
"The north is a bitter and cold place. Why does my husband have to go there? Isn't it good to stay in the capital? "
"I heard that the Horse Gang in Summer State is quite fierce. Do you really want to go?"
"Ah! There are Horse Gang. Then it's better not to go! "
The wives didn't seem to be very supportive.
Ang Lee said, "I must go. Even if the north is a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, I must go. Life in the capital is too boring. I'll just take it as a trip to get some fresh air. Staying in the same place all the time will make me crazy."
"My husband, I'll go with you."
"I want to go too."
"Count me in."
"What about me? How can you not take me? "
The wives were all clamoring to go to Summer State for a trip.
However, Ang Lee obviously couldn't agree. Although going to the north was similar to traveling, there were Horse Gang there after all. It was still a little dangerous. Ang Lee had the strength to protect himself, but if he brought his family, it would be difficult to take care of them. They might really encounter danger, and this was obviously not what Ang Lee wanted.
"I'll only be gone for a month or two. It won't be long. You guys just wait at home obediently. I'll go alone. If you guys go with me, it won't be good for the reputation if word gets out."
Ang Lee said.
After all, Ang Lee had to find a very reasonable reason to go to the north this time. If he brought a whole family to travel, wouldn't the reason be in vain? What would others think? Wouldn't this be suspected of fleeing with the whole family?
"My husband, let me go with you! My martial arts are the best. I can protect you at a critical moment. "
Li Hanlu requested.
"If you only bring one person, there's nothing wrong with that. Do you have any objections?"
Ang Lee asked with a smile.
"Well, then let Little Sister Hanlu accompany my husband. We'll wait at home for my husband's return."
Yan Ruyu spoke, and the other two naturally agreed.
It wasn't long before they set off. In these few days, Ang Lee naturally had to accompany the other three and temporarily ignore Li Hanlu. After all, in the next one or two months, he would have to stay with Li Hanlu.
The first few days of work after the New Year were always busier than usual. There were always a lot of things, but fortunately, they weren't too difficult to deal with. Basically, they could be handed over to his subordinates to complete. There weren't many things that he needed to be personally responsible for.
A few days later, Ang Lee also thought of the reason for going to the Summer Province. That was to inspect the coal mines in the Summer Province and find out the sulfur ores associated with the coal mines. After all, a few days ago, someone had already sent over the samples of the associated minerals. Ang Lee took a look and found that these coal pieces were indeed strange.
The reason why the Summer Province wanted to send these coal mine samples to Ang Lee was because in the Summer Province, there were often cases where people were poisoned after using coal. Although these things would happen in other places, the frequency of them happening in the Summer Province was too high. Sometimes, when the ventilation was good, such things would also happen, which made the locals very afraid. In addition, when the coal was burned, it would emit a very unpleasant smell. It was this smell that poisoned people.
Originally, Li An thought that this was just a small matter. As long as he told the local coal miners not to mine the coal containing sulfur, it would be fine. But at this moment, Li An suddenly realized that he could use this matter to convince the emperor to let him go to the north and investigate carefully. It would also solve the problem of coal poisoning there. It wouldn't take too long anyway.
"Assistant Minister Li, are you going to the palace?"
Outside the gate of the Daming Palace, Ang Lee met Chen Xuanli who had just left the palace.
"Yes! I'm going to see His Majesty. What are you doing? "
Ang Lee said.
"I just saw His Majesty. At this moment, His Majesty is in the Zichen Palace. He's in a good mood."
Chen Xuanli said.
"Is there anything that makes him happy? Can it make His Majesty happy? "
Ang Lee asked.
"What, Assistant Minister Li doesn't know? Isn't it just that you guys have built three more transmitters? His Majesty is considering making one for the Pure Flowers Palace first. He hasn't thought about the other two yet. "
Chen Xuanli said with a smile.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "So that's what it is! I'm going to take the second one to the Summer Province in the north. After using it, I'll send it directly to the Spirit Province. "
"Summer Province? You're taking it to the Summer Province? What do you mean? You're going to the Summer Province?"
Chen Xuanli asked.
"Yes, I'm going to the Summer Province for a month or two."
Ang Lee said.
"I heard that the mounted gangsters there are quite annoying. Have you really thought it through? Don't tell me you're going there to exterminate the mounted gangsters!"
Chen Xuanli asked.
"While I'm at it! I won't lie in front of you, Old Chen. I'm mainly going there to relax and deal with the mounted gangsters. There's also a problem with the coal in the coal mine. I'm going there to deal with it. "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"Will His Majesty agree to something as important as going to the Summer Province?"
Chen Xuanli said.
"It's only a month or two. Why wouldn't His Majesty agree? It won't delay anything."
Ang Lee said.
"Why don't you bring me along too? I haven't fought in a long time. My hands are itching for a fight. "
Chen Xuanli requested.
Ang Lee frowned and said, "Forget it! You're already so old, what are you trying to do? It's better for you to stay in the capital!
"Already so old? Who are you calling old? Lian Po isn't old even though he's seventy. I'm only in my fifties. Defeating mounted gangsters is a piece of cake. I won't feel any pressure at all. "
Chen Xuanli said, unconvinced.
"Old Chen, you're amazing. However, there's no need for you to personally deal with a few mounted gangsters. Just leave it to a young man like me. You can just stay in the capital and wait for my good news."
Ang Lee changed his perspective and said with a smile.
Chen Xuanli knew that Ang Lee really didn't plan to bring him along. He was slightly disappointed. After a pause, he said, "Forget it, I won't go. A few mounted gangsters aren't even enough to fill the gaps between Assistant Minister Li's teeth. I won't be able to get anything even if I go."
"That's right. Just wait for my good news."
Ang Lee said with a smile. Then he went to Zichen Palace to meet the old Emperor.
When the Emperor heard that Ang Lee was going to the Summer Province in the north, he naturally objected. There were many research projects in the capital that Ang Lee was responsible for. How could he allow Ang Lee to leave so easily?
However, when Ang Lee explained his reasons and said that he had been in the capital for too long and his mind was muddled. He needed to go out to relax and find inspiration, Li Longji agreed. However, he requested that Ang Lee return early and pay special attention to his own safety. He also said that he would deploy an army to protect Ang Lee. However, Ang Lee only asked for three hundred elites. If too many people came along, they would be too big of a target and waste too many resources. There was no need for that.
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